My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 278 Brothers talk at night
"The three provinces of Xu, Qing, and Yan?"

Gao Yu sat at the desk, looking down at the exquisitely crafted map of the Great Wei territory in front of him.

This was actually created after Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Ke achieved a complete victory over the southern "island barbarians" and expanded the territory of the Great Wei to the south on a large scale.

however……

In just over a decade, much of the territory that had been acquired during the reign of Emperor Xuanwu was seized by the Southern Liang dynasty.

The most typical example is Xuzhou.

When Yuan Fasheng's rebellion failed and he surrendered, the entire southern part of Xuzhou had already been lost. Therefore, Chen Qingzhi's northern expedition started from Zhicheng.

Although the Southern Liang's Northern Expeditionary Allied Forces were defeated by Gao Yu, and most of Chen Qingzhi's gains in the Northern Expedition were lost, the southern territories that had fallen to Xuzhou were still held.

The night breeze blew in through the window, and the candlelight inside flickered, just like Gao Yu's fluctuating emotions. He sighed.

"In the end, it still came to this."

Yuan Ziyou forcibly pushed him out to fight Erzhu Rong in the arena.

Gao Yu is indeed the biggest winner.

He rose from a mere Right Guard General and Attendant Gentleman of the Palace to become the Grand General of the Heavenly Strategy, holding the imperial insignia, overseeing the military affairs of the three provinces of Qing, Xu, and Yan, serving as the Grand Chancellor of the Eastern Route, and holding the title of Grand Master of the Three Departments. Even his noble rank changed from the lowest rank of Viscount to Earl of County.

It could be said that he had become a local tyrant.

But Erzhu Rong would not let it go so easily.

He first forcibly divided Xuzhou in two, using Pengcheng as the boundary, dividing it into east and west. He gave the west to Gao Yu, and appointed Erzhu Yanbo as the governor of the east Xuzhou.

In addition, Erzhu Rong also sent his most trusted confidants to Qizhou and Jizhou, north of Yanzhou, and sent Erzhu Tianguang, who was in charge of guarding his hometown in Jinyang Bafu, to be the governor.

The reasons they came up with were also very clever.

Although Ge Rong was captured alive, many people escaped. Han Lou, one of Ge Rong's confidants, raised a rebellion in Yan and You, which needed to be prevented.

The commander sent to quell the rebellion was Hou Yuan, whom Erzhu Rong trusted greatly, and he also brought along brave warriors such as Hebasheng.

They didn't give Gao Yu a chance to intervene in the northern expedition against Yan and You.

This is equivalent to completely locking Gao Yu in the three provinces of Yan, Xu, and Qing with two or three layers of encirclement.

One of the main reasons Erzhu Rong prevented Gao Yu from heading north was to deny Gao Yu the opportunity to acquire horses. By strictly limiting Gao Yu's access to horses, he could thus restrict the Xuanjia Army under Gao Yu's command!
Speaking of the Xuanjia Army.

Erzhu Rong was also ruthless.

He argued that the soldiers of the Xuanjia Army had made outstanding contributions in the Battle of Luoyang and deserved a generous reward.

The emperor bestowed great rewards upon him.

Gao Yu's Xuanjia Army numbered a total of three thousand men.

When Gao Yu first left the Six Garrisons to join Erzhu Rong, he had less than 800 men under his command. The remaining 2,000 or so men were all from Sizhou, mainly from the Qihu people, with a small number coming from the herdsmen of Nanxiu Rong.

Gao Yu did indeed train him into a brave warrior, and even won his heart.

Erzhu Rong then promoted them all, some were incorporated into the Imperial Guard, and others were placed under his command, all of whom were given official positions.

This is a well-intentioned but ultimately cunning strategy.

Just like how Yuan Ziyou would always ask Erzhu Rong with a smile, "What does the Prime Minister think?" whenever he wanted to promote Gao Yu.
What are Erzhu Rong's thoughts?
Gao Yu is the same.

If someone wants to promote soldiers, what opinion can Gao Yu possibly have?
The price is...

A large number of Qihu soldiers in Gao Yu Xuanjia Army were all 'promoted'.

Perhaps knowing that the soldiers who had followed Gao Yu from the very beginning of the Six Garrisons campaign were hard to sway, Erzhu Rong did not take any action against them.

They were lucky.

In the battle of Luoyang that day, Mulan served as "bait" to lure the White Robe Army. She brought people who had followed Gao Yu since the Six Garrisons, and by a twist of fate, she did not suffer much loss.

After Erzhu Rong's "trouble-making," Gao Yu's Xuanjia Army was shrunk again, leaving less than six hundred men.

Erzhu Rong even deliberately planted a landmine for Gao Yu.

Mulan captured Xing Gao, the Prince of Gaoyang, and Peng Le captured Yuwen Luosheng, the Prince of Yuyang. Both of them had the merit of capturing kings and were promoted in rank. Erzhu Rong even promoted them directly to the rank of Earl of a County, which is the same as Gao Yu's rank.

It's like using the same methods Yuan Ziyou used against him to deal with Gao Yu in return.

Gao Ang was promoted to the rank of Yueqi Xiaowei, which meant he officially entered the Imperial Guard system, and Yuan Ziyou tacitly accepted this.

Apparently...

Yuan Ziyou also learned about Gao Ang's bravery and martial prowess. He was an old friend of Gao Qian and wanted to use this to completely subdue Gao Ang and make him work for him, so that he could also use him to counterbalance Gao Yu in the future.

"So, I traded most of my family fortune for this official position, and now I have to start all over again?"

Gao Yu carefully took stock of the situation, and it wasn't so optimistic.

"Six hundred it is, there are ways to play with six hundred."

A soft footstep sounded outside. Gao Yu thought it was Yuan Miao coming to ambush him again, but when he looked up, he saw a person wearing a black cloak who almost blended into the pitch-black night. Only after taking off the hood did he realize that it was Gao Huan.

After bringing Gao Huan in, Liu Taozhi glanced at Gao Yu before leaving. Once Gao Huan entered the room, she considerately closed the door behind her.

"Brother?"

Gao Huan only glanced at the map on the table and knew exactly what Gao Yu was doing late at night.

"Erlang, is this preparation for taking up a post in Shandong?"

"Things have come to this point, I have no way out. Delay will solve everything, I need to make plans as soon as possible..."

"We really need to make plans early... Although we have old friendships with Tianbao, the situation has changed so much that there is no going back."

Gao Yu remained silent. Gao Huan patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "When my brother and I followed Tianbao to Luoyang, it was destined to be this way."

"I have come here today because I have something I want to say to you."

"His Majesty has a good plan, wanting to send you to Guanzhong, but I am the governor of Jinzhou, and this alone makes it absolutely impossible."

When traveling from Guanzhong to Luoyang, the most important place is naturally Hangu Pass.

Jinzhou was forcibly separated by Erzhu Rong and located in the southwest of Shanxi, but it was also located at the eastern edge of Guanzhong.

If Gao Yu went to Guanzhong, the two brothers' territories would be combined, which Erzhu Rong would naturally not be happy about.

“I know your personality and can understand many things, but I may not be willing to act that way. However… you have no foundation in the court or in Shandong and other places, so you must be cautious in your actions.”

Gao Yu listened attentively.

He had a plan in mind, but he also wanted to hear what advice Gao Huan would give him to break the deadlock.

"From today onwards, in the eyes of all the officials and ministers, you will be His Majesty's most important minister... In the days to come, you must show absolute loyalty to His Majesty, report everything to His Majesty, put His mind at ease, and not disappoint His Majesty's intention to promote you."

"However... you should not offend the Prime Minister either. You can also express your loyalty to him, as His Majesty forced you to this point."

Gao Yu chuckled and countered, "Does Brother think Tianbao would believe that?"

"Whether you believe it or not is not important. What is important is... you need to make your stance clear. Although His Majesty has established his authority, the affairs of the world are still in the hands of the Prime Minister. You need to ease the tension with him, or at least prevent the Prime Minister from becoming even more hostile towards you."

This is Gao Huan's philosophy of survival.

He is adept at navigating social situations, speaking to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghostly way.

But for these two brothers, who had no connections, no ancestral inheritance, and were of lowly status, this was the only way to act.

It seems simple, but it is actually very difficult.

The right balance must be struck.

"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you."

"Brother, please ask."

"Back then in Luoyang, you befriended the Yang family. If I remember correctly... even after you returned to Huai Shuo, the Yang family's daughter frequently wrote to you. Did you maintain contact with them after you went to Luoyang?"

Gao Yu looked slightly embarrassed, but didn't say it so bluntly, just nodded.

Actually, there's no need to explain it so clearly.

Gao Huan himself has fully benefited from his good looks. His own younger brother is just as handsome as him, and is even more attractive to women.

How old was Yang Changchu back then?

They still correspond to each other. If she were already married, why would she act this way?

Thinking of this, Gao Huan couldn't help but chuckle a few times. "Fortunately, the Prime Minister is unaware of this matter, otherwise... you wouldn't be able to go to Shandong."

Hebei and Shandong are the old territories of the Han Dynasty, the true Central Plains.

Erzhu Rong saw this as an opportunity, which is why he sent Gao Yu, a man from Huai Shuo, to the region, using a Han Chinese aristocratic family as an obstacle to Gao Yu's control of Shandong.

The background check wasn't thorough enough, and they were taken advantage of because of a lack of information.

But something that happened nearly ten years ago required Gao Huan to personally meet with Gao Yu to get a definite answer, so how could Erzhu Rong possibly know about it?
“The Yang family is a prominent family in Taishan County, and they have close ties with other prominent Han families. Their relationships are intertwined. If you want to break through, you have to start with the Yang family.”

"I'm not sure if I should say this, but your marriage to Yuechan..."

Gao Huan made his fortune thanks to his wife's family's resources.

He knows all too well how to live off a woman.

In-laws are a quick way to access family resources. If Yang Changchu is made the principal wife, it can even demonstrate one's stance to the entire Han Chinese aristocratic family.

My ancestors were indeed from the Gao clan of Bohai, and they admired the Han dynasty.

"Brother, how could I not understand what you're saying?"

Gao Yu shook his head.

If he were willing to acknowledge the courtesy name 'Shimin' that Cui Guang had given him, he could even use it to establish a connection with the Cui family of Qinghe and gain their assistance.

Cui Xian was from the Cui clan of Boling, and he was an old friend of his.

Zheng Dache is from the Zheng family of Xingyang, and she is currently pregnant with her child.

It wouldn't be particularly difficult for Gao Yuzhen to seek help from Han Chinese aristocratic families.

"That's why I said... you can understand many things, and I came to see you specifically to tell you."

"Many things are done out of necessity. Once you have a solid foundation and are fully capable, you will naturally be able to act more in accordance with your own wishes."

"Do you still remember what you said to me back in Huai Shuo?"

"A wise man keeps his talents hidden until the time is right."

"The current situation is dire, and the world is in chaos. This is the perfect opportunity for my brother and me to establish an unparalleled legacy. Many heroes spend their entire lives waiting for this opportune moment. How fortunate we two brothers are!"

"That's why I came to find you tonight, Erlang. It would be a disaster if we didn't seize the opportunity. The Emperor and the Prime Minister are irreconcilable enemies. Now is the perfect time for my brother and me!"

"Erlang, we must not miss this opportunity! Once the overall situation is settled, we may never have such a good chance again!"

Gao Huan rarely does this.

But this also proves how much Gao Huan valued it.

Gao Yu nodded, "Brother, don't worry, I have everything under control and I have my own plans."

(End of this chapter)