My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 297 Opening a Mansion

Yang Kan's travels are quite extravagant.

He was followed by many servants, and he waved his hand.

The servants then took cloth from the carriage and laid it on the grass, then spread out a layer of expensive silk, and brought over tables and various tableware—it was all very elaborate.

"Brother Zuxin, it's been many years. I hope you've been well."

Cui Xian walked over and bowed.

"Brother Ji Lun, you are as charming as ever! Come, let's drink together!"

"Why don't we wait for Brother Zichong to return, and then drink together?"

"Zichong?"

"General, you are going to the Gao family in Bohai to recognize your ancestors. Gao Jizhou is your uncle, so we gave him a courtesy name."

"I see."

Yang Kan nodded, then waved his hand dismissively, "My younger sister and Gao Lang haven't seen each other for years, they probably have a lot to talk about, so she probably won't be back for a while."

Yang Kan seemed to have already accepted his status as the eldest brother-in-law, and he didn't care at all when his younger sister, who was about to be married, was taken away by Gao Yu in public.

What else could it be?

Over the years, many prominent families have come to the Yang family to propose marriage, but Yang Changchu has refused them all, insisting on marrying only Gao Yu. What else can he do?
"In that case, it seems I'm the one who's clueless about romance."

Cui Xian chuckled and raised his glass, saying, "He deserves to be punished, he deserves to be punished."

Yang Yin, Cui Jishu, Cui You, and others also gathered around. Cui Xian took the initiative to introduce them. When Yang Kan heard that they were all men from Han Chinese families, his smile was even more uncontrollable than an AK. He couldn't help but praise them repeatedly. The more Han Chinese men under Gao Yu's command, the happier he, the iron-blooded imperial Han, would be!

"Gao Lang is a powerful figure in Shandong! If that traitor Erzhu Rong were to harm the emperor... wouldn't Gao Lang be able to raise the banner of righteousness, raise an army of righteous men, and restore our Han homeland?"

“Brother Zuxin…be careful with your words.”

Cui Xian was startled. Was his alcohol tolerance really that bad?

How come you're already 'speaking the truth after drinking' after only one drink?
However, considering Yang Kan's past "astonishing" remarks within the Ministry of Personnel in Luoyang, it all seems perfectly normal.

You can think that way in your heart, but don't say it out loud.

The powerful families who are willing to 'invest' in Gao Yu right now are all shrewd and experienced; how could they not see the situation in Luoyang?
Erzhu Rong's intentions were already an open secret; he was just waiting for his empress daughter to give birth to an heir for Yuan Ziyou.

With Empress Dowager Hu's 'outrageous actions' as a precedent, even if Erzhu Ying'e gave birth to a daughter, Erzhu Rong could probably still announce that it was a boy. After all, the palace was under his control, and the news channels were blocked, so whatever Erzhu Rong said was the truth.

Once everything has settled down and the 'abdication' process is completed.

Does it matter whether the offspring born to Erzhu Ying'e are male or female?
The current emperor, Yuan Ziyou, is of a fierce and unyielding character. This can be seen from his determination to defend Luoyang to the death and his unwillingness to be captured in the north. He is a resolute ruler who would rather die than live in dishonor. How could he possibly abdicate?

A struggle was bound to break out between the emperor and his powerful ministers.

This is also why Yuan Ziyou was so eager to send Gao Yu away, to make Gao Yu, who was not yet thirty, rise to prominence in one fell swoop. He wanted Gao Yu to be his support outside the capital, so that Gao Yu could be ordered to mobilize troops to Luoyang to protect the emperor at any time.

"It's alright. This is the homeland of the Han people. Why should we care about the opinions of the Xianbei barbarians?"

Yang Kan, however, didn't care at all.

What he said wasn't wrong.

After Tuoba Tao unified the northern border, he implemented the "dispersal of various tribes" policy, settling a large number of nomadic peoples in the Hebei region.

For example, there are a large number of Dingling people in Xiangzhou, Dingzhou, and Yingzhou, while there are not so many Hu people in Henan and Shandong, which are indeed more orthodox than Hebei.

Chat room.

Only then did everyone realize that Gao Yu had returned with Yang Changchu.

So fast?
Upon reaching the vicinity of the crowd, Gao Yu and Yang Changchu dismounted.

As he passed by the women, Gao Yu took the initiative to bow and introduce himself with a smile, "Greetings, ladies. My name is Gao Yu, courtesy name Zichong."

"So you are Gao Erlang, the cavalry general who led three thousand men to defeat three hundred thousand outside Luoyang?"

"He doesn't look like a brave and martial man; he looks more like a noble young master from a prestigious family."

"........."

The women were chattering away.

However, I also noticed something different about Gao Yu. He didn't seem brave enough, but he walked with a powerful stride and his eyes were bright and piercing.

He was nothing like those idle, lazy noblemen who took five-stone powder every day and had lifeless eyes.

His sunny and fierce temperament is immediately apparent.

"I still need to catch up with old friends, so I won't bother you any longer."

Gao Yu glanced at Yang Changchu, then turned and left. After he had gone some distance, Yang Changchu seemed to remember something. She looked around for a moment, then found Cui Zhifan's carriage by the river and went over to it.

After introducing herself to the maid, Yang Changchu stepped forward and said, "You must be the young lady of the Cui family. It must be quite boring to be alone in the carriage. We will inevitably have to interact with each other in the future. Why don't you get down and join us for a get-together?"

"Since the young lady of the Yang family has extended such a warm invitation, how could I dare to refuse?"

Looking at the poised and confident Yang Changchu, Cui Zhifan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

She does possess the magnanimity and breadth of mind of a first wife.

He wasn't aggressive at all; it should be quite comfortable to be around someone like that.

On the other side.

Gao Yu also came to Yang Kan's side.

Yang Kan was overjoyed. "When I heard that someone had defeated a coalition of 300,000 men with only 3,000 outside Luoyang, I knew that only Gao Lang in this world possessed such bravery!"

"What a pity! I was not in Luoyang and missed such a grand occasion!"

Yang Kan was genuinely a martial man, and his regretful expression didn't seem feigned.

Cui Jishu, however, offered words of comfort without restraint, saying, "The situation in the world is still unclear, Brother Zuxin, there is no need to feel sorry. You will surely have your chance to make a name for yourself in the future."

Perhaps Yuan Ziyou has miscalculated?
Why are the people under my command making such outrageous statements?
They're all traitors!
So he's become the leader of a rebel group?

Gao Yu could only laugh loudly to divert everyone's attention, then picked up his wine cup and said, "His Majesty has entrusted me with an important task. In the future, there will be many complicated government affairs, and I will need to rely on everyone's help!"

"Now, let me first offer you all a toast!"

We've finally arrived in Shandong.

Gao Yu had been pondering this all the way.

The reason he didn't rush to Shandong immediately was that he took a trip to Hebei instead.

One reason is to express their Han Chinese identity to the outside world.

Secondly, it was to seek assistance in Hebei Province, using the Cui family as external aid to counterbalance the local powerful families in Shandong.

Thirdly, it's about gaining more time.

He wanted to establish his own government, and at the same time, his status as Grand Chancellor allowed him to emulate the Luoyang court by forming an administrative team based on the framework of the Ministry of Personnel. He had the right to handle all matters, large and small, in Shandong on his own, a power granted to him by Yuan Ziyou.

This is also why the Cui family, the Yang family, and later the powerful families of Shandong were willing to serve him.

He possessed the power to promise people empty promises and bestow official positions upon them.

However, he needed to carefully consider the specific candidates for the positions of General Tian Ce and the Xingtai, as this involved the distribution and checks and balances of internal power.

One cannot allow a single entity to dominate, but all parties must be satisfied, while one must retain full power and not be sidelined.

This is a huge challenge for Gao Yu.

This kind of thing can't be left to others. Everyone has their own stance and their own interests. Only by relying on yourself can you accomplish it.

Gao Yu's current idea is to separate the civil and military affairs.

He then planned to implement the Fubing system, which would require the Tian Ce Shang Jiang Fu (General's Office) as the foundation for the overall framework of the Fubing system. However, the parallel Equal Field System would require someone to investigate the land and population.

There can be no rush.

It requires careful consideration.

Anyway...

The military must be firmly under our control.

Only when you have a gun in your hand can you stand tall, speak with confidence, and gain the trust of others.

But this is destined to be a long process, and we cannot rush it.

"Everything will have to wait until I understand the specific situation in Shandong."

He needs to see Liu Taozhi first.

Then they went to find Yang Changchu, Yang Kan, and others.

This is similar to how, in warfare, one needs to personally risk their life to go to the front lines to scout out enemy positions and terrain.

No investigation, no right to speak.

Naturally, they would be unable to make the most reasonable and correct decisions.

P.S.: Don't worry, everyone. After explaining all this farming stuff, there will be a jump in the timeline. The big battle in the next volume won't disappoint you.

(End of this chapter)