My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 355 I feel sleepy, someone sends me a pillow

"Quickly! Pass on my orders: once we get through these next few days and reach Dingzhou, I will reward the entire army!"

Gao Huan knew very well that he was racing against time!
He needed to get to Hebei and meet up with the others before the news reached Erzhu Rong, who was far away in Luoyang.

Sizhou had been ravaged and nearly destroyed by his plundering.

He deliberately allowed his soldiers to run rampant within the territory of Sizhou.

Firstly, the grassland soldiers and Hedoulingbufan and others borrowed from Anagui were purely mercenaries. He himself could not deliver the promised benefits to these people, so he could only allow these mercenaries to wreak havoc on the local people and rob them himself.

Secondly, the soldiers and civilians of the six towns had accumulated a huge amount of anger and needed an outlet. He had to make them vent all their pent-up anger in a short period of time!
Thirdly, only after completely destroying the foundation of his rule here can he leave people to quickly take control of various key locations within Sizhou. Having finally taken Sizhou, why would he easily give it up?

They could keep Sizhou to distract Erzhu Rong, but Xiurongchuan was the birthplace of the Erzhu clan, and Erzhu Rong would definitely send a large army to attack it like a madman.

Upon reaching the vicinity of Jingxing, we were about to enter Hebei Province.

Gao Huan once again summoned the entire army.

"Once you enter Hebei, you must not harass the people or destroy farmland. Anyone who violates this rule will be dealt with according to military law!"

"The land of Hebei is where you brothers fought in the past, and it can be regarded as your old home. Some of you brothers may even have descendants in Hebei. Can you bear to lay a hand on the people of your old home?"

Gao Huan sacrificed the people of Sizhou, allowing the grassland soldiers and the people of the Six Garrisons to unleash all the evil in their hearts.

They vented what they needed to vent, and they grabbed what they wanted to grab.

With this premise, it will be much easier to maintain military discipline. After all, it takes time to digest so much food consumed at once.

Gao Huan knew very well why Ge Rong had occupied Hebei for so long, yet lost so easily. How could he possibly make the same mistake again?

After leaving Jingxing, Gao Huan officially entered Dingzhou and was able to see Hou Jing again as he had hoped!

"He Liuhun!"

"Wanjing!"

The two embraced passionately. Hou Jing looked at the army that stretched as far as the eye could see and a strange light flashed in his eyes. "As expected of you, He Liuhun... you really can gather such a large army."

"These are all brave warriors from our six garrisons, each one capable of taking on ten men!"

"Come on, come on! I've prepared a banquet, and my elder sister, sister-in-law, and others have all been brought over."

Gao Huan never intended to make Hengzhou his base of operations.

Hebei was the land he truly desired. Hebei connected with Shandong to the east, forming a strategic alliance with Gao Yu, and he could also seek reinforcements from Gao Yu.

After conquering Hebei, Gao Huan then set his sights on Shanxi.

"First, settle the soldiers down... I previously allowed them to plunder throughout Sizhou, but now that we've reached Hebei, I can't continue like this. I need to keep an eye on them."

Hou Jing was taken aback, and subconsciously felt that He Liuhun had changed.

really……

When ambitions reach the point of wanting to conquer the world, will one start to care about reputation and try to win the hearts and minds of the people?
News spread slowly in ancient times, but that doesn't mean it didn't.

Dingzhou is very close to Sizhou. Many of the people near Jingxing have been so frightened that they have packed their belongings and are preparing to flee, because they have heard that a group of ruthless refugee soldiers have come to Sizhou.

Under this preconceived notion.

The result was that the arrival of a large army with strict discipline created a contrast in the minds of the people, leading them to believe that Gao Huan, the commander-in-chief, was a person who cared about the people.

What does the plundering of Sizhou have to do with the people of Dingzhou?

As long as Dingzhou wasn't looted, isn't that enough?

After settling the soldiers into camp outside the city, Gao Huan, still feeling uneasy, left Han Gui, Huli Jin, and others to patrol the camp to prevent anyone from going out under the cover of night. Only after everything was settled did he enter the city.

My nerves, which had been on edge, finally relaxed.

After a hearty meal, he finally met Lou Zhaojun and the others again in the inner courtyard. He first went to see the Rouran princess before coming to Lou Zhaojun's side.

"Husband!"

"Zhaojun!" He pulled Lou Zhaojun into his arms and held her tightly. "Zhaojun, please be patient for now. Once I am strong enough, I will no longer need to be mindful of Anagui's feelings."

"My husband, you mustn't..."

Lou Zhaojun shook her head. "Now is the most critical moment. My husband needs the Rouran as an aid. We must not neglect Princess Rouran. Princess Rouran is not an unreasonable person. What humiliation could I possibly suffer?"

Gao Huan remained silent for a long time.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?

I stayed in the city for two days.

Sima Ziru's confidants had already arrived ahead of time and successfully met Gao Huan. Upon hearing the news, even the usually calm and collected Gao Huan was shocked!
"what happened?"

Hou Jing pressed, "What happened?"

Gao Huan, his face filled with horror, waved his hand dismissively, leaving only a few trusted men behind, before slowly speaking, "Ziru has received news that His Majesty attempted to assassinate the Prime Minister within the palace but failed. The two sides clashed, and His Majesty is dead..."

"What!??"

Hou Jing and the others also looked astonished!
The emperor is dead?

"Does the Prime Minister really dare to commit regicide?"

"I don't know."

Gao Huan shook his head. "The Prime Minister will certainly not admit that he murdered the emperor, but it is no longer important who actually murdered the emperor at this moment."

It's really not important.

Even if Erzhu Rong didn't kill him, the world would assume he did.

Just like the Sima family.

Cheng Ji killed the emperor, but everyone knows it was Sima Zhao who ordered it.

Gao Huan did not reveal any further information.

He only summoned Hou Jing, Huli Jin and others to the inner courtyard; he didn't dare to summon She Digan and Daxi Wu, the two people sent by Yuan Ziyou.

"There were too many people just now, so I couldn't reveal some of the information. Ziru's confidant also told me an important piece of news: Qian Yong and the others are carrying His Majesty's edict and imperial seal. Ziru has already sent people to escort them to Dingzhou."

"His Majesty's last edict, the Imperial Seal??"

Hou Jing didn't react for a moment.

Gao Huan's gaze was profound. "Next, we will definitely need to contact Erlang. However... once we merge into one, who will be the leader, and who will be the most respected?"

Gao Huan was well aware of the principle that two tigers cannot share one mountain.

Hou Jing finally realized what was happening, turned around and glanced at Gao Huan, reminding him with a strange expression, "Mo Heduo's men are all Han Chinese. If we follow him as our leader, wouldn't that mean we'd have to follow the Han Chinese? How could we possibly find a place to live?"

"But Moheduo is the Grand General of the Heavenly Strategy, appointed by His Majesty. He has the greatest prestige, and he is the only one..."

Gao Huan's gaze sharpened.

"His Majesty is dead! We possess His Majesty's edict and imperial seal. We should... choose another member of the imperial family to be emperor, and then rally the righteous men of the land..."

"The imperial edict and the imperial seal are in our hands; this is a golden opportunity!"

Hou Jing's eyes darted around a few times. "The most urgent task at hand is..."

"Wan Jing, quickly send someone to inquire whether there are any members of the imperial clan in Hebei... Once I find them, I will go to see them in person."

“He Liuhun, you certainly think long-term, but this is indeed the way to do things.”

Hou Jing did not refuse.

Instead, he laughed heartily, saying, "Leave this matter to me."

(End of this chapter)