My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 372: reaping the benefits
Gao Huan looked astonished.

Gao Yu, as if afraid that he hadn't heard clearly, repeated it again.

"I want to...control all the armies in the land!"

"As for the position of Prime Minister, let the Prince take it. The Prince is meticulous and good at political maneuvering, so he can plan in the court, while I can handle foreign wars."

"What does Your Highness think?"

Gao Huan was at a loss for words, opening his mouth several times but unable to utter a single sentence.

He didn't expect that.

Gao Yu's ambition is so great!

To order the armies of the entire realm to control the troops is even more outrageous than ordering him to personally send Yuan Xiu to Qingzhou!
In times of chaos, military strength is the greatest source of confidence.

With troops and soldiers, one can stand tall and speak with authority.

How did he rise from a governor of a prefecture to the table of power, and even develop the ambition to further 'contend for the world'?
Where is the confidence?
It was precisely because after conquering Sizhou that he obtained the most elite Six Garrisons of Valiant Warriors, thus establishing his own base of operations.

He also absorbed all the Tiele tribes of Hedoulingbufan and the grassland soldiers borrowed from Anagui.

The extremely powerful army under his command was Gao Huan's confidence in standing firm in this chaotic world.

Even if you beat Gao Huan to death, he would never relinquish control of his troops.

"Erlang..."

Gao Huan opened his mouth, forcing a smile, and said, "I also know that you are extremely skilled in military affairs and can control the armies of the world. I'm afraid this might damage your reputation. If word gets out, some people with ulterior motives might use this to accuse you of having disloyal intentions..."

"Brother!"

Gao Yu interrupted him forcefully, shouting, "Now that things have come to this, why are you trying to fob me off with these words? Do you still think of me as a three-year-old child?"

"Back when you left Gao Qian, Wen Zisheng, and the others behind and hastily selected a new emperor without consulting me, shouldn't you have known this day would come!"

"What a person gains, he will also lose. You have gained merit in supporting the new emperor, so you should have thought about what you might lose. This is a principle you taught me back in Huai Shuo. Have you forgotten it now?"

really……

Gao Huan couldn't help but sigh.

His actions had indeed left Gao Yu feeling resentful.

“Erlang, with a formidable enemy at hand, even if we brothers have some differences, we should put aside our prejudices and join forces to fight against the powerful foe. If we continue to waste time, wouldn’t that just be giving Tianbao an easy advantage? You know that Tianbao is extremely skilled in military affairs, his Qihu elite cavalry is exceptionally brave, and he also has valiant warriors from Wuchuan and Daidi serving him.”

"Since you know that Tianbao is extremely skilled in military affairs, then let me take command of all the troops in the world and deal with Tianbao with all my might."

Gao Yu wouldn't budge an inch.

Gao Huan is destined to be completely under his control!
Very simple.

What can't be obtained on the battlefield, do you expect to get at the negotiating table?

Could Gao Huan deal with Erzhu Rong on his own?
If he could handle Erzhu Rong on his own, he wouldn't have come to Qingzhou in such a humble manner to show weakness to Gao Yu.

Gao Huan currently controls Hengzhou, Sizhou, Dingzhou, Xiangzhou, and Yinzhou.

In his earlier years, Erzhu Rong had been operating in Sizhou and Hengzhou for many years. Whenever Erzhu Rong was able to lead his troops back, the people of these two prefectures would immediately open their city gates to welcome the "royal army" and would not fight to the death for Gao Huan.

The main battlefield is Hebei!
Hebei is advantageous for cavalry warfare, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend.

Erzhu Rong will definitely focus his attack on Hebei.

Gao Huan is currently facing a rather dangerous situation; if he is not careful, he could be swept aside by Erzhu Rong in one fell swoop.

Gao Huan's expression changed several times, his heart filled with inner turmoil.

He has planned so much to get to where he is today, how could he be willing to just hand it over like this?
He looked up at Gao Yu.

Finally, with difficulty, he said, "After I return, I will inform His Majesty that you will be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of all military affairs, both domestic and foreign."

For Gao Huan, it was barely acceptable.

The nominal command authority wouldn't be enough to take away his control of his troops. The most urgent task at hand is to persuade Gao Yu to send troops to Hebei to alleviate the enormous pressure he is under.

Gao Yu chuckled, as if he had already guessed the answer, and then said, "Alright! Actually, I had already thought of a military strategy, otherwise I wouldn't have asked for military power."

"Tell me, what are your plans?" "Liu Lingzhu and Hou Yuan of Yan, You, and Ying prefectures are Tianbao's confidants. My spies reported that they are preparing for war and are obviously planning to cooperate with Tianbao to launch a pincer attack."

Xiangzhou, Yinzhou, and Dingzhou are all on the same line. Yinzhou was originally a prefecture that Empress Dowager Hu forcibly separated from Xiangzhou and Dingzhou.

These three states were sandwiched between Erzhu Rong's forces, one in front and one behind.

Gao Huan nodded. He had also received the news, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He said, "Then it will be..."

"Brother, you lead the troops to guard the three prefectures of Xiang, Yin, and Ding, and hold back the enemy forces coming from the direction of Luoyang. I will personally lead the army north to reclaim the land of Yan and You, and relieve your worries about the rear."

"This……"

"Hebei is flat and level, and its people are good at cavalry warfare. I don't have enough warhorses. If I can capture Yan and You, I can get warhorses and relieve your worries about the rear. I will then lead my troops south to help you fight against Tianbao!"

Gao Huan finally understood.

Gao Yu had no intention of confronting Erzhu Rong head-on at the first opportunity.

Gao Yu's desire to head north to the Yan and You regions essentially boils down to depleting the strength he possesses.

If Gao Huan cannot withstand the pressure, his personal prestige will be greatly diminished. If Gao Yu were to descend with divine power again, he could reverse the decline, establish his supreme authority, and seize the opportunity to annex Gao Huan's forces.

What if Gao Huan held out?
That would be a Pyrrhic victory, with heavy losses of the elite troops at his disposal. The soldiers trained by Erzhu Rong were no pushovers.

that time.

The territory controlled by Gao Yu will then extend northward from Qingzhou, through Jizhou, Yingzhou, Yanzhou, Youzhou, and Anzhou, completely bringing the eastern part of the Great Wei under Gao Yu's control.

Meanwhile, Gao Huan in Hebei would still be surrounded by Gao Yu's forces.

Gao Yu didn't give him any chance to refute and continued speaking.

"Although Yecheng is good, it is too close to Luoyang. We still need to avoid the sharp edge of the Tianbao era for the time being. It would be better to temporarily retreat the emperor to Qinghe."

Gao Huan briefly went through it in his mind.

Qinghe County was still within the territory of Dingzhou, so it seemed that Gao Yu did not demand control of the emperor.

but……

It is already the easternmost prefecture of Dingzhou, directly below which are Jizhou and Qizhou.

Jizhou, to its northeast, can also be considered Gao Yu's territory at present.

If Gao Huan himself couldn't hold out and the emperor voluntarily retreated eastward, then the emperor would have fallen into Gao Yu's hands on his own, not that Gao Yu was determined to seize the emperor.

According to Gao Yu's plan.

It can be said that they schemed against him from every angle and without any blind spots.

Gao Yu's scheme clearly conveyed his attitude.

We can cooperate.

However, Gao Huan had to personally withstand Erzhu Rong's counterattack, while Gao Yu took the opportunity to reclaim You and Yan.

After Gao Huan and Erzhu Rong have fought to the point of mutual destruction, Gao Yu will return to reap the benefits.

Can I refuse?

Gao Huan kept thinking to himself.

But no matter what he thinks, there's one thing he can't get around.

If he wanted to maintain his footing, he had to rely on Gao Yu's power, but Gao Yu wouldn't budge or help him.

He alone was no match for Erzhu Rong's attack from both sides.

After a long silence, Gao Huan could only lower his head and say, "Then... as you say."

As the weaker party, he had no ability to make any choices.

What options are available depends entirely on what options Gao Yu gives him.

(End of this chapter)