My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 378 The General's Kindness Can Never Be Repaid

Large-scale personnel appointments and removals will proceed.

The several generals who established their own offices acted swiftly and decisively, and began to select candidates. They could not directly appoint or dismiss the generals of the same rank and the civil officials, but they had the power to appoint and dismiss the various mid- and low-ranking military officers such as captains in the military command.

A general's ability to control an army actually relies on his command of a large number of mid- to low-ranking military officers.

Why is Gao Yu not afraid to delegate power?
Does this mean they have maximum control over the military?
In addition to his own outstanding combat record, he established supreme authority in the army.

Every soldier in the army regarded him as the 'sun'!
More importantly, a large number of the middle and lower-ranking military officers in the local militia are based on the 3,600 men he brought from Luoyang, and the subsequent middle and lower-ranking military officers will also participate in the military academy.

The university president would take time to personally teach these people, giving them military lectures and imparting knowledge about warfare.

Lord of Heaven and Earth, personal teacher.

The title of "Senior Master" was regarded as a spiritual totem by these middle and lower-ranking military officers.

None of the founding emperors who truly conquered the country themselves had weak control over their armies. After all, their own military achievements speak for themselves, and the generals under their command were all personally trained by them.

…………

Inside the Tian Ce Mansion, everything remained the same.

It's currently the twelfth lunar month, and Gao Yu is preparing to go out for a trip, as he's going to visit people at the grassroots level during the Spring Festival.

After all, we will be marching north in a few days, so I need to go down to the grassroots level to reassure the soldiers beforehand.

Cui Zhifan, heavily pregnant, was helping Gao Yu straighten his robes.

It seems that it was during the time they discovered that Cui Zhifan was a 'water baby' that, although they went a bit too far, both of them were in a state of excitement, which greatly increased the success rate of pregnancy.

Yang Changchu held Gao Ze beside him.

Erzhu Yuechan is not at Tiance Mansion for the time being. Previously, because of Erzhu Rong's matter, Gao Yu had her stay in the residence next to Juye Marsh.

Since Gao Yu has acknowledged Yuan Xiu, then he will fight Er Zhu Shi to the death.

He could only temporarily 'cold-out' treat Erzhu Yuechan and Erzhu Zhao, and maintain appearances.

"Alright, alright, it's freezing cold, and you're not in good health. There's no need for all this trouble. I'm not going to see the Emperor."

Cui Zhifan, however, seemed to have obsessive-compulsive disorder. She insisted on smoothing out all the wrinkles on the robe, then took two steps back. Still not satisfied, she stepped forward and adjusted the bow tip at Gao Yu's waist.

After becoming pregnant, she became completely devoted to Gao Yu. Although she remained aloof, her daily behavior improved.

Yang Changchu, standing to the side, chuckled and said, “My husband is renowned throughout the land for his bravery and is revered by his soldiers. Since he is going to see the soldiers, he must appear brave to inspire them to fight bravely and to set an example so that they know that even though he holds a high position, he still does not forget to study and improve his martial arts.”

Gao Yu stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead. "My wife is absolutely right. The soldiers are the most important."

In troubled times.

The common soldiers are especially important. Gao Yu's strong back and solid foundation are thanks to the soldiers under his command.

Cui Zhifan suddenly spoke up, "My husband is the most important."

Seeing Gao Yu staring blankly at her, she blushed and turned to walk into the house, looking slightly shy.

Is it really the passage to the depths, the passage to one's own heart?

In a daze, Gao Yu felt a sharp pain in his waist.

Looking down, he saw Yang Changchu in his arms looking at him jealously, her little hand playfully pinching his waist.

If he weren't preparing to go out, Gao Yu would have liked to take his young wife for a daytime "drive".

With a loving wife and young children at home, how can I not work hard for them?
"After I lead my army into battle, I will entrust my family to you."

Yang Changchu nodded slightly, her expression tinged with melancholy. She knew Gao Yu's style of leading troops well; he would definitely take the lead personally at crucial moments. Although he would be protected by a large number of guards, on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes, and who could guarantee that nothing would go wrong?
But she knew very well that Gao Yu had to act this way.

Pressing her face against Gao Yu's chest, Yang Changchu whispered, "My concubine, Aze, and the sisters in the manor will await your triumphant return."

Gao Yu laughed heartily before turning and leaving the house.

Liu Yi and the others had already prepared their horses and were waiting outside.

Gao Yu's first stop was in the villages of Anping County near Dongyang City, the gathering place of the first batch of government soldiers, where most of the Xuanjia Army soldiers were gathered.

As soon as he arrived at the village entrance, soldiers who had received the news came out to greet him.

Despite the freezing weather and heavy snowfall, the fervent expressions on their faces remained unchanged. This group of soldiers was the one with the deepest bond with Gao Yu, having fought their way out of piles of corpses alongside him.

They were all familiar faces.

"Wang Xuan!"

Gao Yu spotted the boy from afar. The boy from the Luoyang Martial Arts Arena back then had now grown into a strong and valiant warrior.

"I heard you're already a Lieutenant Commandant!"

After being called out, Wang Xuan, with a smug look on his face, squeezed through the crowd to stand in front of Gao Yu.

"Yes, General!"

Wang Xuan said loudly, "This time I will follow the general northward. When we return victorious, I will surely be awarded twelve ranks of merit!"

"Good good!"

Gao Yu laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder.

They dared to talk to me in the martial arts arena back then, and now they're making even more boastful claims!
That's the kind of drive we're looking for.

This proved that the powerful weapon he sent out had indeed had a good effect on motivating the soldiers. Everyone was eager to make great contributions on the battlefield in order to obtain honors and even titles! Theoretically speaking, Gao Yu could not directly grant them titles.

But that doesn't mean Gao Yu can't grant them titles.

When an official document was delivered to Yuan Xiu, how could he dare to refuse?

Besides...

The title of peerage is now just an honorary one.

The more chaotic the times, the less valuable the titles become, and the more inflated they are. Just look at how many titles Erzhu Rong bestowed when he went south to Luoyang.
The truly valuable titles were those bestowed upon the newly established empire, as they offered immense benefits.

Gao Yu followed Wang Xuan to his home, looked around carefully, and was quite satisfied to see that they were living a good life.

"After the Spring Festival, you will all come north with me and let the people of Yan and You witness the might of my Xuanjia Army!"

Wang Xuan quickly stood up and bowed!

"I will obey the general's orders and will certainly live up to the name of the Xuanjia Army!"

Gao Yu gave a few more instructions before leaving.

After he left, Liu Yi led a sturdy horse to Wang Xuan and handed him the reins.

"Captain Wang, the general instructed me to give you this horse; please accept it."

Wang Xuan was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

The surrounding soldiers looked on with envy.

What an honor it was for the warhorse that Gao Yu had gifted him!

Not to mention the lack of horses in Qingzhou.

There were almost no channels to obtain warhorses, and this horse was brought over by Gao Cheng and others.

In addition to sending the two brothers with the imperial edict, Gao Huan also brought a thousand high-quality warhorses, from which Gao Yu selected a strong and robust horse as a gift.

The goal is to establish a few role models so that other soldiers can see them, take them as examples, and fight even harder to kill the enemy.

Besides.

Gao Yu also made a special trip to meet a group of 'special' people.

There were indeed no major battles in Shandong.

Whether it was pacifying the refugees, or heading north to take Qi and Ji prefectures, or heading south to take Xu prefecture, everything went very smoothly, but there were still casualties.

Gao Yu also wanted to meet with the families of these war dead.

Arriving at the home of a war dead, Gao Yu wandered around the yard, mainly to check the quality of the food in their kitchen, before asking questions.

"Have you received your pension this year?"

A woman who appeared to be around thirty years old replied nervously, "I understand."

"How much did you receive?"

"Fifteen bushels of wheat, eight bushels of millet, three bushels of beans, and some cloth..."

"Take me to see it."

Gao Yu was still not at ease and insisted on inspecting it personally.

He would never underestimate the greed of human nature, and he also wanted to avoid upsetting the families of the war dead.

After personally inspecting the house, he found that there was still plenty of food left, so he was relieved that the family would have no problem making ends meet.

Looking at the children beside the woman.

"When they reach the appropriate age, they can be sent to school to learn to read and write..."

Gao Yu gave him some instructions.

The recruitment of eligible sons of soldiers to attend school for literacy has already been initially implemented.

Gao Yu currently lacks the capacity to promote literacy for all; he doesn't have enough teachers or the necessary funds.

The only option is to prioritize policies that favor the soldiers, giving them the best treatment.

Why are Gao Yu's soldiers always so high in morale, so brave and daring to fight? It's no exaggeration to say that they can survive even with half their troops killed.

There is no such thing as love without a reason in this world.

the reason is simple.

These soldiers were all beneficiaries.

Gao Yu will never treat them unfairly and will always give them the best treatment. Even if they die in battle, Gao Yu will help with the aftermath for their families so that they have no worries about the future!
How could soldiers like these not be formidable fighters?

As news spread that Gao Yu had visited the families of the war dead, the soldiers felt more confident, which was the significance of Gao Yu setting an example.

Even if it means dying in battle!
Gao Yu also thinks about them.

Throughout history, has any general ever treated his soldiers so well?
Gao Yu's kindness to them was too great.

The general's kindness can never be repaid!
PS: The previous text has been revised. As my friends pointed out, the protagonist is the Grand General, and it would be inappropriate for his subordinates to also be called Grand Generals, so I removed the word "Grand General".

(End of this chapter)