My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 414 Think about what Erlang would do

Julu, also known as Julu.

The Book of Later Han Dynasty, Treatise on Prefectures and Kingdoms, states: "Julu was formerly known as Dalu, and there is a large marshland there."

Ju means large. In ancient times, deer and land were used interchangeably, so Julu was also called Dalu.

Daluze is located directly north of Julu. Julu was built along the Zhu River and was originally Xiangzhou. At the height of the Six Garrisons Rebellion, Empress Dowager Hu forcibly separated Yinzhou from Xiangzhou and Dingzhou.

Julu is currently under the jurisdiction of Yinzhou.

Gao Huan's army is currently stationed here, which means that Gao Huan has retreated all the way in the past two or three months and has completely given up the entire Xiangzhou.

After capturing important cities such as Yecheng, Handan, and Guangping County, Erzhu Rong's army now had control of the Zhushui and Zhangshui rivers. He used these two waterways to advance his army to Guangping.

The distance between Guangping and Julu is no more than two hundred li.

As the distance between the two armies drew closer, small-scale skirmishes became increasingly intense.

Some of the scouts who went out to spy were wounded, and some never returned. Every day, a massive amount of information was reported, which gave Gao Huan a headache. He needed to analyze and select from the flood of information, guess Erzhu Rong's intentions, and make arrangements for the next step in advance.

He has no problem leading an army of about 10,000 men in a charge.

But this army of hundreds of thousands of people gathered together.

Let alone war.

Managing these people, their daily needs for food, drink, and sanitation, was a huge headache for him, especially since the army was retreating and being chased by Erzhu Rong's army, which caused morale to waver.

Huli Jin, Hou Jing, Hedoulingbufan, Shedigan, and others were all in his tent.

"He Liuhun, we can't retreat any further."

Hou Jing advised, “Stretching out the enemy’s supply lines and destroying their provisions is a good idea, but it has had little effect so far, and we have suffered heavy losses every time we go out… Erzhu Tianbao has many brave cavalrymen under his command, and they are not afraid of our attacks at all.”

Gao Huan's idea was indeed correct.

The land of Hebei is flat and level.

Using the high mobility of cavalry to harass the enemy's supplies initially yielded great results, and Erzhu Rong had a long-standing headache about it.

But that was when Erzhu Rong's army had just left Dunqiu and there was no way to use water transport.

The grain had to be transported by land. The cavalry would charge over, kill the soldiers escorting the grain, set it on fire, and then escape.

however……

As Erzhu Rong's army advanced, it became more difficult to use the Zhangshui and Zhushui rivers to burn grain and fodder, requiring more time. This meant a significantly increased probability of being entangled by enemy cavalry reinforcements.

Gao Huan had elite troops from the six garrisons, while Erzhu Rong had his carefully trained Qihu cavalry, as well as valiant cavalry generals like the Heba brothers.

As a result, the cavalrymen who went out to harass the camp every day suffered heavy losses.

Although from the perspective of the overall situation, Gao Huan only needs to stall for time, and Erzhu Rong will definitely be the one who is anxious.

But it's impossible to expect soldiers to have such a high level of strategic vision.

How can an employee possibly empathize with their boss?

"Let's hold on for a few more days. Xiaoxian has been gone for several days now, and news from Yingzhou should come back soon."

Xiaoxian was Duan Shao's courtesy name, while Tiefa was just his nickname, just like Gao Cheng's nickname was Ahui.

Hou Jing hesitated, then Huli Jin chimed in, "Why don't we devise a plan and see if we can strike at Erzhu Rong's detachment in the next few days and achieve a great victory, which would also stabilize morale?"

They were closer to the soldiers in the camp than Gao Huan, so they naturally knew exactly what the situation was.

to be honest.

Gao Huan had an inherent weakness in his control over this army.

He did indeed rescue the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons from their suffering, and even led them to Xiurongchuan, the stronghold of the Erzhu clan, to burn, kill, and plunder, venting the anger they had felt from Erzhu Rong's torment over the past few years.

But favors must eventually be repaid. The best way for a commander to control an army is through personal prestige, so that the soldiers can truly respect him from the bottom of their hearts.

As for the soldiers of the steppe tribes such as Hedoulingbufan and Tutujia, they were purely mercenaries and would not completely obey or serve Gao Huan just because he was Anagui's son-in-law.

Or perhaps, to this day, many of Gao Huan's problems and reasons can be attributed to his lack of personal prestige.

What they were trying to convey was simply that they needed a victory to enhance Gao Huan's prestige as the commander-in-chief in the army.

prestige.

The goal is to make others feel from the bottom of their hearts that following you gives them a promising future, a sense of purpose, and the ability to win battles.

Gao Huan sighed, "Let me think about it a bit more. This matter needs to be considered carefully."

"What's there to worry about?"

Hou Jing wanted to continue trying to persuade him.

But then they heard footsteps. Gao Ang flung open the tent door and barged in without waiting for his guards to report, his face showing a hint of anger.

"Is Ao Cao back?"

Gao Huan quickly forced a smile and greeted them with utmost respect. He even switched to Han language as soon as Gao Ang arrived, whereas he usually communicated with Hou Jing and the others in Xianbei.

"It was agreed that I would lead the army to harass the east, so why did that Tiele brat show up?"

Gao Feng angrily questioned, "I finally met a worthy opponent and was just about to have a good fight with him, but that brat from the Tiele tribe interfered with me!"

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Gao Huan's eyes. Hou Jing wasn't about to indulge him. "If it weren't for Mingyue, the son of A Liudun, saving you, how would you have had the chance to return to camp and question me?"

Gao Ang glared at her, his anger barely contained, and shouted, "Who do you take me for? Do you think I need the help of such a mere child?"

"You really think no one in this world can subdue you? You're incredibly arrogant!"

Gao Ang grew angrier the more he thought about it, his eyes seeming to spit fire, his temper flaring.

A loud sound!
Suddenly, he drew his precious sword from his waist and pointed it at Hou Jing, "You cripple who only knows how to talk big, if you have the guts, then fight me! Do you want to taste the sharpness of my blade!"

Upon hearing this, Hou Jing was equally enraged. He hated nothing more than being mocked for his physical disability. He suddenly drew his sword from his waist, "Do you really think I'm afraid of you? My sword is just as sharp!"

"Ao Cao! Ao Cao! Calm down."

"Wan Jing! Put the sword away!"

Gao Huan rushed forward to stop him, and it took a lot of effort to persuade Gao Ang to leave.

He was also furious and rebuked them, "With a formidable enemy at hand, what kind of behavior is this, with you two arguing and making a scene! How are we supposed to fight?"

The commotion inside the tent also attracted the attention of others. Gao Qian rushed over and, upon seeing the atmosphere, roughly guessed what had happened.

Given Gao Ang's iron-fisted, Han-dominant personality, it would be a miracle if he could communicate politely in a military camp almost entirely composed of Tiele and Xianbei people.

"Ao Cao! Aren't you going to admit your mistake yet!"

What did I do wrong?

Gao Gao stubbornly refused to lower his head, so Gao Qian had no choice but to forcibly drag him out of Gao Huan's tent.

They returned to their own tents.

Gao Qian earnestly advised, "Ao Cao, I know you are proud and arrogant, but right now you should prioritize the overall situation. Why bother getting angry with others?"

"Hmph! You command a large army but dare not confront the enemy, instead you keep retreating. If Gao Zichong were here, he would have led us to fight that traitor Erzhu Rong to the death long ago. How could you be so cowardly? With such a battle situation, how will the world view me? Wouldn't they all see me as a coward, a coward who fears death?"

Gao Qian sighed helplessly.

He actually agreed with Gao Huan's strategy of "delaying," which was to stall Erzhu Rong for time and buy more time for Gao Yu.

Can……

That's often the case.

A correct decision is not necessarily an appropriate decision.

Making the right decision does not guarantee a good outcome.

"If the second son of the Gao family were here..."

Gao Qian couldn't help but picture Gao Yu's handsome appearance.

It's not that he has any special fetishes.

Rather, only Gao Yu can keep things in order in this situation.

Despite Gao Huan's rise to the position of 'commander-in-chief' through a series of schemes and plots, and the apparent approval of everyone, he may not have achieved his current status.

but……

He certainly lacks prestige.

Because in the process of growing stronger step by step, Gao Huan never experienced a truly decisive victory after overcoming tough challenges.

Everything he has now is due to 'united front' tactics.

With his smooth-talking and persuasive skills, Gao Huan won over his subordinates and got them to elect him as their 'commander-in-chief,' but these subordinates were all highly independent 'partners.'

When people approve of him, he's the commander-in-chief; if they anger him, he'll withdraw his investment and leave with his troops. If they don't want to play with him, he's nothing.

This situation meant that Gao Huan lacked sufficient prestige to command respect. When faced with conflicts among his generals, he could only mediate and try to smooth things over. When his subordinates disobeyed, he could only verbally reprimand them but could not impose any effective punishments.

Gao Ang clearly doesn't respect him, but if it were Gao Yu, Gao Ang would definitely respect him.

If Gao Yu were the commander-in-chief of the army now, with his prestige, his generals wouldn't have caused such a commotion.

The lower-ranking soldiers also firmly believed in the myth that "General Tian Ce" had never been defeated. Even if Gao Yu led his troops to stay in a defensive position, their morale would not be affected, because Gao Yu's "illustrious record" was there for all to see. The soldiers always believed that Gao Yu would lead them to victory in this battle.

"Only Gao Erlang can stabilize the situation... When will he arrive?"

Gao Qian understood perfectly.

The military is currently rife with undercurrents and fraught with danger.

The conflict between the Han and non-Han peoples has led to low morale...

Gao Huan will be forced to take the initiative sooner or later, because if he retreats any further, it will be tantamount to handing over Yinzhou as well.

Once Yinzhou falls, Erzhu Rong can divide his forces into two routes, sending a large army to join forces with Hou Yuan of Yingzhou to attack Gao Yu's army from both sides.

The tactic of delaying becomes meaningless.

Given the current situation, the chances of winning a real fight are slim.

Only Gao Yu led his army to come.

Only then did he have the confidence to defeat Erzhu Rong's army head-on.

(End of this chapter)