My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 416 The eldest son is not as useful as the second son.
The journey from Yingzhou to Dingzhou wasn't too far.

The land of Hebei is a flat plain with no rugged mountain roads, yet Gao Yu's army is moving slower than expected.

It started raining just a few days after Hou Yuan set out with his troops.

Marching is impossible on rainy days.

The roads were muddy, making it very difficult for both men and horses to move around. Horses were prone to slipping on the muddy roads, and soldiers were easily susceptible to catching colds and getting sick from the rain. The delivery of provisions also became much more difficult.

The Art of War states: “Therefore, we must examine it by five factors, compare it by plans, and seek its true nature: the first is the Way, the second is Heaven, the third is Earth, the fourth is the General, the fifth is the Law… Heaven refers to Yin and Yang, cold and heat, and the seasons.”

Keep it simple.

The time, place and people are favorable.

Timing is always the most important factor.

A strong wind rises and the clouds fly; perhaps a sudden gust of wind can determine the outcome of a war.

Even though Gao Yu could use his personal prestige to get his soldiers to continue marching in the rain, the military equipment couldn't do anything about it.

Bows are often made from animal sinews, which need to be air-dried and glued together with fish glue. Bows cannot get wet; once they do, they are completely ruined.

In the tenth year of the Tianbao era, An Lushan led his army on a thousand-mile raid to the north to attack the Khitan. The raid was already successful, but a heavy rain extinguished An Lushan's dream. The Tang army's bows were soaked by the rain and could not be used, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness. They almost died at the hands of the Khitan along with Shi Siming, another protagonist of the An Lushan Rebellion.

It took Gao Yu several days to finally arrive at Anping, the capital of Boling County.

In fact, you can just follow the Hutuo River westward. Anping is located on the north bank of the Hutuo River. This route, with the help of water transport, can greatly alleviate Gao Yu's logistical pressure.

"Meet the General!"

“Oh, Master Cui, why be so polite? I should call you Uncle.”

The last time Gao Yu came to Boling County was when he set off from Luoyang to take up his post in Shandong. At that time, in addition to taking Cui Xian and Cui Jishu with him, Cui Xiaofen also entrusted his children to Gao Yu.

The son is Cui You, and the daughter is Cui Zhifan.

The person who came to receive Gao Yu was Cui Xiaofen's younger brother, Cui Xiaoyan.

"How are Xuan You and Zhi Fan doing in Qingzhou?"

“Xuanyou is a man of outstanding talent in this era. As for Zhifan, she was found to be pregnant at the end of last year. Judging by the timeline... she will probably give birth at the end of this month. Unfortunately, I am leading troops in the field and cannot be by her side.”

"General, you bear the heavy responsibility of protecting the country and its people. How can you be burdened by personal feelings?"

Choi Hyo-yeon shook his head.

After exchanging pleasantries, Gao Yu immediately asked, "What is the military situation at the front?"

Boling is very close to Yinzhou. Gao Huan had already retreated into Yinzhou territory, so the news must have been able to get through.

"The situation is not optimistic."

Cui Xiaoyan sighed, "I learned from past merchants that the army had already retreated to Julu..."

Gao Yu nodded.

The information was almost identical to the one sent by Duan Shao.

The fact that the front lines had been 'forced' to retreat northward was intentional on Gao Huan's part.

Looking at it now...

Gao Huan seemed to have given up on retreating, or perhaps he was forced into it. Gao Yu could probably understand the predicament Gao Huan was currently facing.

A relentless retreat will only lead to unrest and low morale among the troops.

"I hope the weather will cooperate and the rain will stop for a few days so that I can lead my troops forward."

"With you leading the army to provide assistance, we should be able to stabilize the situation. In just a few months, you have defeated Hou Yuan's hundreds of thousands of troops. Such a remarkable achievement is rare in the world!"

When the Gao brothers fought against Erzhu Rong.

The prominent families in Hebei, such as the Cui family, were well aware of this.

Both sides are in a race. After all, judging from the map, the battlefield is divided into two parts.

Gao Huan led his army to confront Erzhu Rong on the Xiangzhou front, while Gao Yu marched north to fight Hou Yuan's army in Yingzhou. Whoever could first determine a victor and send troops to aid the other battlefield would have a huge advantage.

at the moment,

Gao Huan and Erzhu Rong were still locked in a standoff.

However, Gao Yu has already arrived with a large army, proving that the outcome of the battle at Yingzhou has been decided. To have dealt with hundreds of thousands of troops in such a short time—that's quite an achievement…

"A person's name is like the shadow of a tree; no wonder the world says that my nephew is the reincarnation of the ancient overlord."

Choi Hyo-yeon also started flattering him.

Despite the fact that the Cui family of Qinghe seems to have the deepest connection with Gao Yu because of Cui Guang, the Cui family of Qinghe is not the most closely connected.

But right now, the Cui clan of Boling is the largest faction under Gao Yu's command.

Outside, there were Cui Xian, Cui Jishu, and Cui You; inside, there was Cui Zhifan.

In truth, only the Yang family could outdo them, since Yang Changchu was the legal wife and had already given birth to their eldest son, Gao Ze.

The Yang family is actually not bad off.

It's not just about the combination of internal and external forces, but also the combination of civil and military officials. Yang Zhong is one of the few generals under Gao Yu who has established his own government.

But who could blame them when the Yang family was almost wiped out by Erzhu Rong?

No matter how powerful you are, it's all for naught if you don't have people.

Just like Gao Yu before.

What's the use of having a large amount of power and territory if the foundation is not solid and there aren't enough relatives and blood relatives to fill the vast territory?

However, for Gao Yu...

This unstable foundation will soon be alleviated.

As their own strength increased, relatives like Gao Bin began to come to them on their own initiative.

Furthermore, the younger generation, such as Gao Cheng, Gao Yang, and Duan Shao, are gradually growing up. With a little training, they can be entrusted with important responsibilities with peace of mind.

Gao Yu had heard similar compliments far too many times, and his heart was no longer moved by them.

Choi Hyo-yeon then continued speaking.

"Having received the news, I have already begun preparations. The provisions and able-bodied men have all been prepared for my nephew. These men are all from my Cui family and the surrounding prominent families. They have received regular training and are far superior to ordinary refugee armies. I believe they will be able to lend my nephew a helping hand and defeat the traitor Erzhu Rong as soon as possible, thus restoring the great Wei dynasty."

"How can this be so embarrassing?"

“Alas! We are unable to personally join the battle to help our nephew fight the enemy. We can only contribute our meager strength within our capabilities. Our Cui family has been favored by the Emperor for generations, and at this critical juncture, we should certainly do our part.”

It seems there's nothing wrong with what the Cui family of Boling said.

The claim by the Cui family of Qinghe that they have received imperial favor for generations is a ridiculous joke.

When Cui Hao was compiling the history of the Great Wei Dynasty, Emperor Tuoba Tao instructed him to "record the facts truthfully." Cui Hao indeed recorded the facts truthfully, writing down all the bad things his ancestors had done, such as brothers killing each other and sons stealing their fathers' wives.

It would have been better if these contents hadn't been sent to Tuoba Tao for review beforehand.

The people below simply carved the contents onto the stone tablet, making it known to everyone...

Finally, Cui Hao received a "clan extermination" gift package.

The once illustrious Cui clan of Qinghe almost collapsed. It was only thanks to the efforts of Cui Guang and others who held high positions in the central government of Luoyang that the Qinghe branch of the Cui clan was prevented from falling into ruin.

This also proves that no emperor is indifferent to his posthumous reputation.

Zhu Di also forcibly extended Zhu Yuanzhang's life by four years, allowing Zhu Yuanzhang to reign as emperor in the imperial mausoleum for another four years.

(End of this chapter)