My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 431: These are all soldiers I've led.

Handan.

During the Warring States period, it was the capital of the State of Zhao, one of the Seven Warring States.

When Qin Shi Huang unified China, he divided the country into thirty-six commanderies, and Handan was the capital of Handan Commandery.

After Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, unified the country again, he enfeoffed his beloved son Liu Ruyi as the King of Zhao and spent a great deal of effort rebuilding the Handan Palace. Until the late Western Han Dynasty, Handan was known as "the richest city in the country and a famous city under heaven". It was not until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty that Cao Wei established its capital in Ye City, and Ye City gradually replaced or even surpassed Handan's status.

Ultimately, it comes down to transportation costs.

Handan is not near water and cannot rely on water transport, while Yecheng is located beside the Zhang River.

Although its status was replaced by Ye City, Handan remained a formidable city.

Yang Zhong, however, had already ridden his horse and led his army into the city.

"Issue my military order: no one is to harass the civilians or wealthy households in the city. Anyone who disobeys will be punished according to military law!"

"Here!!"

Previously, Erzhu Rong had assigned Erzhu Dulu to guard this area.

Yang Zhong, however, captured the fortified city without shedding a drop of blood.

He entered the governor's mansion in the city and, led by his personal guards, soon saw mountains of gold, silver and valuables piled up in the inner courtyard.

How could Erzhu Rong not know how to win over the hearts of the people?
When he was alive, Erzhu Dulu and other members of the Erzhu clan dared not act recklessly. But as soon as Erzhu Rong left, Erzhu Dulu began to rob wealthy households and powerful families in the city under various pretexts. This is why Yang Zhong's army was able to enter the city so easily.

The hearts of the wealthy, powerful, and aristocratic families represent the 'people's hearts' of this world.

The actions of the Erzhu clan members are destined to alienate the people.

This city does not welcome the descendants of the Erzhu clan.

"General, what should we do with this money and valuables? Perhaps..."

"Send people to post notices in the city, asking those who have been robbed of money and goods by Erzhu Dulu to come to the prefect's office to claim them. The deadline is three days, and those who fail to do so will not be allowed to return."

The guard couldn't help but sigh.

Pity.

Even if Yang Zhong embezzled the money and goods, the powerful families in the city wouldn't say anything. They would just consider it a tribute to Yang Zhong. After all, the debt would be attributed to Erzhu Dulu. As long as Yang Zhong stopped 'demanding' supplies from them every now and then like Erzhu Dulu did, it would be fine.

"The general has entrusted me with an important task; how could I do anything that would damage the general's prestige?"

Yang Zhong frowned and immediately scolded, "Go and post the notice right away!"

"Here!"

Yang Zhong did not linger in the mansion, but instead toured the city, reassuring the people and strictly enforcing military discipline.

He wasn't sure how the battle was going on Gao Yu's side, but he figured it shouldn't be too bad, since Erzhu Rong and Gao Huan were already locked in a stalemate.

Now, Gao Yu is personally leading an army, and he and Gao Ji are each leading an army. With three armies coming to help Gao Huan attack Erzhu Rong from both sides, how can Erzhu Rong not be defeated?
The war in Hebei.

After Hou Yuan's crushing defeat at Yingzhou, the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Think of this.

He summoned his trusted confidant and said, "Go, hurry back to Qingzhou, meet with Military Advisor Yang, and give him my handwritten letter."

Send back the latest news from the front lines so that Yang Yin can be informed.

Since the Yang family of Hongnong had acknowledged him.

Then he should naturally stick together with Yang Yin, help each other, and strengthen the Yang family's power.

"After this battle, the general should be promoted further..."

………………

After abandoning his pursuit of Erzhu Rong, Gao Yu hurriedly led his soldiers back.

He couldn't be bothered with the few deserters; even if he captured them, it wouldn't affect the overall situation. The most urgent task was to stabilize the situation.

"Aunt...General!"

When Duan Shao saw Gao Yu, he rode his horse to him.

Gao Yu didn't pay attention to his specific performance, but his armor clearly showed signs of fighting, and his face was covered in blood.

Gao Yu asked with concern, "Are you injured?"

"Hmph, General, don't underestimate me. How could ordinary soldiers possibly harm me?"

"That's good."

"I have ordered the surrendered soldiers to be gathered together and detained."

"good."

Gao Yu nodded.

He came with Duan Shao, and at a glance, he saw that they had captured at least three or four thousand people.

These were all elite troops under Erzhu Rong's command.

At this moment, they had removed their armor and weapons, and were awaiting their final judgment. Unlike ordinary soldiers, they were not trembling with fear and listless in the face of an unknown fate.

Many people even took the initiative to look at Gao Yu.

This legendary "General of Heavenly Strategy," whom Erzhu Rong considered a "major threat," and who was praised by the world as "the resurrection of the ancient overlord," was the very person who caused them to suffer a great defeat. Who exactly was this person? Was he truly protected by the Eternal Heaven and possessed three heads and six arms?
however……

Many people who see Gao Yu for the first time instinctively wonder if they've seen the wrong person.

How could such a pretty boy be so brave?
Gao Yu was just giving it a quick glance, but he spotted a few familiar faces and slowed his pace.

Several of them were noticeably more robust than the others, clearly powerful and strong, with a more intense murderous aura in their eyes. Even among such an elite group, they stood out like cranes among chickens.

When these men saw him, they were clearly taken aback and instinctively bowed down, calling him "General."

Gao Yu doesn't have a photographic memory, but he can remember all the soldiers he has led.

Outside Luoyang, he decisively defeated the 300,000-strong allied army led by Chen Qingzhi of the Southern Liang Dynasty. The total number of soldiers was only 3,500, more than half of whom were elite Qihu cavalrymen personally selected by Erzhu Rong and incorporated into his Xuanjia Army.

Erzhu Rong wanted to control Gao Yu in this way.

result……

After the battle of Luoyang, all these people were impressed by Gao Yu's bravery and became devoted to him. Seeing this, Erzhu Rong abandoned his idea.

After all, among warriors, the strong are respected. Gao Yu is the overlord of this era, and his bravery on the battlefield makes it easy for him to win over the hearts of these warriors.

It was from this point on that Erzhu Rong no longer dared to easily incorporate soldiers and generals into Gao Yu's command.

Instead, they mobilized all the elite soldiers who had fought alongside Gao Yu in the Battle of Luoyang and survived.

These elite soldiers had seen great things under Gao Yu's guidance and were subsequently given important positions by Erzhu Rong, guaranteeing them at least mid-level officer ranks in the army.

“Xubuwutu, Dabulan, Qujinliba…”

Gao Yu read out the names of these people one by one.

Those whose names were called looked excited and stared intently at Gao Yu.

They never imagined...

Even though it had been years since they last met, Gao Yu still remembered them and could even call them by name!
Tears welled up in his eyes, and he cried out from the bottom of his heart, "General..."

These are all soldiers I trained myself.

And how could someone who has risked their life for you possibly forget?

But now was not the time for reminiscing. He turned around and called Duan Shao to his side, saying, "Keep these surrendered soldiers under strict guard, but do not humiliate, bully, or mistreat them. I will give them an important place in the future."

"Here!"

These are all elite soldiers who are skilled in battle.

Gao Yu's forces are short of manpower.

Especially those who are skilled in horsemanship and archery.

Using these soldiers he once led as a link, he could gain control of this elite group of soldiers who were extremely skilled in horse archery and horsemanship, which would be much more effective.

Gao Yu then summoned several more people.

"Go, contact the Governor of Ji Province, General Yang Zhong..."

After explaining all this.

Gao Yu then mounted his horse and continued on his way back.

For both Erzhu Rong and Gao Huan, this battle resulted in a draw, with neither side truly winning.

On the way back, Gao Yu also met Dou Tai, Lou Zhao, and others...

Dou Tai took the initiative to bow and say, "We are fortunate to have been saved by Erlang today, otherwise we would have been killed here."

"Mo Heduo, you saved my life today."

Gao Yu waved his hand and said, "We're all family, why be so formal?"

Seeing that the overall situation was settled and that he no longer needed to oversee the remaining cleanup, Gao Yu said, "I'll leave the tasks of gathering the defeated soldiers, guarding the surrendered troops, and cleaning up the battlefield to you two. My brother is seriously injured, and I need to go visit him."

"Leave this to us, and you can go with peace of mind."

Gao Yu then hurriedly rode away.

He rode at breakneck speed all the way to Julu City.

He arrived at the mansion in the city in a hurry.

"Long Que, my brother..."

Sun Teng quickly reassured him, "I've already called a medic to treat his wounds and apply medicine. He Liuhun is resting in the inner courtyard. The medic said he's fine. Although he was hit by several arrows, none of them hit any vital organs, and the arrowheads weren't poisoned. You can rest assured."

Gao Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll go and visit them first."

After saying goodbye to Sun Teng, Gao Yu went to the inner courtyard.

Gao Huan, who was inside the room, had already removed his armor, and his wounds had been treated and medicated.

Hearing footsteps, Gao Huan, whose face was deathly pale, opened his eyes. He was very weak and spoke in a very soft voice, "Second...Second Brother."

"Brother."

Gao Yu stepped forward and sat down beside the bed.

Gao Huan looked at him with a complicated expression.

"If it weren't for your rescue today, I'm afraid I would have..."

“Brother, why say such things between us? Wouldn’t that make us distant? Right now, the most important thing is for you to rest and recover from your injuries. Don’t worry about anything else. All the sisters-in-law, Ah Hui, Ah Yang, Ah Ying… they are all waiting to see you.”

"Erlang..."

Gao Huan had a brush with death this time.

I truly experienced a life-or-death situation.

Her emotions were extremely complex, and she felt more guilty towards Gao Yu.

He forced himself to get up and earnestly gave them his advice.

“I’m not seriously injured, Erlang… Although you defeated Erzhu Rong this time, you can’t let your guard down. You’ve taken over the three prefectures of Ying, Yan, and You in one fell swoop, and now you also have the three prefectures of Xiang, Ding, and Yin in your hands… The most urgent thing for you is to stop and digest this slowly.”

"You need to select trustworthy people to guard the various states for you, and you also need to reorganize and unify the thoughts of your subordinates..."

Gao Huan gave him earnest advice.

He pointed out the 'hidden danger' that Gao Yu was facing.

Their territory nearly doubled in size, and they even acquired the fertile land of Hebei.

However, the network of relationships within Hebei is even more intricate and complex.

We need to slow down and take our time to appreciate this fertile land.

PS: Failed to reach 7K QAQ.

However, I still managed 6K. Please forgive me, I'll slowly get back into form.

(End of this chapter)