My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 434 All Talented Individuals Fall into My Trap

Dugu Xin was indeed a master of reading between the lines. When he saw that Gao Yu was laughing after hearing the news, he reacted quickly and joined in the laughter.

"Haha, it seems we were overthinking it. Everyone knows that the general is extremely skilled in military strategy; how could such a mistake occur?"

He forced a flattering smile and said ingratiatingly, "If I'm not mistaken, General must have a backup plan in Xuzhou. How could General not take any precautions in such a strategically important place and ancient battlefield in the Central Plains? The army of Chilie Yanqing will certainly not achieve any gains."

Yu Jin shook her head, "Erzhu Zhao..."

"Sijing, have you forgotten that Erzhu Zhaoyi is also the general's father-in-law... With this relationship, why worry so much?"

Dugu Xin kept giving Yu Jin meaningful glances.

Given Gao Yu's 'high regard' for him, it's understandable that he wants to seize this opportunity to immediately impress Gao Yu.

However, these newly surrendered generals should not easily express their opinions on such complex interpersonal relationships.

Erzhu Zhao's identity is indeed very complicated.

He was Erzhu Rong's most valued cousin. The Erzhu family had been running the business for generations, and their family had long since spread out. By Erzhu Rong's generation, there were many young people of similar age.

The two most valued and trusted were Erzhu Zhao and Erzhu Tianguang.

One person guarded Guanzhong, and another guarded Bing and Si Laojia.

Unfortunately, Erzhu Zhao and Gao Yu were also very close, especially after Gao Yu married Erzhu Yuechan, which made their relationship even closer.

If Gao Yu didn't trust Erzhu Zhao, why would he have placed him in such an important position in Pengcheng?
even……

It's possible that Gao Yu did this intentionally.

After all, the news couldn't be kept secret. Erzhu Rong would definitely know that Erzhu Zhao was in Pengcheng, so it was only natural that Erzhu Rong would send someone to find Erzhu Zhao and try to appeal to his emotions, thinking of sneaking into Gao Yu's base camp from the direction of Xuzhou.

Isn't this also a way of 'luring' Erzhu Rong to voluntarily divide his forces and disperse his own strength in order to relieve the pressure on Gao Huan?

"There's no need to worry about Xuzhou. If anything unexpected happens, someone will send a message."

Despite the fact that the overall situation is divided into multiple battlefields.

In fact, Gao Yu's information network was unified. The commanders of the armies in each direction would send three batches of messengers every day to send news from the front lines back to the Tian Ce Mansion. The Tian Ce Mansion would then organize the received news and resend it.

The last time Gao Yu received any important news from the Tian Ce Mansion was...

Yang Kan inflicted a major defeat on the enemy army outside Juyang City.

She also learned that while she was away, Yang Yin, Cui Xian, and others consulted with Yang Changchu and sent Yu Xin as an envoy to Southern Liang to secure a marriage for her.

Historically, even after General Hou Jing pushed Xiao Pusa to such an extreme, he still couldn't get a woman from the Wang and Xie families.

Yu Xin, however, managed to get two for himself at once.

One of them is the daughter of the current crown prince of Southern Liang.

This is understandable.

after all……

Erzhu Rong was powerful, the result of generations of management and accumulation.

This forced the scholars under Gao Yu's command to do everything they could.

Seeing this, Dugu Xin introduced several more people to Gao Yu.

"This is Pei Zhouzhi, from the Pei clan of Hedong."

"Oh? Are you referring to the famous Three Talents of Luoyang?"

Pei Zuzhi was flattered to see that Gao Yu had actually heard of him, and quickly bowed in greeting.

"This man is Liu Qiu, courtesy name Zhongpan, from the Liu family of Hedong, and he is also a man of great literary talent."

"Meet the general."

Liu Qiu also bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

Then, Dugu Xin pulled a boy of similar age to Duan Shao in front of Gao Yu.

Although the boy was young, he had a physique far beyond that of ordinary people. He was broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, and strong. It was clear at a glance that he was a brave warrior. His gaze toward Gao Yu was burning, and he spoke before Dugu Xin could even open his mouth.

"Greetings, General Tian Ce. My name is He Ruodun. Your name is renowned. I am willing to serve you and hope to follow you on the battlefield!"

Gao Yu had a smile on his face.

He recognized some of these names, but couldn't quite place them.

He smiled and patted He Ruodun on the shoulder, saying, "There will be plenty of opportunities to make a name for yourself in the future."

He then looked at Dugu Xin.

This "strongest father-in-law in ancient China" was notoriously incompetent in both leading troops and governing a region. In fact, he was known in historical records as a "long-legged general" who would run away at the slightest provocation, often abandoning his army.

The Battle of Mangshan between the Eastern and Western Wei dynasties.

When Dugu Xin saw that things were not going well, he ran away, leaving Yuwen Tai behind. Yuwen Tai almost died.

After losing the Battle of Mangshan, before Yuwen Tai even reached Tongguan, Dugu Xin had already led Li Hu and others to Chang'an.

Just looking at these, you'd think Dugu Xin was a good-for-nothing good-for-nothing.

but……

His strengths are also obvious.

She has good taste, high emotional intelligence, knows how to handle situations, and has a lot of personal charm.

Historically, many people, such as Yang Zhong, He Ruodun, and Pei Zuzhi, were discovered and promoted by Dugu Xin, only to be forcibly poached by Yuwen Tai, who then reaped the benefits.

The entire network of relationships among the high-ranking officials of the Western Wei Dynasty can actually be traced back to Dugu Xin.

Yang Jian was able to eventually replace the Yuwen family and establish the Sui Dynasty, thanks in no small part to the benefits he received from his father-in-law.

Why was Dugu Jialuo so confident in making Yang Jian feel so humiliated in front of her? Wasn't it because she had a powerful father?
The intricate network of relationships meant that even after Yang Jian ascended the throne and became emperor, he needed to maintain the persona of a 'good husband' until Dugu Jialuo died before he dared to indulge himself.

"You may enter the city and rest for a while. Once I have finished my work and settled the army in the rear, I will host a banquet for you."

"General, you have many things to attend to and don't need to waste your time on us. If you have important matters to attend to, please go ahead and do them."

Gao Yu didn't stand on ceremony and left in a hurry.

He really does have a lot of things to do.

He led his cavalry away from the main force to provide support first. After that, the infantry and supply trains would arrive one after another, and they would all need to be properly taken care of. After all, it was a force of tens of thousands, and they needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves...

"Moheduo is completely unprepared for us? Aren't you afraid we're just feigning surrender?"

"Perhaps... in the eyes of this current overlord, it is normal for us to surrender at the mere sight of him? A wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a wise man is one who knows when to yield."

"After this battle, Hebei will eventually fall into Moheduo's hands, and he will have already occupied half of the country."

Yu Jin remained silent for a long time before speaking, "In fact, we can also observe for a while and see... whether Mo Heduo is greedy for immediate gains or has a long-term vision and can truly conquer the world. We will be able to see in the next few days whether he truly has the qualities of an emperor!"

Those who are greedy for small gains will surely be blinded by their immediate victory.

They might even stop moving forward and miss out on a good opportunity.

If Gao Yu is truly a wise ruler worthy of our service, now is the perfect opportunity for Gao Yu to 'transform into a dragon'!
Just like when Liu Bang led his army all the way into Xianyang, facing the Qin state's accumulated wealth and treasures from six generations of Qin, as well as beauties sent from all over the country.

Liu Bang did not become obsessed with it; instead, he returned to the dam!
This was the most important moment in Liu Bang's life, the moment of "transformation into a dragon." He restrained his greed and thus ultimately gained the world!
The temptation Gao Yu is currently facing is obviously not as alluring as Liu Bang was back then, but there is indeed such a temptation in front of him. Whether he can resist it depends on Gao Yu himself.

After leaving the camp.

Gao Yu returned to Julu City.

Hou Jing, Dou Tai, and Huli Jin, all trusted generals entrusted with important responsibilities by Gao Huan, were injured to varying degrees in this battle and are currently recuperating.

The person who ultimately came to deliver casualty statistics and various messages to Gao Yu was none other than Murong Shaozong.

"Shaozong?"

Gao Yu was taken aback.

As the "Great General of the Universe Treasure" that Gao Huan left for Gao Cheng in the historical records, Gao Yu had a deep impression of Murong Shaozong.

He thought Murong Shaozong was under Erzhu Rong's command, but he never expected him to be in Gao Yu's army.
They couldn't have come here voluntarily, could they?
Erzhu Rong valued Murong Shaozong highly and specially kept him by Erzhu Zhao's side in order to assist Erzhu Zhao.

Gao Yu only found out after asking.

After deceiving Erzhu Zhao, Gao Huan sent Erzhu Zhao and his family to Qingzhou, but detained Murong Shaozong and others to serve him.

Murong Shaozong's expression was somewhat complicated. He was about the same age as Gao Yu. After hesitating for a while, he still cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, General."

"That's too formal of you to address me like that; we're old acquaintances."

Gao Yu said with a smile, "I never expected that you would also abandon the darkness and turn to the light. Good! I also know that you are exceptionally capable. From now on, you will serve me under my command."

Murong Shaozong did not rush to kneel down, but handed the casualty statistics to Gao Yu and then retreated.

Gao Yu did not force him to stay.

He has his pride too. He was forcibly detained by Gao Huan and had no choice but to serve him. Now he's being forcibly detained by Gao Yu. What does that make him?

Even concubines kept in the manor wouldn't act like this, would they?

Such talent will eventually belong to us; there's no escaping it!

After all, to conquer the world, one must rely on such heroes as allies.

Let’s do the math.

Erzhu Rong and Gao Huan, two old bastards, fought each other, scattering gold coins all over the ground. Neither of them picked up the gold coins, and in the end, the gold coins benefited themselves.

Thinking about it makes me quite happy.

Gao Yu picked up the document and glanced at it.

The statistical losses are indeed very severe.

Gao Huan's elite troops were completely wiped out.

The troops borrowed from Rouran were almost all gone, and more than half of the ten thousand or so truly elite soldiers and civilians in the six towns were also lost.

This level of loss is almost no different from a total wipeout.

No less than the Han Chinese army that Gao Yang painstakingly trained, all of which were wiped out in one go.

Gao Huan himself must have been aware of this, which is why he became disheartened.

"It really was a bargain for me."

"I did receive a very generous gift..."

After the cleanup work was mostly completed.

Now is the time for Gao Yu to truly begin his strategic planning; this is the crucial and important time to conquer the world.

Erzhu Rong was not the kind of opponent who would be discouraged after losing a single match.

(End of this chapter)