My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 436 Helping the General Change His Mindset

Qingzhou, Dongyang City.

Yang Yin sat upright in the carriage, with precious Shu brocade beneath him, a very extravagant scene.

He held a book in his hands, but could hear the conversations of pedestrians on both sides of the road.

Despite the fierce fighting in Hebei, people in Shandong felt no cruelty from the war at all; they were from completely different worlds.

The people of Shandong are undoubtedly fortunate.

Since Xing Gao was pacified, Gao Yu has not experienced any battles since he arrived.

Gao Yu also organized people to build water conservancy projects, and with Jia Sixie as the leader, he continuously promoted agricultural tools and farming techniques, which greatly improved the harvest in the fields.

The heavens were kind to us, and there were no natural disasters.

Shandong has truly achieved a situation where every household has surplus grain.

This is also the source of Gao Yu's confidence.

War, war.

The attack wasn't just about the troops; it was also about the logistics and supplies.

Even the bravest soldiers need to eat; hunger will cause them to lose their fighting ability and their morale to plummet.

Yang Yin lifted the curtain and glanced outside. Everyone's face was filled with a genuine smile. The happiness that ordinary people wanted was really simple.

As long as I don't go hungry, that's fine.

"If the general can unify the northern border... no, a hero like the general should unify China once again!"

Yang Yin had already received the message from Yang Zhong the day before yesterday.

The Tian Ce Mansion has also received the news.

Having learned the latest intelligence from the Xiangzhou front, Cui Jie summoned them to discuss the next steps.

"Zunyan is here?"

As the carriage approached the Tian Ce Mansion, Yang Yin had just stepped off when he encountered Cui Jishu.

He returned the greeting with a slight bow.

The two walked side by side.

All government orders in Shandong Province originated from the Tian Ce Mansion, which was staffed with a large number of civil officials and was already a very large organizational structure.

When the two entered, everyone else had already arrived.

Seeing the two men bow, Cui Jie smiled and nodded slightly before speaking, "You must already know the message the general sent."

Everyone nodded.

Cui Xian laughed loudly, "General, you truly deserve to be called the Overlord of our time. You defeated Hou Yuan's army in the north and captured the enemy commander alive. You also defeated Erzhu Rong in the south. Such achievements are rare throughout history. Only the resurrected Overlord of Chu could rival you."

"After this battle, General, you will have secured Hebei in one fell swoop, and will also take over the lands of Yan and You, allowing you to advance on Luoyang!"

Even if they were ignorant of military affairs, they were very clear about them.

Luoyang.

The true gateway to the north is actually the lands of Yan and You. Losing Yan and You means that the army can advance to the outskirts of Luoyang at any time.

"General, you previously sent General Mulan and the surrendered General Hebayun together to pacify the Yan and You provinces."

It was called pacification, but in reality, it was just a formality to send a large army there.

Hou Yuan's army was defeated, and Erzhu Rong was completely cut off from this area. When the army marched over, the local powerful families and magnates would naturally make wise decisions.

This is simply their way of survival.

Whoever wins, they help.

Whoever occupies this territory can simply take the initiative to send grain, fodder, and able-bodied men.

"Having conquered Yan and You, the general already enjoys a formidable reputation on the grasslands, so he won't have to worry about warhorses in the future."

There are definitely many benefits.

Cui Xian then said, "After this battle, General's prestige will soar, and no one will be able to oppose you."

The crowd had various expressions, and many people turned their gazes toward Cui Jishu.

Cui Xian spoke very subtly.

Gao Huan suffered a crushing defeat, nearly losing his life and all his savings, causing his prestige to plummet.

Gao Yu became the savior, and his prestige soared. With this shift in power, Gao Yu would possess absolute prestige, and the saying of "two Gaos" would no longer exist; the master would only be Gao Yu!

Cui Jishu is Gao Cheng's teacher, a rather delicate position, given that Gao Huan and Gao Yu had a very unpleasant falling out over the issue of supporting the new emperor.

As one of the earliest people to join Gao Yu, Cui Jishu's behavior is easily suspicious.

Cui Jishu didn't say anything, and looked completely calm.

Yang Yin then spoke up, saying, "After this battle, General, you will achieve even greater feats. It seems... I will have to go to Qinghe again."

The last time Yang Yin went to Qinghe, he directly helped Gao Yu obtain the package of "sword and shoes in the palace, no need to bow when entering the court, and no need to name the person being praised". Now that he has defeated Erzhu Rong head-on, shouldn't he go even further?
Either his title would be further elevated, or he would have to rise to the position of prime minister.

As for being granted the title of king and the Nine Bestowments, that will have to wait until the next great victory.

According to the current process...

After completely defeating Erzhu Rong, the blatant traitor, Gao Yu's achievements will be beyond recognition under their guidance. At that point, someone will have to be found to make Yuan Xiu more sensible.

If things are to be done in a dignified manner, then go through the motions, stage a "three refusals and three concessions" drama, and let the Great Wei Dynasty become history in a very dignified way.

shameful?
Then find someone to make Yuan Xiu look presentable.

Cui Xian shook his head and said, "Zunyan, why go to Qinghe? We should go directly to Yinzhou to see the general... Right now, the one we should be advising is the general!"

"We need to provide support from behind the scenes, but the general also needs to take a more proactive approach."

It's come to this point.

The emperor is merely a title and a vessel; the true meaning and the title remain in Yuan Xiu's hands, but the 'vessel' is in Gao Yu's.

They need to persuade Gao Yu to take the initiative himself.

Taking the initiative does not mean immediately wanting to usurp the throne. Before taking down the 'false emperor' Yuan Gong, who was supported by Erzhu Rong, Gao Yu must continue to live as a 'loyal minister of the Great Wei'.

But we need to show our attitude and make Gao Yu's thoughts clear to these people and potential 'targets for recruitment'.

Yang Yin thought for a moment, "Ji Lun is right, we should go and see the general first."

Cui Jie did not interrupt.

He sighed.

If this had happened ten or twenty years earlier... the content of these people's conversation would have been enough to get them beheaded if it got out. They made no attempt to hide it, practically branding the word "traitor" on their foreheads.

But... who made the Great Wei Dynasty decline so much in just over ten years, and the imperial family lose all prestige?

The death of Yuan Ziyou also took away the last bit of life force of the Great Wei Dynasty, a consensus among everyone.

The fate of the Great Wei Dynasty has run its course.

It's time to replace the Great Wei with a true chosen one.

After Gao Yu takes Ye City, Yuan Xiu will definitely be 'sent' to Ye City.

By the time……

All these people in Tian Ce Mansion will be transferred by Gao Yu to various important positions in the central government to control the court and sideline Yuan Xiu.

Young people all yearn for progress.

"cough."

Cui Jie coughed lightly. "The general also sent over the list of those who made meritorious contributions in this battle in his letter. It has been verified. Xuan You, I would like to trouble you to supervise and implement it. Also, please make sure that the compensation for the casualties has been settled. This matter must be handled with utmost care. If there is any mistake, the general will be furious and there will be many people losing their heads."

Cui You readily agreed.

He's not very old either.

She is about the same age as Yang Yin and has a similar career path.

He is Cui Zhifan's younger brother. Cui Zhifan recently gave birth to a son for Gao Yu. She is capable and will surely become a highly regarded maternal relative of Gao Yu in the future.

Let's give him the credit for going with the flow.

It's also a way of doing someone a favor.

This matter concerns the local military and cannot be taken lightly.

The garrison soldiers were Gao Yu's true base of support, and this was the first time the garrison soldiers had suffered such large-scale casualties.

This is the perfect time to spend a fortune on something worthwhile.

If anyone dares to cause trouble at this time, Gao Yu will absolutely not tolerate it, and it won't be as simple as just a few people dying.

(End of this chapter)