My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 441 Let's teach His Majesty a lesson
Gao Yu paused for a moment while holding the teacup. He slowly drank the tea in the cup before putting it down.

"Why do you say that, Ji Lun?"

“General, the situation has changed. As officials of the Tian Ce Mansion, we should know what you are thinking.”

The situation has indeed changed.

The main battle pacified Hebei, and Gao Yu swallowed up the entire Hebei region, leading to a significant expansion of his strength.

This is a long time.

Gao Huan was almost completely annexed, and Erzhu Rong's power was greatly reduced.

"Since there are no outsiders here, let us speak frankly and tell the general what is on our minds."

Gao Yu gradually suppressed his smile and raised his hand, "Then tell me, what exactly do you want to say to me?"

After exchanging a glance with Yang Yin, Cui Xian took the initiative to speak, "We need to find out first what the general's attitude is towards His Majesty."

This is……

Is this a test of myself?

Want to see if you have any further ideas?

His merit in following the dragon is destined to be recorded in history.

If Gao Yu had been able to replace the Northern Wei, these core civil officials would have been recorded in history. In fact, given their central positions, future generations might have been able to write biographies for Cui Xian and Yang Yin when compiling the History of Qi.

When Yuan Ziyou was still alive, Cui Xian and others often uttered 'treasonous' words, making almost no attempt to conceal their traitorous intentions.

at the moment……

The prestige of the Great Wei has been completely lost.

Gao Yu led his army on a triumphant advance, already occupying half of the Great Wei territory, and his prestige was unmatched.

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven..."

"General!"

Yang Yin sighed, "Is that really what you think?"

"General, after this battle, the land of Hebei, along with Yan and You, will all fall into your hands. It may seem that you are growing stronger step by step, but in reality, there are many hidden dangers. It is precisely at times like these that we need to be more cautious."

"We believe that, General... you should change your attitude toward His Majesty."

"Firstly, to deter His Majesty and prevent him from having any unrealistic thoughts or making futile struggles."

"Secondly, it serves to deter those with ulterior motives."

"Thirdly, we also need to appease and reassure the public!"

"Even someone as powerful as Cao Cao remained a minister of the Han Dynasty throughout his life, yet he never took that final step. What merit do I possess now?"

Gao Yu shook his head and used Cao Cao as an example.

Yang Yin immediately retorted, "Times have changed, General."

"The Han Dynasty nurtured scholars for four hundred years, so even when Dong Zhuo's chaos caused the Han Dynasty to lose all its prestige, there were still Han officials who were loyal to the Han Dynasty and wanted to restore it. Cao Cao faced enormous resistance back then, and he had no choice but to wait and hand over the last step to his son."

"However... how many people in the northern border are truly loyal to the Great Wei right now?"

The sanctity of the imperial power of the Han Dynasty emperors was unparalleled by emperors of other dynasties.

First, Dong Zhongshu wrote to Emperor Wu of Han, saying, "Heaven and man interact, the emperor's power is mandated by Heaven, and the emperor is the one who governs the people on behalf of Heaven." This idea became widely circulated and endowed the emperor's power with a sacred quality.

After Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, Liu Xiu, the chosen one and a great magician, recreated the Han dynasty, further enhancing the sanctity of the Han emperors.

Cao Pi was able to quickly abdicate and usurp the throne because most of the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty had died around the same time as Cao Cao, so there was less resistance.

It's alright at this point.

However, Sima Zhao's outrageous actions, including the public assassination of the emperor, greatly diminished the emperor's sanctity.

Then came the Sixteen Kingdoms period. People's thinking had long since changed. Nonsense! The emperor was a virtuous person recognized by Heaven, acting as Heaven's representative to govern the people.

Is there anyone virtuous who can reside in Luoyang?
Whoever commands an army of a million is the virtuous one!
Whoever has the strongest army and the most powerful horses can become the emperor!
Gao Yu remained silent; Yang Yin's words did indeed make a lot of sense.

"Furthermore, General, you cannot tolerate His Majesty's continued underhanded tactics. Haven't we learned a lesson from the traitor Erzhu Rong?"

Erzhu Rong also wanted to go through the normal abdication process.

Although Yuan Ziyou was kept under strict control, he was also given a certain degree of autonomy. As a result, Yuan Ziyou supported Gao Yu, a "giant", who was able to rival Erzhu Rong in just a few years.

After Yuan Xu, the emperors of the Great Wei lost their "vitality" and only had "reputation".

But that's how the rules are.

Even if the emperor is just a puppet, as long as he sits on the throne, there will be people who are loyal to him.

Gao Yu had placed many people in Qinghe to keep an eye on Yuan Xiu.

He knew very well that Yuan Xiu was not as troublesome as Yuan Ziyou, but he was definitely not a well-behaved person either.

"General, you should act decisively to make His Majesty see reality clearly! By extinguishing all his hopes, you will also extinguish the hopes of some petty villains. This is also for the sake of the overall situation."

"As for appeasing the people of Tian Ce Mansion and the general's subordinates, the general is probably already aware of the feelings of the many surrendered generals, so I don't need to say anything more."

Why follow Gao Yu?
Gao Yu's influence and strength are not only great, but also because he has something to strive for!

They all came for the honor of following the emperor.

However, Gao Yu did not show any ambition for a long time. Others cannot read minds. What if Gao Yu is a rare person like Zhuge Liang, who, having received Yuan Ziyou's favor, would be a loyal subject of Wei for life?

If that's really the case.

Wouldn't all those who yearn to "become the successors of the new emperor" become clowns then?

"Things have come to this! In any case, now that His Majesty has come to Ye City, General, you need to show your attitude!"

"Show it to His Majesty, show it to everyone else!"

Gao Yu didn't reply. Instead, he stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, turned his back to the two of them, and looked up at the sky.

After a while.

Gao Yu then spoke slowly, "Zunyan, Jilun, everyone knows the fate of the late emperor. Do you really think His Majesty would be so 'foolish'?"

Yang Yin quickly stood up. "General! Why don't you take a look..."

"Now that His Majesty has arrived in Ye City, he should naturally reward those who have rendered meritorious service in this battle..."

"I suspect that His Majesty will try every means to sow discord between the General and your brother, and will try to deal with the General in the same way that the late Emperor dealt with the traitor Erzhu Rong!"

The most effective way for an emperor to deal with powerful ministers.

It is indeed a system of checks and balances.

No one should be allowed to become too powerful, ensuring that there will always be someone who can challenge a powerful minister.

If the emperor always acts as the referee, then the initiative will always be in his own hands.

Gao Yu turned around.

He returned to his desk, picked up the teacup, and examined it closely in his hand.

"If that is truly the case, with a formidable enemy at hand, yet Your Majesty does not consider repelling the enemy but instead thinks of internal strife, then... you cannot blame me for disregarding the proper relationship between ruler and subject!"

"It is Your Majesty who has severed ties with the empire, and with the ministers and officials!"

"His Majesty doesn't have many opportunities left."

Cui Xian and Yang Yin's eyes lit up.

If they could get Gao Yu to say those words, wouldn't that achieve their goal?
This is the stance they wanted!
What we need is for Gao Yu to make up his mind and launch a decisive attack on Yuan Xiu!

(End of this chapter)