My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 465 Heading South, East, and North
"It seems that when Chi Lie withdrew his troops from Yanqing, he caused quite a stir among the local powerful families and clans in Yingchuan."

Gao Yu chuckled lightly, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so eager to come all the way to Ye City to see me."

Yang Yin then spoke up, "Prime Minister, you are kind and generous to people, and you do not excessively coerce or exploit the aristocratic families. Naturally, these families are loyal to you."

They lived through the period of the Five Barbarian Invasions.

These powerful families and clans had long ago developed a set of survival strategies during the chaotic times of war.

In times of chaos and turmoil, don't even think about fighting against military men who have troops at their disposal. Cooperation is the only way to achieve a win-win situation. Try your best to meet the demands of military men, provide them with food and able-bodied men, and that is the way to survive.

Although the situation is not as chaotic as during the Five Barbarian Invasions, the Eastern and Western Wei dynasties stand side by side in a confrontation.

They fought very fiercely.

Especially at times like these, powerful families become easy prey in the eyes of military leaders, who are eager to devour them completely.

By contrast.

Gao Yu is indeed very kind and honest. He is willing to cooperate with aristocratic families and will also relinquish some power. His reputation speaks for itself.

In the eyes of the aristocratic families, the most outrageous thing Gao Yu did was to force them to give back the unclaimed land they had seized during the chaos of war, and to relinquish some of the hidden households within the manor.

The imperial examination system wasn't even excessive.

After all, Gao Yu did not abolish the 'Nine-Rank System' and would still select people from prestigious families in various prefectures and counties to serve as 'Zhongzheng' to select officials for the court.

Besides...

The aristocratic families did not actually oppose the imperial examination system; in fact, some powerful families even supported it, and the truly great aristocratic families did not resist it.

take an exam?

With their vast collection of books and near-monopoly on knowledge, this is the thing they fear least.

At most, they had some reservations about Gao Yu having craftsmen tinker with printing technology, believing that Gao Yu should not impart valuable knowledge indiscriminately to everyone in the school.

In the Western Wei, Erzhu Rong was nothing more than a ruthless and bloodthirsty Jiehu.

On the Eastern Wei side, Gao Yu was a true Han Chinese, and he was so kind to the aristocratic families. Anyone with a sound mind would know how to make the right choice.

"Oh?"

Gao Yu couldn't help but chuckle, "I thought the aristocratic families viewed me like tigers and wolves."

"The Prime Minister is a man appointed by Heaven; how could a member of a noble family be so blind?"

Seeing Yang Yin praising him so earnestly, Gao Yu couldn't help but tease him, "Zunyan, you've reached adulthood, yet you're still unmarried."

"I am determined to help the Prime Minister seize the throne; how can I be burdened by personal feelings?"

"How can this be done?"

Gao Yu shook his head. "As the sage said, one must cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and then one can bring peace to the world!"

"The eldest daughter of the Minister of State is someone I watched grow up. Marrying her to you would be a perfect match for her."

"Prime Minister..."

"That's settled then."

Gao Yu was quite domineering and didn't give Yang Yin a chance to refuse at all.

But then he thought about it.

Doesn't this make the generational hierarchy a bit confusing?

From Yang Lingyi's perspective, he should call Yang Yin his brother-in-law.

However, from Gao Ying's perspective, Yang Yin should call himself uncle.

Let's each do our own thing then.

No one loses out.

They had Gao Huan, Cui Xian, and Sima Ziru invited to the Golden Phoenix Terrace.

"A messenger from Yingchuan came today and informed us that Erzhu Rong has ordered Chilie Yanqing to lead a large army back to Xingyang and Hulao Pass to hold the fort. Yuzhou is currently without a ruler. What do you think we should do?" Sima Ziru reacted quickly.

"Such a good thing? This fertile land of Yuzhou has become an unclaimed territory? This is heaven helping me! Prime Minister, as the saying goes, if you do not take what heaven gives you, you will suffer the consequences. Prime Minister, you should quickly send troops south or order the troops of Xuzhou to advance west, in order to prevent the news from leaking out and the Southern Dynasty from gaining an advantage."

After a moment's thought, Gao Huan added, "Although the territory swallowed by Jing Tun is indeed too large, such fertile land is definitely worth taking."

There weren't enough officials to manage it, so it wasn't a problem at all.

By making good use of local powerful families and influential figures, and relying on these local tyrants, they can manage the area very well even without sending any officials.

"What the Prime Minister is worried about is that there are not enough officials to manage the army, which could give local powerful families and magnates the opportunity to deceive the emperor and grow stronger. However... the army is in the Prime Minister's hands, and they have just been tricked by the Erzhu clan. They are not so stupid."

Cui Xian shared the same view and continued to persuade him.

“In the process of conquering the world, it is inevitable that some hidden dangers will be left behind. It is not too late to deal with them after the northern border is unified and the Prime Minister is free to deal with them. First, take over Yuzhou and control a stable grain-producing area. This will help alleviate the logistical pressure on our army.”

Gao Yu had only just taken over Hebei and Henan. Although these places are fertile, it will take time to organize people to resume production.

It's also thanks to Gao Yu's time in Shandong these past few years.

The promotion of agricultural tools and composting, the construction of water conservancy facilities, and the favorable weather of the heavens for several years allowed Gao Yu to accumulate a wealth of resources. However, with the business now expanding so much, relying solely on the resources from Shandong is no longer sufficient.

This is why.

The reason why Gao Yu did not press his advantage but instead ordered the entire army to halt.

The goal is to properly utilize the acquired territory, dispatch officials to implement the local militia system, and reorganize and restore production.

Given the current situation, he cannot achieve a quick victory over Erzhu Rong.

The two sides will definitely be locked in a standoff for some time.

Confrontation.

It's a competition of national strength.

Having already gained the upper hand by controlling the entire heartland of the Central Plains, the key is to manage it well.

Yang Yin then spoke up.

"Prime Minister, you could actually take this opportunity to personally lead the troops south, go to Yuzhou, appease the people, return to Shandong, and then go north to inspect the Yan and You regions."

"Although Generals Heba Yun and Mulan are stationed in Yan and You, the promotion of the local militia is not going smoothly, according to the letter sent back by General Mulan. Moreover... the governor of Anzhou, Lu Cao, does not seem to be cooperating. I have heard that Lu Cao is a brave and arrogant man. If the prime minister can win him over and persuade him, it will also add a brave soldier to the army."

"also may."

Gao Yu nodded.

He could understand Yang Yin's suggestion.

It's nothing more than sending myself to inspect the newly occupied territories, meet with the local powerful families and influential figures, exert some influence, and let the people know who the sun under their heads really is!
I also need to go back to Shandong.

Many experimental reforms were promoted within Qingzhou.

Gao Yu wanted to go back and check on the effectiveness of the military academy and the school.

Let's see the results of the imperial examination.

at the same time……

You can also take the opportunity to see if the craftsmen have come up with any new gadgets.

The main thing is.

My wife and kids are over there.

He's been leading his troops out here for almost a year; it's time for him to go back and take a look.

I've been holding in so much anger, I need to let it all out.

He doesn't have many children yet, but Yang Yin and the others keep urging Gao Yu to have more children with his wives and concubines, so that the family line can flourish...

(End of this chapter)