My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 498 Plotting to Establish a State
“If I kill a few more enemy soldiers today, my soldiers will encounter fewer enemy soldiers when the two armies clash in the future. Why be so rigid, Xiaoxian?”

Hulü Guang opened his mouth with a grin to defend himself.

Duan Shao remained unmoved, his brows still furrowed. "If you and your soldiers perish here, how can you live up to the Prime Minister's trust? The Prime Minister has shown us such great favor by allowing us to command troops at such a young age. How can you repay the Prime Minister's cultivation with such actions?"

"Good good."

Hulü Guang's smile faded. "I acted rashly this time. I will never do such a thing again. Xiaoxian, please let me go today."

"It won't happen again."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Huli Guang's repeated assurances finally eased Duan Shao's frown.

After Gao Yu decided to attack Erzhu Rong.

He then made a series of military deployments, ordering someone to send an imperial edict to Hedong, instructing Yang Zhongke to mobilize troops from the grasslands to go south, and specifically instructed him to demand more people from Anagui and Tumen.

At present, the Rouran are the most powerful, followed by the Turks.

Conscripting them to fight for us is a way of weakening their strength.

However, Gao Yu did not make the horse run without feeding it.

When conscripting grassland soldiers to go south as mercenaries, they naturally have to be given benefits, namely the spoils of war from the conquest of Hedong, which they are allowed to share. If they make great contributions, they can also offset the amount of cattle, sheep and horses that they have to pay tribute to Gao Yu every year.

Recruiting soldiers locally can also reduce losses.

At the same time... Gao Yu also ordered Hou Jing, who was stationed in Daliang City, to actively advance the battle line to the west, not to capture Xingyang and Hulao Pass.

His purpose was to protect the safety of navigation on the Yellow River, but his real goal was to establish a prefecture!
Besides.

Gao Yu also recruited all the 'second-generation' figures he could remember to his side.

It is clear that Huli Jin, the husband of the Chule, has been transferred to Woye Town, and his purpose is also very clear.

Woye Town is located in the Hetao Plain.

As the saying goes, the land north of the Great Wall is fertile and stretches for thousands of miles, hence the name!
As the Little Ice Age gradually comes to an end and the rainfall line shifts northward, the fertile Hetao Plain will become a true "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall"!
We should send Hulijin with people to manage and cultivate the land in advance, so that we can develop Woye Town well.

The provisions for the army conquering Hedong can be directly supplied from Woye Town. In the future, if the army wants to advance westward and attack the Western Regions and Tuyuhun, Woye Town can also provide logistical support.

But Gao Yu told him to leave Hulü Guang behind.

It wasn't that they detained him as a hostage, but rather that Hulü Guang, as one of the 'Three Heroes of Northern Qi,' possessed extraordinary abilities, and they wanted to prevent his growth trajectory from deviating due to him experiencing a privileged life ahead of time.

Gao Yu decided to train them personally.

after all……

At the time that should have been, Gao Huan was currently engaged in a decisive battle with his good brother Erzhu Zhao, and next he would be fighting against Yuwen Tai. Duan Shao, Huli Guang, and others had been serving in his military camp for a long time, and naturally they were able to gain a lot of valuable practical experience.

But now?
Gao Yu's situation is much better than that of Gao Huan in history.

The situation is far from dire now that the entire Hebei, Shandong, Yan, and You regions have been pacified. It is difficult to guarantee that the best among these "second-generation" leaders will truly become historical figures as they have followed the historical trajectory.

Therefore, it's best to train them yourself.

Hulü Guang was a few years older, while Gao Yang was not that old.

But they have never lacked high-quality protein like meat since childhood. Although they are only thirteen or fourteen years old, they are already tall, strong and healthy.

"Let's go, it's getting late, let's hurry back to camp in case anything goes wrong."

Duan Shao turned his horse around.

Hulü Guang shook his head, thinking that Duan Shao was too composed.

After a month of probing, the situation in Jianzhou had been largely ascertained. Erzhu Rong had concentrated his main forces along the Gaodu and Shanyang line, leaving relatively few troops in Ji County. The earlier capture of Chaoge meant they had taken control of the Qi River, allowing them to transport supplies from the rear via the Yellow River and then through the Qi River.

However, Hebasheng was leading a small force to hold them off here.

"Indeed, Hebasheng is indeed exceptionally brave and skilled. It seems that only the two Caos under the Prime Minister's command can rival him?"

"Hmph, when I reach my prime, I too can fight him!"

The two groups of people returned to camp in a grand procession.

After entering the military camp.

Duan Shao and Huli Guang wanted to go to the main tent to meet Dou Tai and report the military situation.

The commander of their army was Dou Tai.

But they ran right into Gao Yang as he walked out of the main tent.

"Hou Niyu, today I have slain ten... no, twelve enemy knights!"

Hulü Guang couldn't help but show off.

Gao Yang sneered, "What's there to brag about? If it weren't for my brother leading troops to rescue you, you would probably already be a dead man under Hebasheng's blade!"

Duan Shao was the son of Lou Zhaojun's sister and Gao Yang's cousin.

Duan Shao's relationship with him was alright, unlike Gao Cheng's, which was quite strained, so Gao Yang was very polite to Duan Shao.

"Zijin, Mingyue, it is important to report the military situation first. The Prime Minister has also repeatedly requested that communication in the military camp must be in Chinese and that Xianbei language must not be spoken."

The Northern Wei was a regime established by a minority ethnic group that migrated south to the Central Plains.

They were quite wary of the Han people.

The Northern Wei dynasty seized power through military force, and therefore placed great importance on its army. Previously, the Northern Wei army prohibited the use of Chinese language; from generals to soldiers, everyone could only communicate in Xianbei language.

The purpose was to prevent local Han Chinese powerful families and clans from colluding with the army.

After all, the Tuoba Xianbei, the ancestors of the Northern Wei, were mercenaries of the Han Chinese dynasty near Dai County. They knew all too well what would happen if local powerful families and clans colluded with the army.

However, the soldiers under Gao Yu's command were mostly Han Chinese; only a small number of Xianbei people followed him to Shandong.

Gao Huan had a large number of Xianbei people under his command.

In order to break down the barriers between them, Gao Yu had no choice but to issue a mandatory order that Chinese must be spoken in public. Even She Digan, a 'son-in-law', was forced by Gao Yu to learn Chinese and Chinese characters.

Such behavior will certainly provoke dissatisfaction from ethnic minorities such as the Xianbei.

In private, they never actually carry it out.

But Gao Yu had no expectations of them at all. He believed that while such a policy would certainly cause growing pains, it would bring immense benefits in the future.

Moreover, he currently has enough prestige to implement such policies.

Better sooner rather than later.

He didn't want to end up like Gao Huan in history.

Caught between the Xianbei and the Han people, they were in a dilemma, unable to offend either side.

They could only say to the Han people, "The Xianbei are your guests (tenants), they receive a bushel of millet and a bolt of silk from you, and they fight for you to kill bandits. Why do you hate them?" Then they turned to the Xianbei and said, "The Han people are your slaves. The husbands plow for you, the wives weave for you, they provide you with millet and silk, and they keep you warm and well-fed. Why do you bully them?"

This method of deceiving both sides maintains a superficial balance.

Gao Huan lacked sufficient prestige.

If someone has enough prestige but is still so frustrated, then what's the point of having that prestige?
(End of this chapter)