My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 512 Everything is ready
Gao Yu led his army westward, and everywhere they saw destroyed crops, fields, and hastily ruined wells.

Some fields were cleared out, and Gao Yu dismounted to inspect them. It seemed that someone had deliberately rushed to plant some winter wheat seeds. Even if the harvest was low, at least they could harvest something next year, which would at least slightly alleviate the logistical pressure on the army.

More importantly, we must prevent the land from becoming completely abandoned. If a piece of fertile land is abandoned for too long, it is not easy to restore its fertility.

Most of the houses in the village were destroyed, leaving only the elderly, women, and children, who were probably busy with the farm work.

As the army marched past in a grand procession, these people hid among the ruins, watching them with fearful eyes.

Gao Yu saw this but couldn't do anything about it.

Winter is already hard enough for ordinary people, and these people are abandoned in this place. After this winter, it will depend on who has a strong destiny. If their destiny is not strong enough, then there will be another pile of bones in this wilderness.

Gao Yu was filled with mixed emotions and called Liu Yi over.

"If the army is transporting grain in the future, we can conscript these old, weak, women and children along the way, give them food, and let them take good care of the crops in the fields."

"The Prime Minister...is benevolent and righteous."

"I've only done my bit."

Gao Yu didn't think he was particularly noble, and he couldn't really be a living bodhisattva. So many people in the world couldn't afford to eat and froze to death in winter; could he possibly take care of them all?
Giving them a little food is just a drop in the ocean; ultimately, it depends on whether these people are tough enough.

Only after unifying the world and vigorously developing productivity to produce more grain, and importing cotton from India and Central Asia, can this situation be alleviated.

They traveled several more miles.

Ta-da-da.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed ahead!

From a distance, I could see a rider rushing toward me at high speed, and once it got a little closer, I could hear it.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

Liu Yi and the others, who had been very vigilant, also relaxed their guard.

Gao Yu tightened the reins and stopped in place.

Before long, Gao Yang rode up to Gao Yu, quickly dismounted, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Prime Minister!"

"Get up, you brat."

Gao Yu chuckled, but Gao Yang took the initiative to step forward and hold the reins for Gao Yu, leading him forward.

He couldn't help but boast about it.

"Uncle, in these past three months, I have personally killed more than twenty enemies, including three officers!"

This record is indeed impressive. Considering Gao Yang's age, his body is still developing and he is not yet fully grown; he is at most in his infancy.

Gao Yu was of course aware of Gao Yang's and others' achievements, as Dou Tai reported them separately.

If you don't even get this special treatment, then you're not worthy of being Gao Yu's nephew/niece.
"Indeed, so brave at such a young age, he will surely become a renowned general in the future!"

"Hehe, compared to my uncle, I'm still far from being good enough."

Gao Yang received the praise he wanted, but he scratched his head shyly. He was far more mature than his peers, but he was still a boy after all, and he would occasionally show such childishness, which was actually a good thing.

It's not good for someone so young to have such a heavy heart.

This was undoubtedly one of the reasons why Gao Yang in history ultimately made so many "shocking" moves.

Liu Yi and the others also laughed.

After being bought by Gao Yu, they have always stayed by his side. They were also there when Gao Yu rescued young Gao Cheng, Gao Yang, and others. Gao Yang spent a lot of time with them when he was a child, and they all have feelings for each other.

Gao Yu then asked, "Who ordered the people along the way to rush to plant wheat?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yang's smile was even more pronounced than an AK's, and he tilted his head back, "Uncle, why don't you take a guess?"

"You brat, you're so cocky, do I even need to guess?"

Gao Yu saw it at a glance, "Such insight at such a young age, the lessons at the Martial Arts Academy were not in vain."

"hey-hey."

Gao Yang explained embarrassedly, “With such a large-scale mobilization of our army, the logistical supply pressure must be enormous. If we were to requisition grain and fodder from Shandong, the journey would be too long. Hebei had suffered greatly from the war and its soil fertility had not yet recovered, so it would be difficult to supply the needs of the large army. I was thinking... it would be a pity to leave these lands lying fallow here, so we might as well plant some crops.”

"The fact that you can think this way proves that you have grown."

“A general cannot only focus on fighting and killing; he must have a long-term vision. Your uncle is very pleased that you can think about problems in this way.”

Gao Yang laughed heartily, "Really? Am I better than my brother?" "As it stands, you're a little bit better than Ahui."

"Hmph! Only a little bit? Uncle is probably showing favoritism!"

"You brat, don't get too cocky!"

Gao Yu raised his hand as if to hit him, and although Gao Yang shrank back, he did not leave. If Gao Huan and Lou Zhaojun saw this scene, they would probably feel uncomfortable.

While talking.

Gao Yu and the others had arrived in front of Duan Shao and the others.

In fact, even from a great distance, Duan Shao and the others had already dismounted and were respectfully waiting for Gao Yu to arrive.

They all bowed and greeted the Prime Minister!

"Everyone get up!"

Gao Yu glanced around. Although he had asked Dou Tai to assign some elite soldiers to Gao Yang and his men as personal guards, the other soldiers were clearly the core troops they had trained and cultivated themselves, and their spirits were quite good.

What makes him happiest is seeing his nephews and nieces grow up.

The more capable people there are, the less pressure he will face.

Since Gao Yang and his group came specifically to welcome him, Shanyang City must not be far away.

"Pass on my order: the entire army must accelerate its advance and set up camp outside Shanyang City!"

"Here!!"

Gao Yu then led Gao Yang and the others away hastily on horseback.

He learned about the situation at the front mainly through official documents sent back by Dou Tai, and he had to go there in person to find out the specifics of the situation.

It didn't take too much time.

Gao Yu and his group then arrived outside Shanyang City.

Dou Tai led his officers to greet them outside the city.

"Greetings, Prime Minister!"

"Come inside with me!"

"Here!"

Gao Yu entered Shanyang City with swift and decisive action.

Although Shanyang City is not a fortified city, it is not small in size.

After Emperor Xian of Han was forced to abdicate by Cao Pi, he was enfeoffed as the Duke of Shanyang.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Gao Yu took the main seat and, facing the crowd, looked at Dou Tai and asked.

"How are the preparations going these days?"

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, I have been having craftsmen build siege towers, ladders, and other engineering equipment these days. I have also sent elite cavalry out to capture many locals who are familiar with the terrain..."

In fact, Gao Yu had already communicated these preparations with Dou Tai in previous official documents.

A siege isn't just about leading a large army and rushing into someone else's city.

The first step is to survey the terrain.

Where is a suitable place for a large army to be stationed? It is necessary to ensure that the supply lines are unobstructed, that the water supply for hundreds of thousands of troops is guaranteed, and that the supply lines and water supply cannot be easily cut off by the enemy.

Besides.

Siege equipment also needs to be built in advance.

In ancient times, when cities were besieged for several months at a time, most of that time was actually spent building various kinds of machinery.

Wild King is a fortified city; it's not so easy to take it down.

Dou Tai had someone present a statistical report of all the equipment to Gao Yu. Gao Yu glanced at it briefly and then nodded in satisfaction.

Only after all these preparations are in place can we lead the army to attack the Wild King in one fell swoop.

P.S.: Double monthly votes at the end of the month, please vote more!

During the National Day holiday, the author will stay home and update frequently without going out or taking leave!
(End of this chapter)