My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 514 Here we come to capture the thief alive!

The sky remained overcast, but snow did not fall for a long time. It was as if the heavens knew that the two sides were locked in a fierce battle and were brewing a major one.

Ta-da-da.

Dozens of knights galloped wildly, kicking up clouds of sand and gravel.

"Let's go further ahead and see if we can find a pontoon bridge to cross the Dan River."

Gao Yu looked at the Dan River in front of him. The river was not very wide and the current was very slow.

The Dan River flows from north to south, where it merges with the Qin River at Yewang. After the two rivers meet, they eventually flow south into the main channel of the Yellow River.

If it were the rainy season in spring or summer, and I led my troops there, the enemy upstream of the Dan River could cut off the river, store water upstream, and then open the sluice gates to flood the area.

"Prime Minister..."

After a moment's hesitation, Duan Shao spoke up, "Isn't this too risky?"

Gao Yu only brought about ten people with him this time.

Besides Liu Yi and his personal guards, there were also Duan Shao, Gao Yang, and Huli Guang. He wanted to personally lead them and train them properly.

Gao Yu smiled and retorted, "Xiaoxian, with my bravery, unless I'm surrounded, how can anyone stop me?"

Gao Yang chimed in, "Brother, you're being too cautious. Who can possibly stop Uncle?"

Duan Shao shook his head, somewhat stubbornly saying, "Never underestimate others just because you are brave. This is a principle the Prime Minister taught us. Moreover, the Prime Minister's status is very high; if he encounters danger..."

Others might not dare to say such a thing, and indeed only those of the younger generation would dare to "confront" Gao Yu, who now wields immense power and prestige.

Gao Yu nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the leader of the "Three Heroes of Northern Qi", he was so meticulous at such a young age. No wonder he was able to protect the Northern Qi dynasty while he was alive.

“Xiaoxian, I am pleased that you think this way, however... in this world, risk and reward always coexist.”

"I could certainly send men out to scout the enemy and survey the terrain from within the camp, but... how could you possibly know the specific details from someone else's account?"

"Let me tell you about a mountain outside Ye City. What is the terrain like at the foot of the mountain? Where are the forests where there might be an ambush? Where are the deadly spots where we can drive the enemy here..."

Duan Shao frowned, then his brows gradually relaxed.

"I was just teasing you with my words. Why would I deliberately put myself in danger because of my own bravery?"

When the two armies are facing each other, they send out a large number of scouts and rangers every day. Even if the scouts and rangers of both sides just happen to meet each other, they rarely engage in direct confrontation.

After all, the main task of the scouts is to gather intelligence on the enemy. Bringing back the enemy's intelligence is a great achievement. If they rashly engage in a direct confrontation with the enemy, capturing the enemy scouts is certainly a great achievement, but if they are killed or captured, it would be a great loss.

It's incredibly difficult to capture someone with exceptional horsemanship unless you're surrounded by a large army.

If someone is determined to run away, there's no way to stop them.

Gao Yu was indeed of noble status, but he didn't have a dazzling halo above his head to tell everyone that he was the 'Prime Minister of Wei'. Even if the enemy scouts knew his identity, by the time they went to gather troops from the surrounding area, Gao Yu would have already run away.

It may seem extremely dangerous, but in reality, the risk is not that great.

Compared to the potential gains, taking on this small risk is a worthwhile deal.

This is also why Gao Yu brought few attendants.

They came to investigate with a large group of over a hundred people.
The enemy could tell at a glance that he was of noble status, but if he was only a dozen or so riders, they would generally regard him as one of the scouts who went out to gather intelligence.

If there really is someone who is blind and insists on going head-to-head with Gao Yu.

Gao Yu wouldn't mind cosplaying as a member of the "life-catching army" and capturing a few prisoners to take back.

The group followed the Dan River upstream and found a pontoon bridge, which was probably built by enemy scouts to cross the river.

Gao Yu did not hesitate at all.

"Cross the river."

At a command, the group rode their horses across the pontoon bridge.

The Dan River flows from north to south. Gao Yu's main army was on the east bank, while Ye Wang Erzhu Rong's garrison was on the west bank. Upon reaching the west bank of the Dan River, Gao Yu was actually quite close to the enemy's core area.

This is the result of our exploration along the way.

It's alright.

The terrain here is not complicated, and there are no particularly rugged mountain roads. The reason why Yewang is difficult to attack is because the Dan River and Qin River serve as natural moats. However, apart from these two rivers, there are no natural barriers such as mountains.

Flat terrain is advantageous for deploying one's own attacking army, unlike those aristocratic fortified villages built against mountains. With rugged mountain roads, even with thousands of troops, one can only send a few hundred soldiers to charge at a time. That feeling of having strength but being unable to use it is truly frustrating.

However, it also benefits the enemy's outer forces and the garrison west of Yewang who can come to their aid.

By then.

Besides the siege, there will certainly be large-scale field battles on the outskirts as well.

Along the way, Gao Yu also spotted many enemy cavalry in the distance, but he avoided them after spotting them from afar. No one was so blind as to ignore them.

"Let's go back."

Having encountered several groups of people in succession, it meant that he had penetrated deeper into their core area. Gao Yu did not want to be surrounded, so he immediately led everyone away in a hurry.

About fifteen minutes.

Ta-da-da!
A rapid sound of hooves rang out, and hundreds of knights galloped in, led by Li Bi.

"Where are they? Weren't they supposed to have enemy cavalry infiltrated deep into enemy territory?"

"General, it seems they have already fled."

"Scattered away, chase..."

Li Bi's eyes burned with determination. "That scoundrel Hebasheng said that Gao the bandit most likes to personally lead troops to scout out the enemy's situation before a battle. These days, most of the enemy's cavalry are on the east bank of the Dan River. The one who dares to cross the Dan River must be that Gao the bandit! If we can capture him alive, it will be a tremendous achievement!!"

Gao Yu knew Hebasheng and others.

Didn't Hebasheng and others understand him well?

They know each other well.

They had fought alongside Gao Yu and knew his style all too well.

The first thing to do upon arriving at the front lines is to personally scout out the enemy's situation; otherwise, he wouldn't be Gao Yu.

It didn't take long.

Li Bi ran into another group of knights, led by Helian Da.

"You're also here to find that master thief?"

"The same to you?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Upon receiving the news, they each brought their own troops to arrest the person.

"He must have already escaped. We should hurry back."

"What Hebasheng said is true. It seems that we should take more elite cavalry out these days. Perhaps we will run into that Gao bandit."

"You've hit the nail on the head."

If Gao Yu can be captured alive in one fell swoop, there will be no need to fight this battle. Without Gao Yu maintaining the situation, Erzhu Rong can directly lead his army eastward and push forward.

after all……

Without Gao Yu, the Eastern Wei would naturally fall into internal strife over power and profit.

The powerful families of Hebei and Shandong are unlikely to submit to each other.

(End of this chapter)