My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 544 Increasingly Resembling an Emperor
The tenth day of the second month of the third year of the Tianping era.

Gao Yu adheres to the principle of "holding small meetings for important matters and large meetings for minor matters".

Everyone was summoned to the Golden Phoenix Terrace.

He, as chairman, has already made the general decision on the direction, but more details require collective wisdom and effort, especially personnel matters, which are essentially politics.

Such personnel appointments and removals at critical junctures are essentially a way for various interest groups under one's control to "distribute the spoils."

To maintain overall balance, one should act as a central balancing force.

The main reason is that the foundation of the military system was well laid. Gao Yu's unparalleled prestige among the grassroots soldiers and middle and lower-ranking officers made his base very solid.

at the same time………

The military academy and the regular school provided him with a stable channel to continuously cultivate his own group of literary talents.

Essentially.

Gao Yu's current mission.

It was through a series of "blood transfusions" that the powerful families, who had controlled local populations, land, and even their own "castles" since the Eastern Han Dynasty, were gradually transformed into local emperors who took back the two most important things: land and people.

This gradually turned aristocratic families into a rentier class with only 'political privileges'.

Although they are all rentiers, the differences are vast.

With land and population, one can establish a separatist regime, and even develop one's own private army and retainers to confront the central government and even the imperial power.

Without these, one can only be subservient to imperial power.

Gao Yu also found that as he got closer to that position, his actions, even his way of thinking and his choices regarding various rights, were increasingly turning into the role of 'emperor'.

As for what happened after the aristocratic families were defeated.

How can we check and balance the newly emerging scholar class as it grows in power?
That's something his successors should consider. Gao Yu's lifespan isn't that long, and he can't worry about what happens after he's gone.

No system can remain unchanged and function perfectly forever. This has been the case with the rise and fall of dynasties throughout history. After laying the initial foundation, they were constantly patched up, eventually accumulating into a "mountain of crap code" that was difficult to reverse. Until the patching process could no longer be sustained, the system collapsed.

Let's start over.

What can last forever?
The essence is that the rentier class is becoming increasingly large, taking up more and more of the market share, leaving less and less for those below them. When those below can no longer survive, they naturally rise up in rebellion.

In fact, being able to think ahead two or three decades already makes one a standout among politicians.

"I think the most urgent task is to take Bingzhou first. If we can take Bingzhou, Shanxi, Hebei and other places will be connected, and Hebei will no longer be threatened!"

Sima Ziru spoke.

"inappropriate……"

Yang Dun shook his head. "Bingzhou is a land surrounded by mountains and rivers, with rugged terrain and many mountain roads. The logistical pressure is enormous, and it would be unwise to launch a direct attack."

Sima Ziru's eyes flashed with anger, and he quickly retorted, "It is precisely because Bingzhou is extremely important that we cannot allow others to snore beside our bed. If we do not take Bingzhou, it will be like a sharp blade hanging over Hebei. If Hebei is damaged, how can we supply the army with Shandong alone?"

Yang Dun replied calmly, "The key passes and routes leading east from Bingzhou are under our control. Even if a small force manages to break through, it will be nothing more than a minor ailment and will not affect the overall situation in Hebei!"

"On the contrary, if we can press our advantage and take Luoyang, driving Erzhu Rong back to Guanzhong, Bingzhou will become a completely isolated place. Even if Erzhu Rong has been operating here for many years, under such circumstances, the people of Bingzhou will be restless. At that time, we only need to send envoys to persuade them to open the city gates and surrender. We can take Bingzhou without losing a single soldier!"

Gao Yu's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, but he did not interrupt rashly.

Sima Ziru is a typical member of the Hebei faction. Although he came from Huai Shuo, he settled down in Xiangzhou for many years and had long been closely connected with the Hebei aristocratic families. He even had the idea of ​​further deepening the relationship through marriage.

Yang Dun's standard Shandong style.

Despite Gao Yu's control over the two key passes of Jingxing and Fukouxing, it seems that the road out of Bingzhou to the east has been blocked.

But in fact……

Gao Yu specifically sent people to investigate the area.

In order to pay less toll, traveling merchants have deliberately bypassed these two passes and opened up some relatively remote roads, which are the kind of narrow paths that only locals or merchants who travel back and forth between Hebei and Bingzhou know.

If Erzhu Rong were truly determined to send troops to harass Hebei, he could easily break his army into smaller units, bypass the passes via these small paths, and then regroup.

The quantity may be small, but it's definitely disgusting.

No prominent family in Hebei wanted to be treated like this, so they were eager to eliminate this 'hidden danger'.

The powerful families in Shandong were naturally unwilling to do so.

What benefits would Shandong gain from taking Bingzhou?
On the contrary, Shandong is providing financial and human support, offering all kinds of assistance.

On the contrary, if they take Luoyang, they will wipe out the existing forces around Luoyang. They can then send people to buy land and houses and reserve a spot in advance.

With the Yellow River a natural barrier in front of them, how could Erzhu Rong sit idly by and watch his army cross it so easily?

Sima Ziru also had his own reasons: "If we take Bingzhou, we can then attack Hedong from multiple directions. At that time, there will be no need to attack Luoyang. We can send troops from Hedong straight to Guanzhong and wipe out Erzhu Rong's base camp."

"With Guanzhong under threat, Erzhu Rong will surely lead his army back to reinforce it. At that time, our army can cross the Yellow River and march south, or we can take Luoyang without bloodshed and return His Majesty to the old capital."

This kind of thing is a classic case of each side having their own reasons, what we call correct but ultimately meaningless statements. From each person's perspective, there's really nothing wrong with either of them.

Seeing that Gao Yu had not spoken for a long time.

Gao Huan had no choice but to speak first, "Alright, both of your suggestions are reasonable. We should leave the decision to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is renowned throughout the land for his bravery. Do any of you here think you know more about military affairs than the Prime Minister?"

Gao Yu is the referee, the one who makes the decisions.

The decision rests with Gao Yu.

Everyone turned their attention to Gao Yu.

It gives the impression that civil and military officials are arguing like dogs in the palace, but in the end, the emperor has to make the decision.

Just like in the TV series, no matter how fiercely Ji Xiaolan argued with Heshen, what could he do?

Ultimately, it all comes down to the emperor's opinion; whoever Qianlong sides with will gain power.

Isn't my own Golden Phoenix Terrace just a 'miniature imperial court'?

Eat your meal one bite at a time.

For now, I shouldn't be too eager for that position. I should remain restrained and continue to achieve more merits to silence the gossips, until my achievements are so great that no one can question me and they all wholeheartedly acknowledge me as the ruler of the world.

To avoid establishing a dynasty that, like the Northern Qi dynasty in history, fell into the trap of 'illegitimate accession' from the very beginning.

Gao Yu chuckled lightly, "Why get so worked up? Ziru, don't be so agitated. It's all for the sake of Great Wei."

"I used harsh words in a moment of anger, and I hope Brother Yuanli will forgive me."

Sima Ziru was a shrewd person. Upon hearing that Gao Yu had specifically mentioned him, he immediately took the initiative to apologize to Yang Dun.

"As the Prime Minister said, you and I are both thinking of the Great Wei. We have different opinions and have argued. We are not at fault."

Yang Dun waved his hand, indicating that he didn't take it to heart, and then looked at Gao Yu.

"Whatever choice the Prime Minister makes, he should give instructions so that we can prepare accordingly."

Gao Yu nodded. "I summoned you all here specifically for this matter."

He paused for a moment and then said, "In my opinion... the most urgent task is to take Gaodu and Jianxing first, and then... make preparations for marching south to Luoyang."

"Bingzhou has a rugged terrain with many mountain roads, making it extremely difficult to attack."

"Moreover...everyone knows that Luoyang is the capital. If Luoyang can fall, it will also cause Erzhu Rong's prestige to be swept away, and the morale of his subordinates to waver."

Whether we look at it from an economic or political perspective.

It's more worthwhile to attack Luoyang first than to attack Bingzhou first.

Bingzhou has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times. It has been the site of numerous wars, and even small cities there are well-fortified and difficult to conquer.

Without water transport available, grain supplies could only be transported by land. Even if grain supplies could be requisitioned from Hebei, the pressure would be immense.

and……

Erzhu Rong had indeed been operating in this area for many years, and the people of Bingzhou still sided with him; he had a solid foundation of popular support.

Luoyang...

Erzhu Rong offended quite a few people.

Gao Yu's army hadn't even made it over yet; they had only captured Yewang, and the letters sent from Luoyang were already piling up like mountains.

What if a large army attacks?

Despite the formidable defenses of Luoyang, Emperor Xiaowen had it extensively expanded.

However, cities that are too large are not so easy to defend because the area that needs to be defended is too large, making it impossible to concentrate troops in it.

I really want to talk about it.

Ultimately, the best course of action for defending Luoyang was to retreat to Jinyong City in the northwest corner and hold out.

There is another important reason.

Gao Yu does need to prevent the Shandong aristocratic families from becoming too powerful and needs to occasionally help the aristocratic families in Hebei.

But Shandong is ultimately his stronghold; he started his business there, and his base of operations is there. Overall, he will definitely lean more towards the Shandong aristocratic families.

Just like the Sui and Tang dynasties, they generally favored Guanzhong because it was the place where the emperor rose to power and their base of operations.

Seeing that Gao Yu had already made the decision, Sima Ziru didn't say anything more and instead spoke respectfully.

"The Prime Minister is wise! I was inconsiderate."

(End of this chapter)