My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 560 Why not eat minced meat?
Gao Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead, a gesture typical of someone who spends most of his time leading troops in the field.

Going out into the fields occasionally won't leave you so exhausted that you can't straighten your back.

This level of exertion is nothing compared to riding a horse at full speed.

Looking back, Gao Ze was squatting by the field, while Wen Zisheng was moving his mouth incessantly, seemingly trying to instill some profound wisdom from a sage.

Gao Yu's idea was actually very simple.

In this era, agriculture is the foundation of the nation. We must make children understand that the food they eat every day is hard-earned and doesn't just grow out of thin air on the stove, so as to prevent them from becoming the kind of people who are 'pure and innocent'.

He uttered the timeless classic, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

This single sentence alone cannot prove that Sima Zhong was mentally deficient; it only shows that he had been out of touch with the common people for too long.

Isn't this the same principle as modern experts advising people with little money to rent out their extra houses and drive their cars to make money as ride-hailing drivers?
Not to mention on variety shows, a group of '208s' would jokingly ask why there would be a bowl in the refrigerator.

He didn't expect Gao Ze to glean any profound wisdom from this at such a young age, or to know where food comes from. He just wanted him to see how hard the farmers worked.

"Grandpa, how's my technique?"

Gao Yu glanced at the wheat at his feet and looked at the farmer beside him with a smug look.

What else could the farmer say?
With such a grand display, it's clear that the fair-skinned 'young man' in front of me is of extremely noble status. How could I dare to speak recklessly?
"Haha, no need for such formalities. I see this year's harvest is quite good, so I suppose you don't have to worry about going hungry."

The farmer nodded with deep emotion.

"That's true. Even in years with good harvests, the imperial court still collected a lot of taxes, making it difficult to avoid going hungry."

"I heard that the current prime minister has reduced our taxes, so that we can have a full meal. We are so fortunate to have met such a compassionate person as the prime minister who cares about the suffering of us common folk."

Constrained by the productive forces of the era.

Even the most famous "golden ages" in history were really only able to keep ordinary people from going hungry.

It's not that the standards are low.

Rather, given the extremely low productivity in ancient times, people starved to death every year in most cases, and only during times of peace and prosperity could people barely avoid starvation.

Gao Yu felt rather embarrassed.

Hebei was previously exempt from all taxes, and currently collects very little tax.

But he knew... this situation couldn't last long. If his war with Erzhu Rong continued, the expenses of the frontline army would be unavoidable.

People eat and horses eat every day; sooner or later, taxes will have to be increased.

"Prime Minister...Prime Minister!"

Liu Yi called out from afar, and when the farmer heard the words "Prime Minister," he realized that the "young man" in front of him was the Prime Minister of the Great Wei whom he was so grateful to.
The farmer immediately bowed down, saying, "I was blind, I was blind..."

"Haha, old man, your hard work in the fields is no different from my handling of government affairs in the court. We are just doing our own jobs."

Gao Yu helped him up and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "I'll have to trouble you to continue farming."

Only then did he turn and leave.

The farmer stood there dumbfounded for a long time before he came to his senses.

"Such a godlike figure is actually so approachable..."

Gao Yu arrived at the edge of the field, took the silk handkerchief from Liu Yi and wiped his hands, only then did he see Gao Huan waiting for him with a serious expression.

"Brother, what happened?"

"Liu Gui, the governor of Sizhou, reports... Erzhu Rong's army marched out of Jinyang and captured several cities in succession."

Gao Huan handed the official document in his hand to Gao Yu.

Gao Yu quickly took the official document and glanced at it. Liu Gui's letter stated that Yangqu had been lost.

Yangqu is a city in the south of Sizhou that directly faces Jinyang. It can also be understood as the southern gateway of Sizhou. If Yangqu is lost, then the entire Sizhou will be in grave danger...

After all, Sizhou was also the stronghold of the Erzhu clan, where their ancestors had operated for generations. And let's not forget that back then, in order to win over the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons who had been mistreated by Erzhu Rong for several years, Gao Huan allowed them to burn, kill, and loot throughout Sizhou, especially in the Xiurongchuan area, which had already caused him to lose the hearts of the people.

Once Erzhu Rong's army marches north, at least in the Xiu Rongchuan area, there will definitely be people who rise up in rebellion.

even……

Is Xiu Rongchuan already lost?

Erzhu Rong seized most of Sizhou.

Gao Yu looked at Gao Huan, who immediately bowed down, saying, "It was my fault for misjudging people. I hope the Prime Minister will punish me severely."

Liu Gui is a typical political opportunist.

Having gained favor with Gao Huan, Gao Huan naturally entrusted him with important responsibilities in return. In order to maintain stability, Gao Yu was indeed in no hurry to purge this group of political opportunists.

After all, Gao Yu had people like that under his command as well.
Gao Yu helped Gao Huan up and comforted him gently, "It happened so suddenly, Brother, you don't need to blame yourself so much. Let's go back to Ye City and discuss this matter at the court meeting tomorrow!"

Gao Huan was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to his senses. Looking at Gao Yu's departing figure, he felt a mix of emotions.

In the past, when he was in Huai Shuo, Gao Yu seemed to know nothing about personnel and politics, but now he is becoming more and more proficient.

Sizhou is facing the crisis of falling.

It seems urgent, but in reality... even if Erzhu Rong takes over the entire Sizhou, it will be of no use if Mayi and Jingxing are not lost. Moreover, Erzhu Rong's soldiers are not heavenly soldiers and generals, so how could they take over the whole territory so quickly?

thus……

This matter appears urgent, but it's not actually that serious. Bringing it up for discussion in court is actually a way of taking care of people like Sima Ziru.

Gao Yu has consistently managed to balance the proportion of political affairs very well.

Not all government edicts were issued from the Prime Minister's office; he still delegated many government affairs to the court for discussion.

"If I were to truly fight Erlang to the bitter end... I suppose I would have no chance of winning?"

Gao Huan's complex feelings were like those of an old father seeing his son's achievements surpass his own.

"Alright, alright."

Gao Huan smiled and then followed.

Gao Cheng and Gao Yang also came over.

"Father, what happened?"

Gao Cheng asked.

Gao Huan didn't answer him, but stopped and glanced at him, then at Gao Yang, lowering his voice, "What were you two arguing about just now? Do you really think I didn't see it?"

"The current situation is very complicated. You two should act like your uncle and I, as brothers, and be respectful to each other. If someone with ulterior motives sees that you two are not getting along and takes advantage of it, causing great trouble in the future, how will you face your uncle then?"

Gao Yang felt wronged, and Gao Cheng also grumbled, feeling aggrieved, "Who told that brat Yang to talk nonsense!"

After listening to what Gao Cheng said, Gao Huan glanced at Gao Yang again. His second son seemed to be much smarter than he had imagined. Although Gao Cheng was smart, he was spoiled and too flamboyant and domineering.

Such a personality makes one prone to being taken advantage of.

“Ah Yang is right, Ah Hui, you are wrong about this... You don’t understand your uncle’s good intentions at all.”

Gao Cheng was still waiting for Gao Huan to speak up for him as usual, but this time, he was completely stunned.

The same goes for Gao Yang.

He suddenly looked up at Gao Huan, his astonished gaze filled with a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

"Ah... Father..."

This has been the longest he can remember.

Was this the first time Gao Huan reprimanded Gao Cheng, and then praised him?
(End of this chapter)