My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 123 Let's do something before we leave
The expressions on everyone's faces varied, but most were surprised.

Heba Yue has changed quite a bit in the past few years. He's not as stubborn as before, nor is he as loud and boisterous. Getting older has made him much more composed.

“Adou, if you’re asking for help, it should be me who goes.”

Heba Yun stepped forward and offered his advice, saying that as the eldest son of the Heba family, he carried more weight.

He knew that Heba Yue valued his reputation very much, so when he went to ask for help, he would at least have to speak kindly and humbly, if not in a subservient manner.

Especially since the two sides had a prior feud.

If a verbal argument arises, another conflict is inevitable.

Although Heba Yun felt that the Gao brothers wouldn't be so narrow-minded when it came to matters of principle, what if they were?
"Let Keni go."

Hebaduba held the same view.

Li Hu then spoke up, "We don't know the specifics of Huai Shuo's situation, nor do we know the current situation of the Gao brothers. Perhaps they have already joined the rebels."

Dugu Xin chuckled and shook his head, saying, "If the Gao brothers had already surrendered to the Po Liu Han Baling, Huai Shuo City would have been captured long ago."

"Gao Da is revered by the heroes of Huai Shuo, and Gao Er is known for his bravery in Huai Shuo. Given the Gao brothers' reputation in Huai Shuo, if they both surrender, how can the morale of the army and the people in Huai Shuo be maintained?"

Li Hu chuckled, "Qimi is very meticulous; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority. It was indeed my oversight."

Dugu Xin glanced at him thoughtfully. Had he really overlooked something?
Heba Yue stood up and said resolutely, "My feud with the Gao family stemmed from my personal grievances, so it is only right that I go there. Brother, Father, you don't need to persuade me."

"Right now, with a formidable enemy at hand, defeating them is the most urgent task. How can I disregard the greater good for the sake of my personal pride?"

"Besides..."

The images of Gao Yu and Gao Huan flashed through Heba Yue's mind. "The two brothers are known for their virtue and magnanimity. How could they be so petty as to fuss over such trivial matters?"

Everyone was stunned. Even Heba Duba and his son looked at Heba Yue in astonishment, seemingly not expecting that the stubborn boy who valued personal reputation so much could say such a thing.

No one objected anymore, and they began to make arrangements.

We must assist Heba Yue in breaking through the encirclement.

The good news is that, apart from initially inflicting heavy losses on the enemy's vanguard like Gao Yu did, Wu Chuan has remained holed up in the city and refused to engage in battle.

The rebels had been besieging the area for a long time, and their morale was also low, leading to complacency.

Heba Yue's breakout was much smoother and easier than Heba Sheng's.

After breaking through the encirclement, Heba Yue dared not relax in the slightest and rode his horse westward at full speed.

The connection between Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan was quite close, and He Ba Yue was also quite familiar with the terrain of Huai Shuo. This small breakout force easily broke through the encirclement built by Po Liu Han Baling.

The rebels in Wuchuan were complacent and careless, as was Po Liuhanbaling.
If the siege drags on and the city cannot be captured, the soldiers under their command will become exhausted, especially as the weather gets colder.

Heba Yue deliberately waited until nightfall before leading his men to the walls of Huai Shuo City. As they approached, he loudly announced his name.

"Do not shoot arrows! I am Takekawa Kabatake!"

The soldiers on the Huai Shuo city wall were not so wary when they saw that he only had a few dozen men, but the city gate still could not be opened. They threw down a bamboo basket, hoisted Heba Yue up first to verify his identity, and then hoisted the men who came with Heba Yue up to the city wall as well.

Heba Yue had already gone ahead to where the garrison commander was.

Led by his personal guards, Heba Yue finally met Yang Jun and quickly bowed.

"Meet the general!"

"Adou, you don't need to be so polite."

Yang Jun helped him up and had someone bring him a bowl of water.

But Heba Yue didn't even bother to drink water; he bowed again.

"We request General Yang's assistance to Wuchuan."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jun was immediately shocked, "Could it be Wu Chuan..."

"Wuchuan City still exists."

Yang Jun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Wu Chuan would not be able to hold out, and that the troops and civilians of the five towns would join forces to besiege his isolated city of Huai Shuo. At that time, everything would be over.

"What's the current situation in Wuchuan?"

He Bayue immediately told Yang Jun the whole situation.

Yang Jun stroked his beard as he listened and pondered. He was extremely disappointed when he learned that Wu Chuan had long tried to break through the siege and go south to fetch reinforcements, but Prince Yuan Yu of Linhuai had not agreed.

The imperial reinforcements were a crucial factor in stabilizing the morale of Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan.

result?

After being besieged for nearly two months, the imperial army's reinforcements have yet to arrive.

Huai Shuo is doing well; there are only rebels in Woye Town outside the city. Especially after Po Liu Han Baling divided his forces, the pressure on Huai Shuo has been further reduced.

But the people of Wuchuan were able to withstand the rebel army of three and a half towns.

"Great Wei..."

Those in high positions are either incompetent good-for-nothings or shrewd, self-serving individuals.

The court of the Great Wei Dynasty was filled with such scoundrels.

Yang Jun ultimately didn't voice his resentment. Instead, he got up and paced back and forth. "I can send troops to you, but the Gao brothers are not in the city."

"What about them?"

"In Loujiawu Fort outside the city."

Yang Jun was too lazy to explain in detail, but he also knew that Wu Chuan was facing such great pressure that only Gao Yu, the bravest man in the six towns, could boost their morale.

In the eyes of ordinary soldiers, Gao Yu was a living overlord who could break through the formation of an army of 100,000 with just fifty armored cavalry.

Gao Yu's name alone is worth a hundred thousand soldiers! "If that's the case... then I'll go pay him a visit."

"You've traveled through the night to get here, you must be exhausted. We still need to discuss things, so let's not rush things. Let's rest for a while and recharge our energy."

After spending the night in the city.

Heba Yue dared not delay and once again broke out of the city to escape the siege.

Despite calling it a breakout, they didn't actually encounter much resistance along the way.

The fortified village built by the Lou family came into view. Its scale was no less than that of a small county town, especially its outer walls, which were built extremely high, just like the fortified village of the Heba family.

After all, it was in the northern frontier, and the main defense was against the Rouran who raided from the north. To deal with the Rouran cavalry, it was enough to build the city walls high and strong and turn it into a fortress.

Nomadic peoples value efficiency above all else. They don't waste time in front of impregnable fortified cities, but instead use their high mobility to plunder everywhere.

therefore……

Each time nomadic tribes raided southwards, the powerful clans in the cities or those with their own fortified villages would not suffer much loss; the greatest losses would be suffered by the people in the villages outside the cities and the merchants passing through.

Enter the fortified village in the same way.

When they learned that it was Heba Yue who had come to see them.

Gao Yu and Gao Huan were both stunned for a moment, which was rare for them.

The two brothers guessed that Wu Chuan might ask for help, but they did not expect that it would be Heba Yue, who had a grudge against them, who came alone.

"Greetings to the two gentlemen."

Heba Yue was extremely polite and lowered his posture.

“No need to be polite.”

Gao Huan shook his head. "I wonder what brings you here, Lord Heba?"

"This was in order to seek help."

Hou Jing, who was also present, sneered and mocked, "The soldiers of Wuchuan are mostly brave and fierce, and they are led by a valiant man like Lord Heba. Why do they need to ask others for help?"

Gao Huan frowned and glared at Hou Jing.

Hou Jing was clearly taking the opportunity to criticize him. He remembered clearly how he had been thrown face-first into the dirt by Heba Yue in a wrestling match. Not only was he extremely embarrassed in front of the soldiers, but he had actually 'eaten shit' and bumped his head into horse manure.

Hou Jing always regarded this as a great disgrace!
Over the years, Hou Jing would get angry whenever someone mentioned or ridiculed him at banquets.

Gao Yu thought that Heba Yue would lash out after being ridiculed.

Unexpectedly, he shook his head with great restraint, saying, "Human strength will eventually run out. No matter how brave the soldiers of Wuchuan are, they can only sigh in despair when faced with an army several times their size."

The stubborn kid isn't so headstrong anymore; has he grown up?
“When I was young, I acted rashly and offended Da Lang and Er Lang. Now I apologize to you both.”

Heba Yue hurriedly tried to kneel down.

Gao Yu quickly stopped him, saying, "Since it's just youthful arrogance, why bother with such a fuss? My brother and I are not petty people either, let bygones be bygones."

Gao Huan also chimed in, "What Erlang said is absolutely right. However, the matter of seeking reinforcements still needs to be discussed with the garrison commander... Without General Yang's approval, my brother and I dare not easily raise troops."

Heba Yue glanced at Gao Yu, then at Gao Huan.

The three of them looked at each other and smiled.

He then spoke, “Before I came, I discussed it with General Yang. He asked me to come and find you two brothers… He said that for every soldier Erlang took, he would send the same number of soldiers from Huai Shuo City to help Dalang defend the city.”

Gao Huan glanced at Gao Yu.

Wuchuan must be saved.

If it weren't for Wuchuan blocking the rebels from the three towns to the east, Huai Shuo would probably have already fallen.

If they weren't already at their breaking point, Wu Chuan probably wouldn't have come to ask for help so easily, especially since it was Heba Laosan who came in person, which shows that the situation was already extremely critical.

"If that's the case, then I will lead my men to seek reinforcements."

“Take my Shooting Army with you as well.”

Gao Yu shook his head. "That's not appropriate. The Shooting Army should remain in the fortified village. Why don't you ask the garrison commander to give me another thousand men, so that we can make a total of two thousand before going?"

While a rescue operation was underway, Gao Huan's trusted soldiers were to remain behind, just in case.

"Then I will return to the city and explain the situation to the garrison commander."

Gao Yu stopped him and said...

"Wait a minute, we need to plan this further."

"Before leaving Huai Shuo, we must first attack the rebels in Woye."

"Why?"

Heba Yue asked in return.

“If we leave with our troops directly, the rebels in Woye will also get the information. If they send the news that Lord Heba has obtained reinforcements from Huaishuo in advance…”

"I fear what awaits me is a trap laid by the rebels in the east!"

"Therefore... before leaving, we must first attack the rebel army in Woye to disrupt their morale, and then leave in the chaos so that they cannot figure out our whereabouts. When we arrive in Wuchuan, if there is an opportunity, we can also attack the rebel army by surprise, which will also boost the morale of the soldiers and civilians in the city!"

After careful consideration, Heba Yue realized that Gao Yu's words made perfect sense. If they could arrive in Wuchuan by surprise, they could indeed try to launch a surprise attack on the rebels, achieve a small victory, and vent their pent-up frustration.

He then nodded.

"What Erlang said is very good."

(End of this chapter)