My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 147 The Golden Signboard of the Erzhu Clan

September 5th.

Gao Yu and his group finally arrived in Xiurong County. As for why it took so long, it can only be said that Shanxi is a land of mountains and rivers, with rugged terrain that is not easy to travel.

Previously, when Gao Yu and Gao Huan set off as messengers to Luoyang, most of their time was spent on this route. After passing Jinyang, the journey to Luoyang was a high and flat expanse.

From Jinyang to Luoyang, a fast horse can take three to five days to reach the destination.

Riding a horse to the hillside outside the city, you can see Xiurong City in the distance. It is also a very magnificent city with both strong defenses and fortifications.

When they arrived, no refugees were following them.

The people who fled south from the Six Towns remained in Heng and Shuo Prefectures. Under the chaos of the refugees from the Six Towns, many local people in Heng and Shuo Prefectures also became part of the 'refugee' wave, struggling to survive and wandering like lost souls within the two prefectures.

"Finally we're here."

Gao Yu was quite exhausted from the journey, having been homeless and exposed to the elements. Now that he had finally arrived in Xiu Rong, it meant he could finally settle down.

Neither I nor my soldiers need to be so tense.

He rode his horse to the front of the carriage, and Gao Yue stepped aside to let Gao Yu get on the carriage as well.

“Sister, we have arrived outside Xiurong City. Please wait in the carriage a little longer. I will go into the city to gather some information and try to contact Guizhen before coming out to meet you.”

Gao Yu's main force still had more than 500 soldiers, and the combined forces led by Li Minzhi and Liu Rong numbered nearly 2,000.

How could such a large group of people be allowed into the city?

He could only have his men temporarily camp and rest outside the city. He would first contact Liu Gui to see if he could camp and rest near the fortified village that Liu Gui had built outside the city.

As for Erzhu Rong's side...

Gao Yu wasn't sure if Erzhu Rong was still in Luoyang, so finding Liu Gui was the safest option.

The journey was exhausting, even sitting in the carriage. Gao Loujin looked haggard, but still forced himself to be energetic, saying, "Second Brother, you go ahead and don't worry about us."

“Uncle… Uncle, I want to go with you too.”

Gao Cheng started making a fuss.

Children are usually "locked" in the carriage all day long, and can only come out to move around when they are resting.

Unlike Duan Shao, who, being older, could occasionally go out riding horses to get some fresh air and relieve boredom.

Unlike Gao Yang and Gao Ying, who were still very young and could barely walk, they could expend their excess energy by crawling around in the cramped space of the carriage, and then fall into a deep sleep when they were tired.

Caught in the middle, Gao Cheng was caught in the middle and felt extremely depressed these days.

This time he spoke.

Duan Shao and Gao Yue also turned to look at him, clearly intending to follow him into the city.

"Nonsense."

Gao Loujin, with a stern face, reprimanded, "Your uncle is going into the city on business, Ah Hui. If you continue to make trouble, your aunt will not be so polite."

As he spoke, Gao Loujin raised his right hand, as if to strike.

Gao Cheng instinctively covered his buttocks.

He was also a child who had a complete childhood. He pouted reluctantly, turned around, and began to sulk.

Gao Yu couldn't help but chuckle. Look how honest Wei Jie was. Seeing his mother's stern face, he quickly hid away and didn't dare to join in the commotion.

“I came to the city to find someone, not to play. Once things have settled down, I will take you out to play. Please be patient for a few more days and listen to me.”

He smiled and pinched the faces of the group.

Gao Yu then turned around.

"Mulan, take your men and rest here while we await my message."

"Liu Taozhi, Zixing, Liu Yi, Liu Er, you and the others come with me into the city."

"Here!"

The five men immediately spurred their horses and galloped towards Xiurong City.

Unlike Heng and Shuo prefectures, which were ravaged by war and whose city gates were closed in all counties.

The gates of Xiurong City were wide open, and pedestrians came and went in an endless stream, making it extremely lively.

Enter Xiurong City.

After stopping a passerby to ask where the market in the city was, Gao Yu inquired along the way and finally arrived at Liu Gui's shop in the city.

After Gao Yu found the shopkeeper and identified himself, he said he was looking for Liu Gui and waited inside.

After a long time.

Liu Gui rushed over in a hurry, and then burst into hearty laughter.

"It really is an old friend who has come!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yu turned around and saw Liu Gui, dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by servants. The last time they met was two years ago. Looking closer, Liu Gui had gained a lot of weight, suggesting that he was living a very comfortable life.

Gao Yu quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "It's been a long time, my dear."

"Hey, there's no need for such formalities between us."

Liu Gui immediately sent his servants to prepare a banquet to entertain Gao Yu, showing great enthusiasm and courtesy.

This put Gao Yu at ease a little.

After all, it had been a long time since they last met, and he wasn't sure what Liu Gui's attitude would be now, but at least for now, it seemed to be quite good.

The aroma of the wine made Peng Le and the others' stomachs rumble, and they kept swallowing.

Although they had no shortage of food on their journey south, they hadn't had a proper meal of meat and wine in a long time.

Liu Yi and the others were extremely restrained. Peng Le suddenly raised his hand, then remembered that Gao Yu was still there. He quickly withdrew his hand, but his eyes were fixed on the beef and mutton, as if he couldn't wait to devour them. "Don't be shy, eat, eat all of you."

Liu Gui took the initiative to greet him, and Gao Yu nodded in agreement.

Liu Yi, Peng Le, and the others could no longer restrain themselves and began grabbing pieces of beef and mutton and stuffing them into their mouths. When they choked, they would gulp down a mouthful of wine to soothe their throats.

It looks exactly like a starving ghost reincarnated.

Gao Yu was well aware that everyone had been having a hard time lately, so he didn't interfere.

Instead, he raised his glass and looked at Liu Gui.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Guizhen. I'm not afraid to admit it, but we haven't had any food or drink for months after our long journey."

"Don't worry, eat as much as you want!"

Liu Gui then had his servants bring over beef and mutton, as well as earthenware jars for holding wine.

Gao Yu, unlike Peng Le and the others, couldn't just eat without a care in the world. He also had to ask Liu Gui to explain the situation and ask for Liu Gui's help.

Liu Gui did indeed reveal a lot of useful information.

Erzhu Rong is not currently in Xiurongchuan; he is still serving as a member of the Imperial Guard in Luoyang for Prince Yuan Yi of Jiangyang.

but……

Half a month ago, Erzhu Zhao returned from Luoyang. As soon as he returned to the Erzhu clan's fiefdom, he began to squander his family fortune and recruit soldiers.

It's simply that the Erzhu clan has become too wealthy over the years. Even though Erzhu Rong would take a lot of money, goods, and fine horses from his own family to Luoyang every year to smooth things over, the amount of money spent was insignificant compared to the wealth accumulated by the Erzhu clan over the years. It was not even a drop in the ocean.

The Erzhu family owned their own horse farms and ranches.

He spent all his wealth mainly to recruit people, especially brave and capable individuals, to serve him.

Gao Yu secretly made his plans.

"As expected... the imperial court has been unable to quell the rebellion in the Six Garrisons for a long time. As time drags on, the situation becomes increasingly chaotic, which will only further fuel the ambitions of these already restless people."

This has always been the case.

If the imperial court cannot quell the rebellion with swift and decisive action, it will be delayed for some time.

Rebels would spring up like mushrooms after rain, and the speed at which the imperial court quelled the rebellion might not even be able to keep up with the speed at which new rebels emerged.

In the early and middle stages of a dynasty, the army under the court is usually very powerful. The foundation laid at the founding of the dynasty is still intact, and the speed of suppressing rebellions is very fast, without triggering a chain reaction.

On the contrary, towards the end of the dynasty, the government's military was weak and unable to quell the rebellion, which led to more and more people joining in the uprising.

The current situation seems to be under the control of the Great Wei Dynasty because the initial rebellion was only in the Six Garrisons of the North. Now, as the rebels and refugees move south, they wreak havoc everywhere they go, like locusts, and will inevitably drag the local good people who can no longer survive into joining them.

It's like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger.

The current state of disarray in the Great Wei Dynasty resembles a scene that only appears at the end of a dynasty.

Inside the imperial court, those in power schemed against each other, fought for power and profit, and dragged each other down.

Outside the imperial court, the ineffective suppression of the rebellion forced more and more people to join the rebel army.

Regardless of its final outcome, this rebellion in the Six Garrisons will deal a heavy blow to the already weakened Wei state.

The Six Garrisons have already been completely destroyed, and with the southward migration of the people from the Six Garrisons, Heng and Shuo prefectures will likely be completely ruined after a few more months of being ravaged by the refugees.

Destruction can happen in just a few months, but rebuilding takes much longer.

Could the Great Wei court really afford to provide so much money, goods, and grain?
If supplies are not in place, for these people who have already rebelled once, it will simply mean raising the flag in rebellion again.

"Why don't you rest at my fortified village first, Erlang? I'll send someone to Xiurongchuan to inform Wanren that you've arrived. If he knows you're here, he'll definitely come to see you in person."

Erzhu Zhao is currently recruiting soldiers.

Gao Yu immediately knew that Erzhu Zhao definitely wanted to recruit people who had run away from the Six Towns.

After all, everyone in the Six Garrisons was a soldier. They learned to ride and shoot from a young age, so they didn't need much training. Just give them a horse and a bow, and they could become combatants immediately.

He was quite famous in the six towns.

If only I could be the first to run to them for refuge.

Whether it's Erzhu Zhao now or Erzhu Rong who returns to Xiurongchuan in the future, they will be given extremely high treatment, making him a golden brand for winning people's hearts.

Even if they were extremely wary of Gao Yu's abilities and prestige, they would still tolerate him to some extent.

They don't even have this much tolerance.

Who else would you expect to come to you for refuge?

The proverb "when the birds are all gone, the bow is put away" only applies after the world has been pacified.

I have never seen a large-scale purge begin before the country is even at peace.

Having figured all this out, Gao Yu had no more worries and immediately stood up and bowed, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Guizhen."

"It's just a little effort."

After a hearty meal, Gao Yu immediately returned to the outskirts of the city to pick up Gao Loujin and the others. The group headed straight for the Liu family's fortified village outside the city.

Liu Gui also gave them a lot of face, providing them with plenty of wine and meat, allowing Gao Yu's soldiers to have a good meal.

Liu Gui then sent someone to Xiurongchuan.

Erzhu Zhao was originally preparing to take his men out hunting.

Upon hearing that Liu Gui had sent someone to meet him, he immediately went to receive him and learned the news that had been delivered.

Erzhu Zhao was overjoyed.

"Gao Erlang is here? Quickly! Prepare the horses, I want to go there myself!"

(End of this chapter)