My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 148 Reunion with Little Erzhu

"I wondered why Xiu Rongchuan had been so sunny and cloudless lately. It turns out that Gao Lang had come, and even the gods dared not stir up wind and rain."

Gao Yu's smile froze. The more he listened to these words, the more awkward and unsettling they became.

He was indeed praising himself, but if he forcibly associated himself with ghosts and gods, he might become wary of extremely superstitious people, or even take action against them.

If he remembered correctly.

Erzhu Rong was an extremely superstitious person, wasn't he?
Fortunately, Erzhu Rong was not there.

“Wan Ren is cautious in his words. War is dangerous and perilous. Fortunately, I was able to escape from the Six Garrisons thanks to the protection of the Eternal Heaven. How dare I offend the Eternal Heaven with my words?”

The Erzhu clan was the Qihu, also known as the Jiehu, which was one of the many tribes on the grasslands in the past.

People from the grasslands, regardless of their tribe or ethnicity, all believe in shamanism and worship Tengri, the Eternal Heaven.

The status of the Eternal Heaven in Shamanism is similar to that of the Three Pure Ones in Taoism, the Buddha in Buddhism, and Shiva in Hinduism—all are supreme deities.

Erzhu Zhao also quickly changed his words, his face full of piety, "I beg the Eternal Heaven to forgive my sins. When I return, I will definitely have the shaman pray, perform sacrifices, and make offerings to you."

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Erzhu Zhao was also extremely superstitious.

"I misspoke earlier. Come, come, it's been five years since we last parted in Luoyang. Let's have a good drink today."

"Gao Lang is still as handsome and dignified as ever, and he still looks like a woman. If he were to go to Xiu Rong City, he would probably be blocked by a group of women who wanted to catch a glimpse of Gao Lang."

Erzhu Zhao was a straightforward person; he would praise someone but sound like he was insulting them.

“Wanren…Gao Lang was once a handsome young man, but now he is probably married. How can you say that he is like a woman?”

"No problem, no problem."

Gao Yu waved his hands repeatedly.

Erzhu Zhaoze raised his wine cup and said, “I am a rough man, unlike those sons of wealthy families in Luoyang who are pretentious. If I have said anything inappropriate, I hope you will forgive me, sir.”

Gao Yu also raised his glass in response.

After a few drinks.

Before Gao Yu could speak, Erzhu Zhao spoke first, "Tianbao ordered me to return to Xiurongchuan, wanting me to recruit soldiers and horses and gather people from the six towns. However, I did not expect to return for several days and not see a single person. Now that Gao Lang has come, please come with me back to Xiurongchuan. With Gao Lang's reputation in the six towns, people will surely come upon hearing the news."

They really can't hide anything at all.

Working with someone who can't keep a secret is actually reassuring.

His joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all written on his face; he doesn't even need to be asked to say anything, he just says it all on his own initiative.

Gao Yu humbly replied, "It's just a mere empty title."

Liu Gui then flattered, "Who in the Six Garrisons doesn't know of Erlang's bravery? The various tribes of the grasslands even respectfully call Erlang 'Peerless God.' If they knew that Erlang was here, the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons would surely come to pledge their allegiance and serve him."

Even if it were true, Gao Yu dared not accept such a heavy accusation and quickly shook his head, "How can a defeated general speak of bravery? If it weren't for the help of Wan Ren and Gui Zhen, we brothers would probably have starved to death long ago and become lonely ghosts in the wilderness."

After drinking a glass of wine, Gao Yu analyzed the situation for him.

"Wanren, there is no need to be impatient. In a few months, people from the six towns will come."

"Oh?"

Erzhu Zhao was taken aback and asked in return, "Why do we have to wait several months?"

"The three prefectures of Heng, Shuo, and Si are all located in mountainous and rugged areas, making it difficult to travel south. Currently, Heng and Shuo prefectures still have enough resources to support the people of the Six Garrisons. However, once the harsh winter ends, the available grain in Heng and Shuo prefectures will likely run out. At that time, in order to survive, even the rugged roads will not be able to stop the people of the Six Garrisons from heading south."

Gao Yu didn't say anything too harsh.

What does it mean to still have the capacity to support the people of the six towns?

Isn't it just that the people of Heng and Shuo prefectures can still withstand the abuse?
But at most, it will only last this winter. Once they get through this cold winter, Heng and Shuo prefectures will be almost completely ruined.

The people of Heng and Shuo prefectures will also become refugees after this winter; once the snowball starts rolling, it will only get bigger and bigger.

Erzhu Zhao nodded as if he understood, "If what Gao Lang said is true, then haven't I returned too early?"

"Wanren, preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure."

"It's a good thing that no people from the six towns are coming right now."

"Ok?"

Erzhu Zhao looked bewildered, scratched his head, and asked, "Why don't I understand what Gao Lang is saying? What's so good about it?"

Gao Yu patiently explained it to him, breaking it down into smaller parts, and even fed Erzhu Zhao.

"If people from the six towns come, should we register them in writing? Should we prepare accommodations for them? Those who fled south must have killed people along the way to survive. Such people are difficult to manage. Wanren, have you decided who should lead this group?"

Erzhu Zhao listened in a daze, seemingly trying to digest the message Gao Yu had conveyed.

It took her a long time to come to her senses, and she took Gao Yu's hand.

"I was just worried about not having someone as thoughtful as Gao Lang to help me. No wonder Gao Lang came to Xiu Rongchuan first. This must be an arrangement by the Eternal Heaven. The Eternal Heaven knows my difficulties and sent Gao Lang to help me solve them!"

How does it feel.

Is Erzhu Zhao's head pointy?
But it's good that dealing with people who aren't too scheming isn't so mentally taxing.

Gao Yu quickly stood up, "I have come here with my men to seek refuge, and I will certainly help Wan Ren solve his problems."

"Hahaha, you and I are old friends, so we should address each other as brothers."

The group drank themselves into a stupor. The next day, Erzhu Zhao urged Gao Yu to bring his men to accompany him to Xiurongchuan, to the Erzhu clan's fiefdom.

Gao Yu agreed.

Beixiu Rongchuan is a fertile land, and the surrounding area for three hundred miles is the fiefdom of the Erzhu clan.

When Gao Yu came again, he felt that Erzhu had gotten even fatter.
The horses in the three or four valleys were all white-haired, and each horse was plump and strong. The number of cattle and sheep was countless and incalculable.

Gao Yu was so envious that his eyes turned red.

If he had such a fertile place in Huai Shuo as his base, would he be afraid of going head-to-head with the rebels?
They had long ago recruited soldiers and led men to kill off the likes of Po Liu Han Baling.

no way.

We can't compare to the accumulation of their ancestors over generations.

Who told their ancestors to choose the wrong side in the palace intrigue?

In political struggles, choosing the wrong side can lead to utter ruin.

The Erzhu clan maintained the customs of the grassland tribes. Although they also built fortified villages, they mostly lived scattered in their fiefdoms.

Erzhu Zhao led Gao Yu and the others to the place where they had set up camp, and they could see many white felt tents in the distance.

After all, so many people had been brought back, and the followers of Erzhu Zhao who lived there all came out to see the excitement.

Erzhu Zhao ordered his men to assist Gao Yu's soldiers in setting up camp and temporarily settling there.

He then pulled Gao Yu into the largest yurt and tried to get him to drink more. This guy was a heavy drinker, and Gao Yu couldn't refuse, so he had to keep him company.

at this time.

The tent door was lifted, and a graceful young woman walked in. She was dressed in traditional grassland tribe attire, with fair skin. Although she hadn't fully matured yet, her high nose bridge made her features look very three-dimensional. There was basically no need to worry about her growing up to be ugly, and it was certain that she would become a great beauty in the future.

The girl was unaware that Gao Yu was also among them.

She said, "Father, you've been drinking again? Uncle told you to drink less."

Erzhu Rong and Erzhu Zhao were not from the same lineage. Although they were of similar age, Erzhu Rong was Erzhu Zhao's uncle in terms of seniority.

The girl called Erzhu Rong her uncle.

Isn't she one?
"What do you know? We have distinguished guests today, how can we not drink? Get out of here at once!"

Erzhu Zhao reprimanded him with a stern face.

Although he was clearly trying very hard to put on a threatening expression, the girl wasn't buying it at all. It's likely that she had been extremely pampered by Erzhu Zhao since she was a child, which is why she acted this way.

Gao Yu already knew the girl's identity and had some vague memories of her.

When Liu Gui brought him and Gao Huan to visit last time, he caught a glimpse of the two girls, Da Erzhu and Xiao Erzhu, laughing and playing. At that time, they were both still adorable little girls, and he immediately asserted that they were destined to be top beauties.

As expected of a woman from the grasslands, Xiao Erzhu was straightforward and didn't show any shyness when she noticed the presence of outsiders.

Instead, she looked at Gao Yu openly and carefully examined him. His personality was somewhat similar to that of Lou Zhaojun back then.

But in my heart I was thinking...

This man was truly handsome, more handsome than any man in Xiu Rongchuan. She had seen many handsome men, including her great-uncle Er Zhu Rong, who was also a rare beauty, but he could not compare to the man before her.

So irritating!
Why is a man whiter than her?

Wait, I feel like I've seen this man somewhere before?
I have some vague memories, but I can't recall them right now.

"This is the second son of the Gao family who came from Huai Shuo. He is an old friend of mine, so you should call him Uncle."

Gao Yu turned his head to the side.

Xiao Erzhu called himself "uncle" and Erzhu Rong "grandfather."

You've suddenly become a generation younger for no reason, haven't you?
Erzhu Zhao then introduced, "This is my daughter, named Yuechan."

Gao Yu then smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Yuechan. We've met once before; do you remember me?"

Erzhu Yuechan seemed to remember as well, and nodded, saying, "I've met you, Uncle. I remember now too."

The girl's voice was crisp and clear, like a wind chime, and extremely pleasant to the ear.

She said quite frankly, "Uncle, you are really handsome, even more so than the men in Xiu Rongchuan."

Gao Yu was both amused and exasperated, and could only laugh and say, "Yuechan is also beautiful, and cannot be compared to ordinary women."

Erzhu Zhao's eyes darted around, and he spoke again, scolding, "Alright, I still have important matters to discuss with Gao Lang. Go and call someone to bring your uncle here as well."

Erzhu Yuechan gave a soft snort and glanced at Gao Yu again.

What a handsome man.

Then he turned and walked out.

Erzhu Zhao shook his head helplessly, "She's had this personality since she was little, she's been spoiled."

Gao Yu laughed and said, "That's great. Women should be open and generous."

"Come on, let's ignore her and have a drink first."

(End of this chapter)