My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 211 The Methods of General Tianzhu
"With the Yuan clan destroyed, the Erzhu clan shall rise!"

"With the Yuan clan destroyed, the Erzhu clan shall rise!"

Thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and even moving the Yellow River.

Gao Yu and the others also heard the soldiers' loud shouts.

Mulan looked stunned and said incredulously, "The General wants to..."

"It is indeed a good opportunity. The entire court has been slaughtered by the General, and the Emperor is also under the General's control. Today, the General has already killed so many people, including the Empress Dowager, the deposed Emperor, and all the princes and ministers. Why not kill one more emperor?"

"Unprecedented, and likely to be surpassed in the future."

Peng Le chuckled and looked at Gao Yu, "General, why don't you go and persuade him to ascend the throne?"

Gao Yu shook his head expressionlessly and said, "The two of you must not discuss this matter with anyone in private today, and you are not allowed to mention it."

"The situation is complicated right now, don't get involved."

"Moheduo, you mean..."

"Tianbao is not such an impulsive person."

Peng Le scoffed, "General, times have changed. Who can resist the temptation of the throne?"

Gao Yu remained silent, gazing at the crowd chanting in unison from afar.

I couldn't help but feel a little hesitant.

Faced with this situation, could it be that Erzhu Rong really couldn't control his growing desires and couldn't resist wanting to go further?

Immediately after slaughtering all the officials, he couldn't wait to ascend the throne and become emperor, and he didn't even want to go through the proper formalities.
Gao Yu had no idea what Erzhu Rong was thinking.

Peng Le is right.

Who can resist the allure of the throne?
Faced with the constant praise and loud shouts from the Erzhu clan members and their elite Qihu cavalry, Erzhu Rong, who was already in a state of excitement after slaughtering hundreds of officials, almost lost himself in the atmosphere.

A voice inside him told him to take a step forward.

He is the emperor!
As soon as Erzhu Rong raised his hand, the soldiers stopped shouting. Zhao Yuanze, who had just abandoned his scholarly integrity in order to survive, now had a fawning expression on his face.

Wen Zisheng and the others were all disgusted. Even though they were surrounded by armored soldiers, they forcibly moved to the side, preferring to have the soldiers' gleaming weapons blatantly displayed in front of them rather than associate with such sycophantic people.

"Erzhu Rong! You traitor! Under the guise of leading a righteous army to eliminate traitors for the country, you are actually committing such rebellious acts. Do you think that slaughtering officials and murdering the emperor will silence the people's voices?"

"The throne of the emperor belongs to the virtuous. How dare you, a wolf in sheep's clothing, covet the throne?"

"I was born a subject of the Great Wei, and I will die a ghost of the Great Wei. Kill me quickly, and I will wait for you in the netherworld. Someone will bring righteous troops to kill you, you traitor!"

Wen Zisheng spoke vehemently, and then charged forward, intending to crash into the weapon in the armored soldier's hand.

Erzhu Zhao reacted quickly, stepping forward and kicking him to the ground. "Fine, you've got guts! I'll grant your wish!"

As he spoke, he raised his knife to strike.

Erzhu Rong grabbed his arm and said, "Don't kill him."

He turned to look at Wen Zisheng, his eyes filled with admiration, and chuckled as he praised, "You have backbone. You truly deserve to be called a world-renowned talent."

Wen Zisheng snorted coldly and turned his head away, completely ignoring the gesture.

Erzhu Rong, however, did not care and instead spoke up.

“You are right. The emperor is the Son of Heaven. Let Heaven issue a decree so that you may see whether I, Erzhu Rong, am the chosen one recognized by the Eternal Heaven.”

"Return to camp! Have Liu Ling prepare to cast the golden statue!"

Hear this.

Gao Huan suddenly looked up, as if he had noticed something amiss. When he saw Erzhu Rong turn around, he quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.

Fortunately, Erzhu Rong didn't say anything.

He just waved.

"Come back to camp with me."

He then mounted his horse and led the way to the imperial palace.

The cavalry galloped forward, raising clouds of dust that gradually buried the dried bloodstains on the ground.

Before long, apart from the faint smell of blood still lingering in the air...

The area has returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

After returning to the military camp.

Erzhu Rong then ordered Liu Lingzhu to lead the craftsmen to prepare the molds needed for casting the golden man, while he himself went into the tent and had his personal guards stand at the door, refusing to see anyone.

Furthermore, Yuan Ziyou has also disappeared without a trace, and his fate is unknown.

Such strange behavior is puzzling, but they all understand the intricacies of casting gold.

Gao Huan was also in the tent, but he did not go to see Gao Yu.

When Gao Yu was not present during the massacre of officials, he knew that Erzhu Rong must have made other arrangements.

Hou Jing and the others came to him, wanting to discuss something with him.

"Why bother with such a fuss, General? Your army is strong and well-equipped. Didn't the Tuoba Xianbei conquer the world back then by relying on their elite troops?"

Hulü Jin shook his head, “The will of Heaven cannot be defied. A few days ago, when the Grand General supported His Majesty, he also had to pray to the Eternal Heaven and ask it to issue a decree.”

Upon hearing this, Hou Jing did not refute it, but instead sneered, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

That was just to fool the soldiers.

The entire process of casting the gold man is actually controlled by humans; it would be incredibly easy to tamper with it.

When Yuan Ziyou was being supported, so many bronze statues were not successfully cast, but only the bronze statue of Yuan Ziyou was successfully cast.

It seems as if the Eternal Heaven is using this method to indicate to everyone that Yuan Ziyou is the one destined by Heaven.

But they all knew perfectly well what was going on.

The gilded bronze statue is made using the lost-wax casting technique.

The craftsman first uses wax to carve the mold to be cast. After the carving is complete, he coats the wax figure with a fire-resistant material, then heats it to melt the wax and pours it out, leaving a hollow mold. Then he pours in molten copper. Only after the molten copper cools down is the casting considered complete.

The craftsmen only needed to tamper with the application of refractory material slightly to prevent the casting of the golden statue from succeeding.

Success or failure has nothing to do with destiny.

Cai Jun explained, “We led our righteous army southwards, and everyone surrendered at the mere sight of us. Throughout history, has anyone ever gained the world without achieving even the smallest merit? I suppose the General did this to silence the gossip.”

"The deed is done, the person is killed, what's there to hesitate about?"

Hou Jing, however, had a different view: "Either don't do it at all, or do it thoroughly!"

"If the people of the world are not convinced, can we kill them all?"

"That's not necessarily a bad thing. I already have enough lives on my hands, so a few more won't hurt."

Huli Jin glanced at Gao Huan and couldn't help but ask, "He Liuhun, you haven't said a word. Is there something on your mind?"

Gao Huan shook his head and said, "This matter is probably not that simple. Whether the golden statue is successfully cast or not depends entirely on the General's decision. What if... the General doesn't want the golden statue to be successfully cast?" "You mean..."

Hou Jing suddenly looked up, his expression slightly astonished. "Impossible, right? Yuan Ziyou has disappeared without a trace, he might already be..."

Gao Huan chuckled lightly, "Why not? We've been under the protection of the Erzhu clan for some time now. Do you really think the General is such a reckless person?"

"In recent years, the Erzhu clan has absorbed a lot of foreign forces. At such a critical moment, it is very likely that the general will use some means to distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous."

"But if that's the case, the general's actions today will surely spread, and the world will know that he has the idea of ​​usurping the throne."

Did I say that the General didn't want to ascend the throne and become emperor?

Gao Huan asked with a half-smile, "Now is not the right time to replace the Yuan family as king. However, if the general quells the rebellion in Hebei and achieves unparalleled merit, he can directly force His Majesty to abdicate. He can also marry his daughter to Yuan Ziyou and make her empress. It will not be too late to take action after she gives birth to a son."

"But right now! The General needs to distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous. He will have to return to Luoyang soon, either tomorrow or the day after, to reward those who have made contributions. The General will definitely place his trusted confidants in key positions to make it easier for him to control Luoyang from the outside."

After careful consideration, Huli Jin and the others indeed found Gao Huan's words to be very reasonable.

If Erzhu Rong were to declare himself emperor now...

That would make her no different from Empress Dowager Hu.

He first established a new emperor, then executed the empress dowager, the deposed emperor, and all the officials. He then killed the new emperor he had personally supported, and then took his place as emperor.

Isn't this treating politics like a game?
Empress Dowager Hu then personally demonstrated the immense impact of repeatedly deposing and installing emperors.

For Erzhu Rong...

The most urgent task is to stabilize Luoyang and then immediately lead troops to quell Ge Rong's rebellion. He desperately needs a great victory to silence the critics and use the momentum of the victory to win over the hearts of the people.

"We need not offer any further strategies for this matter; we can simply observe from the sidelines."

Next, Erzhu Rong was about to put on a grand show for everyone.

Inside the Heqiao military camp.

Yuan Ziyou was taken to the military camp by Chi Lie Sha Gui and others and isolated there.

He thought Erzhu Rong was going to secretly kill him, and he was filled with fear, anxiety and unease.

But after calming down, he thought about it carefully again.

Instead of sitting back and waiting for death, it’s better to take the initiative!
"Someone is coming! Someone is coming!!"

Chilie Shagui walked in.

Yuan Ziyou said coldly, "Go and deliver a message to the Prince of Taiyuan."

"My ascension to the throne was due to circumstances; it was the Prince of Taiyuan who personally pushed me onto the throne, not of my own volition!"

"If the Prince of Taiyuan feels that the Mandate of Heaven is on his side and not on his side, then he should quickly ascend the throne and become emperor. I will then write an edict of abdication for him."

"If the Prince of Taiyuan still wants to be a loyal subject of the Great Wei and feels that I am not capable enough, then he should select a virtuous and capable person from the imperial clan to assist him!"

Chilie Shagui glanced at him in surprise, but still bowed respectfully, "Then this subordinate will go and deliver the message."

After saying this, he turned and left, riding quickly to the Heyin Palace, where he met with Erzhu Rong and relayed Yuan Ziyou's words.

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Rong smiled and looked at Gao Yu, who was sitting beside him drinking. "Second Brother, what do you think of my judgment? His Majesty is truly a man of exceptional talent. Even at a time like this, he is still thinking of testing me. If he had ascended the throne earlier, the situation would still be uncertain."

"The more outstanding a person is, the less room there is for them to maneuver."

"You just wait and see how I cut off His Majesty's wings!"

Gao Yu remained silent, but he had already discerned Erzhu Rong's thoughts.

The purpose was to use the pretext of 'persuading him to ascend the throne' to get a good look at the thoughts of the people under his command.

Until nightfall.

Liu Lingzhu then sent someone to say that everything was ready.

Erzhu Rong then got up and left the camp to summon the entire army to prepare for the sacrifice and to cast a golden statue!

The sons and daughters of the Erzhu clan and the soldiers of the Qihu were all impatient, and they were eager for Erzhu Rong to ascend the throne and become emperor!

Liu Lingzhu performed his shamanistic ritual as usual.

Then he began to order the craftsmen to pour molten copper into the molds.

Under everyone's gaze.

The molten copper melted the mold directly.

It was not successfully cast.

Erzhu Rong then ordered, "Recast it again!"

However, the next few molds failed to cast the golden figure as desired.

Liu Lingzhu looked at him with a serious expression and shook his head, saying, "General, the timing and the circumstances are not in your favor. You cannot ascend the throne and become emperor."

Erzhu Rong seemed to have suffered a huge blow, his whole body swaying uncontrollably. He could not accept this situation and his face was full of resentment!
The various groups of onlookers behind them had different expressions on their faces.

Only the Qihu soldiers and the sons of the Erzhu clan also found this situation difficult to accept.

He even glared angrily at Liu Lingzhu. Erzhu Rong had treated him so well, yet this guy didn't help Erzhu Rong at the most crucial moment?

At this time.

Erzhu Rong suddenly turned around and looked at it, then asked a question.

"I am not of the Yuan clan bloodline. If I cannot inherit the Mandate of Heaven, then can my sworn brother Yuan Tianmu ascend the throne as emperor?"

Hear this.

Yuan Tianmu was dumbfounded. He realized that everyone was looking at him strangely. Now, even if he jumped into the Yellow River like the nobles and princes during the day, he wouldn't be able to clear his name of suspicion.

Isn't this pushing him into a fire pit?
Damn!

He suddenly came to his senses.

Erzhu Rong used this method to completely sever his connection with Yuan Ziyou.

Once this gets out,

Yuan Ziyou could no longer trust him.

If Yuan Tianmu had entered Luoyang under normal circumstances, he would definitely have been Yuan Ziyou's top priority in winning him over.

Although he was Erzhu Rong's sworn cousin, Yuan Ziyou was a blood relative of the Yuan clan.

Whether Yuan Tianmu himself had this idea or not, he was destined to be caught in the middle.

This is just great.

Erzhu Rong's public attempt to push him to the throne completely confirmed that he also had ambitions for the imperial throne.

But he really didn't have that thought.

(End of this chapter)