My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 225 Still want to eat? We're here to take you away!
Ta-da-da.

The rapid, hurried sound of horses' hooves echoed through the woods, and Gao Yu ordered his soldiers to slow their pace.

He was waiting for Peng Le, Mulan, and the others who had gone out to spy to either find someone to interrogate him or bring back the latest news.

Not long ago they passed through a village that had been almost destroyed.

All the able-bodied men in the village were captured and forced into labor, leaving only a few elderly, women, and children. From them, we learned that this place was only thirty li away from Gaodu, which meant that they were very close to the bandits' camp.

"Ge Rong has just annexed Du Luozhou, and all the able-bodied men in Hebei are under his command. Why would he need to conscript so many more men?"

"We've looted so much grain and can't travel by water. We'll capture able-bodied men to transport the grain back. We don't need to give them too much food. If they die, so be it. As long as they can help us bring the looted grain back, that's fine."

Hou Jing, however, saw the problem clearly.

In Ge Rong's eyes, the able-bodied young men captured within Sizhou were disposable commodities.

Ge Rong had no shortage of men; what he lacked was provisions.

This adventure involves venturing deep into Sili Province. Whether we can steal a chicken and take advantage of Erzhu Rong's unpreparedness to invade Bing Province is not important, as Bing Province is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Even though they managed to seize control of the two southern gateways to Shanxi, Taihang Pass and Bai Pass, during the chaos, it was difficult to maintain their position.

Ge Rong didn't even capture Xiangzhou. With the battle lines so long, if his retreat is cut off, Ge Rong will be trapped in the Taihang Mountains. Shanxi's terrain is mountainous, unlike the flat plains of Hebei, which allow them to move around quickly. If they are trapped in the Taihang Mountains, they will be like turtles in a jar.

Ge Rong really wanted to enter Shanxi, and what he wanted most were Dingzhou Jingxing and Xiangzhou Fukouxing.

Dingzhou is under his control. If he can take it, he can connect it with the territory he controls and continuously send troops into it.

Although Xiangzhou is not yet under our control, the resistance forces within Xiangzhou are all besieged within the city. They can only rely on the city to defend itself and have no spare strength to go out and harass. If we can capture Fukou Pass here, we can also take advantage of the situation and attack in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, both places were heavily guarded, and he couldn't take them at all.

Therefore, seizing the opportunity to plunder grain and supplies is the most important thing.

Although there have been constant natural disasters, man-made calamities, and wars in recent years.

However, relatively speaking, Sili Prefecture was under the emperor's nose and was relatively stable. It was not ravaged by rebels or refugees, and the people could barely keep up with their food supplies.

Ge Rong clearly had his eye on this 'fat piece of meat'.

This can be considered a divine assist from Erzhu Rong. In order to quickly take control of the Luoyang court, Erzhu Rong chose the simplest and most brutal method: to wipe out the entire 'system' of the Great Wei court through slaughter.

The news caused widespread unrest.

The Prince of Beihai, Yuan Hao, was so frightened that he chose to surrender to Daliang in the south, giving Ge Rong the opportunity to bypass Xiangzhou. If Yuan Hao had not rebelled, Ge Rong might not have had the courage to venture deep into Sizhou.

"How can you still have the mind to think about these things while marching day and night like this?"

Cai Jun was very surprised.

He had been jostled on horseback all night and felt like his body was about to fall apart, without getting enough rest.

If he weren't afraid of being ridiculed by others, he would have loved to dismount and lie on the ground for a while.

Right now, all we can do is grit our teeth and bear it.

"That's natural. As long as you understand the other party's intentions, you can make the right decision."

Hou Jing was quite pleased with himself. "Why do you think Mo Heduo is tormenting the soldiers like this? It's because he also realized that Ge Rong would not linger in battle and would definitely withdraw his troops immediately if he received the news."

"We rushed here with the intention of catching them off guard, and we didn't want Ge Rong to get away."

Cai Jun glanced at him and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Is reading military books really that useful? You've changed quite a bit since you were rendered speechless by that Murong Shaozong."

"That's natural."

Hou Jing was extremely confident: "If I have another chance, I will definitely be able to argue with Murong Shaozong until he is speechless."

soon.

Finally, news arrived from Peng Le. He had captured a few more prisoners, and Gao Yu interrogated them again.

We received more accurate information.

Ge Rong has already ordered the troops to withdraw tomorrow, and more importantly, it has been learned that Ge Rong's main camp is located in the northeast.

"Luckily we arrived quickly, otherwise this guy would have gotten away."

If it were a normal march of 40-60 li per day, it would have taken at least three days to get here, and Ge Rong would have already fled.

"We absolutely cannot let him take all the grain back."

Ge Rong must have been plundering ever since he entered Sizhou, and he has been continuously transporting the loot back. He has already taken a portion of it back.

But we absolutely cannot let him bring back all the grain he has seized.

Gao Yu was also considering the subsequent operations.

The lack of food supplies is Ge Rong's biggest problem. If he is kept in a state of food shortage, it will force him to take the initiative to attack, or even use his lack of food to carry out a series of plans.

After Gao Yu emphasized this point, Gao Huan roughly guessed his thoughts and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Gao Huan was still focused on how much merit he could gain from this battle, while Gao Yu was thinking about how to completely crush Ge Rong's forces with minimal cost and quell Ge Rong's rebellion in one fell swoop.

Think ten steps ahead before taking one step?
"Brother, can you still hold on?"

Gao Yu chuckled and teased, "Will you still be able to ride alongside me and fight the enemy later?"

Gao Huan's expression froze for a moment, then he laughed and scolded, "You brat, don't underestimate me. Although I am not as good as you, I can still be considered one of the bravest soldiers in the army."

"Then come with me to fight the enemy!"

After a moment's thought, Gao Yu allowed his soldiers to rest briefly before launching a full-scale attack!

"Sizhou truly lives up to its reputation as the capital; the people here have a real surplus of grain."

After Ge Rong released the news.

The soldiers who were sent out to plunder also returned to camp one after another with the spoils they had taken.

He would definitely pocket a portion, but Ge Rong couldn't be bothered to care.

His method of governing his subordinates still leans more towards that of grassland tribes, just like when he was in Huai Shuo Town.

His subordinates, such as Yuwen Luosheng, were once respectable and powerful generals from the Six Garrisons, as well as tribal chiefs. They were like small shareholders who came to join him. On the surface, they respected him and obeyed his orders, but they all had their own ulterior motives, and the organization was relatively loose.

After all, Ge Rong has been using the tactics of grassland tribes for the past two years: wherever he goes, he plunders.

"I wish I could stay a few more days."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Yuwen Luosheng quickly advised, "Luoyang must have already received the news, and may have even sent people here. If Gao Lang leads the troops, our army may be powerless to stop him."

Ge Rong's vanguard had already reached the vicinity of Hanoi County, which was very close to Luoyang. They were about to advance further.

Doesn't Erzhu Rong have any pride?
If pushed too far, they could send troops directly from Bing and Si prefectures, and Ge Rong would actually find it difficult to resist.

Ge Rong originally wanted to retort, but then he remembered that the plains within Sizhou were also extremely suitable for cavalry charges, so he swallowed his words.

“I’ve calculated the time. Even if troops are dispatched from Luoyang, it will take several days for them to arrive. By then, we will have already withdrawn our troops.”

Yuwen Luosheng, however, was not so optimistic. He reminded him, "Your Majesty, Gao Lang's military tactics are reminiscent of the ancient overlords. He emphasizes speed and cannot be judged by common sense."

"With so many men under Erzhu Rong's command, it's unlikely that it's Gao Lang who's coming."

"Do not……"

Yuwen Luosheng shook his head and said with certainty, "It may not be just Gao Lang, but there will definitely be Gao Lang. Erzhu Rong knows Gao Lang's great reputation among the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons. When fighting against us, the people of the Six Garrisons, he will definitely send Gao Lang."

Upon hearing Gao Yu's name, many people from the Six Garrisons, especially those from Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan, would likely immediately lose their confidence in fighting.

They might even switch sides on the spot.

Ge Rong thought about it and agreed. The image of the Gaoche people being swept away back then flashed through his mind, and he felt a wave of fear.

"We really can't wait any longer. Issue my order: withdraw the troops first thing tomorrow morning. Anyone who fails to return to camp on time will be punished according to military law!"

Yuwen Luosheng also took the time to offer some words of comfort.

"Your Majesty need not worry. Although Erzhu Rong has many fierce generals under his command, his soldiers are few in number. Moreover, his treasonous act has aroused the wrath of both gods and men, and has lost the hearts of the people. Your Majesty only needs to wait for the reply from the Rouran King and the Southern Dynasty Emperor. No, Your Majesty can also send someone to write a letter to Xing Gao in Qingzhou and Xiao Baoyin, the Prince of Qi in Longxi, to invite them to join forces to attack Erzhu Rong!"

"Once we defeat Erzhu Rong, Your Majesty can then lead your troops to seize Bing and Si prefectures and control Shanxi, thus connecting Hebei and Shanxi into one region and securing an invincible position!"

Hearing Yuwen Luosheng's grand plans for his future, Ge Rong was overjoyed and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Very well, with the Prince of Yuyang's assistance, what do I have to worry about in achieving my ambition of hegemony!"

In high spirits, Ge Rong gave the order with great generosity.

"Men, relay my order: bring out fine wine and good meat to reward the soldiers!"

………………

Ge Rong had no idea that it was more than ten miles away.

A group of uninvited guests had quietly arrived.

After advancing a short distance, Gao Yu ordered his soldiers to don their armor and prepare.

He himself, along with Peng Le and several others, went to scout the terrain to facilitate subsequent combat arrangements.

Upon reaching a hillside, Gao Yu could see smoke rising from afar; such a large plume of smoke must indicate the presence of a large army.

He spurred his horse forward and continued his exploration.

It was also Ge ​​Rong who provided him with a divine assist.

Because Ge Rong never expected the imperial army to arrive so quickly, he was completely unprepared and simply ordered those who went out to plunder to return to camp immediately.

From afar, Gao Yu had already taken in the entire layout of Ge Rong's military camp and had a general idea of ​​what was going on in his mind.

"Hahaha, this Ge Rong once served as a general in Huai Shuo, yet he didn't know that the general prefers speed in warfare? He was completely unprepared."

Peng Le mocked.

Gao Yu remained silent.

Let alone Ge Rong, most people wouldn't have been on guard, because they never expected Gao Yu to be able to bring his troops so quickly.

Soldiers are very fast!
As long as the morale and physical strength of the soldiers don't collapse, they will definitely be able to achieve a great victory with an extremely high casualty ratio!
Just like this moment.

Ge Rong and his soldiers were all waiting to enjoy the delicious food and have a good meal, completely unprepared.

For Gao Yu's elite troops, this would be a massacre.

"Zixing, go and relay my military order: have the army come quickly! We must not miss this opportunity!"

"We've been working tirelessly all night, just to create this perfect opportunity to catch them off guard!"

"Don't delay."

Peng Le's smile faded, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Yes, sir!"

He immediately turned his horse around and galloped off to deliver Gao Yu's military orders, leading his troops forward.

(End of this chapter)