My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 252 One Arrow Strike Decides the Morale!

Yuan Ziyou's attitude was resolute.

Even if Gao Yu hadn't uttered those "seven wins and seven losses" statements, the mere fact that he volunteered for the battle gave Yuan Ziyou a way out.

Yuan Ziyou remained steadfast in his determination to defend Luoyang.

Yuan Ziyou's impassioned speech failed to garner any response from the crowd, and Erzhu Yanbo even offered a rebuttal.

"The Right Guard General's words, at first glance, seem like a gentle breeze and make sense, but in reality they cannot withstand scrutiny and are words that will bring disaster to the country and its people!"

"With an army of 300,000 approaching, Your Majesty, of such noble status, how can you risk your life?"

"The Right Guard General, seeking only a reputation for 'valor,' disregards His Majesty's safety; his intentions are despicable!"

"…………"

Once someone took the lead, the dukes, ministers, and other officials followed suit and attacked him.

Faced with slander, Gao Yu retorted with an arrogant expression, "I am wholeheartedly devoted to His Majesty and have no selfish motives. Even the Prime Minister in court would support me."

Erzhu Dulu sneered, "The Right Guard General is arrogant and contemptuous of the Southern Liang army. What is bravery? What is a fierce general? The Right Guard General is probably too presumptuous!"

Gao Yu didn't want to argue with him, so he turned to look at Yuan Ziyou instead.

"Your Majesty, please lead your officials to the outside of the Taiji Hall."

"Oh? What does the Right Guard General want to do?"

"Once we arrive outside the palace, His Majesty will know immediately!"

"it is good!"

Although Yuan Ziyou was unaware of what Gao Yu was planning, he still chose to believe him and immediately got up and walked out. The emperor followed him out, and even if the officials and ministers were unwilling, they had to obediently follow him out of the palace!

Gao Yu walked to the side and whispered a few words of advice to Da Xi Wu, who then turned and left.

Not a moment.

The imperial guards inside the palace also gathered outside the Taiji Hall, forming two lines, one on the left and one on the right.

Da Xi Wu hurriedly brought a precious bow to Gao Yu and presented it with both hands.

Holding a bow in one hand, Gao Yu bowed to Yuan Ziyou and said, "Your Majesty! This humble general is willing to demonstrate his archery skills to reassure Your Majesty and the officials!"

"This humble general wishes to borrow something from Your Majesty!"

"What?"

"The jade pendant at His Majesty's waist."

"What's so difficult about that? I'll give it to you."

Yuan Ziyou magnanimously untied the jade pendant from his waist. Gao Yu waved his hand, and Da Xiwu came forward with a long halberd. Gao Yu then hung the jade pendant on the front of the halberd.

Who among those who could serve as officials in the Taiji Hall was not well-versed in history?

It was obvious at a glance that Gao Yu wanted to emulate Lü Bu's "shooting the halberd at the gate" at the end of the Han Dynasty.

After hanging up the jade pendant, Gao Yu said, "Hold this halberd and walk one hundred and fifty steps!"

Following his instructions, Da Xi Wu, holding a long halberd, began to walk forward, silently counting in his mind. After walking 150 paces, he stopped!
The imperial guards who came to watch were all astonished.

Yuan Ziyou and the nobles behind him were also taken aback, because at a distance of 150 paces, let alone the jade pendant hanging on the halberd, even a burly and powerful man like Da Xiwu would only appear as a tiny figure less than the size of a palm from afar.

For a moment, they all began to doubt the authenticity of Chen Shou's "Records of the Three Kingdoms".

Is it really possible for someone to shoot a small branch hanging on a halberd from 150 paces away?

Isn't that an exaggeration?
"Your Majesty, my ministers and officials, if my arrow hits its mark, will that put your minds at ease? Will that prove that my previous statement of 'seven wins and seven losses' was true?"

Erzhu Yanbo sneered repeatedly, constantly pouring cold water on the idea, "General Right Guard, you shouldn't be so arrogant. If this arrow misses, it might damage your reputation for bravery."

Erzhudulu chimed in, "How is that possible? I've studied archery since I was a child and have seen many master archers. It's impossible to hit them at this distance unless it's the blessing of the Eternal Heaven!"

it is good!
Gao Yu was waiting for this one sentence: "May the Eternal Heaven protect you!"

These two people unwittingly helped him out. He didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but in this situation, it was indeed the most reassuring way to calm people's minds.

Seeing Gao Yu's confidence, Yuan Ziyou felt a surge of pride.

He had never seen anyone with such accurate archery skills, and he wasn't sure himself.

But he knew very well that if Gao Yu could really hit the target with this arrow, then the officials and ministers would shut up completely; otherwise, no matter how much he insisted, he would be dragged along by them to flee north for refuge.

He didn't want to become a puppet completely controlled by Erzhu Rong in the future, so he had no choice but to take a gamble with Gao Yu!
"Right Guard General, please wait a moment!"

Yuan Ziyou raised his hand to stop him, then said, "I will take the halberd for the general. I have faith in the general's archery skills!"

Everyone's expression changed, and even Gao Yu was taken aback, showing some courage and boldness.

pity.

If I had been born twenty years earlier, would the Great Wei Dynasty have ended up like this?
The officials quickly tried to persuade him.

"Your Majesty! You must not put yourself in danger!"

"Your Majesty, you are of noble birth, how can you undertake such a dangerous task?"

"Right Guard General! If anything happens to His Majesty, you will be executed!"

Gao Yu did not speak to persuade him, and Yuan Ziyou disregarded the advice of the officials and resolutely went to Da Xiwu's side under the watchful eyes of the imperial guards. To Da Xiwu's astonishment, he took the halberd from his hands!
He immediately stood still, holding a long halberd in one hand!
Yuan Ziyou could feel that the Imperial Guards' eyes had been fixed on him the whole way!
no doubt!

The emperor's bold and unrestrained behavior deeply impressed these warriors.

Yuan Ziyou is also gambling!

It was an absolute gamble!

If we can win the bet.

He will completely win over the hearts of the Imperial Guards. As long as Gao Yu successfully defeats the enemy, then... within this palace, he will have the confidence to challenge Erzhu Rong.

"General of the Right Guard, do not make a mistake. If anything were to happen to His Majesty..."

Erzhu Yanbo continued to harass him verbally, but Gao Yu completely ignored him.

He took the arrow from the person next to him and nocked it on his bow.

He took a deep breath, held it, narrowed his eyes slightly, and gazed into the distance.

The sharpshooter's long-range vision was put to its fullest potential at this moment.

He seemed to see the resolute look and a hint of panic in Yuan Ziyou's eyes in the distance. He could see the jade pendant hanging on the halberd swaying from side to side in the breeze.

Gao Yu blocked out the surrounding noise, as if he were in deep meditation.

He is waiting.

Wait until the wind stops, wait until the jade pendant in your eyes stops swaying, wait until...

This is the moment!

Gao Yu's eyes widened suddenly, and under everyone's gaze, he released his right hand that was gripping the bowstring.

Whoosh!
The sound of arrows piercing the air was clearly audible to everyone.

At this moment, no one had time to say anything. Everyone held their breath, widened their eyes, and followed the arrow that was shooting through the air.

Yuan Ziyou saw the arrows shooting towards him.

He swallowed nervously, suppressing the urge to dodge, but dared not move his right hand holding the halberd, for fear of affecting the final outcome.

close!

Yuan Ziyou stared wide-eyed as the arrow flew closer and closer.

Until it passed right by him!

The arrow grazed past the halberd in Yuan Ziyou's hand.

Followed by.

With a crisp clanging sound, the jade pendant hanging on the halberd fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, reflecting a crystalline luster under the sunlight!
Wow! !

The Imperial Guards soldiers closest to Yuan Ziyou were the first to react.

After a moment of stunned silence, they shouted!

"The general is valiant! The general is a master archer!!"

"The general is valiant! The general is a master archer!!"

The sound grew louder as it approached. In fact, the officials and nobles standing outside the Taiji Hall couldn't see the specific situation at all, but when they heard the shouts of the Imperial Guards...
They were all dumbfounded, staring at each other in astonishment.

In the end, all eyes were fixed on Gao Yu, who stood proudly in front of them and whom they had slandered in every way!

Erzhu Dulu and Erzhu Yanbo exchanged an incredulous glance, then exclaimed in disbelief, "This... how is this possible?"

"Could it be... that the Eternal Heaven is truly protecting us?"

It's impossible to fake it.

Although Gao Yu was the Right Guard General, most of the palace guards were selected by Erzhu Rong, so they would not help Gao Yu to fake it.

There is only one possibility.

That means Gao Yu really accomplished the feat of 'shooting the halberd at the gate'!

Erzhu Yanbo was unaware that his phrase "May the Eternal Heaven protect you" would once again provide Gao Yu with a divine assist.

Hear this.

The officials and ministers all looked up at the sky and then at Gao Yu.

Is it truly the blessing of the Eternal Heaven?

far away.

Yuan Ziyou stared blankly down at the jade pendant that had been smashed to pieces, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

There was a clang.

The halberd in his hand fell to the ground!
it turns out!

It actually hit the target?

He suddenly looked up in the direction where Gao Yu was!

Such bravery... may the Eternal Heaven protect you!

Could it be that the Eternal Heaven believes that the Great Wei dynasty should continue, and that's why it sent such a brave and valiant man to my side to serve me?
If it weren't for the protection of the Eternal Heaven!

How could you hit it from this distance?
Yuan Ziyou clenched his fist and shouted loudly.

"We will definitely win this battle!"

"We will definitely win this battle!"

Yuan Ziyou disregarded the emperor's dignity and ran all the way to the location of Gao Yu and others outside the Taiji Hall. He excitedly grasped Gao Yu's arm, his eyes filled with a thousand words, but in the end, they all turned into one sentence.

"General...you are incredibly brave! Even the mighty Xiang Yu could not have been more valiant!"

and then.

He then looked around at the assembled officials and asked loudly, "After this arrow is fired, anyone who mentions the Northern Hunt again will be executed without exception!"

"The Eternal Heaven has already given us the answer: victory in this battle is assured! The enemy will be defeated!!"

Even Erzhu Yanbo and Erzhu Dulu dared not utter a word of rebuttal at this moment.

They truly believed in the Eternal Heaven.

They all genuinely felt that holding Luoyang was truly a decree bestowed upon them by the Eternal Heaven.

PS: The fall of Xingyang and Hulao Pass shocked the court and the public. The ministers requested Emperor Xiaozhuang to flee north, but only Emperor Taizong volunteered for battle, using the "seven victories and seven defeats" strategy to reassure the people. He left the palace, took the emperor's jade pendant, tied it to a halberd, and had the halberd bearer stand 150 paces away. The emperor himself held the halberd, and Taizong shot the target, astonishing everyone around him. The emperor said, "Even the ancient overlords could not do this." (From *Old Book of Qi*, Annals of Emperor Taizong)

(End of this chapter)