My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 253 An Extraordinary Migrant Army
"By imperial decree, Gao Yu is hereby promoted to Right Guard General, granted the title of Imperial Envoy, appointed Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, and given the acting title of General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Commander-in-Chief of all military affairs related to suppressing rebellions in the capital region!"

Gao Yu was temporarily promoted by Yuan Ziyou to the rank of General of Chariots and Cavalry, a rank of the second grade. However, this was only a 'fake' title. The only one that truly counted was the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace.

After leaving the palace.

Gao Yu hurriedly returned to his residence and personally wrote a letter, then summoned Liu Taozhi.

"Deliver this letter to the Prime Minister personally, understand?"

"Please rest assured, my lord, I will definitely deliver the letter."

"Go."

Gao Yu ordered Liu Taozhi to lead dozens of riders to rush out of the city and head north to deliver a message to Erzhu Rong. Gao Yu was planning to go to the military review ground to gather Gao Ang, Peng Le, and others, and have them assemble their troops to prepare for battle. He also needed to go to the Luoyang armory to take inventory.

Just as they reached the door, they were blocked by Da Xiwu.

"General, His Majesty requests your presence."

Da Xiwu and Gao Yu were old friends, yet he appeared extremely respectful at this moment. It could only be said that he was truly impressed by the arrow shot outside the Taiji Hall.

Even the tone of his address to His Majesty became much more respectful.

no doubt.

With the 'assistance' of Erzhu Yanbo and others, this arrow became a sign of the Eternal Heaven. Yuan Ziyou was the emperor chosen by Erzhu Rong through casting the golden statue, and the people below were unaware of the shady dealings involved.

It was naturally interpreted as...

Yuan Ziyou was a person protected by the Eternal Heaven, so the Eternal Heaven protected Gao Yu and his arrow hit the mark.

Yuan Ziyou's gamble was indeed very fruitful; at least for now, this group of Imperial Guards soldiers are much more respectful to him than before.

Gao Yu had no choice but to follow him into the palace. Along the way, the imperial guards bowed to him with utmost respect.

Gao Yu was taken to Xianyang Palace.

Upon hearing the footsteps, Yuan Ziyou rose early and went to the palace gate to personally greet them.

This made Gao Yu feel flattered and he hurriedly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty..."

"General, you are too kind. Whether Luoyang can be defended and whether the enemy can be repelled depends on your bravery. You are my benefactor!"

Yuan Ziyou was quite moved and affectionately took Gao Yu's arm as they went inside.

Although the hearts of the high-ranking officials and ministers had been appeased, Yuan Ziyou was not entirely confident. He summoned Gao Yu to confirm with him further.

"General's theory of 'seven victories and seven defeats' in the Taiji Hall was a wake-up call for me. However, I would like to ask the General to guide me on how to deploy troops."

Gao Yu quickly replied.

"Your Majesty, you should immediately issue an edict to transfer the garrison troops from the counties surrounding Luoyang to Luoyang, and then send people to gather all the surrounding people into the city, burn their houses, and carry out a scorched earth policy!"

We really want to fight.

The common people would definitely be conscripted to either escort supplies or be sent to the city walls as cannon fodder to die and deplete the city's arrows.

Yuan Ziyou nodded. "And then?"

"Send someone to Guanzhong to ask Prince Fengyi for reinforcements, then send a fast horse to Shandong to order Prince Shangdang to withdraw his troops. You can also send someone to the Prime Minister's side."

Changsun Zhi could barely be considered a member of the emperor's faction; at least he didn't get along with Erzhu Rong and was willing to send troops to his aid.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ziyou remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Does the general think the Prime Minister will send troops south to relieve the siege of Luoyang?"

"The Prime Minister will certainly act in this way!"

Gao Yu's answer was resolute. Gao Yu had guessed that Erzhu Rong would defend Luoyang, which was why he volunteered for battle in the Taiji Hall!
The reason is simple.

Erzhu Shilong's decision to abandon Hulao Pass was absolutely not at the behest of Erzhu Rong. Erzhu Rong was not that stupid, nor would he use such a foolish method to force Yuan Ziyou to move the capital.

Luoyang can be given away so easily, and then taken back just like that?

Erzhu Rong was not that arrogant.

The fall of Luoyang would trigger a series of chain reactions.

With the Northern Expedition progressing so smoothly, will it further embolden the ambitions of the Southern Liang? Will the Southern Liang use Luoyang as a base to continuously send large armies north to reclaim the Han people's homeland?
Will the loss of Luoyang boost the morale of the rebel forces in Hebei and Shandong, causing the situation to spiral further out of control?
Most importantly... Erzhu Rong has been trying to pacify Ge Rong in Hebei for so long, and now he has lost Luoyang first.

Will this make those Han Chinese aristocratic families who are still openly willing to support the Great Wei have other ideas?

Attacking from north to south, Luoyang seemed like an easy target, but in reality, for Erzhu Rong, Luoyang was a city that absolutely could not be lost.

If Luoyang were to fall as well, Erzhu Rong would be unable to bear the consequences.

Gao Yu also recognized this point, knowing that Erzhu Rong would definitely send troops to relieve the siege of Luoyang after receiving the news. That's why he asked to fight in the Taiji Hall, rather than trying to persuade Yuan Ziyou to go north.

Just these words.

Gao Yu simply couldn't explain it to Yuan Ziyou.

"With your words of advice, General, I am at ease. Does the General have any further requests?"

"Your Majesty, this humble general requests permission to enter the armory. Furthermore... I also request Your Majesty to open the treasury and use the palace's money and goods, as well as beautiful women selected from the inner palace, as rewards. There are few people in Luoyang City, and if you want to motivate the soldiers to fight to the death, the rewards must be given on the spot."

"Granted! I will issue the decree immediately! The palace treasury and the concubines of the inner palace can all be given to you with just one word from the general!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"All matters concerning Luoyang are entrusted to you, General!"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, this humble general will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations!"

........................

Inside Hulao Pass!

Standing atop the city wall, Yuwen Luosheng watched the endless stream of troops marching forward and was filled with emotion.

"Such a formidable pass has actually been abandoned? How could such an incompetent person as Erzhu Shilong be given such an important position? Erzhu Rong would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood if he heard this news."

"I never imagined that Hulao Pass would be empty..."

Chen Qingzhi stepped forward and laughed along with him.

He was still in Xingyang City, preparing his troops for battle, intending to rest for a few days before sending a large army to knock on the gate!

However, the scouts brought back news that the walls of Hulao Pass were poorly defended.

At first, Chen Qingzhi didn't believe it.

But when he led his army there, before he even gave the order to attack the city, the soldiers inside Hulao Pass opened the city gates and let them in.

There were even a lot of grain and supplies that hadn't been taken away.

After some interrogation, it was discovered that Erzhu Shilong, that coward, had abandoned Hulao Pass and fled upon hearing that the army was coming.

"Why hasn't the general ordered the advance yet?"

Yuwen Luosheng asked.

"No rush. Let's wait for the reinforcements behind us. Luoyang must be in chaos. If the false emperor hears the news of the fall of Hulao Pass and flees north in panic, we can take Luoyang without bloodshed. Wouldn't that greatly enhance our morale?"

Yuwen Luosheng was taken aback, and then somewhat disappointed.

He came to Luoyang specifically to confront Gao Yu, in case Gao Yu ran away with the emperor.

So, is it really just about rushing into Luoyang to loot?
Yeah.

"At that time, I will go to the treasury and take away all the records of mountains, rivers, water conservancy, and household registration of each prefecture in Luoyang."

"I suppose Chen Qingzhi wouldn't be wary of me. He sees us all as ordinary refugees and thinks I'm like everyone else, only interested in the money and valuables in Luoyang's treasury. How could he possibly understand that, apart from Gao Lang, the only things in Luoyang that truly interest me are these?"

"That's for the best!"

"If Erzhu Rong loses Luoyang, his prestige will surely suffer a great blow. At that time, I will return to Hebei to persuade those Han Chinese aristocratic families. The more chaotic the situation, the better it will be for us..."

Yuwen Luosheng's ambition is to conquer the world!
PS: This book is already in its middle stage, so I definitely won't just give the protagonist a small territory to develop slowly. The protagonist will definitely make a great contribution and be directly given a large territory.

Don't worry... everything will come.

(End of this chapter)