My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 88: Heading North Again?

Gao Yu asked his servants to fetch him the sieve, soil, and other necessary items.

He then began his own experiment.

Although the servants who were helping out found their young master's behavior strange, none of them dared to say anything and simply followed his instructions.

Gao Yu prepared four jars in one go, with openings at the bottom and mud seals at the top. Now all he had to do was wait.

It should take at least a month, or at most three or four months, to get a result.

If the experiment is feasible.

Repeating this process several times will yield white sugar. This was the only feasible method in ancient times for decolorizing brown sugar to make white sugar. Other methods were not feasible under the conditions of ancient times.

This is why the price of white sugar has always been high in ancient times.

Until modern times.

Modern processing techniques using better decolorizing agents have led to a sharp drop in the price of white sugar, eventually making it available to every household.

He immediately gave the servants and cooks a death order.

"You all keep a close watch on these jars for me. If anything goes wrong..."

Gao Yu swept his sharp gaze around, startling the servants who quickly made promises.

With his own good nephew as a negative example, Gao Yu wouldn't just scare them. He also knew to treat the seemingly insignificant people around him kindly. For example, Empress Dowager Cixi once had her maid deliver food to the guards on a cold winter night. The guards were so moved that they wanted to die for the Empress Dowager.

"If you do well, I will reward you handsomely. You may share the remaining rock honey in this pot."

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"

They immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude, as if they had received a priceless treasure.

To them.

If it weren't for Gao Yu's gift, I probably would never have known what sweetness tastes like in my life.

After giving all these instructions...

Gao Yu then sent a jar of rock honey to Gao Huan and Gao Loujin respectively.

It's not that he's stingy. If the experiment doesn't work, he'll need to further improve it and need more experimental materials. If the experiment does work, he'll need to keep more raw materials on hand if he wants to make more sugar. Going to the Western Regions is not easy.

At present, he can't get any sugarcane in Huai Shuo. He can only be careful with his money. Everything will have to wait until he can make white sugar. As long as he can make it, he can sell it to Luoyang, or even Jiankang.

Find the 'easy targets' on Solu Island and fleece them handsomely.

After a busy day, Gao Yu still came to the training ground. He was quite bored back at his residence, so he decided to watch others play football at the training ground to pass the time. The main reason for his visit was to see if any new brave warriors would come to join him and become his armored cavalry.

Several more days passed.

this day.

Gao Yu is preparing for the upcoming sparring match in the training ground.

People from Wuchuan will come to play a football match with his soldiers.

Originally, Wu Chuan was the bravest among the six towns, but ever since Gao Yu suddenly appeared and defeated the three He Ba brothers, Wu Chuan has been unable to hold his head high in front of Huai Shuo.

Once an opportunity arises, a contest, both overt and covert, must be waged.

This contest was the focus of everyone's attention in Huai Shuo, and Gao Yu was naturally going to win.

"Pass! Pass! Let the football move! No matter how fast a person is, they can't outrun the ball!"

Gao Yu was giving loud instructions from the side, completely unaware that Gao Huan was walking towards him.

He walked to Gao Yu's side and said, "Erlang."

"Brother?"

"General Yang sent his personal guards to summon the two of us to meet with him, saying that he had important matters to discuss."

General Yang.

It was Yang Jun, the former deputy commander of Huai Shuo. After Duan Chang went to other prefectures to serve as governors, Yang Jun was naturally promoted to commander.

"You may continue your training here. I have important business to attend to."

After the explanation is completed.

Gao Yu and Gao Huan rode out of the training ground together and headed straight for the garrison commander's residence.

Without even needing to reveal their identities, the servants of Yang Jun's residence greeted them with smiles, helped them lead their horses, and then someone led the two brothers into the residence.

"Meet the general!"

The two men clasped their hands in a gesture of respect.

"Hey, eldest brother, second brother, there's no need to be so polite."

Yang Jun also greeted him with a smile.

Gao Huan was backed by the Lou family, a powerful local force in Huai Shuo, while Gao Yu was the renowned Guan Yu and Zhang Fei of the time, whose fame resounded throughout the Six Garrisons and Luoyang. All the soldiers in the Huai Shuo army regarded Gao Yu as an idol.

He wanted the support of the military town, and the Gao brothers were the ones he wanted to win over. He had indeed been trying to win them over and curry favor with them.

"I wonder what important matter the general has summoned us for?"

Yang Jun did not hide anything and told the truth, "The imperial court has sent an official document ordering Huai Shuo to send troops to escort the Rouran king back to the grasslands and restore him to the position of Khan."

"Returning north?"

Gao Huan and Gao Yu exchanged a glance. Gao Yu asked, puzzled, "The Rouran...don't they have a new Khan? If we rashly send troops, with only Huai Shuo Town, I'm afraid..."

Two years ago.

Taking advantage of the internal strife among the Rouran, the Northern Wei court dispatched Li Chong to lead troops from six garrisons northward to quell the rebellion. The victory was a great triumph, with reports of the capture of hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep. This is why the court delayed issuing rewards.

After all, the imperial court didn't want a single one of the hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep. The six towns had such a bountiful harvest, how could they have the nerve to ask the imperial court for money? At that time, it was Anagui and his birth mother who, together with those tribes dissatisfied with Chounu, launched a rebellion.

However, after Anagui's defeat, he fled south and happened to run into Gao Yu, who was captured and brought back. As a result, Gao Yu became the greatest contributor to the court's praise for "welcoming the Rouran king back to the south".

Although the rebellion was unsuccessful, it dealt a significant blow to the power of the Ugly Slave.

Ugly Slave also died at the hands of his brother, Shifa.

Last year, Anagui's cousin, the Brahman, launched another rebellion, killed Shifa, and became the new Rouran Khan, known as "Mioukeduju," which means "King of Silence" in Rouran language.

“I have reported this to the court, but the new official document sent by the court today is instructing me to prepare to send the Rouran king back to the Rouran royal court in the north.”

Gao Yu immediately understood.

It is clear that Anagui bribed the powerful minister Yuan Yi.

Last year's palace coup in Luoyang was mentioned by Gao Yu and others through Liu Gui's information channels. Yang Kan also wrote a letter to Gao Yu later, and they all talked about this matter.

Jiangyang Prince Yuan Yi took command of the Imperial Guards and won the hearts of the soldiers during the turmoil of the Central Army two years ago.

The central army also followed Yuan Yi's lead without question.

Therefore, Yuan Yi executed the powerful minister, Prince Qinghe Yuan Yi, and imprisoned Empress Dowager Hu in Jiafu Palace, thus completely taking control of the court.

No wonder Anagui sent a personal guard to deliver a handwritten letter to Gao Yu last year, informing Gao Yu in advance.

It turns out that everything had already been arranged long ago.

Yang Jun laughed and said, "The imperial court clearly stated in the official document that Erlang should accompany the Rouran King north. It seems that Erlang's previous actions in Luoyang have left a lasting impression on the court."

"After calculating the days, I found that the King of Rouran had already sent scouts to Huai Shuo to inform him of his itinerary, and he will arrive in person soon."

"I called you two brothers here so that you can prepare in advance. Tell me what you need as soon as possible, and I will do my best to prepare for you."

Leave Yang Jun's residence.

Gao Yu followed Gao Huan to his residence.

Gao Yu spoke first, "Brother, how should we handle this matter? We have no idea what the situation is with the Rouran. The court is in such a hurry to send the Rouran king back north..."

Gao Huan did not answer immediately.

He frowned and pondered for a while before saying with some speculation, "It's not that we don't know anything at all. The difficulty in obtaining information is itself a kind of information. Do you remember when this last happened?"

Upon hearing his elder brother's words, Gao Yu immediately recalled the period after the six garrisons launched their attack and the Rouran fled north.

But he immediately had a new question.

"But last time, the Rouran gathered and fled north, only to return south again shortly afterward. This time, the court has no intention of conquering the Rouran again, so why would they..."

Gao Huan seemed to have figured something out: "Besides the possibility of gathering people to escape, there is another possibility: to mobilize a large army!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yu was immediately startled.

"Are the Rouran people planning to move south?"

"what are you thinking."

Gao Huan smiled and explained in detail for his younger brother.

"Rouran Mi'oukedu Khan has just ascended the throne, and his foundation is unstable. How could he dare to be an enemy of the Great Wei? Moreover, it has not been long since the last time the six garrisons marched out together. The military prestige of the six garrisons is still strong. Even if the Rouran people have this idea, I'm afraid they don't have the guts."

Gao Yu was even more puzzled, "Then why..."

“Since it’s not our side, it must be from another direction. The north of the Rouran is even more bitterly cold and sparsely populated, so it’s not here. Although there are some small tribes to the east, they are not a major threat. Even if the Rouran were to launch an attack, they wouldn’t mobilize their entire force. So it must be to the west.”

The west... that is, the Western Regions?
What's over there?
Before Gao Yu could think further, he heard his brother continue his analysis, "The most powerful force in the Western Regions is the Hephthalites. Even the Great Western Power, Persia, is no match for them. The Hephthalites and the Rouran have always been on good terms. Our dynasty's ally in the Western Regions, the Yueban, was destroyed by the Rouran and the Hephthalites working together... This move by the Rouran is probably related to the Hephthalites..."

Hearing his elder brother's analysis, Gao Yu's respect for his brother grew even stronger.

How come my older brother knows so much about the distant Western Regions without me ever saying a word?
At this time.

Suddenly a servant came to report.

“Master, there is a person outside who claims to be an envoy of the Rouran King.”

The two brothers looked at each other.

"Please!"

When Yi Jufa entered the house, he was covered in sweat, clearly having rushed there. He first asked for a ladle of well water to put on his head, and then gulped down two more ladles of water before he could recover.

He wiped his sweat before bowing to the Gao brothers, Gao Huan and Gao Yu, and said, "I am Yi Jufa, the younger brother of the Rouran King. I have come here on the orders of the Khan to see the two brothers."

He spoke Mandarin, and although he didn't speak it as well as Anagui, it was still fluent, though he had a slight accent.

Gao Huan did not know Yi Jufa.

However, Gao Yu did see Anagui at Anagui's banquet in Luoyang, but he did not speak with him at the time.

Yijufa clearly recognized Gao Yu, and he looked at Gao Yu with eyes full of respect.

"The Khan sent me first to inform Erlang that he need not worry. The Rouran are in great chaos. Mi'oukedu Khan has gathered his people to fight the Gaoche army, but they have been defeated and their fate is unknown. This northward return is timely!"

"High-speed train?"

"Indeed! The Hephthalites have sent Miotu's brother, Ifu, to lead his people back to their country."

Mietu was the son of Qiongqi, the crown prince of Gaoche, and later the Houlou Fule of Gaoche.

The Gaoche is the same as the Tiele. The name Houloufule means "Son of Heaven" in Chinese. Mietu, the Houloufule, was appointed by the Hephthalites, and his brother Yifu was the new Houloufule of the Gaoche.

It turns out that the Hephthalites were really behind this?

Gao Yu couldn't help but look at his brother with surprise, while Gao Huan remained calm and showed no sign of surprise, as if this was nothing to him.

PS: Initially, after the death of King Mi'etu of the Gaoche, his followers all submitted to the Hephthalites. Several years later, the Hephthalites sent Mi'etu's brother, Ifu, with the remaining followers back to their country. Ifu attacked the Rouran Khan, a Brahmin, and decisively defeated him. (From *Zizhi Tongjian*, Liang Dynasty Annals, Volume 5)

(End of this chapter)