Chapter 0——⑦Rebellion in Seven Towns (Part 2)
Although that dream was not entirely true, it did come true for a while. For Gao Zuo, this period of time was something he would never be able to achieve in the rest of his life - because too many things had changed. The only thing that remained unchanged was that the weather-beaten man who came from Kunlun Mountain alone was still lonely. As before.
After the reception banquet that night, Gao Luo and Gao Huan led their troops to meet up with the seven-town rebel general Du Luozhou the next day. The two of them took most of their troops and headed for the center of the rebellion, intending to start a rebellion together. As for the safety of Huaishuo Town, full authority will be handed over to the second young master Gao Zhen, who has just returned home.
Knowing that he had a heavy responsibility, Gao Zi did not dare to neglect at all. He got up early every day, trained his troops diligently, worked impartially, and took care of every detail. He was very hands-on in everything. He soon did something and became famous in Huaishuo. .
Huaishuo Town must not only resist the harassment of barbarians from the north, but also be careful of attacks from the Yuan and Wei Dynasties. There are also countless rogue bandits coveting the prosperity of the town. Being surrounded by enemies from both sides, the soldiers and civilians of Beizhen were destined to constantly fight against evil, and this also created the custom of martial arts among everyone. Therefore, martial arts banquets are popular here, and horseback riding and archery are a top priority.
It was during this period that Gao Zhen learned excellent equestrian and archery skills, and also led troops to repel the bandits wandering on the trade road, which greatly frightened the barbarians in the north and made them dare not act rashly during this period. The march into the army was instantly popular and popular. Coupled with his young age and majestic appearance, it is not surprising that he attracted many bees and butterflies to embrace him.
I just hate that the second son of the Gao family has a weird temperament. He doesn't want to drink or dance with others, and he only likes to be quiet. He seems to prefer to stay with his sister and other relatives than attending various banquets. If he had free time, he would stay alone in a small Taoist temple he built privately to study scriptures and practice skills and wisdom.
In other words, except when running daily affairs, it is difficult for ordinary people to encounter the "gongzi's wife". This makes those young men with ulterior motives and long-tongued women take great pains.
Such a strange man who neither fawns over nor shows up at will makes people feel inaccessible and also breeds a lot of mystery. Some people even began to rumor that Gongzi Zhen had raised a "white snake spirit" in the Taoist temple, and the white snake would transform into a human being and wait around at night, so he had no energy to deal with other people's invitations.
Such funny rumors are of course caused by the fact that Gao Zhen often sat and talked with the "White Snake Immortal" of Kunlun Mountain, and even played chess and practiced swordplay together for others to see.
The news that the second young master was haunted by a "goblin" frightened the Gao family. Although Gao Zhen himself laughed it off, others would not accept it so easily. Especially the third young lady Gao Zhaojun. If she hadn't often accompanied her father to contact nobles and nobles from various places, the Gao family would not have the reputation and status it has today. Therefore, she could not accept the Gao family being slandered by such rumors.
Later, the third lady Zhaojun used this as an excuse to invite the young ladies from all the wealthy families in the town to his home to hold a banquet. She left Gao Zangqiang at home and asked him to learn to deal with all kinds of compliments and the secret glances of all kinds of beauties.
Yes, Gao Zhaojun did not forget to introduce several girls who had just reached marriageable age to Gao Zhaojun, so that he could learn to dance with the Xianbei girls and have fun around the bonfire.
When everyone saw that the second young master of the Gao family was not only talented in literature and martial arts, but also an upright man, the so-called rumors were instantly disproven.
The family happiness enjoyed during this period made Gao Zhen gradually forget about Kunlun Mountain and the instructions of Taoist Ge Peng. He began to think of a bright future: when his father and brother-in-law returned, they could consolidate the power of Beizhen and live a more stable life. He will marry a girl and spend the rest of his life with his relatives...
No matter how tough his personality is, he is no match for Wenrouxiang. The young man who once dared to brave the severe cold to brave Kunlun began to become weak and began to have scruples.
Things began to slowly change wonderfully.
After only half a year of living a relatively stable life, the Seven Towns Rebellion came to an end when the rebel general Du Luozhou was surrounded and killed. The rebel leaders such as Gao Luo and Gao Huan were deeply surrounded and missing. The Hu people in the north prepared to march in and take advantage of the situation to annihilate the rebel forces in Beizhen in one fell swoop. They then captured the seven towns in the north and formed a rivalry with the Yuan and Wei Dynasties.
If the war really develops like this, a high-ranking family like the Gao family will inevitably lose power and face enemies on all sides, which is the same as death. Therefore, there are constant voices advocating surrender in Huaishuo Town, and some soldiers abandon their armor and flee with their troops. .
Because the thousands of guards in Huaishuo Town alone could never resist the tens of thousands of Hu troops from the north. In addition, the rebellion was suppressed and morale was low. Defeat seemed inevitable.
Just when Gao Zhen was about to abandon the town and surrender, the arrival of a letter from home boosted the confidence of everyone in the Gao family. It was the handwriting of Gao Luo, the head of the family, and the letter was signed by Gao Huan: They intended for Gao Zuo to lead his troops to break out and meet at Jinyang City.
When she saw the family letters from her husband and father, the third lady Zhaojun almost fainted with joy, but she obviously knew that her second brother Gao Zhen was weak, so she used both soft and hard tactics to force Gao Zhen to find a way to escape to Jinyang. During this period, there was also the help of the eldest lady Xijun, who finally made Gao Zhen feel relieved and willing to travel with the female family members at home.
In this way, Gao Zhen led a thousand cavalry to fight in front, and let the other soldiers escort the eldest lady Xijun, the third lady Zhaojun and the fourth young master Gao Gao.
To everyone's surprise, Gao Zhen actually tore a bloody path through the encirclement of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and brought the soldiers and families who still had hope to the gates of Jinyang City.
I thought they were greeted by Gao Luo and Gao Huan who came out of the city to greet them, but unexpectedly, a white funeral was hung in front of the city gate, and the city defenders also wore mourning, as if they were paying homage to that person.
After Gao Huan brought his relatives from Huaishuo Town to the city, he told everyone that Gao Luo died of his injuries, and he could only stick to Jinyang and wait for Huaishuo's blood relatives to come to mourn together.
The people of the Gao clan wept and kept vigil at the tomb of their former head of the family, feeling really sad, especially the second young master, Gao Zhen, who had just returned home for half a year. He stayed in front of the tomb for three whole days and nights, only drinking some wine and never eating or resting.
Gao Zhen, who was originally the crown prince, should have taken over Gao Luo's position and become the head of the Gao family. However, except for the life and death brothers who escaped from Huaishuo Town, all the soldiers in Jinyang City were on Gao Huan's side. The soldiers in Jinyang City all obeyed Gao Huan's words. The reason is of course inseparable from Gao Huan's painstaking efforts over the years, but more importantly, Gao Huan deceived everyone who escaped from Huaishuo.
This matter was only revealed when envoys were sent from the Yuan and Wei Dynasties to deliver the official seal of the prefect of Jinyang City.
It turns out that Gao Luo did not die of a serious illness, but was betrayed by Gao Huan to General Ge Rong of Zhenbei of the Yuan and Wei Dynasties in exchange for his official position and city! Now Gao Huan is no longer a pawn in Huaishuo Town, but a subordinate of General Zhenbei.
After the incident was revealed, Gao Huan no longer concealed his ambitions. He summoned Gao Zhen late at night and said frankly: "If you can put aside the past grudges, wouldn't it be wonderful for us two brothers to fight for the world together?"
The third young lady Zhaojun on the side also begged for mercy in tears, putting Gao Zhen in a dilemma and wantonly stirring up love and hate in his heart.
At this moment, Gao Zhen suddenly realized that the only people who truly welcomed him back to the Gao family were his father and sister who had always missed him. In order to make him relent, the third lady, Zhaojun, used many tricks to make him unable to advance or retreat.
He didn't answer that night, but went to his sister Xijun's room in great despair to express his anger. Now the two of them really had nothing to rely on.
Stories of relatives seizing power are repeated frequently, and each one is more bloody, cruel and despicable than the last.
Gao Zuo originally thought that he and his sister Xijun would acquiesce to Gao Huan's disobedience, and the two of them would live in peace and contentment, but Gao Huan would not tolerate such a capable person being on an equal footing with him.
As the saying goes, one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers. Gao Huan usually alienated Gao Zhen and Gao Xijun and alienated their relationship with the outside world. In the end, the only one who remembered to care about them was Gao Gao, the youngest fourth brother. Maybe it’s because you’re young that you remember kindness the most.
The personal guards from Huaishuo were loyal to the Gao family's orthodoxy and had been encouraging Gao Zuo to seize power and get back everything that belonged to him. Even his sister Xijun used harsh words and threatened Gao Zuo to assassinate Gao Huan. However, Gao Zhen was afraid that his plan would fail and all his family members would be killed, so he kept his troops on hold.
Finally one day, Gao Zuo made up his mind to leave the Gao family again to protect the safety of his sister and fourth brother. He left a letter, begging as much as he could, and swore an oath never to interfere in world affairs. Then he packed up his luggage and left, as if he had regained the arrogance and freedom he had when he first broke into Kunlun, leaving the past behind him. Finally.
