Chapter 418: Gu's Background

Prince Beirong then angrily questioned, "Didn't the spies report earlier that the weapons in the Yanmen Pass warehouse were scattered and wouldn't last more than half a day? What's with these firearms?"

His generals trembled and said, "Grand Prince, please forgive me! This army using firearms doesn't... doesn't look like the original defenders of Yanmen Pass. Maybe... maybe they are reinforcements from other prefectures and counties..."

Prince Beirong was even more furious. "Reinforcements? Beirong's deployment of troops this time should have been extremely confidential. How did Dayu find out about it in advance? And there are reinforcements?!"

Seeing Prince Beirong's reaction, his generals could only stammer, "I think... I think the people who tried to kidnap Mu Xuan's daughter failed, so the news leaked..."

Prince Beirong was stunned.

It was he who gave the order to send someone to secretly kidnap Mu Xuan's daughter.

This was also a strategy that was devised in order to take advantage of the situation and capture Yanmen Pass without much effort.

Unexpectedly, things did not go as planned. Old man Mu Xuan did not fall for the trick and now the information about the Beirong army's southward advance has been exposed!

If his father Khan knew about this, he would call him a fool again!

"Pass the order down. I am retreating today because the Dayu garrison guarding Yanmen Pass actually includes soldiers skilled in firearms. To reduce casualties, I have no choice but to retreat! Anyone who dares to reveal that those firearms soldiers are not from the Yanmen Pass garrison will die!"

This matter must not be leaked!

The generals under Prince Beirong looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this, and then replied, "Yes!"

The Northern Rong troops withdrew, and the defenders of Yanmen Pass had a chance to catch their breath. Mu Xuan sent people to accommodate the wounded and reinforced the city walls and gates overnight, and was very busy.

However, he still took the time to have a private conversation with Xiao Yunshuo, and learned that it was Xiao Yunshuo's subordinate Luo Yan and the Divine Fire Camp led by him who appeared in time to repel the Beirong soldiers.

After obtaining the entire inventory of the secret firearms manufacturing camp built by Qu Wenmin in Yanshan last time, and later dealing with the sky fire in Youzhou City, Luo Yan led the soldiers of the Divine Fire Camp to lie dormant temporarily.

This time, he also received a secret order and rushed to Yanmen Pass overnight to provide assistance.

Xiao Yunshuo said, "I hope the old general will keep the matter of the Divine Fire Camp a secret for the time being and reveal it when the time is right."

The Northern Rong army is approaching, and the Yanmen Pass garrison alone cannot hold out. The imperial court will definitely send troops to rescue.

If Luo Yan were to lead the Divine Fire Camp to reveal their identities and join the Yanmen Pass garrison now, there would certainly be no significant changes in future actions.

After all, Luo Yan was once the prince's confidant. No matter who the court sent to lead the army to resist the enemy, I am afraid that the first thing they would have to do is to confiscate Luo Yan and his men's firearms. In serious cases, they would even execute Luo Yan and his men as deserters and traitors, or directly send them to fight a battle with no chance of winning and die!

Instead of doing this, it is better to hide your identity temporarily so that you can play the greatest role when the crisis comes!

Mu Xuan naturally understood the key points of this, nodded, and said, "I obey your command."

As he was speaking, someone outside came to report: "General, it's bad! The firewood room where the Han quartermaster was imprisoned was burned to ruins by the rockets fired by the Northern Rong. The Han quartermaster... was also burned beyond recognition and is dead..."

Mu Xuan was stunned when he heard this and subconsciously looked at Xiao Yunshuo.

However, Xiao Yunshuo's expression did not change at all.

Mu Xuan said, "In that case, let's bury him and the other brothers who were injured or killed."

The soldier who came to report received the order and left.

Xiao Yunshuo said, "General, don't worry too much about the shortage of arrows and food. I'll see if I can find a way to raise some more."

After hearing this, Mu Xuan could only say, "This old minister is incompetent. Thank you, Your Highness."

After Xiao Yunshuo and Mu Xuan discussed, they took advantage of the night to leave the military camp of Yanmen Pass and went to a small forest about 20 kilometers away from Yanmen Pass.

Luo Yan and the Shenhuo Camp repelled the Beirong soldiers and temporarily retreated here to rest and recuperate.

"Your Highness, I am here to see you! I am late and have exposed Your Highness to danger. I deserve to die!" Luo Yan knelt down and apologized.

Xiao Yunshuo helped him up and whispered, "It's alright. You were able to arrive in time and repel the Northern Rong army tonight. You have made the greatest contribution. I will naturally reward you according to your merits in the future."

After hearing this, Luo Yan and the soldiers from the Divine Fire Camp all knelt down to express their gratitude for the reward.

Xiao Yunshuo dismissed the others, leaving Luo Yan alone, and asked, "How much firearms and gunpowder reserves does the Divine Fire Camp have left?"

Luo Yan replied, "Your Highness, we obtained a considerable amount of reserves during our last trip to Yanshan. We haven't used any of them except for training new recruits. The current amount should last us at least another month."

After hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo nodded and said, "That's fine."

However, this does not mean that there is no need to worry.

This war with the Northern Rong will probably not be over for a month, and even if the war with the Northern Rong is over, it is very likely that there will be conflicts between him and his father, the emperor, and his second and sixth brothers in the palace.

If it really comes to that, the Divine Fire Camp led by Luo Yan will be one of his important bargaining chips.

If he doesn't plan carefully this time, all the firearms and gunpowder will be used to resist the Northern Rong, which will have a huge impact on his future actions.

However, firearms and gunpowder are not as good as food.

Food and fodder could be purchased with a large sum of money. However, firearms and gunpowder were manufactured in official factories set up by the imperial court. It was not enough to supply the garrisons in various prefectures, let alone sell them on the black market.

This is a tricky thing that has to be considered.

However, Xiao Yunshuo naturally would not tell Luo Yan about these concerns. He just asked Luo Yan to stand by for the time being and do everything according to his orders.

After leaving the Divine Fire Camp, Xiao Yunshuo returned to Yanmen Pass.

Mu Xuan arranged for the two men to rest in a separate room in recognition of their contribution in saving him, so they no longer had to sleep in a large bunk bed with other soldiers.

However, with the Northern Rong army approaching, no soldier guarding the pass could sleep peacefully.

Yuan Xu had returned. Seeing Xiao Yunshuo, he reported, "Your Highness, the matter concerning Han the quartermaster has been completed. Now it is being handed over to the branch leader of the Dark Pavilion in Datong Prefecture to arrange for the work."

Xiao Yunshuo nodded and said, "That's good."

Han Qingfeng secretly sold the arrows in the warehouse, although he had to do so in order to buy winter clothes and food. However, the army is different from other places, and discipline must be strict. Otherwise, how can one general lead an army of thousands or tens of thousands?

That is what is called extenuating circumstances but unforgivable by law.

How can we enforce strict military discipline and serve as a warning to others without killing them?

He asked Yuan Xu to rescue Han Qingfeng in advance, and then got the corpse of a Beirong soldier, put on Han Qingfeng's clothes, set fire to the woodshed where he was imprisoned, and took Han Qingfeng away from Yanmen Pass, giving him a chance to survive. This was already the limit he could do.

Han Qingfeng had served as the military quartermaster for many years and possessed ample experience in the quality of food and fodder, as well as weapons and firearms. Yuan Xu's decision to rescue him and send him to the Dark Chamber was a fitting way to utilize his talents and give him the opportunity to redeem himself.

The Dark Chamber is currently mobilizing all its resources to purchase food, fodder, and weapons from various prefectures and counties in Dayu. These will soon be shipped to Datong Prefecture. Han Qingfeng will then be able to help inspect the supplies to ensure they meet their standards. He will also be able to calculate the daily food and fodder requirements for each army. This will minimize waste and prevent anyone in the army from taking advantage of the war to enrich themselves...

Xiao Yunshuo then asked, "How are the preparations for food, fodder, arrows, and weapons going?"

Yuan Xu reported: "The preliminary preparations will arrive in Datong Prefecture tomorrow. However, the subsequent preparations are not going smoothly..."

Xiao Yunshuo frowned slightly when he heard this.

He could roughly guess why it went wrong without asking.

Suddenly, Xiao Yunshuo's heart moved, and he asked, "Is there any news about the Gu family matter that I asked you to investigate before?"

Yuan Xu replied, "Today I went to see Pavilion Master Song of the Datong Branch, and Pavilion Master Song happened to receive news about the Gu family. Your Highness would probably be surprised to hear this. It turns out that the boss behind the Gu family has some connection with the Crown Prince."

Xiao Yunshuo smiled when he heard this and said, "Do you have a connection with me?"

Yuan Xu smiled and said, "To be precise, I have some connection with the Crown Princess. Doesn't that mean I also have a connection with Your Highness?"

When Xiao Yunshuo heard him mention Chen Fenghe, the corners of his lips rose slightly uncontrollably. What he said did make sense.

"No need to keep me in suspense, just tell me!"

Yuan Xu then said, "Your Highness naturally knows that the Crown Princess's mother was originally the eldest daughter of the Gu family. And this Gu family, when the late emperor was still alive, was one of the imperial merchant families that he most respected and trusted."

Xiao Yunshuo nodded.

If his royal grandfather had not valued the Gu family, how could he have issued an edict to marry the Gu family's granddaughter, Chen Fenghe, to him?

It's a pity that a new emperor chooses new ministers. After my father ascended the throne, the Gu family was suppressed. Later, when Mr. Gu passed away, the Gu family fell into silence and decline.

"Later, the Gu family's father passed away. The main branch of the Gu family had no male heirs, and the more closely related side branches were all spoiled dandies who depended on the main family for their livelihood. Furthermore, Miss Gu's husband, the Empress's scumbag father, Shen Shi'an, not only favored his concubine over his wife, but also coveted the Gu family's assets. He colluded with the dandies from the side branches and quickly divided up all the Gu family's assets. By then, Miss Gu was already bedridden and had no energy or energy to care for the family. The Gu family was completely ruined..."

Xiao Yunshuo naturally knew all of this. After hearing him share so much background information, he asked, "Could it be that this Gu family is the same Gu family? Is the boss behind the scenes also a member of the Gu family?"

Yuan Xu nodded and continued:

"Your Highness is wise. The current behind-the-scenes boss of the Gu family, whose surname is Gu and whose given name is Hongzhi, is indeed from an inconspicuous branch of the Gu family.

This branch of the Gu family was diligent and hardworking. They ran a small business and lived in Hedong Prefecture. They only interacted with the Gu family in the capital during festivals and holidays.

Unexpectedly, this generation, the Gu family produced a business genius, Mr. Gu Hongzhi. His family was located in Hedong Prefecture, close to the sea, and they made a fortune from seafood. It was said that Mr. Gu had even followed a ship to the South Seas and did business with the natives there!

In any case, this helped Mr. Gu accumulate a fortune through the seafood business.

He was a man with some conscience. He said that when he was young, his family business almost went bankrupt due to his father's poor management, and the family also owed tens of thousands of dollars to others. His mother and sisters were sold to brothels by the creditors to pay off the debts, and he and his father and brothers were also sold as slaves.

It was also a coincidence that at that time, Mr. Gu happened to be in Hedong Prefecture handling the purchasing matters ordered by the palace. Although Mr. Gu was young, he was also a courageous man. He went alone to meet Mr. Gu and ask for help.

Old Master Gu was also not vague and generously donated money. Not only did he pay off all the debts owed by his family, he even left an extra 1,000 taels of silver and gave Young Master Gu some advice on business.

This opened the door for Master Gu, and as his father made a comeback, the family business grew even bigger. Master Gu has always regarded Old Man Gu as his benefactor.

When the Gu family fell into decline, his family was not yet wealthy, and his father was the head of the family. He was also afraid of revenge from other members of the Gu family and Shen Shi'an, so he never stepped forward.

In recent years, Master Gu has taken over the family business and started a new seafood business, making a lot of money. Therefore, Master Gu wanted to repay his gratitude. Unfortunately, His Highness was falsely accused of treason and the Crown Princess was exiled. He did not dare to make it public. He quietly took over the business near Youzhou City under the name of Gu Family and picked up the business that was run by Old Master Gu in the past, but was later seized by treacherous people and eventually fell into the hands of others. He also paid a large dowry to invite back the old shopkeepers and old friends who had served with Old Master Gu. The Gu family's business quickly recovered and soon became famous. Your Highness knows most of what happened next. In just over a year, the Gu family's business has expanded from restaurants to silk shops, grain shops, carriage and horse trades to pawnshops and money shops. Its prosperity is actually a prototype of the business that Old Master Gu had built in his time!

After listening to it, Xiao Yunshuo found that there were no flaws, but it was a bit too legendary, which made people a little skeptical.

He thought for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Didn't the Gu family originate from a Gu's carriage and horse business near Youzhou City? Why doesn't that match the origin you just mentioned?"

Yuan Xu smiled and said, "I asked Pavilion Master Song about this. Pavilion Master Song said that it indeed originated from the Gu's carriage and horse business. Coincidentally, the owner of that carriage and horse business was also a young man named Gu. However, after the carriage and horse business started to pick up a bit, Mr. Gu sold it, including all its branches, for some unknown reason. The buyer was Mr. Gu Hongzhi."

Xiao Yunshuo was still somewhat skeptical and unconvinced, so he said calmly, "This investigation is quite thorough."

Yuan Xu said, "Over the past year or so, the shops under the An Pavilion have done quite a bit of business with the Gu family. This time, His Highness urgently issued a secret order to purchase food and fodder from various locations, and the Gu family has been quite helpful. Pavilion Master Song said that Master Gu sent him a pigeon message yesterday, saying that he had helped to secure another 3,000 dan of food and fodder, which would be delivered to Datong Prefecture the next day or the day after tomorrow."