Chapter 96: Victory in the Northern Battle
Gu Youan was worried that something might happen to the Shen family, affecting the stability of the entire northern border. Apart from sending a letter to Zhou Qi, all she could do was to stockpile food and weapons. She went to the ironworks in the mountains, which she might not have visited twice a year in the past, four or five times in half a month after Duoli left.
Songjiang City operated in an orderly manner. Large ships from Dongshan Port transported grain, iron ore and other supplies one after another. At the same time, several new granaries were built in the western suburbs of Songjiang City and the suburbs of Dongliao City.
Time flies when you are busy. On August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhou Qi did not come home. At noon that day, she took her son back to her parents' home to celebrate the festival.
"An An is here."
Knowing she was coming, Duan personally came to the door to greet her. Gu Youan led his son in and said with a smile, "Happy holidays, sister-in-law."
"Hello, aunt." Yuan called out obediently.
"Okay, all good." Duan leaned forward slightly and said to Yuan with a smile, "It's a rare day off for the holidays. Your uncle is at home today. He and your cousins have agreed to go to the mountains to play this afternoon. Do you want to come too?"
A Yuan shook his head, he didn't want to go.
Duan was surprised and looked at Gu Youan and said, "It's a great day for the festival, why is Yuan not happy?"
"Don't worry about him. He just misses his father." Gu Youan stroked his son's head and said, "He's been looking forward to his father's family coming to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. He's been waiting since last month. His father is in Shanhaiguan recently and really can't spare the time to come back."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it." Duan said to Yuan, "Even if your father isn't around, it's the same as if your uncle is here. If you want to play something, just ask your uncle to play with you."
A Yuan didn't want to talk and just stood behind his mother.
Duan knew A Yuan's temper and didn't bother to talk to him. She accompanied Gu You'an to the main courtyard and said politely as they walked, "Dad and Mom have been busy lately, one with external affairs and the other with domestic matters. If it weren't really inconvenient, I would go to your house to celebrate the festival so that you wouldn't have to make such a trip."
"My sister-in-law's place is not far away. As a daughter, I don't want to bother my parents to go to my place."
Duan originally wanted to bring up the fact that her father's 50th birthday was in early September and that they were going to hold a banquet at home, but when she thought about how not only her parents-in-law but even her husband had nothing good to say about her family, she gave up the idea.
Duan had several ideas in her mind, and she just smiled at her sister-in-law Gu Youan. When the two of them entered the main courtyard, the maid serving in the courtyard hurried in to report.
"Sister, you are here."
"Auntie, Yuan, come in quickly to avoid the sun."
Axuan was accompanied by Ningning, Axing and Ayang, three siblings, who came out to greet them. Gu Youan took out a gold mooncake pendant from his sleeve and gave one to each of them.
Ah Yang held up the golden mooncake and exclaimed, "It's really beautiful, big brother, big brother, look, there are words on the mooncake."
Ah Xuan hung the pendant on herself and said with a smile, "Sister, it's a good gift. If I wait until next Mid-Autumn Festival, I won't be able to receive your gift."
Gu Youan greeted his parents first when he entered the house, then turned back to glance at his sister and said, "If that's what you said, I won't send you any festival gifts when you marry in Dongliao City."
"Oh, I was just joking. How could my sister be missing my holiday gift?"
Ah Xuan tugged at her sister's sleeve and acted coquettishly, but Mrs. Du laughed and scolded her, "You're already grown up, but you still act like a child. Ning Ning is more adult than you."
"No matter how old I am, I am still your and dad's daughter, and my sister's younger sister. What's wrong with acting like a spoiled child?" A Xuan said righteously.
Gu Youan told her to stop making a fuss, smiled and pulled her to sit next to him, and asked, "Are you getting married this year or next year?"
Mrs. Du said, "When we got engaged, we agreed to get married once the port was completed. Yesterday, the Bai family came to give us a Mid-Autumn Festival gift. They meant to say that the port is now complete, and that Bai Jie will come to our house regularly once the official road is completed next month at the latest. They want the wedding to take place before the snow starts to fall."
Duan continued, "We originally wanted to keep Axuan until next year before she got married. We didn't expect the port to be built so quickly."
Ah Xuan smiled and said, "If we had asked the Bai family to build the port, it would probably have to wait until next year. But that task was given to Liu Jing. My sister's people are capable and they built the port in just a few months."
In the early spring, in order to facilitate the transportation of grain, a temporary wharf was built at the Dongliao City Port. After only a few months, the wharf was expanded to be wider and larger, and could accommodate many ships landing at the same time. Shops and houses along the harbor have been built, and many chambers of commerce in Songjiang City have also started doing business in the Dongliao City Port.
Gu Youan was too busy to go to Dongliao City, so she asked her father, "Did you go to check it out a few days ago? Will the official road be completed next month?"
Gu Wen nodded and said, "It can be built. The people who are working on the road have been working hard this month despite the scorching weather in order to get the official road completed as soon as possible so they can go home to start the autumn harvest. Maybe the road will be fully connected by early next month."
The port was built, the official road was connected, and the Gu family had no reason not to agree to the Bai family's request for a wedding this year. Gu Youan looked at A Xuan and said, "Besides other things, you must be clear-headed and listen to advice. The dowry and management you are given are the foundation of your life. If you dare to use the dowry to subsidize the Bai family, I will see whether I will still pay attention to you in the future."
Ah Xuan choked, "Sister, who are you looking down on? Ask my parents and my eldest brother and his wife. If we were to ask who in our family is a Pixiu, I would definitely be the first."
Mrs. Du laughed and said, "How can you say that about yourself? It's outrageous."
A Xuan smiled and pointed at her sister and said, "Mom, you are talking about my sister, but my sister was the one who talked about me first."
Duan helped Gu Youan and said, "Don't be upset, Xuan. An An said all this for your own good. Even if someone asked her about it, she wouldn't even give any advice."
A Xuan looked at her sister's arm and asked with a smile, "Can't bear to leave me?"
Gu Youan was a little reluctant to let Axuan get married. Axuan had a simple and straightforward personality. When she was at home, everyone in her family spoiled her and everything was naturally good to her. If they got married, the couple would develop feelings for each other over time. If that cunning man Baijie took advantage of this to control her, she would definitely feel sad even if she knew what to do.
Gu Youan spoke lightly of his worries, which made Ah Xuan tear up. "Sister, don't worry. If you are heartless, I will divorce you. My brother-in-law said that even if Baijie is gone, I can find any husband I want."
Mrs. Du hurriedly advised, "Don't assume the worst of everything."
A Xuan didn't listen to Mrs. Du and kept acting like a spoiled child while hugging her sister, which made A Yuan stare at her. A Yang, who had no sense of manners, shouted, "Little aunt, let go of Big Aunt! A Yuan is upset."
The child chattered in his childish voice, and the whole family in the room laughed.
Gu Wenqing came in and said with a smile: "What jokes are you guys talking about? Tell me about them too."
Duan hurriedly stood up to greet him and said with a smile, "My husband is back."
Gu Wen hurriedly asked, "How is General Yuan?"
"Well, I asked Uncle Zhang to go to the Yuan family to check it out. Uncle Zhang said that General Yuan still has an old lung problem. He can't overwork himself. He still needs to focus on recuperation."
General Yuan was the commander-in-chief of the city defense army. Last year, he suffered from a cough. At first, he didn't take it seriously, thinking it was a minor illness. However, the symptoms became more and more serious, and he couldn't breathe due to coughing. So he asked a doctor to come to see him. The doctor said that his lungs were damaged and it would be impossible for him to return to his original state.
Because of the cough that was not treated in time, General Yuan, who was in his prime, was unable to wield a spear.
Last year, General Yuan retired from his position as commander of the city defense army and went home to recuperate. Deputy General Zhang Heng was promoted to commander of the city defense army, and Gu Wenqing replaced Zhang Heng as deputy general.
When Gu Wenqing and Tian Yongkang first joined the City Defense Army, General Yuan treated them well. No matter why he promoted and cared for them, Gu Wenqing still recognized General Yuan as his good friend.
It was a rare Mid-Autumn Festival that he had a rest at home. This morning, Gu Wenqing personally carried the holiday gifts to the Yuan family. It happened that General Yuan was too sick to get up. He hurriedly asked his personal servant to go to the Zhang family to ask Zhang Shinan to come and see General Yuan. As a result of this delay, he only came back now.
Gu Youan asked with concern: "Has General Yuan's condition worsened?"
"It hasn't gotten worse. The Yuan family has taken good care of him. General Yuan was originally in good health, but he just couldn't accept it and couldn't let go of his reputation as a military commander. This time, he fell ill because he insisted on practicing martial arts, and his body couldn't bear it, so he fainted from panting."
Gu Youan thought for a moment and asked his elder brother, "I remember that General Yuan's youngest son has some talent in military command."
Gu Wenqing nodded and said, "That's right, General Yuan's youngest son is now a thousand households."
"He's so young and already a thousand households, his position is not low. If he is really capable, he will be able to rise to prominence sooner or later."
Having said that, the Yuan family is like the sky falling without General Yuan as its pillar.
Gu Youan turned around and said to Ah Yue, "Go back to the mansion and select some medicinal herbs and food ingredients that are suitable for the patient's health, and send them to the Yuan family before noon."
"Hey, I'll go right away."
After Xiaoyue left, Gu Youan asked his elder brother, "It's been almost a year since Zhang Heng took over as commander-in-chief. You are his deputy commander. What do you think of him?"
"General Yuan has a more lenient temperament. As long as it doesn't involve major issues like military regulations, General Yuan will be more lenient with his subordinates. General Zhang is even more rule-abiding than General Yuan. Although his subordinates have occasionally complained over the past year, General Zhang has always followed the rules, and no one can find fault with him."
"Strict military discipline has more advantages than disadvantages. A few days ago, I secretly went to inspect the city defense army and clearly felt that the military discipline and regulations of the city defense army are better than before." She and Zhou Qi fully agreed with Zhang Heng's method of strictly managing the city defense army.
Ah Xuan understood what her sister meant and asked, "Sister, if General Yuan hadn't retired due to illness, would you and your brother-in-law have wanted him to step down and have Zhang Heng take over?"
Gu Youan laughed and said, "Why do you say that? General Yuan is also a very good leader. It can only be said that General Zhang and General Yuan each have their own styles."
Many years ago, when Zhou Qi was injured, he tricked out many spies planted by the imperial court in Songjiang City. The couple had no other choice at the time and had to use that group of generals to scare the monkeys and temporarily suppress those generals who had ulterior motives but were not considered to have ulterior motives and were still useful.
She and Zhou Qi played the bad guys, while General Yuan played the good guy. With the pressure and the pull, the city defense army was united over the years and its fighting power became stronger year by year.
Now, the Northeast Army and the Yanzhou Army are completely under the control of the Qi Wang Mansion. Last year, the Liaodong Army was also taken under its control. The Qi Wang Mansion is no longer the Qi Wang Mansion of the past. The time is ripe, and it is time to change to forceful means to restrain the city defense army.
Gu Wenqing looked at An An. Over the years, he became increasingly confused about his sister's thoughts, and he didn't know whether what she said was true or false.
A Xuan raised her chin towards her eldest brother and said, "Brother, when I get married, what are you going to give me as a dowry?"
Gu Wenqing glared at her and said, "You're asking me? I'm not the head of the family, how would I know what to give you? The things are all in the warehouse, just take whatever you like."
Ah Xuan smiled and asked her sister-in-law, "Do you keep your word, brother?"
Duan covered her mouth and smiled, then nodded and said, "As long as my parents agree, it will be done. You can take whatever you like."
Mrs. Du pretended to hit her: "Which young lady in Songjiang City has a dowry as big as yours? Do you really think you are a Pixiu and want to grab all the good things for yourself?"
A Xuan laughed out loud. She just saw that her elder brother looked unhappy, so she said that she came to play.
Gu Wenqing glanced at Axuan, smiled and shook his head. Axuan was not shy at home and showed everything on her face.
Gu Wen watched all his children's idle chatter. In the afternoon, his son took his granddaughter and grandson to play in the mountains. When Gu Wen and Gu Youan were the only two of them in the house, Gu Wen said, "Your eldest brother is quite diligent and does things prudently, but he's not as smart as you. This is how his life will be under your protection. Don't think he's stupid."
Gu Youan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Dad, don't I know what kind of person Big Brother is? How could you have such an idea?"
Her eldest brother wasn't stupid, he was just taught to be too gentlemanly and acted in a very conventional way. To be honest, these words were all good, but if someone was in a high position, they would lack some means.
"Dad, my elder brother hasn't learned your cunning."
Gu Wen knew his son's weaknesses. He sighed, "When you and Prince Qi got married, your mother and I were worried about your future. You've come this far step by step, and now it seems you're doing better than the one sitting on the throne. If you succeed, don't praise your eldest brother too much. Let him stay in Songjiang City and stay safe."
His own son knew that if Wen Qing entered the power circle, without his and his daughter's protection, he might be harmed by someone, and his whole family might lose their lives, and his daughter would be implicated.
"Dad, you're only in your fifties this year. You can still live for at least another thirty or forty years. With you watching over the Gu family, nothing will happen."
Gu Wen laughed and said, "How can one live that long? Living to fifty or sixty is already considered a long life."
"Dad, you probably don't know. People say you reap what you sow. Longevity depends not only on how well you take care of yourself, but also on whether your family elders are long-lived. There are many long-lived members of the Gu family, so you will surely live a long life as well."
Gu Wen smiled and patted his daughter's shoulder, saying, "It would be great if you could live longer. Daddy would be reluctant to leave your mother, as well as you three siblings."
"So, are you willing to give up Ningning, Ah Xing, and Ah Yang?"
"Of course I'm reluctant to do that, but you should take care of your own children. They are your eldest brother and sister-in-law's children, and it's their responsibility to take care of Ningning and her two siblings."
Speaking of his daughter-in-law, Gu Wen had to mention the Duan family: "Our Gu family is not the Meng family of the past, and your sister-in-law's family is not the Yuan family. Lord Duan knows this."
Gu Youan smiled and didn't respond to her father's words. After all, whether the Duan family was good or bad, what did it have to do with her?
The father and daughter chatted in the room for an hour. A Yuan, who was taking a nap on the low couch next to him, woke up, and Gu Youan was about to return home with his son.
Gu Wen and Mrs. Du took their youngest daughter, Axuan, to the gate. Gu Youan got in the car, sat down, and waved, "Dad, Mom, we're leaving first."
"Let's go back."
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Songjiang City was cool for a few days. On the sixth day of September, the official road connecting Shanhaiguan and Dongliao City in the east of Songjiang City was opened. After being busy for half a year, the people happily returned home to prepare for the autumn harvest.
On the eighth day of September, Bai Jie brought his family to the Gu family to request a date, and the wedding was set for the second day of October.
The Gu family had already prepared the dowry, and the date set for October 2nd wasn't rushed. On September 28th, when the Bai family arrived to pick them up, the dowry was carried out one by one from the Gu family. In addition to the dowry from the Gu family, the Qi Palace provided twelve dowries, and the Tian and Zhang families, both close to the Gu family, each provided four dowries.
The Gu family’s daughter’s wedding was a grand affair, and the people in Songjiang City who came to watch the fun said that they had not seen such a grand occasion in many years.
After sending her daughter off to marry, Mrs. Du couldn't hide her sadness. Mrs. Bai told a joke to comfort her, saying, "An'an's wedding wasn't this grand back then, right? Now that your family is doing well, shouldn't you give An'an, who married first, some extra dowry?"
Mrs. Du wiped her tears and smiled, "Don't worry, she has a lot of good things, I'm afraid she won't be interested in the little gold, silver, copper and iron I have."
Mrs. Liu also smiled and said, "Then leave it to Ningning. It's only about ten years away, so the gold, silver, copper and iron you've hidden won't rust."
Ningning was not afraid of the adults' teasing. She threw herself into her grandmother's arms and said, "If you miss my aunt, I'll take you to Dongliao City in a carriage to see her."
Mrs. Du hugged Ningning like her beloved daughter and cried, "Our Ningning is so considerate. All the good things of grandma will be yours from now on."
Duan stood aside and smiled, unable to help but envy her daughter. She also envied her two sisters-in-law. It was really good to be the daughter of the Gu family.
Not only the Duan family, but every female family in Songjiang City envied the daughters of the Gu family.
Having said that, if you can't be the daughter of the Gu family, being the daughter-in-law or granddaughter-in-law of the Gu family is also good.
The Gu family has only one son who has been married for many years, and their two grandsons are still young. It will take more than ten years for them to get married and start their own families.
In a dozen years, maybe the Gu family will become royal relatives, and they will probably look down on families like them.
The news coming from inside the Great Wall became more and more frightening. The princes, concubines, and royal relatives were holding funerals every month in Luoyang City. It was extremely crazy.
The crazier the situation inside the Great Wall, the more stable Prince Qi's Mansion became. People with discerning eyes in Songjiang City could see that Prince Qi and his wife Princess Qi were almost at a critical juncture. Whether they would succeed or not would only depend on the next two years.
They were all masters of witty remarks. The ladies present exchanged glances with each other, and they all knew what everyone was thinking.
Bai and Liu smiled at each other. These people only saw that the Gu family was thriving, and had no idea how Lord and Mrs. Gu loved and cared for their daughter.
If a silly daughter were born in another family, she would have been thrown out to fend for herself.
The Gu family can enjoy the blessing of a daughter and son-in-law, which is what they deserve.
Gu Youan doesn't care at all about what people outside think of her and Zhou Qi. She will only devote her limited energy to endless preparations for war.
The latest news about troops, food supplies, and the court are what she cares about most.
In addition to war preparations, she also has to take time to care about this year's autumn harvest.
Zhang Gui, the farm manager, inspected all the farms in Dongliao City, Dongshan Port and Songjiang City, and came back to report that the weather this year was hotter than last year, and water was not as convenient for farms in other places except Songjiang City. Overall, this year's harvest would be about 20% less than last year.
Twenty percent is within Gu Youan’s expectations and will not affect the inventory of the granary.
After Zhang Gui left, Gu Youan asked Liu Zhong, "The autumn harvest in the interior of the country is earlier than here. Has the imperial court delivered the food and wages?"
"not yet."
"No?"
According to past practices, the imperial court's food and wages for the Northeast Army, Yanzhou Army, and Liaodong Army should have been on the way by this time.
Liu Zhong said, "Since the port of Dongliao City opened to shipping, the granaries built by our palace near the port are now full. The Yanzhou and Liaodong armies will not be short of food for the next year."
If the Northeast Army is cut off from the court's food and wages, they can then send food from Songjiang City, and they will definitely not be short of food within a year.
She memorized all these important figures. Gu Youan roughly calculated them and said, "Why wait until winter instead of starting sooner or later?"
If the grasslands were to encounter a snowstorm in winter, would they know the consequences of the Tartars' southward advance? The officials, who lived a life of luxury thanks to the taxes paid by the people, truly regarded the lives of the people as insignificant ants.
Gu Youan couldn't hide his anger. Liu Zhong lowered his head and said, "It doesn't necessarily mean they'll fight in winter. Maybe they'll wait until next spring?"
"Oh, wait until next spring? Of the ten or so princes still alive in the palace, how many will be left by next spring? Can the forces behind the princes afford to wait?"
Yuan hadn't seen his mother for several days. After class, he went to the study to look for his mother. He listened outside the door for a while and then walked away silently.
After Gu Youan finished his business, Xiaoyue came in and reported, "The prince just came to see you. He heard you talking with Liu Zhong and then left."
Gu Youan held his forehead with his hand. He was so busy these days that he had no time to go to the private school to pick up his son after school.
"Go tell Yuan that I'm busy right now and ask him to take good care of himself. I'll come find him when I'm done."
Xiaoyue went to deliver the message in person. After delivering the message, she saw that the young master was silent and said with some concern: "The princess..."
A Yuan interrupted her and said, "I know that mother is helping father. When I grow up, I will help mother and father too."
Ah Yue smiled and said, "The prince is smart."
Gu Youan was too busy to take care of his son. On October 23, he received a secret letter from the grassland. Gu Youan immediately ordered the granary to be opened and grain to be transferred.
At the same time, Gu Youan personally went out of the city to visit the city defense army. One day later, Zhang Heng led all the soldiers of the city defense army to escort military supplies to the grassland for support.
On November 14, General Li, the commander-in-chief of the Yunnan garrison, and his sister, Concubine Li, died, and her only son, the Eighth Prince, was poisoned and fell into a coma.
On November 20, General Li led 50,000 troops from Yunnan Prefecture straight to Luoyang, raising the slogan "The evil concubine in the harem will cut off the royal heir, and the emperor's side will be cleared to bring peace to the world."
The one who was called a witch concubine by General Li was naturally the most powerful Concubine Shen in the harem.
The Yunnan garrison shouted loudly to purge the imperial court. The Grand Commander-in-Chief of Zhenbei, Shen Hui, pointed his sword at the royal family and cursed them for assassinating the princes over the years and trying to take over the world.
In the end, Chen Hui did not dare to mobilize most of his troops to go to Beijing like the Yunnan garrison did. He only mobilized the troops most loyal to him. About half of the remaining troops who were unwilling to go to Beijing with him stayed in the northern border to guard against the attack of the grassland Tartars.
At the same time, troops from the northwest, southeast, and Central Plains began to move, and the land of the Zhou Dynasty became a mess.
The more chaotic the situation inside the Great Wall, the quieter the northern border became. The Canglang Tribe united with more than ten tribes to form an 80,000-strong coalition force, which charged straight towards Yinshan.
In the absence of Zhenbei Army's main general Chen Hui, the 60,000 soldiers under the command of Deputy General Pan Cheng were unable to stop the enemy. Before the garrisons in Liangzhou, Suzhou, Xining and other places could come to their rescue, the enemy would break through their blockade and swing their butcher knives at the people.
Pan Cheng raised the long sword in his hand, his eyes bulging like copper bells, and roared angrily: "Brothers, charge!"
As long swords and spears clashed, the cries of blood, flesh and bones could be heard everywhere. A Tartar, riding a fine horse and wrapped in sheepskin, let out an excited roar as he broke through the blockade in the wind and snow and entered the land of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Suddenly, the long knife, which seemed slow but was actually fast, passed across his dirty neck. The wind and snow blew across the blade and melted in the splashing and surging blood.
The roar turned into a neighing, and the man finally fell backwards to the ground, being trampled by thousands of horses.
Pan Cheng reined in his horse and turned back, a smile unconsciously appearing on the corner of his mouth. The soldiers and horses are strong and powerful, and their momentum is unstoppable. This is the army of our great Zhou Dynasty!
"Your Highness Prince Qi!"
Zhou Qi faced the wind and snow, and the Tartars who were rushing through the pass. He raised his right hand and waved it gently.
The coalition forces composed of the Northeast Army, Yanzhou Army and the City Defense Army swept across the battlefield with overwhelming force. Pan Cheng was so shocked that he was speechless. Zhou Qi glanced at the battlefield with a hint of satisfaction.
They are indeed the elite soldiers that he spent countless efforts to train!
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