Chapter 419 Military Intelligence
Xiao Yunshuo raised an eyebrow and smiled, "He's quite attentive. Old Master Gu originally followed the path of an imperial merchant. Since this Young Master Gu is so determined to repay his gratitude and restore the former glory of the Gu family, why doesn't he make friends with the wealthy and powerful in the capital? The Second and Sixth Imperial Brothers would surely welcome someone like him who can make money and has such a large industry, right? Why has he become friendly with the 'Dark Pavilion' instead?"
'Dark Chamber' is a secretive organization in the underworld, operating gambling houses, underground banks, pawnshops, grain transport, and salt trading. Its background is far from clean.
For example, the canal and salt transportation, because the taxes generated in the process were very high, the government had special canal and salt transport officials to manage it since ancient times. It was specially managed by the central court and directly reported to the current emperor. Even the local governors had to think twice before intervening.
If anyone dares to get involved in the secret cabinet, once he is caught by the government, he will be spared from even trial and directly beheaded in public!
Of course, the reason the Dark Chamber had remained so resilient for so many years, even becoming an organization that was ignored by the jianghu and even the imperial court, was primarily because it was founded by Xiao Yunshuo—a strategy he used to counter his father. As long as Emperor Yucheng remained emperor, it would be difficult for him, the Crown Prince, to surpass him in power within the court.
Therefore, he secretly established the "Dark Pavilion" and privately got involved in the grain transport and salt transportation in order to accumulate enough financial resources for himself.
If you have money, you can buy power.
Secondly, the "Dark Pavilion" is very good at doing things and being a person. Although few people in the world or in the court know that the chief of the "Dark Pavilion" is the current prince, because the Dark Pavilion is generous in opening up the upper and lower checkpoints, everyone makes money together, and the officials on the surface get benefits, so naturally they will not care about anything anymore.
Thirdly, the "Secret Chamber" is a firm believer in moderation. They won't overdo it in making money or cultivating connections. Members of the Chamber also maintain a low profile, doing everything in secret. If a high-profile individual or event arises, they will act decisively, even abandoning all profits from that business. They will then vanish overnight, leaving no trace behind.
Because of these principles, the Dark Chamber is now indeed a force in the martial arts world that cannot be underestimated.
But... for ordinary businessmen, they would rather stay away from its gray background and never get involved with it.
But this Mr. Gu is so eager to make friends with the Dark Pavilion?
Yuan Xu couldn't help but feel puzzled: "This..."
This matter...doesn't really make sense.
"I heard from Pavilion Master Song that this Mr. Gu will personally escort the grain and fodder convoy to Datong Prefecture the day after tomorrow. Pavilion Master Song also said that he would host a banquet to entertain him. I asked Pavilion Master Song to ask him indirectly..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo pondered for a moment and said, "No need for that. Tell Pavilion Master Song that I will also be present at the banquet and meet this business genius!"
It was just a prosperous business family, even if it had a close relationship with Shen Fenghe's grandfather's family, it was not enough for a prince like him to pay attention to it.
But… for some reason, Xiao Yunshuo subconsciously felt that there was something fishy about this ‘Gu family’. It was as if there was something in the dark that he hadn’t noticed yet, tempting him to understand the ‘Gu family’ more clearly…
Yuan Xu couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't quite understand why his prince cared so much about a businessman. Could it be... because this Mr. Gu was the queen's distant cousin?
However, he naturally didn't dare to ask any more questions and agreed, "Yes. I'll go tell Pavilion Master Song."
Xiao Yunshuo nodded and looked at the sky again. He saw that there was a little light in the east. The snow had stopped and there was only a thin layer of snow on the ground. He felt something in his heart and stood up and said, "I'll go see General Mu."
General Mu was discussing military affairs with several deputy generals in the conference hall. When he saw Xiao Yunshuo coming in, Mu Xuan immediately went into the inner hall with Xiao Yunshuo.
Xiao Yunshuo said, "Old General, I have a plan that may temporarily halt the Beirong's attack and buy us some time."
Upon hearing this, General Mu hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please speak. I will make arrangements immediately."
Xiao Yunshuo said, "General, please send someone to draw water from the well or river immediately. Under cover of darkness, use slingshots to throw the water onto the ground outside the city. It's a shame the snow isn't heavy tonight, so not much snow has accumulated on the ground. Otherwise, the accumulated snow alone would be enough, and there wouldn't be any need for this."
General Mu was bewildered at first, but when he heard the last part of the sentence, his eyes lit up and he said, "Your Highness is truly a master at commanding troops. This strategy is truly brilliant. I will give the orders immediately."
After everything was arranged, Mu Xuan returned to report the military situation:
"Your Highness, the scouts sent outside the pass tonight have returned with new military intelligence. The Northern Rong army that launched the attack tonight appears to be 20,000 strong, led by the eldest son of the Northern Rong Khan, the Grand Prince. Although they were temporarily forced to retreat by Your Highness's Divine Fire Battalion, they only retreated to a place twenty miles from Yanmen Pass and lingered there. I'm afraid they'll attack again after a brief rest..."
Xiao Yunshuo nodded.
Luo Yan had also reported these military intelligences before.
He frowned slightly and said, "I heard that the Northern Rong are almost out in full force this time, with even the Northern Rong Khan leading his troops personally. I'm afraid this Grand Prince is just the vanguard. The troops led by the Northern Rong Khan in the rear are the real concern."
Mu Xuan's expression grew serious. "Your Highness is quite right. Our spies have already learned that, in addition to the 20,000 troops of the Northern Rong Great Prince, there is also the Northern Rong Khan leading 80,000 elite troops towards Yanmen Pass. If they were to join forces, that would be a force of 100,000. Relying solely on the 5,000 guards at Yanmen Pass is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo asked, "How's the Second Prince of Beirong doing? Why didn't he join us on this expedition?"
Mu Xuan shook his head and said, "I haven't heard anything about the Second Prince."
The second prince of Beirong was Prince Zhao Ye, who had colluded with Qu Wenmin in Yanshan before.
Xiao Yunshuo had fought hand-to-hand combat with him several times on the battlefield. Although he had never lost, he had not gained much advantage either.
The military talent of Prince Zhao is much stronger than that of the Great Prince of Beirong.
The Northern Rong are at war this time, and even the Khan has personally led the troops, so why... haven't we heard of Prince Zhao leading the troops?
Could it be... that there is another plan?
Xiao Yunshuo had a bad feeling in his heart.
Mu Xuan shared some other information, then said, "This old minister has already sent another urgent message, eight hundred miles away, to the capital with the latest military information. I only hope that His Majesty can dispatch the army to Yanmen Pass in time..."
Xiao Yunshuo said that he would think about it, and a cold flash flashed in his eyes. He said: "For now, we can only do it by ourselves. I have no regrets."
Beirong is putting all its national strength into a desperate battle. If my father still allows my second and sixth brothers to fight for power, then... even if he is cursed for eternity, he will have no choice but to... take over!
On the second day, when the sky darkened, Beirong indeed launched a new wave of attacks. However, as soon as the Beirong soldiers rushed to the open area in front of the gate, they were thrown to the ground one after another and shot by arrows from the soldiers guarding the gate on the city wall, suffering heavy losses.
Prince Beirong was shocked: "What's going on?"
The subordinate then reported, "Grand Prince, it's... it's the Dayu defenders who poured water on the ground overnight. Add to that the accumulated snow from last night, and a thin layer of ice has formed on the ground. Our soldiers and horses are slipping and can't even stand! For now, we can only retreat and wait for the ice to melt before we can continue our attack. Otherwise, our men on the ice will be sitting ducks for the Dayu archers!"
Prince Beirong had no choice but to retreat again.
Not only had the two attacks yielded no results, but his own troops had lost two thousand men. The Great Prince of Beirong was extremely upset, but he was at his wit's end and could only order his generals to come up with a plan quickly!
Yanmen Pass finally had a chance to breathe.
On the evening of the second day, the food and fodder that the Dark Chamber had helped to collect arrived, and Mu Xuan sent someone to pick them up. The soldiers guarding the pass were greatly encouraged by the sight of the abundant food and fodder.
Xiao Yunshuo went to the base of the An Ge branch in Datong that night.
Xiao Yunshuo's identity is special and cannot be exposed, so Pavilion Master Song started the banquet without waiting for Xiao Yunshuo's arrival.
When Xiao Yunshuo arrived, he saw a handsome man with a slight beard sitting in the main guest seat, and he guessed that he must be Mr. Gu Hongzhi.
There was an attendant standing behind Mr. Gu.
Xiao Yunshuo couldn't help but look at the follower twice more.
Pavilion Master Song straightened his back when he saw Xiao Yunshuo and Yuan Xu arrive. Just as he was about to stand, he remembered what they had agreed on beforehand and sat back down. He laughed heartily and said, "Brother Yun, you're finally here! You've kept us waiting for so long. Come on, you deserve three glasses of wine as punishment."
As Pavilion Master Song spoke, he turned to Mr. Gu and said with a smile, "Boss Gu, this is the capable member of our Dark Pavilion whom I mentioned to you earlier. His surname is Yun. You two should get to know each other."
As he spoke, Xiao Yunshuo had already complied and sat down at the table. After exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Yunshuo got straight to the point, saying, "I heard that Master Gu has some connections with the current Crown Princess. Would you mind revealing a little?"
When Master Gu heard the question, he didn't react at all. Instead, the follower behind him choked for some reason and coughed twice.
Xiao Yunshuo looked over again dimly.
Young Master Gu scolded him slightly, "How can you be so rude!"
After saying that, he smiled and said, "There's nothing to hide about this matter. My surname is Gu, and I'm from the same family as the Crown Princess's grandfather. Although we're distant cousins, the Crown Princess can still be considered my cousin..."
Xiao Yunshuo felt inexplicably uncomfortable when he heard him talk about his cousin.
Although... logically speaking, this Mr. Gu should have no connection with Shen Fenghe at all.
Xiao Yunshuo closed his eyes for a moment, putting aside his inexplicable hostility towards Mr. Gu, and continued directly, "I see. There is one more thing I would like Mr. Gu to answer truthfully."
Gu Hongzhi smiled and said, "Mr. Yun, please ask. I will certainly tell you everything I know."
Xiao Yunshuo looked at him and smiled:
"Master Gu has grown the Gu family's business industry to such a large scale in just over a year. Why is he so keen on cooperating with the Dark Pavilion? During the reign of the late Emperor Gu, the Gu family was once an imperial merchant and was deeply trusted by the late Emperor.
If Master Gu wants to bring glory to the Gu family, shouldn't he still seek to serve the emperor in the palace? Why did he choose the half-black and half-white dark cabinet? Is there some other ulterior motive?"
Gu Hongzhi seemed to have anticipated Xiao Yunshuo's question, and with a smile still on his face, he said:
"This reason is somewhat related to the question Young Master Yun just asked. Mr. Gu is my family's benefactor. How could I not be willing to restore the Gu family's former glory?
However, to be honest, the prosperity of the Gu family was due to the appreciation and trust of the late emperor, and the decline of the Gu family is inextricably linked to the suspicion and distrust of the current emperor.
In addition, Mr. Gu's granddaughter, the Crown Princess, was demoted to a commoner and exiled because of the Crown Prince incident. It can be seen that in the mind of the current emperor, the Gu family is not only untrustworthy, but even... is an existence that needs to be suppressed and guarded against at all times and in all places.
Under these circumstances, if I continue to curry favor with the powerful and influential people in the imperial court, perhaps, seeing that my Gu family is wealthy and successful, they will be happy to accept me. But in the long run, who can guarantee that I won't become another Old Master Gu? Therefore, I refuse to have anything to do with those high-ranking officials anymore. As for forming ties with the Dark Chamber..."
Gu Hongzhi paused for a moment, then continued with a smile:
"This is also for self-protection. Pavilion Master Song and Young Master Yun must know that I am just a businessman with no background. It is really because of my luck that I have made so much money and managed my family's business to this level.
Since I am unwilling to seek protection from high-ranking officials, no matter who it is, as long as they have some power, they can control me. In this case, the glory of my Gu family will only be a flash in the pan.
As for the Dark Pavilion, whether in the Jianghu or the imperial court, everyone needs to show some respect to it. If I can establish good relations with the Dark Pavilion, I will naturally receive its protection and avoid being manipulated and bullied by anyone. That is my goal."
These words do make sense.
If Xiao Yunshuo were Gu Hongzhi, he would make the same choice.
But... he still felt something was wrong.
After Gu Hongzhi finished speaking, he smiled and said, "I wonder if Pavilion Master Song and Young Master Yun are satisfied with my answer? Pavilion Master Song, please rest assured that I, Gu Hongzhi, will certainly not just enjoy the protection of the Dark Pavilion and do nothing. Even today, when I knew that the Dark Pavilion was collecting food and fodder, I immediately collected several thousand dan and eagerly sent it here for Pavilion Master Song. Pavilion Master Song can see my sincerity."
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