The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

When Tong Huaqiong heard the news from Shengjing, she learned that some people supported going to war with the northern deserts, while others supported making peace.

For Tong Huaqiong, a modern soul, she loved peace, but countless powerful historical records told her that making peace with an enemy's aggression was not an option; only a desperate fight could bring lasting peace.

A great man once said: "A single punch can prevent a hundred more."

Only by subduing the northern deserts can the Great Sheng Dynasty enter a period of lasting peace.

After all, you can't expect to get something at the negotiating table if you can't get it on the battlefield.

Tong Huaqiong learned from Gu Jingzhe that since the founding of the Great Sheng Kingdom, Mobei had been like a leech sticking to the border. In order to stabilize the border, the Great Sheng Kingdom implemented a trade agreement with Mobei and would exchange grain, salt and cloth for cattle and sheep from Mobei at prices higher than the market price every year.

The northern desert is still not satisfied and frequently harasses the border.

Therefore, small-scale wars between the two countries have been ongoing, but they have never launched a war against the entire northern desert region.

At the time of its founding, the country was in dire need of rebuilding, and waging war against the northern deserts would indeed be detrimental to the stability of the regime.

After four emperors, the Great Sheng Dynasty now has enough food, money, and soldiers to fight in the northern deserts. In the past few years, it has tolerated some incursions from the northern deserts because most of its officials believe that problems that can be solved with food, salt, and cloth do not need to be solved with war.

However, this approach only emboldened the arrogance of the northern desert, who believed that the Great Sheng dared not attack, and their border incursions escalated this year.

Merchants who travel from the border to Yanguan Town say that many villages have been massacred by the northern desert forces.

Therefore, this war was a must for the Great Sheng.

Just now, Old Master Lu also subtly indicated that Lu Zhaoyang belongs to the pro-war faction.

Some people support peace talks, and these people will more or less create obstacles for the Ministry of Revenue.

Therefore, the task of mobilizing grain and supplies, which was so tricky and could easily cost him his life, could only fall to Lu Zhaoyang, the newly appointed and pro-war official.

According to Tong Huaqiong, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.

After being reminded by Tong Huaqiong, Grandpa Lu naturally wanted to pave the way for his grandson.

If Tong Huaqiong could think of using the extreme cold weather to accumulate political capital for Lu Zhaoyang, then as his grandfather, he would naturally be even more concerned.

Anyone who blocks their grandson's path deserves to die, especially when it comes to tampering with provisions.

Old Master Lu immediately decided to take over the military supplies, including grain and fodder. He hadn't thought about getting involved before, since his grandson worked in the Ministry of Revenue and he wanted to avoid suspicion.

He still needs to avoid suspicion, but he can secretly mediate to put Tong Huaqiong in the public eye.

Since Prefect Yao did not hand over the cotton-padded clothes for the border soldiers to Tong Huaqiong, it would be reasonable for Tong Huaqiong to take on more other military supplies.

Tong Huaqiong thought so too.

Grandpa Lu wanted to pave the way for Lu Zhaoyang, and Tong Huaqiong wanted to make money, so the two hit it off immediately.

Moreover, Old Master Lu not only used his connections in Shengjing and the border region, but he was also willing to spend money.

“I’ll also contribute part of this money.”

Since it involved his own son-in-law, Master Huang couldn't stay out of it. Master Huang rubbed his fists together and said to Old Master Lu, "We must win this battle and make the northern deserts sue for peace. Then you can give Zhaoyang a heads-up and suggest sending that damned princess to marry him."

Tong Huaqiong listened and exclaimed that Master Huang's suggestion was very feasible.

After all, it was normal for two dynasties to negotiate peace and arrange marriages. Sacrificing a princess to exchange for decades of peace on the border was a choice that any dynasty would make.

This princess, who stood above power, was willing to kill Huang Jingshan at any time. Tong Huaqiong had no sympathy for such a princess who treated human life as a joke, and she was sent to the northern desert for a political marriage.

After discussing it, the three decided on the military supplies for the border. Old Master Lu would use his connections to pay for them, the grain merchant Huang would pay for the grain and purchase it, and Tong Huaqiong would be responsible for displaying the supplies in the open to attract attention and sewing cotton-padded clothes.

"By the way, you asked me to stockpile charcoal last time. Since it's extremely cold weather, I thought that in addition to stockpiling charcoal, I also stockpiled 200,000 catties of cotton. This batch of cotton is just enough to fill cotton-padded clothes," said Grandpa Lu.

Tong Huaqiong greatly admired Mr. Lu's foresight.

Master Huang was puzzled by these words.

Tong Huaqiong originally didn't plan to tell Master Huang about the arrival of the extremely cold weather, but now that Master Huang knew, she couldn't hide it anymore.

So he told the news to Master Huang. Master Huang, like Old Master Lu, was the type to blindly trust Tong Huaqiong. Upon learning that the extreme cold weather was coming, he immediately began to stockpile charcoal and cotton.

Master Huang has even proactively linked this matter with Lu Zhaoyang's career.

"If Ningcheng experiences extreme cold, Shengjing will likely follow suit, since it's even colder there. My dear in-law, shouldn't we also use the capital's resources to stockpile charcoal and warm clothing? Under the emperor's nose, if people die because of extreme cold, the weather will be furious, and it will all fall on the Ministry of Revenue. Zhaoyang is a proponent of war; what if someone uses this to trip him up? So we must be prepared and ensure the price of charcoal in Shengjing remains stable," Master Huang said to Old Master Lu.

He had finally found a son-in-law who was a top scholar in the imperial examinations, and he was hoping that his son-in-law would become a high-ranking official. Anything that might affect his son-in-law's career should be nipped in the bud.

Old Master Lu also meant the same thing.

Tong Huaqiong said to Master Huang, "I can't guarantee that there will definitely be extremely cold weather. If you end up with unsold charcoal and cotton, don't blame me."

Tong Huaqiong had no idea whether Shengjing was experiencing extremely cold weather this winter, since her previous life's Tong Dajiao was still living in Qinghewan and was completely unfamiliar with Shengjing.

Master Huang quickly replied, "Of course I won't blame you. Besides, charcoal and cotton won't spoil. Even if we can't sell them this year, we can always sell them later."

What Master Huang didn't say was true, and besides, he could afford the money.

"This news was revealed by Manager Tong. You will receive 20% of the profits from charcoal production in Shengjing this year," said Old Master Lu.

Tong Huaqiong wanted to refuse, but since they were all in the same boat, it would seem insincere to refuse again, so she accepted it with a smile.

"Grandpa, why do you think Prefect Yao would give me the secret recipe for military cotton-padded clothing?" Tong Huaqiong asked Grandpa Lu as soon as the matter was settled.

Old Master Lu said, "Ningcheng has always been prosperous, so it should naturally bear some of the military supplies. It doesn't matter who he gives them to. What? In my opinion, you don't need to owe him a favor. If you do your job well, it will also benefit him."

Tong Huaqiong said, "If Prefect Yao were to release the news that he needed supplies, not only merchants from Ningcheng, but also merchants from Shengjing would probably flock to him. I'm just a small-time country bumpkin merchant, yet he entrusted this task to me. Old Master, Prefect Yao knows that Zhaoyang has taken on a difficult task, and as his senior, he wants to pave the way for his junior."

Tong Huaqiong only realized this after discussing it with Old Master Lu and Master Huang.

Prefect Yao wanted the three families to unite in support of Lu Zhaoyang. However, given that Old Master Lu had always held a grudge against him, he did not approach Old Master Lu directly but instead used Tong Huaqiong to bring the three together.

Upon hearing this, Old Master Lu couldn't help but ponder, and his impression of Prefect Yao improved. (End of Chapter)