I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 214 Everyone is here

"As a soldier, how dare you threaten and oppress the people in full view of everyone? Do you deserve this uniform?"

Dongmei kicked away the soldier's foot that was about to kick the old man. If this were in Wuwei, anyone who dared to act arrogantly towards the people would have been hung on the city wall and beaten by the girl!
The officers and soldiers howled in pain, clutching their legs. The other officers and soldiers, seeing that the usually weak and easily bullied civilians dared to fight back, felt they had lost all face and drew their swords to attack Dongmei.

Dongmei fought against ten opponents single-handedly and held her own in the slightest.

Tang Zhao was surprised that someone would come to his door to cause trouble while he was just having breakfast. "What's going on?"

Wu Yi'er watched the commotion with his arms crossed. When the girl asked him a question, he explained the whole story. "Miss, these soldiers belong to the Southwest Army."

The Southwest Army—isn't that the army under the command of the Duke of Wei?

"you sure?"

"I would never be wrong!" Wu Yi patted his chest and assured him, "The hems of those soldiers' uniforms are embroidered with bamboo joints, a unique pattern on the uniforms of the Southwest Army."

As expected of the troops led by the Duke of Wei, they truly have the bearing of a general, just as detestable. "Take them down immediately!"

"Yes!" Wu Yi'er stopped watching the spectacle and led his men forward to tie the soldiers up tightly.

The soldiers, bound like dumplings, shouted angrily, "How dare you! Let us go! We are from the Southwest!"

Dongmei grabbed a tablecloth and stuffed it into his mouth.

“The Southwest Army, I know them,” Tang Zhao said, sitting on a long bench. “What are you doing in Qin Island?”

The officer looked wary.

Just as Tang Zhao, who was suspected of being an enemy spy, was about to stage a dramatic interrogation, he heard the sound of horses' hooves.

Wu Yi and his two guards stood in front of Tang Zhao, shouting, "Protect the young master!"

Tang Zhao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in armor riding at the front, followed by hundreds of cavalrymen. The snowflakes on the ground were kicked up as the horses galloped, and they fell all over Tang Zhao.

"Young Master, save us!" the soldiers cried out as if they had seen a savior.

"Who dares to insult my Southwest Army soldiers?" The leader drew his longsword from his horse. "Beg for mercy, and I will spare your life!"

"Ha!" Tang Zhao scoffed, "It's been years since we last met, and this is how you treat your elder sister, the princess?"

The officers and soldiers were taken aback.

Tang Shi stopped his horse thirty meters away. Although he had only met Tang Zhao once, he remembered it vividly.

Tang Shi squinted at Tang Zhao, who was dressed as a man, hesitating whether to pretend not to know him and take the opportunity to retaliate.

Tang Zhao took out the purple jade whistle, put it to his lips and blew it. The clear and ethereal whistle sounded throughout the sky.

Tang Shi frowned. A moment later, a huge gyrfalcon flew in from the horizon, crying out. Half a cup of tea later, the sound of horses' hooves filled the air, and the ground seemed to tremble.

Gu Ci stopped his horse beside Tang Zhao, looked him up and down for a long time, then bent down and helped him onto the horse.

Tang Zhao sat on the red ear, towering half a head above Tang Shi, and looked Tang Shi up and down with a half-smile.

Tang Shi dismounted and apologized, saying, "I failed to manage my men properly, causing my elder sister to be frightened. I beg my elder sister to punish me."

“There’s no need to punish her. If you hurt Lady Qingyan, I don’t know how heartbroken you would be,” Tang Zhao said, pointing to the dozen or so soldiers whose faces were filled with despair. “As soldiers, you should care for the people, but these few are doing the opposite. If you can’t manage them, your elder sister can take over.”

"I dare not trouble you, elder sister. Once father arrives, I will immediately inform him and avenge you."

"Father's here too? How lively!" Tang Zhao squinted. "Husband, how far is it from here to the camp?"

"Less than fifty li."

"Then let's hurry on our way. I'll go first," Tang Zhao said with a smile. "See you at the military camp, brother!"

Tang Shi bowed his head and said, "Respectfully seeing off my elder sister!"

The Southwest Army soldiers shouted in unison, "Respectfully seeing off Miss!" Gu Ci turned her horse around and headed towards the military camp.

Tang Shi turned his head, and the cavalry behind him stepped forward, lifted his comrade who was bound like a dumpling onto the back of a horse, and rode after him.

Wu Yi tied the horse to the carriage and personally drove the carriage to take Tao Hua and her family of three to the city for resettlement.

In the Northeast military camp, Tang Zhao, who had finally escaped Gu Ci's cloak, sat in the room breathing in the fresh air.

"Where is the white tiger skin cloak I gave you?"

“It was lent to Peach Blossom’s mother.”

Peach Blossom's mother? Who is that? Gu Ci asked, puzzled, "You left the army just to save Peach Blossom's family?"

"How could that be? I don't know anyone there, it's just a coincidence," Tang Zhao said quietly. "I was looking for a good place to get salt."

Salt? "There aren't many salt wells in Jizhou."

“Who says you have to dig for salt in a salt well?” Tang Zhao pushed open the window and looked at the boundless sea in the distance. “There’s even more salt in here.”

Gu Ci's eyes lit up. "Seawater salt production?"

Tang Zhao praised, "Not bad, you even know that."

Gu Ci worriedly said, "People living by the sea used to extract seawater and dry it to make salt, but that sea salt was not only bitter, but also contained toxins. After eating it for a period of time, the people living by the sea experienced health problems, and since then, no one has dared to eat sea salt."

"That's because they didn't purify it properly!" Tang Zhao raised her chin. "I will naturally reduce impurities and other chemical elements to the minimum, purifying it into edible sea salt. By then..."

"By then, the people of Dayu will be able to afford salt," Gu Ci said excitedly, spinning Tang Zhao around several times in his arms.

"I'm dizzy!" Tang Zhao shouted, hugging Gu Ci's neck tightly.

Gu Ci quickly put the person down.

"Don't be too happy yet. My first step has been ruined before I even started," Tang Zhao said unhappily. "Why would that damned Duke of Wei come out of nowhere?"

"The Crown Prince refused to provide the city guards and imperial guards, and instead sent out the Southwest Army, which had just returned from battle," Gu Ci said, his face turning cold as he mentioned the matter. "According to military regulations, when more than 20,000 troops are mobilized, the general in charge must accompany them. I took 10,000 soldiers with me, and the Crown Prince sent the Duke of Wei to lead the remaining 10,000."

Gu Ci glanced out the window. "It's also to keep Uncle An in check."

Tang Zhao didn't answer, "They're all nephews, why doesn't Prince An support the Crown Prince?"

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that, in terms of etiquette and power, the Crown Prince has a far greater chance of winning than the King of Wei.

Gu Ci said in a low voice, "The mother of the Prince of Wei is the beloved of the Prince of An. The two are cousins."

Tang Zhao:. . . .

"In other words, Prince An is not only Prince Wei's uncle, but also his maternal uncle, and even more so, his stepfather who is waiting to take the throne!"

Gu Ci: ...

"Don't talk nonsense!" Gu Ci looked around. "This is, after all, Uncle An's territory. We must be careful with our words and actions."

"Oh!"

“Be serious. Uncle An has a bad temper. When he gets angry, he won’t even give His Majesty any face.”

Tang Zhao pursed his lips. Of course he wouldn't give face to someone who had stolen his beloved.

Besides, "Even if I anger Prince An, with the Duke of Wei backing me up, what do I have to fear?"

Gu Ci was silent.

"Hehe, it's so good to have a father, I love my father!" Tang Zhao asked, "When will Father arrive?"

Gu Ci analyzed, "In the Tang Dynasty, if someone was sent to scout ahead, according to the rules, it should have taken no more than two days for the Duke of Wei to arrive."