I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 216 Exchange
With Tang Zhao's vigorous promotion and efforts, Gu Ci led his soldiers to attack several mountains simultaneously. They cut down dozens of trees on one mountain and dozens of trees on another, while more soldiers searched for dry branches all over the mountains. Finally, they gathered enough firewood before the freezing rain arrived.

Prince An looked at the pile of firewood inside the house, which was taller than a person, and asked in bewilderment, "Why did you cut so much firewood?"

The next second, fate gave him the answer.

Amidst flashes of lightning and thunder, a sudden downpour began from the sky, which had been overcast all day. Hailstones the size of longan fruits and snowflakes as fine as goose feathers mingled in the rain, freezing into ice as soon as they hit the ground.

Tang Zhao stared in disbelief at the chaotic weather.

"System, what kind of weather is this?"

[Host, the climate in the era of Dayu is drastic and cannot be judged by common sense. According to modern meteorological science, this is a typical case of mixed precipitation weather.]

A strong wind blew by, and the bone-chilling cold penetrated the entire body of everyone present. Everyone retreated into the house, and Gu Ci quickly closed the door.

Anwang Station was closest to the entrance and got soaked by rain and snow, and was even hit on the head by two large hailstones.

“This firewood is well chopped,” Prince An said, rubbing his face. “The Turks don’t have enough firewood. I can’t wait to see how they will get through this kind of weather.”

Beyond the rolling mountains, after the cold wind had overturned dozens of tents, Ge Shuyong ordered his men to take shelter in the surrounding houses and close the doors and windows tightly.

The Turkic soldiers gathered firewood left by the people to get through the winter, lit it around a bonfire, and the flickering flames dispelled the bone-chilling cold.

"General, we're afraid we won't have enough firewood," the lieutenant reported. "In this weather, if we want to keep the fire burning day and night, the firewood will only last until the afternoon of the day after tomorrow."

Ge Shuyong sat in a chair looking at the map. "Don't rush, wait a bit. This kind of heavy rain is usually just a downpour and won't last long."

However, when the firewood ran out on the third day, the heavy rain and snow continued.

"General, what should we do? Hundreds of soldiers have already died from frostbite!"

Ge Shuyong clenched his fists. All the cabinets, tables, chairs, and other items in the house that could be used as firewood had already been burned. He couldn't very well dismantle the doors and windows; that would be tantamount to courting death.

The lieutenant knelt on one knee, "Your subordinate requests permission to go up the mountain to chop firewood!"

"In this weather, you dare to go up the mountain?" Ge Shuyong asked indifferently. "Outside, water freezes instantly, and the roads are already icy. Do I need to explain what the situation is like on the mountain?"

"But, but if we don't have firewood, the soldiers will freeze to death!"

"Let's use horse manure to hold them off for a while," Ge Shuyong said, looking towards Shanhaiguan, nestled among the mountains. "How many prisoners of the Great Yu do we have in our hands?"

The deputy general was a little confused. "Three or four thousand"? These were the people they had searched all over the forest to find.

"Send a message to Da Yu: one hundred catties of firewood in exchange for one person," Ge Shuyong squinted. "If they don't agree, then kill them all."

The deputy general accepted.

"Outrageous!" Prince An slammed his hand heavily on the table. "He's offering a hundred catties of firewood for one person? Why doesn't he just rob us? Giving them firewood to get through these few days, and then attacking Dayu? Dream on!"

Tang Zhao had never been so conflicted before: "What about the people who were abducted?"

Prince An rolled his eyes at her, the word "womanly compassion" swirling in his mind, but he didn't dare say it. "When the Japanese emperor led the Northeast Army to fight the enemy on the front lines, he ordered his soldiers to send a message to the people to evacuate urgently. If they didn't evacuate, who can he blame?"

That's what they said, "So we're just going to stand by and watch the Turks kill people? That wouldn't sound good if word got out, would it?"

It may not sound nice, but you have to let it go.

The fact that the Turks could resort to such a ruthless tactic shows that they were left with no other choice due to the freezing temperatures. If they were to run out of firewood, they would have no choice but to retreat. In that case, they would not only be able to protect the territory and people within Shanhaiguan Pass, but also reclaim the lost cities with minimal effort.

Tang Zhao remained silent, for the first time she truly understood the meaning of the word "choice." "Uncle An, you are mistaken. The Turks have no firewood, and they cannot even retreat back to their country. If I were Geshu Yong, in this desperate situation, it would be better to fight with all my might than to slink back home."

"If we lose, we will sacrifice ourselves for our country and gain lasting fame; if we win, the current crisis can be resolved."

Duke Wei nodded, "General of the Flying Cavalry is right."

"So you mean, give it to him?" Prince An retorted, his face contorted with rage. "In the end, when the two armies clash, even more people will die. It's truly a woman's compassion!"

“We can give it, but how much is not up to his brother Shuyong,” Gu Ci asked. “The amount of firewood we provide should be enough for Shuyong to return to the Turkic Khaganate, but not enough to make him insist on staying in Dayu.”

Prince An patiently said, "Then we should calculate this quantity carefully."

Prince An summoned the logistics clerk and ordered him to calculate the amount of firewood.

Tang Zhao was annoyed by the sound of the abacus and stood alone under the eaves to find some peace and quiet.

The rain lessened, and in its place came increasingly larger snowflakes. Tang Zhao reached out his hand, and the snowflakes that landed in his palm melted quickly.

"Be careful not to get your hands cold," Gu Ci carefully wiped the snow water off Tang Zhao's hands with his sleeve, and held Tang Zhao's cold hands in his palm. "Are you unhappy?"

“A little,” Tang Zhao sighed. “I never imagined that living people would be traded as objects.”

Although there are many news reports about scams involving "gayaozi" in northern Myanmar, they are all hearsay and cannot compare to the shock of seeing and hearing them with one's own eyes and ears.

"If you feel unwell, go back to your room and rest," Gu Ci said, his eyes full of pity. "I'm here, I'll take care of it."

"What if the Turks don't agree to reduce the amount of firewood? Or, as Prince An said, what if they have enough firewood to get through the winter, and then start fighting again in the spring?"

Tang Zhao couldn't even imagine it; wouldn't they be raising a tiger only to have it become their own enemy?

"Whether or not this can be used is not up to the Turks to decide," Gu Ci comforted him, "It all depends on Father."

Tang Zhao was puzzled.

“After we set off, Father King mobilized troops to attack the Turks. Judging from the latest battle reports, the Northwest Army has already captured Jiayuguan. If the Turks do not want to lose any more territory, Geshu Yong will inevitably be recalled to the capital.”

"So, Ge Shuyong's proposal to exchange people for firewood means he's already planning to withdraw his troops?"

"More or less, but how to arrange the cities that have already been occupied still needs to be negotiated between the two countries."

Seeing Tang Zhao's relaxed expression, Gu Ci also felt relieved.

"Then why does Prince An disagree?"

"The Northwest Military Report is top secret. I received the news in advance, but Uncle An is unaware of it."

This shows how important smooth information flow is!

Tang Zhao felt relieved and stopped worrying about these matters, returning to her room to continue pondering the matter of seawater salt production.

As expected, Gu Ci guessed Ge Shuyong's intentions correctly. The two argued for an hour and finally made a deal on the price of seventy catties of firewood per person.

Prince An looked at the wounded people of Dayu who had been released with a disdainful expression.

On the other side, Geshu Yong obtained enough firewood, left his deputy general and the soldiers guarding the city, and led 10,000 cavalrymen to the capital.