I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 287 Bureau
In April of the third year of the Pingyuan era, the Turkic army attacked the northeast, killing three defending generals in just ten days and nearly capturing Shanhaiguan several times.

The people of various towns in the Northeast fled overnight, and the north was thrown into chaos.

The memorial from the prefect of Jizhou requesting assistance was sent to Luoyang by express courier, covering 800 li. Emperor Pingyuan was shocked and furious upon reading it and immediately summoned his court officials to the palace to discuss the matter.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said urgently, "Your Majesty, the northeast is only a thousand miles away from Luoyang. Once Jizhou is captured, the Turkic cavalry can reach Luoyang in an instant, and the disaster of national destruction is imminent!"

"I believe that troops should be immediately dispatched to the northeast to resist the Turkic cavalry, and we must stop the Turks outside Shanhaiguan."

All the court officials seconded the motion.

Emperor Pingyuan sighed, "How could I not know? It's just that there are no capable generals in the court."

The Minister of Justice suggested, "I believe that we should temporarily transfer General of the Cavalry and Prince of Jiayu to the northeast to defend against the Turks."

Grand Secretary Li disagreed, "If the General of Chariots and Cavalry goes to the Northeast, who will guard the Northwest?"

"The Northwest Army has many generals. Even without the General of the Flying Cavalry, there are other generals," the Minister of Justice insisted. "Moreover, the Northwest Army and the General of the Flying Cavalry have rich experience in fighting the Turks. I believe that with the General of the Flying Cavalry's abilities, they will definitely be able to stop the Turkic cavalry outside Shanhaiguan!"

Grand Secretary Li wanted to stop him, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Prince Xuan was still suppressing a rebellion in the southwest, and there were no generals available in the court. Mobilizing the Northwest Army was truly the only solution.

Even if the Northwest is captured by the Turks as a result, as long as Luoyang is not lost, the Northwest will surely be recaptured after King Xuan quells the rebellion.

For the sake of the greater Chongqing region, we have no choice but to apologize to the people of the Northwest.

Wuwei Prefecture, the garrison of the Northwest Army.

Gu Ci, who had been closely monitoring the situation in the Northeast, immediately prepared his troops after receiving news of the Turkic attack on Shanhaiguan, ready to march into the Northeast as soon as the imperial court issued its order.

Half a month later, Emperor Pingyuan sent an imperial edict to the Northwest, ordering Gu Ci to lead the Northwest Army to the Northeast to resist the Turks.

One hundred thousand Northwest Army soldiers are ready to go.

“I will be gone for at least six months, or at most two years. I entrust all matters in the Northwest to you.”

Gu Ci hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but hug Tang Zhao tightly. He took several deep breaths to suppress his reluctance. "While I'm away, you must eat well and sleep well. Don't lose weight or overwork yourself. Have Bai Ying send me a letter every month to let me know that you are doing well."

Ignoring the seemingly casual glances from the Northwest Army soldiers, Tang Zhao reached out and hugged Gu Ci back, laughing, "Once a month, Bai Ying is going to be exhausted."

Gu Ci rarely indulged in such a whim, so he decided to "let it lose weight."

Since following Tang Zhao, the gyrfalcon has been eating and sleeping well, and has gained twice its original weight, showing how comfortable its life is.

"Alright, whatever you say," Tang Zhao said indulgently. "Swords have no eyes on the battlefield, so please take good care of yourself."

Tang Zhao whispered in Gu Ci's ear, "I've filled the last ten carriages with explosives for you. Watch them carefully and keep them away from any open flames."

Gu Ci was surprised, "Explosives? You mean the weapon you described, like a thunderbolt?"

"Yes," Tang Zhao cautioned, "The explosives will make a loud noise when they detonate, so be careful not to startle the horses."

Gu Ci nodded, "I understand."

"Alright, let's go," Tang Zhao said, breaking free from Gu Ci's embrace. "The soldiers are all waiting."

Gu Ci lowered his head and gave Tang Zhao a gentle, devout kiss on the forehead, then mounted his horse and led the Northwest Army in a grand procession toward the northeast.

After the last Northwest Army soldier disappeared from sight, Wu Yi'er said, "Miss, let's go back."

"Okay," Tang Zhao replied, but didn't move his feet.

Wu Yi'er wished he could go to the Northeast in place of his son-in-law. Just as Wu Yi'er was racking his brains trying to figure out how to persuade the girl, Tang Zhao suddenly spoke up, "How is Song Qinglan?"

Wu Yier didn't react for a moment.

Tang Zhao frowned and turned around.

"Miss, weren't you thinking about your son-in-law?" Wu Yi'er was confused. How did the topic suddenly turn to Song Qinglan?
"Gu Ci just left, what am I thinking?" Tang Zhao teased. "I didn't expect that a big, burly man like you would have more romantic thoughts in your head than a young lady from a secluded family."

Wu Yier felt extremely wronged, but he still hurriedly told her all the information he had gathered: "Since being sent to the Buddhist temple to practice, Song Qinglan has been much more well-behaved and has not had any contact with the outside world."

As Tang Zhao walked back, he continued to ask, "Have you found out the identity of the person she gave the things to before?"

"Wu Shisan followed behind Song Qinglan's personal nanny. According to Wu Shisan, the nanny put the things in a small courtyard in the west of Luoyang City, where only two deaf-mute servants were guarding it."

"Wu Shisan waited outside for more than half a month before he saw a middle-aged man go into the courtyard, stay for a quarter of an hour, and then leave."

Tang Zhao listened attentively.

"That middle-aged man was skilled in martial arts. Wu Shisan didn't dare to follow him too closely, but he was certain that the middle-aged man eventually went to a famous brothel in Luoyang."

"Our people finally found out that the brothel was bought by Emperor Pingyuan in his early years to be used for transmitting messages."

The fact that the emperor of a nation would open a brothel was quite an eye-opener for Tang Zhao.

“Song Qinglan is quite a character; she can not only get involved with Tang Zheng, but also with Emperor Pingyuan.”

“Back when Song Qinglan was delivering the message, my father hadn’t betrayed us yet,” Tang Zhao sneered. “It seems that in Song Qinglan’s eyes, Tang Zheng was nothing more than a pawn.”

Wu Yi'er was very pleased.

Their young lady is such a beautiful and virtuous woman, yet Tang Zheng, who married her, was still not satisfied and even had affairs with other women. He deserved to be taken advantage of.

"Tell me, what would my dear father do if he knew this?"

Wu Yier frowned, "But now that Tang Zheng has betrayed us, even if we knew, what could we possibly do?"

Treason? Tang Zhao had always been suspicious. Tang Zheng and Emperor Pingyuan were in cahoots when they colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country in the thirtieth year of the Kangzhi reign.

Tang Zheng was suspected of treason and discredited because of the stories she wrote, and was forced to flee to the southwest to protect himself and even establish himself as king.

If she were Tang Zheng, whether to make her actions seem more legitimate or to incite anger and questioning of Emperor Pingyuan among the people and officials, she would have revealed Emperor Pingyuan's treasonous acts.

But Tang Zheng did not.

They simply stayed obediently in the southwest, waiting for Emperor Pingyuan to send Prince Xuan to attack them.

If Tang Zheng wasn't out of his mind, there's only one explanation.

This was a scheme devised by Tang Zheng and Emperor Pingyuan to divert Prince Xuan's attention.

After Gu Ci led his troops away from the Northwest today, Tang Zhao became even more determined to make this decision.

"Whether it's true or false, we'll find out by trying," Tang Zhao instructed. "Find a way to tell Tang Zheng about Song Qinglan's secret contact with Emperor Pingyuan. Also, ask Father to end the war in the southwest as soon as possible."

Tang Zheng looked towards the Turkic direction. "I have a feeling that things are about to get unstable in the northwest."

Wu Yi'er's expression hardened, and he hurriedly went down to make arrangements.