NOVPUBThese soldiers thought their voices were very low.
But in reality, Chen Sansi heard everything loud and clear.
"I, I heard that our food is going to run out soon."
"How did you know that?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. The chief accountant of the granary placed the grain outside to make it look plentiful, but in reality, there is hardly any left."
"Grain is a minor issue; the situation with the Three Prefectures is grave! You might not know it yet, but the Three Prefectures have rebelled, and now, they have us completely trapped at Guan Du!"
"Is that true?"
"Absolutely true!"
"..."
Although Chen Sansi had ordered that the recent news not be revealed to the soldiers.
Eventually, the truth would come out, as no secret could be contained forever.
The situation was becoming increasingly pessimistic.
Back at the Central Army Tent.
Chen Sansi saw Wang Jun waiting there, and as he sat down at the commander's seat, he asked, "What about the Three Prefectures?"
"Their betrayal is firm, especially the defender."
Wang Jun slightly shook his head. "Even offering them more than what Luoye Valley did did not sway them."
"That's normal."
Chu Shixiong said, "They are well aware that regardless of the circumstances, those who rebel and then surrender never meet good ends."
Wang Jun continued, "Prince Zhen Nan also dispatched some troops to attack, but essentially, it's ineffective, and it's nearly impossible to conquer them before the grains run out.
"Rather than relying on this.
"Lately, a few people within the West Qi Army have expressed intentions of defection; here are the lists and their correspondences. You can look at them."
Chen Sansi took the secret letters and reviewed each one.
"There is a cultivator from Luoye Valley, Yan Yingli, who is in a similar situation to Ma Zhen. For the prosperity of his clan, he's willing to act as our internal support; our Shengyun Sect can meet his conditions. However, his status is not high; responsible for coordinating with the cavalry patrols, he essentially cannot provide us with crucial intelligence.
"There are also a few assistant generals, most of whom have children with Spirit Roots, but with mediocre qualifications who were not admitted to Luoye Valley; hence, they hope to join the Shengyun Sect.
"Some are involved in internal strife, uncertain about their future, and wish to seek a new path.
"Most notably, there's a strategist named 'Liao Fang.'"
"I know of this man."
Chu Shixiong took over the conversation, saying, "This 'Liao Fang' is also quite a figure in West Qi, known as an exceptional strategist, famously called the 'White Robed Strategist.'
"Yet over the years... this title has come into your possession.
"He even once boasted that he would capture you personally."
"Oh?"
Chen Sansi asked with interest, "Then why is he exchanging letters with us?"
"Because of Han Xiang."
Wang Jun explained, "Originally, Zhong Wuxin and Liao Fang were in joint command of the battle. When the 'Military Immortal' Han Xiang arrived, he not only took over command but also relegated him to oversee the grain supplies in the rear."
Grain.
It is the key to this war!
Not only is the Great Sheng Dynasty about to run out of grain, but the West Qi are also facing a shortage of supplies!
Currently, the autumn harvest was just recently over, so it was still possible to forcibly confiscate more grain.
But Chen Sansi was certain that it definitely would also be the last batch.
If a way could be found to destroy this batch of grain, the collapse of West Qi would only happen faster than that of Great Sheng.
"Is it possible to find it?"
Chen Sansi asked while looking at the map,
"You said last time that they are most likely to store the grain in one of Wu City, Yunju Prefecture, or Lu Mansion, and indeed it is so."
Wang Jun detailed, "During this period, I have been sending Daoists at great risk of being surrounded and killed to scout, coupled with ground scouts, we can confirm that West Qi has indeed been transporting large quantities of grain to these places in recent days."
"At the same time?"
Tong Xiaochu, who had entered midway and listened for a while, finally spoke up, "It seems Han Xiang is not planning to put all his eggs in one basket..."
"No."
Chen Sansi definitively said, "More than ninety percent of the grain is within one of the three cities; it's not possible that it's spread out. You all check the terrain again."
"Indeed."
Tong Xiaochu rubbed his chin, muttering, "These three cities and their grain paths are quite distant. Dividing the storage would only lead to greater losses; they couldn't afford to be so wasteful."
Grain, even cultivators couldn't do much about it.
Cultivators have storage bags, true, but the space within those bags is not unlimited. Compared to the mountains-like daily consumption of an army of several hundred thousand, their effect is miniscule.
"Does the Supervisor mean" Chu Shixiong said:
"That Han Xiang is setting up a feint? Deliberately confusing us?
"If that's really the case,
"To figure out where the grain is,
"I'm afraid...
"We can only hope for that Liao Fang."
"What did Wang Jun, the Immortal Master, say?"
"The man is extremely greedy, asking for much."
Wang Jun snorted, "First, he wants earthly honors and titles, and after discovering he has a Mid-grade Spirit Root, he also demands a wealth of cultivation resources, not considering his age at all, as it's already too late for him."
"This person is no good."
Tong Xiaochu also added, "Not to mention his greed, but he is also extremely lecherous, particularly fond of abducting peasant women, a favorite activity of his, and his combat skills are the only reason he holds a high position." 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
"Write to him then."
Chen Sansi said, "This matter is critical; it isn't the time to consider personal character. Forget it, I'll write it personally."
...
West Qi Army.
"Slam—"
A drunken Liao Fang heavily smashed the wine bowl down.
"Sir, perhaps you should drink less."
A deputy general suggested.
"I, the distinguished White Robed, why should I be reduced to managing grain for that Han Xiang? Why?!"
Liao Fang felt suffocated: "I have battled north and south for so many years, won countless victories, big and small. How am I inferior to someone surnamed Han, just because he calls himself 'Military Immortal'? I, I am the Ancestor of Soldiers; I am his forefather!"
