"When does the immortal plan to set off for the northern frontier?" Kurituo asked.

"Once those five hundred carts of grain arrive safely at the camp, with this grain, the camp can probably hold out for ten days."

"Within ten days, I will surely be able to transport General Iron back. At that time, Hanyu Pass will cease to exist."

Meanwhile, at Hanyu Pass, Yue Heng arrived at the council hall and reported to Li Guang about burning the barbarian soldiers' provisions.

The generals in the council hall were also very happy. Li Guang was a brilliant strategist, and at this rate, it wouldn't be long before they could drive the barbarian troops out of the country.

"Marshal, the enemy's supplies have been burned. Will they withdraw immediately?" someone asked.

"Definitely not. Even if their supplies are burned, the remaining food in the barbarian camp can last for three or four days without any problem. Kuli Tuo will use these days to continue to raise military supplies."

The officers could also put themselves in Kurit's shoes. If you were Kurit, and your supplies were burned, where would you get more supplies from?

Everyone was taken aback; they hadn't expected Li Guang to suddenly ask this question, so they began to think about it.

After thinking for a while, Yue Heng said, "Since the granaries in the northern frontier have been destroyed, there is no grain to transfer. The only solution is to transfer grain from Wuling."

The grain reserves in Wuling were already limited. After a thousand cartloads of grain were transferred away, there was not much grain left. It was necessary to transport grain from various places to Wuling for centralized collection and supply to the barbarian camp.

But that would take time, and the barbarian soldiers would only be able to eat one meal a day. Besides that, I really can't think of anywhere else to get supplies.

Li Guang nodded and said:

"General Yue's analysis is reasonable, but we don't know the specific situation in the barbarian camp. Kuli Tuo may have his own way."

"Alright, I'll go check on Ge Kaishan and find out what's going on from him."

Thanks to Li Guang's favor, Ge Kaishan was not imprisoned, but instead kept in a room with guards outside.

Li Guang pushed open the door and entered, seeing Ge Kaishan lying in bed recuperating from his injuries, and said:

"General Ge, how are your injuries? Are you feeling any better?"

Upon seeing that it was Li Guang who had entered, Ge Kaishan immediately stood up.

"Thank you for your concern, Marshal. My injuries are much better." At this moment, Ge Kaishan was no longer the hostile person he was yesterday.

"That's good. The conditions at Hanyu Pass are harsh, so please bear with us, General Ge."

"Marshal, you are too kind. I am just a prisoner. I am already extremely grateful for the care I have received from you."

"Marshal, is there anything else you have to discuss besides checking on Ge's injuries?"

"It's nothing much. I just wanted to tell General Ge that last night at the fourth watch, our army burned all the grain carts that were being transported to the enemy camp," Li Guang said calmly.

"Ah!" Ge Kaishan was shocked; his worst fears had come true.

Yesterday, Ge Kaishan talked with Li Guang and found that Li Guang was basically familiar with the affairs of the barbarian camp.

He was very worried that Li Guang would arrange for people to seize the grain supplies. Once the grain supplies were seized, the enemy troops would be put at a disadvantage.

I never imagined my worries would come true; the battles below aren't going to be fought much.

Li Guang had been watching Ge Kaishan's expression closely and saw that, apart from regret, he wasn't particularly shocked.

After a long while, Ge Kaishan finally spoke slowly:

"Fifteen hundred carts of grain and fodder were reduced to ashes. You should know that the people of the foreign country are suffering from hunger and cold and are living in misery. Why did you still launch this war?"

Ge Kaishan's words startled Li Guang. This time, the barbarian troops had allocated 1,500 carts of grain, but Yue Heng had only burned 1,000 carts. What was the matter with the remaining 500 carts of grain?

After thinking for a moment, Li Guang basically understood what was going on.

This time, the barbarian troops were supposed to transfer 1,500 carts of grain from Wuling, but Wuling couldn't gather that much grain at once, so they had to transfer it in two batches.

The first batch of 1,000 carts of grain had already been burned by Yue Heng. The second batch of 500 carts of grain should still be behind, but Yue Heng didn't know that. The last 500 carts of grain escaped the disaster.

Should we send another force to burn the remaining 500 carts of grain as well?

It seems it's too late. Kulito must know that the grain supplies have been burned. There are still 500 carts of grain left, which are his lifeline. He will definitely send a large number of men to escort them. I have no chance anymore.

However, it doesn't matter much. Even if Kurit gets these 500 carts of food, it will only help him hold out for a few more days.

Fortunately, Hanyu Pass had sufficient food supplies, so he was not afraid to continue fighting against the barbarian troops.

After a long pause, Ge Kaishan spoke again: "If this war ends and the foreign country is defeated, what are the Marshal's plans?"

"When the war ends, I will return to Narcissus Village and continue farming. The crops I grow are very good, with high yields, and the farmers like them very much."

These crops have already been promoted to various regions, and once they are widely adopted, famine will no longer occur in the countryside.

However, the war of aggression launched by your vassal state in alliance with the Jin and Luo states has caused great suffering to the people in the Central Plains, and has severely impacted the promotion of several crops.

Crops could not be grown, and the people had no way to make a living, so they had no choice but to go out and fight. Only when the borders were stable could the country be stable and the people live and work in peace.

I hope your vassal state will cease waging wars abroad, and instead focus on caring for your own people, understanding their hardships, and striving for peaceful coexistence between our two nations, bringing more benefits to our people.”

Li Guang's words made Ge Kaishan feel ashamed. Even though he was a general on the battlefield, he still hoped to live a peaceful life instead of fighting and killing all day long.

"Of course, if our army is defeated this time and the border is lost, the war will continue."

The foreign kingdoms will continue to invade the Central Plains, and the soldiers and civilians in the Central Plains will not stop fighting against the invaders. The people of both countries will continue to suffer the disasters brought about by the war.

The future of relations between our two countries depends entirely on you, our vassal state. Since you have chosen war, we have no other choice.

After Li Guang finished speaking, he looked at Ge Kaishan to see how he would respond.

Li Guang's heartfelt words deeply moved Ge Kaishan, and after a long while, he finally spoke:

"If I can leave here alive, regardless of who wins or loses, I will retire from the military and return to farming, just like the marshal."

Li Guang nodded. It seemed that Ge Kaishan also abhorred war and preferred a peaceful life.

They talked about many topics, and when Li Guang thought that was enough, he prepared to leave, but Ge Kaishan stopped him.

"Marshal, please wait a moment. I have something else to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

Li Guang stopped and turned around, saying:

"General Ge, please speak freely, there's no need to be so polite."

Ge Kaishan looked at Li Guang, hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered up his courage to speak:

"Does the Marshal know that Jia Feng is in the north, manufacturing iron generals to deal with you?"