Chapter 118 Killing Intent
In front of thousands of people, Lin Changning lifted the stone roller on the side of the drill ground with one hand, causing gasps of surprise from the guards. Zhang Bo looked at Lin Changning thoughtfully, and Lin Changning smiled back: "Commander, I accept the punishment. Can the brothers go and eat and rest first? Everyone is tired after a long day."
Zhang Bo's face turned slightly pale. He waved his sleeve and shouted, "Disperse! We'll continue the drills the day after tomorrow. I'll personally inspect them!" After saying that, he turned and left the drill ground.
As soon as the order was given, Qi Rong and Lao Ma surrounded Zhang Bo. Lao Zhou, watching Zhang Bo leave, gritted his teeth and spat, "Pah! You filthy thing!"
Old Ma looked at Lin Changning with worry in his eyes: "Can you hold on all night? Kid, if you really can't hold on, put him down. After everyone leaves, a few of us will keep watch tonight so you can put him down."
Qi Rong nodded: "I will arrange for someone to be on duty tonight, and they can come and pick me up in the morning."
Lin Changning laughed heartlessly: "Alright, alright, don't worry about it. I didn't use much strength. I'll switch hands when I get tired. It's fine."
Qi Rong felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't bear to see his men suffer because of him. As more and more soldiers gathered around to show concern for Lin Changning, he turned to look at the place where Zhang Bo had left, his murderous intent almost impossible to conceal.
One day, I'll chop that guy surnamed Zhang into eight pieces and feed him to the dogs!
Three days later—
The new commander acted as if he were seriously ill, practicing the drill twice in just three days. Normally, they only conduct drills once every five days, but this new commander practiced twice in just three days. The key point is that each drill lasted all day, without even giving them a bite to eat. After the drills, these people were so tired that they could barely speak.
Their commanders were also put through a lot of hardship. They trained from morning till night, and Commander Lin was even punished by having to stand all night holding a stone roller weighing several hundred pounds. The next morning, when they patrolled the border, they were walking unsteadily.
On the third day, the group finally made it through the training exercise. Qi Rong frowned and dismissed the group, while he led Lin Changning and the other three commanders to the outside of the tent.
It has to be said that Zhang Bo is a strange one. When he arrived, he insisted on having them do a big drill together. After the drill, he said a few perfunctory words and left on his own. He seemed to want to take control of military affairs, but when it came to doing things, he had no sense of procedure whatsoever.
Qi Rong and his companions reported their arrival and entered the tent. Inside, a small partition had been set up, presumably because the maid hadn't left yet and it wasn't convenient for anyone to come looking for her, so a curtain had been used to separate them.
Zhang Bo got off the bed, lifted the curtain, walked outside, sat in the main seat, and poured himself a cup of tea: "What is it?"
Qi Rong cupped his hands in greeting: "Commander, we are running out of food. We can only hold out for another half a month at most. Even feeding the soldiers will be a problem."
Zhang Bo snorted coldly: "It was nothing serious for me at the time. If we didn't have enough to eat, we would just cook the porridge until it was very thin. Two meals would be enough for one. The imperial army has already set off to attack the rebel Prince Sheng, and there is no extra food at the moment."
Qi Rong's temples throbbed with veins: "When I submitted my memorial, the Ministry of Revenue clearly stated that the grain supplies would arrive in Daxing with the new commander!"
Zhang Bo shrugged, his small eyes narrowing as he did so: "The Ministry of Revenue said you should contact them. When I arrived, they hadn't taken over the grain transport business."
Lin Changning, bowing slightly and ignoring Zhang Bo's advice, said, "Commander, Daxing is a crucial border location. Regardless of the army's situation, the rebel faction led by Prince Sheng is likely to besiege Daxing. If you don't want to bear the blame yourself, you'd better write to inquire about the food supplies. After all, if I were Prince Sheng's man, I would definitely take Daxing before the army sets off. If the soldiers suffer from hunger and their fighting strength is weakened, not to mention losing the city, even a few defeats could cause you..."
Lin Changning didn't want to be so explicit, but since the new commander was clearly not very bright, he had no choice but to point out the key points and tell Zhang Bo about their previous guesses.
Zhang Bo scrutinized Lin Changning, then glanced at the other expressionless men and pondered, "Commander Lin, is that what you mean?"
Lin Changning respectfully pointed to Daxing on the sand table: "Daxing is located at the pass. Prince Sheng will definitely try to take over the city of Daxing. Before you came, Daxing's record on the border was among the best, but after you came..."
Lin Changning paused for a moment: "If the soldiers are not well-fed, their fighting strength will inevitably be weakened. If they don't suffer defeats, that's fine, but if they do suffer defeats, what do you think those people in the court will think?"
After careful consideration, Zhang Bo realized that Lin Changning's words made sense. Before he came, Daxing was a powerful ruler who was well-known in the army. He had just arrived when he encountered this incident. If the Prince of Sheng really besieged Daxing, it would be fine if he didn't suffer a defeat. But if he did suffer a defeat, wouldn't it make him, the newly arrived commander, look incompetent?
Having figured it out, Zhang Bo became serious, hesitated for a moment, looked at Qi Rong, and then looked at the others: "In your opinion, what should this commander do?"
Seeing that Zhang Bo had begun to think, Lin Changning did not want to say more. Qi Rong interjected, "Sir, you should submit a memorial to the emperor and urge that the grain be replenished in time before it is exhausted."
Zhang Bo was in a bit of a predicament. The lack of provisions at the border was His Majesty's decree, and he hadn't received any orders to transport provisions before he came. However, he wasn't really indifferent. He asked around a bit when he arrived and found out that the provisions from Daxing were included in the army's provisions. The army would arrive by next month at the latest, but they would have to hold out until this month.
"How long can the army's rations last at the latest?"
Old Ma and Old Zhou looked at each other, and Old Zhou spoke first: "Reporting to the commander, it should be empty by the end of the month at the latest."
After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Bo said, "I understand. I will submit a memorial in the next few days to have the grain brought back as soon as possible. I will also instruct the cooks to reduce the amount of millet served in the daily meals by half. This way, the grain will last for another half month, enough to last until the grain arrives."
Lin Changning was about to persuade him again, but Old Zhang pulled him back and gently shook his head. When he looked up, he saw that Zhang Bo looked displeased, clearly unhappy with them.
After wisely keeping quiet, the five men left the tent together. Old Ma was so angry that his liver hurt. Once they reached the outside of the garrison, he cursed and said, "Tell me, tell me, how come this new commander is like a blockhead? Can you even speak like a human being? Make the food thinner, and it'll last until next month. Does that sound like something a commander would say?"
Old Zhang was also speechless: "Sigh, forget it, Old Ma. At least we know when the supplies will arrive. Everyone will be hungry for at most half a month before the supplies arrive. Besides, we still have some sheep. We can just secretly give everyone a little extra food without telling him."
Lin Changning frowned and remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. Qi Rong, noticing Lin Changning's furrowed brows, asked, "What's wrong, Liu Lang?"
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