The distant Jiangbei region is not as warm as the Jiangnan region.
The wild grass had just clothed the hillside in green, and the trees had also sprouted branches that swayed in the wind.
In previous years, hardworking farmers would already be busy in the fields, sowing the seeds of a year's hope.
However, due to the barbarians' ten-year occupation, almost every inch of land north of the Yangtze River was stained with blood and lost its vitality.
This land has witnessed too much suffering.
There were innocent civilians who were slow to flee during the war and had their heads chopped off by barbarian swords.
There were also women and children who were lucky enough to survive, but were wantonly abused and tortured to death by the barbarians.
The Northern Expeditionary Army roared angrily, displaying their unyielding pride.
Of course, the most numerous were the severed limbs, blood, and resentment of the barbarians!
Blood debts must be repaid with blood!
Eight hundred li away from the original border, the Northern Expeditionary Army built a camp and held it.
As night fell, torches were everywhere, crackling and illuminating the entire camp as if it were daytime.
Soldiers washed the warhorses, fed them hay and fodder, and took meticulous care of them.
Some soldiers also carried water to wash pots, chopped firewood, and started fires.
Thanks to the high grain yield, Tianwu has been able to recuperate and thrive for many years, not only solving the problem of food and clothing for the people, but also greatly improving the food for the army.
Add water to a large iron pot, boil the finely chopped corn grits until half-cooked, then add half a basin of white rice, a large basin of potato chunks, a large basin of cabbage, and finally sprinkle in a handful of fine salt. That's a complete dinner with both rice and vegetables.
Each soldier was given a large bowl, and they ate and chatted around the campfire, creating a lively atmosphere.
If it weren't for the cool breeze and the occasional howling of wolves in the distance, one might easily mistake this for a joyful gathering with family in the courtyard of one's home.
The mention of wolves in the distance slightly diminished everyone's appetite.
The barbarians were fierce, but ultimately not as numerous as the Tianwu people, and they couldn't create smoke rising from chimneys everywhere.
As a result, the tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves that had retreated to the mountains due to human wars gradually came down from the mountains.
Wolf packs, in particular, work together seamlessly, and their numbers have grown ever larger, gradually becoming a menace to the Jiangbei region.
Every time the war resumes, the corpses that were not buried in time, or those that were buried too shallowly, will be dug up and feasted on.
If this continues, these wolves will no longer be wolves.
At night, their eyes glow green, and with their robust bodies and chilling white teeth, they resemble demons from hell.
Compared to barbarians, the Northern Expeditionary Army would rather not encounter such a pack of vicious wolves.
The curtain of the central command tent was drawn back. Li Laosi, holding a bowl of porridge, squatted by the door, slurping his food while listening to the distant howls of wolves, his brows furrowed.
After finishing his documents, the marquis in the tent also brought out a bowl of porridge.
Ye Shan picked up a peeled salted duck egg and put it into the Marquis's bowl.
Before the Marquis could speak, Ye Shan had already slipped away.
When Li Laosi turned around and saw this, he smiled and said, "My lord, please eat. This was specially brought for us by Fu Niu'er. I've already eaten one."
The Marquis then said nothing and drank the porridge with the oily salted duck egg.
A group of soldiers walked past the tent entrance, and seeing this, they all saluted, then stood tall and continued their patrol.
Most of them were veterans. Although they knew long ago that the marquises and generals ate and slept the same as everyone else and never received special treatment, they still couldn't help but get excited every time they saw them.
The Marquis is such a noble and precious person, yet he is willing to drink vegetable porridge like them!
With the entire army sharing weal and woe, how can we not be victorious in the Northern Expedition!
After finishing his porridge in a few bites, the Marquis summoned his personal guards and generals to discuss the troop deployment arrangements for the next few days.
Before he could even speak, the sound of horses' hooves rang out, and an official document from the new capital arrived by express courier.
The Marquis unfolded it and his expression changed upon seeing it.
Li Laosi was getting impatient. There were no outsiders in the tents to his left and right, so he snatched the official document and got angry after reading it in a few glances.
"What's wrong with Dayong? How could he let someone destroy the military rations right in front of him!"
Lord Hou frowned, pondered for a while, and replied, "It's normal that Li Yong couldn't defend against a well-intentioned attack. Besides, who could have imagined that someone would sabotage the ships and sink the grain? All the defenses were on the road; no one expected something to happen right at our doorstep."
Li Laosi knew all this, but he couldn't help being impatient.
"Should I ride back quickly to urge the army to provide supplies?"
The Marquis shook his head, "There's no need for now. We were worried that the battle lines would be stretched too thin and supply problems would arise. The rear camp has been distributing supplies at 70% of the allotted amount."
"The remaining grain reserves are estimated to last for another twenty days or so, so there is no immediate worry about running out of food. However, this news should not be leaked out, as it could easily demoralize the troops."
Li Laosi circled around twice before finally asking, "My lord, the emperor only said to have grain redistributed from various places, which will take half a month. It will take at least another month to transport it over."
"There's a difference of more than ten days; His Majesty surely can't miscalculate that, but this arrangement..."
The Marquis shook his head slightly, then looked at the distant night sky and replied after a long while, "A general in the field may not obey orders. Similarly, since we are not in the new capital, it is difficult to guess the specifics."
"Don't worry, I've left some people behind, and news will also come from home. You'll find out then!"
At this moment, Jiang Cheng and the other generals heard the urgent message and gathered around.
Lord Hou and Li Laosi tacitly avoided mentioning what they had just discussed, only saying that there was a delay in the supply of military provisions and that everyone should keep it a secret.
The daily food ration for logistics will be reduced by another 10%.
Everyone looked grim. They had risked their lives, bleeding and sacrificing themselves, fighting desperately on the front lines, asking for no support from their families. Yet, even delivering grain had gone wrong; they were utterly useless.
Moreover, such a large-scale undertaking as sinking ships and grain scuttling is definitely not something an ordinary person could arrange.
The Northern Expeditionary Army was besieged on all sides, facing both fierce barbarians in front and this unknown enemy behind.
Nobody can be happy about this!
With their hearts full of worries, the generals dispersed.
In the following days, although training, scouting, and fierce fighting with the barbarians continued as usual, the soldiers were unaware of the inside story. But no one was a fool; they could all sense that something was amiss.
Four days later, the Marquis's mansion sent a message.
Li Laosi was so concerned about this matter that he had been living and eating in the small tent next to the main tent for the past few days.
He wasn't worried about the Northern Expeditionary Army going hungry; after all, they had weapons. At worst, they could fight the barbarians to the death, take a risk, and steal their cattle and sheep.
What he was more worried about was that his family would get anxious because of this and fall into the trap set by the person behind the scenes.
Compared to Jiangbei, Xindu is actually more dangerous.
The area is filled with powerful families and numerous civil and military officials, each with their own cunning and scheming nature.
Even if the second brother is shrewd and tactful, Mr. Wen is steady and reliable, and there are the Liu and Jia families to help, no one can say for sure that they won't suffer losses.
Fortunately, his family did not disappoint him once again!
"Great, great!" Old Li Si clutched the letter, pacing around on the ground, wishing he could jump up and down to express his joy.
"Second Brother and Mr. Wen are truly amazing; they actually came up with such a brilliant idea. It's only a four-day delay, which is absolutely no problem for us."
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