Before dawn, Song Yanqing led a group of Shadow Guards, silently opened the city gates, and left the border.
Everything Lu Qiqi gave him was of high quality. After distributing the dry rations to the Shadow Guards, he set off lightly on horseback to the Great Yu Kingdom.
This was his first time visiting the Great Yu Kingdom. As dawn broke, the Shadow Guard said, "Your Highness, ahead lies the Tatars' mother river, the Yunga River."
Song Yanqing glanced at the surrounding terrain and said, "Let's rest here and continue our journey when night falls."
The Shadow Guard replied, "Yes."
The Shadow Guard then ordered his men to rest on the spot.
Upon receiving the order, the Shadow Guards fed the horses that had been traveling through the night.
Song Yanqing walked to the big tree, sat on the grass, and unfolded the map to check whether the time he had calculated in the military camp was enough for a normal round trip.
The Shadow Guard who took over An Yi's job handed him a water pouch; the water was clear and sweet, as if honey had been added to it.
Having traveled for half the night, the Shadow Guards were already starving. After feeding the horses, they took turns keeping watch and eating dry rations to fill their stomachs.
The Shadow Guards, after eating the dried meat, all sighed inwardly, thinking how wonderful it was to go out and work with the young master.
In the past, when we were sent out to work, a few pieces of bread that could break our teeth and a few water bags were our rations.
How could things be like this now, eating dried meat, even the flatbread comes with pickles, and the water we drink is sweetened? This kind of life is even more enjoyable than being in the army.
Shadow Guard Armor said, "Have you noticed that this water seems quite different from usual?"
After drinking this sweet soup, I felt much better.
Could this be some kind of miracle drug that gives you a huge boost of energy?
His words quickly resonated with the other Shadow Guards.
"I can taste it too. I was feeling exhausted after feeding the horse, but I immediately perked up after drinking this water."
"Me too, me too."
The Shadow Guards tried to keep their voices down so as not to disturb the young master, but their excited words still reached Song Yanqing's ears.
He chewed on the dried meat, occasionally taking a sip of water, but his heart felt as sweet as if it had been filled with honey.
This place is not far from the Tatars' mother river. Although it is downstream and not many Tatars travel to this place, we cannot let our guard down.
The Shadow Guards took turns resting and keeping watch until nightfall before they began their journey in the dark.
When traveling at night, direction is extremely important. Otherwise, after traveling all night, going in the wrong direction will not only extend the journey but also put you in danger.
Fortunately, Song Yanqing had excellent night vision. For some reason, after fleeing the famine, he felt that his eyes could see things clearly in the dark.
This also made traveling in the dark much easier.
This place is near the end of the Yunga River, where the clear riverbed is very shallow, allowing horses to walk directly on it.
Song Yanqing estimated that even if the grain was transported by horse-drawn carts across the Yunjia River, there would be no need for the transporters to make any changes.
As they traveled until midnight and were getting further and further away from the Yunjia River, Song Yanqing called a halt, instructing the Shadow Guards to rest on the spot and continue their journey the next day.
His individual night vision ability is good, but that doesn't mean the team he leads is also capable.
Traveling at night is not as efficient as traveling during the day, so we should adjust our schedules to reach the Great Yu Kingdom sooner.
While Song Yanqing led his men to the Great Yu Kingdom, Lu Qiqi continued her daily routine of carrying bricks in the wounded soldiers' camp.
It was noon again, and after being informed by the Shadow Guards, Lu Qiqi successfully entered the commander's tent and had lunch with 'Song Yanqing'.
An Yi sat opposite Lu Qiqi, unsure how to start eating.
Lu Qiqi didn't rush him. She finished her own rice and then went to the side to make herself a cup of tea to cleanse her palate.
Seeing Lu Qiqi put down her chopsticks, An Yi finally started eating. He didn't mind eating the leftovers.
Moreover, Lu Qiqi only picked at the food in front of her and didn't eat much. If he hadn't seen the rice disappearing from his bowl, he would have thought the food hadn't been touched.
Undeniably, ever since Song Yanqing left the military camp, Lu Qiqi has been preoccupied with something, her emotions are extremely tense, and she has even lost her appetite.
These past two days, she has felt no joy in eating, as if every mealtime is just a task to complete to live.
Before she could figure out why, she remembered something and walked back to the low table, saying, "An Yi, has the Great Yu Kingdom ever sold grain to other countries before?"
An Yi swallowed a mouthful of food, put down the bowl, and then said, "Of course we have it. The reason why the Tatars were able to attack the Great Jin was because they had purchased grain from the Great Yu Kingdom before."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi frowned. "After two years of severe drought, how could the Great Yu Kingdom have such abundant food? And even sell its food to both opposing sides at the same time?"
An Yi said, "The abundance of food in the Great Yu Kingdom is inseparable from its vast territory, fertile soil, and spring-like climate all year round. Even in winter, the soil does not freeze, and it is even possible to grow food in winter."
So that's how it is. However, in Lu Qiqi's view, the sale of grain by the Great Yu Kingdom is a classic case of the snipe and the clam fighting while the fisherman profits.
The war between the two countries was all about financial resources and food. After all, the Tatars were a nomadic people, and their food consisted mainly of the cattle, sheep and horses they grazed.
In order to contend with the military strength of the Great Jin Dynasty, in addition to their strong physique and fearless bravery, the most important thing was the abundance of food.
Judging from what Song Yanqing said before, the Tatars were probably accumulating wealth in the border city in order to purchase grain in the Dayu Kingdom and then attack the Great Jin.
In that case, why bother with all this effort? Why not just attack the Great Yu Kingdom directly? A fat sheep is always better than a lean horse, and they can get more from it.
However, she quickly realized that the Tatars dared not!
Although the Great Yu Kingdom is on the verge of splitting, it is currently wealthy and powerful. If it were to launch a military campaign before the split, the Tatars would likely be no match for it.
Thinking of this, Lu Qiqi became somewhat worried about whether Song Yanqing would be able to return to camp safely.
After finishing his meal, An Yi packed his things and left the camp, leaving her alone in the tent.
Just as she was preparing to wait for An Yi to return to the wounded soldiers' camp, she heard a commotion outside the main tent.
The Shadow Guard shouted, "General Wu, the Crown Prince has ordered that no one is to disturb you. Please return!"
As a general, being stopped by a mere shadow guard caused his face to darken instantly.
He shouted, "I have important matters to report. If this delays military operations, you'll lose as many heads as you could!"
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