Chapter 219 Frontier
Suddenly, someone banged loudly on the doors and windows of the meditation room from the outside, which seemed particularly abrupt and frightening in the tense atmosphere!
"ah--!"
The children were terrified, screaming and huddling together. Xiao Yi almost dropped the half-eaten cookie in her hand.
Even Lian Biqing was so frightened that he trembled and his face turned pale.
Immediately afterwards, a stern and slightly angry voice came from outside the door:
"Biqing! I told you to put the children to bed on time, yet you dare to gather here and tell strange and supernatural stories, disturbing the children's minds! What kind of behavior is this!"
It's the elder on night patrol!
"She's asleep, she's going to sleep right now!"
The oil lamp was quickly extinguished, plunging the meditation room into darkness and deathly silence. Only the still-beating hearts of the children could be heard.
A moment later, the elder's helpless sigh and the sound of footsteps fading away came from outside the door.
After a long while, a soft, tearful complaint finally broke the silence in the darkness:
"Brother Biqing...it's all your fault...you scared me to death..."
"I...I almost thought the headless general had arrived..."
Bi Qing cleared his throat awkwardly in the darkness and lowered his voice, "Ahem... Alright, alright, it's nothing, the elder's gone. Go to sleep, go to sleep!"
After saying that, he tucked the blankets into the corners of the blankets for the naughty children, and then quietly slipped out.
————
The border region is bitterly cold, with biting north winds.
They fluttered the banners that were rustling in the wind above the military camp gate.
The low morale brought about by days of fighting and insufficient supplies hung over the camp like a dark cloud.
The military commander sighed as he looked at the distant granaries, turned and walked out of his tent, heading straight for General Yun Jian's tent.
"General... the grain stored in the granary is only enough for three days. If reinforcements don't arrive soon..."
Inside the tent was a burly general in his thirties with a full beard.
Upon hearing this, Yun Jian's heart sank. "The imperial court won't abandon us. Let's wait a little longer. Could the daily meal allowance be reduced a bit more?"
The military commander suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot: "General! You mustn't! The brothers are already half-starved, barely maintaining their strength. If we reduce their numbers further, they won't even have the strength to stand guard or patrol, let alone fight the enemy!"
Yun Jian was caught in a dilemma.
He did not believe that the imperial court would leave their 50,000-strong army unattended.
However, these 50,000 men cannot be without food; even a one-day shortage would shake their morale.
The soldiers fought desperately to protect their homeland, but the imperial court wouldn't even send them enough food to survive.
We lost the battle without the enemy even having to fight!
No sooner had the words been spoken than a series of rapid and cheerful hoofbeats broke the somber mood as they approached from afar.
"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!"
"Look at that convoy! Behind it... behind it are all grain carts!"
"The Crown Prince has brought us food supplies!"
The soldier on the watchtower was the first to spot the winding procession approaching from afar. The familiar royal banners and the endless convoy covered with thick tarpaulins made him so excited that his voice changed.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the camp, and the exhausted soldiers poured out of their tents and gathered on both sides of the road, their previously dim eyes rekindling with hope.
Upon hearing the news, Yun Jian and the military commander rushed out immediately and quickly climbed the watchtower.
In the distance, the bright yellow royal banners fluttered in the wind, followed by an endless line of grain transport convoys!
My heart was instantly filled with excitement!
"Quickly! Follow me to greet His Highness!" Yun Jian's voice trembled as he immediately mustered his personal guards and opened the gate.
Qin Qian, dressed in a dusty military uniform, stood beneath the gate. Though his face showed signs of fatigue, his posture remained as upright as a pine tree.
"This humble general, Yun Jian, respectfully welcomes His Highness the Crown Prince!" Yun Jian clasped his hands in greeting, his voice booming with excitement.
"General Yun, you've worked hard. Soldiers, you've worked hard." Qin Qian raised his hand to help them up, his gaze sweeping over the eager soldiers around him.
"Unload the grain quickly, let the brothers have a good meal first!"
"Your subordinate obeys!" Li Honghong responded loudly, immediately turning around and roaring with full force:
"His Highness has ordered! Unload the rations! Distribute them according to the camp! Let the brothers eat their fill today!"
"roar--!"
The soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers. They spontaneously formed a long line and helped unload the heavy sacks of grain from the trucks.
When the grain bags were opened and the plump, translucent white rice and golden millet grains were seen, gasps of amazement frequently erupted from the crowd.
"This rice...this rice is amazing! I've never seen such white and fragrant rice before!"
"And this millet, every grain is plump, it will definitely make a thick porridge!"
"Your Highness and the court have not forgotten us! We are saved!"
In addition to the grain that the imperial court needed to transport, Qin Qian also brought grain as a gift from Jiang Ling on this trip.
Looking at the much larger quantity of grain than expected, especially the large amount of fine rice of excellent quality, Yun Jian felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and his impression of the eldest prince instantly improved.
Although they were out fighting, they still knew what was happening inside the city.
With refugees roaming the land, the fact that the imperial court is providing so much grain shows how much importance it places on them.
Li Hong shouted from behind, "Today we're having a feast! We'll eat everything dry! We'll have a good, hearty meal!"
The soldiers were overjoyed to hear this.
It wasn't just the usual food; when Li Hong directed the men to carry down and open the dozens of tightly sealed wooden crates, the soldiers stared in astonishment.
The box was neatly filled with things they had never seen before, brightly colored and printed with strange patterns.
What is this?
A young soldier curiously picked up an individually wrapped compressed biscuit and carefully squeezed it.
Li Hongjie said, "These are called compressed biscuits, and they're delicious! We ate some on the way here, and we'll distribute them to the brothers later!"
Who feeds their troops with pastries during a military campaign?!
This is absolutely unbelievable!
Upon hearing this conversation, Yun Jian's bearded face showed some displeasure.
Wouldn't it be better to carry a few more bags of grain instead of moving pastries?
I originally thought the eldest prince had also led troops and practiced martial arts, but I didn't expect him to be so frivolous about such an important matter!
He was still a pampered prince after all, and even after arriving at the frontier, he couldn't give up his extravagant lifestyle!
The goodwill that Yun Jian had just felt vanished instantly.
The deputy next to him wanted to say something, but Yun Jian stopped him.
Well, since we're already here, let's just let him be a mascot.
Having a prince stationed there will help stabilize the morale of the troops!
Qin Qian was incredibly perceptive; how could he not understand the thoughts of the master and servant?
He wasn't angry. Instead, he stepped forward, casually picked up a individually wrapped compressed biscuit, and handed it to Yun Jian in a calm tone:
"General Yun, do you think I am being irresponsible by carrying pastries on the march, thus wasting resources?"
Yun Jian, slightly embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general dares not."
Qin Qian weighed the unassuming compressed biscuit in his hand and said calmly:
"General, don't underestimate this. This is no ordinary pastry; it's called compressed biscuits. Just this small packet can sustain a strong soldier's energy for a day's march and combat, and it doesn't spoil easily, making it extremely convenient to carry."
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