Li Xiangjian is now a centurion, commanding about a thousand men.
When they arrived at the military camp, his men were already lined up.
However, Li Xiangjian glanced at the army and found that the morale of the entire army was not very good.
It's no wonder these soldiers are suffering. Not only is it freezing cold, but they're also starving. How are they supposed to fight when the enemy is attacking?
Li Xiangjian thought for a moment and then said to his men, "Brothers, do you want to eat meat?"
Everyone's eyes lit up at the mention of meat; how could they not want to eat meat?
They hadn't seen meat in the military camp for so long, and with the New Year just around the corner, their mouths watered at the thought of it every day.
But now, let alone eating meat, we can hardly even get rice porridge.
Li Xiangjian looked at his brothers who had been with him day and night and said, "Cheer up, after we finish this battle, I'll find a way to get you some meat."
Upon hearing Li Xiangjian's words, everyone excitedly asked, "Really, boss? But where would we get meat in this freezing weather? You're not kidding us, are you?"
Li Xiangjian glanced at them and cursed, "You're not women, why should I bother to coax you?"
I'm telling you, I've already spotted a herd of cattle and sheep in the enemy's territory, and I've already figured out how to get them back.
If any of you don't come back, this meat will end up in someone else's mouth.
Please don't blame me later.
As soon as Li Xiangping said this, his soldiers roared with excitement, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
Even General Ling, who was inspecting his troops on the side, glanced over here.
Li Xiangjian is indeed a skilled commander.
They are very capable in both individual combat and leading a team.
Over the past year, the people of Beiliang have launched no fewer than twenty wars, large and small, and the troops he led suffered the fewest losses.
One meritorious deed after another was performed. However, since no large-scale wars had occurred, these minor achievements were not enough to reach the Heavenly Court.
General Ling had long wanted to promote Li Xiangjian to the rank of colonel, but the promotion of official officers in the military required the emperor's decree, so he could only write them down one by one.
What did this kid say to his men that made everyone so excited? I wonder if he could tell everyone about it.
Can't you see how down everyone else's spirits are?
Upon seeing this, General Ling shouted, "Li Xiangjian!"
Li Xiangjian replied reflexively, "Here!"
General Ling asked, "What did you tell them? Share it with everyone."
Li Xiangjian didn't hide anything and replied, "Reporting to General Ling, I told them that once we return from this victory, I will find a way to let them eat meat."
Everyone else swallowed hard when they heard about eating meat; they wanted to eat meat too.
General Ling never expected that something as trivial as eating meat could boost morale so much.
However, given the current state of food supplies in the military camp, they can't even get enough rice, so where are they going to get meat for them?
But now is not the time to talk about that. General Ling said, "This time we drove out the Northern Liang people, and I'll find a way to let everyone eat meat together."
Faced with the enemy situation, General Ling had no other choice.
Sure enough, everyone's morale was immediately boosted.
They were all eager to fight the Northern Liang people and make a comeback as soon as possible to enjoy the spoils of war.
Soon the two armies clashed. The Northern Liang people were originally full of confidence to capture a city of the Great Yan Dynasty because they received reliable information that the emperor had diverted the grain and provisions in the Northern Yan army camp to provide disaster relief.
Moreover, the Great Yan army camp had run out of food; how could they have the strength to fight if they weren't well-fed?
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But once they actually engaged in battle, they discovered that the Great Yan army was in high spirits and showed no signs of having gone without food for days.
But it was too late when they wanted to retreat.
Upon realizing the information was incorrect, the Northern Liang generals quickly sounded the retreat.
The Great Yan army was well aware of their situation and did not pursue them relentlessly.
The soldiers of Great Yan were naturally overjoyed to have won the battle.
After returning to the military camp, General Ling went to report the battle situation to Marshal Huang.
Marshal Huang was a veteran of three dynasties, and he was truly skilled in military campaigns.
Together with Marshal Pei, they guarded the northern and southern ends of the Great Yan, one in the south and the other in the north.
However, both of them are getting on in years.
Especially Marshal Huang, whose body was increasingly weakened by the harsh cold of the north and the injuries he had sustained in his youth, was particularly frail during the winter months.
Therefore, General Ling is in charge most of the time in the military now.
General Ling is the eldest son of the Ling family in the capital, and is Ling Ziyuan's third brother, named Ling Zifeng.
Ling Zifeng gave Marshal Huang a detailed report on the day's battle.
After listening, Marshal Huang exclaimed, "Indeed, the younger generation surpasses the older generation; they are truly formidable!"
It's a pity, though; such a promising young man may perish in this harsh, cold north.
General Ling felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, as only he and Marshal Huang truly knew the situation in the military camp.
They had run out of rice, but they dared not let anyone else know this.
However, this news couldn't be kept secret any longer, and some people probably already guessed it.
After a moment of silence, General Ling gritted his teeth and said, "Rather than starve to death here, we might as well fight the Northern Liang people."
At least I can take someone down with me before I die.
Marshal Huang shook his head and said, "It's not the right time yet. If all else fails, we'll slaughter the warhorses."
They can hold on for a while longer.
The Emperor is a wise ruler; he will surely find a way to raise funds and provisions for us.
Although Marshal Huang said that, he actually had no confidence at all.
The Great Yan is now beset by internal and external troubles. Even if the Emperor cares about them, he is probably powerless to do so.
General Ling didn't say anything more. Once they killed the warhorse, they would really be close to death.
At the same time, he felt a chill in his heart. The emperor hadn't considered their lives at all before misappropriating the military rations.
Marshal Huang seemed to have seen through General Ling's thoughts. He had devoted his life to serving the court, and several of his sons had died on the battlefield.
He never thought of blaming anyone; if he had to say who he hated, it was only the people of Beiliang.
So Huang Laoyuan quickly changed the subject and asked about Li Xiangjian.
Li Xiangjian has always been a low-key person, but he is a truly capable individual.
Since joining the army, Li Xiangjian has always been calm and composed, clear-headed, and has never failed in carrying out a mission.
I don't know when General Ling started paying attention to Li Xiangjian.
At first, he just thought that Li Xiangjian was a little better than the average soldier.
But when he compared them side by side, he found that Li Xiangjian was stronger than centurions, commanders, and even captains.
His military acumen and strategic thinking even surpassed that of some generals who had fought for many years.
Aside from lacking some experience, they are just as good as me.
This discovery startled General Ling, who wondered what kind of family could raise such an outstanding son.
Li Xiangjian, who was receiving much attention from Marshal Huang and General Ling, was busy fulfilling his promise to make sure everyone could eat meat.
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