"It should be. I heard from others that every year there are soldiers who go blind because of this."
“I understand,” Jiang Chao waved his hand. “Go down first and adjust the duty schedule to two hours per shift.”
"Yes, sir!"
"In addition, have the cook prepare some ginger soup to dispel the cold, and keep it on hand every day. Everyone should drink a bowl every two hours."
"yes!"
"Jiang Chao, what business does General Yang have with us?"
"I don't know," Jiang Nuan said helplessly. "I'm human, not a god. Don't think of me as so amazing."
"Too!"
Huang Lao Er didn't hesitate and strode away.
The two were in a much better situation than they had anticipated. They were quite capable, had the aura of being one of the Four Immortals, and were not arrogant. They integrated into the Northwest Army in just a few days, even faster than Yang Qing and Fang Han.
These two had arrived half a month earlier, and before they could even settle into their seats, they discovered that their subordinates, Huang Shu and Jiang Chao, were becoming leaders of the army. They felt both sad and helpless.
"Your humble servants Huang Shu and Jiang Chao pay their respects to the General."
"You're back? Did you find anything?" Yang Qing was very friendly to the two of them.
"We've already scouted three areas, and there's no food or supplies anywhere. It must be on the north side."
"There's no food or supplies in any of the three directions," Yang Qing said, unsure of what to say. "Your luck is truly unbelievable."
Upon hearing this, the two were immediately speechless, having never considered such a peculiar question before.
"General, what brings you here to see us?"
"Don't rush, let's wait for Fang Han to come over before we talk about it."
As they were talking, Fang Han arrived. "Huang Shu, Jiang Chao, you're back? Did you find anything?"
"We've pretty much pinpointed the location of the supplies. We're going to take a few more men over to check it again. If possible, we'll burn it."
"That's good. The stalemate is really not good for us. If we don't push Gandan, we'll be in a very passive position if they send troops in the winter month."
"That's what I wanted to say too," Yang Qing said, not daring to put on airs in front of the three of them. "Gandan has been slow to act. Although we don't know what they're planning, we can't delay any longer. Not only is the cold winter harmful to our health, but we also can't let our food supplies be delayed indefinitely."
"Are we short of food?"
“It’s enough for more than a month of food,” Yang Qing explained solemnly. “However, the weather is getting colder and colder, and even if His Majesty can allocate grain, it will be troublesome to transport it here.”
The high altitude and long distances presented numerous obstacles, and with heavy snowfall, even if delivery were possible, it would take one or two months.
"Then let's act as soon as possible," Huang Lao Er said after thinking for a moment. "It's been peaceful for two months. Whatever Gandan's plans are, we can catch them off guard. How many men do we have available?"
"Leaving aside the permanent troops, there are about 400,000, but the cavalry is too few, only 10,000. The chances of defeating Gandan are not high." Yang Qing said dejectedly, "Therefore, the matter of burning the grain fodder needs to be carefully planned in case Gandan is desperate and rushes over recklessly."
“Then let’s set up an ambush,” Huang Chuan walked up to Yu Tu and pointed to a place. “This is a dangerous place, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with rugged terrain. Even cavalry would have difficulty moving around. As long as we lure people here, we can catch them like turtles in a cage.”
"Moreover," Jiang Chao's eyes flashed with a sharp light upon hearing this, "this place is in the same direction as the grain and fodder, so luring them into a trap won't be unexpected. However, we still need to consider some issues, such as whether the soldiers' eyes will suffer from being in the snow for a long time? And how will we solve the problems of keeping them warm and providing supplies?"
“These problems are indeed not to be ignored,” Yang Qing said, pressing his temples with a headache. “I sent a letter to the capital before, but I don’t know if the court can come up with a solution.”
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Huang Shu twice.
For now, we can only place our hopes on the Lady Protector of the Nation.
"Has the general received a reply?"
"Not yet, but," Yang Qing said confidently, "we will definitely get a reply within three days."
"Then let's wait three more days. After three days, no matter what the outcome, we must strike with lightning speed."
"Um!"
After a series of events, the capital city has returned to calm, and even the civil and military officials have become accustomed to attending court with Marquis Liuxian.
After leaving court, Old Madam Jiang took off her official robes and changed into some casual clothes. "Someone, please invite the Third Young Master over!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Seeing this, the old man's eyes were filled with complex emotions.
My wife, after staying in the capital for two months, has become increasingly dignified and fierce.
They no longer hold any status in the family; the women have completely overtaken the men!
"Old man, what are you muttering about?"
"I was rambling on and on?" The old man's heart skipped a beat, and he asked tentatively, "What did I say?"
"What else could it be?" Old Mrs. Jiang rolled her eyes. "It's just that yin is dominating yang. You've been muttering that in your dreams lately."
She was always aware of the old man's little schemes, but she just couldn't be bothered to pay attention!
A head of the household must have the responsibility and magnanimity of one, and cannot be like an old man, petty and narrow-minded.
Of course, more importantly, it's because my old man was just being boastful and didn't really have any bad intentions; otherwise, well...
"Really?" The old man covered his mouth in horror. "You must have misheard?"
Upon hearing this, the old lady simply turned her face away and ignored the man.
Seeing this, the old man's eyes darted around, and he decisively changed the subject, "We've already sent three letters home. What did our in-laws say? Are they willing to come to the capital to help?"
"We finally managed to persuade her to come back," the old lady said, a smile appearing on her face. "However, she said she'll only stay for two months and go back once things have settled down."
"Tch," the old man scoffed dismissively, "I know you too well. Once she's in the capital, do you think you'd let her run away?"
The old woman has already poured 100,000 taels of silver into running the embroidery shop. Anyone with a bit of ability, even a pig, would want to join in, let alone her in-laws who are just as capable as her.
“Of course,” the old lady said dismissively. “People always need to find a goal for themselves, otherwise they will become more and more decadent. My in-laws seem to be living a carefree life, but only they know the bitterness in their hearts. It’s better to find something to do and have something to care about than to live in the past.”
“That makes sense. It’s a pity the girl won’t come to the capital.”
"What do you know? She's not suitable for, and can't come to the capital. There are many complicated and complex reasons behind this."
"How could I not know?" the old man said irritably. "We came to Beijing together. You've made progress and I'm no less. How could I not see something so obvious? I was just grumbling."
Only the elderly couple are in Beijing; their son and daughter are gone. How could they not miss them?
"Where has she made any progress?" the old lady said, unconvinced. "All she does is talk about packing her bags to go back to her hometown, or complain about the imbalance of yin and yang. Where has she made any progress?"
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