"Does my lord know how long the city's remaining grain can last?"
Wang Liu looked at Yun.
Yun had already ordered people to investigate when he entered the city, so he naturally knew about it now. Seeing his master's gaze sweep over him, he immediately cupped his hands and said, "It should be enough for two days' needs."
Shi Lan nodded and said, "It seems you can still hold on." She raised her eyes and said, "My lord, I have an idea, but I don't know if it will succeed, so I came to ask you for advice."
Wang Liu leaned forward, revealing a serious expression.
"Speaking."
Shi Lan then asked, "I've heard that most barbarians are uncivilized and act without any method. Is this true?"
Wang Liu nodded and said, "That's right, that's exactly how it is there."
Shi Lan asked, "Is the Yuan family, who holds sway over the Northern Liang Kingdom, the same?"
Wang Liu shook his head, "Although the Yuan family is not as powerful as ours, they are still a prominent family with some foundation."
Shi Lan continued, "Young Master, you must have heard that ever since Eighth Prince sent people out to ask for help, the barbarians outside have been besieging the city, but they haven't launched a single decent attack yet, have they?"
Wang Liu had already learned some of the situation. "That's right. Yesterday, the barbarians only launched three small-scale, short-range attacks. We only lost two people and suffered a few injuries."
Shi Lan blinked, then suddenly asked him, "What about them?"
Wang Liu was speechless.
Seeing his reaction, Shi Lan tentatively asked, "Five were injured?"
Wang Liu shook his head.
"two?"
“”
"There can't be none at all, right?"
Shi Lan said in disbelief.
Wang Liu's face was slightly flushed. Yun, not wanting to put his lord in a difficult position, quickly coughed and took over the conversation, saying, "Those barbarians are swift in their movements, so it's understandable that the guards couldn't react in time."
Shi Lan chuckled twice in response.
Wang Liu felt that his dignity as a man had been thrown to the ground and could never be recovered.
Yun glanced at Wang Liu and tried to steer the conversation back on track. "Don't you have a good plan? Tell me about it. If it works, it will save the lives of thousands of people in this city, and that will be a great deed for you."
Shi Lan twitched her lips. Merit and such were of no use to her, but to save face for the two of them, she followed Yun's topic and said, "Judging from this situation, this group of barbarians did not spontaneously form because of hunger. I think there are members of the Yuan family among them. They are directing this group to launch a probing attack here."
Shi Lan paused, looked around at the two of them, and repeated in a more serious tone, "I estimate that this siege is just a test by the Yuan family. If they succeed this time, they will send a large army to march straight in from here in the next two days." She waved her hand lightly, pointing to the direction they had been traveling in the previous night, and said, "Then the vast fertile fields there, and the people who are well-fed and raised in luxury, will be their food for the winter."
Shi Lan pronounced the last two words with a sharp and heavy tone, and then abruptly broke them off. Yun probably imagined that scene, and his slender body suddenly trembled. This was because most commoners these days were sallow and thin, and only the sons and daughters of wealthy families and young men like him, whose families had fallen on hard times but still retained some wealth and status, were fair-skinned and tender.
Seeing his pale face, Shi Lan knew that her threatening words had taken hold of him. She continued, "Abundant food will make these barbarians, who have been living in poverty for years, greedy and more motivated to attack other places. I think you should know what will happen next. Perhaps before winter comes, or perhaps next year, Yi Kingdom will no longer exist."
Yun's face turned pale, and she said, "That's impossible."
Shi Lan said calmly, "You should have seen the way those young men acted yesterday. They represent the thoughts of most people." Shi Lan raised her eyes, "If a great battle begins, do you think they will fight, or flee with their treasures and guards to save their lives?"
Yun was speechless and turned to look at Wang Liu.
Wang Liu's expression was calm and composed, as if he had already anticipated what Shi Lan was saying.
Shi Lan raised her eyebrows and immediately looked at Wang Liu with high regard.
Wang Liu is different from herself. She has experienced the baptism of multiple worlds and been exposed to a vast and complex array of knowledge, so it is normal for her to be able to draw such a conclusion. Wang Liu, however, is a person from this world. The knowledge they have come into contact with is mostly still in the exploratory stage, and their military knowledge is almost non-existent. Yet Wang Liu is able to draw such a conclusion ahead of others. In addition to his sharp mind, it is also related to the foundation of his aristocratic family. After all, his knowledge comes from the family's collection of books.
"So, what does Ah Lan think we should do?"
Wang Liu's voice was low, his expression tinged with melancholy, but his face showed unwavering trust in Shi Lan.
Shi Lan's lips curled slightly as she said calmly, "Of course we have to stop them here and let them know that Yi Kingdom is not so easy to invade. Of course, the first thing is to kill that vanguard officer who is mixed in with the barbarians. That way, those uncivilized barbarians will be a disorganized mess. The Wang family is one of the most powerful clans in the world. Surely their guards can handle a few disorganized people?"
Wang Liu didn't speak, but Yun couldn't stand Shi Lan's dismissive attitude towards the Wang family, so she spoke first: "The guards protecting the lord are selected from among the best, so dealing with more than a hundred barbarians is naturally no problem for them."
Shi Lan nodded, "That would be best, as it would resolve the crisis in Yancheng." After saying that, she picked up her teacup, took a small sip with a look of disgust to moisten her parched throat, and then immediately stopped.
Seeing her reluctant expression, Wang Liu raised an eyebrow and changed the subject to the assassination candidate.
Shi Lan came here and talked at length just to get this, but Wang Liu turned around and discussed it with Yun instead of telling her. Helpless, she had no choice but to volunteer herself, since she still had a little something to hide.
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