When Li Mai returned to the Yun residence, Xu Changhuan was quietly playing with Fu Bao, with Shi Xiaoma sitting nearby.
Li Mai glanced at Shi Xiaoma and called out, "Sister-in-law."
Xu Changhuan stood up and smiled, "You're back. Did you see your older brother's letter?"
"Yes, I saw it. Don't worry, sister-in-law, I'll help my brother," Li Mai comforted her.
The Crown Prince was taken out by her elder brother. If he hadn't been brought back intact, the Crown Prince might have lost his position as heir apparent. Even if her elder brother had successfully conquered the Chen Kingdom this time, he would have become a sinner in the eyes of the emperor and the Crown Prince. Therefore, she now guessed that the Crown Prince's injury might be an external wound, the kind that ordinary military doctors couldn't treat.
"What about your family business? And what about that fashion show during the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Xu Changhuan asked worriedly.
Li Mai smiled. "Sister-in-law, have you forgotten Old Master Yang? We have a plan, don't worry. I'll go back to the mansion first, you take care of Fu Bao. By the way, do you have anything to bring for my brother?"
Xu Changhuan picked up a letter from the table and handed it to Li Mai, looking at her expectantly.
Li Mai smiled, accepted it, and said goodbye to her sister-in-law before going home.
Soon Zhou Quan and Old Yang returned, and the three of them sat down together to discuss the matter.
Old Yang said, "I've been to Chen State, but if I'm not sure where it is, I can't find their location right away. It's such a long distance. With my spiritual power, I can take you two there, but I can't guarantee I can bring you back on the same day."
“It’s alright. As long as you can take me there, I have a way to help you recover your spiritual power within three days. We just need to be back the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Li Mai said.
"Alright, you guys make some preparations and see when to leave. I'll go and get ready too," Old Yang said.
“Tomorrow night, I will go and prepare some things for my older brother,” Li Mai said.
“Alright.” After Old Yang left, Zhou Quan took a pen and paper and placed them in front of Li Mai. “Write down what you need and I’ll prepare it. You go and arrange business matters with Zhou Heng and the others.”
“Okay!” Li Mai replied, and lowered her head to write.
All she could think of was that her elder brother had been on the front lines for five months now, and they probably hadn't had a proper meal of meat. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, she decided to buy some meat, food, and medicine for her brother, as these were all essential for the battlefield.
After writing it down, she handed it to Zhou Quan and instructed him, "Just go to Zhang's slaughterhouse and buy the meat directly. Ask them to prepare as much as they can for us. We need meat, lard, and bones. Put them in a basket and leave it in the yard tonight. Tell them we'll come and get it."
"Go to Li's shop for rice and grains. Buy as much as you can and have it delivered to the inn. I'll go collect it tonight. Go find my master for medicinal herbs. He mainly needs to prepare herbs for treating typhoid fever, diarrhea, pain relief, fever reduction, hemostasis, and blood replenishment."
"Understood!" Zhou Quan replied.
"Here are the silver notes. These are all gifts from the Emperor. Use these!" Li Mai handed him ten thousand taels of silver.
Zhou Quan took it and put it in his pocket. The two of them went out together. Li Mai went to arrange things, and Zhou Quan went to buy things.
At night, after the couple settled their three children to sleep in the space, they quietly left the mansion without anyone noticing.
When Li Mai arrived at Zhang's pig slaughterhouse and saw dozens of baskets of meat piled up in the yard, she clicked her tongue in amazement, "So much?"
"Yes, they killed everyone they could this afternoon to prepare for us."
Li Mai nodded, "To be honest, the Zhang family is a good family, a friend I made unintentionally. It's a good connection."
Zhou Quan nodded, "I happened to be here today, and the owner even invited me for tea."
Li Mai responded, waved her hand, and collected them all. After a while, she let Zhou Quan go and greet the people while she waited in the tree.
Afterwards, we went to the inn they had half-built. In an open space, there were dozens of sacks of rice piled up.
After confirming that no one was around, Li Mai waved to put it away and left with Zhou Quan to go home and sleep.
Back home, after washing up, Li Mai entered her spatial dimension and saw the things she had just left piled up on the grass by the stream. She sighed, wondering if these things could help her older brother.
"It should be possible; these are the things most needed in war," Zhou Quan said softly.
Unbeknownst to them, at this very moment, within the territory of Chen State, on the border of Hechuan County, Yun Chang was holding a meeting with a group of generals.
The content is that they plan to attack Nanxi County, where the capital of Chen State is located, in half a month.
The Chen Kingdom is now surrounded by them, with only the Nanxi Commandery remaining.
The campaign against Chen had lasted for more than seven months, with more than a month spent on the road. The first battle officially began in mid-March.
The State of Chen is now at its last gasp. They can wear them down, but they can't afford to keep going like this.
Chen Gui's country was not large and was relatively poor. His army was divided into several routes to besiege Nanxi County, so supplies were also distributed separately.
The heavy rains here, with several consecutive downpours, have disrupted the timely supply of provisions. Currently, their provisions are insufficient to last for half a month.
Therefore, if his army wanted to avoid starvation, they had to conquer the State of Chen within half a month. That way, once they entered Nanxi County, they would no longer starve.
The richest prefecture in the Chen Kingdom was Nanxi Prefecture, which was located in the southern part of the Chen Kingdom and also had a lot of rainfall.
"Your Highness, we discovered today that some of our grain has also been soaked in water," a lieutenant reported.
"Let the food that has been soaked in water but hasn't spoiled go to the stove first, and wash it several times. Have the person in charge of the grain check it over carefully. If it has been soaked in water, put it on the shelf and let it dry in the sun. We can't let it get moldy or spoiled, otherwise it will be inedible," Yun Chang said with a frown.
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