Chapter 12: Road Blockage
After nightfall, snoring sounds could be heard from the tent.
Chen Yu couldn't sleep, and kept pondering what happened in her previous life in her mind.
In her memory, the express delivery back to Shengjing looked like this.
[On October 27, Shen Zhao led his troops to raid the Xijue camp and was trapped. Shen Zhongan led the remaining soldiers to rescue them. The military supervisor tried to persuade them but failed. Shen Zhongan rushed forward and was tricked, and all 100,000 soldiers were killed outside the pass.]
The military newspaper was very vague and no one knew what exactly happened on the front line, because out of a total of 100,000 people, only a few survived.
She had felt something was amiss in her previous life. She knew her father well. He was a very cautious person, and the word "aggressive" was not really appropriate to describe him.
However, she was not in the court and had no access to information. Only after she married Jiang Lian did she get some information from him. There might have been a traitor in that battle.
Those were 100,000 living soldiers. Someone had to be blamed for that battle. Regardless of whether there were any doubts, Shen Zhongan became the best candidate for the criminal.
During the day, Chen Yu took the initiative to take a job delivering things between tents, and took the opportunity to get a thorough understanding of the layout of the camp. Except for the food and fodder area which was heavily guarded, no abnormalities were noticed in other places for the time being.
Judging from the current situation alone, she could not find any signs of defeat.
The current situation in Yanliang Pass made her rush around like a headless fly. Wherever she ran into, she would look for any tricks she could to be prepared. In the meantime, she sneaked out of the camp and met a few people in the city.
At night, the temperature dropped sharply and a north wind blew. The wind was as sharp as a knife and made people's cheeks hurt.
A horse was approaching the camp at high speed. The scout galloped on his horse and raised the token in his hand when he was near the camp gate. "Urgent report!"
The gatekeeper checked the token and let the person in. The scout ran straight to the main tent without even dismounting.
"General! Urgent news!"
Shen Zhongan was sleeping restlessly, and he turned over and got up when he heard the voice, "Come in."
The scout knelt on one knee after entering the room and said, "General, the troops that went to collect the food were completely wiped out, and there was no sign of the baggage train."
Shen Zhongan looked gloomy, picked up his cloak and put it on, and said, "Ask Shen Zhao to come to my tent."
Shen Zhao had just gotten up from the bed, and he didn't dare say anything to the person who called him. It was only after he entered the tent that he heard Shen Zhongan talk about this matter.
Shen Zhongan said: "There are not many people in the grain collection team. It looks like they were robbed and killed by bandits."
Chen Zhao shook his head. "The team that received the food didn't bring anything with them. The bandits wouldn't do such a strenuous job.
This is not a good thing, I am afraid someone is framing me."
The two looked at each other and saw danger signals in each other's eyes.
Shen Zhao rubbed his face vigorously to refresh himself, and said, "We must fight quickly before the remaining food runs out. I'm afraid we have to use the second plan."
Shen Zhongan nodded and summoned the generals to discuss the matter overnight.
In the evening, Yang Bang retreated into his tent.
"This wind feels like a knife on my body. It's better to just let it snow."
You Dazui replied, "It's impossible to let the snow fall. They are mobilizing troops over there. I think they are going to do something."
Chen Yu had been paying attention to the movements of the military camp, but had not found any signs of troops being dispatched. Moreover, today was only the 25th, so wasn't that two days earlier than in the previous life?
She grabbed You Dazui and said, "What did you say? How did you know?"
You Dazui was startled, "Shh, don't tell anyone, I have a fellow countryman in the vanguard camp, I told him this when I met him before."
Chen Yu didn't ask any more questions, she lifted the curtain and walked out.
You Dazui shouted from behind: "Don't tell anyone."
Chen Yu stayed still in the wind for a while, and was sobered up by the wind. She knew that this would not work. Regardless of whether things would develop along the original route or not, she had to warn Chen Zhao in advance.
Chen Zhao came out of the main tent and walked towards his own tent, thinking about the layout of the battle on the way. When he approached the tent, he glanced around casually, took two steps, and suddenly froze, looking in one direction in disbelief.
It was getting dark and you couldn't see anyone more than five meters away.
Shen Zhao took the torch from the door and walked towards the people over there. The closer he got, the darker his face became.
By the time he walked up to the man, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
Shen Zhao's chest rose and fell a few times, and he raised his hand that was pressing on the knife and pointed at the man twice, "Get in here!"
Shen Yu lowered her head and followed Shen Zhao into the tent dejectedly.
As soon as Shen Zhao entered the tent, he threw his sword onto the table, turned around and looked at Shen Yu, "You are so capable, you even put on the military uniform, where did you steal it from?"
"It was taken off the deserter's body." Chen Yu said in a low voice.
Shen Zhao strode over, wiped the black dirt off her face with his sleeve, and scolded her: "Look at what you have done to yourself?!"
Chen Yu's cheek was rubbed so hard that it hurt. She pushed his hand away and said solemnly, "Brother, don't be in a hurry to scold me. I have something more important to say now."
Chen Zhao knew her very well. Although she was a funny person,
Never mess around with big things.
"What's up?"
"Are you going to raid the Xijue camp tonight?"
Shen Zhao's eyes suddenly darkened, and he stared at her for a long while before asking, "How did you know that?"
"I don't have time to explain to you now," Chen Yu said, "but not tonight."
Chen Zhao turned around and sat at the table to think about it. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Time is running out. We don't have time to waste with the Western Jue people anymore. It's going to snow soon. Our war horses are not cold-resistant. The Western Jue people are better at fighting in the snow than us. Besides..."
He didn't continue.
Shen Yu approached, "Is the food supply running out?"
Chen Zhao looked up, and Chen Yu ignored the doubt in his eyes and continued, "I have been in the camp for a few days, and have been paying attention to the movements in the camp. The follow-up supplies have not caught up."
Chen Zhao said solemnly: "Except for the first batch, the rest of the food and grass were borrowed from Ganzhou Prefecture. There is no surplus food in the city."
Shen Yu nodded and asked, "How long can the food and grass last?"
"Two days."
Chen Yu said: "There are several small cities in Ganzhou, and further south is Changdu Prefecture. We can transport grain from there."
"It's easy for you to say that," Chen Zhao added some water to the kettle on the stove in the tent, "Where does the food come from? I borrowed the food from Ganzhou Prefecture with an IOU. They understand the principle of losing one's lips and teeth, so we have to lend them. But if we were in another city, they might not give us face. Besides, there is no granary in Changdu Prefecture, so it can't support such a large expenditure."
"We don't borrow from the government office," Chen Yu's eyes were illuminated by the firelight, "Lu's business is spread all over Da Zhou, and there are many rice and grain stores among them. We can borrow from Hezhou's grandmother.
Shen Zhao's eyes lit up for a moment, but then quickly dimmed.
He shook his head and said, "It's too late. Even if we rush to Hezhou without stopping, it will take at least ten days. Plus, it will take at least half a month to collect food. We simply can't hold out that long."
"Five days, just need to hold on for another five days," Chen Yu said, "I had already asked Lu Yao to set off for Hezhou a few days ago. Riding my Benxiao, I think we will arrive in four or five days."
"I have also made arrangements for Hongqiao. She has already rushed to Changdu Prefecture with my token and ordered them to start preparing food. As long as the food from Changdu Prefecture arrives, it will be enough for us to survive for a few more days, and we can continue to get more food and grass from Hezhou later."
From the moment she said that she had sent Lu Yao to Hezhou, a look of surprise and doubt appeared on Shen Zhao's face.
"How did you know this in advance?"
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