Chapter 340 Whoever takes Xiao Mo's head will be granted the title of Marquis of a Thousand Households! (4000 words)
Inside the Yanmen Pass City Lord's Mansion.
Xiao Mo was taking stock of the remaining pills, spirit beast flesh and blood, spiritual herbs, food and fodder, and various weapons and armor.
Finally, looking at the various numbers on the white paper, Xiao Mo's mind became somewhat solemn.
The flesh and blood of mythical beasts can replenish the soldiers' vital energy, which is of utmost importance.
Those elixirs and miraculous medicines even have the effects of relieving pain, stopping bleeding, treating injuries, and even keeping someone alive.
As for provisions, soldiers who did not practice fasting would certainly need to eat every day.
However, there was only enough spirit beast flesh and blood and food for half a month, and the pills and elixirs would not last for more than a few battles.
Those weapons and armor were also nearly gone; if the soldiers' weapons and armor were damaged, there would only be enough to replace 10,000 men.
In short, Xiao Mo felt that even if he stayed in the city and carefully planned his next move, he could only hold out for a maximum of twenty days.
Not to mention the Wei Kingdom's frenzied siege.
"Can it really hold out for a month?"
Xiao Mo didn't have much confidence.
But Xiao Mo knew he had no choice.
Now, the supply lines to the eleven cities in the southern border of Wei have also been cut off, and they are also in dire need of various resources.
If we can hold out and the Northern Wilderness army takes over the southern border of Wei, then we will have won at least half of this great battle.
But if I don't hold on, not only will I die on the battlefield, but all the men of the Northern Wilderness will also sacrifice themselves in vain, all my efforts will be in vain, and we may even suffer a counterattack from the Northern Wei!
"Give the order that, starting today, soldiers below the Foundation Establishment stage will still eat two meals a day, but each meal will be 70% of the original portion size."
Soldiers at the Foundation Establishment stage and above are each given one pound of spirit beast flesh and blood per day.
Elixirs and miraculous medicines must be applied for by the centurion.
Xiao Gui, Zhao Guang, you and Wang, the registrar of Yanmen Pass, take men to the wealthy merchants in the city, especially the grain merchants, and confiscate all the grain from their homes. Record the amount and tell them that we will compensate them at market price after the war.
If they don't give it to us, then kill them!
After that, the city's granaries were opened every day to cook porridge to relieve the people. Each person was given a bowl of porridge per meal, but I insisted that the chopsticks be stuck upright in the pot and not fall over!
Did you hear me clearly?
Deputy General Zhao Guang frowned and said, "General, these are extraordinary times. Our army doesn't even have enough food to eat. Do we really still need to provide relief to the people?"
“If the people get desperate from hunger, they will riot and cause chaos in the city, which will be very troublesome for us.” Xiao Mo glanced at Zhao Guang. “Just do as I say, I know what I’m doing.”
"Yes, General."
Zhao Guang bowed and went down with Xiao Gui to carry out the order.
If it were an ordinary general, Zhao Guang might have offered a few more words of advice.
But the other party was Xiao Mo.
These past few days, Zhao Guang has followed Xiao Mo into and out of the battlefield, fighting bloody battles. Not a single decision Xiao Mo has made has been wrong.
Therefore, Zhao Guang greatly admired Xiao Mo, and would carry out any decision Xiao Mo made.
It wasn't just Zhao Guang; Xiao Mo had risked his life with all the soldiers, and he was fair in rewarding and punishing them, sharing hardships with them. In the hearts of the soldiers, he was just like the Prince of Zhenbei.
Soon, Zhao Guang and Xiao Gui led dozens of soldiers to search the homes of wealthy merchants in the city.
When these wealthy merchants saw the soldiers from the Northern Wilderness arrive, they very tactfully opened their granaries and even offered to donate the grain to the Northern Wilderness army without asking for any compensation.
But Zhao Guang and Xiao Gui weren't fools, especially Xiao Gui.
Although Xiao Gui was from a collateral branch of the Xiao family, he was still a landlord!
So Xiao Gui still doesn't understand what these old folks are thinking?
Xiao Gui, holding a knife, questioned the stewards, wives, and concubines of these masters, asking them where the grain hidden in their mansions was.
They were initially quite defiant.
But when Xiao Gui was about to actually kill someone, these old men immediately knelt down and hurriedly led Xiao Gui and his men to various warehouses and cellars.
"Gentlemen, please! Leave us some! If you take it all, what are we going to do? Our entire household of dozens of people is going to starve to death!"
As they watched their grain being carried away bag by bag, the wealthy merchants clung to Xiao Gui and Zhao Guang's legs, crying and begging for mercy.
"Stop talking nonsense! If you bother me again, I'll chop you up!"
Xiao Gui kicked him away.
"Besides, it's not like we're not going to pay you back. Thirty days from now, when my Northern Wilderness army arrives, someone will naturally bring you the silver. Just keep the IOU safe."
"Thirty days? In three days, my whole family will starve to death!" the wealthy merchant said, on the verge of tears.
"You won't starve! My general will distribute porridge throughout the city, and everyone will get a share every day!"
After saying that, Xiao Gui didn't say anything more and continued to the next house.
Within a single day, the city's wealthy merchants were not entirely robbed, but at least seven or eight tenths of their wealth was taken.
The neighbors watched in fear as the Northern Wilderness army carried away bags of grain, worried that their own surplus grain would also be confiscated.
But to their surprise, the Northern Wilderness army didn't even glance at these ordinary people.
The Northern Wilderness Army held Yanmen Pass for the second day.
Households stayed indoors, and the people in the city were filled with anxiety.
Yesterday, the Northern Wilderness army looted some wealthy families. Although it's none of my business, who knows what will happen next?
When the army runs out of food, won't the Northern Wilderness rob us?
They had even heard that there was an army in the State of Chu that held their city and refused to come out. When their food supplies ran out, those soldiers even ate the people! It had come to the point of cannibalism!
How much grain do we have left?
In the city, a carpenter surnamed Tang looked at his wife and daughter and sighed.
"Honey, we don't have much food left, only three days." The wife patted her sleeping daughter, her eyes full of worry.
“Three days,” Tang the carpenter wiped his face. “We should eat less during this time so the children don’t go hungry. I’ll go and think of a way to see if we can borrow some food.”
"Honey, in this situation, who has any surplus grain?"
The wife gripped the hem of her dress tightly.
"The war has been going on for several months. Before the Northern Wilderness Army arrived, our dog city lord had already plundered us once, and those unscrupulous merchants' grain prices were rising day by day."
Now look what's happened! The grain merchants' grain has all been taken away by the Northern Wilderness Army. Even though we still have some silver, there's nowhere to buy grain.
The other families weren't much better off.
"Don't worry, I'll figure something out. Take good care of our daughter. We have at least three days' worth of food. Think about those rich lords; they don't even have enough food for today. Besides, I heard that the Northern Wilderness Army provides rations and porridge every day."
"Pah! You believe what those officials say? They're starving themselves! And they're distributing grain? There's no such thing as a free lunch!" The wife spat.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. I'll go outside and find a few of my brothers to check on things."
Carpenter Tang put on his coat and went out of the house.
Walking on the streets of the city, Tang the carpenter's mind was in turmoil.
He said he was going to find grain, but where was he supposed to find it?
And just as Tang the carpenter was walking down the street.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of gongs and drums in the street, and soldiers of the Northern Wilderness Army shouted in various parts of the city: "Every day at noon and 5 pm, grain will be distributed at ten locations, including in front of the South Gate, in front of the City Lord's Mansion, and in front of the Qingchalou on Tanghe Street!"
"Distribute grain?"
Will the Northern Wilderness Army really distribute food?
"Who knows? Our previous city lord never distributed grain, so why would this enemy general give us food?"
"Who cares!"
"Let's go take a look!"
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
Upon hearing this, the residents of the city took to the streets one after another to the nearest grain distribution site. Carpenter Tang also hurried home and called his wife and daughter to go with him.
Before noon, queues formed at each grain distribution point. The soldiers of the Northern Wilderness Army maintained order, and each soldier was given a token to receive porridge.
In Tang the carpenter's opinion, the porridge cooked by the Northern Wilderness Army must have been very thin, and might even have contained bran and sand.
But this is still better than having nothing to eat.
But when it was Tang the carpenter's turn to make the porridge, he found that the porridge was so thick that chopsticks could stand upright in it, and it even had a bit of a lard smell!
If you're lucky, you might even get to eat some pork!
"This Northern Wilderness Army... they actually give food to us common people!"
Looking at the white porridge in the bowl, Tang the carpenter wondered if he was dreaming.
Even though each person can only eat one bowl, if they can do this twice a day, at least their family can survive!
"Eat up, eat up! It'll get cold if you don't eat now!"
The wife also served a bowl of porridge and said to her husband and daughter, her eyes full of joy, no longer as desperate as before.
"I'm not very hungry, you two eat more." Carpenter Tang poured half of the porridge in his bowl for his wife and daughter.
"boom!"
Just as Tang the carpenter and the others were squatting by the roadside drinking porridge, a loud bang came from the north gate!
On the walls of Yanmen Pass, the Wei army had already begun its siege.
Wei soldiers surged onto the city walls like a tide, but were all driven back by the Northern Wilderness army.
"Release the arrows!"
At Li Jing's command, countless arrows were fired at the enemy army.
However, the Wei army grew larger and larger with each kill, like ants, seemingly impossible to kill.
The pressure on the city walls is increasing.
But at this moment,
The gates of Yanmen Pass are open!
The man wearing the Shura mask led less than nine thousand Snow-Treading Dragon Riders into the enemy ranks.
The white of the snow-covered horse blended with the azure of lightning on the man's spear, and wherever he passed, Wei soldiers exploded into a bloody mist.
The nine thousand Snow-Treading Dragon Riders were like a sharp blade, actually cutting the battlefield in two.
"Xiao Mo!" Wei general Guo Xin stared coldly at the masked man, gripping his long sword tightly. His voice, amplified by spiritual energy, echoed across the battlefield, "Whoever takes Xiao Mo's head will be ennobled as a marquis of a thousand households!"
Am I only worth a thousand households?
As Guo Xin's voice fell, Xiao Mo's Snow-Treading Horse leaped forward and charged directly towards the Wei army's central camp!
Meanwhile, dark clouds filled the sky above, and thunder roared incessantly!
Thunder ripped through the sky, illuminating the entire battlefield.
"This Xiao Mo, he actually dares to undergo tribulation on the battlefield? Has he gone mad?!"
Guo Xin stared blankly at everything in front of him.
The battlefield is the place where blood and energy are heaviest, and also where karma is heaviest.
When undergoing tribulation on the battlefield, the lightning tribulation will be several times more powerful than before!
Those undergoing tribulation will most likely die under the lightning tribulation!
But Xiao Mo actually did it!
Xiao Mo patted the Snow-Treading Horse with his palm, and the horse understood and moved away from Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo landed on the battlefield and charged into the enemy's heartland.
"Boom!"
Bolts of lightning struck down towards Xiao Mo.
Any soldiers who stayed within thirty feet of Xiao Mo were struck by lightning and turned into a bloody mist.
Xiao Mo, as the instigator, seemed to ignore his tribulation and continued to advance in the army.
As Xiao Mo drew ever closer, Guo Xin broke out in a cold sweat. He knew that as the commander-in-chief, he absolutely could not retreat, otherwise it would have a huge impact on the morale of the army.
However, Guo Xin also knew that if Xiao Mo got any closer, he would be caught in a lightning tribulation!
Finally, when Xiao Mo was ten zhang away from Guo Xin, Guo Xin retreated!
He rode his warhorse, which had the blood of the Deer-Shu, towards the rear.
"boom!"
As the final bolt of lightning struck down.
The thunderclouds dissipated, leaving only a torrential downpour.
"Hahaha, are all the generals of Wei so useless?"
Xiao Mo looked at Guo Xin and laughed loudly.
The snow-covered horse galloped towards Xiao Mo once more.
Xiao Mo pulled the reins and mounted the horse.
Having entered the Golden Core Realm, Xiao Mo did not continue the pursuit, but instead continued to lead the Snow-Treading Dragon Riders in a charge on the battlefield.
"Go back to the city!"
Feeling that it was about time, Xiao Mo ordered a return to the city. He once again single-handedly covered the rear, slaughtering all the enemy soldiers who surged forward.
"You brat! Don't even think about leaving!"
A Nascent Soul cultivator charged towards Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo turned around and attacked again, showing no fear whatsoever.
After entering the Golden Core Realm, Xiao Mo's God-Slaying Spear reached a new level.
After fifty rounds, Xiao Mo pierced his opponent's heart with a single spear thrust.
After taking out his short knife and severing his head, Xiao Mo took advantage of the moment the city gate closed and leaped into the city on his snow-covered horse.
After Xiao Mo stirred things up for a while, the pressure on the defending soldiers was greatly relieved, and the morale of the Wei army was severely damaged.
Guo Xin had no choice but to order a halt to the siege.
Xiao Mo then hung the head of the Nascent Soul cultivator on the city wall, mocking him mercilessly.
"Damn it!" Guo Xin angrily threw his helmet to the ground and grabbed his deputy's collar, yelling, "Where are those Immortal Realm and Ascension Realm cultivators? Where the hell are they?! Why haven't they come yet?!"
"General, I don't know either," the lieutenant said, on the verge of tears. "Logically speaking, those retainers should have arrived by now. Perhaps Qin got wind of it and sent retainers to intercept them as well?"
Fuck your mother!
Guo Xin threw the deputy general to the ground.
"Thirty days! No! Within twenty days! The city must be breached! Otherwise, if anything goes wrong in the eleven cities of the Southern Territory, we will all have to face His Majesty with our heads on the line!"
Bishui City.
Xiao Shi stood on the battlefield, gazing ahead.
In his eyes, one after another, the men of the Northern Wilderness were charging toward the city walls as if their lives depended on it!
All he could hear were shouts and the clash of swords!
To his nose, the overwhelming smell of blood!
"Hahaha! Your Highness! Let's see if your son and I, the city lord, will fall first, or will his Yanmen Pass fall first!"
On the city wall, Xiahou Nan shouted at Xiao Shi.
Xiao Shi remained calm as he gazed at the distant sky.
Beneath the distant sky, a man sits atop the city wall.
Despite his numerous wounds and charred skin.
But his eyes, when he looked at the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, were full of contempt.
(End of this chapter)
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