Chapter 1659 – Conquering Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (69)
Lü Zheng spoke seriously, but it wasn’t as dangerous as he made it seem.
Kang Xintong was still quite young, and her disguise as a boy wasn’t too out of place. As long as Lü Zheng kept an eye on her, as long as she didn’t silly-run into places she shouldn’t be, she’d be mostly safe in the military camp. Unless the enemy launched a surprise attack on our main camp, that would be a different story.
Besides, Lü Zheng was a strategist, not a military general. He spent most of his time in the camp and could definitely keep this girl safe.
As for Kang Xintong’s situation, Lü Zheng didn’t hide it from An. He gave him a heads-up in advance.
An had vaguely heard people say Lü Zheng took in an adopted daughter, but he never expected he would bring her to the military camp.
“Bring her if you must, as long as it doesn’t hinder our major plans.”
An had no objections, so it was settled.
The army set out, and Lü Zheng rode alongside An, noticing that Hua Yuan was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing this, Lü Zheng became more anxious and casually asked someone nearby about Hua Yuan’s whereabouts.
“Why isn’t Hua Yuan around?” Lü Zheng whispered to a strategist he was close with, his gaze scanning the area for a familiar figure. “Our lord can’t do without Hua Yuan, practically wants him by his side at all times. Why isn’t he here today?”
The other person responded, “You really don’t know?”
Lü Zheng shook his head. “I truly don’t.”
The person continued, “The enemy’s coming in strong, and Liu Xi has decided to mobilize the troops even at the expense of spring planting. It’s clear she’s dead set on this. If we’re to face the enemy, we don’t know how long this battle will last, and our supplies might be insufficient. The lord sent Hua Yuan to gather military provisions…”
Upon hearing this, Lü Zheng’s heart sank.
Not enough provisions?!
“How much food do we have left? How long can it sustain the army?”
After being sidelined for a while, Lü Zheng had gradually lost touch with military affairs, and his understanding of the camp had fallen behind.
The other person said, “A rough estimate should last until early winter.”
“Why only until early winter?”
If Lü Zheng calculated, the stock should at least last until late spring or early summer next year.
Of course, if it didn’t last, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Food supplies are valuable at any time, let alone in chaotic times like these; provisions are the most solid currency.
If the supplies run low, we not only need to find ways to increase resources but also cut down on consumption.
If it really comes to it, we might have to use special means to survive this tough patch.
Despite all this, Lü Zheng still felt that An and Hua Yuan were wasting resources.
Having been sidelined for these days, he realized these two were living extravagantly, acting like the naïve sons of rich landlords with too much money and no brains.
The foundation Lü Zheng had worked years to build was being squandered.
He had a rough idea of the situation, but he didn’t expect the truth to be so far from his assumptions.
“We should have been able to last longer; after all, last year we gained quite a bit from that incident. However… Liu Xi has been sweeping through various places these years. Isn’t she relying on her elite troops? With the enemy at our doorstep, our lord is quite wary of her. Fearing a shortage in troops, she has been recruiting and training elites relentlessly. Last year, we took away a bunch of young men from two states; the lord sent people to select 150,000 to join the army…”
“150,000????”
Lü Zheng almost squeaked.
Wasn’t that a misinterpretation?
Was it really 150,000 and not 15,000?
“This is just nonsense!”
Lü Zheng disregarded An being nearby and widened his eyes in reprimand.
An and Hua Yuan weren’t just wasteful; had they been kicked by a donkey?
In this world, is there such a good deal that you want your horses to run fast while also asking them to eat less?
These young men were all mouths that needed feeding; they ate grains, and they were neither wooden oxen nor transcendent beings. They couldn’t just survive on air and dew. If they were treated as elite troops, their daily rations would at least be double that of an ordinary soldier!
Suddenly having so many additional mouths to feed, did An really think food came for free?
When he talked about “that incident last year,” he was referring to when An fortified the defenses and exploited Jiang Ji for benefits. He hoarded the supplies from two states, but in the end, he left a bunch of old, weak, and sickly people with Jiang Ji, profiting massively.
Lü Zheng believed that last year, An shouldn’t have taken in those young men at all; he should have just looted provisions and supplies. He could have thrown those young men along with the weak and sick to Jiang Ji and let her figure out how to feed them. If she managed it, great; if not, it would be a perfect opportunity to sow discord and encourage those young men to rebel, hitting the granaries for food while Lü Zheng could watch Jiang Ji’s distressed struggle. Unfortunately, An wouldn’t listen; he was already bewitched by that little vixen Hua Yuan!
“Out of nowhere, taking on 150,000 mouths to feed, how could our provisions be enough?”
An had already absorbed the forces of the various lords of Nan Sheng, and his army was already quite large.
The newly recruited young men had no combat experience; bringing them over was just waving flags and handing the enemy free kills.
Yet, Hua Yuan wanted to compete with Lü Zheng, and due to various disadvantages, Lü Zheng couldn’t win. Their lord An, with his insatiable greed, couldn’t bear to let those young men go, fearful they’d become Jiang Ji’s knives against him; he insisted on bringing them back home to digest it himself.
Look at it now, getting greedy and indecisive has led us here!
This was like asking for rocks to crush one’s own feet!
Lü Zheng felt a tightness in his chest, as if someone had stabbed him with a knife.
An, the lord, used to seem so reliable; how did he lose his way after gaining power?
If he wanted to aim for the stars, could he at least wait for the dust to settle with the enemy first?
The enemy hadn’t kneeled yet, but he was already losing his cool, planning to offer himself to Jiang Ji?
Lü Zheng was filled with countless thoughts of mmp, unsure whether to speak up or keep quiet.
“Keep your voice down! Are you trying to get us all killed?”
The person tugged at Lü Zheng’s sleeve and offered a quiet warning.
Stealthily glancing towards An, he noticed the lord was looking this way, his dark eyes devoid of any sentiment.
Under such a gaze, he shivered and quickly averted his eyes.
Lü Zheng tightened his grip on the reins and scoffed quietly.
“You should really adjust your attitude too. You know the lord’s temperament; being stubborn will only be your loss.”
In the thick of it, Lü Zheng realized, the spectators have clarity.
Why was An getting close to Hua Yuan while distancing himself from Lü Zheng?
It wasn’t because Lü Zheng was incapable. It was clearly Lü Zheng’s temperament that had long displeased An.
He felt…
Lü Zheng might end up in hot water again.
As it turned out, An wasn’t as small-minded as he had imagined.
He genuinely didn’t like Lü Zheng, but he also wouldn’t disregard the bigger picture and leave someone capable like Lü Zheng to rot.
Now was the time to utilize people, and Lü Zheng had to be used; and as for after…
Heh, we’ll talk about that later.
