Chapter 367: Where is She Now!? (2) (1/2)

Another officer brought up a suggestion: how about raiding the barbarians?

Heh heh. The barbarians were even poorer than the Tuhuns. They only knew how to graze their livestock and they didn’t even know if they would be able to survive the winter themselves. There was nothing for them to raid there.

The barbarians were much fewer in number than the Tuhuns anyway. Most of them were scattered all throughout the plains. They also suffered from regular raids by the Tuhuns, so they were likely all hiding under a pile of snow somewhere. The troops couldn’t depend on finding ten thousand nomadic barbarians to feed their fifty thousand soldiers. Even the suggestion of having one last meal and fighting it out with the Tuhuns was better.

In the end, no one had a solution that was sound enough.

Most of the leaders in the army were old generals who had experienced many battles. Despite their many successes and ideas in the past, when it came to the current situation, all of them could only scratch their heads in futile search of a good solution.

It wasn’t as if General Qian hadn’t tried sending men to Su City to bring back their supplies. However, half of the party had already suffered frostbite even before making it out of Liangzhou. Their carriages hadn’t been able to move in the knee-deep snow. If they did miraculously make it to Su City, then how were they supposed to get the supplies back? They couldn’t possibly rely on just men and packhorses.

Transporting supplies for fifty thousand soldiers on just the backs of men and horses?

That was impossible!

In the blink of an eye, two days had already passed. Right now, each passing day meant that their food supplies were shortened by a day. The secretary of the army was so worried about the food left in their stores, his originally white hair had grown even whiter.

No matter how much they tried to scrimp and save, the food wasn’t enough to last a single month.

Early in the morning, Laiyue packed up a small bag. A red object shaped like a rod was sticking out of his bag.

Right before he left, Laiyue came to He Changdi’s tent to report.

Xiao Hongyu was away leading his subordinates on a morning training exercise, so only He Sanlang was left in the tent.

Laiyue set down the bag he was carrying on his back and stared at the objects in the bag while trying to hold back his drool. “Third Young Master, are you really not going to eat some of this? This servant can keep some of this aside for you. All you’ve been eating in the army is bean gruel for so many days. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some of this to chew on for a change of taste occasionally?”

He Sanlang was holding a military tactic book in hand as he cast a cool glance at Laiyue. “No need. These are all women’s snacks, why leave them for me? Give them all to your Third Young Madam.”

Laiyue could only take up the bag once again. “Third Young Master, is there any message you would like this servant to pass on to Third Young Madam?”

He Changdi thought for a moment before walking over to his bedside and taking out a letter from under his pillow. He passed it over to Laiyue casually.

Laiyue received the letter with both hands and smiled eagerly. It seemed like his master was warming up to his mistress.

When He Sanlang caught sight of Laiyue’s silly and joyful smile, his expression stiffened up a little and he aimed a kick at Laiyue’s behind. “Why haven’t you gone yet? Are you waiting for me to escort you out?”