TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY, I CULTIVATE USING QI LUCK

Chapter 867: Chapter 368: Besieged on All Sides by the Song of Chu_3

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This method not only consumes an enormous amount of resources but also, the supply of military food to the front line might be disrupted by various factors, preventing full delivery and leading to shortages that affect the morale of the soldiers.

How could Shen Qiu not be angry in the face of such an unfavorable situation?

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger for a moment.”

At this time, Bai Yian stepped forward, picked up the documents that Shen Qiu had thrown to the ground, took a look, and after understanding the contents, frowned and said, “Now that the Chu thieves have cut off our waterway, all the food and fodder we had stockpiled at Luo Kou Du has fallen into enemy hands.

And in the camp now, our army has only enough provisions for ten days.

The urgent task at hand is to quickly open up the grain road so that new supplies can be transported from the rear as soon as possible. Otherwise, with the shortage of food and fodder, the army will become unsettled—yes, we might collapse without fighting.”

Hearing this, Shen Qiu huffed again, but he managed not to lose his temper at Bai Yian and took the advice on board.

“We are aware of this matter.”

He nodded and then turned his head to a general in the hall and instructed, “Chen Qing, this matter is entrusted to you. Select some top-notch experts from the army in person, rush back to Yuzhang overnight, and have Wu Che immediately collect a month’s worth of military food for a large army, and then personally escort it back.”

Chen Qing, hailing from one of the six foremost families, was a top-notch expert in the army, just a step away from Inborn status. However, limited by the lack of resources and without the elixir to refine his body and soul, he had yet to break through to Innate.

Even so, not being Innate, Chen Qing’s strength was among the very best of those below the Inborn level.

In a situation where the Inborn could not easily take action, he was more than capable of handling a critical mission.

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The Chu army had long planned for this, and after cutting off our waterway and grain road, they would surely guard against land transportation of supplies.

Thus, transporting grain from the rear this time might not be straightforward, and there could be mishaps, such as Chu soldiers lying in ambush on critical paths, specifically targeting those carrying messages to the rear.

That’s why this time, Shen Qiu appointed Chen Qing.

As for Yuzhang Prefecture, in preparation for the campaign against Chu State, a large amount of food and fodder had already been amassed.

Once Chen Qing reaches the Nanchang Prefectural City of Yuzhang, the prefect Wu Che can immediately distribute a month’s worth of military food for a hundred thousand troops.

The only problem is that it might not be easy to find enough civilian workers to transport such a quantity of food and fodder at short notice.

But this was not a concern.

Yuzhang Prefecture, being the premier prefecture of Ning Country with over six million registered households, could easily draft enough civilian workers from its population without much trouble.

This was also why, after learning that Luo Kou Du had been taken by Chu forces and the waterway grain road lost, Shen Qiu was angry but not panicked.

Because he knew.

Though the waterway for grain was lost, they could still transport supplies by land. It would cost more, but it wouldn’t leave his large army starving.

The situation had not yet reached a point of no return.

“Yes, I accept the order.”

Chen Qing stood up to receive the command, instantly ready to leave.

After saluting, he departed swiftly.

The military food for a hundred thousand troops was of great importance, and with no time to delay, he dared not dally.

Shen Qiu discussed with his ministers for a while in the hall, proposing some methods to deal with the Chu army and concluded that they could only adopt a passive stance, waiting for the situation at Hengyang and Luyang to unfold, ending the discussion there.

In the following days, Chen Qing left with a group of carefully selected capable men, and there was still no news from the rear grain road.

The Chu forces that had taken Luo Kou Du continued to hunker down in the port, merely strengthening the city’s fortifications without showing any intention to move out.

Seeing this, the people of Ning Army inside the main camp couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.

In their minds, they surmised that the Chu forces were likely running out of steam and had only seized Luo Kou Du in response to the new conflicts Ning had initiated in Hengyang and Luyang.

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Other aspects also seemed to have little reserves left.

However, this sense of stability did not last for two days.

On the third day after Chen Qing’s departure, after much effort, the message from Changsha finally broke through the Chu State’s blockade and reached the main camp.

“Chu bandit Huang Xuan led his army to attack Changsha from behind. Marquis Wuxin was unprepared, and the seventy-thousand-strong army perished overnight. In the midst of the rout, Huang Xuan cut him down, and he perished in battle?”

Shen Qiu, upon receiving this terrible news, was completely dumbstruck on the spot.

The other officials who heard the news were also panic-stricken, with faces full of shock.

It was Bai Yian who reacted quickly. After coming back to his senses from the painful realization, he immediately said, “Your Majesty, the Chu bandits have been plotting this for a long time. They first seized Luo Kou Du to cut off our retreat. Then they defeated our army in Changsha, cutting off our external aid.

Now our great army is encircled on three sides—north, west, and south—by Chu forces. If they converge from all three sides and send raiders to harass our land-based grain road, all one hundred thousand of us will have nowhere to be buried.

This is indeed a critical moment of survival.

Your subject pleads with Your Majesty to immediately break camp and withdraw the troops, leading them back to Yuzhang to secure our rear.

Once we retreat, the area north of the river will also be indefensible. Please send instructions to Martial Proclamation Marquis Yang Jing to withdraw back to Yuzhang with his naval forces and regroup with us.

The armies from Hengyang and Luyang should do the same.

Now that Changsha has fallen, the Chu bandits’ momentum has surged, enabling them to divert even more troops.

These two detachments deep in enemy territory are isolated and weak—likely to be exploited by the Chu bandits.

We should withdraw to our own country and strictly defend our cities against the Chu people.”

As soon as Bai Yian spoke, his words steadied Shen Qiu and the others as if they were the mighty Heavenly Pillars, stabilizing their minds in an instant.

In the midst of the chaos, Shen Qiu could not afford to think too much. Seeing that Bai Yian’s proposed countermeasure was well-considered, he immediately agreed.

“What Wuan Marquis said is true, We will now order…”

“Report—”

Before Shen Qiu could finish speaking, suddenly a cry for attention came from outside the hall. A junior officer burst in, knelt down immediately after entering, and said, “Your Majesty, urgent news from Yuzhang: seven days ago, a hundred thousand Chu bandits from Southsea invaded Yuzhang and attacked Luyang.

Luyang was defenseless and fell to the Chu bandits—it has now been completely lost.

At the same time, three days ago, tens of thousands of Chu bandits from Changsha entered Yuzhang and are now heading straight for the prefectural capital of Nanchang.

Yichun has already fallen to the bandits, and the Chu people have reached Yuzhang, only a few cities away from the prefectural city.

The Prefect begs to inform Your Majesty that he will defend Nanchang City to the death, swearing to share the fate of Yuzhang.

However, Yuzhang is defenseless, and Nanchang has no more than ten thousand soldiers; I fear they cannot hold for long. Your Majesty is urgently requested to lead the army back and provide relief to Yuzhang.”

This junior officer did not see the expressions of the people in the hall and, in his urgency to summon reinforcements, brought another “surprise” to the monarch and his ministers present.

“Puh—”

Upon hearing yet another piece of terrible news, Shen Qiu could no longer contain the resentment in his heart, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, with his vision going dark and seeing stars.

His body swayed unsteadily a few times before collapsing on the desk.

He only muttered to himself, “This is impossible, this is impossible… How could the Chu people reach our rear, how could there be trouble at our rear…”

Luo Kou Du, Jiangxia, Changsha, Yuzhang—now the Chu army was striking from all four sides, enclosing Shen Qiu and his hundred thousand troops completely at Jiangxia.

With all possible retreats cut off and Chu forces advancing from every direction, it was truly a case of being surrounded by Chu’s songs.

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