Fighting Bloody Battles To Defend The Border, The Love-Brained Empress Ordered The Troops To Withdraw? - Chapter 37

The quartermaster made this prediction.

And his prediction turned out to be quite accurate — or rather, it demonstrated his considerable skill.

The next day, after Li Yunfei finished handling military affairs, he arrived at the supply camp and saw the quartermaster.

“General, today went even better than expected!”

The quartermaster’s face was alight with excitement. “Yesterday, I estimated that we’d receive 40,000 loads of grain today, but in reality, we received 5,000 more than that!”

“A total of 45,000 loads!”

“With this batch, plus the 20,000 loads we received before, our border army is finally free from hunger.”

“The soldiers can eat their fill again.”

Li Yunfei didn’t know whether to feel relieved or anxious.

With enough provisions for his troops, that meant he had enough strength to face any sudden threat.

He now held a winning card.

A card strong enough… to challenge the mighty Dayu Dynasty.

But—

This grain didn’t come from the court, nor was it seized in battle.

It came from the people of Shanhe City. The millions of common folk who had given all they could.

So after a moment of reflection, he said, “This food will be enough for now — enough to sustain the army for some time.”

“Before it runs out, I’ll do everything I can to secure new supplies.”

“So…”

Li Yunfei looked out toward the endless night beyond the tent, as if he could see the countless civilians out there — selling what little they owned, even mortgaging their unharvested autumn grain — just to deliver a portion of it to the border army.

It moved him.

But it also made him realize this couldn’t go on.

He said, “Tell the people — stop sending provisions.”

“It was one thing for them to help us out in a moment of crisis, but this can’t become a norm.”

The quartermaster, already united in heart and mind with Li Yunfei, immediately responded, “Understood, General.”

“I’ll put up a public notice.”

“I’ll tell the people our supplies are sufficient now.”

“However…”

The quartermaster gave a wry smile. “I’m afraid they may not listen.”

“There are a million people in Shanhe City. Supporting a force of 100,000 troops for a few months — while difficult — is something they can bear.”

“These past few days, I’ve noticed something: although many have delivered food, very few are repeat donors.”

“In other words, each wave is made up of new people.”

“One batch after another.”

“And with the high regard the people have for you, General, those who’ve already delivered won’t do it again — but what about those who haven’t yet?”

“They’ll feel it’s their turn.”

“And if we start refusing their offerings, they might just leave the food outside the camp in protest.”

“In that case, we won’t even know who sent what — we won’t be able to keep records.”

Li Yunfei paused. That scenario… was entirely possible.

He sighed. “If that’s the case, then continue receiving it as before — but do your best to persuade them to stop.”

“Understood, General. I’ll sincerely try to dissuade them. And if they won’t listen, I’ll make sure we log every name, address, and amount properly.”

“When you’ve secured more supplies, you’ll be able to repay every one of them.”

Li Yunfei nodded.

It seemed… that was all he could do for now.

Just as he was about to leave, the quartermaster added, “I’ll go post the announcement now. But if I had to guess, tomorrow we’ll still receive at least 30,000 loads.”

And once again, the quartermaster’s prediction proved eerily accurate.

On the third day, 30,000 more loads arrived.

After that, the quartermaster confidently predicted, “I believe over the next ten days, the deliveries will continue at this rate — around 30,000 loads per day.”

Given how precise his previous predictions were, Li Yunfei began to trust in his sharp instincts on this matter.

But—

On the fourth day, only 10,000 loads arrived.

“What?!”

“Only 10,000?!”

That evening, the quartermaster stared at the tally in disbelief.

Based on the previous day’s trend, there should’ve been at least 30,000 loads. Even if he’d miscalculated, it should’ve been over 20,000.

But no — just 10,000.

Strangely, the number of people delivering grain hadn’t decreased. The crowd was almost the same.

It was just that each person was bringing less.

This confused the quartermaster.

But Li Yunfei understood.

“It’s likely that the people simply have nothing left to give,” he said. “The fact they still brought this much… is already a great kindness.”

“I still don’t know how I’ll repay them.”

“If they send less, it eases my burden as well.”

And so he spoke calmly.

In the days that followed, the amount of food dropped steadily.

From 10,000 to 8,000.

Then from 8,000 to 6,000.

Then down to 5,000.

The drop was steep — and puzzling to the quartermaster — but to Li Yunfei, it was a relief.

They had enough to get through the crisis, and now the people wouldn’t suffer as much.

That was the best outcome.

Seeing how troubled the quartermaster looked, Li Yunfei clapped him on the shoulder.

“Stop worrying.”

“No need to overthink it.”

“The people are just listening to our notice. They know we’re no longer desperate for food, so they’ve eased back.”

“This is a good thing — for us, and for them.”

“You should be happy.”

But the quartermaster still frowned deeply. “General, I can’t help but feel something is off.”

“Could you assign someone to assist me?”

“I want to investigate.”

Seeing how serious he was, Li Yunfei didn’t refuse.

He picked several capable soldiers and assigned them to the quartermaster, instructing them to follow his orders to the letter.

Li Yunfei’s authority in the army was absolute. Orders from the imperial court meant little to the average soldier — but an order from Li Yunfei was followed without question, so long as it didn’t involve treason.

The soldiers dutifully obeyed the quartermaster’s instructions.

Following his lead, they began their investigation.

At first, Li Yunfei thought this was all unnecessary — just a fuss over nothing — so he didn’t pay much attention.

He focused on his own duties: gauging public sentiment, communicating regularly with Vice General Duan Peng, and gradually seeding the idea of rebellion throughout the army.

After a short period of acclimation, more and more soldiers began to seriously consider the possibility of revolt.

They didn’t yet have a definite answer — but the seed had been planted.

One day, when Li Yunfei finally raised the banner of rebellion and cried out his cause, the loyalty and admiration his troops held for him would likely turn into full support.

And by then—

The momentum would carry them forward like a tide.

Li Yunfei calculated that, when the time came, he would likely command around 100,000 troops.

Against the Dayu Dynasty’s elite force of nearly two million, this would be like a drop in the ocean — hopeless, on paper.

But with proper training, solid discipline, and adequate supplies, he believed he could survive in the margins — and slowly grow stronger.

With 100,000 men, he could also protect the people of Shanhe City.

He would not betray their trust.

That night, as he worked late into the dark hours—

The quartermaster suddenly burst in, stumbling in his haste.

“General! I’ve found the truth!”

“The reason the food deliveries from Shanhe City’s people have been dropping… it’s not because they listened to your plea.”

“On the contrary — they’ve still been coming, still mortgaging their autumn harvests, still doing everything they can to deliver grain.”

“The reason the amounts are less…”

“Is because they’ve been extorted!”