Fighting Bloody Battles To Defend The Border, The Love-Brained Empress Ordered The Troops To Withdraw? - Chapter 8

Shanhe City – atop the city walls.

Li Yunfei stood tall in his white robes, gazing out at the endless chain of mountains on the horizon. At his side stood his trusted deputy, Duan Peng. In the distance, the mountains seemed to ripple like the backs of slumbering beasts—waiting for the right moment to lunge and devour Shanhe City whole.

A furrow creased Li Yunfei’s brow. His expression was grim, full of quiet tension.

Duan Peng, who had fought countless battles beside him and knew him as well as anyone, noticed immediately.

“General,” he said gently, “there’s no need to lose sleep over the supply line. His Majesty might be displeased with what happened—but the grain convoy is already en route. Even if she regrets sending it, it’s too late to pull it back now.”

He paused, then added with conviction, “Besides, Her Majesty isn’t someone who acts on impulse. She’s ruled with the support of the entire court—surely she understands how vital rations are to troops stationed at the frontier. She wouldn’t be so reckless as to jeopardize that.”

Li Yunfei didn’t argue.

He understood all of that.

But food… food was survival.

Right now, their stores barely held enough to last ten more days. Once the rations ran dry, even the most disciplined and battle-hardened army would unravel. No soldier can fight on an empty stomach.

He let out a silent sigh.

In his previous life—back in his homeland—he was a soldier stationed at the border. Logistics were never his concern. As long as food existed, it found its way to the front lines.

But this world was different.

Here, the weight on his shoulders was heavier. His responsibilities extended far beyond the battlefield.

He quickly steadied his thoughts. “What word from the scouts?” he asked. “Do we know where the supply convoy is now?”

Duan Peng replied at once, “We’ve dispatched over ten scouting teams along the supply route over the past week. They’ve been searching tirelessly.”

“We’ve confirmed the officer in charge of the grain transport—it’s Yi Yang, the former top scholar.”

“His team has already covered a good distance. Though we haven’t pinpointed their location, the latest reports suggest they’re likely near Jiqing Town.”

Back during Emperor Wu’s reign, several fortified cities had been constructed to create a buffer against barbarian incursions. Of them all, Shanhe City was the most vital—sitting at the throat of the northern frontier. As long as it stood, the heartland of Dayu would remain safe.

Around it, five other key cities were established—each with garrisons between seventy and a hundred thousand troops. They guarded treacherous mountain passes and held the line against foreign armies.

Jiqing Town, situated just outside Shanhe County, was only a few days’ march from the city. If Yi Yang’s team had reached that far, there was little cause for alarm.

“Even if they haven’t made it to Jiqing Town yet,” Duan Peng added, “they’re not far. There’s no need to panic.”

“And if worst comes to worst, it’s harvest season. We can always gather grain locally to hold us over.”

But Li Yunfei shook his head without hesitation.

“No,” he said. “The people here are barely scraping by. They fight to survive every year—eating bark and wild roots just to make it through the winter.”

“We’re here to protect them, not to take what little they have.”

As they paced the wall, discussing their options, a soldier suddenly came running up, breathless with urgency.

“Report!”

“General, a small group of barbarians has been spotted northwest of the city!”

Li Yunfei narrowed his eyes. “They still dare to come so soon?”

He hadn’t forgotten the last encounter. A few weeks earlier, he’d led a surprise raid on the barbarian camp with only a few thousand men. Morale had been sky-high, and the enemy had been caught completely off guard.

That night, the barbarians suffered devastating losses—corpses littered the ground outside Shanhe City. The survivors fled in disarray, their camp set ablaze, their morale shattered. The attack had pushed their forces thirty miles north.

By normal standards, that alone should have been enough to end the campaign.

But now… they were already stirring again?

“It’s probably the Caogu raid,” Duan Peng said grimly.

Duan had spent most of his life at the northern border. His experience with the barbarians far exceeded Li Yunfei’s, who was still relatively new to Shanhe.

That was why Duan remained so close to his side—not just as a battle-tested soldier, but as a living guide to the local war.

“Every year, they raid Shanhe County in the fall,” Duan explained. “They call it beating the Caogu—stealing grain to survive the winter.”

“They rely on livestock for survival. But once the grasslands go brown and the forage disappears, hunger sets in. The tribes start to splinter, fighting each other for dwindling resources.”

“To prevent internal bloodshed, they shift the conflict outward. They send raiding parties to steal from our villages—grain, supplies, even women. Whatever they need to survive.”

“Sometimes they win big. Sometimes they leave their dead behind and limp back with nothing.”

“But even when they lose… it still benefits them. The fewer mouths to feed, the more resources remain for the survivors. That’s how they stabilize their power struggles.”

Duan’s voice grew heavy.

“For years, the people of Shanhe have lived under that shadow. Villages razed. Women stolen. Food gone.”

“And in the past five or six years, the garrisons sent here were useless. Officers came just to earn promotions. No skills, no heart for the people.”

“If not for you, General…”

He paused, his voice thick with emotion.

“I don’t know what would’ve happened to us this year.”

“That’s why the people here respect you so much. They trust you. You’re not like the others.”

Li Yunfei took a deep breath.

Maybe this was why fate had brought him here.

Maybe this was his true calling.

“Keep a close eye on that raiding party,” he ordered. “If they have any sense, they’ll turn around now.”

“But if they’re here to steal again…”

“I’ll leave their bones under these city walls.”

“Let them learn this: so long as I guard Shanhe, they will never come and go as they please again.”