The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!-Chapter 1034 - 872, Heavy Troops

Dongli spurred his horse on relentlessly for five days and nights, finally arriving at the Ninglu Provincial Prefecture. After handing over the Jade Pendant and the letter to the Provincial Governor Wu, Governor Wu immediately called his staff to discuss whether to lend the grain.

Dongli and the members of the Guard Squad rested for one night, and the next day, Provincial Governor Wu informed them that he had agreed to lend the grain.

Dongli immediately sent the news back to the Ganzhou Guard via a falcon.

On receiving the message, Daohua breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she was seventy to eighty percent sure that Provincial Governor Wu would lend the grain, there is always an element of uncertainty, and she had not been without anxiety these past few days.

After counting the remaining grain to ensure it would last until Dongli and the others brought back more, Daohua went about her preparations for the New Year with peace of mind.

This was their first New Year in Xiliang, and she wanted it to be warm and lively.

Thanks to Xiao Yeyang’s annihilation of the Xiliao’s hundred-men cavalry, the Xiliao had quieted down quite a bit and did not dare to attack the Ganzhou Guard’s defense area again. However, other guards were robbed.

In previous winters, with the Ganzhou Guard taking the brunt, the other guards had it much easier, but this year, they started to complain.

...

Commandant Office.

Many in the guard were waiting to see Xiao Yeyang make a fool of himself, and Xia Jianren was particularly diligent in going up to the city wall to observe the refugee situation.

Seeing his frequent visits, General Fan nodded in understanding, thinking to himself that while Xia was shrewd in day-to-day matters, he was still a good man at heart, and genuinely cared for the people.

Atop the city wall, Xia Jianren watched the refugees queuing in an orderly fashion to eat porridge, his brows furrowed tightly. He also couldn’t help but marvel at the vast resources of the Xiao Residence.

Now, with nearly forty thousand refugees, the Xiao Residence was still holding up.

What was even more astonishing was that they also provided medicinal soup.

This was burning Silver like crazy!

Seeing more grass shelter being constructed, Xia Jianren no longer wanted to watch. He wrapped his cloak tighter and descended the city wall, heading home with swift strides.

Since the Xiao Residence was so generous to the refugees, they surely wouldn’t be stingy towards the commanders defending the border.

Upon returning home, Xia Jianren wrote a letter to the Border Army commanders.

Since the death of the previous Commander, the guard had been mostly overseen by him and General Fan. General Fan was a brusque man, only good at training soldiers. It was Xia who handled rations and pay.

This winter, the guard had not given much grain to the Border Army.

At this time, the troops were surely living a hard life.

...

Frontier Army Barracks.

Upon receiving Xia Jianren’s letter, Colonel Cao Dan stood in his tent in silence for a long time.

If it hadn’t been for Ganzhou’s new Defender wiping out a Xiliao cavalry squadron this year, his soldiers would certainly still be engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Xiliao.

There wasn’t much food and pay in the army, but since everyone stayed in camp without moving, conserving resources, it was sufficient.

As Cao Dan scrutinized Xia Jianren’s letter, his eyes narrowed.

After years of interacting with the guard, he knew well that Xia Jianren was a calculating man.

He had also heard about the porridge distribution at the Ganzhou City gate. Now that Xia Jianren was asking him to seek grain from Xiao Yeyang, it was clear that his intentions were not good. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Instinctively, he sided with Xiao Yeyang.

Soldiers are like that, admiring those stronger than themselves. In Cao Dan’s eyes, Xiao Yeyang, who could wipe out the Xiliao and intimidate them, was certainly more admirable.

After much thought, Cao Dan decided to make a trip to Ganzhou City.

It was not that he needed the grain urgently, but expressing their hardships was undoubtedly the right move.

Last time he saw Xiao Yeyang, he knew that this man was not the wastrel that everyone imagined him to be. In his eyes, he saw the resolve to wipe out the Xiliao.

Hearing that Xiao Yeyang had moved into the Commander’s official residence and taken over Ganzhou Guard, it became essential to make contact, to ensure smooth requests for military pay in the future.

Of course, if he could bring back some grain to feed the soldiers better and provide them with a good New Year, that would please him even more.

...

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Cao Dan entered Ganzhou City with a few of his personal soldiers.

Xia Jianren had been keeping a close eye on the Xiao Residence and learned that Cao Dan was seeking Xiao Yeyang. He immediately messaged the Commander.

"The Border Army is now involved. As soon as the porridge distribution at the city gate stops, we can drive Xiao Yeyang out of Xiliang."

Xiao Residence.

Daohua, on hearing that the Border Army Colonel had come to find Xiao Yeyang, asked about the number of visitors and instructed the kitchen to prepare meals.

In the front yard’s living room, Xiao Yeyang, upon seeing Cao Dan, was clearly surprised and instantly asked, "Is the army short on grain?"

Cao Dan instinctively nodded.

Over the years, the garrison was always behind on supplying the military camp, and almost every trip to Gan State Guard was about securing food, which had become his subconscious reaction.

Xiao Yeyang had a fairly good impression of Cao Dan. The first time he met the man, he was engaged in fierce combat with Xiliao enemies.

Despite being at a significant disadvantage in weapons and equipment compared to the Xiliao forces, they managed not to give the enemy any edge.

"Wait for me a moment."

Cao Dan, who had not spoken a word since entering, was bewildered as he watched Xiao Yeyang’s retreating figure stride away.

It was not until a maid came in to serve the tea and refreshments that he snapped back to reality.

"General, please enjoy the tea!"

The maid poured tea for Cao Dan and then stood aside.

Seeing that the maid was looking straight ahead and not around, Cao Dan quickly reached out to hand a plate of red bean cakes to the two personal guards behind him.

They had left with only a bun to eat and were already hungry.

The guards glanced at the maid, and seeing she was not paying attention to them, each quickly took three pieces of red bean cake.

The porcelain plate was small, capable of holding only about eight or nine pieces.

Cao Dan saw that his men had left three pieces for him and picked one up to start eating.

As soon as the pastry touched his mouth, Cao Dan’s eyes narrowed with pleasure.

The maid, who had been pretending to be invisible, couldn’t help but let out a giggle upon seeing Cao Dan’s look of enjoyment.

Cao Dan felt embarrassed and his face flushed red.

He was a native of Xiliang – a remote and barren place, beset by troubles with Xiliao and with few merchant caravans passing through.

This resulted in a severe scarcity of supplies and exorbitant prices.

Sweet goods like sugar and honey, even though he was a deputy commander, were luxuries scarcely enjoyed.

The confections were so soft, delectable, and exquisitely sweet that he unwittingly displayed his delight.

Realizing her gaffe, the maid quickly regained her composure and resumed her undistracted stance, as if it hadn’t been her who had just laughed.

Seeing her reaction, Cao Dan lost his appetite. Still, he discretely pocketed the remaining two cakes and proceeded to drink his tea undisturbed.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before Xiao Yeyang returned.

As soon as he walked in, Xiao Yeyang said to Cao Dan, "I’ll give you five hundred stones of grain first. Hold on with that, and by the middle of the first month, I’ll allocate more for you."

Cao Dan moved his lips, hesitated for a moment, but eventually said, "If it’s inconvenient for the elder, there’s no rush on the military camp’s part..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Yeyang interrupted, "The soldiers’ rations are absolutely essential. Without proper strength, how can they fight against Xiliao?"

"The last time I saw those soldiers, each one was gaunt and haggard. If they were to truly join the battlefield, they would be the first to die."

Hearing this, Cao Dan was somewhat moved.

With low food production in Xiliang, he had rarely received the full quota of military rations. Whenever requesting food, the garrison officials would delay as much as possible, and the soldiers often went hungry.

Now at last, he had encountered someone who would not shortchange their military provisions.

Xiao Yeyang inquired further, "By the way, I noticed that your weapons and military equipment are seriously damaged. Has no one replaced them for you?"

Cao Dan replied with a bitter smile, "Each time we submit a request to replace weapons or uniforms to the Commander’s Office, it almost always comes to nothing."

Xiao Yeyang’s expression darkened. After thinking for a while, he said, "Before you leave, make a list of the military supplies your troops usually need."

Cao Dan glanced at Xiao Yeyang and nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Defu entered the room.

"My lord, the Crown Princess has prepared the meal. It’s time to eat."

Xiao Yeyang got up and took Cao Dan to the hall for the meal, while the personal guards that Cao Dan had brought with him were taken by Defu to a side chamber to eat.

Seeing the bountiful spread on the table, Cao Dan’s men couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. They waited for Defu to leave before they began to eat heartily.

After the meal, Cao Dan left with five hundred stones of grain.

Riding on horseback and belching, one of the guards said to Cao Dan, "General, this new Lord Xiao is really a good man."

Cao Dan chuckled, "Just because he gave you food, he’s a good man?"

The guard nodded earnestly, "Yes, I’m not afraid of fighting the Xiliao, but of being hungry."

At those words, Cao Dan felt a lump in his throat but managed a forced smile, "Lord Xiao also gave us two carts of meat. When we get back, let the other brothers have a good meal too."