While Shen Tang's side was holding urgent meetings to discuss where to launch their attack and how to assign their forces, Qiu Cheng's side was hardly idle either.
Qiu Cheng asked for advice. "What do you all think we should do this time?"
The meeting hall was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.
Someone tentatively suggested, "Could we borrow grain?"
Qiu Cheng furrowed his brow. "From whom?"
In a year like this, even the wealthy had no surplus grain.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have set their sights on Shen Tang.
Someone else suggested, "Why not write to the alliance leader?"
The alliance leader he meant was the founder of the Dragon Slaying Bureau—
Huang Lie.
Qiu Cheng thought back to Huang Lie's lair and curled his lip, thinking to himself, That scoundrel Huang Lie still owes us money and grain, and he's got hundreds of thousands of refugees and bandits under his command. He's already worrying about how to feed all those mouths. Why would he lend us anything?
They ran through all the factions they had good relations with.
The more distant ones had grain, but it couldn't be delivered in time.
The closer ones were poor too, pinching every penny to get by.
After a round of discussion, gloom settled over the room.
Their main concern wasn't how strong Shen Tang's forces were. In truth, no matter how many soldiers she conscripted from Longwu Commandery, she couldn't raise many. Even if she could, she couldn't feed them. What's more, she had to divide her forces to defend Yonggu Pass.
Shen Tang could only send out around ten thousand troops.
Surely she wouldn't pull the defenders from Yonggu Pass and leave her own base unguarded just to take Sibao Prefecture?
Qiu Cheng wasn't afraid of ten thousand men.
What he feared