Overthrow the Three Religions, I Alone Am Supreme

"Lord!"

A group of men escorted Aaron out of the forest by another mountain path.

Zhan Da came forward to report, "The scouts we sent out have returned. They found no sign of an encirclement... We are safe for the moment. Also... the provisions we brought can last us another three days..."

"Mm!"

Protected at the center by several dozen soldiers, Aaron looked like a young nobleman traveling abroad, or a great general in the army.

Hearing this, he fell into thought.

Even the Six Jia Divine Soldiers still needed to eat.

Of course, he could forcibly order them to drink thin gruel, or even eat grass and dirt! They would never resist, and would obey with grim resolve.

But in that case, their fighting strength could not be guaranteed.

"We need to find somewhere to resupply as soon as possible... Uh, an ordinary soldier needs to consume at least one jin of rice a day. If there's meat, they can eat a little less, but they'll also need vitamins..."

"Fifty men means fifty jin a day. That's fifteen hundred jin a month—fifteen shi!"

Under Great Song measures, one shi was equivalent to one hundred jin.

In the south today, rice and wheat were planted in rotation, yielding two harvests a year. Wheat brought in one shi per mu, while rice yielded two shi per mu.

As for grain prices, during peaceful years, one shi of rice cost one string of cash—one tael of silver.

"By that calculation, feeding fifty soldiers alone costs fifteen taels a month, not counting any other expenses... An army truly is a gold-devouring beast. And once it reaches a certain scale, sourcing goods, transport, and logistics all become major problems."

"If not for the sovereign's rewards, I couldn't afford to keep many men at all.