A game of chess

"We don't know when the supplies will arrive. The supplies for Songshan County will only last for another ten days at most, and that's with the garrison tightening their belts and the Ligu soldiers eating cornbread."

While listening to Mo Sang and Miao Youfang's lively discussion about how to become the top scholar in the imperial examination after the war, Xu Erlang was thinking about the problem of food supplies.

The warriors of the Power Gu tribe and the flying beast army of the Heart Gu tribe completely overwhelmed Songshan County.

Leaving aside the flying beasts, their large size and enormous appetites are understandable. But the members of the Li Gu tribe Celestial Person the Songshan County garrison.

The garrison soldiers ate from bowls, while the Ligu tribe warriors ate from buckets.

During wartime, the garrison soldiers ate three meals a day, and during peacetime, they ate two meals a day.

The warriors of the Li Gu tribe eat four meals a day, and five meals during wartime.

Xu Erlang was somewhat prepared, after all, Lina and Lingyin alone made his mother's scalp tingle, and the Xu Household was now very wealthy.

Moreover, there were four hundred warriors from the Li Gu tribe.

However, Xu Erlang still underestimated the appetite of the Li Gu warriors; using Lina and Lingyin's usual appetite as a reference was inaccurate.

Because her foolish younger sister and her foolish master only know how to laugh and joke around all day, without any real effort.

How can one compare to a warrior who lives on the edge of a knife?

"As long as I get supplies, I can hold Songshan County indefinitely," Xu Xinnian thought to himself.

The Great Feng's cannons and ballistae provided fire support, the Heart Gu tribe's flying beast army dropped attacks from the sky, the Corpse Gu tribe's corpse controllers manipulated fearless assassins, and the Dark Gu tribe was responsible for assassinations.

The Li Gu tribe was responsible for clearing out the enemy troops who had climbed onto the city walls.

Combined with Xu Erlang's command abilities, the defense of Songshan County was impregnable.

Now, the rebel army outside the city, consisting of 9,000 elite troops and 20,000 ragtag soldiers, has changed its strategy from attacking the city to besieging it, attempting to make Songshan County a second Wan County.

It is worth mentioning that the miscellaneous army is a militia composed of ordinary people, composed of refugees and young men who were forcibly recruited into the army. The leaders are Jianghu people recruited by the Yunzhou rebels.

"I heard Erlang say last time that Qingzhou's condition would improve after the Spring Festival?"

Miao Youfang was multitasking, chatting while playing chess, and felt that he was indeed a genius.

"The situation in the entire Central Plains will improve. The cold disaster is the main cause, followed by food shortages, which has led to the current chaotic situation. Once spring arrives, the cold will no longer threaten the people."

Xu Cijiu, holding the book, placed the half-eaten cornbread on the table, saying, "Eat it sparingly."

"Secondly, farming is the instinct of the people. Only by farming in the spring can they harvest in the autumn. Many displaced people will choose to pick up their hoes again. As long as the court redistributes those abandoned lands, it can solve the problem of a large part of the displaced people."

"However, when that time comes, countless gentry and nobles will surely take the opportunity to seize land and leave no way for the common people to survive. It all depends on whether Emperor Yongxing has the courage to do so."

At this point, he frowned slightly, his delicate and handsome brows furrowing. "That new emperor is good in every way, except he lacks ambition and is better at maintaining the status quo than any other ruler."

They can't be relied upon for big things.

If Emperor Yongxing had followed his plan and secretly "sacrificed" the local gentry, nobles, and powerful landlords, the number of those who would seize land after the spring would have been greatly reduced.

"What if we still can't hold out after the spring festival?"

Miao Youfang, ever the contrarian, retorted, "Will you die in Songshan County, or will you flee?"

Mo Sang stood tall and proud:

"The warriors of the Li Gu tribe will not flee. If I die in battle in the Central Plains, remember to send my remains back to the Southern Frontier and give them to my father."

Miao Youfang then looked at Xu Erlang, who pondered for a moment before saying:

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate. If it truly comes to the point where death is inevitable, I, as a scholar, will naturally be willing to sacrifice myself for righteousness. What about you, Brother Miao?"

"How could I possibly die in battle? I'm destined to become a great hero. Hmm, if that day ever comes, remember to carve the words 'Great Hero' on my tombstone. And please tell Xu Yinluo I'm sorry for me."

Miao Youfang thought for a moment and said, "By the way, you must burn a few paper maidservants for me every year. Even in the underworld, this great hero will still sleep with women."

Xu Cijiu shook his head, his eyes fixed on the military book, and reached for the steamed bun, only to find it empty.

Hmm? He glanced to the side and saw that the table was empty. Then he looked up and saw Mo Sang chew a couple of bites, swallow the cornbread, and then pretend that nothing had happened, seriously playing chess with Miao Youfang.

Cheng Bi Niang Zhi Fei Yue Xu Xinnian, but outwardly remained expressionless, saying:

"Brother Mosang, seeing you always reminds me of your younger sister."

Mo Sang, with his dark skin, turned around blankly and said:

How so?

He knew that Xu Xinnian was Xu Yinluo's younger brother, and he also knew that Lina had been staying at the Xu Household for more than half a year.

Xu Erlang looked sincere:

"Brother Mosang and Lina are both extremely pure-hearted people, embodying the principle that 'food is the first necessity of the people' to the fullest extent. If everyone in the world could be like you two siblings, the land would have long been peaceful and prosperous, and there would be no more wars."

Mo Sang was overjoyed that he and his sister had received such high praise from Xu Xinnian, a scholar who had passed both the imperial examinations and the provincial examinations. He laughed heartily.

"You flatter me, Lord Xu. I am too foolish to deserve such praise. As for Lina, my father always praises her for being clever since she was a child."

Does your father have some misunderstanding about "being smart from a young age"? Xu Xinnian nodded and quietly read his book.

Miao Youfang felt that Xu Erlang's words had a hidden meaning, but he had no evidence.

Mentioning Lina, Mosang became much more talkative, saying:

"These past few days you've been so busy fighting that you've all been mingling in the Central Plains. Do you even know my sister Lina's nickname in the Central Plains martial arts world?"

"What a good-for-nothing," Xu Erlang thought to himself, almost unconsciously.

Miao Youfang didn't participate in the roasting because he wasn't familiar with Lina. Otherwise, given his low survival instinct of saying "the ugliest sister-in-law," he might have already started a rap roasting Lina around Mo Sang.

"What nickname?"

While Mo Sang turned to look at Xu Erlang, Miao Youfang secretly switched a chess piece using his internal energy-refining ability.

Mo Sang listened intently, gathered his thoughts at the tip of his tongue, and uttered, like Buddhist School mantra, "Female Knight Flying Swallow!"

"What?!"

Xu Erlang looked up in astonishment.

Miao Youfang stared at Mo Sang with a completely bewildered expression.

Mozambique was pleased with their stunned expressions, and puffed out his chest and held his head high.

"Lina has been in the martial arts world for half a year and is deeply loved by you people from the Central Plains. She is known as the Flying Swallow Heroine."

Xu Cijiu, as expected of a scholar, remained calm and slowly said:

Who told you that?

"Lina said it herself," Mosang replied.

Just as Miao Youfang was about to expose him, he saw Xu Erlang give him a wink, so he asked telepathically:

"What's wrong?"

Xu Cijiu had not yet mastered the technique of transmitting sound secretly, and simply shook his head slightly.

I understand. Erlang means to wait until Mo Sang makes a big fuss before watching him make a fool of himself. It's not the right time yet; the excitement isn't big enough. Miao Youfang has definitely made the most of following Xu Qi'an.

The image of the Holy Son immediately came to mind.

"I'll tell him after the battle, otherwise it will affect his morale and fighting spirit," Xu Erlang thought to himself.

Just then, the roar of the black-scaled flying beasts came, followed by a strong wind. The three people inside the barbican knew that an army of flying beasts had landed on the city wall.

After a short while, hurried footsteps approached from afar, and a Heart Gu Master wearing rattan armor rushed in, speaking to Mo Sang in the Southern Frontier language.

Miao Youfang and Xu Erlang looked at Mo Sang, who sprang to his feet and spoke in increasingly fluent Central Plains Mandarin:

"The rebel army, having joined forces with reinforcements ten miles away, is heading this way."

Guo County.

The Qingzhou army stationed in Dongling City, after a half-month-long field battle with the Yunzhou rebels and losing 60% of its soldiers, finally could not hold out and withdrew from the Dongling territory, setting up camp and resting in the nearby Guo County.

Their enemies were the two elite armies, "Black Armor" and "Green Python," led by Ji Xuan, plus three thousand miscellaneous troops.

The Black Armor Army consisted of 600 heavy cavalry and 2,300 light cavalry.

The Green Pythons consisted of four thousand elite infantrymen, equipped with eighty cannons, thirty ballistae, and two thousand muskets and crossbows.

Such a well-equipped and valiant army was naturally beyond the capabilities of the Qingzhou army to contend with.

Even though Sun Xuanji brought a large number of firearms and equipment with him before heading to Qingzhou, it turned out that the Qingzhou garrison's army was far inferior in combat strength to the elite troops of Yunzhou.

The Qingzhou Army was not the elite of the Great Feng army, but it was facing one of the rebel army's most elite forces.

In terms of mid-level combat strength, the Dongling garrison was still inferior to the elite troops led by Ji Xuan.

The only one who could turn the tide was Sun Xuanji, a third-rank Warlock.

Admittedly, Warlock's individual combat strength is far inferior to that of a martial artist of the same rank, but in terms of destructive power, within the third rank, Warlock is second to none.

The white-haired Protector Yuan walked atop the city wall, telling everyone he met:

"The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons has been rebuilt."

The Dongling Army was already familiar with this Demon Race ally, and they both loved and hated him. They loved his formidable combat power at the fourth rank and considered him a reliable comrade-in-arms.

What's infuriating is that this comrade-in-arms could stab you in the back at any time.

This morning, news of the Southern Demon Kingdom's restoration reached Qingzhou. Protector Yuan was overjoyed and stood on the city wall, crying out to the sky to express his happiness.

Then he would tell everyone he met about it.

"Congratulations! The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons is a great ally of our Great Feng!"

A centurion looked at Protector Yuan, who was approaching, and gave him a warm smile.

Protector Yuan looked at him with displeasure and said:

Your heart tells me: When will this damn monkey ever stop?

The centurion's face suddenly flushed red. He didn't know whether to explain or pretend he hadn't heard, and awkwardly considered abandoning his post.

Fortunately, Protector Yuan did not make things difficult for him. He wisely walked away and announced the good news to the other garrison soldiers he knew.

"Well!"

The centurion watched Protector Yuan's retreating figure and sighed.

I don't know if Guo County can be held, or for how long. The brothers who died in the battle haven't even had time to be buried.

Just then, a loud bang came from the sky, and a red light exploded high in the sky.

This was the signal for an enemy attack, and the person who sent the signal was Sun Xuanji, who was using the Qi-Watching Technique) to warn of the approaching enemy from the floating artillery platform above Guo County.

Wan County.

In total, Wan County has been besieged for a month.

During this period, the rebels attacked the city intermittently dozens of times. The Qingzhou Provincial Administration Commission mobilized troops and sent them to support the city on several occasions, but the Yunzhou army wiped them out.

This downward trend was only reversed when the Flying Beast Army of the Heart Gu Tribe arrived.

But for the garrison troops stationed in Wan County, exhaustion had seeped into their very bones. Even the most warlike among them longed to end this agonizing struggle as soon as possible.

For Zhang Shen, a master strategist who had lived in seclusion for over twenty years, being forced into such a predicament in his first battle was a great humiliation.

Despite being isolated and without support, he has served as the prefect of Wan County to this day, living up to his reputation.

Zhang Shen climbed to the top of the city wall and looked around. The city wall was covered with craters, scorch marks, and cracks from cannon fire. In some places, a gap had even been blasted open, and the parapet was completely destroyed, like a person whose teeth had been knocked out.

The defending troops suffered more than half their casualties, so the militia was forcibly conscripted, and now more than half of the militia have also been killed or wounded.

The shadow of war loomed over this small city.

On the azure horizon, a colossal beast flapped its membranous wings and flew towards Wan County.

The colossal beast glided down slowly over the city wall, and the Heart Gu Master riding on its back said to Zhang Shen:

"A large enemy force is approaching from thirty miles to the south."

After the Flying Beast Army arrived to reinforce, Zhang Shen, who had taken some time to learn the Southern Frontier language for a few days, nodded solemnly and said in fluent Southern Frontier accent:

"I understand."

He turned slightly to the side, looked south, and slowly said:

"I can see for thirty miles."

As soon as he finished speaking, his vision underwent a dramatic change. The surrounding scenery disappeared, and his field of vision was stretched infinitely far away, all the way to thirty miles away.

In the distance, an enemy army, stretching as far as the eye could see, slowly approached, its banners fluttering in the wind.

The flag fluttered in the wind and unfolded, revealing the character "Qi".

Zhang Shen chuckled, withdrew his gaze, and muttered to himself:

"Soldier against soldier, general against general, that bastard has finally arrived."

Dongling City.

Dressed in snow-white robes, Xu Pingfeng, carrying a flask of wine, ascended to the heavens in one step, arriving above the sea of clouds.

The golden light followed closely, transforming into the Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree, standing beside Xu Pingfeng.

Opposite the two, the white-haired, white-robed, and white-bearded supervisor had been waiting for a long time.

"Professor Jianzheng."

Xu Pingfeng flew halfway between the two sides, sat down on the ground amidst the sea of clouds, and with a wave of his sleeve, a chessboard and two boxes of chess pieces appeared in front of him.

"I remember when I was learning from you, we would play a game of chess every three days, and I never won."

Xu Pingfeng spoke calmly, with a touch of emotion:

"Twenty years have passed since I left the capital, and we have no hope of ever meeting again. It has been a full twenty years since we last played chess. Master, would you be so kind as to play another game with me?"

P. S.: It's almost the end of the month, please vote with monthly tickets. I'll correct any typos later.