Chapter 522: Granary Crisis

The turmoil from the False Song court's southern relocation has not yet completely subsided; a more realistic, more urgent crisis rushes toward Black Cloud Stronghold like a cloud pressing down.

The granary is about to run dry.

Ruan Xiao Wu, in charge of logistics, held the latest ledger; his face was grimmer than the frozen ground on the stockade wall.

He nearly stormed into the main commander's tent, his voice heavy with suppressed anxiety.

"Brothers, it's bad!"

"Our grain stores can last at most... at most another ten days!"

The tent fell silent instantly.

Everyone's gaze fixed on the thin ledger in Ruan Xiao Wu's hand, as if it were a man‑eating beast.

Lin Chong's brows were locked tight, he asked in a low voice:

"How could it be consumed so quickly?"

"Earlier we seized grain several times from Binzhou and Zhao Prefecture, and added the autumn stockpile; logically we shouldn't be this short."

Ruan Xiao Wu let out a bitter laugh, laid the ledger on the desk, and pointed at the densely packed records.

"Instructor Lin, the ledger shows plenty."

"But there are too many mouths to feed!"

He tallied them item by item, his tone growing heavier.

"After the False Song court moved south, everything north of the Yellow River fell into chaos."

"Defeated official troops and fleeing civilians, with families in tow, surged toward us like a tide."

"Just in the past month and a half, the number of new refugees gathered around the stronghold is no less than three thousand!"

"Most of them are bare‑handed, lacking clothes and food."

"Since we have raised the banner of Northward Aspiration, we cannot stand by and watch them freeze and starve outside."

"The daily porridge we hand out is not a small amount."

"Besides our own soldiers, who have endured repeated battles and expansion, our numbers have exceeded five thousand."

"People eat, horses chew—our daily consumption is an astronomical figure."

"How could our previous reserves hold up under such reckless consumption?"

The tent fell into silence.

Numbers are the cruelest reality.

The joy of having repelled the Jin army and secured a foothold was shattered by these icy grain‑consumption numbers.

Without food, even high morale will soon collapse;

Even the strongest fortifications will collapse from within.

Chao Gai rose sharply, his voice booming like a great bell:

"What's there to fear? No grain—I'll lead men to seize! To attack!"

"Within a hundred li around, there are always rich households, always manors with grain stores!"

"We can't let everyone starve with empty bellies!"

Wu Yong heard this, immediately shook his head, not even moving his fan.

"Heavenly King, this is not a good strategy."

"Our army has just been established, its foundations unsteady; we rely entirely on the four characters 'Resist Jin, Protect the People' to unite hearts."

"If we undertake such pillaging, how are we any different from defeated troops and bandits?"

"Wouldn't that be destroying the Great Wall and chilling the hearts of the northern people?"

He looked at Chen Wen and Lin Chong, then added:

"Moreover, given the current situation, anyone nearby with grain stores is either a powerful clan holding a fortified village for self‑defense, or else someone connected to the Jin army or the False Song court."

"Forcibly seizing it, even if successful, would inevitably cost troops and commanders, breed enmity, and bring more loss than gain."

Chao Gai stuck out his neck, unconvinced:

"What should we do then? Beg the False Song court for alms? Or wait for the Jin people to grow a conscience?"

Chen Wen's fingers tapped rhythmically on the tabletop.

He had been listening, saying nothing.

Yet his mind was already racing.

Through "Shi Yong", he could faintly sense that the flow of Fortune Momentum representing vitality and harvest was extremely scarce and scattered in the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, the ashen aura of famine and chaos spread like a plague.

"Elder Brother Chao Gai."

Chen Wen finally spoke, his voice calm, breaking the tense atmosphere in the tent.

"Gathering grain and fodder is essential."

"But the method must be carefully considered."

He looked at Chao Gai.

"You may lead a team out in the name of the Northward Aspiration Army, to negotiate with reputable gentry and landlords who are not selfishly rich."

"Make clear that we are borrowing, or offering captured Jin weapons and armor, and even a promise to protect them from marauding deserters and Jin barbarians, in exchange for grain."

"The attitude must be firm, but the reasoning must be made clear."

"In extraordinary times we may take extraordinary measures, but we must not abandon our bottom line."

Chao Gai thought for a moment, then nodded heavily:

"Good! We'll do as Mr. Chen says! I know the limits!"

Chen Wen then looked at Ruan Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu, immediately inventory all non-essential supplies in the storehouse.

Especially those showy but useless loot; see if we can exchange them for grain via secret channels to the south or farther afield.

Even if it's only a cup of water to put out a cartload of fire, it can still buy us an extra day or two.

Ruan Xiao Wu clasped his fists and accepted the order:

Yes! I'll get on it right away!

Lin Jiao Tou.

Chen Wen finally looked toward Lin Chong.

Starting today, army rations will be temporarily reduced.

Including you and me, and everyone present, we will treat everyone equally.

Tell the soldiers: the hardship is only temporary; we share the same difficulties.

Lin Chong solemnly agreed:

That's exactly how it should be!

The orders were swiftly issued.

The entire Northward Aspiration Army camp, like a machine with its spring wound tight, began to revolve around the core issue of 'food'.

Chao Gai mustered three hundred able soldiers, took several empty carts, and left Black Cloud Stronghold.

His first target was a manor thirty li away, said to have been built by a retired official of the previous dynasty.

The manor's owner, known as Wang Laotai Gong, whose family had lived there for generations, owned vast fertile fields, and was said to have many grain storages.

However, when Chao Gai and his men arrived, they found the manor gate tightly shut, and on the high walls countless retainers armed with bows, crossbows, and clubs.

Listen up, those on the manor!

A clever subordinate under Chao Gai stepped forward and shouted.

We are the Northward Aspiration Army! Not defeated bandits!

We came only to negotiate, to borrow grain to survive this winter; we will surely repay you handsomely later!

A steward's head appeared on the wall, smiling falsely as he replied:

Oh, it's the heroes of the Northward Aspiration Army!

My apologies, my apologies!

But these days, nobody has any surplus!

The manor's grain stores are barely enough for itself; we simply cannot lend any!

Please, heroes, try elsewhere!

No matter how the subordinate explained the benefits, even citing the righteous cause of resisting the Jin, the other side merely made excuses and refused to open the door.

Chao Gai's anger gradually rose.

He suppressed his temper and went to two nearby smaller manors.

The result was much the same.

Either they refused to see him, or they cried poverty and complained.

Occasionally a household or two would offer a few melons and dates, but for the Northward Aspiration Army's huge consumption, that was barely a drop in the bucket.

Damn it!

On the way back to the camp, Chao Gai, furious, punched the cart's shaft, sending wood chips flying.

They all treat grain as more important than life!

The Jin are coming; let's see how long they can hold out!

The empty carts he took out came back still empty.

Only a few dozen stone of mixed grain, obtained by trading a few sets of damaged Jin soldiers' iron armor.

Ruan Xiao Wu's efforts to exchange grain through secret channels also yielded little result.

The False Song had retreated south; the south could barely take care of itself, and trade routes were almost cut off.

In the surrounding areas, grain had become the most sought-after hard currency, available in price but not in supply.

The camp's atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive as the grain store's numbers fell day by day.

The reduced rations could barely fill one's stomach.

In the refugee camp, people had begun to collapse from cold and hunger.

Despair, like a silent cold current, spread once again.

Inside the commander's tent, the oil lamp flickered.

It illuminated the grim faces of everyone present.

Chao Gai's failure to procure grain made everyone realize that the problem's severity far exceeded expectations.

Could it be… that we really have to go that far?

Chao Gai's voice was a little hoarse, tinged with unwillingness.

He meant resorting to force to seize grain.

That was the last resort, and also an option nobody wanted to see.

Chen Wen closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the system's 'Growth Progress Bar' slowly increasing within him from days of exhaustive effort and coordination.

He opened his eyes and gazed over everyone.

We haven't reached the point of exhausted mountains and rivers yet.

His tone remained calm.

Tomorrow, I will go myself.

Everyone was stunned.

Lin Chong first objected:

"Master Chen, you are the core of our army; how can you act lightly?"

"Besides, those mountain strongholds are heavily guarded and arrogant; if anything…"

Chen Wen raised his hand, cutting off his words.

"In extraordinary times, one must take extraordinary measures."

"Some situations may require a different approach to break open."

He did not explicitly say what method to use.

But the core few in the tent, such as Lin Chong and Wu Yong, vaguely guessed what it was.

They recalled Chen Wen's unfathomable 'Opening Bright' technique.

Perhaps he truly has the ability to chisel a slit in this seemingly unsolvable predicament.

"This matter is settled then."

Chen Wen's tone brooked no doubt.

"Instructor Lin, the camp's defense is yours to take full charge of."

"Brother Chao Gai, tomorrow pick fifty elite troops to follow me."

The night was deep.

The shadow of the granary crisis weighed heavily on every heart of the Northward Aspiration army.

Yet Chen Wen's decision brought a faint, yet genuine, hope.