Chapter 1006: First Volume_Chapter 1006: Comparison with Others is Killing

First Volume_Chapter 1006: Comparison with Others is Killing

The Patrol Soldiers at the edge of the Camp hugged their pole-halberds to their chests, curled up in a ball, five men gathered together, resisting the goose-feather heavy snow and the bone-piercing Cold Weather while grabbing handfuls of Dry-Fried Millet from a cloth bag and stuffing it into their mouths.

Because Dry-Fried Millet kept well, but had virtually no taste to speak of, and was exceptionally dry.

Once stuffed into the mouth, it felt as though all the saliva in the entire oral cavity had been Squeezing Dry by the Millet, from the tongue all the way to the back of the throat, every part unbearably uncomfortable.

But even Dry-Fried Millet could not be eaten with abandon.

This was Provisions and Pay hauled up from the Rear with tremendous effort; five men could only be allotted one jin per day, meaning two liang per person, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner all had to rely on this stuff to stave off hunger.

And right in front of the Patrol Soldiers, faint glimmers of light flickered.

Along with the night wind, there also seemed to drift the fragrant aroma of roasted meat.

A young soldier cursed and complained: "It's truly comparison with others is killing, goods compared get tossed aside — here we are enduring hunger and cold, while they're living it up, even having meat to eat."

"More than just being able to eat meat? There's even vegetables!" The veteran beside him swallowed his saliva and said in a low voice.

Upon hearing the word "vegetables," the other four soldiers present immediately revealed expressions of disbelief.

Vegetables?

Let alone soldiers, even ordinary households in the Rear couldn't afford to eat vegetables in this bitter winter.

How had the other side managed to transport vegetables to the Front Line? This was simply too inconceivable.

The veteran sighed, his eyes full of longing and envy: "Before, when I was in my old unit fighting the Enemy Army, we once surrounded and attacked a Supply Train. I slashed open a hemp sack with one blade, and out poured countless colorful things."

"I casually picked one up and looked — it turned out to be pickled dried vegetables!"

"These dried vegetables, once soaked in water, would become exceptionally fresh."

"But this kind of thing, in winter, only wealthy households could afford to eat, yet they treated it as Military Supplies and hauled it up here. Sigh, how is this fighting a war? It's clearly here to enjoy themselves."

Hearing the veteran's words, every soldier present was utterly dumbfounded — that the other side could eat meat was already inconceivable enough, but they hadn't expected even vegetables to be available.

Could that Qin Feng have raised a flock of golden-egg-laying old hens? If not, where on earth did Qin Feng get so much money to let his army eat such lavish food on the Front Line?

If the Beidi War Financial Support for ten thousand men for three months was Three Hundred Thousand Tael of Silver, then for Qin Feng's army of the same number, the Provisions and Pay for three months would probably be at least Beidi War Financial Support.

How was this fighting a war? It was clearly fighting money.

The veteran shivered from the cold, gazing at the brightly lit Enemy Camp in the distance, sighing endlessly: "Do you know how many layers of clothing the soldiers across from us are wearing?"

The veteran extended four fingers and gestured.

"The outermost is Armor, inside that is an Overcoat, further inside is a Coarse Cloth Garment, and the innermost is the Inner Lining."

"And that's not all — every five men on the other side can be allotted a Simple Tent."

"And I've heard people say that five men can also be allotted two Blankets — two on duty, one standing guard, two covering themselves with Blankets to rest, rotating like this."

Hearing the veteran's words, the four young soldiers' gazes were no longer simply envious.

Resentment rose in their hearts in unison, and they burst into curses — this war was impossible to fight!

Those people ate their fill and dressed warmly, while on their own side, they endured hunger and cold, and had to endure the baptism of Cold Weather; before any Battle even began, the number of those frozen or starved to death was already beyond count.

Moreover, there were rumors from the Rear that the Grain and Forage was about to run out; when the time came and the Grain was cut off, let alone fighting a war, even staying alive would become incomparably difficult.

Just as Chen Si's Army was already seething with resentment, the news that Chen Si had begun a covert Military Retreat, detected through scouts and the Surveillance of the Brocade-Clad Guards, had already reached Li Zhang's Camp.

Upon learning the news, Li Zhang could not help falling into deep thought.

Based on Li Zhang's understanding of Chen Si, Chen Si absolutely could not be a deserter, and besides, Chen Si had no path of retreat other than fighting head-on.

But the news sent back from the front could not be falsified.

Li Zhang racked his brains but could not figure it out, so he had no choice but to relay the news to Xu Mo, who was fighting on the Xi Xian.

At this time, the Battle on the Xi Xian had also come to a halt because of the heavy snow.

Xu Mo sat in a thick, warm Camp, reading the letter sent by Li Zhang while analyzing the situation with the generals under his command.

After a long discussion, in the end Xu Mo also could not determine what Chen Si's intentions actually were.

Because however one looked at it, Chen Si's current Military Retreat was not a rational choice.

Although if the fighting continued, Chen Si's defeat was already certain, yet retreating now would only accelerate the Beidi's downfall.

Because they could not fathom Chen Si's intentions, Xu Mo and Li Zhang still decided to proceed according to the original plan — once the heavy snow stopped, they would continue to launch attacks against Chen Si's Army.

Overwhelming force crushes all skill — no matter what plan Chen Si had, as long as the entire army pushed forward, relying on the advantage they currently held, they could defeat Chen Si.

As the saying goes, in the face of absolute power, any schemes and tricks are pale and powerless.

The war on the Ezhou North Line continued, while Qin Tianhu, located in the Central Plains of Shedynasty, excitedly paced back and forth around ZhuZhen.

Zhao Yulong, who had always stayed by Qin Tianhu's side, saw Qin Tianhu suddenly so excited without knowing the reason, and tentatively asked a question.

"Uncle, what is the reason for this?"

Qin Tianhu did not explain, and directly handed the letter sent from Beidi to Zhao Yulong.

Zhao Yulong scanned it back and forth twice, his eyes suddenly widening, and exclaimed in surprise: "The Qin Family has a happy event?!"

Qin Tianhu nodded, unable to conceal the joy on his face — the letter stated clearly that Li Xiaolan was already pregnant, and it was indeed that brat Qin Feng's child.

With this, the most fatal weakness of the Qin Family had also been remedied.

As long as they could branch out and multiply, the Qin Family would be considered to have an heir.

Moreover, this person happened to be Li Xiaolan — with Li Xiaolan's status and position, she was both a match for Qin Feng in social standing and in accordance with propriety; with this, the relationship between the Qin Family and the Liang Emperor would become even closer.

Zhao Yulong was also genuinely happy for Qin Feng from the bottom of his heart, but upon learning that the fighting on the Beidi side was already in full swing, while he had always stayed behind in the Central Plains with Qin Tianhu, he still felt a measure of envy in his heart.

"I wonder how many meritorious deeds Xu Mo, Li Zhang, and Little Marquis Ning Hu have achieved on the Battlefield."

Qin Tianhu could of course understand Zhao Yulong's feelings; he suppressed the joy of soon becoming a grandfather while soothing Zhao Yulong.

"Yuxiong, you need not be anxious."

"Our Battle with the Powerful Clan of Nan Jing is inevitable — once Feng'er pacifies Beidi, he will next focus on dealing with the Powerful Clan of Nan Jing."