Chapter 172: He Wants to Starve the Northern Frontier Army

Shiya City is extremely sturdy and difficult to capture.

Therefore, Yuan Canghai designated Shiya City as a prison, locking up all the high-profile criminals he captured there.

Wu Da, Xiao Liujin, and over a hundred Northern Frontier Assault Team members are all imprisoned in the stone cells within the city.

The city gates are tightly shut.

Guo Gui stands atop the city wall, roaring in annoyance.

"Prince of Zhenbei, you have a lot of nerve, daring to attack our Yannan city! Do you not know that this is treason?"

Xiao Moting holds a megaphone and says in a deep voice.

"Prefect Guo, my men are locked inside the city; release them immediately!"

The megaphone carries his voice clearly to the top of the city wall.

Guo Gui bellows.

"You sent people to Yannan to spy on military intelligence, and they were captured by us; they are now being held in the deepest part of the stone cells."

"Without General Yuan's order, don't even think about having them released."

"I advise you to know what's good for you and withdraw your troops immediately."

"Otherwise, I will report this to the Emperor!"

A cold sneer flashes across Xiao Moting's lips.

The Emperor?

He has long since stopped listening to the Emperor's orders!

"Prefect Guo, what is the current condition of my soldiers?"

Guo Gui stands on the city wall, looking up and laughing heartily.

"Do you think we would provide good food and drink for spies? Of course, we have them locked in the water prison, subjecting them to severe torture until they are battered and bruised!"

Xiao Moting's narrow eyes turn cold, his ruthless gaze fixed tightly on Guo Gui.

"Guo Gui, you had better release my men."

"Otherwise, if they lose even a single hair, I will definitely not spare you."

Separated by a distance of several hundred meters, Guo Gui and Xiao Moting's gazes meet, and he cannot help but shiver subconsciously.

The other man's eyes are filled with intense killing intent.

Guo Gui recovers his senses and roars angrily.

"Don't think about threatening me; if you have the ability, then break into the city."

After speaking, he waves a hand at the archers behind him and shouts loudly.

"Fire arrows!"

Instantly!

A dense rain of arrows shoots toward the Northern Frontier Army at the foot of the city wall.

The Northern Frontier Army is well-prepared and immediately raises their anti-riot shields to protect Xiao Moting.

Following a series of crisp "clinking" sounds, all the arrows are blocked by the anti-riot shields and fall to the ground.

"What kind of contraption is this?" Guo Gui asks, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "It can actually block iron-tipped arrows?"

"Reporting to the Prefect, this is a new shield invented by the Northern Frontier Army, called an anti-riot shield," the Military Advisor steps forward to report. "It is said that the Northern Frontier Army possesses a batch of powerful weapons, and it is by relying on these weapons that they defeated the Daye Army."

Guo Gui sneers dismissively.

"So what if the weapons are powerful? They can't break into our Shiya City at all; the city walls are as solid as metal, and even a siege ram couldn't break through!"

A general steps forward and bows to report.

"Prefect Guo, one hundred thousand Northern Frontier troops are surrounding the city gates; it looks like they intend to lay siege."

"However, the grain and fodder carried by the Northern Frontier Army are only enough for one day."

"They came to fight without bringing grain and fodder?" Guo Gui is stunned, then chuckles uncontrollably. "Is Xiao Moting a clown? With one hundred thousand troops having nothing to eat or drink, how can they lay siege?"

The Military Advisor is also puzzled. "The daily food and drink for one hundred thousand troops is no small amount. Xiao Moting is the Northern Frontier War God; how could he make such a low-level mistake?"

"That's because he's stupid," Guo Gui says dismissively, curling his lip in a smile. "Whatever 'Northern Frontier War God' title he has is all blown out of proportion. Since the Northern Frontier Army lacks grain and fodder, we will just wear them down. Once they are hungry and thirsty, they will naturally withdraw their troops obediently."

After speaking, he squints his eyes and looks at the scorching sun in the sky.

"On such a hot day, Xiao Moting is bringing one hundred thousand troops to bake in the sun outside; it's truly laughable."

"Cut off the water source outside the city and let them die of thirst and hunger outside the walls!"

Having said this, Guo Gui flicks his sleeves and walks leisurely off the city wall.

The one hundred thousand troops of the Northern Frontier Army are stationed outside the city, surrounding Shiya City tightly.

Qin Zhan rushes back.

"Prince, the water source has been blocked. There was still water just a moment ago; it must have been Guo Gui who ordered it to be blocked."

The water source he refers to is a small, half-dried creek.

Though called a creek, it is actually just a narrow sewage ditch flowing out from the drainage channel of Shiya City.

The water at the bottom of the channel is only a thin layer, not even enough to scoop up; it not only emits a foul stench but is also incredibly murky, and it takes half a day just to fill a single bucket, with the flow being intermittent.

The Northern Frontier Army only discovered this sewage ditch when they led their warhorses over to wash them.

Xiao Moting glances at the city wall and, seeing that Guo Gui has already left, knows that the other party intends to keep the gates closed and wear him down over time.

"Guo Gui is hiding in the city and won't come out, and he has cut off the water source; he is trying to exhaust us."

Qin Zhan is stunned, then immediately laughs heartily.

"What? Guo Gui is fighting a war of attrition with us? Does he think that if we have nothing to eat or drink, we will starve to death?"

Xiao Dabao grabs a spicy rabbit leg and approaches while gnawing on it.

"Who said we were going to starve to death... *hiccup*..."

A loud, satisfied burp.

Xiao Moting pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"The captured Northern Frontier Army soldiers are still being held in the city; Guo Gui holds the hostages, which is why he is so fearless. But because we have surrounded Shiya City, Guo Gui also has his reservations and dares not kill our men at will."

"If he wants to drag this out, then we will drag it out with him."

"Once the city runs out of food, he will naturally release the people."

Both sides have their reservations, so neither dares to rashly start a war; a war of attrition is the best method.

It just depends on which side cannot hold out first.

Xiao Moting raised his voice to issue an order.

"Pass on my command! All Northern Frontier Army soldiers are to surround the city gates, maintain strict defense, and allow no one to enter or leave."

"If anyone attempts to leave the city without authorization, kill them without mercy."

Xiao Dabao hurriedly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "This general will go and make the arrangements at once."

One thousand archers were divided into shifts to guard outside the city.

Seven snipers also took up positions, lying in ambush in turns, keeping a close watch on the city gate.

Shiya City only has one city gate; once surrounded, the people inside cannot come out.

……

At this very moment.

Bai Wei arrived at the grain, oil, and vegetable wholesale market in Yanjing.

She held a small notebook and went from stall to stall buying vegetables.

"Three thousand bags of flour, two thousand catties of potatoes... I want the red-skinned potatoes!"

"Five hundred catties of green peppers, three hundred catties of green onions..."

"Have everything delivered to the Warehouse next to the wholesale market; I will send you the address."

"Boss, give me a business card; I will need you to deliver vegetables for me over the next few days."

In Bai Wei's hand, she already held over a dozen business cards, all from vegetable wholesale shops.

When she discussed the battle plan with Xiao Moting, she had agreed with him that she would supply the food for the one hundred thousand Northern Frontier Army soldiers.

From Beijiang to Shiya City, most of the way is mountain road, which is extremely steep.

If they were to transport grain and fodder, it would delay the marching speed and waste time.

Therefore, she told Xiao Moting not to bring grain and fodder, but only the Jade Pendant, and she would buy the food and use Teleportation to send it over.

After Bai Wei finished buying the vegetables, she arrived at the Warehouse next to the wholesale market.

The location of the Warehouse was very remote, with no other businesses nearby, and it covered an area of over a thousand square meters; she had rented it with her own money to keep things under wraps.

She needed to buy a large batch of supplies, and if they were to vanish into thin air, it would certainly arouse suspicion.

By having the supplies delivered into the Warehouse, she could close the doors and then use Teleportation, which would cover her tracks.

The landlord was also very happy that she rented this large Warehouse; the location of his warehouse was too remote and he could not rent it out at all, so he did not expect to meet Bai Wei and immediately signed a short-term lease contract with her quite readily.

The rent price was also one-third lower than the surrounding warehouses, costing only eight thousand yuan a month.