Chapter 203: Did You Come to My House to Beg for Food?

At the entrance of the Farm, villagers arrived one after another, carrying baskets of fresh, vibrant vegetables to sell.

Bai Wei instructed Chen Ming to receive the vegetables, then drove to the factory to inspect the goods.

She felt very at ease regarding Chen Ming.

Although his intelligence was not very high, he was exceptionally diligent in his work; he would examine every basket of vegetables brought by the villagers one by one, and he would also use a pencil to record the prices in a small notebook, waiting for Bai Wei to return to settle the accounts all at once.

If Chen Ming were a normal person, Bai Wei would have considered letting him manage the Vegetable Base.

In the afternoon, Bai Wei arrived at the factory.

She inspected the goods and was very satisfied.

Sending these items to Daliang would surely give Yuan Canghai a "surprise."

……

The setting sun hung on the horizon, its afterglow illuminating the earth.

The troops of both sides had already formed their battle arrays.

Xiao Moting was in full military attire, his handsome face cold and stern as he looked ahead.

Not far away, a dense, black mass of troops stretched as far as the eye could see.

Yang Tianhu from Donghai Prefecture had already arrived with fifty thousand troops, joining forces with the one hundred and twenty thousand men of the Yuan Family Army.

The two armies split to the left and right, seventeen thousand troops forming a wing-shaped formation to surround the Beijiang Army in the center.

The fifty thousand elite troops from Donghai Prefecture had only just arrived, so the two sides were now arrayed, with the battle set to begin early tomorrow morning.

The so-called "forming an array" meant that before the two great armies engaged in battle, they would set up their formations and deploy their troops in preparation for combat.

On the Beijiang side, they had also made preparations to meet the enemy, with the entire army ready for battle.

Both sides were at daggers drawn, the atmosphere tense.

The Beijiang Army had just gone through a major battle, and there were still many wounded soldiers in the ranks who were unable to take the field.

Qin Zhan stepped forward to report, "Prince, the enemy is strong and well-equipped, while we have many wounded soldiers; the situation is unfavorable for us. However, Shennü Daren previously sent us many pieces of Night Vision Equipment; should we consider breaking out in the middle of the night and attacking while it is dark?"

Xiao Moting slowly shook his head.

"Breaking out at night requires a forced march; there are thousands of wounded soldiers in the camp, and they cannot keep up with the pace of the march and will die here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several wounded soldiers leaning on crutches spoke up one after another.

"Prince, you don't need to worry about us!"

"We are already injured anyway, and we will only hold our brothers back! You take the troops and break out, and we will stay behind to cover the rear."

"We ask that the Prince lead the remaining troops back to the Beijiang Camp; we volunteer to stay behind."

Xiao Moting scanned the few men before him, his gaze slightly cold.

These few wounded soldiers were all officers under his command who had been injured during the siege.

He would not abandon his soldiers until the very last moment.

He shouted in a deep voice, "Everyone, be silent! Shennü Daren has said that she has already thought of a solution; everyone return to the camp to rest, conserve your strength, and prepare for the great battle early tomorrow morning!"

Suddenly, a sound of horse neighing came from the front!

Xiao Moting narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.

An officer of the Yuan Family Army, riding a fine horse, charged to the front of the formation and began to taunt them aggressively.

"Fourth Prince, I am Wang Hai, a Captain of the Yuan Family Army. By the order of General Yuan, I have come specifically to advise you to surrender!"

"In tomorrow's battle, the defeat of the Beijiang Army is already sealed; it would be better to surrender now and avoid unnecessary losses."

Qin Zhan said angrily, "This Yuan Canghai, he wants us to surrender before the battle has even begun; he is truly arrogant! Prince, let this subordinate go up and behead him."

Xiao Moting raised his hand to stop him and spoke calmly.

"Before two armies engage in battle, sending officers to taunt the enemy is a common military practice."

"The Yuan Clan sent someone to the front of the Beijiang Army's formation to hurl insults, nothing more than to probe our strength, shake the morale of the troops, and dampen our army's spirit."

"There is no need to concern yourself with him."

At this moment, Wang Hai's loud voice came from the front again.

"Fourth Prince, as long as you are willing to lead your troops and kneel in surrender now, General Yuan will still treat you with courtesy and will also treat the soldiers under your command well."

Xiao Moting gave a cold laugh and asked in a loud voice.

"May I ask how your General Yuan intends to treat the Beijiang Army well?"

Wang Hai reined in his horse and said loudly.

"All surrendered Beijiang soldiers will be incorporated into the Yuan Family Army and sent to Shangyang County in Yannan to reclaim wasteland."

Xiao Moting laughed mockingly, "Shangyang County in Yannan has always been a desolate place! It is arid and barren; let alone grain, even grass cannot grow there! Sending the Beijiang Army to reclaim wasteland is nothing more than exiling them to do hard labor, isn't it?"

"Doing hard labor for our Yuan Family Army is still better than dying on the battlefield." Wang Hai's expression was arrogant. "Even ants cling to life, let alone humans? Fourth Prince, you cannot win tomorrow's battle no matter what; why let the troops under your command die with you?"

After speaking, he gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Living on your knees is better than dying on your feet. Fourth Prince, wouldn't you agree?"

Xiao Moting smiled slightly.

"Captain Wang, not everyone is like you, clinging to life in such a base manner."

After speaking, he turned around and shouted in a deep voice.

"Is there anyone among you who is willing to surrender?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderous roar erupted from the Beijiang Army behind him.

"We are willing to die on the battlefield following the Prince!"

Xiao Moting turned his head and gave a disdainful huff.

"Captain Wang, did you hear that? The soldiers of the Beijiang all have iron-willed bones; there is not a single spineless one among them!"

The army behind him let out a burst of sneers.

"A Captain of the Yuan Family Army, truly spineless; not even as gutsy as our mess hall soldiers."

"They are afraid of death and just like living on their knees."

"What's wrong with the mess hall soldiers? We who cook can also pick up kitchen knives and head to the battlefield to kill the enemy!"

Wang Hai was rebuffed and his expression turned awkward.

He gritted his teeth, "Fourth Prince, I will tell you the truth. The Emperor has already issued a secret decree; if you Beijiang Army refuse to surrender, tomorrow you will all be slaughtered, and the battlefield will be stained with blood. I am only advising you out of kindness because we are all sons of Daliang, so that you may let your soldiers save their lives."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a flurry of whispers among the Beijiang Army.

"The Emperor wants to slaughter us all?"

"We defeated the barbarians and defeated the Great Ye troops; why treat us like this?"

"We guard the frontier; what mistake have we made?"

Xiao Moting's handsome face also turned icy cold, his eyes dark and sunken.

His fingers gripped the hilt of his Long Sword tightly.

His Imperial Father truly had not a shred of fatherly affection for him.

He took a deep breath, turned his head, and shouted in a deep voice.

"The other side is just here to disrupt our morale; don't fall for his schemes."

"Our Beijiang Army has always relied on ourselves; we have never relied on any Imperial Court!"

"If they want to wipe us out, they must have the ability to do so! Don't forget, we still have the Goddess."

As soon as Xiao Moting's voice fell, the soldiers' emotions immediately stabilized significantly.

The status of the Goddess in their hearts was far higher than that of the Emperor!

At this moment, Xiao Dabao drew his Long Sword and stepped forward to curse.

"Captain Wang, if you're done farting, get lost quickly. The Beijiang Army will not have its morale shaken by a few of your farts."

Suddenly, Wang Hai stared intently at his face and cried out in surprise.

"Are you that beggar from back then? Did you come to my house to beg for food?"