Chapter 409: The Imperial Concubine Prefers Miss Bai

The Military Supplies Officer was extremely moved, wiping his eyes incessantly.

"Bai is truly wonderful; she saves us every single time."

Although the soldiers were hungry, they still followed the rules, lining up in several rows to receive food.

These convenience foods didn't require time to build a fire and cook; one could just tear them open and eat.

Everyone was starving, and the soldiers who received their food immediately began eating right where they stood.

"Delicious, this is so tasty."

"If it weren't for Bai, I would have become a starving ghost."

"Bai has saved us so many times, we have no way to repay her."

The soldiers wolfed down their food, sweeping it away like a storm.

The small mountain of convenience foods piled up on the open ground was soon distributed and gone.

Immediately following that, thousands more bags of rice, flour, vegetables, and meat appeared...

Besides these, there were also crates of medicine.

Antibiotics, IV bottles, injections, absorbent cotton...

At this, the Military Doctor was also overjoyed and ran over one after another.

"There is medicine; the wounded soldiers can be saved."

The Military Supplies Officer ate two loaves of bread, finally feeling a sliver of strength in his body, and hurriedly sent soldiers to move the rice, flour, and vegetables to the warehouse, his mouth unable to close from joy.

"Good, good, good, we can finally eat hot meals."

Clothing, fuel, medicine, food, and drinks...

Batch after batch was sent over, as if it would never stop.

Even gasoline, which had been in short supply before, had over twenty barrels sent over.

Gasoline used to be very scarce, and vehicles in Beijiang were all used sparingly; now the oil in the warehouse had long since run out and hadn't been replenished, so the vehicles could only sit idle.

Now that there was gasoline, the soldiers were in another uproar of excitement.

"Gasoline! Our vehicles can run again!"

"Tomorrow we'll drive to the battlefield and ram those Imperial Court dog officials to death."

The military camp was immersed in an atmosphere of joy.

Xiao Moting walked into the tent to discuss military affairs with Old General Han, his expression still cold and stern.

"Old General Han, are you saying that this time Yuan Canghai did not lead the troops himself, but handed the army over to someone else?"

Old General Han had injured his arm and was leaning against a quilt; having been cut off from water and food for the past few days, he looked quite haggard.

However, he had just eaten a bag of cake and his spirits had recovered somewhat.

"Prince, the Imperial Army currently attacking Beijiang is composed of the Yuan and Yang armies."

"Donghai Prefecture launched an expedition under Yang Tianhu, bringing nineteen thousand soldiers."

"However, for Yannan, the one leading the troops is not a member of the Yuan Clan, but the Fifth Prince, Xiao Qiyu."

Xiao Moting's eyes tightened.

"Fifth Brother?"

He naturally knew Xiao Qiyu.

This was the legitimate son born to the Empress; Xiao Qiyu had been physically frail since childhood, and the Empress said she wanted him to strengthen his body, so she ordered him to take Yang Tianhu as his master and head to Donghai Prefecture, far away from the Imperial Court.

At that time, De Guifei was single-mindedly trying to make Xiao Rui the Crown Prince and was eager to get Xiao Qiyu out of the way, so she didn't stop it and even persuaded the Emperor to let Xiao Qiyu leave Shengjing.

Originally, the Emperor did not approve, feeling that Xiao Qiyu was a legitimate son after all and should remain in Shengjing.

But he couldn't withstand De Guifei's whispering, so he agreed.

From then on, Xiao Qiyu stayed away from the strife of the Imperial Court, remaining in Donghai Prefecture for over a decade, and even became betrothed to Yang Tianhu's daughter under the matchmaking of the Empress.

Qin Zhan was puzzled, "Even if Xiao Qiyu were to lead an army on an expedition, he should be leading the troops from Donghai Prefecture; why did he go to lead the Yuan Family Army? Yuan Canghai is so ambitious, would he agree to hand over his troops to Xiao Qiyu?"

Old General Han waved his hand, "You have all been deceived by Xiao Qiyu. He went far away to Donghai Prefecture; on the surface, he didn't ask about the Imperial Court, but in reality, he has always been in contact with Yuan Canghai and even promised him the title of Regent. Although Yuan Canghai has ambition, he is ultimately not acting in a legitimate name."

"Yuan Canghai wants to rebel, but he lacks the strength. With the Imperial Guard in front and Yang Tianhu's Donghai Prefecture army behind, he weighed his options and accepted Xiao Qiyu's proposal."

Qin Zhan asked, "Yuan Canghai hates Beijiang so much; why didn't he lead the troops himself? Wouldn't handing the troops over to Xiao Qiyu be the same as handing over military power?"

Han Guiying walked into the tent, gnawing on bread as she said, "Yuan Canghai isn't that stupid. He suffered losses at our hands several times and knows that Beijiang is a tough nut to crack, so he simply didn't come and let Xiao Qiyu take the lead."

"As for military power, the Tiger Tally is held in Yuan Canghai's hands; no one can touch it. Don't look at the fact that Xiao Qiyu is leading over two hundred thousand Yuan Family Army soldiers; in reality, with just one word from Yuan Canghai, he could take the troops back."

Old General Han nodded slightly, "Guiying, you're right this time; you've finally grown a bit of sense. Yuan Canghai holds the military power and stays in Shengjing; on the surface, he looks like a coward, but in reality, he is the most shrewd."

"He lets others attack Beijiang while he stays in Shengjing, guarding the Emperor under the guise of protecting the throne. If Xiao Qiyu were to turn against him after finishing off Beijiang, Yuan Canghai could also turn against him, hold the Emperor hostage, and simultaneously reclaim military power."

After finishing, he looked at Xiao Moting and bowed his hands while on the couch.

"Prince, although you have returned to the army, this battle is truly difficult to fight."

"Old General Han, I know." Xiao Moting nodded in a low voice, "The disparity in military strength between the enemy and us is too great, and we have no city to advance or retreat to. If the enemy presses their entire force, even with our superior equipment, our chances of winning are slim."

"It was I who fell into their trap, bringing only fifty thousand troops to Shizi Ridge." Old General Han sighed with guilt, "Otherwise, we wouldn't have let Beijiang fall into a position of being attacked from both sides."

Han Guiying had already finished three loaves of bread and picked up a box of Oreo cookies, eating and adding to the conversation on the side.

"The Imperial Court wants to attack Beijiang and even sent a letter of surrender asking us to submit. Father firmly disagreed, saying the Imperial Court wouldn't treat us well; once Beijiang surrendered, the soldiers would definitely be slaughtered by the Imperial Court, so he led everyone to rise up and resist."

"The Imperial Army killed their way into Beijiang and captured several cities. Seeing that the opponent had many people, Father planned to lead the eighteen thousand Northern Frontier Army to hold the Northern Frontier Camp to the death while waiting for you to return."

"But later, Xiao Qiyu sent people to spread false news, saying you had already returned to Beijiang and were hiding at Shizi Ridge. When Father heard this, he immediately led fifty thousand troops to rush to Shizi Ridge overnight, intending to bring you back to the Northern Frontier Camp."

"Who would have thought this was Xiao Qiyu's scheme? As soon as we arrived at Shizi Ridge, we fell into a trap and were besieged here."

At this moment, the Military Supplies Officer walked into the tent carrying a large bucket of vegetable porridge.

"Come and eat; the porridge is ready."

The fragrance of the rice porridge immediately drifted out.

"It was my fault for trusting false intelligence, which led to the fifty thousand men of the Northern Frontier Army being trapped," Old General Han said with guilt.

Xiao Moting had someone ladle a bowl of hot porridge and handed it to Old General Han.

"Old General, please calm yourself. Now that I have returned to the army, I will certainly find a way to help the main force escape."

Old General Han finally caught his breath, looked up, and said.

"By the way, Prince, while you were not at the Northern Frontier Camp, Imperial Concubine Yun sent three secret letters, saying that the Imperial Court intends to deal with you and that you should make preparations early."

"Besides that, Imperial Concubine Yun also said that she is very safe in the palace and that the Emperor treats her well, telling you not to overthink things and to prioritize military affairs."

Xiao Moting held his breath.

"Did Mother say anything else?"

Throughout his journey back, his greatest worry was his mother; with Beijiang under attack, he feared she might also be held hostage in Shengjing.

"Yes," Old General Han said, "Imperial Concubine Yun said she would find an opportunity to help you."

Xiao Moting's eyes grew slightly warm, and he said in a low voice.

"Even at a time like this, Mother still tells me not to worry and wants to help me. I have not been able to fulfill my filial duties by her side for many years; I truly have no way to repay her."

"Oh, right," Old General Han seemed to recall something and hurriedly said, "The Concubine also said that you must protect Bai well amidst the chaos of war; if she loses even a single hair, you are to stay in Beijiang and never go to see her again."

In an instant, the emotion in Xiao Moting's heart froze.

Being stared at by the surrounding soldiers, he felt a bit awkward.

"Mother... she likes Bai even more."