Chapter 530

The White Horse Qiang Old King Bai Long looked at the terrain before him.

The surrounding Qiang leaders cast vigilant gazes at the environment.

They were terrified that an ambush might emerge from somewhere and wipe them all out.

After speaking, a group of guards behind him began to set up on the flat ground.

Colorful, gorgeous carpets, some exquisite Qiang food, and delicate wine vessels.

Everything was being arranged according to the highest specifications for receiving honored guests among the Qiang.

On the other side, in the main camp outside Lintao County.

Upon learning that the Qiang delegation for the negotiations had arrived, the cavalry in the main camp also began to assemble.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, both clad in armor, led their respective soldiers and gathered before the camp gate.

Clad in black thorn armor, with a bright red cloak draped behind him, holding the Heaven Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, and riding the Red Dragon Cloud-Treading Beast, Duan Yu slowly walked out of the camp gate.

Behind him were all the generals except for Lu Bu and Zhang Xiu.

Two days prior, Lu Bu and Zhang Xiu had already received orders to lead troops to Didao to apprehend all members of the Didao Niu clan.

"Ziyi!"

"Ziyi."

Seeing Duan Yu emerge from the camp gate, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao both hurried forward.

Duan Yu exchanged greetings with the two.

"Ziyi, later Mengde and I will go with you. If those Qiang dare to make any untoward moves, we shall simply kill them all, and then dispatch troops to sweep away all the Qiang tribes in Longxi Commandery."

Yuan Shao, mounted on his horse, was eager to try.

Beside him, Cao Cao also blew into his palms to warm them and nodded.

However, Duan Yu shook his head.

This war, fought to this point, was enough.

The White Horse Qiang was now the strongest remaining Qiang tribe in the Western Qiang.

This already aligned with his original intention.

His original intention was to strike and then pull, and then first promote mulberry planting and sericulture among the Western Qiang.

Subdue them first, then win them over.

Promoting the development of Liangzhou's economy and thoroughly taming the Qiang to be used for his purposes—this was the true original intention behind his launching this war.

It was not to forge a blood feud with the Qiang and fight to the bitter end.

From the moment he launched the war against the Qiang, Duan Yu realized what it meant to spend money like water.

If not for the income from snow salt and white paper, and the support in grain and fodder from local great clans of Hanyang Commandery like Yang Fu, Yan Zhong, and Jiang Xu, he would have had no ability to launch this war himself.

The consumption of money and grain alone would have been enough to drag him down.

In these three months, the consumption of nearly twenty thousand troops, if converted into money, amounted to as much as four or five hundred million *qian*.

This did not even count the consumed weaponry or the pensions for soldiers killed in action.

A single soldier's grain consumption alone, converted into money over three months, required about two thousand *qian*.

The grain consumption for twenty thousand people was over forty million *qian*.

One soldier's consumption for one month required two *shi* of grain and fodder; three months meant six *shi*.

One hundred and twenty thousand *shi* of grain and fodder.

And this was at the lowest standard; it did not count the grain consumed defending Yunwu.

For twenty thousand soldiers, at the lowest standard, the grain consumed in three months of fighting was one hundred and twenty thousand *shi*.

Calculated at the current price of four hundred *qian* per *shi* of grain, that was forty-eight million *qian*.

Among this were seven thousand warhorses.

The consumption of these seven thousand warhorses—a single warhorse consumed more than three soldiers combined.

The expenditure for warhorse fodder alone exceeded the total for the twenty thousand soldiers.

This was still without counting the thirty to forty percent lost in grain transport.

In other words, the item of soldier grain consumption alone had already exceeded two hundred million *qian*.

One must know that Duan Yu's current income from white paper and snow salt in Jinyang combined was no more than five hundred million *qian* for three months.

Besides grain and fodder, there were salt, clothing, military pay, and weaponry.

The expenses for salt and clothing were not much.

But military pay and weaponry were both massive expenses.

Duan Yu had calculated the accounts.

He was currently attacking the Qiang, and because the Qiang had many horses, he could capture warhorses.

But if he were not attacking the Qiang or the Xiongnu—nations where one could capture horses upon victory—if he were fighting infantry...

Losing a single warhorse meant a starting cost of one hundred thousand *qian*.

Regarding the consumption of warhorses, it was not something an ordinary force could afford.

Then there was the soldiers' military pay.

A soldier's monthly pay was about eight hundred *qian*; three months meant nearly three thousand *qian*.

Besides this, there were pensions for soldiers killed in action.

All of this required money.

In other words, in the span of three months, he had nearly emptied the family fortune he had accumulated.

No money left!

And as the weather grew colder, soldiers needed winter gear, and weapons and armor needed updating; this was another astronomical figure.

Duan Yu could no longer afford the consumption, because there was no money.

If he kept fighting, he would only be left starving.

This was also the reason why, after the Battle of Yunwu, Duan Yu ordered the infantry to return to Hanyang Commandery immediately.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were not the ones managing the household; they didn't know the cost of firewood and rice, so they certainly hoped to keep fighting.

But only Duan Yu knew that there was no money left and he could not fight anymore.

Sitting down for peace talks now was the best choice.

War is never about who is more valiant or who is better at fighting.

There are plenty of people who can fight.

But first, one must have money and grain.

Without money and grain, what are you fighting with?

Fighting with a heart full of passion? Risking your life on an empty stomach?

Therefore, what follows is to engage in the economy, promote the development of Liangzhou's economy, and then professionalize the legions, reducing quantity while increasing quality—this is what Duan Yu needs to do next.

"Benchu, Mengde, you two should not go."

"It is just a negotiation; I expect no trouble will arise."

"You stay here and hold down the rear; I will go myself." Duan Yu shook his head.

Since it was a negotiation, some content was not convenient for Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to hear, so Duan Yu refused the two.

Under Duan Yu's insistence, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao could only nod and agree.

And Duan Yu took only ten guards to head to the location agreed upon with Bai Long. ===== CHAPTER 532 =====