Chapter 1545: Accidental Fire

Liao Hua stood on the city wall, looking at the battlefield that had gradually fallen silent in the distance, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Although the battle had temporarily come to an end, the dawn of peace seemed still far away. He turned around and said to the deputy general Zhang Yi beside him, "Zhang Yi, this retreat of the Wei army is only a temporary respite; we must be prepared to meet the greater challenges that may come."

Zhang Yi nodded, his expression solemn, "The General's words are very true; I will immediately organize soldiers to strengthen defense and at the same time dispatch scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Wei army."

"Good." Liao Hua responded, his gaze turning to the soldiers and people who were busy not far away, "Also, the work of comforting the people cannot be ignored. The pain brought to them by the war needs us to heal with our hearts."

Zhang Yi led his orders and left, while Liao Hua walked slowly down the city wall and stepped into the military camp. He came to the wounded area and saw the medical officers busy bandaging the wounds of the wounded, his heart feeling a burst of sourness. He walked to the bedside of a young soldier and asked softly, "Young man, how do you feel?"

The soldier's face was pale, but his eyes revealed firmness, "General, I'm fine, I can still fight."

Liao Hua patted his shoulder gently, "Rest well; recovering from your wounds is the most important thing. As for the fighting, we are here."

Leaving the wounded area, Liao Hua came to the open space in the center of the military camp and summoned all generals and soldiers. He stood on the high platform, looking around, his voice firm and powerful, "Brothers, although we have achieved victory this time, the war is not over. The Wei army may come back at any time; we must remain vigilant at all times, strengthen training, and improve combat effectiveness."

A general stood up and asked, "General, then how should we prepare?"

Liao Hua pondered for a moment and said, "First, we must strengthen the defense of the city walls, add arrow towers and watchtowers, ensuring that we can timely discover the enemy's movements. Second, strengthen the training of soldiers, especially night combat and close combat capabilities. Finally, do a good job in material reserves, ensuring that during the war, soldiers and people can get sufficient supplies."

The generals nodded one after another, expressing agreement. Liao Hua continued, "Also, we must strengthen contact with the people and let them become our strong backing. Only when the army and the people are of one heart can we jointly resist foreign enemies and guard this land well."

In the days that followed, Liao Hua led the soldiers to start intense war preparations. They reinforced the city walls, added defensive facilities, and at the same time organized soldiers for night combat and close combat training. The people also actively participated in the war preparations; they provided food and clothing for the soldiers and helped them build defensive fortifications.

One day, Liao Hua was patrolling in the military camp when he suddenly heard a burst of noise. He followed the sound and walked over, only to see a group of people surrounding several soldiers, seemingly arguing about something.

Liao Hua walked up and asked, "What happened?"

A villager said angrily, "General, these soldiers forcibly requisitioned our grain and didn't pay enough money!"

The soldiers were a bit flustered when they saw this. One of them explained, "General, we are acting according to military orders; it is really because of the shortage of military grain that we have to do this."

Upon hearing this, Liao Hua's brows furrowed. He knew deeply that the shortage of military grain was a serious problem, but he could not damage the interests of the people because of this. He pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, I will personally check the situation of military grain reserves. If it is indeed short, I will find a way to solve it. However, from now on, there must absolutely be no more forcible requisitioning of the people's grain."

After speaking, Liao Hua turned and left, heading to the military grain warehouse. He carefully checked the grain reserves in the warehouse and found that there was indeed very little left. He felt anxious in his heart, but remained calm on the surface.

Returning to the military camp, Liao Hua immediately summoned all generals and soldiers responsible for logistics. He said seriously, "The shortage of military grain is a serious problem; we must solve it immediately. However, we cannot damage the interests of the people because of this. I have decided that starting tomorrow, we will organize soldiers to go to surrounding areas to purchase grain, and at the same time strengthen communication with the people, letting them be willing to sell grain to us."

The generals expressed agreement one after another, and Liao Hua continued, "Also, we must strengthen military discipline education, letting soldiers understand that we are guardians, not plunderers. Only by winning the trust and support of the people can we truly guard this land well."

In the days that followed, Liao Hua led the soldiers to purchase grain everywhere, while strengthening communication with the people. They explained the reasons for the shortage of military grain to the people and promised to give a reasonable price. Seeing the sincerity and efforts of Liao Hua and the soldiers, the people all expressed their willingness to support them.

Under Liao Hua's leadership, the Shu army not only successfully solved the problem of military grain shortage but also won the trust and support of the people. They established deep friendship with the people and jointly guarded this precious land.

One day, Liao Hua was handling affairs in the military camp when suddenly a soldier ran over in a hurry to report, "General, the Wei army has movement! They are gathering troops and seem to be preparing to attack again!" ===== CHAPTER 1546 =====