Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Chapter 161 Can it be defended?

Xiao Ji took a deep breath and lowered his voice, saying, "Lord Du, the aid from Hesha is imperative this time."

But we must not let Bai Nishang win so easily, otherwise... how will the opposition gain a foothold in the court?

Du Chengliang knew perfectly well what was going on, a cold smile on his face, and bowed with his hands clasped: "What you say is absolutely right, sir."

I have already made secret arrangements in the warehouse to ensure that the distribution of provisions and weapons will be delayed, and some of the escorts will be selected from the team due to their poor quality.

Please rest assured, sir, this support mission will certainly not be without its challenges.

His words carried a hint of smugness and a hidden scheme, clearly indicating his confidence in his arrangements.

Xiao Ji smiled slightly and nodded slowly.

His words carried a hint of approval: "Lord Du is indeed very thoughtful."

However, this matter must be handled with utmost care to prevent the likes of Gu Yuande from discovering it.

The slightest oversight could jeopardize our position.

His tone gradually lowered, his eyes turned cold and sharp, and a hint of murderous intent was faintly revealed.

Du Chengliang was well aware of the dangers involved, and bowed, agreeing: "Rest assured, sir, I will act with utmost caution."

In the warehouse, I would make slight modifications to the shipping documents to make the departure date appear normal, but in reality, it would be delayed by two or three days.

As for the post stations along the route, I have instructed the local officials that, unfortunately, the post stations' grain and fodder reserves are somewhat insufficient.

It will delay for at least three to five days.

Upon hearing this, a sinister smile flashed in Xiao Ji's eyes: "Lord Du is indeed skilled in planning. If Hesha City falls, we should reorganize the court."

"At that time, Lord Du will certainly deserve a lot of credit."

His tone carried a hint of encouragement, which made Du Chengliang secretly pleased.

Du Chengliang bowed respectfully, already having made up his mind, and left the Xiao residence with a cold smile.

In a secluded mansion on the outskirts of Beijing, a secret meeting was quietly taking place.

An unassuming carriage drove along a deserted road into a mansion outside the capital.

Inside the carriage sat an envoy from the Northern Desert Tiger Clan, dressed in a black robe with a stern face.

His eyes were sharp as he considered strategies for the meeting.

The chieftain Dawar entrusted him with an important task, intending to use the power of the court ministers to weaken the court's support for Hesha.

This left Hesha isolated and helpless.

The envoy alighted from his carriage and, led by his servants, entered a secret chamber of the mansion, his expression grave.

At this moment, Du Chengliang was already waiting in the secret room.

Although he was an important official in the court, after the controversy arose from Hesha's request for help, he decided to secretly align himself with the Northern Desert to seek personal gain.

When the messenger entered, he put on a fake smile.

He bowed slightly and said, "You have come from afar; I am grateful for your trouble, envoy. Please."

The envoy nodded calmly and went straight to the point: "Lord Du, Chief Dawar has heard that the war in Hesha City is intensifying and intends to temporarily cease hostilities with the court in exchange for the stability of the northern frontier."

As he spoke, he handed over a letter.

Although the letter was blank on the cover, it was sealed with Dawar's seal, which was intended to show that the Tiger Clan was indeed sincere.

Du Chengliang accepted the letter with a calm expression, but his heart was in turmoil.

He glanced at the contents of the letter, which stated bluntly that if Hesha City did not send reinforcements, the Hu clan would persuade the other two major tribes to agree to the court's peace demands and guarantee not to invade the border for three years.

In exchange, the Hu clan will quietly support the pro-peace faction in the court with resources and manpower, making their position in the court more secure.

After a moment of contemplation, Du Chengliang said, "The northern border defense has always been a heavy burden. If our dynasty were to negotiate peace with the Northern Desert, it would certainly be a blessing for the border regions."

However, Hesha City is crucial to the stability of the northern frontier. If this city falls, will the Northern Desert truly honor its agreement?

The envoy chuckled and said, "Lord Du is overthinking it. For the Northern Desert, Hesha is not a place that must be contested."

The leader's move was intended to stabilize the borders and he harbored no hostility towards the imperial court.

He lowered his voice slightly, as if speaking casually, "If Lord Du can facilitate the peace talks, the Tiger Clan is willing to provide you with all the support you can to ensure that your position in the court remains as solid as a rock."

Upon hearing this, Du Chengliang's expression softened slightly, and he pondered for a long time.

On the surface, he seemed hesitant about the suggestion from Bei Mo, as if he were considering the interests of the court, but in reality, he was secretly weighing the risks and benefits of the matter.

If he can seize this opportunity to gain the support of the Northern Desert, he will not only be able to control more resources in the court, but will also be able to achieve great success in front of the emperor in the future.

After a moment's consideration, he said in a calm tone, "Although I intend to negotiate peace, if I want to stop Hesha's reinforcements, I need to devise a plan in a calm manner and not be too hasty."

"The matter of the Ministry of Revenue's grain supplies is not something I can decide alone." After saying this, Du Chengliang paused for a moment, as if waiting for the other party's response.

The envoy sensed his veiled intention and smiled, saying, "Lord Du need not worry. If the peace talks are successful, the Hu clan will ensure a generous annual exchange of supplies to help you control the situation."

The envoy chuckled softly, “If Your Excellency is willing, we can first arrange reliable people at the post stations along the way to delay Hesha’s supply transport. Once Hesha is isolated, that will be the best time to negotiate peace.”

Du Chengliang nodded slightly, implying his agreement.

After the meeting concluded, the envoy quietly departed.

After returning to his residence, Du Chengliang had already prepared a plan in mind, and the next day he summoned several trusted confidants from the Ministry of Revenue.

This suggests that the grain transport at the post stations along the route should be slowed down, especially at the few post stations near Hesha, where the transport speed must be reduced.

Du Chengliang cautioned, "There are many conflicting opinions about Hesha's aid at the moment; we must not let this matter drag down the court's resources."

His words were subtle, but he was subtly implying that the other party should act in accordance with the Tiger Clan's requirements.

A few days later, Du Chengliang secretly dispatched warehouse personnel, deliberately assigning those unskilled and slow-moving laborers to be in charge of loading supplies.

He quietly instructed: "Don't rush the transport of the grain today; pack it in batches."

Inspect all this equipment carefully, leaving no room for error; it's better to be slow than to be careless.

At a command, the soldiers and laborers in the warehouse slowly carried out the work, prolonging the time it took for each batch of supplies to leave the warehouse.

Not only that, he also arranged for two warehouse deputy managers to "suddenly catch a cold" the day before departure.

With no one to coordinate warehouse management, the loading of supplies was delayed again.

Du Chengliang smiled slightly, knowing that his arrangements had successfully delayed the situation by three days, and he was secretly satisfied.

However, to prevent delays in the warehouse from arousing suspicion, he made slight alterations to the outbound records.

This makes it appear that the time for supplies to leave the warehouse is still normal.

He knew that Emperor Xuan'an had sent trusted eunuchs to monitor the transportation process, so on the surface, everything seemed normal.

After Bai Nishang led the reinforcements out of the capital, everything went smoothly at first.

However, upon arriving at the first post station, they encountered an unexpected delay in the supply of provisions.

The postmaster stepped forward apologetically and reported, "General, due to the drought last month, the post station's food and fodder reserves are insufficient. Today, we can only provide half of the rations and drinking water. We hope the general will understand."

Bai Nishang remained calm, but she had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

She immediately decided: "Distribute the supplies at hand to the vanguard first, to save on supplies along the way."

Next, the army's daily rations will be reduced by 10% to ensure sufficient supplies to last until the next post station.

Knowing that she could not linger at the post station, she ordered the soldiers to quickly pack their belongings, rest briefly, and set off immediately, trying not to delay their journey due to supply issues.

After marching for several days, the reinforcements arrived at the second post station.

The soldiers outside the station were exhausted and hoped to replenish their water supply here.

However, the post station official came forward, looking somewhat uneasy: "General Bai, the well at the post station dried up this morning, and we are fetching water temporarily."

Several other post horses were injured and cannot be dispatched temporarily.

Upon hearing this, Bai Nishang frowned slightly, already feeling alarmed.

Although she did not make a fuss, she quickly thought of a solution.

She turned to her deputy, Wu Zhongming, and whispered, "Starting tonight, every day, soldiers will be selected from the army to go and replenish water from the streams and springs along the way."

All soldiers must carry dry rations, and horses should be kept as lightly loaded as possible.

Wu Zhongming accepted the order and left. Although the soldiers had some doubts, they followed the order and filled their water bottles in case of emergency.

During the ensuing march, the reinforcements encountered several more "accidents".

Especially at the third post station, they were supposed to replenish their military rations for three days, but they were informed by the post station manager that there was only a small amount of food in reserve.

The postmaster looked ashamed and stammered, "Last night the warehouse was infested with rats, and most of the grain has been eaten. It was a helpless situation."

At this point, the soldiers in the army were already indignant, and the continuous supply problems over the past few days had made them dissatisfied.

Although Bai Nishang knew that there would be many obstacles at the post station, she did not show it.

Instead, he encouraged the soldiers with a firm and calm tone: "With a formidable enemy at hand, the suffering we endure is also felt by the soldiers of Hesha."

"For the sake of the overall situation, all officers and soldiers must strictly abide by military regulations in order to facilitate subsequent battles."

Bai Nishang made a decisive decision, ordering the soldiers to carefully distribute their stored food immediately, supplementing any shortfall with hunting in the wild, and also dispatching several scouts.

Make sure there are no ambushes along the way.

Her composure and decisiveness gradually calmed the soldiers' emotions, allowing the entire marching column to proceed in an orderly manner.

Upon arriving at the fourth post station, Bai Nishang planned to replenish supplies as soon as possible and allow the injured horses to rest.

However, a new problem arose: the remaining horses in the post station could not sustain the march, and several warhorses suffered serious leg injuries due to the bumpy journey.

The post station official said helplessly, "General, we really can't move any more horses, so we can only leave them here temporarily."

Although Bai Nishang's expression was solemn, she did not lose her temper.

She calmly announced to the soldiers: "Distribute the remaining horses to the vanguard, leave the wounded horses at the post station for temporary care, and the other soldiers shall proceed lightly and not fall behind."

At the same time, she dispatched several cavalrymen to the rear to contact the supply team arranged by Wei Zhongxian and ensure timely resupply for the next leg of the journey.

After receiving the order, Wei Zhongxian immediately placed several trusted eunuchs in the transport team.

They were responsible for meticulously recording the arrival and transfer times of each batch of supplies at the stations along the route.

If any delays or shortages of supplies are discovered, they should be reported immediately, and severe penalties should be imposed if necessary.

After receiving Wei Zhongxian's secret report, Gu Yuande could no longer contain his anger.

The next morning, he entered the hall for the morning court session with a stern expression.

While waiting for an opportunity to report to Emperor Xuan'an, his sharp eyes swept over Du Chengliang and Wang Chengyi, and he had already made up his mind.

At Emperor Xuan'an's command, Gu Yuande stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

Emperor Xuan'an nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Gu Yuande spoke sharply, saying in a deep voice: "I have recently received reports that the supplies sent to support Hesha City have been delayed in their transport."

All of this was due to the Ministry of Revenue's poor management and chaotic warehousing, which resulted in the goods not being delivered on time.

That's not all; the post stations along the way were also experiencing shortages of food and supplies, which repeatedly hampered the reinforcements' journey!

If the battle of Hesha City goes against them, and the border becomes critical, who will bear the responsibility for this dereliction of duty?

These words resounded like thunder throughout the court, silencing all the officials who cast astonished glances at them.

Du Chengliang and Wang Chengyi stood in the crowd. When they heard Gu Yuande pointing directly at them, their expressions changed instantly, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Du Chengliang subconsciously argued, "Is what Master Gu said an exaggeration?"