In the famine, others ate Guanyin soil, but he had space to build a farm.

Chapter 116 The Arrival of the Palace Soldiers

General Liu frowned slightly, with a trace of worry in his eyes. He stood in the hall, looking at the governor Shi with a sharp gaze, and said in a steady and powerful voice: "Governor, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

Lord Shi gently put down the teacup in his hand, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes: "General Liu, please feel free to speak."

General Liu took a deep breath, as if to spit out all the doubts in his heart: "Sir, as the saying goes, before the army moves, food and grass must go first. This time we are going to the West Mountain, facing 5,000 people, and the need for food and grass is not trivial."

Upon hearing this, Lord Shi showed a trace of embarrassment on his face. He coughed lightly, then laughed, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere: "General Liu is really insightful! But you also know that the current situation in the treasury is not optimistic. How about this, I will give you five days of food and grass. If you can end the battle within these five days, that would be the best. If not..." He paused, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, "Then you can only solve the food and grass problem by yourselves."

General Liu's heart trembled. He knew that this was Lord Shi's bottom line. He hesitated for a moment, then raised his head, with a gleam of determination in his eyes: "Yes, Lord! We will do our best to end the battle within these five days!"

But he had another plan in mind. As long as they captured the county town, all the gold and silver collected by the rebels in the county town would be theirs.

Li Wei stood aside, observing all this silently. He saw the greed in General Liu's eyes, and the helplessness and determination in Mr. Shi's eyes. He knew in his heart that during this expedition to Xishan, these officers and soldiers would probably not let go of the people in the city.

However, Li Wei was not afraid. He held the hilt of the sword tightly, as if he wanted to put all his courage into it. He knew that as a soldier, he must move forward bravely, for the country, for the nation, and for those innocent people, he must fight to the end!

In this way, General Liu, Li Wei and others set out on the journey to Xishan County with five days' worth of food and fodder.

The situation in the city was soon understood by County Magistrate Chen's people. After all, his family had been operating in Xishan County for so many years. Naturally, he had his own spies in the city.

"Father! I didn't expect Li Wei to send reinforcements from the capital so quickly!" Chen Jun said worriedly. You know, their family has already joined the rebels. If the army arrives, they will be the first to attack the Chen family.

"Then do you think these 5000 troops in the provincial capital can capture this county town?" Chen Dong's right hand tapped lightly on the coffee table unconsciously.

"Of course they can! Although the troops in the prefecture are less trained, their fighting power is definitely stronger than these peasants!" Chen Jun said anxiously. He looked at his father who had not made a decision yet, and he became even more anxious.

Chen Dong raised his head and looked at Chen Jun with a thoughtful look in his eyes: "Jun'er, every step now is related to the survival of our entire family! If we take a wrong step, the whole family may be destroyed. Do you know the combat effectiveness of those soldiers? What kind of person is the commander-in-chief Hao?"

Chen Jun was stunned and shook his head: "My son doesn't know."

Chen Dong sighed softly and said slowly: "General Liu is a greedy and lustful man. I'm afraid that even if he is given 1 troops, he won't be able to do anything! Now it seems that we can't rush to put all our chips on the government army!"

Chen Jun was shocked when he heard this, and asked hurriedly: "Then father, how should we deal with it?"

"After all, this time we have an army of 5000! Well, it is really possible to break through the county town! Since we can't just bet on one side, let's bet on both sides! How about this, I'll write a letter and you take it personally to General Liu and Magistrate Li! Just say that our Chen family is willing to cooperate inside and outside to help them capture the county town!" Chen Dong said after thinking for a while.

Chen Dong's decision-making is like a brilliant move on the chessboard, steady and yet flexible. He knows that in this chaotic world, the survival and prosperity of a family often depends on whether it can judge the situation and seize every opportunity.

Chen Jun took the letter from his father with a determined look on his face. He knew that this mission was very important and concerned the future of his family. He held the letter tightly, as if he wanted to place all his hopes on this thin piece of paper.

As night fell, Chen Jun quietly left the county town and rushed towards the camp where the government troops were stationed. He knew that once the letter was delivered, it would have a significant impact on the war situation between the two sides. And he would become an indispensable part of this game.

At the same time, General Liu, Li Wei and others had already arrived at the border of Xishan County. They looked at the towering county town in front of them, and their hearts were filled with a sense of urgency.

……

At this time, Zhang Shan in the county town also received the news that the soldiers were coming. His men were anxious like ants on a hot pot. After all, they had never really fought against the soldiers of the imperial court. Usually, when they saw the soldiers, they were so scared that they dared not breathe. You have to know how majestic 5000 troops are.

"Brother Zhang! What should we do? These are 5000 regular troops! They may not be able to deal with the barbarians in the north!"

"But dealing with people like us is as easy as cutting vegetables!" A man in tattered cloth said anxiously, his eyes full of fear, and his hands kept rubbing the corners of his clothes, as if looking for a sense of security.

Zhang Shan sat in front of a simple wooden table with a solemn expression. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that panic at this moment would only make the situation worse. He looked up and glanced at his men around him. Everyone's face was filled with anxiety and worry.

"Why are you panicking?" Zhang Shan slammed the table, his voice loud and firm, "Although we are outnumbered and our equipment is inferior to theirs, we have one thing that they can never match - that is our determination and courage! We are fighting for survival, for our families, and for this land! We can't retreat, and we can't give up!"

Zhang Shan's words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly striking the hearts of everyone present. They all raised their heads, with a determined light flashing in their eyes. They knew that Zhang Shan was right, and they could not retreat or give up.

"Brother Zhang, we will do whatever you say!" The man who had been anxious before also stood up at this moment. Although his voice was still trembling, it was full of determination.

"Okay!" Zhang Shan nodded, his eyes flashing with wisdom. "The first thing we have to do is to strengthen the city walls and prepare for defense. At the same time, we have to send out spies to keep an eye on the movements of the government troops and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, we must unite as one and fight the enemy together. Only in this way can we win this battle!"