"Our army wants to intercept the Great Qian's supply convoy. We either have to break through the enemy's blockade, or we can only detour hundreds of miles from the rear to intercept the supply convoy from Guanzhong..." The Left Wise King's face was taut, full of helplessness.
The generals' expressions were equally grim.
Detouring behind the Helan Mountains would require river-crossing tools, traversing rugged mountain paths for hundreds of miles. Even at the fastest pace, it would take at least ten days, by which time the Great Qian's supply ships would be long gone!
Breaking through the Great Qian army's blockade, under the current advantageous defensive terrain, would be no easier than detouring. The Great Qian people were practically begging the Barbarians to come out and fight a decisive battle in the open...
"This is precisely Liang Xiao's objective! The Great Qian army doesn't carry much military grain and cannot mobilize local civilians to transport it. By occupying the Tian Jiang river and conducting water transport, we Barbarians will be forced to fight a war of attrition against the entire Great Qian! And last year, the Great Qian regions had a bountiful harvest..." The Right Wise King slapped his forehead, filled with remorse.
Starting from Yanzhou, the Barbarians had become increasingly passive against Liang Xiao. Now, they had been forced from an offensive into a defensive posture. Twenty-five thousand troops were no different from being trapped in the Helan Mountains!
"We must break this deadlock soon, otherwise, our army's food supplies may run out within a year!" the Left Wise King roared.
The Right Wise King pondered for a moment and nodded, "Since the Great Qian army intends to stall us here, immediately dispatch envoys to contact the Guishuang Dynasty, the Peacock Dynasty, and the Sun Moon Army, and have them launch a fierce offensive on various borders of the Great Qian!"
Three days later, the supplies from Yanzhou also arrived.
This time, it was personally escorted by Mu Hong, the Vice Minister of War and General Zhenxi.
In the military camp, Mu Hong handed a list to Lü Yi and Liang Xiao for their review, saying, "The final batch of Bu Ren Jia armor, Mo Dao swords, and other important military equipment has been completed! The supplies from the capital should arrive tomorrow or the day after!"
Lü Yi's eyes lit up as he saw the quantities of armaments on the list.
In addition to arrows, there were large amounts of equipment and fodder.
Seeing that only Lü Changhe and Zhuo Ying were present, Mu Hong quietly asked, "Are we truly going to fight a protracted war with the Barbarians by supplying a year's worth of grain at once?"
Liang Xiao shook his head, "Regardless of whether the Helan Mountains are breached or not, we must solve the military grain problem in advance. This is to prevent the Barbarians from raiding the supply convoys after their retreat. Our cavalry numbers are far fewer than the enemy's, making it impossible to protect our logistics!"
Mu Hong suddenly understood and was filled with admiration for Liang Xiao.
If the Great Qian army were to charge into the Helan Mountains, it would leave a large area behind them vulnerable. At that point, if supply convoys were still arriving from various regions, even if they used water transport, the grain would have to be unloaded and transported to the Helan Mountains. The defeated Barbarian army, with its superior cavalry mobility, could arrive first to launch a surprise attack, with unimaginable consequences.
By forcing the Barbarians into the Helan Mountains like this, and protecting the rear supply lines, the needs of two hundred thousand troops could be met by a single Tian Jiang river. This would eliminate the need to mobilize millions of civilians for land transport, greatly saving manpower, which was the greatest benefit!
"By the way, that longbow..." Mu Hong suddenly remembered something and said with a wry smile, "After replacing the wood with elm, ash, and other timber, the longbows produced were repeatedly tested. They are usable, but their power is greatly diminished, and after shooting dozens of arrows, the bow body deforms significantly. They are far less practical and stable than purple sandalwood..."
Liang Xiao nodded, "I anticipated this. Otherwise, purple sandalwood wouldn't sell for such a price. The replacement longbows can be kept as spares."
It was not difficult to craft a purple sandalwood longbow, but of the 150 taels per bow, a large portion was for the material itself.
Replacing it with other woods was less cost-effective than using ordinary wood to make ordinary bows and crossbows, which at least would last longer.
Furthermore, drawing a longbow required considerable arm strength, which most archers could not manage.
Before Mu Hong departed, Liang Xiao repeatedly instructed him, "Strictly guard the three northern territories; they must not be lost. When the military grain arrives, it will be the signal for our army to engage the Barbarians in a decisive battle!"
Mu Hong's heart grew stern, and he solemnly replied, "Our army will not leave the city, and will only defend within the city walls and apprehend spies!"
Liang Xiao finally felt at ease.
Meanwhile, in the Ministry of War of the Great Liang Kingdom, Emperor Mu Cheng looked at a "giant bow," similar to a longbow, on his desk and asked, "What is its power?"
Qin Feng explained, "It can shoot nearly two hundred paces. Anyone who can draw this bow will have a significantly greater advantage than with any previous bow and arrow! However, the bow's shape still needs further improvement, and there is very little purple sandalwood left. The cost is also extremely high..."
"How much does one bow cost?" Mu Cheng asked curiously.
Qin Feng looked dejected, "Two hundred and fifty taels. This is the list from the Ministry of Revenue! But I believe the cost of this bow should be between one hundred and fifty to two hundred taels. The remaining money was likely embezzled by officials from the Ministry of Revenue..."
Mu Cheng was both shocked and furious.
The Ministry of Revenue was entirely staffed by members of the Yan family. They could always operate with perfect discretion, creating new justifications for their actions. It was not something that could be easily investigated by the Emperor's appointed officials.
For example, they could inflate the prices of recruited artisans and material suppliers, conducting transactions legitimately, while the difference from the inflated prices largely flowed into the pockets of the Ministry of Revenue officials!
"I must succeed in purging the Ministry of Revenue!" Mu Cheng finally gritted his teeth, unable to bear it any longer.
Qin Feng sighed, "Father, compared to this matter, what is more disheartening is that there is very little purple sandalwood left. It has all been sold to the Great Qian by our own merchants, and the Ministry of Revenue has even declared significant tax revenue increases because of it..."
Mu Cheng trembled with anger, coughed violently for a moment, and asked, "Can we not substitute it with other timber?"
Qin Feng shook his head, "The effect would be greatly reduced, and it would be prone to damage and deformation!"
Mu Cheng felt helpless and his resolve to purge the Ministry of Revenue strengthened even further. "From today onwards, the transaction of purple sandalwood is prohibited! Following Liang Xiao's method of selecting talent, I will personally oversee the examinations and grade the papers. Let's see who dares to obstruct!"
"Marshal! These bastards from the Great Qian are here again, scouting the terrain!"
The Right Wise King received a report via carrier pigeon and climbed a dirt mound to observe. He saw Liang Xiao, accompanied by white-robed soldiers, leisurely moving around outside the enemy camp, seemingly observing their main formation.
"Only a thousand white-robed soldiers! Chase this brat down for me, and tear him to pieces!"
The Right Wise King finally lost his temper and ordered his troops to pursue.
Thousands of Barbarian cavalry from afar charged out, the ground rumbling, their war cries deafening.
Liang Xiao then led his white-robed soldiers to retreat eastward. Before leaving, he did not forget to draw his Sunset Bow and casually shot down a Barbarian cavalryman.
The finely crafted Dragon Tooth arrow easily pierced a Barbarian's leather armor. After the Barbarian fell from his horse, he was trampled into a bloody pulp by the companions charging behind him.
Nan Jiyun also imitated Liang Xiao, drawing his Heaven-Shaking Bow on horseback, aiming specifically at the warhorses.
The Right Wise King, watching Liang Xiao's troops flee, wore a look of frustration. "This brat comes to scout our camp every day, what exactly is he trying to achieve!"
Fearing an ambush, the Barbarian cavalry, after driving away the white-robed soldiers, immediately returned to camp to report.
The Left Wise King frowned, "It seems we must dispatch a cavalry force to guard the front of the camp and prevent Liang Xiao from scouting further. Although this brat likely won't discover anything significant, who knows if he has other tricks up his sleeve!"
The white-robed soldiers followed Liang Xiao, galloping back to their camp, laughing heartily along the way.
"The Vice Marshal was right: after showing off, run away, that's really exciting!"
The thousand white-robed soldiers fired arrows as they retreated. Although their mounted crossbows were similar to those of the Barbarians, because they were retreating and the Barbarians were cautiously pursuing, the power of the Barbarians' arrows was slightly inferior. Including the targets shot down by Liang Xiao and Nan Jiyun, more than a dozen people were killed or wounded.
The white-robed soldiers had grown accustomed to taking turns accompanying Liang Xiao to face the Barbarian formations daily.
Liang Xiao merely grinned, leading his troops back to the camp, where several waiting couriers rushed forward to report.
"Vice Marshal, the Marshal is waiting with the generals. The supplies from the capital have also arrived!"