"Before this, I always thought the disciples of the Divine Firmament Sect were nothing but petty thieves. Today, seeing you, I witness the bearing of a true statesman. For Mr. Yuan Miao to have made such plans for the nation in advance, he is no less than an immortal on earth. Please, on behalf of your master, accept my bow!"
After finishing his compliments to Han Mo, Zhang Xiaochun turned his gaze back to Zhang Rúhuì.
To be frank, the favor they had received this time was immense.
Regardless of the original purpose behind the construction of this so-called "Nation-Protecting Grand Formation," the mere act of them preemptively stocking supplies for Taiyuan was enough for Zhang Xiaochun to offer his bow.
"My lord, please save this bow for when you personally meet my master. To prepare these supplies for you, we've nearly emptied our own coffers. My master has endured quite a bit of scolding for these matters!"
"Hahahaha, you are right. If Taiyuan City can hold, I will personally visit the Divine Firmament Palace and offer Mr. Yuan Miao my apologies!"
Upon hearing Zhang Rúhuì's explanation, Zhang Xiaochun burst into laughter.
As Zhang Rúhuì himself had said, even with the vast resources of the Divine Firmament Sect, assembling these items was no simple feat. Cast iron and grain were incredibly scarce commodities in these times.
Not only that, but they had to gather these things while maintaining secrecy, preventing anyone from finding out. This was truly something beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals!
"Father, when shall we bring out these supplies?"
Having overheard their conversation, Zhang Ji was so excited he began rubbing his hands together.
The scarcity of supplies in the city before had led to the populace resorting to looting. Now, with such a bounty of grain, the people's lives could become much easier.
"There's no rush for that, no rush. I have another idea!"
Before Zhang Rúhuì could even object, Zhang Xiaochun began shaking his hands.
"Does my lord have another idea?"
"Come closer, you two."
Seeing the bewildered expressions on their faces, Zhang Xiaochun beckoned them over with a smile.
"My lord, perhaps after this war is over, you could join our Divine Firmament Sect with a nominal position..."
Upon hearing Zhang Xiaochun's words, Zhang Rúhuì's expression turned peculiar. Who exactly was the charlatan here?
"That can wait. We shall discuss it later! Mr. Yuan Miao, please return and make your preparations. Three days from now, at high noon, we shall witness your performance!"
"No problem. I will return and prepare at once!"
After cupping his hands in a salute to Zhang Xiaochun, Zhang Rúhuì turned and left Zhang Xiaochun's room.
"Such a remarkable figure, born in my Great Song dynasty. He is truly a blessing to the people of my Great Song!"
Only after Zhang Rúhuì had gone far did Zhang Xiaochun unable to help but sigh in admiration.
"Father, are you speaking of that Mr. Yuan Miao?"
"No, I am speaking of the one in the southeast! Roughly speaking, you two are of similar age. If I were to fall in battle, please remember, after this war, to carry my ashes to pay homage to the foremost talent of our Great Song!"
"Father, why speak such words out of the blue? We now have such ample supplies, and there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city. Even if those Jin soldiers were to die of exhaustion, they wouldn't be able to breach Taiyuan City! On the contrary, after recuperating in Taiyuan City, we might just seize the opportunity of their prolonged siege to give them a taste of their own medicine!"
With sufficient supply provisions, Zhang Ji's entire demeanor became optimistic.
In open field battles outside the city, the soldiers of the Great Song were indeed at a significant disadvantage compared to those Jin soldiers.
However, when it came to defending a city, once the initial most perilous period had passed, the soldiers of the Great Song had already found their rhythm. As long as they had sufficient supplies, for the Jin forces to capture Taiyuan City again would be sheer delusion.
"I was merely speaking casually, why are you so agitated? Alright, you may return now. We shall begin our plan tomorrow morning. Tonight, at last, I can get a good night's sleep!"
"Father, should I go to General Wang's place..."
Seeing the smile on Zhang Xiaochun's face, Zhang Ji suddenly realized something.
"You can go and give him a hint, but you must be careful. Only he should know. If too many people know about this matter, it will lose its effectiveness!"
"I understand. I'll go now!"
After saying this, Zhang Ji immediately bid farewell to his father and headed straight for Wang Bing's residence.
It was called a residence, but it was merely a temporarily requisitioned house. As one of the main pillars of Taiyuan City, Wang Bing was not only responsible for all housing matters in the city but also had to find time to train the newly conscripted laborers.
To facilitate his work, Zhang Xiaochun had specifically arranged a residence for him near the city walls.
The shortage of supplies in Taiyuan City had been an issue for more than a day or two. However, just as everyone was worrying about whether they would have enough to eat tomorrow, a piece of gossip quietly began to spread throughout Taiyuan City.
"Did you hear? It seems the Daoists of the Divine Firmament Sect are performing rituals right now, said to be using the Nation-Protecting Grand Formation to bring supplies from Bianliang!"
"I heard it too! I heard it too. I even went to see those Divine Firmament Sect Daoists just now. They are indeed busy setting up altars and performing rituals at this very moment!"
"Is that true? Is something like that possible? Can things truly fall from the sky?"
"Aren't they always saying that the people of the Divine Firmament Sect are swindlers?"
"I don't know about anything else, but I heard that Lord Zhang and General Wang will personally be here at noon today to help!"
"Someone actually believes such nonsense? I think Zhang Xiaochun and Wang Bing have lost their minds from being too busy!"
"Brother Xu speaks the truth. I've observed them, and they are clearly resorting to any means out of desperation. I had mistakenly thought they were the true pillars of Taiyuan City, only to find out they too are fools who consult ghosts and spirits rather than the common people!"
As this news spread, Taiyuan City was abuzz with discussions.
However, anyone with a modicum of reason scoffed at such news.
Especially the scholars, upon hearing this, even began to doubt whether Zhang Xiaochun and Wang Bing had lost their minds.
"Lord Zhang, General Wang have arrived!"
As time ticked by, with less than a quarter of an hour left until noon, accompanied by a large contingent of soldiers, Zhang Xiaochun and Wang Bing, in a rare appearance, arrived together beneath the Divine Firmament Sect's Nation-Protecting Grand Formation.
"Lord Zhang, General Wang, Taiyuan City is in imminent danger. You two are placing the hope of the entire city on such a charlatan. By doing so, are you worthy of the people in this city?"