Mr. Yuan Huang, Yuan Liaofan, rushed to Xiao Ruxun's office close to noon. His face was flushed, he was panting, and his back was a little hunched. Xiao Ruxun smiled the moment she saw him.
"Did you sleep well last night, Sir Yuan?"
Yuan Huang's face was full of resentment and shame. He covered his face and returned to his seat. He said in a low voice, "Ji Xin, why did you make fun of an old man like this! You … really! "
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Xiao Ruxun laughed, which was rare for him. But soon, he could not laugh anymore.
After he spread out all the problems he knew, he called some North Korean officials over and asked them in detail. Only then did he realize how serious the problem was in North Korea. He finally understood why the Ming Army retreated after the battle of Jade Hoof House and stopped advancing. He also realized what kind of situation the Ming Army was facing at that time.
To put it bluntly, it was a shortage of food.
After the Ming Army's main vanguard defeated President Xiaoxi and crossed the Imjin River, they went hungry for two days before the battle of Jade Hoof House.
No food! Two days!
What did this mean?
Song Yingchang sent eighty thousand dans of food to North Korea. The North Koreans could at least send forty thousand dans of food. Adding up to one hundred and twenty thousand dans, it was enough for the army to use for two months. In any case, it was impossible for them to be short of food at this time. So what was the reason?
It was the same as Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition. The transport capacity could not keep up. The food in Hanzhong was piled up like a mountain and could not be transported across the Qinling Mountains. The Ming Army was also facing the same situation. The food in Yi Zhou was piled up like a mountain and could not be transported to the frontlines. Not only could the food not be transported, but even the artillery could not be transported. North Korea had just passed the rainy season. The roads were muddy. North Korea lacked livestock, vehicles, and manpower. They even disbanded Monk Xiu Jing's powerful monk army to transport food.
Li Rusong's desperate attack on the Jade Hoof House was not because he was greedy, but because he wanted to seize the food from the granary of Han City for his subordinates to fill their stomachs!
The soldiers sent by Xiao Ruxun had investigated the route Yuan Huang had carefully planned — from Uizhou to Dingzhou and Anzhou, then to Suning and Sunan, and finally to the west side of Pyongyang. When they came back to report to Xiao Ruxun, Xiao Ruxun almost jumped up in anger.
In July and August, it was the rainy season in North Korea. There was a lot of rain. Zu Chengxun's cavalry encountered a rainy day when they marched. They had to rush through the rain to reach Pyongyang. The road was muddy and full of potholes. Some of the potholes were as deep as a person's height. It was a dilapidated scene. People could walk around, but the vehicles carrying military equipment, especially artillery, could not pass.
Along the way, the relay stations and military stations were basically empty. The houses and granaries were soaked through by the rain and could not be used. A small amount of moldy and rotten food and rats were all over the ground, causing people to tremble in fear. Everything that should have rotted had already rotted, and there was very little that could still be used. The wet storehouses could not store anything. It should be said that outside of Yi Province, it was impossible to find a suitable place to store food. Even transporting the food out was extremely difficult.
Yuan Huang's expression turned ugly — it wasn't that he hadn't thought that the situation in North Korea would be bad, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad. Initially, he had thought that this young general was too nervous as it was his first time in command, so he was being overly cautious. He even had to personally ask about this kind of thing. But now, it seemed like this was clearly a farsighted plan!
If he had not insisted on taking charge of the work in this place, the army would have been tossed around with hunger. When that time came and the imperial court investigated, what should they do?
Thinking of this, Yuan Huang broke out in a cold sweat. [0↑ 9 △ Small ↓ Say △ Net]
After Xiao Ruxun finished reading the soldier's report, she called Liu Chenlong over with a dark face. She threw the information to Liu Chenlong and asked him for an explanation.
"It has been almost two months since the end of the battle on the 17th of July. What has your country's ruler and ministers done? Look, this is the route we planned for the march. It is a straight road, the only route that the army can march on. But what is the situation? Along the way, there is a deep pit the height of a person. The military stations in Dingzhou and Anzhou are empty. The warehouses and granaries are festering and rotten. A small amount of grain is moldy and rats are running everywhere! You called my army like! What! Do! Fight! "
Xiao Ruxun directly threw the report to Liu Chenlong. Liu Chenlong hurriedly opened it and read it. As he read, his face turned pale and beads of sweat dripped to the ground. In the end, he did not know what to say. He was embarrassed and embarrassed.
Under such circumstances, Xiao Ruxun could not continue to blame Liu Chenlong. In any case, he had a group of helpers. Liu Chenlong only had a group of stupid teammates. Being able to reorganize Yizhou had almost killed him. Adding more pressure would only make him fall faster. With a sigh, Xiao Ruxun walked to Liu Chenlong's side and patted him on the shoulder. He brought him to see the king of North Korea.
Li Zhi had become much more relaxed after Xiao Ruxun's arrival. Previously, he was in a state of anxiety and fear. Now, not only did he sleep well and eat well, but he could also steal time with the ministers around him and take time to watch the escaped palace maids and maids dance. He really knew how to enjoy himself.
However, an internal eunuch hurried over and said that Heavenly General Xiao was very angry and wanted to see the king. Li Zhi was so frightened that he immediately removed the dancers and all the food and wine. Then, he replaced them with books, pen and paper, and put on an appearance as if he was listening to a political discussion.
However, as soon as Xiao Ruxun came in, he smelled the strong smell of alcohol and cosmetics. He only sneered and did not expose it. He only sneered and saluted, sat down, and started to talk.
"What … this … has it reached this point?"
Li Zhi didn't seem to understand what the world outside of his palace was like. In his mind, all he needed to do was to quietly wait for the Great Army to defeat Japan and recover Daehan. Then, he would return to Seoul and become the King of Daehan. He didn't need to care about anything else. That General Xiao had taken care of everything by himself. But when Xiao Ruxun questioned him, he realized that he and his subordinates seemed to have angered this general.
"Your Majesty, your country is short of food. The Daming has been very understanding and has transferred 80,000 dans of grain from Liaodong to support us. We have brought our own troops, our own rations, our own armaments, and our own salaries. We have done our best. Your country has repeatedly urged me to send troops. Fine, I will send troops!
But since ancient times, before the three armies move, the rations and fodder must come first. Even a child can say these words. All of you are well-read and in high positions. Don't you understand? The road conditions are so bad. How can we transport grain? How can we store it? How can the army advance? What will we eat after we enter the army? Rats? "
Well, he didn't even call himself a foreign minister …
Xiao Ruxun's expression was solemn, and his tone was heavy. His voice was loud, clear, and full of deterrence.
Li Zhi looked anxious and didn't know what to say. The Korean ministers lowered their heads in silence, not daring to say a word.
Seeing this, Xiao Ruxun softened his tone.
"Your Majesty, in the current situation, before the grain can be transported, we have to send people to fill up the roads, repair the courier stations, and repair the warehouses and granaries. We even have to kill the rats to prevent the grain from being eaten and the plague from spreading. Originally, we could have sent troops in two months. If we were faster, we could have done it in one and a half months. But now, it seems that without three months, I won't be able to send troops!"
This group of stupid teammates were like candles. If they weren't lit, they wouldn't be lit. Their attitude was so bad, but they still urged the Ming Army to send troops. What were their intentions?
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