The news from the highlands came much faster than expected.
"Prime Minister, the quartermaster has sent word that we've run out of beef and mutton."
In the tent, Dalun Ruozan was deep in thought as he stared at the sand table. Suddenly, an Ouzan general rushed in and knelt on one knee.
"What's going on? Do you need to report such a small matter to me? "
Dalun Ruozan turned around and frowned, looking displeased.
"Won't the Tie 'a Tribe send food over?"
"Prime Minister, the Tie 'a Tribe hasn't brought any cattle or sheep over for more than half a month."
"Oh?"
Dalun Ruozan finally turned around and asked suspiciously.
"What about the Luosly Tribe?"
The Ouzan did not rely on just one tribe for logistics. There were at least twenty to thirty tribes at a time, and over a hundred during times of war.
"The Luosly Tribe hasn't appeared for more than ten days."
"What about Dhaka, Raalan, and Feqi?"
Dalun Ruozan reported the names of several tribes.
"We lost contact with them eight or nine days ago."
Dalun Ruozan creased his brow, vaguely sensing that something was wrong. This was not the first time the Ouzan and the Tang dynasty had gone to war, and this sort of logistical problem had never happened before.
Every tribe in the Ouzan knew what food meant to the army. It was every tribe's duty to provide food to the army on time, so the Ouzan would never run out of food like the Tang dynasty.
It was strange enough for one tribe to fail to provide food to the army on time, but there was definitely a problem with so many tribes failing to keep up.
"Send someone to the rear to see what's wrong."
Dalun Ruozan's eyebrows twitched as he suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Report!"
Dalun Ruozan didn't have to wait for long. Half an hour later, a messenger rushed into the tent in a panic.
"Prime Minister, we've just received news from the highlands. An army of the Tang dynasty has rushed to the highlands and started a massacre. They've even spread a plague. Now, all the tribes on the highlands have suffered heavy casualties. Countless cattle and sheep have died!"
The herald knelt on the ground with his head lowered. He didn't even dare to look at Dalun Ruozan. Large beads of sweat seeped out of his forehead and dripped down.
"What?!!"
Dalun Ruozan's body shook violently. He grabbed the messenger and shook him violently.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could such a thing happen? "
"Prime Minister, it's true! A member of the Yager tribe escaped from the plateau. I've already confirmed it with him over and over again, there is no doubt about it! "
The herald knelt on the ground. His face was pale, but his voice was incomparably firm. Every word was incomparably clear.
"Those people killed their way into the highlands more than half a month ago. Moreover, they've sent people to seal off the passage down from the highlands. No news can be sent out at all. All the tribesmen who wanted to send news died on the mountain path. He only managed to escape with great difficulty. "
"More than half a month ago?"
Dalun Ruozan's heart sank. Didn't that mean that the Annam Protectorate led by Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong was still trapped in Lion City?
Wang Chong!!
In a flash, a thought flashed through Dalun Ruozan's mind. He subconsciously thought of the young figure at the peak of the opposite mountain. If Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong were both trapped in Lion City, then the only one who could do all this was Wang Chong.
Dalun Ruozan's heart suddenly turned cold.
"He took advantage of a loophole!"
More than half a month ago, Dalun Ruozan's heart was still only Lion City and the Annam Protectorate inside. Meanwhile, the tens of thousands of reinforcements led by Li Zhengyi in the north had already been defeated by the army led by Huoshu Huizang.
On the road south, there were layers of Ouzan cavalry guarding it. Dalun Ruozan had never imagined that Wang Chong would break through the Ouzan's defensive line at this time and even send an army to kill their way into the highlands.
"The one who laughs in the end, laughs the best!"
Dalun Ruozan's entire body turned cold. The only thing left in his mind was Wang Chong's last words.
Following that, more and more details were dug out. Dalun Ruozan's face grew paler and paler, his expression more and more unsightly. The situation on the highlands was much more serious and terrifying than he had imagined.
"Sheep plague". Dalun Ruozan had never imagined that Wang Chong would use this method to deal with him. Not against people, but against the cows and sheep on the highlands.
No one on the highlands would die from this sheep plague, but Dalun Ruozan would rather Wang Chong deal with his own army.
The people on the highlands could not do without beef and mutton for three meals a day. Even the highland barley was eaten with beef and mutton. Furthermore, unlike the Tang dynasty of the Central Plains, the cows and sheep of the Ouzan were raised in large herds. Each tribe had hundreds of thousands or even millions of cows.
Once a plague broke out, it would be an unimaginable disaster.
"Prime Minister! Prime Minister! … "
A voice sounded near and far. Dalun Ruozan shook his head and suddenly woke up. When he opened his eyes, the messenger was still kneeling on the ground, motionless and in the same position as before.
"Got it. You may leave."
"Someone! Inform King Mengshe Zhao that I have a request. "
At a time like this, the only thing Dalun Ruozan could think of was Mengshe Zhao and Gelofeng. Mengshe Zhao and the Tang dynasty were of the same lineage. If there was someone who could solve the crisis on the highlands, then Dalun Ruozan could only think of Gelofeng.
…
"What?! Plague? "
Bonfires blazed in Mengshe Zhao's camp. The torches illuminated the people in the tents clearly. After hearing the reason for Dalun Ruozan's visit, Gelofeng's eyes were filled with shock.
Even a mighty ruler like Gelofeng would never have thought that such a thing would happen on the Ouzan Highlands. Someone actually thought of attacking the hinterlands of Ouzan and invading the highlands at this time!
This news was like a slap to everyone's face.
Wang Chong's military strategy was unconstrained and marvelous. It had already surpassed everyone's imagination.
"Great Minister, I understand what you mean. No matter what, as an ally, I will do my best to help you. However, our Mengshe Zhao people mainly rely on rice, and we also eat pork. We don't have many cows or sheep to begin with, so plagues are even rarer."
"Therefore, when I first learned medicine from the Tang dynasty, this kind of unorthodox prescription for sheep plague was not on the list of things I learned. Not only that, I did not learn any of these unorthodox prescriptions."
Gelofeng tried her best to be tactful. In fact, Gelofeng could be sure that even in the Tang dynasty, it was definitely not easy to find a veterinarian who could treat sheep plague.
This kind of sheep plague was really too rare among the farming people.
"Understood. Then, Dalun Ruozan thanks Your Majesty in advance."
Dalun Ruozan said.
"Your Majesty, bad news! The people of Ouzan are fighting with our people! "
Just as the two were talking, a messenger from Mengshe Zhao suddenly rushed in anxiously. Shua, in an instant, everyone's eyes turned to look at him.
The food shortage in Ouzan had finally caused a problem. Under the stimulation of hunger, the people of Ouzan, who were known for their ferocity and belligerence, naturally turned their attention to their fellow allies, the people of Mengshe Zhao.
Due to the language barrier, a fight quickly broke out between the two sides. When Gelofeng and Dalun Ruozan arrived, the commotion was quickly quelled. However, everyone knew that this was just the beginning.
…
"Young Master, they really are fighting!"
At the top of the mountain, a long flagpole danced in the wind. Under the flagpole, The Eagle and Wang Chong stood together, looking down the mountain.
The Eagle's face was full of joy, while Wang Chong was silent.
"Young Master, it seems that Li Siye's strategy is really working."
The Eagle looked at Wang Chong said beside him.
The Eagle knew everything about Li Siye. Wang Chong had said earlier that if a fight broke out between Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao, it meant that the people of Ouzan were running low on food.
In other words, Li Siye's operation behind their backs had been a complete success.
"Mm."
Wang Chong nodded. In the night wind, the two strands of hair at his temples danced incessantly. In the dark of the night, they had already stood here for a long time. From the top of the mountain, they had already seen at least seventeen fights in the light of the fire. To say that nothing had happened between Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao, Wang Chong would never believe it.
"War is cruel. Now it's up to Dalun Ruozan to make his choice."
The Annam Protectorate had been forced into a desperate situation due to the water problem. Now, the morale of the army was dropping. Wang Chong could clearly feel this change.
But now, without a sufficient supply of cattle and sheep, the people of Ouzan were running low on food. They were in the same situation as the Annam Protectorate.
Now, there was no longer an advantage. It all depended on who could last longer.
"Young Master, do the people of Ouzan really not eat rice? If it's just food, with the wealth of Mengshe Zhao, they can definitely provide a lot of food. "
The Eagle suddenly thought of something and frowned.
"Heh, that's impossible."
Wang Chong laughed.
"The eating habits of the people of Ouzan aren't that easy to change. For example, if you only eat meat for three meals a day and don't eat rice, can you get used to it? Also, unlike us, the people of Ouzan don't have the habit of growing rice. In other words, they have never eaten rice before. "
"But, doesn't Mengshe Zhao still have pork? If it's just meat, can't pork be used as a substitute? "
Old Eagle hesitated for a moment.
"There are so many people in Ouzan. Three meals a day. How many pigs do you think Mengshe Zhao keeps? It's just a drop in the bucket! "
Wang Chong said calmly.
The Eagle was stunned and couldn't speak for a long time.
That's right!
Pigs were different from cattle and sheep. Cattle and sheep could be left to graze freely in the wild, but no one would raise pigs like that. Therefore, the number of pigs would always be far less than cattle and sheep.
With the wealth of the Tang dynasty, ordinary people could barely eat pork for a few meals a month, let alone Mengshe Zhao.
Mengshe Zhao's habit of raising pigs was far from the Tang dynasty. Even if they could barely provide for Mengshe Zhao, how much could they provide? For how long?
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