The ninth son of the emperor was demoted at the beginning. I have a famous Chinese general.

Of course, Man Chong could not do two things at once, as Liu Bowen was in charge of the Hulun Reservoir.

At the same time, Liu Bowen was also responsible for extensive publicity to the people throughout the territory, calling on them to build water cellars and store grain.

Zhuge Liang was responsible for other government affairs.

As for Jia Xu, since returning to Hulan, he has been busy setting up an intelligence network and has no time to take care of these things.

Fighting drought is important, but building an intelligence network is even more important.

Hulun is located in a remote area and news is seriously delayed.

Ning Quan either knew nothing about the situation in the Daqian Dynasty, the war between the Arabs and Persia, the battle between the Northern and Southern Xiongnu, and the situation in the countries in the Western Regions, or only received sporadic news.

This is very unfavorable for Ning Quan to control the situation.

Therefore, it is imperative to establish an efficient intelligence network.

...........

In the Hexi Army, Gu Xincheng sat in the tent looking at the sand table.

Gu Xincheng is the deputy general of the Hexi Army and the number one general under the command of the eldest prince Ning Zhen.

This time, it was he who led the Hexi Army to Beiting.

Gu Xincheng did not agree with this military expedition because the so-called tripartite coalition was simply a farce.

The Hexi Army and the Longyou Army would never really go to war with Hulan, they were just pretending.

Besides, Hulan is also strong and has heavy cavalry.

But the eldest prince ordered him to lead the troops to attack, so he had no choice but to obey.

"General, our army has set up camp. As per your instructions, we have doubled the number of chevaux de frise, iron thorns, and deer horns."

At this time, a man wearing armor, with a burly figure, holding a long sword and a fierce look on his face walked up to Gu Xincheng and reported.

The man's name was Li Hu. He was the most valiant and skilled general under Gu Xincheng, and his martial arts skills were second only to Gu Xincheng.

"very good!"

"Send more scouts at night and pay close attention to the situation within thirty miles to prevent sneak attacks by enemy cavalry." Gu Xincheng said in a deep voice.

The Hulan cavalry is very strong, especially the heavy cavalry. If you are not careful and are attacked by surprise, you will suffer heavy casualties.

The last battle between Zuo Xian Wang and Hulan was a good example, and Gu Xincheng had to be cautious.

"I will obey my orders."

Li Hu clasped his fists and said.

"Well, send someone to contact Hulan's spies and tell them to report any movement in Hulan immediately."

Gu Xincheng continued.

"Yes, I understand."

"Well, go down." Gu Xincheng waved his hand.

After Li Hu left, Gu Xincheng picked up the sand table again and looked at it carefully.

"I hope it goes well." Gu Xincheng muttered to himself.

This battle was too risky. If he wasn't careful, he and his 50,000 Hexi troops might be wiped out.

His only hope now is that the Anxi Army and the Longyou Army will not stand idly by, otherwise it will be dangerous!

.........

The border between Anxi and Beiting.

In the Anxi Army camp, Liu Wenjie stood beside the commander's desk, lost in thought.

Liu Wenjie had just arrived at the camp the day before and took over the command.

The current situation is becoming increasingly complicated. If something happens and the generals are unable to make a decision and have to send people back for instructions, everything will be delayed.

Only if he is in charge personally can he respond in a timely manner.

"General, the spies have reported that Gu Xincheng has led his troops into Beiting."

"But the Longyou Army under the King of Zhenxi has stalled."

Suddenly, a soldier ran over and said.

"Okay, I understand," Liu Wenjie said calmly.

He had expected this to happen.

The King of Zhenxi is not stupid, he will not go to war with Hulan.

Only the eldest prince had to fight for the throne.

"General, what should we do now?" asked the deputy general.

"Just wait and see what happens!"

"Unless the Anxi army gains the upper hand, or both the Anxi army and Hulan are defeated, our army will not take action."

Liu Wenjie sneered.

"I understand." The deputy general nodded.

"By the way, have the scouts keep a close eye on the opposing cavalry to prevent them from being ambushed."

Liu Wenjie warned.

The opposing cavalry that Liu Wenjie was referring to was, of course, Lu Bu's troops.

On the third day after the Anxi army arrived at the border, Lu Bu led his troops and arrived, and kept a close watch on the Anxi army.

...........

Changhe City, Protectorate.

Li Chenglin's face was terribly gloomy. He had just received a report from the scouts that the Hexi Army had entered the Beiting territory and was less than two hundred miles away from Changhe City.

The Hexi Army's target was obviously the Hulun Army outside the city.

Logically speaking, he should be happy that the Hexi Army attacked the Hulan Army.

But he knew that the Hexi Army's attack on the Hulan Army was not to rescue Changhe City.

No matter who wins or loses between Hexi and Hulun, Changhe will be their next target, and he will still be dead.

His only hope now is that the Anxi Army can help him.

But judging from Li Xin's letter, Fang Xiaolian has basically given up on him unless there is a major turn for the better.

"My Lord Protector, something bad has happened."

While I was thinking, I suddenly heard hurried footsteps at the door.

"Why are you so flustered? How disgraceful!" Li Chenglin glared at the guards at the door and shouted.

"My Lord, this is bad. A large number of people have gathered to cause trouble."

The personal guard said hurriedly.

"What? People are making trouble?" Li Chenglin was stunned.

"Yes, the people are clamoring for food." said the personal soldier with a sad face.

"Food, food, where can I find food? There is not enough military rations!" Li Chenglin shouted angrily.

"How's the raid on grain merchants going? How much grain has been seized?"

Li Chenglin calmed down for a moment and asked in a deep voice.

"Your Excellency, a total of fourteen grain stores were sealed, but only two thousand dan of grain were confiscated." The personal soldier replied.

"Only two thousand dan, how can this amount of food be enough?" Li Chenglin frowned slightly.

"Keep investigating! Anyone who dares to hide food will be killed without mercy."

"Also notify General Zhang and have him lead his troops out immediately to drive out the rioting civilians."

"Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy." Li Chenglin said with a cold gleam in his eyes.

"Yes, my lord."

"But sir... our military rations won't last much longer. What should we do next?"

The guard hesitated and asked with his head lowered.

"There's no food, but there are still people, right?"

Hearing this, Li Chenglin said grimly.

"My subordinate understands."

The guards were stunned for a moment and immediately retreated.

.........

Hulun City.

Ning Quan lay comfortably in the chair.

Enjoying the air conditioning, eating chilled fruits, and having Li Wanyue by my side, it was extremely comfortable.

"Haha, it's really comfortable." Ning Quan laughed.

"Huh, look how beautiful you are?"

"How about letting Chunlan accompany you tonight? Wouldn't that be even more beautiful?"

"This girl has been going crazy these days. She is the only one missing from the maids. She even thinks you look down on her." Li Wanyue said with a smile.

Li Wanyue has four personal maids, Chunlan is one of them.

The other three Dongmeis have served Ning Quan, but Chunlan has not been favored yet.