Mother, I have returned to the throne.

While waiting, Song Yuan seemed neither anxious nor impatient.

Because he knew clearly in his heart that the most important task at the moment was nothing more than two words.

logistics!

The troops he now commands, plus those Tian soldiers, total 250,000 people!

Such a huge number, even if it is just the amount of food eaten by people in one day, it is definitely an astronomical figure when put together!

The supplies left by General Wei are now almost gone.

If this matter is not resolved, the next few months will probably be extremely difficult for everyone!

Only with support from the imperial city can Song Yuan be free of worries and find a way to launch the next offensive against the barbarians.

Song Yuan has already made up his mind. The barbarians are still unwilling to give up their evil intentions. So, this time, he must make them feel pain!

We must seize the grassland and take all the benefits of the other party for ourselves!

In order to achieve his goal, Song Yuan handed over the military camp by the Peacock River to someone else, and he hurried back to Zhenbei Guanzhong with Situ Jing and Ye Xuan.

The next plan will slowly unfold here!

After a few days of rest, Huo Jianchuan, who was previously injured, has now recovered as before.

He personally led a hundred people as Song Yuan's guards to protect Song Yuan's safety.

And behind the hundred people, Wang Chao and Ma Han led a thousand elite cavalry to escort General Wei and the Imperial Guard Han Xin.

Although this was the case in name, Han Xin's treatment was undoubtedly much better compared to the miserable situation of General Wei being tied up in a prison cart.

Everyone just took away his weapons and did not restrict his freedom. In comparison, Han Xin felt a little relieved!

"What are you thinking about? Why do I see that you look like you have something on your mind?"

On the way, Ye Xuan suddenly came up to Song Yuan and asked with some doubts.

In her opinion, Song Yuan is now the lord of the border, holding a large number of troops, and he did not suffer too much loss in the process of seizing military power. Isn't all this exactly what Song Yuan had imagined before?

You've already achieved your goal, so why are you still looking so gloomy?

"no!"

Facing Ye Xuan's concerned gaze, Song Yuan shook his head and smiled: "I'm thinking about something. The Zhenbei Army is really too bloated. We must find a way to streamline it!"

"With only so few men left, if we streamline the army further, will we still need to keep any more people?"

Hearing Song Yuan's words, Jin Lian turned around and said, "I wonder if you're overthinking it. How are you going to accommodate those extra people you think are there? And if the barbarians attack, can we fight them without the support of numbers?"

"okay!"

Ye Xuan waved her hand and then said on Song Yuan's behalf, "If I'm not mistaken, you're probably worried about the food supply, right?"

"But you also said before that the prince would definitely help us solve this matter. Since you have a plan, why do you need to streamline the staff?"

"Quality is more important than quantity!"

Song Yuan shook his head to deny everyone's statement, and then explained: "In my opinion, my brother is not a fool. We are using General Wei's life and death to exchange with him. Even if he is willing to come forward to persuade the emperor, I am afraid it will only be a one-time deal!"

"Think about it carefully. After Wei Wenzhong dies, the Third Brother will probably have nothing to worry about. If that happens, will he still let us become powerful out of thin air?"

"He will definitely find a way to unite with his followers and completely cut off our supply lines. So, food shortages are inevitable sooner or later!"

As the saying goes, raising a tiger will bring disaster, the prince certainly understands this truth!

The only leverage Song Yuan has over the other party is General Wei, but this condition can only be used once. As long as General Wei is dead, Song Yuan will no longer have any leverage over the prince!

How can we allow Song Yuan to take advantage of us then?

If he had really done that, the two brothers probably wouldn't have reached the point where they are facing each other like this!

“It seems to make some sense!”

Song Yuan's analysis made several people around him nod their heads repeatedly.

Indeed, just as Song Yuan expected, relying on the support of the imperial court might not be reliable in the end.

"But we can't just arbitrarily reduce personnel just for food, right? Don't forget, the entire Zhenbei Army previously had over 300,000 troops. Now that so many have died, we're already shorthanded!"

"If you simplify it any further, I'm afraid it won't be enough!"

Situ Jing on the side frowned and reminded him with some worry.

After all, there is more than one city in the entire vast border area, and the place Song Yuan has to defend is not just Zhenbei City Pass!

You know, the garrison troops sent out to Sanbian City alone are probably close to 100,000 people!

Even though half of the troops were lost, they still had to guard Zhenbei Pass and ensure the safety of other cities.

If we streamline it further, how can we do it?

Especially now that spring is about to arrive, those soldiers who were previously in charge of logistics will definitely be arranged to go to the fields when the weather permits!

In this case, the 200,000 troops will probably be reduced to a fraction. Is it really enough to control more than a dozen cities with only 200,000 people?

"Don't worry, I've already planned it all!"

Facing Situ Jing's statement, Song Yuan shook his head and immediately defended himself: "Our current perspective is somewhat one-sided. After all, the Peacock River is still frozen. Just defending the Peacock River alone has probably consumed a lot of manpower!"

"Once spring arrives and the ice on the Peacock River completely melts, the people who were originally on guard against it can naturally be deployed at will!"

"Furthermore, once we truly occupy the three border cities, we will inevitably force the barbarians to retreat continuously. In this way, the standing military force can naturally be further reduced. Why would we need to station troops to defend every city?"

In Song Yuan’s opinion, the most critical thing right now is spring plowing after the beginning of spring!

The key to breaking the deadlock is to find a way to be self-sufficient.

He had already planned to reduce the regular strength of the Zhenbei Army to 130,000 or 140,000 men.

As for those who have more, they are all sent to do spring plowing!

The more you invest in spring, the more you will reap in time!

We can become self-sufficient more quickly and no longer need to rely on the support of the court!

"Push the barbarians back... Are you really planning to capture the Khan's Golden Horde?"

Hearing Song Yuan's analysis, Ye Xuan couldn't help but reveal a somewhat amusing expression.

If it were someone else, being able to defend against the barbarians and avoid further casualties would be a difficult task!

I'm afraid Song Yuan is the only one who dares to think about how to attack!