From cute to empress

"Your Majesty, this is terrible! We've fallen into a trap!" Zhen Youcai's voice boomed in my ears, his grip on my hand trembling slightly from the force. I was startled by his sudden action, but quickly calmed down, calmly withdrawing my hand and asking calmly, "General Zhen, why do you say that?"

My gaze swept from the panicked bandit to the anxious Magistrate Wu, finally settling on Zhen Youcai. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, "I don't believe what this bandit said, but Magistrate Wu's reaction is incredibly unusual. I'm worried..."

"What are you worried about?" I asked, with a bad feeling in my heart.

"I'm worried... we've fallen into an enemy trap and our food supplies have been cut off!" Zhen Youcai gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness. Please move to the inner hall. I have an important matter to report!"

I nodded and followed Zhen Youcai into the inner hall. Seeing this, County Magistrate Wu hurriedly followed.

"Tell me, what's going on?" I asked in a deep voice, sitting in the main seat.

Wu Jun Shou fell to his knees with a thud, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I... I am incompetent. The food reserves in the border town... are only enough to last for a few days..."

"What?!" I stood up suddenly and looked at him in disbelief. "How could this happen? Where are the supplies in the rear?"

"Your Majesty, the supplies in the rear... the supplies in the rear..." The governor of Wu County hesitated and could not utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Speak!" I shouted sternly.

"The supply to the rear... was cut off by the enemy!" Wu Junshou finally spoke out, with a hint of despair in his voice.

"What?!" My eyes went dark and I almost fainted.

The enemy is powerful, and we are already at a disadvantage. Now our food and supplies are cut off. What should we do? Are we really just going to sit there and wait for death?

"Your Majesty..." Zhen Youcai looked at me worriedly, hesitant to speak.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. There was no point in panicking now. I had to come up with a solution quickly.

"General Zhen, what do you think?" I asked.

"Your Majesty, the only solution now is..." Zhen Youcai paused, as if weighing his words, "only..."

At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the door, and a loud voice came from far away: "Your Majesty, I have something to say!"

I turned around and saw a burly, bearded middle-aged man striding in, followed by several equally rugged men.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the county magistrate's mansion!" County Magistrate Wu immediately shouted angrily when he saw this.

"I am Zhou Dazhuang, the leader of a nearby stronghold," the man replied calmly. "I have come to see Your Majesty today to help you resolve your problems."

My heart moved. Could it be that... he knew something?

"Oh? Do you have any ideas?" I asked with interest.

"Your Majesty, I have lived here for generations and know this forest like the back of my hand," Zhou Dazhuang said with a bow. "I thought..." Before Zhou Dazhuang could finish his words, he was interrupted. Zhen Youcai stood up suddenly and said in a sharp tone, "Ridiculous! Gathering and hunting, such a primitive and backward method, how can it solve the urgent problem? Your Majesty, you must not listen to such nonsense!"

I raised my hand to signal Zhen Youcai to calm down, then turned to Zhou Dazhuang, motioning him to continue. Zhou Dazhuang spoke calmly, "General, you're absolutely right. Hunting and gathering alone can't meet the needs of a large army. But we, the common people, have lived here for generations and are well aware of the rich resources of these mountains. With a little organization, the wild fruits and vegetables we gather in a short period of time, combined with the prey caught by the hunters, can also alleviate our immediate needs! We have been blessed by the Emperor for generations. Now that we face a formidable enemy, we are willing to do our utmost to serve His Majesty and the Great Zhou!"

After that, the men behind Zhou Dazhuang also knelt down to plead, their rough faces filled with sincerity, their eyes gleaming with determination. I couldn't help but be moved by this. I turned to look at Zhen Youcai, but saw that he was frowning, clearly disagreeing.

"General Zhen, what do you think?" I asked softly, with a hint of inquiry in my eyes.

Zhen Youcai pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I do not intend to question the good intentions of this village chief, but this matter is of great importance and must be handled with caution. Now is the time to use our men. If we delay the opportunity to fight because of hunting and gathering, wouldn't it be more trouble than gain? Besides..." He paused, as if to organize his words, "Besides, forcing the people to provide food and fodder for our army may cause public resentment, which is detrimental to the long-term development of our army!"

Zhen Youcai's concerns are not without reason, and I naturally understand the stakes involved. But now, we're running low on food and fodder. If we don't find another way, we'll starve to death in this desolate wilderness before reinforcements arrive. I pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "General Zhen's words make sense, but our army has nowhere to retreat. Rather than sit and wait for death, we should give it a try! Send out orders to recruit the city's citizens to participate in hunting and gathering. Anyone who turns in game or wild vegetables and fruits can exchange them for food!"

"Your Majesty..." Zhen Youcai was about to persuade me again, but I raised my hand to interrupt him. "No need to say more, this matter is settled!"

"Yes!" Zhen Youcai had no choice but to accept the order and retreat.

I looked at Zhou Dazhuang and said in a deep voice, "I'll leave this matter to you."

Zhou Dazhuang patted his chest and assured: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will do my best!"

Yet, a lingering gloom still hung over my heart. Could relying solely on the people truly solve the food and fodder problem? After Zhou Dazhuang left, I ordered the establishment of several purchasing points throughout the city, specifically for the wild vegetables, fruits, and game gathered by the people. As word spread, the people responded enthusiastically, leaving their homes, grabbing their tools, and heading for the mountains and forests.

Every day, the purchasing points are bustling with activity. Locals bring in the wild vegetables and fruits they painstakingly gather, as well as the game hunters risk their lives to secure, in exchange for food. Looking at their sincere faces, I feel a surge of gratitude, yet also a surge of unease.

Just as Zhen Youcai had predicted, despite the people's best efforts, the harvest remained limited. The resources of the mountains are not inexhaustible. After days of gathering and hunting, the once abundant resources were gradually depleted. Watching the daily decline in the harvest, my heart sank.

To make matters worse, the enemy seemed to sense our predicament and intensified their attacks. The deafening sound of war drums echoed within and outside the city walls almost day and night. The defenders fought bravely, but were unable to withstand the frenzied enemy assault. The walls were a scene of flashing swords, blood and flesh flying everywhere, a scene of horrific horror that was unbearable to watch.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is coming in full force, and our army is short of food and grass. I'm afraid..." Zhen Youcai stood in front of me with a serious expression, seeming to be hesitant to speak.

I naturally understood what he meant. The fall of the city was only a matter of time.

"I understand." I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "General Zhen, pass the order down. Soldiers are not allowed to retreat a single step without orders! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"Yes!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left. Looking at his back, my heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, and I could hardly breathe.

At this moment, a soldier rushed in, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Report... Report to Your Majesty, the Wu County Magistrate... the Wu County Magistrate..."

"What happened to Magistrate Wu?" My heart sank suddenly, and a bad premonition came over me.

"The governor of Wu County...he opened the city and surrendered!"

"What?!" I stood up suddenly, and the teacup in my hand fell to the ground and shattered, splashing tea all over me, but I was completely unaware. "What did you say? Say it again!"

The soldier trembled with fear and kowtowed hurriedly, saying, "Your Majesty, the governor of Wu County... he opened the city gates and let the enemy in, and now... now the city has fallen into enemy hands!"

A bolt from the blue! My mind went blank, and my ears were buzzing. Wu Jun Shou, he actually surrendered! How dare he?!

"Your Majesty..." Zhen Youcai's face was ashen, his fists clenched, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, and he was obviously trying his best to suppress his anger. "The Wu County Magistrate's move has undoubtedly forced us into a dead end!"

Yes, it's a dead end! Wujun is the last barrier to Kyoto. Now that Wujun has fallen, Kyoto is completely exposed to the enemy's iron hoof. We have nowhere to retreat!

"Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to quickly gather food and supplies to support the front lines!" An old minister stepped forward and said in a heavy tone, "Otherwise, within three days, our army will undoubtedly be defeated!"

Three days... just three days! I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Food, food! What we lack most now is food!

"General Zhen," I looked at Zhen Youcai and said in a deep voice, "I'll leave the city's food and fodder matters entirely to you. Make sure the soldiers have enough to eat!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best!" Zhen Youcai clasped his fists and accepted the order.

"No," I shook my head, my eyes firm. "I will personally go to the rear to supervise the transportation of food and fodder. At the same time, I must also find a way to seek other solutions!"

"Your Majesty, absolutely not!" Upon hearing this, the ministers were horrified and fell to their knees. "Your Majesty is worth a fortune, how can you risk your life? Please reconsider!"

"The war is now at its most pressing. As the ruler of a nation, how can I sit idly by?" I glanced at everyone, my tone unwavering. "No need to say anything, my mind is made up!"

After saying that, I turned around and walked out of the hall regardless of the ministers' attempts to stop me.

Outside the palace gate, a fast horse was ready. I jumped on the horse, holding the whip, and headed straight for the city gate.

"drive!"

The sound of horse hooves crushed the gloomy clouds all over the city, and also crushed the last bit of hope in my heart.

After galloping all the way, I finally arrived at the rear food and grass transport camp. However, what greeted me was not the bustling scene I had imagined, but a dead and lifeless atmosphere.

"General Li?" I dismounted and frowned at the young, armored general before me. "Why is it so deserted here? Where's the food?"

General Li knelt on one knee, clasped his fists, and said, "Your Majesty, the food and fodder..."

He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps before he could finish his words. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of soldiers escorting several horse-drawn carriages, slowly approaching. The carriages were filled with sacks, seemingly carrying food, but for some reason, a vague sense of unease welled up in me.

"Stop!" I shouted. "What's in the car?"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers hurriedly stopped, and one of them replied tremblingly, "Reply...Reporting to Your Majesty, it's...it's food and fodder..."

"Open it!" The uneasiness in my heart became stronger and stronger.

The soldier didn't dare to disobey and quickly stepped forward to untie one of the sacks. However, the moment the sack was opened, a pungent musty smell hit me. I took a closer look and saw that the sack contained no food at all, but... moldy chaff!

"This..." I was stunned on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

General Li's face turned pale, his lips trembling as he spoke, "Your Majesty, I... I am incompetent..."

"What the hell is going on?!" I suppressed the anger in my heart and asked sternly.

"Your Majesty, I..." General Li hesitated and couldn't make out what he was saying for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say!" At this time, a burly general stepped out from the crowd. He walked in front of me, knelt on one knee, and clasped his fists. "I believe that the current shortage of food and fodder is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster!"