Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Inside the Dongzhou camp, General Cao Meng sat at a low table, taking big bites of a roasted lamb leg.

Beside the low table lay a cold, gleaming saw weighing a full eighty-six pounds.

Just as Cao Meng was wolfing down his food with relish, his personal guard rushed in to report:

"Reporting to the General, the Duke of Zhenguo is requesting an audience outside the camp."

"No, His Highness has ordered that no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter the military camp. Let him leave immediately."

Cao Meng didn't even look up, but instead ate a piece of mutton and refused Shen Lang entry into the camp.

The guard looked troubled: "General, the Duke of Zhenguo is, after all, the Emperor of Great Chu. It might not be appropriate to refuse to see him."

Cao Meng paused in his act of gnawing on the lamb leg, and glared fiercely at his personal guard.

Sensing the fierce killing intent emanating from the other side, the guard immediately took two steps back in fright, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Before the prince left, he specifically instructed me to keep a close watch on the Dongzhou camp, especially the granary, which was of paramount importance."

"No suspicious persons are allowed into the camp. The Prince has only been away on campaign for a few days; do you expect me, the general, to break the rules?"

The guard hurriedly knelt down: "General, please calm down. This humble servant will go and send the Duke of Zhenguo away immediately."

"Hmph, whether it's the Duke of Zhenguo or the Duke of Mieguo, I, Cao Meng, only have eyes for the Prince."

Cao Meng picked up the lamb leg again, sprinkled some salt on it, and then took a big bite and began to chew.

No sooner had the guard left than another soldier came to report.

"General, the Prince has sent a secret report."

"Bring it here quickly."

Upon hearing this, Cao Meng's attitude instantly underwent a complete 180-degree change.

He wiped his greasy hands, took the handwritten letter from Jiang Chong, and opened it to read.

"Supplies are running low?"

Upon seeing the above text, Cao Meng frowned.

He remembered that the first batch of 200,000 shi of grain had left the Dongzhou camp in only half a month, so how could it have been exhausted so quickly?

Filled with doubt, he continued reading.

After reading it, I realized that because the Qidao Mountain Road was rugged and difficult to travel, and one side of the road was a steep cliff, the road collapsed completely when the grain transport team was moving forward. They accidentally fell into the cliff with the grain, losing nearly 30,000 shi of grain.

Therefore, Jiang Chong ordered the forced repair of the village road in order to prevent an urgent report from being sent to Cao Meng urging him to quickly transport grain to Qidao.

Cao Meng dared not disobey Jiang Chong's orders in the slightest.

He decisively ordered: "Men, come with me to the granary and allocate another 100,000 shi of military rations. We will set off before dawn tomorrow and deliver them to the Prince."

After saying this, he didn't even bother with the wine and meat on the table and hurriedly went to the granary.

This busy period lasted until late at night.

Cao Meng finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the truckloads of grain fully loaded again.

"Inform the baggage handlers that food should be prepared at midnight tomorrow, and transport should begin at dawn without any delay. They must hurry; the prince is of noble birth and cannot be allowed to go hungry."

"I'm a bit tired, I'll go back and rest for a while. Make sure the grain is well-guarded, and remember to inform me if there's any disturbance."

After saying this, Cao Meng ordered his men to remove their heavy armor, rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards his tent.

Little did they know, Jingwei Si, who was secretly observing, had witnessed the entire scene.

……

Inside the official residence, Shen Lang was discussing the next steps with Fa Xiaozhi and Zhen Yi.

"Duke Zhenguo, Li Ye is already on his way to the capital and should arrive in three days at the latest."

This person is equally loyal to Jiang Chong; it's unlikely that he can be bribed.

Fa Xiaozhi poured Shen Lang a cup of tea and began to analyze the current situation for him.

"When Yang Song was initially persuaded to propose the policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields to Jiang Chong, Li Ye was the first to voice his opposition."

I have repeatedly advised Jiang Chong not to implement this decree, otherwise disaster will surely befall the Shu region.

Fortunately, Jiang Chong was blinded by ambition and only wanted to exchange the Shu silk for wealth that could help him seize the throne, so he did not heed his suggestion.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang immediately became interested: "This Li Ye does seem to have some ability. How good is his ability to govern a region?"

Fa Xiaozhi: "Under his rule, the 300,000 people of Yong'an County lived in peace and prosperity, and their taxes were paid to the government treasury on time."

During his twenty years in office, wherever Li Ye served, the weather was favorable, the country was prosperous, and the people lived in peace.

Shen Lang nodded: "The imperial court does need such talent. Since you have the qualifications, why not join the central government instead of serving as a mere prefect under a vassal king?"

Fa Xiaozhi: "Duke Zhenguo, you may not know this, but the Li family participated in the struggle for the throne among the seven princes and supported Jiang Chong. After Jiang Chong failed in his attempt to seize the throne, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Shu."

His father and two cousins ​​were also implicated in the power struggle and demoted to commoners, so Li Ye harbored resentment towards the court, which is why he was willing to assist Jiang Chong in governing the Shu region.

Shen Lang: "I see. Do you think Li Ye can be won over?"

Upon hearing this, Fa Xiaozhi couldn't help but smile: "That depends on the Duke of Zhenguo's ability; in any case, I cannot do it."

“There’s nothing that can’t be done.” Shen Lang raised his teacup and took a sip. “The key is whether the offer can sway the other party. Make arrangements for me to meet Li Ye. It would be best if we could cooperate.”

Fa Xiaozhi: "Then I'll make arrangements when I get back. By the way, I heard that Cao Meng refused to let the Duke of Zhenguo into the camp today?"

"Ah."

Shen Lang chuckled, leaned back in his chair, and casually picked up a string of Buddhist prayer beads, which he then played with on his wrist.

"A brave but reckless fellow. Is Jiang Chong really out of people? He actually sent such a brute to guard the camp."

"Duke Zhenguo, you must not underestimate Cao Meng. He comes from humble beginnings in the martial world, possesses superhuman strength, and has reached the mid-stage of the Innate Realm."

In his hand wielded a cold, sharp saw, forged from spirit ore, weighing eighty-six jin. A single sweep could summon a fierce gust of wind, preventing even ten thousand men from getting close.

“A person with martial prowess but no brains can be a fierce general charging into battle, but he is absolutely not suitable to guard an important military camp. Letting him guard the camp was Jiang Chong’s biggest mistake.”

Why does the Duke of Zhenguo say that?

"Today I had hoped to befriend him and see if I could win him over, but he was driven away without even being seen, without any leniency."

It's true that military camps are restricted areas and unauthorized personnel should not enter, but since they knew my identity and still dared to openly drive me away, it's tantamount to sending a signal.

"I, Shen Lang, am Cao Meng's enemy; he has no desire to have anything to do with me."

Fa Xiaozhi nodded upon hearing this.

Shen Lang continued, "Furthermore, I only spent twenty taels of silver to learn about Cao Meng's various preferences from people in the army."

Judging from the tone of those soldiers' voices, I could tell that Cao Meng, relying on Jiang Chong's trust, did not get along well with his colleagues in the army, which was a major taboo in the military.

Furthermore, the Jingwei Division reported that upon learning of the urgent need for provisions at the front lines, they immediately mobilized a large-scale operation to prepare new supplies.

They act as if they're afraid others won't know there's a problem with the supplies at the front. Don't they know the power of gossip?

The loss of 30,000 shi of grain, after being spread by rumors, might eventually become a completely unpredictable story.

Should I call him loyal and naive, or utterly foolish? Either way, leaving Cao Meng to guard the camp was the biggest mistake of all.

After listening to Shen Lang's analysis, Fa Xiaozhi nodded and said, "I admire the Duke of Zhenguo's insightful abilities to the fullest extent."

Shen Lang smiled slightly: "Isn't Jiang Chong short of food? Then let him continue to go hungry, consider it a way to lose weight."

As he spoke, Shen Lang gently placed the lid of the teacup on top of the teacup, producing a crisp and pleasant sound.