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

"Lord Li, thank you for your help. Otherwise, I would have almost been tricked by this fellow."

"Alright, General Cao, now that the matter has been resolved, let's get down to business."

"I'm sorry, Lord Li, I don't have time to talk to you about important matters right now. I have more important things to do."

After dealing with Huang Yuan's matter, Cao Meng did not show enough respect for Li Ye's help, and just casually dismissed him.

Just as Cao Meng got up to leave the camp, Li Ye called out to him, "General Cao, where are you planning to go?"

"Naturally, we'll prepare military rations and send them to the Prince."

With the grain supplies burned, Cao Meng was in a very bad mood. He was afraid of disappointing Jiang Chong, so he just wanted to prepare new military supplies and send them over as soon as possible, and prayed that there would be no delay.

Upon hearing this, Li Ye replied, "That is precisely why I came. There is no need to send any more military rations."

"What did you say?" Cao Meng was taken aback. "If we don't transport grain, what will we do about the shortage of supplies at the front? How will we explain this to the Prince?"

Li Ye did not answer the question directly, but instead took out a jade tablet with a photographic record from his pocket: "My words are here."

"Have someone write another letter and send it immediately to the Prince at Qidao, to persuade him to withdraw his troops."

"What did you say!"

Cao Meng's eyes widened immediately.

"Li Ye, right now Your Highness is leading troops to conquer the remnants of the Qiang, and the people and soldiers of Shu should give your full support."

You actually want to persuade the prince to withdraw his troops, and you even want to drag me into this! What are your true intentions?!

Li Ye frowned: "General Cao, haven't you considered why there are so many coincidences in this matter?"

"What's the meaning!"

Cao Meng's forehead veins bulged, and his expression towards Li Ye was filled with murderous intent.

Li Ye calmly analyzed, "Who is Guo Huaizhi? He joined the army at the age of twelve and fought on the battlefield for sixty years, invincible throughout his life."

Did dealing with a group of remnant Qiang tribes require reinforcements from Shu? Even young schoolchildren had heard of the treacherous roads of Shu, let alone this seasoned general.

The forked road is especially difficult to traverse, as difficult as climbing to heaven. The three-hundred-mile mountain path is rugged and winding, and now, with the arrival of summer and frequent torrential rains...

It would be extremely difficult for an army of 200,000 to get out of Qidao in less than two or three months!

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. At the prince's current marching pace, wouldn't waiting until they leave Qidao mean missing the best opportunity for encirclement?"

Cao Meng, however, disagreed: "This general doesn't think as much as you do. I'll just do what the prince tells me to do."

"If the prince demands grain, I will deliver it to him; the prince's orders cannot be disobeyed. Nothing else will be considered."

Li Ye shook his head: "General Cao, as the prince's beloved general, how can you not share the prince's burdens? Transporting grain to Qidao will be a bottomless pit."

With 200,000 troops on the expedition, the grain consumption would be at least 200,000 shi per month. How long could the grain reserves in Dongzhou last?

This is clearly a scheme orchestrated by someone behind the scenes, designed to cause the Shu army to waste their stored grain.

Cao Meng: "The granaries in Dongzhou have ample grain reserves. After feeding the officers and soldiers in the Dongzhou camp, there are at least a million shi (a unit of dry measure) left to send to the front lines."

Li Ye, don't spread rumors and mislead the public here. If you insist on ruining the Prince's important affairs, I will definitely report you to the Prince.

Li Ye sighed; trying to reason with this scoundrel was truly exhausting.

"General, think it over again. The army in Shu is short of supplies. Who benefits the most? It's definitely the Empress."

Every single thing the Empress has done over the years has been aimed at leaving her mark on history; she wants to firmly grasp power in her own hands.

Now that she has pacified the imperial court, the northern regions, and the aristocratic families, will she allow the prince to remain in Shu?

Haven't you heard the saying, "How can one allow another to snore beside one's bed?" This time, the Empress is targeting the Prince.

Why can't you understand?

Cao Meng, upon hearing this, remained unconcerned: "You are overthinking things. With a million soldiers under the Prince's command, how could the Empress dare to make a move?"

Look at the Shu Brocade Decree issued by the imperial court last year, wasn't it just the Empress trying to appease my prince?

Even if the Empress really wanted to harm the Prince, with the natural defenses of the Shu Road, what do we have to fear from her?

"When the court experiences upheaval, Your Highness's army will advance along the Chu-Yi Road, sail down the Han River, and seize Jinling. Then the great undertaking will be accomplished!"

Listening to Cao Meng's confident pronouncements, Li Ye fell silent. He knew that no matter what he said, he couldn't persuade this arrogant fellow.

"Alright, do you have anything else to do? If not, don't bother me anymore. Military affairs are busy, we can discuss it another day. I'm going to prepare the rations now."

Watching the burly figure walk out of the barracks, Li Ye finally sighed.

The warrior beside him asked, "Lord Li, it seems General Cao doesn't trust you."

Li Ye shook his head: "Cao Meng's loyalty to the prince is beyond doubt, but he is too arrogant and looks down on everyone because he has been with the prince the longest."

"Then what should we do now?"

"Let's go back to the Prince's Palace first and then make a decision."

……

Inside the official residence, Shen Lang and Zhen Yi were playing chess.

"Duke Zhenguo, now in the three prefectures and six counties of Shu, seventy percent of the farmland is willing to trade rice with us."

Furthermore, farmers in the Dongzhou region are willing to switch to planting mulberry seedlings after harvesting their grain, and now everything is settled.

“Well done. Let everyone continue to collect. It would be best if those farm owners could also give up their grain. As long as the price is right, just keep collecting.”

"Rest assured, I have already given the order."

After they finished speaking, they continued playing chess.

"The Duke of Zhenguo has quite the refined taste."

The voice of Fa Xiaozhi rang in my ears.

Zhen Yi stood up and immediately bowed to Fa Xiaozhi.

After returning the greeting with a smile, Fa Xiaozhi sat down between the two men and looked at the chessboard, saying, "Gentlemen, would you mind if I acted as your arbitrator?"

Shen Lang: What brings you here?

Fa Xiaozhi: "I've come to inform the Duke of Zhenguo that Li Ye has taken office and has fully taken over the operation of the Prince's Palace yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang glanced at him and immediately placed a piece.

"They've finally arrived, but they're two days later than expected."

"The Duke of Zhenguo should be careful; Li Ye is not an arrogant brute like Cao Meng."

He had already guessed that the Shu army's expedition was a conspiracy, and suspected that it was all orchestrated by you, Duke Zhenguo, behind the scenes.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang laughed: "This Li Ye is quite capable; he guessed it was my doing so quickly."

Unfortunately, he realized it too late. My plan was already complete, and even with his extraordinary wit, he couldn't turn the tide.

Fa Xiaozhi: "It's better to be careful. Li Ye is already investigating the case of burning grain and fodder, and he's also targeting you, Duke Zhenguo."

"It's alright," Shen Lang said calmly. "Just use whatever skills you have, whether it's underhanded or overt, I have nothing to fear."

After all, the reason I, Shen Lang, dared to enter Shu alone was never because of schemes and tricks, but because of my overwhelming strength.

"strength?"

Shen Lang looked at the puzzled Fa Xiaozhi and said, word by word.

"The Central Army behind me is the greatest strength. With ten thousand cannons firing and bullets raining down, who can match us!"

"If His Majesty had not wanted to see the country fall and the people displaced, the Land of Abundance would already be a ruin by now."

"The plan to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields is just one solution I can think of to minimize the chaos; it is not the only solution."

After hearing Shen Lang's words, Fa Xiaozhi's face twitched a few times.

Just as he was about to say something, someone outside came to report: "Duke Zhenguo, Chief Secretary Li has come to request an audience."