Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

Yuezhou, Peach Blossom Ridge.

Peach Blossom Ridge is a mountain range about 20 kilometers away from the Liyue tribe in Yuezhou. Hundreds of peach trees grow on the mountain, and the scenery is beautiful when the peach blossoms are in full bloom every year. Moreover, many of the Liyue tribe's venomous insects and secret medicines are related to Peach Blossom Ridge, making it one of the important territories of the Liyue tribe.

Once you cross Peach Blossom Ridge, you've reached the core area of ​​the Liyue tribe; the rest of the journey consists of low hills as far as the eye can see.

As they approached Peach Blossom Ridge, the six thousand soldiers of Li Ze's tribe cheered with excitement, discussing their plans for returning home. Only Li Ze remained sullen. From leading six thousand soldiers out of the tribe to becoming the commander of an army of sixty thousand, to returning empty-handed, the experiences of these short ten days had been more dramatic than most of Li Ze's life.

With home so close, the army's morale soared, their formation began to loosen, and everyone was eager to return.

Just as the troops approached Peach Blossom Ridge, a sudden burst of dense arrows flew out from the ridge. In the next moment, the unsuspecting Li Yue troops were shot down and fell to the ground. In an instant, hundreds of soldiers were killed by the arrows. Those who managed to escape were scattered like headless flies.

"You old scoundrel Li Ze, Chi Hu has been waiting here for a long time. If you know what's good for you, surrender now." Chi Hu walked out of Peach Blossom Ridge, carrying a ten-foot-long wolf-tooth mace. All the Li Yue soldiers he encountered on the way became his victims.

With Chi Hu's roar, a large number of ambushes emerged from Peach Blossom Ridge, immediately scattering the Li Ze tribe into disarray. Tens of thousands of Chi Yuehu's tribe soldiers pursued the Li Yue tribe, making the situation extremely critical.

"Chi Hu, what are you doing here?" Li Ze asked, his expression changing drastically upon seeing the scene before him.

Although the Jiuchi tribe and the Liyue tribe both belonged to the Baiyue barbarian tribes, the Jiuchi tribe acted domineeringly and often annexed and slaughtered weaker Baiyue tribes. They were feared and intimidated among the Baiyue barbarians. Especially after receiving secret help from King Yanchi, they showed their wolfish ambition to unify Baiyue.

However, although the nine tribes of the Nine Chi tribes were very powerful when combined, there were also a few in the Baiyue who could rival them, and the Liyue tribe was one of them.

The Li Yue tribe had previously risen to prominence among the various Baiyue tribes by trading with Yin Tong. In particular, it had a good reputation and was supported by the surrounding tribes. It was often able to rally a large following and became one of the tribes that could rival the Jiu Chi tribe. The Jiu Chi tribe regarded it as a thorn in their side.

This time, the Li Yue tribe launched a large-scale invasion of Kuaiji County. After receiving orders from Nalan Youci, the Jiu Chi tribe dispatched 12,000 men from the Chi Yue Hu tribe, one of the Jiu Chi tribes, led by Chi Hu, to launch a surprise attack on the Li Yue tribe's main camp while the main Li Yue army was away. The purpose was to make an example of them and eliminate any obstacles to the unification of Baiyue.

The Li Yue tribe was the chicken that was killed. As long as the Jiu Chi tribe dealt with the Li Yue tribe, it could intimidate the surrounding tribes and prevent them from resisting the rule of the Jiu Chi tribe. In the end, they would only end up being swallowed up by the Jiu Chi tribe.

"I'm here to take your life, Li Ze. Today is the day your Li Yue tribe will be destroyed." Seeing that his troops had an absolute advantage, Chi Hu no longer concealed his killing intent.

The Li Yue tribe is doomed to be destroyed by Chi Hu. Even if they surrender, they will not be accepted. Only by destroying the Li Yue tribe can we achieve the greatest deterrent effect.

In preparation for this ambush, after annihilating the Lin Yue tribe, Chi Hu hid during the day and moved at night, bypassing the three tribes blocking the way for the Li Yue tribe before secretly infiltrating Peach Blossom Ridge. His aim was to catch the Li Yue tribe off guard and launch a surprise attack.

The next moment, without wasting any words, Li Ze immediately commanded the chaotic soldiers of the Li Yue tribe to gather together and retreat while fighting. The Jiu Chi tribe, like maggots clinging to the bone, clung tightly to the Li Yue army, giving them no chance to escape.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Just as Chi Hu launched a surprise attack on the Li Yue tribe, Shen Qing frowned deeply at the situation in Kuaiji City. Although the threat of barbarian invasion was gone, Kuaiji City was in dire need of reconstruction and was riddled with problems.

For example, the recruited local militia needed military pay, the city residents needed to set up soup kitchens, and there was a shortage of various supplies in the city. Ultimately, the biggest problem was that there was no money and no food.

"Pan Yang, after you have replenished the local militia to five hundred men, take advantage of the time while the barbarians are retreating to train them. At the same time, do not neglect the city's defenses. Also, send people outside the city to gather information about the barbarians and try to find out the situation of the surrounding barbarians."

“Sun Bin, the city is in chaos right now. You lead the constables to maintain order in the city. Arrest anyone who tries to take advantage of the chaos. If there are any martial arts practitioners you can’t handle, release the signal arrows. I will send people to deal with those lawless martial artists.”

"Qingfeng, I'll need to trouble you to use the Xuanyuan family's connections to urgently transport some grain from Jianzhou by waterway. Transport as much as you can. With the news of the barbarian invasion, all the aristocratic families in Yuezhou are hoarding grain, and the market price of grain has tripled. It's unlikely to come down in the short term."

"Senior, I'll trouble you to handle the matter of those martial artists exchanging for martial arts manuals. Oh, and also, as for Dan Eryi from Dongyue Sword Pool, who killed the most barbarians this time, I'll need your personal guidance."

As Shen Qing issued his orders, the entire city of Kuaiji visibly calmed down and returned to its former order.

However, Shen Qing knew his own predicament. As the war subsided, more and more people would return to Kuaiji City, and the shortage of supplies would become even more severe.

The resources currently plundered from Kuaiji City, plus those seized from the barbarians during their hasty retreat outside the city, can only sustain the city for about ten days at most.

Food is the most important thing for the people. If the problem of money and food cannot be solved as soon as possible, the peace in Kuaiji City will only be a flash in the pan, and it will inevitably fall into chaos again.

People are only aware of basic needs like food and clothing before they are aware of honor and disgrace. If you can't even fill your stomach, how can you talk about anything else?