Chapter 303: 303 life-saving amulet Chapter 303: 303 life-saving amulet Unfortunately, he, the lord of the Sikong Residence, had generations that served as guards for Dongyue at the frontier, where many old princes had died in battle; but in the end, he faced only suspicion.
As the saying goes, the army does not move without provisions first.
Now, the enemy’s provisions were nearly there, yet his own side had not even seen a shadow of them. How could they possibly start fighting?
It was impossible to let people fight on an empty stomach, was it not?
“Master, now that Nanchang’s provisions are nearly here, even if the capital city could allocate provisions right now, it would take over a month to transport them here. We’re already too late,” Si Rong said with an embarrassed expression flitting across his face, before finally voicing out the shameful rest, “Our only option now is to collect provisions locally.”
“This is absolutely unfeasible,” Si Nan said. “The several towns nearby belong to Fengyang City, which is under our prince’s domain. Even though Fengyang City is prosperous, many surrounding towns have low yields due to soil issues. The people already struggle to pay their taxes on time. If we now forcefully collect provisions, I’m afraid the nearby people will have no means to survive, and our prince will also be hated by the people. Perhaps that is exactly what the person above has in mind.”
Indeed, waging war is a major affair; if defeated, losing territory and paying compensation are minor matters.
Had it not been for the strategy to make their prince resented by the people, why would the old emperor target the provisions?
Was he convinced that their prince would not give the enemy a chance to attack Dongyue?
They seemed not to consider whose Dongyue it was and for whom their prince was risking his life!
It has to be said, the old emperor’s wariness of their prince was understandable. After all, the Sikong Residence had guarded the frontier for many years with great authority in hand. Moreover, their prince had openly resisted the old emperor’s decree for him to marry a princess from the Royal Family, making suspicion inevitable.
Yet, tampering with provisions during war time was downright despicable.
It left no doubt that they were deliberately aiming for their prince’s life!
Si Rong and others each had their own opinions, but Sikong Mo was silent the whole time.
Once everyone had finally calmed down, Sikong Mo spoke, “I heard that Nanchang’s old emperor has become severely ill and doesn’t have much longer to live?”
“This war is led by Nanchang’s fourth prince. The old emperor of Nanchang has been obsessed with the quest for eternal life and has delayed naming an heir. His health has worsened over the past few years and has now become critically severe. The fourth prince, ambitious and fearless due to his youth, is seeking military achievements to vie for the throne,” Si Bei replied.
“Given that he’s critically ill, staying in this world means merely enduring needless suffering. Since the fourth prince desires the throne and managed to seize this opportunity to lead in battle, military power must already be in his hands. Why not, then, let’s help him a bit,” Sikong Mo said coldly.
While Si Bei was still confused, Si Rong had already revealed a cunning smile. “Prince, your plan is brilliant. Once Nanchang’s old emperor dies, Nanchang will surely be in great chaos. Currently, as Nanchang has not named a Crown Prince, the fourth prince who holds the military power will definitely summon the troops back to Capital City to contest for the throne. Moreover, the fourth prince controls only half of the military power; the other half lies in the hands of the eldest prince’s uncle. Coupled with the ambitions of the other princes, once internal strife breaks out, it will be a perfect opportunity for us to take advantage of their vulnerability.”
Si Nan, however, had a different perspective. “Without provisions, taking advantage of their vulnerability would only trap us. Moreover, Nanchang is our life-saving amulet; if suddenly everything gets settled, our prince’s significance in the Emperor’s eyes might become even less.”
Hadn’t such events occurred often over these years?