Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 167: The war cannot be won, let’s all stop

From Qihuai to Lanquan, Qi Xiao's boat did not stop for a moment. Although Qi Xiao wanted to take Tang Ling to visit Chuanyang and have some cabbage stewed with meat, they were pressed for time and could not waste even two hours.

It was noon when their ship arrived at the Blue Spring Pier, just over an hour before sunset. They should have stayed overnight in Blue Spring and set off the next day.

Qi Xiao and Tang Ling stood at the bow of the boat. When they saw the dock from afar, they looked at each other calmly. Neither of them needed to say anything. They just held each other's hands silently. They were going to continue on their journey without stopping.

Qi Xiao has Chi Yue by his side, and he has never seen any of the other people from the Tiance Camp, but the Xuanji Camp actually obeys Chi Yue's orders. After the upload, the carrier pigeons have never stopped sending messages.

After the last meeting, Chi Yue sent a letter, asking Xuanjiying to send people to investigate the abandoned plank roads and checkpoints in Fenglin Mountain, and contact Lu Xiulin to prepare to transport grain into the mountain.

The news sent back by Xuanjiying on these two matters was not satisfactory. Not just "unsatisfactory", but also very difficult.

The plank roads in Fenglin Mountain were all ruined, some due to years of neglect, but most due to vandalism, where the ropes had been cut. It was undoubtedly the Qi State's officials who vandalized them when they entered the mountain.

Qi Xiao and Bai Xiqiao spent an entire night researching and finally selected three new routes for transporting grain, though these would require rebuilding fortifications. Qi Xiao and Bai Xiqiao clearly marked the map, routes, and methods, and Chi Yue then sent them back to Yuanzhou overnight.

Trapped on the boat, they were limited in what they could do. They relied on their memories of years spent wandering around Fenglin Mountain to determine the construction of the fortifications. Honestly, Qi Xiao wasn't sure, and Baixiqiao was even more uncertain. They weren't sure if the slope could be piled, if the slings could bear the weight, or if the wood in the forest could be cut and used directly. They could only leave it to the overseer, and they didn't know if he was reliable.

The blockage of food supply is already a cause of great concern, and the food problem is even more serious.

As soon as Lu Xiulin arrived at Yuanzhou Prefecture, he went straight to the Dingyuan military camp. After meeting the commander-in-chief Chen Heng, he learned that the Ministry of Revenue was still withholding the payment of the Dingyuan army's military pay. The Dingyuan army was short of rations and kept urging the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to pay the wages, otherwise they might not be able to survive the winter.

After Lu Xiulin inquired, he found out that the military pay had been in arrears for a long time, year after year, with half paid and the other half delayed. This year, a major case occurred in the Ministry of Revenue, and the treasury of the Ministry of Revenue needed to be re-inventoried. It has not been unsealed yet, and the memorials sent back to Yuanjing have been piled up. It is said that no one can touch the money of the Ministry of Revenue until the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple close the case.

In previous years, military pay was insufficient, so Chen Heng could only merge the three camps in Fenglin Mountain into two and wait for pay to arrive during the winter.

A month ago, Han Cheng, the new prefect of Yuanzhou Prefecture, took office with the emperor's order to reclaim land. However, after a month, not many people were recruited. The reason was simple: Yuanzhou Prefecture was poor, and the Dingyuan Army was even poorer. In the neighboring Fuzhou Prefecture, one could get enough food by begging. Who would be willing to reclaim the barren mountains when winter was approaching?

There is no money, no food, and no food road. At this time, Qi Xiao should send a memorial back to Yuanjing to tell His Majesty that the war cannot be fought and it is time to give up.

But they still had a month, so it wasn't completely impossible. At least His Majesty thought it was feasible.

The military farming order wasn't issued for the spring invasion of Qi. Your Majesty has long harbored the intention to attack Qi, and if not next spring, it will be in the near future. By then, the plank roads still need to be repaired, and the Dingyuan Army still needs to be expanded. Since it's going to happen sooner or later, let Qi Xiao do it.

Chi Yue's secret letter to His Majesty was much faster than the express delivery of 800 miles. It did not need to go through the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet, and was presented directly to His Majesty. The Ministry of Revenue's case had been closed, and the military pay would be approved soon.

Therefore, everything had to proceed according to the original plan. How to accomplish these things in one month depended on whether Qi Xiao had the ability. If he couldn't do these things, what could he accomplish in Qi territory?

***

Qi Xiao and his party changed horses from boat to boat in Lanquan. A small group of people were left to escort the baggage, while the others rode at full speed to Fuzhou. Even Tang Ling and Qing Lan changed horses and followed.

Tang Ling had been with Xun Anhou for ten years, and had been marching and fighting for more than just one or two days. Qinglan had also been with him all year round, so riding a horse was not difficult for her, and she could even keep up with Qi Xiao. By the time they arrived at the next inn, it was already late at night.

Except for stopping at Baixi Bridge to change horses, he continued on his way. According to the plan, he had to go back to Fuzhou to ask Yue Zhilin for help. Now it seems that he not only needs to prepare medicinal materials, but also borrow grain from Fuzhou Prefecture.

After the group rested, Qi Xiao finally felt at ease and had an appetite. However, it was late, and the inn in the small town could not compare to the post station in Lanquan. The kitchen had been cleaned up, so Qi Xiao could only light a fire and bake two buns.

Qi Xiao's personal guards showed no interest in Qi Xiao baking his own buns. They kept their night duty and went to sleep without a second glance. Qing Lan, on the other hand, was quite surprised to see such a "down-and-out" prince. But he was relieved the next moment. From the first time he met Qi Xiao, he had never acted like a prince or a prince. Everything he did was full of the spirit of the underworld. What was wrong with baking a bun?

"You should go to bed first. You don't have to stay with me. We have to travel tomorrow."

Tang Ling sat next to Qi Xiao and watched him bake the buns: "You want to eat alone?"

"I dare not, I'm afraid this thing won't be acceptable to Master Tang. It's too rough."

Tang Ling laughed. "Then go into the woods and bring back some musk deer. If you don't have musk deer, rabbit will do. The roasted rabbit we had last time was really satisfying."

During the hunt at Baiyan Mountain, Qi Xiao roasted rabbit meat and sprinkled it with a generous amount of chili powder. It choked Tang Ling to tears, but she couldn't help but eat it. After she finished eating, the wound on her arm festered, causing Qi Xiao to feel distressed for many days...

Qi Xiao baked a steamed bun and carefully took a small piece and brought it to Tang Ling's mouth: "Be careful of the heat. There is no rabbit meat, so use the steamed bun to fill it up first, and I will give you more later."

Tang Ling opened her mouth and bit down, and her soft lips lightly touched Qi Xiao's fingers. The warmth and moisture seemed to stick to Qi Xiao's fingers, making him involuntarily stretch out to pry Tang Ling's lips and teeth, wanting him to kiss, suck and lick them.

Qi Xiao had thought about it when he was in Baiyan Mountain. He didn't dare to do it then, but now he can't control himself.

The night is quiet, the moon and stars are sparse.

The faint moonlight spread everywhere, but it could not withstand the heat of the fire and had to retreat a little, so the light in Tang Ling's eyes became hot.

Tang Ling licked it and found the toasted bun slightly sweet. Qi Xiao's fingers had the bitter taste of charcoal ash, rough and coarse. He had just said that it was not suitable for Tang Ling's taste, but he didn't know who had insisted on putting it in his mouth.

Qi Xiao looked at Tang Ling and swallowed. He was hungry, but he didn't want to eat the steamed buns. He pulled his hand away, put the steamed buns, both baked and unbaked, in the bowl and tossed them aside. He then grabbed Tang Ling and left.

"Hey? Hey! Sir?"

Qi Xiao quickly brought Tang Ling into the room. The two passed by Qinglan without saying a word. Qinglan was locked outside the door before she could figure out what was happening.

Qi Xiao pushed the person onto the bed and couldn't help but feel anxious.

"Slow down, slow down..." Tang Ling hugged Qi Xiao and laughed secretly, she was really full of vigor and vitality.

"Tang Ling..."

"Ok?"

"From now on, don't let others see you eating..."

“…How can this be possible?”