97: Chapter 97 Deputy General of Yunzhou City, Su Bai

Su Bai immediately stood up, bowed, and said solemnly:

"Thank you for your promotion, General! I, Su Bai, will certainly devote my life to your service until the very end!"

"Alright, enough with the formalities."

General Qin Bei waved his hand, signaling him to sit. The smile on his face vanished, and he said with a grave expression:

"This position of deputy general is not so easy to hold. Next, we have a hard battle to fight, a battle a hundred times more difficult than the previous defense of the city."

He pointed to the sand table on the table and said in a deep voice: "Come and look."

Su Bai leaned forward, his gaze falling upon the sand table.

The sand table was crafted with extreme precision; the mountains, rivers, cities, and strategic passes of Yunzhou City were all clearly visible.

General Qin Bei's finger tapped heavily on the center of the sand table, on the model representing the capital.

"The capital is now in complete chaos."

General Qin Bei said in a suppressed voice: "The Emperor has been captured, and the court is without a leader. Those hypocritical civil officials who usually act so righteous are not thinking about how to rescue the sovereign or stabilize the overall situation. Instead, they are fighting tooth and nail over who will become the 'Regent.' They are simply a bunch of bastards!"

He slammed his fist onto the table, causing the teacup to jump.

General Qin Bei said with considerable anger:

"I estimate that it won't be long before the feudal lords in various regions holding military power begin to make restless moves. By then, before the Yao Race even attacks, our Great Zhou will have already fallen apart from within!"

Su Bai listened quietly, his heart turning cold.

General Qin Bei's analysis coincided with his own previous predictions.

A vast Empire that has lost its supreme ruler is like a giant ship that has lost its helmsman; in the midst of a storm, there is almost no other possibility than sinking.

"Therefore, we cannot count on anyone else now."

General Qin Bei raised his head, looking at Su Bai with burning eyes, and said firmly: "The only ones we can rely on are ourselves. We must turn Yunzhou City into an iron bucket capable of self-sufficiency within the shortest possible time!"

"Advancing, it can serve as a bridgehead for future counterattacks against the Yao Race to recover lost territories. Retreating, it can become a paradise to protect the local people when the world falls into chaos!"

A gleam flashed in General Qin Bei's eyes.

Su Bai's heart was ignited by these words.

He had not expected General Qin Bei's ambition to be so great!

He did not just want to defend Yunzhou City; he had even started making plans for the chaotic times ahead!

This person was definitely not someone who would remain in the pond for long.

Su Bai took a deep breath, allowing his emotions to calm down.

Now was not the time to be hot-headed.

He frowned, pointed to the terrain around Yunzhou City on the sand table, and said in a deep voice: "General, your idea is excellent. But we are currently facing a most fatal problem."

"What problem?" General Qin Bei asked.

"Grain."

Su Bai spat out two words.

"Yunzhou City is located on the border and the land is barren. Although there is grain stored in the city, it is only enough to support the military and civilians for three months. Once the war resumes, or if the world falls into chaos and transportation between regions is cut off, we will quickly fall into the desperate situation of lacking food. By then, there will be no need for the Yao Race to attack; we will have starved to death ourselves."

Upon hearing this, the expression on General Qin Bei's face became grave.

This was indeed the crux of the problem.

Before the army moves, provisions must come first.

Without food, everything is just empty talk.

"You mean..."

"We must store as much grain as possible in Yunzhou City within the shortest possible time!"

Su Bai said in a resolute tone:

"I conclude that although the Yao Race has retreated this time, they will absolutely not give up. Especially that Third Crown Prince, the General E Liji, who suffered such a great loss at my hands; he will definitely come back for revenge.

It's just that his injuries are too severe, and he won't be able to recover in a short time, but he will definitely come for the next siege by the Yao Race! We must make full preparations during this period!"

General Qin Bei nodded, fully agreeing with Su Bai's judgment.

But he immediately raised a difficulty, saying to Su Bai:

"The logic is sound. However, the autumn harvest has passed. The grain in various places has either been handed over to the national treasury or is in the hands of grain merchants. Where are we going to get so much grain? We can't just send troops to rob them, can we? Wouldn't that make us bandits?"

This was the limitation of the era.

Su Bai already had a plan in mind.

Just as he was about to tell General Qin Bei his plan.

A voice suddenly came from outside the study.

"General, This subordinate general Zhang Hai requests an audience!"

The voice was loud and full of Qi, yet it carried an undisguisable arrogance.

General Qin Bei's brows furrowed slightly.

This Zhang Hai was his old subordinate, brave in battle, and a fierce general.

But he was somewhat stubborn and self-opinionated. Moreover, relying on his status as a veteran in the army, he often looked down on newcomers.

"Let him in," General Qin Bei said in a deep voice.

Soon, a burly general with a full beard strode in.

He first bowed to General Qin Bei, then glanced at Su Bai standing to the side with the corner of his eye, a trace of imperceptible contempt flashing in his eyes.

Clearly, he was very unconvinced by this young man, Su Bai, who had risen to prominence after just one battle and had even climbed above him.

"General, This subordinate general heard that you promoted this... Young Master Su to be our deputy general?" Zhang Hai said with a sarcastic tone.

General Qin Bei's expression darkened: "What? Do you have an objection?"

"This subordinate general dare not."

Although Zhang Hai said he dared not, his gaze towards Su Bai was already aggressive, and he said:

"It is just that in the army, heroes have always been judged by military merit. Although Young Master Su rendered great service in the defense of the city, he is young after all. Suddenly holding a high position, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the masses."

This was him saying that he himself was not convinced.

Just as General Qin Bei was about to lose his temper, Su Bai reached out to stop him.

He knew that if he wanted to sit firmly as deputy general, he had to show his true ability and make these arrogant soldiers convinced.

Relying solely on General Qin Bei's appointment was useless.

He looked at Zhang Hai, revealed a gentle smile on his face, bowed to Zhang Hai, and said: "General Zhang is right. Su Bai is indeed young and lacks experience. In the future, I hope to receive your guidance, General Zhang."

This strategic retreat of his left Zhang Hai, who had prepared a stomach full of words, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Su Bai ignored him and turned to General Qin Bei: "General, we were just talking about the grain issue. Since General Zhang is here, why don't I explain my plan, and we can all discuss it together?"

"Alright, tell us."

General Qin Bei nodded, watching Su Bai with great interest.

He wanted to see how this young man would resolve the problem at hand and how he would win over Zhang Hai.

Su Bai walked up to the sand table.