Everyone present had gloomy expressions.

They had just dealt with the relentless harassment from the Great Li soldiers, and now they heard of the crisis with their rear supplies, which left everyone in a foul mood.

After all, supplies have always been the most crucial part of waging war.

Especially since the Great Xia was fighting across a continent, making marching already inconvenient. If the granary of Celestial Wind Province was destroyed, their supplies would have to be transported all the way from the distant Eastern Continent.

The manpower and resources consumed in the process would be unimaginable.

Xia Feng pressed his lips tightly, as these individuals had indeed taught him a lesson.

Half a month ago, he had launched a surprise attack on Taihang City, just warning the generals that he was not to be trifled with.

Seeing the morale of the surrounding cities plummet out of fear that Xia Feng would directly destroy an entire city, there were signs of surrender everywhere.

And yet, they turned around and were caught in such a tough spot.

Suddenly, the morale of the surrounding area stabilized.

Indeed, if the Great Xia's granaries were destroyed, no matter how powerful Xia Feng was, he would just be a spent force.

He couldn't possibly crush every city alone.

If he did, his reputation across the continent would be ruined, not to mention that the Great Xia doesn't have enough manpower to control this area.

He couldn't kill too many natives.

Because of this reason, Xia Feng had a headache; the Celestial Wind Province definitely needed reinforcement, as the soldiers there were already weak.

Especially after the three-pronged onslaught led by Xia Feng, Gu Sha Grand General, and General Chen Hongyu.

Everything lay in ruins, and there were hardly any soldiers to resist the fierce forces of the Beiman Empire.

If they didn't turn back, and the granaries were destroyed, the campaign in the Northern Continent could practically be considered over.

But if they turned back to reinforce...

This was clearly a strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao.

Who knows what agreement Great Li and Beiman reached, enabling these traditionally hostile empires to set aside their differences and join forces against a common enemy.

Gu Sha Grand General hesitated visibly before clenching his teeth and saying, "Emperor's Son, I am willing to lead an army of three hundred thousand to reinforce Celestial Wind."

"You should continue northward with the main force. As long as we capture the Great Li Imperial Capital, we will have a second granary."

"Even if I truly fall to Beiman, the campaign on the Northern Continent will not cease."

"But..."

Xia Feng clicked his tongue, interrupting him: "Enough with those ominous words. I, the Emperor's Son, lead the campaign myself, and only success is allowed, no failure, and there is no 'but' about it."

After he finished, he paused, his expression a bit conflicted, and said decisively, "We set out tomorrow, the entire army will march swiftly to reinforce Celestial Wind!"

After finishing, he slammed the report on the table with such force that it shattered the whole table.

Gu Sha Grand General wanted to say something more, but Xia Feng simply waved him to silence.

After most of the generals had left, Gu Sha Grand General approached with a worried expression.

"Emperor's Son, it's clear that Beiman intends to lure us into reinforcing, and once we leave here, if we try to enter Great Li again, we're likely to face the same disgusting tactics we encountered before."

"At that time, there won't be any Taihang City for the soldiers to rest in."

Gu Sha pointed out these issues that Xia Feng was already aware of, and he was considering even more than Gu Sha could imagine.

Perhaps next time they come, it won't just be Great Li's soldiers they face but troops from both Great Li and Beiman.

Beiman is to the far north of Great Li, with no adjacency to Celestial Wind.

Xia Feng could only step foot on Beiman's land after conquering all of Great Li.

Yet, this distant Beiman appeared in Celestial Wind Province, what does this signify?

Beiman and Great Li have already allied, fearing Xia Feng would overthrow both empires, so they combined forces for common defense.

Even if they originally fought across the continent, with unstable marching habits and resting times, facing just one Great Li had already been frustrating due to their tactics.

If a city were to harbor double the soldiers, Great Xia, even if victorious, would be left embarrassed.

If they were continuously worn down by the revolving troops from different cities without getting a moment's rest, Great Xia's formidable army might be consumed.

This is the true aim of Great Li and Beiman—they want to break Great Xia's undefeated record.

They want to learn from Xia Feng and pull the deity down from the altar.

Xia Feng turned to Gu Sha: "I know all you've said, but granaries are the most crucial element in marching, we can't abandon the granaries of Celestial Wind Province."

Gu Sha's eyes were filled with determination: "Emperor's Son, if you trust me, leave this task to me. Even if I die in Celestial Wind, I won't let Beiman lay a finger on our supplies."

Naturally, Xia Feng trusted Gu Sha, but it was because he trusted Gu Sha to fight to the death that he refused Gu Sha's request.

He patted Gu Sha's shoulder: "No need for life and death talks; I'm thinking of promoting you to an even higher rank in the future."

"First, reinforce, and a few days later, I have a more critical task for you."

Gu Sha looked baffled at first, but seeing Xia Feng's discretion, he left with a mind full of turmoil.

Once everyone had left, Xia Feng's gaze fell on the map, his fingertips lightly touching Taihang City, then sliding to the granaries in Celestial Wind Province.

His eyes then slowly followed to Great Li Imperial Capital.

His fingertip paused on the capital for a moment as if pondering something, and when he withdrew his finger, a finger-sized hole appeared on the map.

The Great Li Empire on this map was precisely swallowed by that hole.

Early the next day, the entire army of the Great Xia Empire set out on a swift march to reinforce.

The cities around, which had been under high tension, immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

Gu Sha still bore an expression of confusion, but the orders had been given, and he had to comply.

As Xia Feng left the Taihang Mountain Range, he took one last look to the north, knowing that just beyond the range lay the Great Li Imperial Capital.

Only a stone's throw away, it was difficult to abandon, but it was an essential step in his ruse.

That night after covering one-sixth of the journey swiftly, another urgent report arrived from Celestial Wind Province.

Clutching the report, Xia Feng gathered with his generals once more in the big tent.

The map still had the same hole as the day before, yet Xia Feng's expression was less anxious.

He cast a glance around at the generals: "I know you might be puzzled, not understanding why I act this way."

"Some might even think it excessive to bring so many troops back to reinforce Celestial Wind Province."

He chuckled lightly: "So, which generals are willing to accompany me on this last leg of the ruse, to proceed together to Great Li Imperial Capital and destroy Great Li in one swoop?"

Gu Sha Grand General's eyes lit up instantly, immediately grasping the purpose of Xia Feng's actions.

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