Chapter 77

In the reception hall of the imperial palace, Elder Tong Wanshan of the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect smiled and leisurely sipped water, his right hand tapping the table lightly.

Beside him, a young man appeared somewhat nervous and asked in a low voice, "Elder, will they agree to our demands?"

"Hehe! How can they not agree... A once-in-a-century severe winter, a month of heavy snow, most of the Qiankun Empire's regions will be affected by next year's spring plowing! Our food is exactly what they need the most!" Tong Wanshan said with great confidence.

"That's good!" The young man relaxed a bit and sighed, "I never thought they would actually come up with catgut and those drums that can boost the morale of soldiers, making the Dongxuan Kingdom feel the pressure! Otherwise, we wouldn't need to make this trip; next year they would use a large amount of supplies to exchange for food!"

Tong Wanshan smiled and said, "It's even better that they did. The value of catgut and the drums is much higher than other supplies! Our army's transportation, weapons, and supplies are already better than theirs. With these two items, the Qiankun Empire will have no advantages left... More importantly, it can also pose a certain threat to the Beastman Alliance!"

The young man nodded and said, "Elder, but the Pingjun City might not hold up much longer!"

"Pingjun City is the frontline of the Dongxuan Kingdom, with abundant resources. If they defend it to the death, the Seventh Legion won't be able to take it in a short time..."

As he spoke, Tong Wanshan turned his head to look outside the hall and smiled, "The heavens are helping us. Unless they throw people in to fill the gap and sacrifice the entire Seventh Legion, without food and fuel, cold and hungry, they won't be able to take Pingjun City at all!"

The young man frowned and said, "But this is a rare opportunity for the Qiankun Empire. What if they really throw people in to fill the gap?"

"Hehe!" Tong Wanshan was not worried at all and said, "This is the second purpose of our negotiations! To make them withdraw their troops..."

While the two from the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect were discussing in low voices, the minister responsible for negotiations was reporting to the Qiankun Emperor.

"Your Majesty! The people from the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect are demanding the method to make catgut and a drum! And... they want the Seventh Legion to withdraw!"

After listening, the Qiankun Emperor's face darkened. He did not comment but turned to the marshal beside him and asked, "Marshal, what do you think?"

"They are delusional! Catgut and the military drum are the advantages of our empire's army. If they find out, combined with their already abundant resources, we will be left with only being oppressed!"

The marshal's white beard and hair fluttered, his eyes wide with anger.

An old man with a thin figure and a stern face beside him interjected, "But if we don't get this food, the empire will face a severe food shortage next year, and your army will also be affected!"

"The capital region and the Qi Yue territory are grain-producing areas, and they are not much affected by the severe cold and snow. Can't they save the other places?" The marshal frowned.

"Most of the empire is suffering. Even if the capital region and the Qi Yue territory have a bountiful harvest, it won't be enough to cover the needs, and increasing taxes won't work either!"

At this moment, the Qiankun Emperor waved his hand to stop the two and asked, "Marshal, it has been more than twenty days. How is the progress of the Seventh Legion, and how long will it take to capture Pingjun City?"

The marshal said in a deep voice, "We didn't expect Pingjun City to have so many resources and defensive equipment, so the progress is not smooth... However, Wu Tianfeng wrote that Pingjun City is at its limit. As long as there is enough food and the soldiers' stamina is not a problem, we can definitely take it!"

The Qiankun Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, "Where is the food, and how long will it take to arrive?"

"The heavy snow has blocked the roads! The grain carts are moving very slowly. They have just reached the Hongyuan City area, and it will take at least twenty days to arrive..." The marshal shook his head helplessly.

"So long..." The emperor frowned and thought for a moment, then said to the minister responsible for negotiations, "Go and stall the people from the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect as much as possible, drag it out as long as you can!"

"Yes!" After the minister left, the emperor said to the marshal with a stern face, "Inform Wu Tianfeng to intensify the attack and capture Pingjun City at all costs!"

The marshal's heart trembled, and he nodded, sighing inwardly. This order from the emperor meant no regard for casualties! It could be foreseen that many soldiers of the Seventh Legion would die under Pingjun City...

Not long after, Tong Wanshan walked out of the imperial reception hall, turned his head to look at the palace behind him, and laughed, "Dragging time, huh! I have prepared a big gift for you. The rescue message from Hongyuan City should be coming soon. Let's see how you can drag it out..."

At the same time, outside Pingjun City of the Dongxuan Kingdom, bloodstains were everywhere, and the sky and earth seemed to be wounded, exuding a tragic atmosphere.

In the tent outside the city, Wu Tianfeng's eyes were bloodshot, filled with frustration. After more than twenty days of bloody battles, countless soldiers were casualties, and the city of Pingjun was on the verge of collapse, but this damned weather had blocked the path of the food supply.

"Bang!" Unable to control his anger, Wu Tianfeng smashed the table beside him. A great victory in the empire's history was slipping away, and he couldn't bear it.

"Someone!" Wu Tianfeng shouted.

"Commander!" A bodyguard ran in quickly.

"How much food is left?" Wu Tianfeng asked in a deep voice.

"The soldiers are eating two meals a day, and we can last for ten more days..." The bodyguard hesitated for a moment and then added, "But the temperature has dropped again, and the soldiers are all cold!"

"Ah!" After venting his anger, Wu Tianfeng calmed down and sighed. How could the soldiers not be cold when they were hungry? Cold and hungry, how could they fight, and the drums couldn't even boost their morale.

"The last ten days, if it doesn't work, we must withdraw the troops! We can't let all the soldiers die here..." Wu Tianfeng sighed helplessly. Although this achievement was great, he couldn't sacrifice the lives of the soldiers.

But soon after, the marshal's letter was handed to him, with only four words on the white silk: "Capture it at all costs!"

...

Inside the Zijing Mercenary Group in Hongyuan City, the young master of the Wang family found Mo Hongxian and explained his intentions with a smile.

"Miss Mo, the two restaurants and the bun shop are probably having a hard time! Especially the bun shop, which needs a lot of flour. Given the current situation in Hongyuan City, it's difficult to operate normally... I can sell you the food at a fair price. You should know what I want, right!"

The young master of the Wang family smiled smugly, as if Mo Hongxian would definitely cooperate, which made her want to kick him in the face.

However, Mo Hongxian was helpless because what this scoundrel said was true. Although there were similar rumors earlier, under the control of the Dingbei Marquis, the food prices remained stable, so they didn't stockpile food. Who would have thought that the news would suddenly break out, and the food would be quickly snatched up... Now the bun shop could only last for three to five days.

"Boss, Brother Jiang's urgent letter!" Just as Mo Hongxian was feeling depressed, her second brother rushed in and handed her a piece of white silk.

"Oh!" Mo Hongxian took it and read it. At first, she frowned, but then her eyes brightened, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned up.

After a moment, Mo Hongxian put away the white silk, looked at the young master of the Wang family, and said calmly, "Sorry, we can't cooperate. We won't sell the secret recipe..."

"Uh!" The young master of the Wang family was stunned, not believing his ears. The bun shop was about to close, and Mo Hongxian refused to cooperate! Was she planning to buy expensive food, which would surely bankrupt her...

Shocked, the young master of the Wang family asked hesitantly, "Not selling! Why?"

"Hehe!" Mo Hongxian laughed and said, "I didn't explain clearly. The secret recipe is not for sale, but we sell it to everyone except you! Please leave!"

"Little brat! Making me feel so good!" Mo Hongxian turned and walked out, a smile on her face, feeling as if she was basking in the warm winter sun, extremely comfortable.

The young master of the Wang family was utterly defeated, his mind in a daze. He stumbled out of the Zijing Mercenary Group, unable to even tell which direction he was going. After a while, he finally reacted and cursed, "Mo Hongxian, I @#￥%……"

Compared to the various problems throughout the empire, Green Mountain Village was peaceful. Although the food was being consumed quickly, it was still enough to last for a while, so there was no need to worry. Jiang Xingchen was now considering the situation in Hongyuan City.

He had long known that the methods for making buns and beggar's chicken would be bought, but he didn't expect it to happen at this time. The idea he gave to Mo Hongxian was to give the secret recipe to the nobles in the city, with the condition that they release their food and sell it at a fair price.

The common people bought food to survive, while the nobles hoarded food to make a profit. Selling the secret recipe to other territories would definitely bring in a huge profit, much faster than hoarding food and waiting for prices to rise. Therefore, Jiang Xingchen believed that the nobles would choose the right course of action.

"Ah, it's a bit of a loss!" Jiang Xingchen shook his head and sighed. If it weren't for the heavy snow blocking the roads and making it difficult to transport food, he wouldn't have given away the secret recipe and would have had Mo Hongxian sell it in the capital directly!

"No! After helping so much, I must ask the marquis to find a way to help me expand my territory!"

Smiling to himself, Jiang Xingchen thought about the two restaurants. Although he had given them the secret recipe for soup-filled buns, it was still not enough for the large restaurants! The bun shop, on the other hand, didn't need to worry, as congee and pickled mustard roots were sufficient.

After careful consideration, Jiang Xingchen's mind suddenly lit up. He quickly got up and rushed to Grandma Yun's house, calling out Shi Wazi.

"Your Excellency! It's so cold today, why are we coming to the hill? It's very windy here!" Shi Wazi asked curiously.

Jiang Xingchen tightened his coat and looked at the misty mountains, asking, "Are there any lakes in the mountains?"