Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 375 Military Rations (Part 1)

It was freezing cold outside, but the military tent was warm and cozy.

Shi Yan fell into a deep sleep, still holding Pei Qinghe's hand in his dreams.

Pei Qinghe didn't move, just sat quietly by the bed watching over Shi Yan. Unconsciously, she also felt sleepy, so she simply got up on the bed fully clothed, lay down on her side, and fell asleep with Shi Yan.

When I woke up, it was already pitch black.

Pei Qinghe sat up and lit the candle. Then she went to brew the medicine. By the time the medicine was ready and brought to the bedside, Shi Yan had also woken up. The flush on his face had subsided slightly.

Pei Qinghe reached out and touched your forehead, then smiled and said, "Your forehead isn't so hot anymore. Drink this bowl of medicine too, and you should feel better by tomorrow. Don't move around, I'll feed you the medicine."

No one can resist the domineering yet gentle General Pei!

Shi Yan happily replied, "Okay, I'll do whatever the general says." Her tone was soft, and her gaze was tender.

Pei Yan, who was delivering dinner to the army tent, got goosebumps from the sight of this mushy scene. She grinned, placed the dinner on the small table, and then left.

Shi Yan chuckled softly, "It's quite rare that Pei Yan now knows to be discreet."

Pei Qinghe smiled knowingly: "She and Yang Huai have been married for a year and are inseparable. Their relationship is very good. Yang Huai often nags in her ear, and she has gradually come to understand."

Or rather, Pei Yan always understood that husband and wife are the closest people in the world. The deep affection between sisters can never replace the love between husband and wife. How could she possibly interfere in someone else's marriage?

It's truly heartbreaking. The naive Pei Yan has grown up so much.

After dinner, Shi Yan fell into a deep sleep again. The next day, Shi Yan, who had sweated profusely, had recovered from her fever, but her legs were still a little weak when she got out of bed.

"Stay in the military camp for a few days until you are fully recovered before returning to An County," Pei Qinghe gently instructed.

Shi Yan replied, "I will go back tomorrow. Shi Li will bring people to buy grain from Sichuan and Chongqing and send it over. It will arrive in two or three days at most."

The world was in chaos, bandits roamed the land, war raged everywhere, and instability reigned. Fewer and fewer people were content to farm, and even landowners with vast tracts of fertile land faced the constant threat of having their grain plundered. In such turbulent times, purchasing large quantities of grain was becoming increasingly difficult.

The territory of Youzhou is peaceful, but the taxes collected from the grain produced so far are barely enough to support a little over 30,000 soldiers. The remaining provisions for nearly 20,000 soldiers will have to be procured and supplied by the Shi family with all their might.

The trade routes the Shi family used to buy grain were no longer sufficient. After summer this year, Shi Li led a hundred servants to the Sichuan and Chongqing region, where they discovered a brand new trade route.

The Bashu region has natural geographical advantages, having escaped the chaos of war, and boasts fertile land and a humid climate, allowing for two rice harvests a year. Shi Li bought a large quantity of rice and, on the way, received a message from his elder brother Shi Yan, who then delivered the rice directly to An County in Jizhou.

Military provisions are of paramount importance, as they are crucial to maintaining morale. With sufficient provisions, the Pei family army has the confidence to maintain its stalemate with the Bohai Navy.

This matter truly requires Shi Yan.

Pei Qinghe could only nod, and then added, "Wear something warm, and stay in the carriage on the way back. Don't come out and get chilled."

Shi Yan smiled and agreed to everything. Three days later, Shi Li arrived in An County with a large amount of military rations.

The two brothers had not seen each other for half a year, and their joy and excitement at their reunion in An County need not be described in detail.

Looking at Shi Li, who had become noticeably thinner and darker, Shi Yan felt a pang of sympathy: "You've been working so hard outside, you've lost so much weight, you must have suffered a lot."

Shi Li grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Traveling around all day, how can it not be tiring? Brother, you follow the general on his campaigns, managing a huge amount of internal affairs every day, isn't that even more tiring?"

"Alright, let's not stand on ceremony between brothers. Go and check on the military rations I bought this time."

Shi Li excitedly led Shi Yan to see the military rations.

The grain sacks were piled up like mountains, lying silently like giant beasts. Opening one sack at random revealed grains of white rice. Shi Li grabbed a handful and presented it to Shi Yan like a treasure: "Big brother, look! This is the rice that's abundant in the Sichuan and Chongqing region!"

The Shi family had run a grain shop for generations, and Shi Yan had grown up there, so he could tell the quality of grain at a glance. Upon seeing it, Shi Yan's eyes lit up: "It really is good rice!"

Shi Li grinned smugly and said, "That's right. I originally thought I'd try to find a new trade route first, and it would be good if I could buy some old rice. But I didn't expect that the climate in Sichuan and Chongqing is warm, and rice can be harvested twice a year, and in some places even three times a year. There's as much grain as you want to buy there. This batch of rice is from a big grain merchant in the area."

"Unfortunately, it was my first time going out, so I didn't dare bring too much silver or manpower. All I could buy and bring back was what I had right now. If I had more silver and more people, I could buy as much rice as I wanted."

Shi Yan's eyes brightened even more as he stared intently at Shi Li: "Second brother, there's something I need to discuss with you."

Shi Li chuckled: "No need for discussion, just give me the silver and manpower, and I'll make another trip to Sichuan and buy a large batch of military rations. That will be just enough to support the Pei family army in their siege of Bohai County. With sufficient military rations, we can fight for a year and a half."

So, who doesn't know who the brothers who grew up together know? Shi Yan gave Shi Li a single look, and Shi Li understood.

Shi Yan felt a surge of warmth in her heart and grasped Shi Li's hand: "Thank you for your hard work."

“Buying grain is indeed hard work. However, supplying the army with rations has always been the top priority for the Shi family.” Shi Li replied solemnly, “Even though you left the Shi family and became the commander of the Pei family army, and are still a general’s son-in-law, you will always be a descendant of the Shi family, and you and I will always be brothers.”

"My elder brother has given the Shi family to me, and I will definitely give him my full support."

He paused, then chuckled softly, "A few years ago, everyone laughed at my brother for being so foolish as to abandon his family and business to follow a woman. But now, the general's reputation is so great that even the Bohai Army is overshadowed. Before long, the general will be the ruler of the North. The Shi family is fighting for the greatest merit in supporting the new emperor. Which of the major merchants in Youzhou doesn't envy our Shi family?"

This is true.

Shi Yan raised his eyebrows and laughed, "Alright, let's not stand on ceremony, we're brothers. You can rest in An County for a few days. I'll send a batch of newly arrived military rations to the camp, and then discuss with the general about allocating funds and sending troops to you."

Shi Yan delivered over a dozen cartloads of new grain to the military camp. Just then, the general sounded the retreat and led his troops back.

After inspecting the military rations, Pei Qinghe praised them highly: "They look like good rice. They haven't even been cooked yet, but they smell so good."

Although northerners are used to eating noodles, they can still be full if they have rice. In those days, being able to feed soldiers was a good deed; who could complain?
Shi Yan asked with a smile, "Shi Li is going to the Sichuan Basin again to buy grain. How much grain does the general want?"

(End of this chapter)