My lord, spare his life!

The commander of the scout battalion in the army looked ashamed.

"This humble general is incompetent... and has yet to find anything."

Not only did they fail to uncover the most crucial intelligence, but the elusive enemy also caused the loss of several scout squads. No matter how vigilant they were, their presence always slipped through their fingers. He even suspected the enemy army had highly skilled reconnaissance beasts assisting them, specifically monitoring the tracks of high-flying birds, but to no avail. Left with no other option, he began to suspect an inside agent.

However, even if you send a message, it won't be that timely.

The scout commander wanted to redeem himself by finding the enemy's supply depot and delivering it to his lord, which would surely earn him great merit!

Warfare is all about logistics. Once the frontline soldiers run out of food, let alone Zhang's small force, even ten times more elite troops would only lead to a mutiny. The ideal was grand, but reality was harsh; the entire scout battalion was mobilized, yet not a single clue was found.

What does it look like?

It's as if Zhang the thief only brought his mouth to war; all his food and drink either came from the wind and dew or were created out of thin air.

He's been digging up the ground for clues these past two days.

Sun Ban was displeased.

She almost cursed him with "truly incompetent," but changed her mind at the last minute, helping him up as usual: "This matter cannot be rushed. If such secrets could be obtained so easily, how could that mother and daughter, Zhang and Lü, who colluded to seize control of the Imperial Clan Court and other places?"

They must be very capable.

Sun Ban added, "And today it's cold, so we need warm clothes and dry grass, which aren't things that can be easily covered up."

The bigger the target, the easier it is to expose clues.

Zhang's men couldn't possibly sleep on the muddy ground in the freezing cold. While officers might have thick blankets and braziers, ordinary soldiers and laborers didn't have such privileges. Even a straw mat to keep out the cold was considered a good deal. Could Zhang really be going to skimp on these things?

As long as Zhang Ze doesn't understand, she will need to transport the goods from elsewhere.

If there is a transport route, the location of the grain and fodder can be found.

Sun Ban glanced at the sky and sighed softly, then raised his hand and gently patted the shoulder of the scout battalion commander: "The weather has been good lately, we must not miss this opportunity."

Xiao Sui gently waved her sword fan.

"It will rain tomorrow and the day after, and the weather will get even colder."

Zhang Yang remained silent, only looking at the knife-fan in Xiao Sui's hand.

At first, she thought that fans in this world were only of this split-in-half style. Later, she learned that there were also feather fans, folding fans, round fans... But Xiao Sui loved knife fans. She didn't just have one knife fan; she matched different knife fans with her daily outfits. Each knife fan had a different pattern painted on its surface, and the patterns were often gorgeous and intricate, with twenty or thirty colors.

As an NPC, she can understand the appearance of having flashy accessories, but as the lord, she hopes that Xiao Sui will respect the seasons.

Xiao Sui seemed not to notice Zhang Yang's gaze.

A delicate hand gently sways, a sight to behold.

She is so beautiful that she deserves to be adorned with green leaves.

Zhang Yang shifted his gaze, trying to focus his attention on Xiao Sui's face: "Have the soldiers' winter clothing been distributed?"

Xiao Sui laughed and said, "They've all been distributed."

She couldn't help but smile.

The most meticulous aspect of warfare is logistics. Not only must the safety of provisions and supplies be ensured, preventing enemy sabotage, but proper storage is also crucial. Even the slightest oversight in storage, coupled with sudden weather changes and rain, can easily cause the provisions to mold and rot. These are foodstuffs that soldiers will ingest; how can they fight if they suffer food poisoning? Without proper warmth, soldiers can easily catch a chill or even freeze to death.

Now we don't have to worry too much.

The lord alone can carry a large amount of food and supplies, enough to feed the current size of the army for one or two months, without the need for special replenishment. When food is scarce, it can be sent over. No matter how many intelligence channels the enemy has, they cannot accurately target their logistics.

Not only is logistical security secure, but supplies are also plentiful.

Xiao Sui still doesn't know how wealthy her master's family is.

Not to mention officers, even ordinary soldiers and laborers were given a decent, warm, and thick quilt, not just a straw mat made of dried grass. Not only their bedding, but even their clothing was filled with down, with coarse paper lining the inside and several layers sewn together to prevent the down from leaking out. The disadvantage of this kind of winter clothing was obvious: it couldn't get too wet, but its advantage was also very prominent: it kept them very warm.

Some soldiers even felt it was too warm.

There's no need to wear such thick clothes at this temperature.

However, Xiao Sui didn't think so.

With the fall of numerous Star Lords, the weather in various regions has become extreme. Although it won't turn from summer to winter overnight like in Tianyue County, it won't give ordinary people much time to prepare. Xiao Sui carefully observed the recent temperatures and exchanged opinions with Han Wo, who had lived in the mountains for a long time. The two of them tended to think that the temperature would change drastically in the next few days.

It's always better to prepare early than to be caught off guard.

"The soldiers were all grateful for their lord's grace."

Ordinary soldiers don't get such good treatment.

Most of the time, I just grit my teeth and leave my fate to chance.

Zhang Yang shook his head: "I don't like hearing that."

The soldiers were risking their lives for her, so it was only right that she provide them with pay and warm clothing. But in the mouths of Xiao Sui and others, it became a favor. It's like a worker being incredibly grateful when their boss provides office supplies.

This made even Zhang Yang, the NPC, uncomfortable.

Not to mention, hers is a small family workshop.

Xiao Sui's words made her feel like a wicked stepmother.

"If my lord doesn't like it, I'll try not to say anything." Xiao Sui didn't complain about Zhang Yang's strange temper. My lord has taken care of most of the logistics work, saving her so much trouble and letting her get so much sleep. What's wrong with being a little strange? Most of the chosen ones are extraordinary.

In addition to keeping warm, there was also plenty of food.

"...Now an ordinary soldier eats 3.2 jin of cooked rice a day, and about half a jin of oily side dishes. The lord also gives each soldier two bowls of warming egg soup..." The egg soup actually doesn't have many eggs. A pot of soup that is half a person tall only has five or six eggs. I don't know how those cooks made it, but they managed to make a pot full of egg drop soup.

One pot of soup can serve thirty or forty people.

Xiao Sui felt that she could get full just by drinking.

Zhang Yang glanced at the eggs and duck eggs in his game backpack and said, "...There are still a few too few. I need to keep an eye on Zhang Dami and not slack off." Only a portion of the eggs from the farmers in Tianyue County are supplied to the market; the rest are bought up by the county government at market prices.

Zhang Yang collected them all into his game inventory.

The eggs put in won't spoil; they'll always come out fresh, used to supplement the soldiers' protein intake on the road... well, better than nothing. Once the breeding scale increases, Zhang Yang plans to stop making egg drop soup and just boil the eggs, with each person receiving a fixed quota.

A skilled cook can make a pot of soup with five or six eggs, or even three or four eggs, and it's impossible to tell the exact number of eggs used in a single pot with the naked eye. This means that if it's not explicitly written into the regulations, over time, some people might try to tamper with it.

The soldiers suffered a loss, while others lined their own pockets.

Deceiving superiors and concealing information from subordinates is not a good thing in the long run.

"Report—"

"explain."

The Canglang Camp discovered a group of enemy scouts, but only managed to capture three of them when they arrived; the rest escaped. The captured scouts were interrogated, and the intelligence they brought back concerned the soldiers' food and clothing.

The so-called Canglang Camp was that wolf pack.

Zhang Yang appointed the Wolf King as the Commandant of Canglang.

It's unclear how the Hundred Ghosts Guards communicated with them, or how they utilized their wolf lineage to greatly reduce the workload of Zhang Yang's scouts. Over two days, they forced the enemy scouts back several miles and also obtained a considerable amount of intelligence about Sun Ban.

Some of the intelligence could also indirectly corroborate the secrets brought by Wang Ba.

Zhang Yang thought for a moment: "It's not a big problem."

Little did they know, the silence around Sun Ban's side was eerily quiet.

Scouts discovered early on that Zhang Yang's army had ample supplies, and even ordinary soldiers were well-fed. One officer even scoffed disdainfully, "At this rate, even the wealthiest army won't last long. My lord, this must be a psychological warfare tactic deliberately orchestrated by the enemy."

They deliberately created the illusion of abundant food supplies to undermine the morale of their own troops.

If morale wavers, it is easy for morale to plummet.

The effect will be even better if it coincides with a sudden change in weather.

However, they unanimously agreed that this tactic couldn't last. Let Zhang Yang play the fool; she had no real power base in the mountains, let's see how she maintains her facade. Then, news arrived that Zhang's soldiers were all wearing new clothes—thick, warm winter garments. One of Sun Ban's men asked, "What kind of winter clothes are they?"

It looks thick but isn't very useful.

The winter clothes looked thick because the inner layers were stuffed with reeds.

But can reed winter clothes keep you warm?

The moment the question was asked, the evidence refuted it.

The scout did indeed bring back a new winter coat that he had risked his life to steal.

The man who had just spoken strode forward, reached into the winter coat, and was surprised by its thick, soft texture. He then tore the coat open and discovered that it contained four layers of fabric! Inside the innermost layer was a rough paper, and within that paper were soft, white down feathers.

It doesn't resemble a plant; it looks more like the fur of some kind of animal.

I picked up a handful and sniffed it; I could vaguely smell an odd odor.

"This is……"

Commoners went to great lengths to survive the winter, using reed catkins, straw, willow fluff, or scraps of animal hair. If they kept poultry, they would also use poultry feathers. However, poultry feathers had a strong odor, and since the fabrics of commoners had large gaps, small stuffing materials would easily escape.

The man reached into the hidden compartment and rummaged around again.

Several people couldn't contain their curiosity and went forward to take a look.

The inner lining was filled with duck down, about 70-80% of which was used, with the remainder being some scraps of material that provided some insulation. Even so, they understood that this winter coat was probably more effective at keeping warm than ordinary winter coats.

However, the focus now is—

This isn't just one item; everyone gets one.

"...That's impossible!"

The same thought crossed everyone's minds, and one of them even voiced their innermost thoughts: "This winter coat was probably deliberately delivered by Zhang to mislead us into thinking that everyone on her side has one of these. Think about it, if that's true, how wealthy must Zhang be? These winter coats are so thick when folded up, even if they're tightly packed, how many carts would she need if thousands or tens of thousands were stacked together? Besides the winter coats, there's also grain... If she really has so many supply wagons transporting grain, how many laborers and guards would she need? Have any of you calculated that?"

Neither of them were newcomers to the battlefield.

Each of them, even if not seasoned veterans, was certainly experienced and capable; it was impossible for them not to be able to calculate such a number. Precisely because they could calculate it, reason told them that Zhang Yang had definitely falsified the accounts. If they believed it, they would fall into the other side's treacherous trap!

Sun Ban also believed that Zhang Yang had fabricated the facts.

She lowered her eyes in thought, then asked, "Did you notice what expressions the soldiers had? Were their brows relaxed or something else?"

A soldier can be ordered to fake it.

But what about all these people in the entire battalion?

Are they all possessed and pretending to be highly skilled?

Even assuming that elite soldiers are given winter clothing of this quality, what about the other ordinary soldiers? What about the conscripts? Some of them will inevitably show emotional inconsistencies, which might be an opportunity to gain leverage.

"He showed no signs of sorrow, but rather much joy."

Sun Ban: "..."

She preferred to believe that Zhang Yang was feeding people poisonous mushrooms.

She pressed her temples, a strange sense of powerlessness washing over her for the first time. If Zhang Yang were here, he could probably offer some answers. Game skills can be practiced, but no money is no money _(:3」∠)_

As night fell, Sun Ban was woken up just as he had fallen asleep.

She hurriedly rose and left the tent, the biting wind whistling through the gaps, trying to seep into her neck. Had the temperature really dropped so drastically at night? A fierce look flashed across her face, and without even seeing who it was, she demanded sharply, "Is there an enemy attack?"

Wang Ba arrived fully armed, his expression somewhat strange.

He replied, "It was not an enemy attack."

If singing at night as an attack counts as an assault...

Sun Ban, wearing a heavy cloak, rode away on horseback.

"What happened?"

As they approached the outer edge of the camp, a tinkling, clanging sound drifted on the night wind—a discordant, incoherent melody, a harsh, discordant strain. Listening closely, one could even hear someone drumming in response. Sun Ban, a man of great learning and talent, with a grasp of music theory, listened for a while and felt his ears were being polluted: "What mountain is this song from?"

Whether it's a song or a compliment, it's still a compliment.

The lyrics are a bunch of straightforward, plain language.

Hey bro, do you guys have winter clothes for the winter?

Sisters, did you eat your fill?

Fellow countrymen, does your lord have any pity?

Ah, we have thick winter clothes here, so our heads don't get cold.

Oh, we have plenty of food here, and our hands and feet are full of energy.

The unrestrained melody, the rough voice, and the clanging and banging of percussion, mixed with a hint of ghostly bewitchment—a kind of malevolent, ethereal allure comparable to the song of a mermaid. In the dead of night, it broke a person's spirits. Sun Ban said unhappily, "Go, kill him."

However, at that moment, the singing sounded sometimes near and sometimes far.

A gigantic bird, almost blending into the night, swept overhead, carrying the faint sound of that ghostly song.

Sun Ban: "..."

The star beast flew extremely high.

Not within range of the attack, but within the range of the song's attack.

Wang Ba's lips twitched; he wanted to laugh inwardly, but on the surface, he had to feign anger. If he was already like this, how could Sun Ban's subordinates, who were being provoked so openly, possibly tolerate it any longer? Immediately, some of them couldn't bear the humiliation and released their Star Illusion, transforming into crimson flames and flying away.

Unexpectedly, the star beast was well-trained and dodged smoothly.

Only when they got closer could they see the identity of the star beast.

"The birds of the Imperial City?"

Chao Tan was unable to fight for Zhang Yang, but her bird came.

A hint of disdain flashed in the eagle's eyes. With a nimble sidestep, it dodged the incoming arrow, while another bird shot towards the enemy, almost grazing its belly. Its claws aimed directly at the enemy's face.

"How dare this little beast be so arrogant!"

Having narrowly avoided the bird's claws, the enemy general flipped and leaped onto the back of the phantom black swallow, thrusting back, only to miss. Having dodged the attack, Zhang Daji provocatively closed the distance, toying with the enemy general's mentality.

??ヾ(???ゞ)