We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

In the entire army, Zhou Tiancheng was merely the one who set the direction; Lin Tong was the one who made the final decisions on the specific details.

Therefore, the men sent by the bandits naturally had to be brought before Lin Tong.

Lin Tong asked a question as soon as he came up.

"Where's the keepsake?"

"How can I believe you're one of those bandits, Yipianyun?"

The bandit cursed and pulled a token from his pocket.

"This is it, right? Here it is."

"And could you guys slow down a bit?"

"You guys are running ahead, and my boss is chasing behind. We're separated by the Kaka tribe's troops; we're almost falling behind, and our supplies are running out!"

Zhou Tiancheng looked confused.

"You didn't go to New Stone City?"

"We've taken everything over there, so their troops probably haven't even finished regrouping yet, right?"

He immediately became interested when the bandit was mentioned.

"Our second-in-command has already stayed in Xinshi City. The Northern Xia troops haven't come over, so we've been eating and using their food. Recently, we've even captured quite a few women. We have to thank you all for helping us break down the city walls."

"As for you guys, our boss said that as long as you don't get caught, Beixia won't be able to help us, so he brought us here to help."

Lin Tong tensed up and blurted out a question.

How many people are there in total?

The bandit held up three fingers, looking smug.

"Three thousand!"

Zhou Tiancheng rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

What help can three thousand people provide?

The Kaka tribe has a population of 100,000!

Even so, with many surrounding tribes ready to provide support at any time, it's virtually impossible for them to shake off the Kaka tribe.

Lin Tong also sighed.

He also wanted to clash with the Kaka tribe, but the bandits only had three thousand men. How could they possibly fight them?

Both of them were in a bad mood.

The bandit realized that his numbers were no match for the regular army, so he could only smile awkwardly and cautiously offer a reminder.

"Well, our boss sent us here to tell you that we're leaving."

"We've been chasing them for two days now, and we're out of supplies. We need to raid the area."

Lin Tong casually waved his hand, signaling the bandits to get lost.

Zhou Tiancheng's eyes lit up.

"Wait a minute!"

"Are you running out of supplies?"

"What about the Kaka tribe's provisions? Do they still have any?"

"The cost of bridles for 100,000 horses is no small sum!"

Lin Tong was taken aback upon hearing this, and immediately turned to look at Zhou Tiancheng.

Yup!

Their provisions were new-style dry rations, which Lin Tong had tested. He found that, for the same weight, the new-style dry rations lasted for half a day longer than ordinary dry rations.

He didn't know that Zhou Tiancheng formulated the food based on energy ratios and such, but he knew that the new type of dry rations would work!

The bandits are almost out of food. Can the Kaka tribe of 100,000 people keep up with the food supply?

The bandit chuckled.

"When we caught up with them before, we saw the horse bones they had killed. I guess their food supplies have been running out for a long time."

Xinhua frowned.

"Wait a minute, don't we usually carry three days' worth of rations for a forced march?"

"They've only been running for two days, and they've already started killing the horses?"

Lin Tong didn't understand this point either.

The bandit rolled his eyes.

"You've already breached New Stone City, where are they going to get three days' worth of rations?"

"If other tribes had food, we would have robbed it long ago. They wouldn't have a chance!"

"As for those tribes that we can't beat, the Kaka tribe wouldn't dare to attack them either. In Beixia, the people of Beixia will really kill each other for a bite to eat."

These words made Zhou Tiancheng's heart pound like a drum.

He seemed to see a glimmer of hope for victory.

Not only him, but Lin Tong and Xinhua were also very excited.

The Kaka tribe has run out of food supplies, which means that if they can stall for time, their 100,000-strong army will retreat.

"Your Highness, what are you thinking?"

Lin Tong looked at Zhou Tiancheng first.

When it comes to fighting, Zhou Tiancheng may not be good at it, but he can talk about all sorts of crooked and unorthodox methods without batting an eye.

As expected, Zhou Tiancheng did not disappoint him, and whispered something in his and Xinhua's ears.

"We can implement a scorched-earth policy!"

"The biggest problem for the Kaka tribe right now is food. If we don't let them resupply, they will either have to fight us or retreat. I think the possibility of them retreating is more likely."

"Another advantage of the scorched earth policy is that the surrounding tribes cannot send troops to besiege us."

"If their soldiers are sent out, bandits or even us could break into their tribe and plunder at any time. No tribe would take that risk."

Upon hearing this, Xinhua felt a throbbing sensation in the veins of his temples.

No, bro.

This is Northern Xia territory.

Are you using a scorched-earth policy on Northern Xia's territory to force their pursuers to retreat?

This sounds absurd.

But the more he listened, the more sense it made.

They don't need to send troops to implement a scorched-earth policy; they can just let those bandits wander around.

The three of them looked at each other and immediately reached an agreement.

Lin Tong turned to look at the bandits.

"Go back and tell your chief that the nearby tribes have probably received an invitation from the Kaka tribe and are sending their troops to besiege us. This is the perfect time for you to launch a surprise attack on those tribes."

Xinhua patted the bandit on the shoulder in a serious manner.

"Yes, you let your chief ruthlessly plunder their food and women. Without their defenses, the elderly and children of the entire tribe are all yours!"

This excited the bandits.

He looked embarrassed.

"Well, we came here to help, but now you've drawn all our troops away. How can we possibly accept that?"

"How about we leave you some of the looted goods?"

Lin Tong immediately reached out to stop him.

"No! Don't leave anything behind! They'll take everything away; we won't need it."

The bandit's mouth twisted with laughter.

"Well, then I'll thank you on behalf of our big brother!"

"Next time you come to our village, we'll treat you to drinks!"

He was naturally happy.

If a large army from the Great Qian Dynasty draws away all the troops, wouldn't these bandits become the overlords of the grasslands?

How much grain will be left unclaimed by then?

How many women can't do that?

He turned and left, eager to tell their boss the news immediately.

Xinhua watched his retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"He should thank us!"

"I just don't know if his boss will see through our plans."

Zhou Tiancheng wasn't worried at all.

"So what if they figured it out?"

"Don't forget, they're bandits from the Northern Rong. They'll just rob the goods and return to the Northern Rong. How could the Northern Xia possibly catch them?"

"A win-win situation!"