Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

After Chen Jing had vented his anger, he also realized that his words had been somewhat sharp and sarcastic.

He coughed lightly, straightened his clothes, and put on that familiar, serious expression.

He smiled slightly:

"General, don't panic."

"Although I am not familiar with military strategy, I am familiar with Chen Shao."

"His next step will be to let our soldiers smell the aroma of meat, and then persuade them to surrender."

"He's trying to demoralize our troops."

Chen Jing pointed to the iron chain hanging above the river.

"He wants us to crawl over to him one by one and grovel before him."

Wang Yuanji nodded: "Your Highness is wise."

Chen Jing became even more smug, walked to the riverbank, and stood with his hands behind his back.

He said slowly:

"I saw through it long ago, so the key to breaking the deadlock lies in the word 'heart'."

"Chen Shao wants to disrupt our morale, but we must not let ourselves lose our composure. As long as the commander-in-chief can keep the morale of the troops stable, things may not be without change."

It was all a bunch of nonsense, but Wang Yuanji patiently continued asking in a soft voice:

"So what are the specific strategies for defeating the enemy?"

Chen Jing had no strategy to defeat the enemy; he simply assumed Chen Shao with the utmost malice.

If you really ask him for advice, he knows nothing.

But you can't say that out loud.

"As for how to defeat the enemy... well... I'm still thinking about the strategy for crossing the river."

"The art of war dictates that one should not be too hasty..."

"Your Highness, the situation is dire! The army has less than three days' worth of rations. Within three days, morale will inevitably collapse! How can we not be anxious!"

"General, why don't we cut down some wood to make a boat..."

Alright, Wang Yuanji finally understands. This guy is just a jinx.

Don't count on anything else.

This place is completely bare. Is Chen Jing blind? He's cutting down trees...

Left with no other option, Wang Yuanji could only order his army to rest on the spot and make further plans.

He plopped down on the ground, racking his brains.

He then summoned all the staff officers and deputy generals who had accompanied the army.

Under the moonlight, several heads huddled together.

They talked from nightfall until the moon was high in the sky.

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, pooling their wisdom.

"General, why don't we set up our troops here and lure him across the river to fight? Once we get him here, with the elite troops of Hedong, we will surely kill him without leaving a single survivor."

Wang Yuanji immediately denied it.

"Chen Shao has already gained all the advantages, how could he possibly cross the river again?"

"General, why don't we feign surrender and use this as an excuse to secretly advance our own forces?"

Wang Yuanji still felt it was inappropriate.

Feigning surrender is usually done by subordinates, never by the commander-in-chief.

But for someone like Chen Shao, no amount of trickery will work if he doesn't surrender.

"Should we send the prince to sue for peace?"

Chen Jing, who was standing next to him, immediately jumped up in fright.

"Absolutely not!"

"You don't understand my brother, but I know him very well. He truly killed his brothers! My attempts to make peace are utterly useless!"

Some suggested that we should just sit and wait for reinforcements.

Wang Yuanji's denial was no different from sitting and waiting to die.

Not to mention that all the elite troops have been deployed this time, what reinforcements could Hedong possibly have?

How many days can they hold out? Can they wait for reinforcements? The issue of military supplies is already looming large.

After much discussion, no conclusion was reached.

Frustrated, Wang Yuanji waved for everyone to leave and sat there alone, staring blankly.

The Great Yan army on the opposite bank had eaten and drunk their fill, and bonfires were lit one after another.

The aroma of meat wafted over on the river breeze, like countless invisible hands tantalizing the stomachs of the soldiers.

He couldn't help but swallow hard, and his stomach rumbled.

And just like that... the night passed by in a flash.

The same thing happened the next day.

On the morning of the third day, the soldiers distributed the last of their dry rations.

Wang Yuanji mustered his spirits and went out to inspect the area.

As they walked deeper into the army, they saw a young soldier break half a hard biscuit into pieces and throw it on the ground.

"This stuff is fucking inedible! Why do the people across the street get to eat so well, with meat every single meal?!"

A fire suddenly ignited in Wang Yuanji's chest.

He strode over and kicked the soldier to the ground.

He pulled out a riding crop and lashed it across the face.

"Damn it! I'll teach you to waste food!"

"You ruined it!"

The soldier was whipped until he rolled on the ground, but no one around dared to say a word in his defense.

When the commander-in-chief gets angry, no one dares to stop him.

Wang Yuanji was already on the verge of a breakdown, and now his anger was burning fiercely. He lashed out with his whip and roared.

"The entire army's rations are in your half-eaten pancake! And what did you do, you dropped it? I'll teach you to drop it!"

After whipping the soldier for a while, seeing that he was about to die, he threw down the whip and stood there panting.

"From this day forward, everyone's daily ration will be divided into three meals."

"Anyone who dares to waste a single grain of rice again, I'll personally chop them up and feed them to the fish!"

Wang Yuanji inspected the military camp and used ruthless methods to suppress the morale of the soldiers.

It did play a significant role.

As evening approached, another commotion suddenly broke out in the military camp.

Someone pointed at the river and exclaimed in surprise.

Looking in that direction, Wang Yuanji saw several small wooden rafts drifting leisurely toward them.

There was no one on the raft, only a few bulging burlap sacks.

Several brave soldiers who were good swimmers mustered their courage and dragged it aboard.

Turning back to Wang Yuanji, he shouted:

"General! It's dry rations, sent from the other side!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuanji's face darkened, and he strode over.

He kicked a sack away.

Inside were small, golden-brown, crispy pieces of roasted meat, emitting a delightful aroma of meat and flour.

He grabbed a handful, smelled it, and sneered:

"Chen Shao must have ill intentions; these dry rations must contain deadly poison."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard Chen Shao shout from the other side of the river:

"Wang Yuanji, don't judge a gentleman by your own petty standards. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to resort to such a despicable trick as poisoning."

"This is for the brothers, eat it without worry!"

The cat's tears were a sign of malice; Wang Yuanji's facial muscles twitched.

He stood there, staring at the dry rations in his hand for a long time, then looked around at the expectant eyes of the people around him...

The soldiers were almost starving.

The Adam's apple moves up and down.

Although I didn't speak...

Wang Yuanji knew this was Chen Shao's tactic to demoralize the army, and what could this small amount of dry rations possibly do?

But he still sighed and threw the dry rations back into the sack.

He said in a hoarse voice:

"Eat..."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his seat.

With the commander's approval, the soldiers immediately swarmed around him like madmen.

Some people, afraid that others would snatch it, simply grabbed a handful and stuffed it into their mouths.

The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control when the general consulted with Wang Yuanji before coming to organize discipline.

"Stop fighting! All of you, stop fighting!"

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble again, I'll kill them on the spot!"

The general had a large pot set up and water fetched from the river.

I've been working on it.

This way, more people can get a share of the benefits.

The minced meat powder dissolves in water, and as soon as it's put into the pot, a rich aroma fills the air.

"Are they eating so well on the other side?"

Everyone stared intently at the pot, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

Following Wang Shuai, you'll go hungry nine times in three days.

If I follow Chen Shao...