The battle ahead was as intense as Emperor Guangwu and Xie Yu had expected. This spring, Northern Emperor Ming deployed nearly half of his troops to the war to "recover" the southern border. All important crossings and passes from Yangzhou to Wujing were heavily guarded, especially on the north bank of Junyang where the water flow was slower, concentrating the best Dongting naval forces of the Northern Dynasty.

  Marquis Weiyan Xie Yan has not closed his eyes for several days in a row, and the letter sent from the Marquis's mansion has not had time to be opened and read. Naturally, he was still unaware of the princess suddenly coming to the Marquis's mansion on her own initiative.

  In Wu Qing's military tent, Xie Lin stood with his hands behind his back, frowning in thought as he stood before the map of the waters, combining today's scout reports.

  Several generals under him were waiting for the result of his deliberation, all sitting upright. Just three days ago, they had just fought against the Northern Dynasty's navy, and their own army could only barely cope. So everyone's initial prediction that the Northern Dynasty was not good at naval warfare was thoroughly dashed.

  "Your Excellency, we can't keep being passive and just responding to their moves. If this continues for long, the morale of our soldiers will be completely worn out." One of his subordinates finally couldn't bear the suffocating silence in the main tent and broke it.

  As soon as this was said, many of his confidants looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

  Finally, Xie Xun turned around, but his face was still unpleasant.

  "I can understand everyone's feelings, but for now... it's not the time yet." He said with a pause, his thoughts hard to discern. "We still have to wait a bit longer."

  "Your Excellency, what are we waiting for! Think back to the time when we fought against those Qiang people, how tragic and intense the battle was, yet not one of my brothers uttered a word. But now, being forced into this passive defense, I... feel stifled..." This man, known as "Little Yan Wang in the army", Sun Vice General, has always followed Xie Xuan through thick and thin. He is a heroic and righteous person, often taking the lead, and is the designated vanguard officer of Xie Xuan's army.

  Seeing his own general hesitating and unable to make a decision, he couldn't help but feel anxious, and without thinking too much about it, he directly spoke out the frustration that had been pent up in his heart.

  Xie Xuan saw that everyone had a furious intention, and in his heart he also knew that the crowd would soon burst out with a big fight. But water battles are different from land battles, with too many variables, and cannot be taken lightly. Moreover, not far behind Jiujiang is Yuzhang, if relying solely on morale to take action, the risk is too great.

  He had already made up his mind after looking at the map, but for now he still needed to comfort the emotions of the various generals, so he spoke in a soothing tone: "All of you have been following me, Xie Xuan, for many years, am I not one who fears death and loves life?"

  Everyone shook their heads.

  "Alright, I'll also give you a heads up. Judging from the current situation, this standoff may not be resolved in the short term, and it's possible that it will become a protracted war. I hope everyone is mentally prepared."

  Everyone saw him speak clearly and affirmatively, but couldn't help feeling puzzled.

  He continued to speak, "You may all have doubts in your hearts, so I'll say a few more words. Firstly, after several exchanges, it's not difficult for everyone to discover that if we engage in a head-on battle, the strength of both sides is quite evenly matched, and neither can land a decisive blow. This is the most crucial point."

  "The second is the long and winding Changjiang River, from Yangzhou to Wujiang, with many checkpoints along the way. The Northern Dynasty dare not concentrate its forces in one place, leaving other checkpoints unguarded. But are we brave enough?"

  "Even if we want to concentrate our advantages somewhere and launch a surprise attack, we will still have to add more troops on the existing basis and break through some key points. But honestly speaking, at present, the Southern Dynasty has not yet incorporated Minnan and Nanyue into its territory, and the southwestern regions are still watching from both sides." He coughed lightly to emphasize, "It is very likely that they will become independent due to the long distance and difficulties in transportation. At that time, it will no longer be a confrontation between the north and the south, and our western flank will have another enemy."

  "Finally, based on the third point, do you think it's still possible to divide troops and head north?"

  The current military strength of the Southern Dynasty can be roughly divided into three parts. One part is in the hands of Xie Lin, used to resist the Northern Dynasty's invasion. Another part is in the southern border, mainly used to recover South Vietnam and Fujian, with the military strength controlled by Pei Hou's older brother Pei Zuoshou. The other part is used to surround the capital, with the person in charge being Pei Hou's younger brother Pei You. Although there are risks on the western side, there are still heavy mountains blocking the way, and if there is a war, these three military forces can be called upon to rush to reinforce each other. However, redistributing these three military forces would be very difficult.

  Xie Xuan saw that everyone had more or less understood the current situation, and then opened his mouth: "So, if we can't hit a blow in a short period of time, the best result is to make a false show of strength and maintain the status quo. Also, everyone has forgotten, if the Northern Dynasty enters autumn..."

  "One of the generals immediately took over: 'There is a risk of invasion by the Northern Di!'"

  "Right!" Xie Yun looked at him with great approval.

  "This is also why they want to rush to achieve decisive results in the near future. So, what should we do?"

  "Grind them to death!"

  After this explanation, a burst of laughter erupted from the military account. Xie Yan looked at everyone with satisfaction and let out a long sigh of relief.

  Just as everyone was discussing how to wear down the Northern Dynasty, a sudden report from the guards outside the door echoed. After entering, the guard knelt down and reported the important matters one by one.

  "Lord Hou! What's going on with the Ministry of Revenue? No matter how scarce things are, they can't be short of our grain!" The crowd echoed in agreement.

  The original report from the guard was that the Ministry of Revenue had originally promised to deliver 300,000 dan of grain and fodder three days later, but it could not be delivered on time. Although delays have occurred before, this time it is even more excessive, and the delivery date cannot be confirmed.

  This made all the generals who were fighting outside furious. Just now, they were saying that they wanted to fight a protracted war and slowly grind down the people of the Northern Dynasty. The grain and fodder must be fully prepared, but the current situation has directly increased the uncertainty of the war.

  Everyone looked at Xie Xuan, who was sitting in the front row, and saw that he had lowered his head to support his forehead, with a hint of endurance on his face, but his tightly clenched fist had already bulged with blue veins. Several people who had followed him for a long time all secretly knew that Master Hou was angry!

  The guard, still kneeling on the ground, plucked up his courage to take a look at Xie Yu, but he couldn't advance or retreat. Fortunately, Xie Yu waved his hand and let him go busy. The guard slipped away in an instant and immediately left the camp.

  "You all go down too. After dinner, gather again to discuss matters. By tomorrow morning at the latest, a new plan must be put in place. In addition, regarding food and fodder, you don't have to worry about it. I will take care of it myself, and won't let our brothers shed blood without even getting a full meal!"

  Until everyone left and only he was left in the tent, Xie Yun finally viciously pinched the coarse ceramic teacup in his hand into pieces.

  Old traitor! The country is in crisis, yet you're still plotting and scheming!

  He closed his eyes and endured in silence, suppressing his anger. After a while, he calmed down and didn't destroy the table inside the tent with his bare hands. About an incense stick later, a guard rushed out of the camp quickly and galloped away on horseback.

  A large army is outside, and the military rations are insufficient, which is a great taboo. Even if he was very close to the Emperor, Xie Chen generally did not want to take the secret reporting route that he had previously agreed upon with Emperor Guangwu. If things can be handled in an open and honest manner, then it would be for the best.

  But now, he can't help it either. Nor does he know how the Ministry of Revenue will understand this time that he directly reported the military grain to Emperor Guangwu, and how to make up for it in front of the emperor.

  At the time when Xie Yan was fighting outside, Qin Miao had not been idle either. Since the day she learned that Princess Yi'an would arrive soon, the General's Mansion had been busy. The servants could always see Madame with a big belly, shuttling back and forth in various parts of the mansion. And on the side, the senior maid Zi Xuan did not dare to be careless at all, carefully accompanying her.

  The people in the mansion have been busy for nearly half a month, and it's finally going to take three days to welcome Princess Yi'an. Old Lady Xie didn't dare to let go completely, and in the last few days, she still pulled people to check every place in the mansion. After seeing that everything was arranged properly, she could finally put her mind at ease a little.