After traveling through time, I rely on force to survive

Chapter 266 states that a chapter must be counted.

Zhang Haoyi was preoccupied with his own thoughts, afraid that if he left too late, Li Qingqing would stop him and ask him all sorts of questions.

He hurried back to his lodgings and urgently summoned his trusted aide, "That damned Wei Shenglu! I trusted him so much, and he promised to come back soon, but why is he still nowhere to be seen?"

"We've already sent people to search secretly; they should find it soon."

The confidant quickly bowed and answered, then, after thinking for a moment, lowered his voice and suggested...

"My lord, I suspect... that Commander Wei may have taken the opportunity to escape. Why don't you inform General Li about this and ask him to help capture Commander Wei?"

"No way!" Zhang Haoyi slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

If we tell Li Feng, wouldn't he consider it dereliction of duty?

Zhang Haoyi paced back and forth restlessly inside the room.

After a moment, he slowly sat down. "Let's wait and see if the people looking for him return before making any plans. If they still haven't found him... then I'll go find Li Feng."

Zhang Haoyi irritably picked up the teacup on the round table and took a big gulp.

Suddenly realizing that Vice Envoy Yao must be furious and needed to be appeased, he immediately instructed his trusted aides...

"Go and invite Vice Envoy Yao here. I have something to discuss with him!"

The trusted confidant, having received orders, wanted to leave.

Zhang Haoyi put down his teacup, stood up, and stopped his confidant. "Wait," he said, "Lord Yao is in a bad mood right now and probably won't come to see me. Never mind, I'll go see him myself!"

Zhang Haoyi went out to find Vice Envoy Yao, while Li Qingqing sent someone to invite Zhao Dipu to the main hall.

"General Zhao, all your weapons have been returned. In addition, General Li and I have discussed this, and the several thousand warhorses captured this time will also be temporarily lent to you. General Li is currently gathering your soldiers, and you can lead them back tonight!"

The capture of several thousand warhorses was an unexpected bonus, but the border city currently lacks sufficient horse feed. It would be a good thing to do them a favor and lend them to Zhao Dipu temporarily.

When Zhao Dipu learned that he could now leave openly, a weight was finally lifted from his heart.

He excitedly rose from his seat, strode to the center of the hall, and, for the first time, gave a formal bow to Li Qingqing, who was seated in the main seat.

"Now that you have relieved us of this siege, the King and I will personally pay you our respects! You have not only saved me, but also countless people of our nation. If our nation survives, we will pay tribute every year and forever be your subjects! From this day forward, I and my descendants will serve you faithfully, even unto death!"

Zhao Dipu kowtowed to the ground, paused, and then earnestly spoke again.

"Lord Qing... could you lend me some provisions? I will repay you double the amount after I win this battle."

After Zhao Dipu finished speaking, his old face turned red.

The provisions he brought earlier mysteriously disappeared, and he still doesn't know what happened.

Fortunately, the border city treated these prisoners of war who had surrendered after attacking the city well.

These days, he and his soldiers have been provided with food and drink by the border city. Now that he is about to leave, he wants to take some with him, but he finds it difficult to say so...

After all, the border city consumes the daily rations of more than 20,000 prisoners, so the food supply must be running low.

But he had no other choice; if he wanted to drive away the Northern Regions, his soldiers needed to be well-fed.

Now he and his soldiers are like rootless duckweed, and the only one they can rely on is the Lord of Qingcheng in front of them.

Li Qingqing sat upright in the main seat, quietly listening to Zhao Dipu, who was kneeling on the ground, state his request.

General Zhao's request was not excessive.

Without provisions, how could he lead his soldiers, who were starving and dizzy, to fight against the Northern Regions?

This is definitely a case of sending a hero to his death from a thousand miles away!

However, it would be quite difficult to get her to squeeze out more resources to support the Kingdom of Qi'an.

The purchase list that was sent to Qiushui Town earlier has not been returned yet, and we don't know how the procurement of supplies is going.

Even if the grain is purchased and used to support General Zhao, it will be a drop in the ocean.

Moreover, during this winter of scarcity, the original inhabitants of the border city, the newly arrived refugees, and everyone in Qingfeng Pavilion must be properly settled.

If Zhao Dipu returns this time, he will not only save Qi'an Kingdom from destruction, but also tie down some of the Northern Region's military forces, relieving the pressure on Feiyun City.

Even if supplies are scarce, there is no reason to stand idly by when faced with the bond between us and Qiu Wufeng, and when the fate of Qi'an Kingdom is at stake.

Moreover, General Zhao's sincerity in serving the royal family is truly touching.

Li Qingqing was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"General Zhao, I understand your desire to save the country, and I believe in your sincerity. The city's food reserves are low. Here's what I'll do: I'll prepare three days' worth of rations for you. You can go back first, and I'll send people to prepare sufficient food and supplies as soon as possible to help you regroup and save the country. As for the purchase money, there's no need to pay double. Just remember what you said today."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dipu abruptly looked up at Li Qingqing and said excitedly,

"Lord Qingcheng! You have saved my people from this calamity. If I ever fail you in this life, may I be condemned by heaven and earth and die with ten thousand arrows piercing my heart! If you do not believe me, after I return to my country, I will send my eldest son to serve under you and follow you by your side!"

"Alright, General Zhao, please rise. You are returning this time to resist foreign aggression and support your country. How can you take your son as a hostage?"

Li Qingqing got up from her seat, walked to Zhao Dipu, and helped him up.

"We are old friends, how could I not trust your character? I, the city lord, agree to the matter of supplying provisions and providing logistical assistance. You can rest assured and lead your soldiers back to victory! I wish General Zhao a resounding victory and a swift success!"

After seeing General Zhao off, Li Qingqing began to worry.

When two countries go to war, they are testing each other's national strength and resources, and expending money, food and manpower.

Unless the Northern Regions are willing to relinquish the prize they are about to seize, General Zhao must be prepared for a protracted journey.

Since she promised to provide logistical support, she naturally meant what she said.

Li Qingqing then went to find Yun Su, who was in charge of intelligence circulation, and perhaps they could obtain more food supplies.

Yun Su was with Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang at this moment.

Yun Su was tidying up the table, while Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang helped her.

"Big sister!" Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang's eyes lit up when they saw Li Qingqing.

Xiao Shuang ran to Li Qingqing's side in a flash, tilting her little face up excitedly and saying,

"Big sister, you're finally back! Have you had dinner? Sister Yunsu steamed some fragrant rice for us again tonight! It was so delicious!"

"Oh? You little glutton, are you deliberately praising your sister Yun Su? Don't you eat rice every day at home?"

Li Qingqing smiled and ruffled Xiao Shuang's hair.

The Zhou family is no longer as poor as before; eating rice for every meal is now commonplace for them.

This little guy has a sweet tongue, always finding excuses to praise people.

"I didn't mean to praise you!" Xiao Shuang quickly retorted, her face serious.

"Big sister, you don't know, rice is so expensive in Qiushui Town now, and it's hard to buy. If you go too late, it'll be sold out! You can ask Da Shuang if you don't believe me!"

Xiao Shuang gently nudged Da Shuang and urged, "Da Shuang, tell your older sister quickly, what I said is all true!"

“That’s right, eldest sister!” Da Shuang nodded seriously.

“Sometimes you have to wait in a long line to buy just a little bit. It’s not just rice, but other grains too. My mother said that now there are limits on the amount of grain you can buy, and each person can’t buy too much at once.”

"Big sister, see? I wasn't lying!" Xiao Shuang interrupted with a smile, then asked curiously, "Big sister, what exactly does 'purchase limit' mean?"

Li Qingqing's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on her face froze instantly.

What did she just hear?

Li Qingqing was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Rice purchase restrictions? When did that start?"

"It started the day after Big Brother left Qiushui Town!" Xiao Shuang blinked, not quite understanding why her older sister was reacting so strongly.

"My lord, I was just about to report to you that not only is there a shortage of food in Qiushui Town, but it is also difficult to purchase large quantities of food in the markets of the entire Nanqing Prefecture."

Yun Su walked over after tidying up the table.

"Not long ago, news came from Qiushui Town that other supplies were basically ready, but the food still needed to be prepared for a while longer."

Li Qingqing: ...