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Chapter 734 Supplies
The deputy general told Lu Chao and Lu Qing that since His Highness Prince Xu ordered the troops here to block all the passes leading out of Congzhou, no one has been able to leave Congzhou in the past month, and no grain transport team has been able to enter.

During this month, two batches of grain supplies that were supposed to be delivered to Congzhou were intercepted by the imperial guards of Runzhou. After careful questioning, it was determined that the people delivering the grain were just hired porters, so they were ordered to return the way they came and sent away.

As for the confiscated grain and fodder, they were all preserved intact, awaiting Lu Chao's return to decide how to dispose of them.

"Have the provisions been verified? Can you guarantee there are no problems?" Lu Qing asked.

He and Zhu Yu have always faced the most insidious and despicable methods of their opponents, so naturally they have more to worry about than Lu Chao, who is behind the scenes.

Upon hearing this, the lieutenant quickly replied, "Your Highness, we were also worried about this, so we took some grain from all our sacks, cooked it, and fed it to the dogs and chickens. Nothing happened."

Lu Qing was very satisfied with the thoroughness of his work, and he was too lazy to correct the deputy general's way of addressing him. He turned to Lu Chao and said, "In that case, how about arranging some people to disguise themselves as the porters who delivered the grain and send it to General Bian?"

“That’s exactly what I was thinking too,” Lu Chao said with a smile. “Although the stronghold is secluded and conducive to them garrisoning troops, they can’t really go out to rob and plunder. The food and drink of all the brothers must be guaranteed.”

He said to the adjutant, “Do it this way. If you encounter any Imperial Guards on the way, except for the leader, make sure they are all dazed and lifeless, like walking corpses. Avoid them and do not have any conflict with them. Also, do not let them know where the camp is.”

The deputy general accepted the order and arranged for a reliable team overnight, disguised as porters, to transport the two batches of confiscated grain and fodder on their journey.

Before long, they returned safely, saying that the provisions had been delivered to the mountain stronghold and handed over to Bian Yong, and that they had not encountered any obstacles along the way.

"So what should we do now?" Zhu Yu asked Lu Qing in the room after hearing the news.

"Didn't you say you wanted to learn martial arts?" Lu Qing replied, seemingly changing the subject. "My wound has healed, and lately, I've been so focused on recuperating that my bones have almost rusted. I need to move around a bit, so I can teach you a few moves while I'm at it."

"That's a story for later. We're talking about the present." Zhu Yu hadn't expected that Lu Qing would still be making fun of her at a time like this.

"Back in the mountain stronghold, that's another story. Now it's right before our eyes, isn't it?" Lu Qing smiled and took Zhu Yu's hand. "With the strength you've developed from practicing those moves, I think you'd be better off using a sword. Heavy weapons would be disadvantageous for you."

Zhu Yu tried to pull her hand back, but Lu Qing grabbed her, preventing her from doing so.

She frowned: "Stop messing around!"

“Nothing’s wrong.” Lu Qing shook his head. “All we can do now is wait for the right time.”

Yesterday we estimated how many puppet imperial guards, supposedly under Lu Ze's command, were from the state.

We intercepted their grain twice, and no more grain will be transported in after that. Even if each of them only eats one meal a day, the grain in the warehouse will be almost empty in just half a month.

By then, some people will get restless, and our opportune moment will have arrived. Right now, we're like fishing; the closer we get to the fish taking the bait, the more patient we need to be. Even a slight twitch beforehand might scare the fish away, making it unlikely to bite.

Well, Zhu Yu had to admit that Lu Qing was right. Since they could only wait for the right time, she calmed down and practiced swordsmanship with Lu Qing in the camp every day.

She knew very well that she probably wouldn't learn anything new in such a short time, but it was still better than being idle.

Strangely enough, although she had been traveling around and riding horses, leaving her exhausted, Zhu Yu found that her physical strength was much better than before after she recovered.

In the days that followed, Zhu Yu diligently practiced his skills every day, and listened to the latest developments brought back by the officers and other soldiers in the camp, along with Lu Qing.

After the last successful delivery of grain to the mountain stronghold, Lu Qing and Lu Chao discussed it and decided to skip the intermediate steps. They arranged for some people to intercept the grain carriers on their usual route, forcing them to change their route and detour from the direction of the stronghold.

Meanwhile, Bian Yong sent men down the mountain to "rob" the village, seizing only grain and fodder without harming anyone. In just over half a month, they intercepted two more batches of grain and fodder, and the village's food and drink went from having a small surplus to having a large surplus.

Of course, food supplies in this world don't disappear without a reason, nor do they appear out of thin air without a cause.

Some people's granaries are overflowing, while others' granaries are empty, and even the rats are squeaking with hunger.

From the initial suspicions to repeated probing from the state, it was finally confirmed that the root cause of their inability to transport supplies was likely in Runzhou.

A few days later, Runzhou Prefecture received a letter from Prince Shu, in which he said that he was besieging the capital to protect the emperor's safety, but Congzhou was short of food, which was also related to the capital and even the palace. He asked Zhao Xin to immediately collect food and send it to Congzhou. If there was any delay or negligence, the emperor would hold him accountable.

After reading the letter, Zhao Xin immediately sent it to the Runzhou camp and handed it to Lu Chao.

"What do you think, brother?" After reading the letter, Lu Chao handed it to Lu Qing.

"It seems we can't get into Congzhou, and Lu Ze can't get into the palace either. His Majesty's safety isn't really threatened for the time being." Lu Qing glanced at the contents of the letter and casually tossed it into the charcoal brazier next to him to burn. "Otherwise, given his personality, he would have at least issued an imperial edict to show off his power."

"Do you think the time is right now?" Lu Chao asked.

“It’s still a little bit short of the mark.” Lu Qing looked up at Lu Chao. “You’ve always been quietly arranging things behind the scenes. Now it’s time for you to step forward.”

There are some things that only you can say right now, and that you must say clearly.

Lu Chao understood immediately and asked someone to bring him pen and ink. He then wrote a reply to Lu Ze. The letter contained no insincere brotherly greetings but directly pointed out that Lu Ze's blockade of the capital was ostensibly to support the emperor, but in reality, he was plotting something sinister. He ordered Lu Ze to immediately lift the siege of the capital and withdraw the imperial guards of unknown origin from the prefectures. Otherwise, he should not expect to receive a single grain of food.

No sooner had he finished writing the letter than his and Lu Qing's bodyguards quietly brought the latest news.