The Prodigal Son

Two days later, the Jade Toad appeared.

Despite some minor setbacks along the way, Yan Wujiu's troops managed to safely retreat to Yuchan with their provisions.

On their way to Yuchan, they lost some food supplies, but it wasn't a big problem.

With their current supplies, they have enough to sustain their defense of Yuchan for six months.

The more than 60,000 troops and the provisions at his disposal are Yan Wujiu's greatest source of confidence.

However, because many wounded soldiers could not receive effective treatment during the retreat, nearly half of the wounded soldiers under Sima Jin's command died on the way to Yuchan.

Since retreating to Yuchan with the remnants of Si Rong's forces, Yan Wujiu has kept himself locked in his room, refusing to be disturbed by anyone.

In the center of the room was a huge sand table, which clearly showed the terrain of the entire Pangzhou and the surrounding Xiaxing.

Although the plan was to defend the Jade Toad to the death, Yan Wujiu knew in his heart that simply holding on was not a solution.

Their supplies will eventually run out.

Moreover, now is not the time for the Yan state to face a real test.

The real test will come when winter arrives.

Yan Wujiu still wanted to find an opportunity to attack.

They need a big win to boost morale!

In the past two days, Yan Wujiu had considered countless strategies, but he rejected them all.

Either the odds of winning are too small, or it's too risky.

"well……"

With sunken eyes, Yan Wujiu sighed as he looked at the sand table in front of him, a feeling of utter exhaustion welling up within him.

Since the start of the war, they have lost a total of 140,000 troops, albeit sporadically.

140,000 troops!

Just thinking about it makes my wallet ache.

He knew in his heart that they had already lost!

If they hadn't still held onto a sliver of hope for Beiqi, they could have already been preparing to surrender.

He locked himself in his room for two reasons: firstly, he wanted to do his best to come up with a brilliant strategy to defeat the enemy; secondly, he didn't want anyone to see him looking dejected, so as not to affect the already low morale.

"Knock knock..."

A soft knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"What is it?"

Yan Wujiu asked wearily.

"The Ning people sent two letters to the city wall with their skilled soldiers. One was for the Prince, and the other was for His Highness the Crown Prince."

Cheng Lin's voice came from outside the door.

Yan Wujiu frowned and walked towards the door, utterly exhausted.

"Squeak..."

The door had a crack.

Cheng Lin peeked through the crack in the door and saw Yan Wujiu, disheveled and filthy. His heart clenched, and with tears welling in his eyes, he pleaded, "Your Highness..."

"letter!"

Yan Wujiu simply uttered a single word.

After receiving the letter from Cheng Lin, Yan Wujiu slammed the door shut.

Cheng Lin opened his mouth slightly, hesitated for a long time, and then tried to persuade him again through the door: "Victory and defeat are common in war. We still have hope. Please take care of your health, Your Highness, and don't..."

"roll!"

Yan Wujiu rudely interrupted Cheng Lin and quickly tore open the letter he had given himself.

As he read the contents of the letter, Yan Wujiu's haggard face twitched incessantly.

Even though he tried his best to suppress his anger, it was all in vain.

"Shameless scoundrel!"

Yan Wujiu flew into a rage, roaring murderously, "Qin Yu! I will tear you to pieces!"

Bang!

Yan Wujiu mistook the desk in front of him for Qin Yu and slammed it down with his palm.

boom!

Faced with Yan Wujiu's violent power, the desk shattered and collapsed.

"You scoundrel!"

"Traitor!"

"You villain..."

Yan Wujiu was still not satisfied and cursed loudly with a ferocious expression.

This shameless scoundrel actually sent people across mountains and valleys to Pangzhou Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture to tell the people there that if they had no food, they could go to Wulin, where Da Ning had prepared a large amount of grain to relieve the people of Da Yan.

Qin Yu shamelessly "requested" that he let the people who were rushing to Wulin to beg for a living pass through, so that they would not all starve to death!

Qin Yu spoke with extreme sincerity in his letter, even... humble!

It was as if Qin Yu was a great philanthropist!

However, how could he not understand Qin Yu's sinister intentions?

With no food to eat, the people, in order to survive, would inevitably rush to Ulin before winter arrived.

To get to Wulin, one must either cross Linshan Mountain or pass through Yuchan.

It is estimated that few people would choose to travel over mountains to Ulin.

At that time, people from all directions will flock to Yuchan.

If he doesn't let them pass, it will inevitably incite public resentment, making the people hate him, and even the soldiers will hate him.

After all, apart from the Flying Raiders, many of their soldiers came from Pangzhou and Yanzhou!

Those people who fled to Wulin in search of a way to survive must have included the elders and fellow villagers of the soldiers.

How could those soldiers stand by and watch their fellow villagers starve to death?

But if he lets them pass, these people will become citizens of Ningguo, and they could take up arms and become their enemies at any time.

Moreover, with so many people passing by Yu Chan, there must be many who are about to starve to death.

At that time, will he help those people or not?

If they receive aid, their food supplies will inevitably be depleted rapidly.

Without relief, the soldiers watched as their fellow villagers starved to death. Let alone defending the city and fighting the Ning army, it would be a miracle if they didn't mutini!

This is a dead end!

No matter which way I go, I can't get out!

That scoundrel! He's the one who ruined Great Yan!

Now, he's jumping out to play the good guy again!

How could there be such a shameless person in the world?

How could anyone come up with such a shameless plan?

Endless rage filled Yan Wujiu's chest, making him feel like he was about to explode on the spot.

Hearing the noises coming from the room, Cheng Lin felt both worried and confused.

Yan Wujiu was already in a very bad mood these past few days, and now he's been so angered by this letter. He's really worried that Yan Wujiu will be so angry that he'll die.

However, he had no idea how to comfort him.

Yan Wujiu's angry roars continued to echo from inside the room, each roar sending a shiver down Cheng Lin's spine.

About fifteen minutes later, Yan Wujiu in the room gradually quieted down.

Yan Wujiu leaned against the wall, panting heavily, his eyes as cold as ice.

This is not a clever strategy, but it is an open and unsolvable scheme!

Unless they have enough food to provide relief to those people!

After a few breaths, Yan Wujiu's emotions calmed down a little, and his gaze fell on the letter Qin Yu had written to Yan Li.

It's estimated that the letter to Yan Li contained similar content.

He's currently considering whether or not to have someone deliver this letter to Yan Li.

If Yan Li were to receive this letter, he would probably be just as furious as I am.

After pondering for a long time, Yan Wujiu finally made up his mind.

Give!

He also wanted to write a letter to Yan Li.

Let's see if Yan Li and the officials in the court can come up with a solution!

If Qin Yu's treacherous scheme succeeds, the Jade Toad will likely be impossible to protect.

Although he had made up his mind, Yan Wujiu's face still turned pale and then flushed.

After a long pause, Yan Wujiu silently picked up the pen, ink, and inkstone that had fallen to the ground. He walked to the side and began grinding ink for himself while pondering how to write this letter to Yan Li.

About an hour later, Yan Wujiu finally finished writing the letter and walked heavily toward the door.

The door opened.

Cheng Lin was still standing at the door with a worried look on his face.

"Send men to deliver these two letters to the Crown Prince as quickly as possible!"

Yan Wujiu gave a listless explanation, closed the door again, and sat silently in a chair, sighing repeatedly.

He never dreamed that he would be driven to this point by a mere brat in his lifetime.

If the Crown Prince is also determined to fight, then let's fight!

He would rather die on the battlefield than suffer this humiliation any longer...