Cut off my army's food supplies? I'll open a portal between the two worlds and max out my

"Gurgle."

Jiang Tian was on duty outside the tent when he heard his stomach rumbling, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

I ate a full meal this morning, so why am I hungry again tonight?

Jiang Tian had never felt this hardship when he survived on just two bowls of thin porridge a day before, but this morning they ate the instant noodles brought by the General, which aroused everyone's cravings.

Are you hungry?

Li Wen's cheerful voice rang in his ears, instantly energizing Jiang Tian.

"No! I'm not hungry!"

"Gurgle—"

The sound of his stomach betrayed Jiang Tian.

Jiang Tian himself was also very embarrassed.

Li Wen stopped joking and asked seriously, "Is Jiang Tian here?"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Tell the brothers in the kitchen to start cooking. From today onwards, all brothers, eat as much as you want. Eat whatever you have and don't ask where it comes from."

Li Wen had taken precautions in advance.

Since the supplies transferred from Earth couldn't be explained clearly, Li Wen simply stopped trying to explain them.

Jiang Tian was overjoyed: "Yes, General!"

Li Wen opened the tent flap and had Jiang Tian lead his men to continuously move supplies out.

Besides processing the ingredients ordered by the guests, the hotel also had an unexpected bonus: the person in charge of the kitchen probably "casually" moved some old grains from the kitchen over as well.

Li Wen knew that this was the Venus Hotel kitchen staff trying to hitch a ride.

The soldiers of the Anxi army were stunned when they saw the neatly arranged supplies.

"What is this? Rice?! My goodness! Such white and round rice! I've never seen anything like it before! There's not even enough room to make porridge with this much rice!"

Jiang Tian looked at the cook and said irritably, "You stupid porridge! The General said to cook this much rice into rice."

"Rice?!"

The cook swallowed hard and said, "General, you're truly a god descended to earth! Following you, we can finally eat rice!"

"My goodness! There's beef here?! What kind of vegetable is this? I've never seen it before!"

As Jiang Tian moved all the supplies out, the mindset of the Anxi army was also impacted.

Even in their most comfortable days, they ate porridge made from five grains; they had never tasted such fragrant rice before!

Moreover, it was the first time they had ever seen that cooking could be so lavish!

Having received instructions from Li Wen, Jiang Tian emphasized, "Let me make this clear first! The General said that if there's anything to eat, you'll get yours! Don't gossip! Anyone who spreads rumors will be dealt with according to military law!"

No one was surprised by Jiang Tian's instructions.

Everyone already admired Li Wen immensely, and now Li Wen not only led them out of a desperate situation, but also let them eat such delicious food!

"Chief Jiang, don't worry! Anyone who dares to mess with our general! I, Gouwazi, will be the first to object!"

"Exactly! Exactly! If it weren't for General, we would have died hundreds of times over! Which of those officials in the court has ever cared about us?"

"I've heard that those officials in the imperial court have been hoping we'd all be dead!"

"Hmph! If you ask me, from now on we'll ignore the imperial court and listen only to the general!"

"That's right! The emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty doesn't give us food! But General, he makes sure we have enough to eat!"

When Jiang Tian first heard the crowd denouncing the imperial court, he didn't stop them, because he thought the same way. If it weren't for the general, these common soldiers would have died long ago in the Western Regions. But then, as people talked, they started saying things like, "If only the general were the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty..." Although Jiang Tian agreed, he couldn't say that now.

"Ahem! What are you chattering about?! Aren't you hungry? Cook some food!"

While the entire Anxi military camp was bustling with activity, Li Wen sat outside his tent, gazing at the stars in the night sky.

He was contemplating the fate of the Anxi army.

Given the current state of the court, even if I lead these eight hundred men back to the Great Zhou territory, I will not only not be rewarded, but I will also be punished for disobeying the court's orders. Even if I don't run into any trouble, these eight hundred men from the Anxi Army will be sent to the frontier to their deaths in another way.

These eight hundred brothers have now become part of Li Wen's obsession.

He had already made his decision.

"I grew up receiving compulsory education; the imperial edicts of the Great Zhou Dynasty have no jurisdiction over me."

Li Wen threw the "imperial edict" in his hand into the fire pit and burned it, as if he had never said it.

This was an "imperial decree" that had been delivered to Li Wen several months ago. It was also a gesture of goodwill from the civil service to Li Wen. As long as he could wipe out the eight hundred Anxi soldiers under his command, he would definitely be promoted three ranks after returning to the capital and would be accepted by the civil service.

Perhaps because they had experienced dire straits, everyone seemed to accept the idea that the general was a deity descended to earth. Therefore, they didn't think much about the supplies that Li Wen had brought over, and instead ate to their hearts' content.

The aroma of rice and meat filled the entire military camp.

Each Anxi soldier ate his rice with tears in his eyes.

Despite their loud voices, everyone had mentally prepared themselves for the possibility of starving to death in this remote western region.

Now the general has once again given them hope for life.

Li Wen felt a great sense of accomplishment watching the soldiers eat heartily.

It's just—gurgling.

The stomach rumbled at an inopportune moment.

Li Wen then realized that he hadn't had time to eat yet, having been busy with all that.

"General, this is for you."

Jiang Tian appeared beside Li Wen at some point, carrying a large ceramic bowl filled with steaming rice and stewed potatoes and meat.

Li Wen didn't stand on ceremony; he took the food, sat down, and started eating.

"How are the brothers doing?"

After taking a couple of bites of rice, Li Wen asked.

After sitting down beside him, Jiang Tian said, "General, everyone in the camp is in a very stable mood right now."

"That's good... Jiang Tian, ​​go and tell everyone that from now on, the main task of our Anxi Army is to eat and drink well and live our own lives. The affairs of the Great Zhou Dynasty are no longer our concern."

Li Wen said lightly.

"General, you mean...?!"

Jiang Tian stood up in shock.

Li Wen glanced at Jiang Tian and said, "That's it. From today onwards, the Anxi Army of the Great Zhou Dynasty is dead. We are the Anxi Army who live for ourselves."

This is also Li Wen's current thought.

He wanted to first establish a foothold in the Western Regions with these eight hundred people, and didn't want them to go and die as cannon fodder.

If the Anxi army were to turn back now and head towards the Great Frontier, they would still encounter battles, and it's easy to guess that they would still be sent on suicidal missions.

Previously, without supplies and logistics, it was a pipe dream for the Anxi Army to gain a foothold in the Western Regions; even Li Wen couldn't do it before.

But things are different now.

Li Wen now has supplies from Blue Star as a source of replenishment. Although the amount of supplies transported each day is limited, it is enough to support the Anxi Army in gaining a foothold.

The usually mature and composed Jiang Tian was now as excited as a child. He first knelt down and kowtowed deeply: "On behalf of the brothers of the Anxi Army, I kowtow to the General!"

After saying that, he excitedly ran towards the camp.

Li Wen was left speechless by Jiang Tian's actions, feeling as if he wasn't part of the Anxi army.

Soon, Li Wen's declaration reached the ears of every soldier in the Anxi Army.

"Long live the General!"

"Long live!!!!"

In the past, everyone knew that the imperial court's orders were to make them cannon fodder.

However, they had no choice but to silently accept their fate in the face of the imperial court's orders.

Li Wen's choice has now allowed them to completely break free from this restriction.

Let them no longer be subject to the control of the imperial court!

From now on, they will be able to live their own lives in the Western Regions.

Li Wen slept soundly that night.

The daytime work of handling supplies took a heavy toll on his mental energy, and he fell asleep almost immediately after lying down on his wooden bed at night.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the capital city of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This city, which is known as the most prosperous city in the world, begins its busy day before dawn.

The imperial palace, the central government headquarters.

"Lord Ding, there's still no reply from Li Wen in the Western Regions?"

Ding, dressed in the fine robes of a second-rank official, snorted coldly upon hearing this: "An ignorant young man like him is probably dead out there."

"Yanshan has recently been harassed by foreign tribes again, and people in many places have been abducted... making life in the border region extremely difficult."

The man in the blue robe bent down beside Grand Secretary Ding and pointed to the map, explaining the border region.

Grand Secretary Ding glanced at the map with his graying eyes and said, "Abandon Yanshan, retreat to Yumen, and inform the Emperor that the border harassment problem has been resolved."

What will happen to the tens of thousands of people in the Yanshan area?

Grand Secretary Ding glared at him and said, "Nonsense! Only those who live within the borders of my Great Zhou Dynasty are my people! What do those savages have to do with you and me?!"

"We also submitted a request to the Ministry of Revenue for half a year's worth of military provisions for 80,000 men."

The official in blue robes twitched at the thought of the eight thousand men recently dispatched to Daoyumen, but he didn't dare to disobey: "Yes, Your Excellency."

"Let them grant us amnesty!"

Grand Secretary Ding spoke again.

"Your humble servant is here."

"You've been by my side for three years now, haven't you?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it will be three years and two months in seven days."

"If I don't let you go, and instead keep you as a maidservant by my side, do you have any complaints?"

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qingyi did not belong to the bureaucratic system, but rather were personal advisors similar to "secretaries".

Generally speaking, talented people would serve as servants under important figures, and then be recommended for official positions, thus entering the political arena of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Three years ago, Wang Zhaoan was chosen by Grand Secretary Ding to be a maidservant by his side.

"Alas, it's all my good-for-nothing son's fault! If he had even a tenth of the ability you had in securing the pacification of the people, I could rest easy!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhao'an comforted him, saying, "The eldest son is just a bit playful; he will mature and become more composed as he grows up."

Thinking of his son, who was thirty years old but still looked like a child, Grand Secretary Ding shook his head helplessly.

"Don't try to comfort me with words of comfort. I'm old, and I don't know how many more years I can live."

"You are in good health. The imperial physicians say your pulse is steady and you will not have any health problems for the next ten years."

"You're so good at talking. If only that kid Li Wen were as smart as you. I went to great lengths to give him an imperial edict, but he didn't appreciate it at all. He'd rather starve to death in the Western Regions than come back."

Speaking of this, Grand Secretary Ding became angry. He slammed his hand on his chair and said, "Cancel the designation of the Anxi Army!"