Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

Changsun Chong was absolutely furious.

According to the military law of the Tang Dynasty, if there were any problems with the provisions when the army went to war, he, as the official in charge of provisions, would definitely be the first to be pushed out to sacrifice to the flag.

He now finally understood why his father had been preventing him from becoming the grain inspector.

Changsun Chong suddenly grabbed the waist knife on the ground and charged towards Cui Hao.

"Cui Hao! I'll fuck your grandpa!"

Changsun Chong rushed to the stretcher, raised his knife, and was about to strike.

Two guards from the Eastern Palace rushed forward and grabbed Changsun Chong's arms.

"Young Master Changsun, private fights are forbidden in the military camp."

Cui Hao was feeling unwell and a little dizzy, but Changsun Chong's shout startled him and brought him back to his senses.

He glared at Changsun Chong, who was being stopped, and angrily cursed:

"Changsun Chong, are you fucking crazy? What are you trying to do with that knife? I'm the eldest son of the Cui family of Qinghe, try touching me!"

Changsun Chong forcefully broke free from Wei Shuai's grasp, pointed at Cui Hao's nose, and began to curse:

"The eldest son? Bah! You're nothing but a damn eldest son."

"I bet you're Cui Mingan's illegitimate son, born from some random woman he had outside."

Cui Hao was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage.

For aristocratic families, lineage is of utmost importance. Changsun Chong's words were practically an insult directed at a monk.

"You're talking nonsense! You're the illegitimate child. Your entire Changsun family are all illegitimate children."

Your father, Changsun Wuji, was an even bigger cunning old fox.

Changsun Chong was so angry that he laughed instead:

"My father is a yin spirit, but at least he knows how to protect me, his own son."

Where's your father? Your father never intended for you to return to Chang'an alive.

Cui Hao was somewhat bewildered by the scolding:

"What nonsense are you spouting? My father even broke my leg to protect me, how could he possibly disregard my life or death?"

Changsun Chong pointed in the direction of the grain carts behind him and roared:

"Your father is protecting you? The 100,000 dan of grain your father sent was covered with a layer of rice, and underneath it was all rotten grain and yellow sand. When the 100,000-strong army has no food, the first person the Crown Prince will kill is me, the grain supervisor. You think you can escape? I'll take you with me the moment I see you."

Upon hearing this, Cui Hao's mind went blank.

"Impossible. My Cui family is richer than a country, how could we possibly tamper with military rations? You must be trying to frame me."

Changsun Chong, too lazy to waste words with him, turned to Wei Shuai and said:

"Brothers, please carry him over there so he can see for himself what his father has done."

The two guards exchanged a glance, then lifted the stretcher and headed towards the grain cart.

When they arrived at the grain cart, Changsun Chong grabbed Cui Hao by the collar, forcibly dragged him off the stretcher, and pressed him down in front of the ripped-open sack.

"Look! Take a good look at me."

Changsun Chong roared.

Looking at the blackened, rotten grains and the yellow sand mixed with gravel, Cui Hao felt terrible.

He shakily grabbed a handful of sand and stared intently at it.

"No...this isn't real..."

Cui Hao's voice began to tremble with fear.

He knew that his father originally intended to tamper with the grain.

But he was captured and taken to the army, and his father couldn't possibly abandon his eldest son.

How is that possible?

Once the army runs out of food, the mutinous soldiers will definitely be the first to tear him to pieces.

"Did you see that clearly? Your father doesn't care whether you live or die at all."

He wanted to use the lives of these 100,000 troops to drag the crown prince to his death in Liaodong.

As for your son? He's nothing but a burial offering.

Cui Hao's psychological defenses collapsed.

He grabbed his hair and burst into tears.

"Father! Why are you so cruel? I'm your own son! Don't you want me anymore?"

The commotion attracted all the second-generation rich kids who were camping nearby.

Cheng Chumo, holding a multigrain steamed bun, pushed his way through the crowd and walked in.

Fang Yi'ai and Yuchi Baolin followed behind.

"What are you doing? What are you doing, Changsun Chong? What kind of skill is it to bully a cripple?"

Cheng Chumo asked casually.

Changsun Chong pointed to the pile of grain sacks on the ground and said:

"Cheng Chumo, look at what's on the ground. The military rations sent by the Cui family are all sand and rotten grains."

"Our entire army of 100,000 will probably starve to death in Liaodong."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo stared wide-eyed at the sand on the ground, then turned to look at Cui Hao, who was crying loudly.

"What? There's no food left?"

Before he left, his father repeatedly told him that once he got to the army camp, he must eat as much as he could and absolutely not get thin from hunger.

Should we tell him now that he has no food?

Fang Yiai roared angrily:

"My dad said that soldiers would be well-fed, so I came here. How dare the Cui family cut off my food rations? They want to starve me to death!"

Yuchi Baolin also became famous.

"I'm from the southern border region. My dad sent me here to be a human shield, but he didn't say I was to starve to death."

"Cui Hao, are you even the eldest son of the Cui family? Or are you just a stand-in?"

The surrounding second-generation rich kids all realized what was happening at that moment.

Although they usually acted carefree and irresponsible, they knew what it meant for the army to be without food.

That would be a dead end.

"Beat him up!"

Qin Huaidao roared and charged forward.

He grabbed Cui Hao by the hair and slapped him across the face.

"Ah! Don't hit me. I didn't do it. I don't know!"

Cui Hao covered his face and screamed in pain.

"You don't know? Your father did all these despicable things, and the son has to pay for the father's sins. Brothers, beat him to death!"

Cheng Chumo kicked Cui Hao in the stomach.

Fang Yi'ai swung his fist and pounced on Cui Hao, aiming specifically for his weak points.

Yuchi Baolin was even more ruthless; he specifically targeted the good leg of a cripple.

And Du He?

He perfectly inherited his father Du Ruhui's ruthlessness.

He gave Cui Hao a good scolding, like a monkey stealing a peach.

A group of second-generation rich kids surrounded Cui Hao, throwing punches and kicks at him.

Ouch! My leg.

"Please don't hit my face! Please, please don't hit my face."

"Father! Come save me!"

Cui Hao's screams echoed through the camp.

None of the surrounding soldiers stepped forward to stop them; they all stood there with their arms crossed, watching the spectacle.

On a small earthen slope not far from the grain cart.

Li Chengqian sat on a folding stool, holding a handful of melon seeds, watching with great interest.

Li Jing then walked to Li Chengqian's side, looked down at the chaotic camp below, and asked:

"Your Highness, allowing them to run rampant like this in this important military camp is surely a violation of military discipline, isn't it?"

Li Chengqian replied with a smile:

"General, you are mistaken. How can this be called nonsense? This is called strengthening the bond between comrades."

Young people have plenty of energy; sparring can help improve their combat effectiveness.

Li Jing's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this.

Dozens of people surrounding and beating a cripple—is that what you call sparring?

"Did Your Highness know all along that the Cui family would tamper with the supplies from the very beginning?"

Li Jing ignored the farce below and continued to ask questions.

"That old fox Cui Mingan was cheated out of 100,000 dan of grain in court. Can he swallow this insult? The great families are best at feigning compliance while secretly going against the grain."

I brought all these bastards out here to prevent our 100,000-strong army from going hungry.

It seems I overestimated Choi Min-gon's conscience.

Li Jing looked at Li Chengqian and nodded slightly.

Although the crown prince was resourceful, he overestimated the human heart.

However, at his age, he is quite remarkable.

"Your Highness's methods are brilliant; this old minister admires them."

But Your Highness, now only one-third of the 100,000 dan of grain is edible, and the army is facing a huge food shortage.

The grain allocated by the Ministry of Revenue can only last for half a month at most. If supplies from Chang'an do not arrive after half a month, the army will run out of food.

If those 100,000 mouths go hungry, it's no laughing matter.

Li Jing looked at Li Chengqian with some worry.

Despite the scheming, war ultimately depends on food supplies.

Li Chengqian stood up and stretched.

"General, rest assured, since I dared to bring them out, I will absolutely not let the soldiers fight on an empty stomach."

Xiao Shunzi, go and rescue Young Master Cui, don't let him really be beaten to death.

He was ordered to write a letter home in his own blood and have it sent back to Chang'an immediately by express courier.

Tell him that if I don't see 200,000 dan of genuine grain within three days, I will cut off his son's flesh, boil it into soup, and distribute it to the soldiers.

"Yes, ma'am."

Xiao Shunzi accepted the order and ran downstairs.

Li Jing was even more puzzled by Li Chengqian's confident demeanor.

Even if Cui Mingan started collecting grain after receiving the letter, it would still take at least a month to transport it from Chang'an to Liaodong.

What did the army eat during the two-week gap in between?