Warhammer Fantasy: I Have Total War System

At 3:45 AM, the sky was completely bright.

The morning mist over the Mourning Mountains was gradually dissipating, and the allied forces had entered the southern territory. The terraced fields on both sides of the official road shimmered with layers of emerald green under the sunlight.

The vanguard of the allied forces had already broken camp, and the sound of horses' hooves and dust lingered in the air for a long time.

Several soldiers of the Central Guard Army in Lushun, following orders from General Xinqi, sped behind the Allied forces to organize the caravan and the refugees who had followed them the previous night.

They shouted at the top of their lungs, urging the civilians, who were traveling with their families, to form a square formation as they advanced, rather than a long, snaking line, lest the line become too long and difficult to keep up with at both ends.

At the end of the official road, in the open space, the kitchen crew had already prepared the boiler.

Several large earthenware pots, about half a person's height, were placed on the stone stove. The firewood underneath was burning brightly, and the water in the pots had been boiling for a long time, bubbling away.

Logically speaking, the rice porridge should have been served by now.

But the oxcarts carrying the grain were nowhere to be seen.

The area in front of the stove was crowded with people.

An old man leaned on a wooden cane, a woman held a baby in her arms, and young men squatted by the roadside, their faces haggard and their eyes vacant as they stared at the empty bamboo forest and the endless official road.

Occasionally, a few thin children with sunken cheeks would let out weak cries, which would be immediately covered by their parents.

Fearing the resentment and greedy covetousness of others...

"Old Liu," a young cook beside him asked in a low voice, "will the grain carts come again?"

The old cook who had reported to Li Lin's camp earlier had a white cloth tied around his head and was squatting behind the cooking team.

"It will come," he murmured.

Someone nearby retorted mournfully, "Wake up! What's the point of giving back the grain that's been confiscated by the soldiers?"

"It will come," Old Liu continued, his tone resolute.

-----------------

Li Lin arrived at the location of another grain transport team and looked at the mess on the ground, his face grim.

This place is about four miles from the first location where grain was robbed; it is a terraced field that has been trampled to pieces.

Several dark brown bloodstains in the middle of the dirt road were half-dried.

Everywhere there were messy footprints and tire tracks.

Dozens of cooks lay sprawled on both sides of the road, some clutching their bleeding heads, some holding their broken arms, and some curled up on the ground, motionless.

Li Lin dismounted and checked the breathing of several people who were sitting still with their eyes closed.

died.

Red Temperature X2

These people were neither soldiers nor members of his camp; they were simply a few farmers who cooked porridge and delivered meals. They didn't even have a decent set of clothes, and their straw sandals were tattered.

If Pang Yi and his group acted out of a desire to provoke others...

The people who hijacked the grain convoy were simply doing it out of spite.

Li Lin took some pills and water pouches from the Dragon Palace and had Xing Ganqi and the others feed them to the cooks.

The rations for this unit were not withheld by him, but were meant to be sent to aid the people in the rear; there were about a dozen cartloads of them.

We must get it back.

He paced slowly along the dirt road, observing the path of the ruts.

The hijacked convoy was heading out of the coalition lines.

It stretches all the way to the mountains in the northwest.

"Go," he said, turning to his returning guards, "and retrieve the items."

Following the ruts, we left the official road.

Two units of the Central Guard Army have just arrived and are stationed here, awaiting orders to move out.

"Greetings, Steward Li!" Upon seeing Li Lin riding in, a sharp-eyed squad leader immediately ran to greet him.

"Bring out your two teams from Lushun; I have some questions for you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Before long, the two men from Lushun came to Li Lin.

They were all acquaintances.

One was Shi Tuo, whom he had met once before while playing chess, and the other was Yue Pengrui, Li Lin's fellow disciple.

"Greetings, Steward Li." Shi Tuo dismounted, knelt on one knee, and bowed with his hands clasped.

Yue Pengrui stopped his horse in place, looking down at Li Lin.

"Junior brother," he said, his voice neither warm nor cold, his eyelids still half-closed.

His tone made it sound like he was genuinely ordering around his junior disciple.

Li Lin frowned slightly, thinking to himself that this person was really putting on an act.

Judging from his tone, there seemed to be a hint of self-reproach in his voice.

What are you complaining about?

Didn't I promote him?

"You'd better dismount and pay your respects to the Commander-in-Chief immediately!" A cold, sharp voice boomed from behind Li Lin.

Suddenly, Song Yu stepped forward, raised his hand and pointed directly at Yue Pengrui's nose, his voice cold and harsh.

"Disregarding the law, do you want to be court-martialed?"

"You—!" Yue Pengrui suddenly opened his eyes.

No one in Shangyang had ever dared to speak to him like that. He was the head of the Six Young Masters of Shangyang, who had the power to meet Binlong! To be pointed at and insulted by a mere Yu Yong was an utter disgrace!

His eyes widened, and his internal energy surged suddenly. His black sleeves fluttered loudly as the energy stretched them open, and his right hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

Alright, you are now the military commissioner, the commander-in-chief, I can't touch you.

But killing this outspoken guard next to you is still within my capabilities!

Don't think you're so great just because you have someone backing you up.

In war, realm and strength are the only hard currency!

He was about to draw his sword and attack.

Suddenly, an aura that was no weaker than his rose up around him.

"Yue Lüshun, hurry up and dismount." Shi Tuo's voice came from the side, unhurried, as if advising an ignorant child not to go out in a downpour.

The Six Young Masters of Nan Dou are merely some of the more outstanding young people in Shangyang.

The allied forces were filled with experts from all over the country, but the Six Young Masters of the Southern Dipper were only of average skill level within the entire allied forces.

It's just that people don't hold grudges against children.

"An expert at the Outer Qi Realm?!" Yue Pengrui's pupils shrank suddenly, his heart filled with shock, and his momentum immediately weakened by half.

The warhorse beneath him could no longer stand; its front hooves buckled, and Yue Pengrui half-heartedly dismounted.

He loosened and tightened his grip on the sword, his back teeth grinding together, and the veins on his neck bulged like earthworms.

"Greetings..." He cupped his hands, bowed, and uttered each word clearly, "Greetings, Junior Brother Li."

Master Tuo glanced at him.

An invisible aura, as continuous as spring rain and as heavy as a mountain, suddenly pressed down on Yue Pengrui.

Yue Pengrui felt as if his internal organs had been churned up, his limbs were creaking, and his knees involuntarily slammed into the gravel.

"In our Nangao, no matter what the relationship is, in the army we can only address each other by our official titles," Shi Tuo's icy voice rang in Yue Pengrui's ears.

Humiliation poured over Yue Pengrui like boiling oil, but what did face matter compared to life?

"Greetings, Steward Li!" he cried out in a pleading tone, his voice cracking.

As soon as he finished speaking, the protective aura around his body disappeared.

He was soaked in cold sweat, with a large dark sweat stain on his back, looking like a drowning person who had just been pulled ashore.

"Are you Shi Tuo, Shi Lushun?" Li Lin asked. "I remember you were an officer in several gunpowder units in Nangao, right?"

"That's me!"

This person is good, very good.

"Hmm, I'm asking you, have you seen about ten convoys of military supply wagons pass by here?"

After pondering for a moment, Shi Tuo got up and summoned his adjutant and several scouts to inquire.

"We didn't see it. We just arrived recently. We only saw tire tracks on the road."

"If Steward Li needs it, I have several hunters from Lingnan in my team. They are all top-notch trackers and can help you find your way."

"Then I'll have to trouble you," Li Lin said, bowing in thanks. He paused for a moment and then asked, "Shi Lushun, you said before that once we arrive in Nangao, you would be willing to join me in raising an army to retake Nanli. Is that true?"

Shi Tuo's eyes flashed, as if he had been waiting for Li Lin to say those words. He knelt down on one knee again and responded loudly, "Our ancestors bear witness, I, Shi Tuo, have never spoken a word in jest!"

Li Lin nodded and followed the two guides brought by his adjutant, continuing in the direction the tire tracks extended.

After seeing Li Lin off, Shi Tuo turned to leave.

Looking disheveled, Yue Pengrui suddenly said, "Shi Lüshun is really a smooth talker."

"I hope you'll be just as domineering when you come to Shangyang in the future."

Without turning his head, Shi Tuo said, "Shangyang? One trip to that rural area is enough."

A casual remark immediately made Yue Pengrui blush and his expression contort.

After his luck turned around, he pointed at Master Tuo's back and spat out a string of foul language, completely abandoning any semblance of his superior demeanor.

-----------------

The cart tracks left the official road and turned into a bamboo forest path in the mountains.

The bamboo forest was dense, and the sunlight overhead was shattered. The road was covered with a thick layer of bamboo leaves, and the horseshoes made no sound when they stepped on it.

It was so well hidden, no wonder Shi Tuo and the others didn't see it.

As the mountain road gradually ascended, the bamboo forest receded to the sides of the road, and suddenly a luxurious manor that shouldn't have been there appeared abruptly before everyone's eyes.

Ebony flower gate, white walls and gray tiles, the bronze bells on the eaves of the Bronze Sparrow Tower tinkled, their sound eerie.

Li Lin reined in his horse and called for the people around him to stop.

Looking into the distance, one could see many figures inside and outside the manor, all of whom were women.

The female soldiers on the outer side, carrying supplies and patrolling, were all female soldiers of the Yin type, wearing standard cloth armor.

Inside, between the corridors and side rooms, were groups of beautiful maids in gorgeous dresses.

Holy crap?

Were we about to stumble upon a stronghold of Slaanesh followers?

But upon closer inspection, something doesn't seem right.

If this is Slaanesh's stronghold, then what about those female soldiers outside who are not at all charming?

Li Lin stared at the manor for a long time.

Finally, he squeezed out three words through gritted teeth: "Wei Qiankun."

It's really not surprising.

He had just announced the military rations distribution plan when the dismissed officers suddenly banded together to block the road and rob the rations.

Moreover, they robbed more than one route; the grain being sent to his camp was robbed, and the grain being sent to the civilians was also robbed. Their plan was meticulous and their actions were swift; they hardly seemed like a group of deserters.

If this batch of grain cannot be recovered, his tenure as the army commander-in-chief will be over.

This would also greatly affect the reputation of the subsequent plan to counterattack Nanli.

"Cai and Fu, stay in the woods," he commanded the two stone lions hidden in the shadows.

They stayed within a mile of Li Lin's group, their agility, which was disproportionate to their size, allowing them to hide in the woods and rarely be discovered.

"The rest of you, follow me."