Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

Zemeng Camp.

After the battle, Lu Xiao was warmly welcomed and praised by his soldiers as soon as he returned to camp. In particular, the 10,000 soldiers of Ze Meng Camp regarded him as a god in their hearts!

Before this, they never imagined that a mere three hundred men could rout three thousand Chu soldiers!

At this moment, they firmly believed that with Lu Xiao's leadership, they would soon be able to reclaim the lost territory of Yun County, and even seize land from the Chu Kingdom to strengthen the foundation of their Great Zhou!

After shouting, Lu Xiao smiled and waved his hand, signaling everyone not to get too excited for the time being, since the Chu army had not yet been driven out of Yun County.

After saying that, he led his men back to the watchtower to discuss the next battle plan.

"My lord, I believe we can directly use your meeting with Xiong Zhao a few days ago as a starting point!"

Qian Yu excitedly proposed that his plan was almost identical to Qu Hongtu's.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao smiled slightly:

"It's a bit too early to use this tactic now. Let's wait until the time is right before we start."

"Does Your Excellency intend to recruit Xiong Zhao to your side?"

Qian Yu immediately realized his intention.

As expected, Lu Xiao did not deny it:

"good!"

"General Xiong's military leadership is widely known, and he is also an upright and honest man. If he could join our Great Zhou, he would be even more powerful!"

"Moreover, he is originally from the State of Chu. With his help, it will be much easier for you and me to take over the State of Chu in the future."

"Report!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Fang Dahu walked in, smiling as he spoke:

"My lord, the first batch of grain has arrived, and the lady of the house has begun to lead people to count and store it."

"So fast?"

Lu Xiao was taken aback. He remembered that the letters he had sent to the Fan family and Wang Qingqing to have people transport the grain were probably still on their way. How come the grain had arrived first?

Could it have been directly transferred by the Emperor or the Prime Minister?

When he set off from the capital, he only brought enough provisions for the army of three thousand to travel the route, and Emperor Dehong also expressed his full support.

But Fang Dahu shook his head:

"Reporting to the Marquis, it wasn't His Majesty or the Prime Minister, but rather Master Fan who, while still in the capital, had already sent a letter to his ancestral home in Yuyang, instructing the Fan family to send a batch of grain over as soon as possible, in preparation for any eventuality."

"Along with the grain came a letter from Lady Wang."

"Lady Wang said she is currently procuring provisions and should arrive at the camp in about twenty days!"

"Please take a look, Your Excellency."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao was deeply moved.

He was very grateful to have such considerate family members.

Qian Yu, standing to the side, was filled with envy.

If only their Zemeng camp had such excellent logistics, otherwise they wouldn't have been holding out until today!

"My lord, Prefect Wu Zeliang of Yun County is requesting an audience!"

Just then, Zhao Xiaoqi walked in.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao and the others exchanged glances. Qian Yu, his eyes filled with indignation, said:

"I knew that old scoundrel Wu Liang would flock over to the grain as soon as he saw it, trying to plunder it!"

In a fit of anger, he actually changed Wu Zeliang's name.

"My lord, why don't you allow me to arrest that fellow and give him a good beating?"

Zhang Qingshan, this brute, wanted to beat the other party to a pulp. After all, he had completely submitted to Lu Xiao, and with the food sent by the Fan family and Wang Qingqing, he would no longer have to put up with Wu Zeliang's bullying.

Lu Xiao said that the person must be captured and beaten, but action could not be taken immediately.

This won't affect him much, but the other soldiers in Zemeng's camp will definitely be punished.

Why would someone deliberately make themselves suffer when they're trying to get the supplies they deserve?

Therefore, he gestured to everyone not to rush, and then ordered Zhao Xiaoqi to bring the person in.

"Your humble servant Wu Zeliang greets Your Excellency!"

After Prefect Wu Zeliang entered, he immediately bowed respectfully before looking up at Lu Xiao:

"My lord, I have come here today with a request, but considering the precarious situation at Zemeng Camp, I am hesitant and unsure whether to speak."

"Then let's not talk about it."

Lu Xiao squinted at the other person, his words cold.

Wu Zeliang was a plump, wealthy man with fair skin and delicate features. It was obvious at a glance that he had always lived a life of luxury and had never done anything himself.

Although he was Zhou Kang's son-in-law, Lu Xiao was not afraid of him!

The mere fact that he held the titles of Marquis of Champion and General of Zhennan already put him ahead of Wu Zeliang, the prefect, not to mention that he also had the support of Emperor Dehong and Zhou Kang.

Upon hearing this, Wu Zeliang's expression froze slightly, and after a few moments he smiled wryly:

"My lord, I have come today on urgent business!"

"Although Yun County is located in the south and its grain production is higher than that of other counties in the country, this year Yun County has suffered from a severe drought that is rare in decades, resulting in a reduction of more than 30% to 40% in grain production!"

"It is currently the lean season between harvests, and many people in the county are starving because they have no food. If this continues, there may be many refugees."

"Your humble servant humbly begs Your Majesty to allocate some of the grain from the general's reserves to alleviate the urgent needs of the people in the prefecture!"

After he finished speaking, he bowed deeply, his expression extremely sincere!

If Lu Xiao hadn't already learned about this man's character from Qian Yu and others, he probably would have been fooled by his act.

At this moment, Lu Xiao coldly snorted:

"Isn't protecting the territory and ensuring the safety of the people the responsibility of Lord Wu? Why do you have to come to me for help?"

"Don't you know that the State of Chu has been eyeing our Great Zhou with covetous intent, and has been invading our territory for many years?"

"Moreover, just before Lord Wu arrived, our army had just fought a battle with the Chu army, and it was precisely the time when we needed supplies and provisions to enter the capital."

"If we allocate some grain to you, how will the soldiers in the army be able to eat their fill? How can the soldiers fight the Chu army and protect the people of the entire prefecture if they are not well-fed?"

Wu Zeliang broke out in a cold sweat after hearing these words, but he still showed everyone just how low his standards really were:

"My lord, I had no other choice but to swallow my pride and ask for your help."

"Due to the severe drought this year, the people have had almost no harvest since the beginning of spring. The county's granaries have been opened several times, and the stored grain has long been depleted. The imperial court has yet to allocate any more grain."

"Otherwise, I would never dare to bother Your Highness!"

"hehe."

Upon hearing these high-sounding words, Lu Xiao immediately sneered:

"Lord Wu, the imperial court isn't allocating grain; don't you know to ask your father-in-law for help?"

"If the Prime Minister approves, the food crisis in Yun County can be resolved in an instant. Why do you have to lower yourself to beg for help from me?"

Seeing the respect Wu Zeliang showed when he mentioned his father-in-law, Wu straightened up and immediately laid his cards on the table:

"I have only one question—is Your Excellency willing to allocate some of the grain to stabilize the hearts of the people in the entire prefecture?"