Even before Laiyue had explained his actions, He Changdi had already guessed the situation.

“No matter. This isn’t your fault. You’ve done well this time. Let’s head back and have a meal and some rest.”

Laiyue made a sound of agreement before following one of He Changdi’s guards to a tent to rest.

As Laiyue watched his young master turn back into his own tent with his brows tightly knitted together, he couldn’t help but lament their current state.

Third Young Master had really put his all into this gamble. His master had once been just like any of the other young noblemen living in the capital- compared to his current penniless state, it was too large a difference. Laiyue couldn’t help but feel extremely sad.

He didn’t understand why his young master had been so resolute in his decision to come to the northern border. His initial dissatisfaction towards Third Young Madam definitely wasn’t one of the reasons.

They had used up all of the money they had brought from the capital, along with all the properties in Third Young Master’s name. There wasn’t a single valuable left. Right now, other than his rank as Captain He, Third Young Master had nothing else to his name. He was probably even poorer than those concubine-born sons from the third-rate noble houses...

Through letters from home, Laiyue had also heard of the things that Chu Lian had done back in the capital. Third Young Madam was a really capable person. Who could have thought that a noble young lady would be so good at earning money? Just going by ‘Guilin Restaurant’ alone, Third Young Madam’s pockets were likely filled to bursting.

In the entire House Jing’an, it was probably Third Young Madam who had the most money now.

Now that Third Young Madam had also come to Liangzhou, did that mean his wise and mighty young master would have to rely on his wife to keep himself fed?

As Laiyue’s mind continued wandering through these thoughts, he felt that his foresight was excellent. He had to quickly recover from his fatigue and toss his lot in with the wealthy Third Young Madam.

If He Sanlang were to find out that his manservant was thinking of switching sides, he would probably break all of the little bastard’s legs!

The lights in He Changdi’s tent remained on until late in the night. Exhausted, He Changdi rubbed his temples as he fell back onto his bed. His eyes stared straight up at the dark canopy of the tent as he listened to the howling wind outside. No matter how tired he was, He Changdi couldn’t muster up the slightest bit of sleepiness.

He went through solutions in his mind the entire night, but none of them were actually useful.

With Xiao Hongyu’s rhythmic snores as accompaniment, He Changdi subconsciously smoothed his elegant hands over the fluffy, warm fleece blanket covering him. The memory of the day Chu Lian had come to visit the camp floated into his mind.

He turned on his side and took in a deep breath, wanting to get rid of the images in his head. However, there was a faint fragrance on the blanket covering him that made his memory even clearer.

He Changdi’s brows drew together in frustration, and he almost made to throw the blanket onto the ground. Although that urge lingered in his mind, the hand he had placed on the blanket refused to move.

It wasn’t until the faint light of day had broken over the horizon that He Sanlang was finally able to slip into slumber.

Time passed quickly. The Tuhuns had practically stopped all attacks on the frontline. They would only send small parties to launch sneak attacks from time to time, clearly trying to play the waiting game with the border troops.

The Tuhuns’ living conditions had been poor from the start. This wasn’t the first time they had started eyeing the Great Wu Dynasty’s rich, fertile fields.

The Tuhuns weren’t like the people of the Great Wu. They had been living on the grasslands and icy mountains of the region for generation after generation, and as a result, they were well-used to the harsh, bitter conditions, particularly the winter’s icy winds and snowstorms that the border troops had difficulties with. Furthermore, the Tuhuns had been plotting an invasion for years. They had their ways to pass this harsh winter.

As the snow fell even harder and the days grew even colder, the conditions were turning more and more to their favour.

It was an entirely different matter on the side of the Liangzhou border troops. The government had been spending huge sums to maintain the army at the border. There were quotas set on the military supplies sent every season. The relative peacetime of the Great Wu Dynasty meant that the military officials didn’t have as much influence and respect in court. Meanwhile, the literary officials spread ideals of leading the nation with virtue rather than weaponry. This was most evident in the previous year, when the cabinet had argued for months over the budget set for military expenditure.

When the turn of the year had come around, military spending had been cut down even further, rather than increased.

Thus, the border troops were in imminent danger.

Due to the early snows in Liangzhou this year, the army’s winter supplies hadn’t been able to make it here in time. It was as if their lifeline had been cut.

The Tuhuns had spent a decade sharpening their blades, waiting for this chance. Although their weapons couldn’t be compared to the Great Wu’s, they had the advantage, having prepared enough food to last the whole of winter. It was the Liangzhou border troops who couldn’t afford to wait.

One of the officers had bristled with anger at the Tuhuns’ tactics. He suggested gathering all fifty thousand soldiers and feeding them a good meal before sending them out to trample the Tuhun army without leaving a trace!

The Liangzhou army was under the command of Duke Lu, so they weren’t a bunch of cowardly soldiers. They had the courage to die on the battlefields to protect their country.

The soldiers were good soldiers and the leaders were good leaders. However, the Tuhun army wasn’t stupid. They weren’t going to stand out and let the border troops attack them without fighting back, nor did they leave their supplies out for just anyone to discover.

The northern border was a huge land with a sparse population. Sometimes they wouldn’t even see a single soul out there on the grass plains.

The Tuhuns were used to living in these conditions and scrabbling for survival. Guerilla warfare and hiding were what they were good at, and this was well-suited to the northern border’s large space.

The most likely result from the angry officer’s suggestion would be their fifty thousand soldiers dying of hunger or exposure after crossing the river without finding a single hint of the Tuhuns...

Thus, all they could do was wait as their supplies dwindled down. If they wanted to bring supplies in, they would have to think of a way to get to the heartlands of the Great Wu.