Chapter 304: I Hate Rainy Days!
On the side of the court, the strategy was simple—just fire arrows and throw stones from the riverbank. It was an easy and relatively safe task.
However, for the Southern Jiang Army attempting to cross the river, the situation was much more perilous. They had to both cross the river and defend against the arrows and stones from the court. The river quickly turned red from the bloodshed caused by the Southern Jiang Army.
Seeing the devastating casualties, Southern Jiang Prince raised his long blade and shouted, “Let the martial artists wade through the river! First-rate experts will lead the way, followed by other martial artists. We need to create an opening!”
“Yes, Your Highness!” the crowd responded.
The martial artists advanced, using their light skills to cross the river. Among them, the most formidable were the innate experts, who could practically leap to the other side and engage the court forces.
Lin Beifan remained composed and signaled, “Soldiers to soldiers, generals to generals, block them for me!”
“Yes, Commander Lin!”
The innate experts and martial artists from the court also entered the fray according to Lin Beifan’s plan. Strong faced strong, and weaker faced weaker. They did their utmost to intercept the Southern Jiang Army’s crossing.
A massive battle unfolded on the Songjiang River. Clashes of blades, flashes of sword light, and the surging of true energy filled the air. The two sides were forced to retreat about thirty yards, clearing a large area for combat.
Eventually, due to the extreme danger, the ordinary martial artists had no choice but to withdraw, leaving only the innate experts to fight for control over the Songjiang River.
With a smile on his face, Lin Beifan looked at Night Fragrance beside him and said, “It’s your turn now.”
Night Fragrance fanned himself while smiling complacently, “Leave it to me!”
With a snap, he closed his folding fan and switched to an ordinary small knife before advancing toward the Songjiang River.
An old man guarding Southern Jiang Prince suddenly opened his eyes and, with a swift motion, rushed to the river, positioning himself in front of Night Fragrance. His aura was exceptionally powerful.
Night Fragrance was taken aback, “A Grandmaster!”
Southern Jiang Prince burst into laughter, “Night Fragrance, I’ve known all along about you. How could I not be prepared?”
This Grandmaster was indeed a powerful figure. He had been invited by Southern Jiang Prince to support his cause due to a favor owed. The Grandmaster faced Night Fragrance with a calm expression, “Night Fragrance, this Grandmaster and your master go way back. I’ll spare you this time for his sake. Withdraw, and I won’t hold you accountable.”
“Let me withdraw? What if you massacre our people?” Night Fragrance protested.
The Grandmaster spoke with pride, “Rest assured, this Grandmaster also has a reputation to uphold. Unless someone of equal strength or a person posing a threat to His Highness Southern Jiang is present, I will not intervene.”
“Very well! It’s a deal!” Night Fragrance begrudgingly stepped back.
Turning to Lin Beifan with resignation, he said, “He’s a Grandmaster and an old acquaintance of my master. I can’t make a move!”
For Lin Beifan, the situation was becoming increasingly complicated as high-level martial artists and power plays shaped the course of the battle.
“Understandable!” Lin Beifan nodded.
After the Grandmaster persuaded Night Fragrance to withdraw, he stood by Southern Jiang Prince’s side, closing his eyes and looking like a sculpture. This left only the innate experts from both sides to battle on the Songjiang River.
The battle raged on for a day, but neither side could gain the upper hand. Eventually, the drums signaled a retreat, and both sides stopped to make fires and cook their meals.
However, due to the presence of many civilians with Lin Beifan’s forces, they were able to start cooking rice as soon as the battle ended. The aroma of cooked rice spread not only through their own troops but also across the river to the Southern Jiang Army.
The Southern Jiang soldiers’ stomachs grumbled in hunger. They longingly remarked, “Such fragrant rice!”
“Haven’t had such delicious rice in a long time. I really want to eat!”
“What a nostalgic scent!”
…
Lin Beifan, being on a mission from the court, wouldn’t skimp on his troops. The rice he brought was the best from the imperial granaries.
However, the Southern Jiang Army had faced water disasters and Lin Beifan’s destructive fire, leaving them without proper food for over half a year. Even now, they had only old rice rations, nowhere near as good as Lin Beifan’s new rice.
Then, an unusual aroma wafted over again.
The Southern Jiang Army stared, envious. “This is the smell of meat! They actually have meat to eat!”
“Marching for war, and they still have meat?”
“Such treatment for the court’s troops, how is that possible?”
…
Food supply during military campaigns was a significant issue, often consuming considerable manpower and resources. Having food was a luxury.
However, now they had meat to eat—a luxury during wartime. The morale of the Southern Jiang Army was affected; they couldn’t understand why their enemy could enjoy such fine food during battle.
The situation worsened as another scent reached them.
The Southern Jiang Army’s eyes turned red with envy. “This is alcohol! They actually have wine!”
“Going out to battle, and they still have wine?”
“What kind of divine treatment is this?”
“I’m so jealous!”
…
Transporting supplies was already a huge challenge; transporting alcohol was even harder. Alcohol couldn’t sustain hunger and was prone to spillage. It was unheard of to use alcohol during military campaigns.
Seeing the longing expressions of his soldiers, Southern Jiang Prince was shocked. Not only did the court have excellent food, but it also had meat and wine. It seemed they were here not for war, but to indulge themselves.
Could the court have become so wealthy?
Watching his troops drooling, showing an unbecoming appearance, Southern Jiang Prince was extremely embarrassed. He scolded, “What are you looking at? Hurry up and start a fire to cook!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The Southern Jiang troops quickly started a fire. However, they weren’t cooking a proper meal but rather a simple porridge. They didn’t have much food, so they had to ration it.
Their food was yellow and looked like it had been nibbled by insects. As soon as it touched the water, it turned yellow. Apart from this meager dinner, they had nothing else.
The Southern Jiang Army once again couldn’t help but glance at the other side of the river, mouths watering.
Why was it that, in the same war, the enemy could enjoy such good food?
Their morale began to sink.
Southern Jiang Prince realized that low morale would impact their combat strength. He spoke loudly, “Soldiers! Although we’re eating yellow rice now, it won’t last forever! As long as we make it to the other side, food, meat, and wine will be ours!”
The spirits of the Southern Jiang Army lifted.
Southern Jiang Prince was right!
Once they reached the other side, they would have food, meat, and wine. They could feast heartily!
Seeing his words had the desired effect, Southern Jiang Prince continued to encourage them, “So now, let’s eat heartily! Eat your fill so you have the strength to cross to the other side and seize the food, meat, and wine!”
“Yes, Your Highness!” The soldiers rallied.
However, at that moment, Lin Beifan waved his hand, and the weather suddenly changed. Dark clouds gathered, and a drizzling rain began to fall.
Southern Jiang Prince and his soldiers were dumbfounded!
Why was it raining out of nowhere?
If it was going to rain, fine, but why only on their side and not on the enemy’s?
This was freaking bizarre!
The Southern Jiang Army got soaked in the sudden rain, feeling both chilled and exasperated. But worse was yet to come.
As the rain fell steadily, it soaked all the firewood, extinguishing the fires that were cooking porridge.
“Damn it! The fire’s out!”
“Who doesn’t light a fire on a rainy day? How can we cook like this?”
“All the firewood is wet!”
…
The soldiers of the Southern Jiang Army were utterly perplexed. The water had barely begun to heat up, and now, how were they supposed to cook their rice? Were they expected to eat raw rice? Come on, that would give them indigestion!
On the other side of the river, Lin Beifan and several officials walked over, carrying bowls of wine. Looking at the continuous rain on the opposite bank, Lin Beifan called out, “Your Highness, it’s a pity that you can’t start a fire to cook due to the rain. Would you like me to send some cooked rice and meat over?”
“Your Highness, we have wine here!”
“What type of wine would you like? We have a variety; let us send it over!”
“If we let you starve, we’ll bear a heavy responsibility!”
…
Southern Jiang Prince was extremely frustrated. These bastards were deliberately trying to provoke him!
“Hmph! I don’t need it. You mind your own business!”
With a cheerful smile, Lin Beifan said, “Although Your Highness may not need it, we have to show some goodwill. Otherwise, it would be highly disrespectful. Why don’t we set up a table of food here, so Southern Jiang Prince can feast his eyes, satisfy his cravings? What do you think?”
The officials’ eyes lit up. “Great idea!”
So, tables were arranged, rice was laid out, and food and wine were placed on display. Lin Beifan and the generals enjoyed their food and wine, laughed and chatted, all while watching the rain on the other side. They watched as the Southern Jiang Army got soaked and looked utterly miserable.
Southern Jiang Prince was trembling with anger. “These despicable people!”
Wang Fugui’s face was strained. “Your Highness, we can’t start a fire to cook porridge in this rain. What can we do?”
Southern Jiang Prince huffed, “Set up tents and cook slowly inside them!”
Wang Fugui’s face twisted with concern. “But that will take a lot of time, and the soldiers…”
Southern Jiang Prince snapped, “Do you have a better solution?”
“Yes, Your Highness! I know what to do!” Wang Fugui scurried off.
Southern Jiang Prince looked up at the rain falling on his face, then wiped it off forcefully. With clenched teeth, he muttered, “I hate rainy days!”
Thus, while the court’s troops rested, the Southern Jiang Army continued struggling to cook porridge. The small tents and damp firewood made the process exceptionally slow.
After over two hours, they had only managed to cook a few dozen pots of porridge, which were quickly devoured by around 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers. The remaining hundreds of thousands of troops continued to endure hunger and had to keep cooking more porridge.
Throughout the night, only 100,000 soldiers managed to eat porridge, while the rest of the 400,000 went hungry. Yet, the porridge was hardly satiating. Those who had consumed it earlier felt hungry again by the end of the night.
The Southern Jiang Prince initially intended to continue crossing the river, but seeing the current situation, it was clear that wouldn’t be possible. They might starve to death in the middle of the river.
Looking up at the ongoing drizzle, he clenched his teeth and muttered, “I hate rainy days!”
At that moment, Lin Beifan’s triumphant voice echoed, “Southern Jiang Prince, the time for rest is over. Come out for battle! We’ll continue fighting for another 300 rounds!”
Southern Jiang Prince’s face turned pale. He knew very well he couldn’t start a fire to cook food. Yet, Lin Beifan still uttered such provocative words…
Wasn’t this a deliberate attempt to anger him?
