Chapter 89: UnbridledChapter 1717 Logistics Issues
"The young lady has devoted her whole heart and care to your Highness. Your Highness mustn't disappoint her."
Seeing Li Chen in good spirits, Wu Qingcang chimed in with a joke.
Li Chen stood up and said, "Alright, let's eat and talk."
Walked to the table, Li Chen picked up a steamed bun and turned his head to ask, “Has Wu Shuai used it”
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. I have already eaten." Wu Qingcang immediately said.
Li Chen nodded, eating steamed buns with a pile of pickled vegetables, a small river fish, and a bowl of rice porridge. That was his dinner.
In the impoverished regions of Gansu and Shaanxi, being able to eat such a meal would already be considered quite good. However, for Li Chen's status, it was rather shabby.
Wu Qingcang, however, knew that Li Chen was not putting on a show. Over the past period of time, Li Chen's food, clothing and shelter had been so simple that Wu Qingcang couldn't believe it. He usually ate plain food with few dishes, but he always finished almost all of it. On two occasions when they ate together, Wu Qingcang even wondered, the imperial prince of an empire, actually eats worse than him.
"Your Highness is strict with yourself, advocating for frugality. How can the country not prosper" Wu Qingscang said sincerely.
Li Chen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, “You flatter me. In fact, this palace has always preferred lighter fare. Rich and greasy food makes me feel uncomfortable after eating. As for those so-called delicacies, I don’t dislike them, but I always feel that these simple dishes are more satisfying.”
"Indeed, that is why His Highness's sincerity shines through without pretense. This subordinate has also followed Your Highness in consuming lighter meals recently. To my surprise, I feel much more clear-headed and invigorated, and my body feels noticeably lighter as well. It seems that a daily diet of simplicity truly offers many benefits."
Li Chen waved his hand and said, "No need for such ceremony. You soldiers march and fight, your daily consumption is large, and replenishment must also be guaranteed. Speaking of which, the rations of the soldiers below cannot all be plain. Daily meat supply must be sufficient, this point cannot be deducted or saved."
Upon hearing this, Wu Qingscang immediately said: "Your Highness, please rest assured. Currently, the entire army has ensured an ample supply of meat. It's just..."
Upon hearing Wu Qingcang's words, Li Chen turned his head and frowned, asking, "Just what"
"It's just that recently, the supply of grain and fodder has been delayed more and more severely. At first, it was only a day or two late, which wasn't a big deal. The journey was long anyway, and delays due to weather were normal and reasonable. But this delay not only failed to ease, but actually worsened. The latest batch of grain and fodder was supposed to arrive three days ago, but there's still no sign of it today."
“My subordinate went to inquire, but it seems that the reason is··· there's a shortage of silver in the rear. The imperial court can't send funds down, and this situation has lasted for some time. It is said that some suppliers have been owed at least a month's worth of goods, and they could no longer bear it, so they stopped supplying.”
Wu Qingcang bowed and said, "At present, the army's grain and fodder are thanks to previous reserves, and can still support for a while. However, the decisive battle is about to begin, and the daily consumption is astronomical. If the logistical problem is not solved, there may be chaos, and...the Jin army's consumption is also a big spender."
Li Chen frowned slightly.
According to the previous agreement with Huangjitian, the daily consumption of Jin Jun's 300,000 army is provided by the Da Qin court. This is reasonable, as it would be impossible for Jin Jun to transport food and supplies from their homeland over such a long distance.s.""To illustrate, we assign the four people numbers one through four. If Zhao Xuanji knows which number corresponds to a specific person, then he'll know who the ghost is."After Li Chen's explanatio...