A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace Chapter 1130: I Really Am No Longer the Same as Before

For the soldiers.

The initial engagement is profoundly significant; it determines the soldiers' morale and fortitude, proving more inspiring than any subsequent conflict.

A victory was secured in this first clash, eliciting a unified cheer from the troops.

They celebrated the comparatively smooth commencement of hostilities.

Yang He was quite satisfied with the outcome.

Nonetheless, he refrained from underestimating the adversary or hosting a celebratory banquet.

With a grave expression, he enjoined everyone to abstain from drink and to remain diligent in their posts.

This cold reception significantly dampened the high spirits of the soldiers.

However, they dared not voice any dissent, and all returned to their duties in quiet obedience.

The subsequent day arrived.

Western Xia, as anticipated, launched another offensive.

This time, however, their assault was strategically different.

Western Xia shrewdly selected a critical point situated thirty miles from the city, adjacent to the river.

The terrain around Yinshan City is inherently formidable, presenting an easy defense but a arduous assault, a true challenge to overcome.

With merely a few thousand soldiers, Hai Geli managed to hold back ten thousand elite troops of the Great Chu Dynasty, a testament to the location's defensibility.

This maneuver by Hai Xiangjin was indeed a strategy to bypass strong defenses and target weaker points.

But...

Yang He, having served as Minister of War for over two decades, possessed extensive experience and a meticulous approach; his capabilities were well-established.

He had already foreseen that Hai Xiangjin might employ such a tactic.

Consequently, he allocated a substantial thirty percent of his forces to defend the strategic river passage.

This foresight proved invaluable in the present engagement.

The two armies engaged in a fierce confrontation, with both commanding officers observing the battle from secure positions in the rear.

On the forward lines, Yang Chenyi and Deputy General Cui led the soldiers in combat.

Within Yinshan City, Xia Tingfeng and Deputy General Qin maintained the defense, orchestrating a coordinated effort of attack and resilience.

This intense battle raged for a full three days and nights.

It ultimately concluded when Yang Chenyi, at the head of a thousand elite soldiers, utilized a concealed route to launch an ambush on the enemy's supply train.

Deprived of their provisions, the enemy commanders, fighting on empty stomachs, soon became disoriented and weakened, forcing a hasty retreat.

Thus, the Great Chu emerged victorious in the second battle as well!

With consecutive triumphs in both the first and second battles, the soldiers' morale soared, and the entire army rejoiced.

That evening, upon the troops' return.

Torches blazed brightly before the encampment, and soldiers engaged in lively conversation and boastful recounting of their exploits.

"They speak of Western Xia's bravery and martial prowess, yet I found them unremarkable!"

"Precisely! They boasted of overwhelming numbers, causing us sleepless nights!"

"Indeed! I had pent-up energy I never even got to use, and it was over just like that? Is this all the skill they possess?!"

"Hahaha, it's truly laughable!"

The soldiers erupted in laughter, and some stepped forward to challenge the boastful ones.

"You only know how to brag. If not for Young General Yang leading the troops to disrupt their supplies, would we have won so swiftly? You speak as if it were your own accomplishment! Have you no shame?!"

At these words, several soldiers nearby quickly joined the conversation, laughing and gathering around.

"You impudent fellow, we never claimed Young General Yang's credit as our own! Who are you to lecture us?!"

"Exactly! Without us engaging and driving away those two to three thousand Western Xia soldiers, what then?"

"Isn't that the truth?!"

"General Yang deserves credit, and so do we!"

Amidst laughter, friendly jostling ensued.

Yinshan City also resonated with jubilation, soldiers exchanging playful taunts and mock jeers, effectively ridiculing the soldiers of Western Xia.

Fortunately, the Grand General Yang He maintained his composure.

He governed the army with unwavering strictness, maintaining impartiality and integrity. The military regulations were as unyielding as steel, leaving no room for defiance.

Lighthearted banter was permissible, but any transgression involving alcohol would result in immediate disciplinary action under military law.

The soldiers were acutely aware of the Grand General's stringent standards of discipline.

Aside from some cheerful exchanges, they all remained devoted to their duties.

Patrolling as required, maintaining vigil as commanded, not a single soldier dared to slacken their efforts.

...

The Great Chu Dynasty achieved victory in the first battle!

The Great Chu Dynasty secured victory in the second battle!

Dispatches detailing these military reports were urgently forwarded to the Capital City, arriving without delay on Zhao Junyao's desk.

Upon reviewing the information, Zhao Junyao felt a measure of relief.

After careful consideration, he handed the memorial to Li Shengan.

"Go! Disseminate this news!"

Li Shengan complied without hesitation.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

He saluted and turned to depart.

Zhao Junyao rose and stood before the imposing bookshelf within the Imperial Study, his thoughts lost in profound contemplation.

Indeed, he is not the same as he was before.

Once filled with ambition and a burning spirit, his aspiration was to amass the Great Chu Dynasty’s vast forces, numbering a million elite soldiers, and personally lead a grand expedition to conquer and unify the realm, establishing himself as the supreme overlord.

Now, with armies stretching across lands and seas, far exceeding a million strong, a peculiar fear of war has begun to take root within him.

Upon careful deliberation, it is not war itself that he dreads, but rather the relentless, vicious cycle of devastating consequences that inevitably follow in its wake.

The most immediate and profound suffering inflicted by warfare is borne by the common populace.

Displacement becomes rampant, turning resilient citizens into desperate wanderers. The ranks of those afflicted by disaster swell dramatically, the local economic landscape crumbles, and once-fertile villages are left barren and untended.

Concurrently, the Imperial Court finds itself burdened by the immense cost of military provisions for the conflict. Compounding this, the national treasury is strained to provide aid for disaster victims, and further pressure mounts with the necessity of tax exemptions. Under the weight of these three critical demands, the accumulated wealth of years within the national coffers rapidly dwindles.

Once the national treasury is depleted.

The Emperor, as the supreme ruler, is compelled to devise strategies to replenish the reserves. This often involves extracting resources from regions that are comparatively more prosperous.

Such strategies might include the removal of corrupt officials to improve efficiency, the imposition of increased taxes, or the manipulation of market prices, such as raising the cost of essential goods.

These measures, invariably, lead to greater hardship for the people, stirring widespread public discontent and unrest.

Should the Imperial Court falter in its war efforts and suffer defeat, the ensuing period of chaos could extend for countless years, the duration of which none can predict.

Even for those who have never personally endured such times, the universally acknowledged horrors of chaotic eras are deeply understood.

This signifies prolonged periods of widespread hunger and biting cold.

The constant threat looms that men could be conscripted into military service at any moment.

Women and children, stripped of their providers, witness families fractured and torn apart.

In such dire circumstances, even unscrupulous warlords might resort to capturing women and children for forced labor, reducing children to mere child labor and forcing women into lives of servitude as courtesans.

These nightmarish scenarios, though absent for over a century in the Great Chu Dynasty,

have been echoed through the generations by the stories passed down from their ancestors.

This deeply ingrained, generational fear seems to have taken firm root in the hearts of the people.

Once the drums of war begin to beat,

the only recourse available to the terrified common folk is to engage in a desperate act: hoarding grain.

During times of turmoil, material wealth loses its value; possessing grain in hand provides a semblance of security against mounting anxieties.

As everyone frantically stockpiles grain, the market price inevitably skyrockets.

Under normal circumstances, the common people could readily afford the purchase of grain.

However, with prices soaring to unimaginable heights, they can only gaze upon it as if it were a distant mirage.

The inability to acquire grain leads to widespread hunger, transforming law-abiding citizens into victims of disaster, their starved bodies littering the landscape, further exacerbating the already critical tally of disaster victims.

Effective governance becomes an increasingly insurmountable challenge, and the lives of the populace transform into an unbearable existence.

This represents the third significant layer of harm inflicted by war: the erosion of the government's capacity to maintain control.

If the escalating situation cannot be effectively managed.

The convergence of internal strife and external aggression could swiftly precipitate the downfall of even the most formidable empire.

Even if the situation is managed with remarkable skill, the nation still sustains substantial damage.

Following the restoration of administrative stability, it remains uncertain how many years of dedicated effort will be required to recover to the conditions that existed before the war.

Of course.

These devastating consequences stem solely from human actions, distinct from calamities brought about by nature.

The Great Chu Dynasty, while possessing many strengths, is unfortunately plagued by recurring floods on a yearly basis.

In the aftermath of natural disasters, a cascade of epidemics, widespread starvation, and rampant banditry typically follows in swift succession.

These interconnected problems present a horrifying reality that is too terrifying to contemplate in detail.

The destructive impact they bring far surpasses the direct devastation wrought by warfare itself.

Standing by the window, Zhao Junyao's fists clenched tightly at his sides, his gaze unwavering and resolute, as sharp and cold as tempered steel.

He vowed that he would never permit this brewing conflict, however minor it might seem, to shatter the hard-won peace and stability he had painstakingly established throughout the years.

Never!