"My lord, what is it?"
Meeting Qin Feng's scrutinizing gaze, Yang Yanqi blinked in confusion.
Why did she see pity in her lord's eyes?
Was he worried about her?
What a good lord!
Thinking this, Yang Yanqi patted her chest and assured him:
"My lord, rest assured!"
"It's just some barbarian rebels. Yanqi is confident she can suppress them!"
"Uh..."
Qin Feng, who had snapped back to reality, felt a mix of amusement and helplessness, and found it difficult to explain.
However,
Thinking of her attributes, comparable to Li Xiuning's, Qin Feng stroked his chin and asked thoughtfully,
"Yanqi, do you want to lead a separate army, or command from the center?"
"Hmm?"
Yang Yanqi was taken aback by the question and instinctively glanced at the over a thousand cavalry behind her.
"My lord, I'd like to lead a separate army, but I don't think we have the conditions for that, do we?"
"..."
The smile on Qin Feng's face faltered, and he didn't know what to say.
Was this the legendary retribution?
He had just mocked someone for being poor, and they immediately looked down on him for being poor?
Did it have to be such a slap in the face!
Fortunately,
Perhaps sensing Qin Feng's embarrassment, a wisp of dust appeared on the distant official road.
"Report!"
"Reporting to my lord, two cavalry units have appeared five miles away, claiming to have received my lord's order to rendezvous!"
"Excellent!"
Ignoring the surprised looks of the two women beside him, Qin Feng glanced at the sky and announced with great spirit,
"Halt! Set up camp and cook. We'll depart in an hour!"
"Yes!"
Receiving Qin Feng's order, the marching cavalry slowly stopped and found a flat area to serve as a temporary camp.
The cooks, who had only been trained for a few days, began to get busy.
Some were boiling soup, others were kneading dough, and soon smoke began to rise from the cooking fires.
"This is convenient, but is the cost too high?"
Looking at the eagerly anticipating soldiers in the camp, Li Xiuning, who had returned after inspecting, frowned and said,
"That's all fine flour. If we sold it and exchanged it for ordinary grain, it could last for at least two more months!"
"It's fine!"
Waving for Li Xiuning to sit beside him, Qin Feng explained with a smile,
"Didn't I tell you last time? The grain problem will be resolved soon!"
"How will it be resolved?"
Seeing that Qin Feng wasn't taking it seriously, Li Xiuning's delicate eyebrows furrowed even deeper.
"Even if those crops are as high-yielding as you say, doesn't it still take time from planting to harvesting?"
"How will you get through these months?"
"Moreover..."
Li Xiuning paused here and said meaningfully,
"What if you summon tens of thousands more soldiers during this period?"
"This..."
Hearing Li Xiuning's words, Qin Feng also frowned.
Indeed!
If it were only the current ten to twenty thousand people, the existing grain could barely suffice.
If push came to shove, he could still 'borrow some' from the influential families in Zhuo County.
But what if the army grew larger?
What would they eat?
What would they drink?
Even if they killed all the influential families in the entire Zhuo County, and even Zhuo Commandery, they might not be able to gather enough grain for a hundred thousand troops.
Gold and silver jewelry?
Useless!
In this era of war and chaos, having money doesn't guarantee you can buy grain.
"We should recruit fewer troops until we increase grain production!"
Sighing deeply, Qin Feng reached out and patted Li Xiuning's shoulder.
"I know about this. We'll discuss it after we return from fighting the Wuhuan!"
"Mhm~!"
Seeing that Qin Feng had truly taken her advice, Li Xiuning's pretty face finally lit up with a smile.
She didn't fear her lord being lecherous, nor did she fear him being lazy. The only thing she worried about was him not listening to advice.
But now, it seemed acceptable!
Apart from being a bit lustful, lazy, and narcissistic, he was passable in other aspects.
Especially the organization behind her lord, which provided considerable support.
Those suddenly appearing soldiers were not ordinary cabbages picked from the roadside.
Putting aside their fine equipment, their spirit alone indicated they were far from being a rabble.
"Right~!"
Qin Feng, unaware that Li Xiuning was secretly evaluating him, gestured for her and Yang Yanqi to come closer and said with a smile,
"The reinforcements summoned this time are seven thousand elite cavalry. Let's discuss the next combat plan."
"Seven thousand?!"
As Qin Feng finished speaking, Li Xiuning and Yang Yanqi exclaimed in unison.
"That's right!"
Qin Feng raised his eyebrows, enjoying their astonished expressions.
Weren't they looking down on me?
Take that!
Adding the current two thousand cavalry, and Zhang Fei's thousand cavalry, he now commanded a total of ten thousand cavalry!
Coupled with the ten thousand sword and shield soldiers from Zhuo County...
Never mind that the Yellow Turban Rebellion had just begun; even during the period of the warlords' conflict, he could be considered a regional lord.
"My lord~!"
Unlike the excited Qin Feng and the stunned Yang Yanqi, Li Xiuning, having recovered her senses, frowned subconsciously and asked,
"Did the cavalry you summoned not bring any provisions either?"
"Uh..."
The corner of Qin Feng's upturned lips slightly dropped, and he sheepishly scratched his head,
"Should... I guess... they don't bring provisions when they leave, do they?"
"But we don't have much grain either!"
Having confirmed her thoughts, a trace of worry appeared on Li Xiuning's pretty face.
When she heard that Qin Feng was summoning troops before, she hadn't taken it too seriously, thinking it would be like last time, summoning two to three thousand men.
In that case, a swift victory would allow them to return before the provisions ran out.
But seven thousand cavalry?
One man with two horses?
This...
The more she thought about it, the more her scalp tingled. Li Xiuning quickly suggested,
"My lord, we haven't gone too far yet. Why don't we go back and gather some provisions before we leave?"
"Th-that's fine, I suppose..."
Qin Feng now deeply understood the meaning of "When an army is on the move, provisions must go first."
War was not as simple as one imagined!
He thought that with the War God system, he could crush the world by killing,
But now it seemed,
He might starve his soldiers to death just as he embarked on the journey to dominate the world.
"Damn it!"
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed Qin Feng became, and he inwardly grumbled,
"You darn system, since you can drop seeds, why can't you drop some grain?"
"..."
Facing Qin Feng's grumbling, the system replied helplessly,
"Do you think I don't want to?"
"But rewards are truly random!"
"Why don't you try killing a few farmers?"
"Also, to clarify..."
"The seeds were a gift from the beginner's package, not dropped by you killing enemies!"
"..."
Hearing the system's suggestion, Qin Feng almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Try killing a few farmers?
Did he even need to try?
Didn't he know?
The system rules clearly stated that only military forces of the opposing faction could drop rewards.
Civilians didn't count at all!
And once civilians put down their hoes and joined the army, they belonged to the military forces.
This was a problem with no solution!