Chapter 470 Return!
Mu Qingcheng looked at the two of them with interest, waved his hand, and the attendant beside him stepped forward and took the two away.
The entire general's mansion gradually became calm. With Xi Xiongtu's help, all the soldiers were gathered under his command in just half an hour.
"Your Majesty!"
"I just took over the military camp and found that 1,500 of Liao Sicheng's guards were missing!"
"Hmm!"
A sneer appeared on Mu Qingcheng's face, and he said in a deep voice: "I am the garrison commander of Dali, a third-rank general, but I actually colluded with the enemy and sold grain privately. It's simply a joke!"
"If it spreads out, how will our Dali country save its face?"
"At dawn tomorrow, escort Liao Sicheng and Shuofang back to Beijing and execute them on a chosen day!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Remember, our Dali and the Nanman are mortal enemies. If someone betrays his country and colludes with foreign races, you can all kill him. I will pardon you!"
"Long live your majesty!"
Accompanied by a series of cheers, Mu Qingcheng also asked all the soldiers to withdraw, leaving only Ning Fan and Xi Xiongtu and others in the entire hall.
"How is the military camp?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!" Xi Xiongtu said solemnly, "There are many of my generals in Shiyuan City. I have eliminated all the confidants left by Liao Sicheng. Now the military camp and defense of Shiyuan City are under our control."
"Yes!"
"Any news about the group of rebels outside the city?"
Mu Qingcheng just asked, Xi Xiongtu shook his head, and was about to speak, but suddenly a figure walked out of the hall: "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
"Come in!"
The man who strode in was a burly man. After saluting respectfully, he said softly: "Your Majesty, General, I just went out of the city to investigate and found that all the soldiers and horses sent by Liao Sicheng were killed several miles outside the city."
"Food and grass are nowhere to be found!"
"There are still many corpses of barbarians there."
Hearing the words of the general, Mu Qingcheng frowned. He frowned slightly and said in a serious tone: "You mean, the barbarians killed people and robbed them?"
"That's right!"
The general nodded without hesitation. Mu Qingcheng immediately looked at Xi Xiongtu and said in a deep voice: "Xi Shuai, you immediately send a cavalry out of the city and bring this batch of grain and grass back to me."
"It's nearly half a day's journey from here to the grassland. They will definitely not be able to return to the grassland before dawn to transport grain and grass!"
"Humph, the people of Dali are still in dire straits, and Liao Sicheng is so generous!"
"He deserves to be cut into pieces!"
Mu Qingcheng looked grim, and Xi Xiongtu on the side also looked stern. After clasping his fists and saluting, he said: "Your Majesty, I will chase him in person!"
Seeing that the hall fell into silence again, Ning Fan touched his nose and couldn't help feeling a little guilty. If this woman knew that she had taken this batch of grain and grass away, would she directly let someone arrest him?
"Your Majesty, don't chase after desperate enemies!"
"I have seen the cavalry of Dali. If they form a military formation with the infantry on weekdays, they can still fight against the barbarians!"
"But if they are on the grassland, I am afraid..."
As soon as Ning Fan finished speaking, Mu Qingcheng looked at him. After a long silence, he said softly: "What you said makes some sense, but I will never let those barbarians bring these hundreds of thousands of stones of grain and grass into the grassland!"
"Your Majesty!"
"I have found out that these barbarians are from the Qiuba tribe. Let Xi Shuai chase them, but don't go deep!"
"When I lead the army to the south, I will destroy the Qiuming tribe along the way!"
"This batch of grain and grass is prepared for the winter. By then..."
As Ning Fan spoke, he found that Mu Qingcheng looked at him with a playful look on his face: "Okay, if you can't find these 700,000 stones of grain and grass by then, His Royal Highness Prince Yong must compensate me."
"700,000 stones?"
Ning Fan's face was stunned, and it immediately darkened, and he remained silent.
"Hmph!"
Mu Qingcheng snorted coldly, stood up and walked out of the hall, and her voice came from afar: "I will return to the capital at dawn. I will wait for you in Shiyuan City in seven days!"
...
The trip to Dali was unexpectedly smooth. The empress went south, which saved him from going to the capital of Dali.
At dawn, the empress took Gong Yuyan back to the capital, and Shiyuan City was guarded by Xi Xiongtu. Ning Fan also set out on the road back to Huainan. Dian Wei's horse and Ning Fan's purple lightning flying dragon were both good horses that could travel hundreds of miles a day.
Li Bai and Xiaolongnu were even more skilled in Qinggong. At full speed, they caught up with Xu Chu's grain transport team in just half a day.
"My Lord!"
"Hehe, we've got a great advantage now."
Xu Chu saw Ning Fan, smiled, and came up to him, clasping his fists: "A full 500,000 shi of grain and grass, and more than 3,000 good horses seized from the barbarians."
"Let's go to the fortress."
Ning Fan reached out to tidy up the hair of the Purple Lightning Flying Dragon, patted the horse's butt lightly, and galloped again towards the fortress.
The construction of the fortress has now entered the final stage. It is located at the junction of the three countries, but it is biased towards the direction of Huainan.
After the completion of this fortress, it will be able to control the gateway to the grassland to a certain extent. The most important thing is that once it is completed, it will be able to extend Dayu's battle line by nearly 100 miles.
"Huh"
After rushing all the way, Ning Fan also stopped outside the fortress, looking at the majestic city in front of him, all built with stones mixed with cement, three feet high, with a city gate, and an arrow tower outside the city.
It was supervised by three masters including Lu Ban from the Engineering Bureau. In front of the city, there were many soldiers, wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, while on the tower, there were men working with half-naked upper bodies.
The appearance of the group quickly attracted the attention of the people in the city. Now the main part of the city has entered the final stage, and the construction of the barracks and granaries is proceeding in an orderly manner.
"General, I would like to see Your Highness."
"Get up!"
Ning Fan rode forward and looked in the direction of the city: "How long will it take to complete the city?"
"Your Highness, the city walls, towers, and streets in the city have been completed. The barracks can be completed within half a month, and the granary has been built by two-thirds!"
"Yes!"
"Speed up, within seven days, the granary must be completed."
"Yes!"
Ning Fan looked at the burly figures on the tower, his eyes were calm, most of the people working here were barbarians captured from the grassland, so he had no sympathy.
However, it must be said that the barbarians on the grassland are really cold-resistant. Now that winter is about to come, these men are still shirtless and even sweating.
"You continue to be busy!"
"I will go in and take a look myself."
"Yes!"
After saying that, Ning Fan took Dian Wei into the city and began to check the various facilities of the fortress.
"Your Highness, there are mostly barbarians in the city. You can take a team of armored soldiers in!"
"No need!"
...