Pingyang County was only twenty li from Anzhi County, and the army could reach it in a single day.
The vanguard of the Chen Kingdom's army arrived at Pingyang County on the third day, finding it mostly burned. On the fourth day, the main force arrived and spent a day thoroughly searching Pingyang County.
Just as they were preparing to depart for Anzhi County on the fifth morning, they received news from the rear that evening that made them want to vomit blood.
Outside Pingyang County, in the central army tent of the Chen Kingdom, a group of generals were in council.
"General, urgent report from the rear!"
"Bring it in." Chen Anmi's heart skipped a beat. He forced himself to remain calm, praying inwardly.
*Please, let nothing bad have happened in the rear.*
"General, disaster has struck, General!"
The messenger from the rear fell to his knees, crying hysterically, as soon as he entered.
"Stop crying! What the hell happened in the rear? Speak!"
General Ma Su, a burly man with a short temper, grabbed the messenger by the collar.
"The grain, the grain has been burned."
"What?!"
All the Chen Kingdom generals present were shocked by the news.
"That's bullshit! The army's grain was stored in Pingye County, with a garrison of over ten thousand men. How could the grain possibly be burned?"
"Speak quickly! What's going on? If you dare to report false military information, you'll lose your head!"
General Ma Su was anxious and slapped the messenger on the shoulder, threatening him.
"It's true. Last night, a few hundred people raided Pingye County. They reached the granary under the cover of darkness and burned all the grain."
"The leader was a Body Refining realm martial cultivator. The defending general couldn't defeat him and was killed along with over two thousand brothers who tried to intercept them."
The messenger quickly recounted the events.
"Martial cultivator? Has the Yunyue Kingdom sent martial cultivators to the front lines?"
"All the attackers were only at the Martial Apprentice realm! Where did this group of freaks come from?"
"It's over. All the grain is burned. How are we supposed to fight this war?"
The generals were dumbfounded.
Chen Anmi swayed and fell silent for a moment, then drew his sword and roared, "Insolent! The enemy's spies have infiltrated our central army tent!"
With that, he beheaded the messenger with a single stroke.
"General of the Western Expedition, what are you doing?"
Ma Su, startled, wiped the blood splashed on his face.
"This is not our messenger. This is an enemy spy. This is an enemy ploy to make us believe the rear's grain has been burned and disrupt our morale!"
Chen Anmi gritted his teeth, staring at the dead messenger, and leaned on his sword, surveying the room.
The generals present were not foolish. They quickly understood and echoed with grim expressions.
"That's right. This Yunyue Kingdom is truly despicable for sending such spies into our army."
"Their intentions are sinister. The people of Yunyue are cunning villains. They can't win head-on, so they resort to such shameless tactics to disrupt us."
While the generals said this, they inwardly believed the dead messenger's words to be about eighty to ninety percent true.
"None of you are to reveal anything that happened in the tent tonight, or you will face military law and be executed immediately!"
Chen Anmi ordered coldly.
"Yes!"
The generals bowed and obeyed.
Soon, only Ma Su and the old general, whom Chen Anmi trusted, remained.
Only when the three of them were alone did Chen Anmi reveal his true feelings. He slumped to the ground, ignoring the blood around him, and stared at the floor, muttering, "What should we do? How could the rear be so easily attacked? Without grain, how can I fight?"
"General, now is not the time to ponder this. We should consider whether to continue the attack or retreat."
The old general, though heartbroken, forced himself to comfort Chen Anmi.
"The old general is right. What should we do next, General? Please make a decision."
General Ma Su reacted now, offering a word of comfort before erupting in anger, "It's all the fault of the generals in charge of the rear! Damn it, a bunch of useless gluttons! With so many men and a city to rely on, they still let someone raid their home! If he weren't dead, I'd tear that bastard apart!"
"Whether to attack or retreat, both are difficult."
Chen Anmi sighed deeply.
At only twenty-something years old, he looked ten years older at that moment.
"If we attack, we can reach Anzhi County in one day. If Anzhi County is also undefended, then with this one-day delay, we can reach Dongyang County in two to three days. But Dongyang County will be difficult to take by then."
"The Yunyue Kingdom still has twenty thousand border troops plus tens of thousands of able-bodied men. It will take at least a month to conquer, and a frontal assault will result in heavy losses."
"If we retreat, it will take five to six days to return to Pingye County, and it's uncertain if these cunning Yunyue people will try to intercept us. Our army only has six days of grain left."
"Moreover, after returning, with Pingye County burned, it's questionable whether there will be any remaining grain to supply the army."
"Tell me yourselves, what should we do?"
Chen Anmi analyzed the situation for them.
The old general and Ma Su fell silent. This was a dilemma with no easy answer.
No matter which option they chose, heavy losses were inevitable.
After a long while, Ma Su roared, "Damn it, why think so much? We are here to fight, not to tuck our tails and be ridiculed!"
"Attack! Attack them fiercely! Isn't there Anzhi County just a day's journey ahead? Let's take it, massacre the city, and we'll have food!"
"Two county towns can feed forty to fifty thousand people for at least ten to fifteen days. Then we can take Dongyang County, and it will be done."
Ma Su's thoughtless suggestion suddenly inspired Chen Anmi and the old general. They had been overthinking and hadn't considered such a desperate strategy.
The old general hesitated and said, "General, what Ma Su said is feasible, but if we do this, we will have no retreat."
Chen Anmi's expression changed.
After a moment, he stood up and said, "We will proceed as Ma Su suggested. I refuse to believe that twelve thousand troops cannot defeat a bunch of cowards!"
"But what about that martial cultivator?"
"Old man, are you deliberately trying to demoralize the troops? What else can we do? We can only push forward. Do you expect us to conjure up another martial cultivator?"
Ma Su was furious.
"Let's take it one step at a time. He can't possibly balance out tens of thousands of men by himself."
Chen Anmi rubbed his forehead and replied with a headache.
Throughout the entire Western Expeditionary Army, there were many at the Ancient Martial realm, including the three of them.
However, not a single person had reached the Body Refining realm, even the introductory stage of martial cultivation.
Chu Chen's Body Refining realm strength loomed over them like a mountain, weighing heavily on their hearts.