As the saying goes, when people have money, they can't help but want to spend it recklessly.
Chen An was no different.
In the past, it was fine, but now with a lot of source power in his hands, he couldn't help but feel a little restless.
After all, with so much source power, he could do a lot of things.
Without saying anything else, it was easy for him to elevate himself to the third level of Gang Qi.
But after some thought, Chen An dispelled this tempting idea.
He was not the kind of person who liked to cheat.
He believed that only through diligent effort and steady progress could he reap the best rewards.
Cheating or anything like that, he looked down upon.
Well, to be honest, he was just stingy.
Although the source power on him seemed abundant, in reality, if he didn't save a little, it might not be enough for many times.
With his cultivation level elevated, shouldn't his martial skills be correspondingly improved?
And shouldn't his agility also be improved a little?
If he kept going back and forth like this, even though he seemed to have a lot of source power, would it really be enough?
Chen An doubted.
So after some thought, he decided to be honest.
In areas where he could do it himself, he would just do it honestly.
Saving a little bit was the way to go.
After all, the source power was not easy to come by.
"I still can't let go."
Chen An thought helplessly.
Through the crystal stones, he had discovered a new way to obtain source power, but there were still some problems.
The number of precious lands was too few.
The amount of wool that could be obtained in each precious land was limited.
Thinking of this, Chen An couldn't help but start to miss the eerie world from before.
There was no choice.
Compared to precious lands, the method of energy supplementation was troublesome, as it required one to do it themselves and search for traces of energy.
But at least it had large quantities.
Emphasizing quantity over quality was more important than anything else.
If this world also had such energy, Chen An's current worries would be greatly reduced.
While reaching the innate realm may not be possible in one go, doing everything else he wanted to do at once should not be a problem.
Probably.
Shaking his head in secret, Chen An quietly stood up and walked towards the outside, continuing his closed-door cultivation.
Because he had over-reaped the wool, there was no place for Chen An to continue reaping in the short term.
Unless a new precious land appeared somewhere.
But that was unlikely.
So Chen An could only continue to cultivate honestly.
Fortunately, the vitality of the precious land would gradually recover.
Just like how the wool would regrow after being reaped, and the chives would stubbornly grow back after being cut, the vitality concentration of the precious lands was also changing dynamically.
As long as there was no interference from crystal stones, after a few years, the vitality in the area would gradually return.
But this time period was uncertain.
Judging from the previous situation, it would probably take at least a dozen years to recover to the previous state?
Chen An speculated.
Another year passed in the blink of an eye.
Then Chen An ended this round of cultivation and returned to his mansion in Shengjing.
Very few people knew that he had returned to Shengjing.
Except for Cheng Zheng, there were only a few friends like Liu Chu who knew.
Chen An didn't want anyone to come and disturb him.
Now his reputation was different from before.
After the battle with Song Guozhong and Hou Yang Zhong, his past was exposed.
Chen An had become another rising star in Dahua, a top-level Gang Qi expert, and was hailed as Dahua's number one prodigy.
This was a matter of course.
Anyone who reached Gang Qi at this age could basically become Dahua's number one prodigy.
Especially when there was no competition.
Ordinary people who wanted to advance to Gang Qi probably wouldn't do it until they were at least thirty years old.
Those who advanced before the age of thirty were few, let alone someone like Chen An.
In Shengjing, Chen An spent a quite leisurely period of time.
Living in his mansion, he either accompanied the Fourth Princess or practiced martial arts and Gang Qi cultivation quietly.
Very few people knew he was back, and most thought he was still practicing in the precious lands, so naturally, no one would come to visit.
But the leisurely days could not last forever.
Just six months later, there was unrest in southern Dahua again.
In the south, the Song army was stationed on the border, launching an offensive in the name of Prince Tai, Cheng Ming.
The southern three prefectures were in chaos and surrendered directly.
Everywhere was silent.
At the same time, the northern Lu Kingdom also began to mobilize, seemingly restless and could clamp down on the border at any time.
Is this called adding fuel to the fire?
Faced with the current situation, the court was already in chaos.
Even Cheng Zheng was a little flustered and unsure.
Fortunately, he had been the emperor for three years and had enough prestige, stabilizing his power base, no longer as powerless as when he first ascended.
Faced with this situation, he decisively began to act accordingly.
With a large number of troops mobilizing in the north to guard against possible actions by Lu Country.
Compared to the south, the strength of Lu Country was much weaker, so it shouldn't be difficult to resist given the circumstances.
But Song Country in the south was a huge problem.
To solve this problem, the first step was to send someone to command the army.
The choice of a candidate for this task was a topic of debate in the court, with various proposals being made.
But to everyone's surprise, in the end, Cheng Zheng went to the Chen Mansion and personally invited the Duke of Chen to assume the command of the southern expedition.
For a while, there was an uproar in the court.
"It's rare to have half a year of leisure, I didn't expect to be pulled out by Your Majesty again so soon."
Before departing, a banquet was held in the palace.
Chen An sat cross-legged in front of Cheng Zheng, watching him with a bitter smile.
To be honest, this was something he had never expected.
Although he was a Gang Qi expert, he had never served in the military before.
And now this task fell on his shoulders, leaving him confused.
However, he could understand why Cheng Zheng made such a choice.
"There's no way."
Three years had passed, and Cheng Zheng still looked fine, still healthy. "The commander of the army must be a Gang Qi expert. If it were someone else, I wouldn't feel at ease."
There was no one else present, so he was honest and straightforward, saying, "I just can't trust anyone else."
A commander of an army must have deep cultivation, as it was easy to be killed by enemies on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was difficult to control the arrogant and unruly soldiers below.
After all, the generals in this world had their own cultivation levels.
If someone with a lower cultivation level was sent to command the army, it would be easy to cause various problems.
This has been proven many times in the history of this world.
During ordinary times, Cheng Zheng still had some room for choice.
But this time, it was not only Song Country but also Prince Tai, Cheng Ming.
In the past, Prince Tai was a well-known wise king.
At that time, including the Duke of Jian and Chen An's grandfather, all directly supported him to become the crown prince.
Now he had come with the Song army, if Cheng Zheng sent someone else to lead the army, who knew what the outcome would be.
After weighing all the options, the only person he could trust was Chen An.
"I don't know how to fight."
Raising his glass, Chen An smiled and said.
"I know your abilities better than anyone else, why bother to be modest?"
Cheng Zheng smiled, but didn't take it to heart. "Besides, as a commander, setting up camps, marching, and other things are usually taken care of by others, so why do you need to personally get involved?"
Being a commander of an army was equivalent to being the master of an army, and there were professionals to take care of everything, so there was no need to personally take action in everything.
Just like being a boss, does he need to know how to do everything?
Not necessarily.
Only knowing how to use people, how to arrange them in suitable positions, was important, and there was no need to be personally involved in everything.
And in terms of using people, Chen An didn't need to worry at all.
For Chen An's expedition, Cheng Zheng had sent a large group of people to work under him, many of whom were experienced generals.
As the commander of the army, if there was something needed, it could be directly handed over to these people to handle.
"Since you put it that way, what else can I do?"
Chen An sighed and nodded.
"Rest assured, once you truly arrive at the military camp, you will find that this matter is not as difficult as you think," Cheng Zheng smiled and continued, "Let me ask you, what would you do if you were in the south?"
"Set up camp, step by step, extend the front line, and then wait for the right moment to strike," Chen An looked at Cheng Zheng and said indifferently, "That's all I can do. Your Majesty, if you expect me to swiftly resolve the situation and quickly conquer, you should find someone else."
"No, there's no need," Cheng Zheng waved his hand and nodded with satisfaction, "With your attitude, I am relieved."
During their conversation, he placed several reports in front of Chen An, indicating for him to open and read them. Chen An looked at them suspiciously, and was surprised.
Wow.
"Suppress rebellions in March, return to the capital in May? Why don't they say they're going to march into the imperial city of Song?"
There was a second report.
Every report was more daring and exaggerated than the last.
Chen An couldn't help but glance at Cheng Zheng, wanting to know where these eccentric people came from.
Do they even know how many people there are in Song?
"Do you see?" Cheng Zheng couldn't help but sigh, "Compared to these people, your steadfastness is already commendable."
More than that.
Compared to those who easily break through the capital of Song and annihilate the kingdom, Chen An is really an honest person.
"I have no big demands, just guard it for me," Cheng Zheng patted Chen An's shoulder, comforting him.
What more could Chen An say, he could only nod.
And so, Chen An was given another task, leading the army to suppress the rebellion.
And in the two years that followed, it proved that Chen An was a honest person.
Before departing, Cheng Zheng thought that Chen An was just being modest.
He thought Chen An was just pretending to be incapable to avoid trouble.
He thought there would be a pleasant surprise from Chen An.
And the surprise really came.
Two years had passed.
Since Chen An arrived at the front line, instead of advancing, because he found nearby places difficult to defend, he directly abandoned the cities, relocating all the people.
A typical scorched earth policy.
According to a group of experts, Chen An built fortresses in several suitable places for defense, and then settled down with the army, focusing only on improving their skills.
"Changan, His Majesty has sent people to hurry us along again," Liu Chu said with a strange expression, looking at Chen An in the tent.
"What are they hurrying us for?" Chen An asked casually, not caring.
"Of course, they want us to start the battle," Liu Chu said helplessly, "It's already been two years, even His Majesty is starting to get impatient."
"So what if they're impatient?" Chen An raised his head and smiled, "I'm right here. If His Majesty is really impatient, he can recall me."
Cheng Zheng was also a man of contradictions.
Originally, when Chen An said he would only focus on defense after coming to the front line, he agreed and praised Chen An.
But just two years later, he was starting to get impatient.
Seeing no movement from Chen An, Cheng Zheng couldn't help but urge him, sending letters from time to time to prompt him to move forward and not delay any longer.
And Chen An?
Naturally, he remained indifferent.
Advancing was impossible, not in this lifetime.
After all, advancing was risky and easy to fail.
As long as he didn't go out of his way, the enemy couldn't defeat him.
For Chen An, he didn't want fame but to avoid trouble, preparing for the worst in any situation.
If Cheng Zheng couldn't stand it, he could just replace him.
Most people might be afraid of this.
But for Chen An, being replaced?
Wasn't that a good thing?
He wished he could be replaced.
To go back home directly and sleep with the sweet and fragrant Fourth Princess, isn't that better than eating hard bread every day?
As for munching on bread every day?
"But our current situation is not a solution," Liu Chu said helplessly, "It's been two years."
"Liu Xiong, you are wrong," Chen An turned back in surprise, looking at Liu Chu in front of him, "Wasn't it your suggestion for me to do this in the first place?"
Liu Chu couldn't help but clench his fists.
When they first arrived with Chen An, a group of military advisers for Chen An had discussed for a long time, and eventually came up with three strategies for Chen An.
Staying put was just the lowest strategy.
They never expected that Chen An would ignore the brilliant upper strategy and choose the most labor-intensive lowest strategy.
And then, they embarked on a journey of idleness, just staying put, day and night.
Liu Chu, along with a group of advisers, including himself, deeply regretted why they had presented this lowest strategy.
It was torture.
"It's different at different times," Liu Chu patiently advised, "Two years ago, we were just getting started, so staying put for a while was not a bad choice."
"But now that we have been here for so long, it seems unnecessary to continue like this."
"Moreover, it's not easy for the court to send supplies every day while we are just staying put."
"If it's not easy for us to supply, wouldn't it be even harder for the enemy?"
Chen An laughed, "I remember that for the sake of easier supply, I can even give those difficult places to walk to them, right?"
Without mentioning this issue, Liu Chu's mouth twitched.
This was something Chen An had done before.
In order to defend more easily in the long run, he directly abandoned several regions that were difficult to defend, giving them to others, leaving behind only an empty city.
In addition, he personally led people to cultivate in various places, trying to be self-sufficient.
Everyone who saw this was stunned.
Without the permission of the court to abandon counties, this was a crime of abandoning land.
To establish military camps without permission and try to make the army self-sufficient was also taboo.
Frankly, everything Chen An did was something a normal general wouldn't dare to do.
Would an ordinary person dare to do something like this?
I'm afraid they would have been exposed long ago and dealt with.
But Chen An did all these things and nothing happened.
"The nearby terrain is very good, easy to defend and difficult to attack. We can establish military camps on site, and the reinforcements sent by His Majesty can support us," Chen An said with a smile, "But when the soldiers of Song come from afar, it won't be so easy. Each cart of food they bring will take a toll on them on the way."
"Previously, Song had thirty thousand troops, but now they might not even have twenty thousand and are scattered everywhere, exhausted."
For Chen An, the current situation is essentially a matter of burning money, seeing who can sustain their fighting power for longer.
And the cost of maintaining the Song troops coming from afar would definitely be higher than that of Chen An.
So the longer it takes, theoretically the better.
Of course, Song could also establish military camps and resettle people like Chen An was doing.
But even if they succeeded, there were still enemy soldiers around.
Chen An mainly focused on defense, not entirely giving up on the idea of attacking.
Sending out cavalry to sweep the area, harassing and disrupting the enemy is also possible.
Without solid military fortresses to rely on, establishing military camps is impossible.
"The enemy is growing weaker, that's true," Liu Chu said helplessly, "But now, two years have passed, the Song army is already exhausted. It's time to strike."
"We have four hundred thousand men, and we have been training and preparing for a long time. The enemy is down to two hundred thousand, scattered and exhausted."
"We have the advantage!"
"What did you just say?" Chen An suddenly turned around, looking at Liu Chu.
Liu Chu was a little confused, "Subordinate said we have the advantage with four hundred thousand against two hundred thousand."
"Good," Chen An slapped his thigh and smiled, "Send the order, tighten the defense in all areas."
"We must be prepared to defend for ten years!"
"Ten years!"
Liu Chu's eyes widened, completely astonished.
But what made him even more bewildered was yet to come.
The next day, news came from all over that Liu Guogong Liu Chu had advised the Duke of Chen that the situation was excellent at the moment, there was joy everywhere, all attributed to the success of the defense, so they should defend for another ten years.
As the saying goes, when people have money, they can't help but want to spend it recklessly.
Chen An was no different.
In the past, it was fine, but now with a lot of source power in his hands, he couldn't help but feel a little restless.
After all, with so much source power, he could do a lot of things.
Without saying anything else, it was easy for him to elevate himself to the third level of Gang Qi.
But after some thought, Chen An dispelled this tempting idea.
He was not the kind of person who liked to cheat.
He believed that only through diligent effort and steady progress could he reap the best rewards.
Cheating or anything like that, he looked down upon.
Well, to be honest, he was just stingy.
Although the source power on him seemed abundant, in reality, if he didn't save a little, it might not be enough for many times.
With his cultivation level elevated, shouldn't his martial skills be correspondingly improved?
And shouldn't his agility also be improved a little?
If he kept going back and forth like this, even though he seemed to have a lot of source power, would it really be enough?
Chen An doubted.
So after some thought, he decided to be honest.
In areas where he could do it himself, he would just do it honestly.
Saving a little bit was the way to go.
After all, the source power was not easy to come by.
"I still can't let go."
Chen An thought helplessly.
Through the crystal stones, he had discovered a new way to obtain source power, but there were still some problems.
The number of precious lands was too few.
The amount of wool that could be obtained in each precious land was limited.
Thinking of this, Chen An couldn't help but start to miss the eerie world from before.
There was no choice.
Compared to precious lands, the method of energy supplementation was troublesome, as it required one to do it themselves and search for traces of energy.
But at least it had large quantities.
Emphasizing quantity over quality was more important than anything else.
If this world also had such energy, Chen An's current worries would be greatly reduced.
While reaching the innate realm may not be possible in one go, doing everything else he wanted to do at once should not be a problem.
Probably.
Shaking his head in secret, Chen An quietly stood up and walked towards the outside, continuing his closed-door cultivation.
Because he had over-reaped the wool, there was no place for Chen An to continue reaping in the short term.
Unless a new precious land appeared somewhere.
But that was unlikely.
So Chen An could only continue to cultivate honestly.
Fortunately, the vitality of the precious land would gradually recover.
Just like how the wool would regrow after being reaped, and the chives would stubbornly grow back after being cut, the vitality concentration of the precious lands was also changing dynamically.
As long as there was no interference from crystal stones, after a few years, the vitality in the area would gradually return.
But this time period was uncertain.
Judging from the previous situation, it would probably take at least a dozen years to recover to the previous state?
Chen An speculated.
Another year passed in the blink of an eye.
Then Chen An ended this round of cultivation and returned to his mansion in Shengjing.
Very few people knew that he had returned to Shengjing.
Except for Cheng Zheng, there were only a few friends like Liu Chu who knew.
Chen An didn't want anyone to come and disturb him.
Now his reputation was different from before.
After the battle with Song Guozhong and Hou Yang Zhong, his past was exposed.
Chen An had become another rising star in Dahua, a top-level Gang Qi expert, and was hailed as Dahua's number one prodigy.
This was a matter of course.
Anyone who reached Gang Qi at this age could basically become Dahua's number one prodigy.
Especially when there was no competition.
Ordinary people who wanted to advance to Gang Qi probably wouldn't do it until they were at least thirty years old.
Those who advanced before the age of thirty were few, let alone someone like Chen An.
In Shengjing, Chen An spent a quite leisurely period of time.
Living in his mansion, he either accompanied the Fourth Princess or practiced martial arts and Gang Qi cultivation quietly.
Very few people knew he was back, and most thought he was still practicing in the precious lands, so naturally, no one would come to visit.
But the leisurely days could not last forever.
Just six months later, there was unrest in southern Dahua again.
In the south, the Song army was stationed on the border, launching an offensive in the name of Prince Tai, Cheng Ming.
The southern three prefectures were in chaos and surrendered directly.
Everywhere was silent.
At the same time, the northern Lu Kingdom also began to mobilize, seemingly restless and could clamp down on the border at any time.
Is this called adding fuel to the fire?
Faced with the current situation, the court was already in chaos.
Even Cheng Zheng was a little flustered and unsure.
Fortunately, he had been the emperor for three years and had enough prestige, stabilizing his power base, no longer as powerless as when he first ascended.
Faced with this situation, he decisively began to act accordingly.
With a large number of troops mobilizing in the north to guard against possible actions by Lu Country.
Compared to the south, the strength of Lu Country was much weaker, so it shouldn't be difficult to resist given the circumstances.
But Song Country in the south was a huge problem.
To solve this problem, the first step was to send someone to command the army.
The choice of a candidate for this task was a topic of debate in the court, with various proposals being made.
But to everyone's surprise, in the end, Cheng Zheng went to the Chen Mansion and personally invited the Duke of Chen to assume the command of the southern expedition.
For a while, there was an uproar in the court.
"It's rare to have half a year of leisure, I didn't expect to be pulled out by Your Majesty again so soon."
Before departing, a banquet was held in the palace.
Chen An sat cross-legged in front of Cheng Zheng, watching him with a bitter smile.
To be honest, this was something he had never expected.
Although he was a Gang Qi expert, he had never served in the military before.
And now this task fell on his shoulders, leaving him confused.
However, he could understand why Cheng Zheng made such a choice.
"There's no way."
Three years had passed, and Cheng Zheng still looked fine, still healthy. "The commander of the army must be a Gang Qi expert. If it were someone else, I wouldn't feel at ease."
There was no one else present, so he was honest and straightforward, saying, "I just can't trust anyone else."
A commander of an army must have deep cultivation, as it was easy to be killed by enemies on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was difficult to control the arrogant and unruly soldiers below.
After all, the generals in this world had their own cultivation levels.
If someone with a lower cultivation level was sent to command the army, it would be easy to cause various problems.
This has been proven many times in the history of this world.
During ordinary times, Cheng Zheng still had some room for choice.
But this time, it was not only Song Country but also Prince Tai, Cheng Ming.
In the past, Prince Tai was a well-known wise king.
At that time, including the Duke of Jian and Chen An's grandfather, all directly supported him to become the crown prince.
Now he had come with the Song army, if Cheng Zheng sent someone else to lead the army, who knew what the outcome would be.
After weighing all the options, the only person he could trust was Chen An.
"I don't know how to fight."
Raising his glass, Chen An smiled and said.
"I know your abilities better than anyone else, why bother to be modest?"
Cheng Zheng smiled, but didn't take it to heart. "Besides, as a commander, setting up camps, marching, and other things are usually taken care of by others, so why do you need to personally get involved?"
Being a commander of an army was equivalent to being the master of an army, and there were professionals to take care of everything, so there was no need to personally take action in everything.
Just like being a boss, does he need to know how to do everything?
Not necessarily.
Only knowing how to use people, how to arrange them in suitable positions, was important, and there was no need to be personally involved in everything.
And in terms of using people, Chen An didn't need to worry at all.
For Chen An's expedition, Cheng Zheng had sent a large group of people to work under him, many of whom were experienced generals.
As the commander of the army, if there was something needed, it could be directly handed over to these people to handle.
"Since you put it that way, what else can I do?"
Chen An sighed and nodded.
"Rest assured, once you truly arrive at the military camp, you will find that this matter is not as difficult as you think," Cheng Zheng smiled and continued, "Let me ask you, what would you do if you were in the south?"
"Set up camp, step by step, extend the front line, and then wait for the right moment to strike," Chen An looked at Cheng Zheng and said indifferently, "That's all I can do. Your Majesty, if you expect me to swiftly resolve the situation and quickly conquer, you should find someone else."
"No, there's no need," Cheng Zheng waved his hand and nodded with satisfaction, "With your attitude, I am relieved."
During their conversation, he placed several reports in front of Chen An, indicating for him to open and read them. Chen An looked at them suspiciously, and was surprised.
Wow.
"Suppress rebellions in March, return to the capital in May? Why don't they say they're going to march into the imperial city of Song?"
There was a second report.
Every report was more daring and exaggerated than the last.
Chen An couldn't help but glance at Cheng Zheng, wanting to know where these eccentric people came from.
Do they even know how many people there are in Song?
"Do you see?" Cheng Zheng couldn't help but sigh, "Compared to these people, your steadfastness is already commendable."
More than that.
Compared to those who easily break through the capital of Song and annihilate the kingdom, Chen An is really an honest person.
"I have no big demands, just guard it for me," Cheng Zheng patted Chen An's shoulder, comforting him.
What more could Chen An say, he could only nod.
And so, Chen An was given another task, leading the army to suppress the rebellion.
And in the two years that followed, it proved that Chen An was a honest person.
Before departing, Cheng Zheng thought that Chen An was just being modest.
He thought Chen An was just pretending to be incapable to avoid trouble.
He thought there would be a pleasant surprise from Chen An.
And the surprise really came.
Two years had passed.
Since Chen An arrived at the front line, instead of advancing, because he found nearby places difficult to defend, he directly abandoned the cities, relocating all the people.
A typical scorched earth policy.
According to a group of experts, Chen An built fortresses in several suitable places for defense, and then settled down with the army, focusing only on improving their skills.
"Changan, His Majesty has sent people to hurry us along again," Liu Chu said with a strange expression, looking at Chen An in the tent.
"What are they hurrying us for?" Chen An asked casually, not caring.
"Of course, they want us to start the battle," Liu Chu said helplessly, "It's already been two years, even His Majesty is starting to get impatient."
"So what if they're impatient?" Chen An raised his head and smiled, "I'm right here. If His Majesty is really impatient, he can recall me."
Cheng Zheng was also a man of contradictions.
Originally, when Chen An said he would only focus on defense after coming to the front line, he agreed and praised Chen An.
But just two years later, he was starting to get impatient.
Seeing no movement from Chen An, Cheng Zheng couldn't help but urge him, sending letters from time to time to prompt him to move forward and not delay any longer.
And Chen An?
Naturally, he remained indifferent.
Advancing was impossible, not in this lifetime.
After all, advancing was risky and easy to fail.
As long as he didn't go out of his way, the enemy couldn't defeat him.
For Chen An, he didn't want fame but to avoid trouble, preparing for the worst in any situation.
If Cheng Zheng couldn't stand it, he could just replace him.
Most people might be afraid of this.
But for Chen An, being replaced?
Wasn't that a good thing?
He wished he could be replaced.
To go back home directly and sleep with the sweet and fragrant Fourth Princess, isn't that better than eating hard bread every day?
As for munching on bread every day?
"But our current situation is not a solution," Liu Chu said helplessly, "It's been two years."
"Liu Xiong, you are wrong," Chen An turned back in surprise, looking at Liu Chu in front of him, "Wasn't it your suggestion for me to do this in the first place?"
Liu Chu couldn't help but clench his fists.
When they first arrived with Chen An, a group of military advisers for Chen An had discussed for a long time, and eventually came up with three strategies for Chen An.
Staying put was just the lowest strategy.
They never expected that Chen An would ignore the brilliant upper strategy and choose the most labor-intensive lowest strategy.
And then, they embarked on a journey of idleness, just staying put, day and night.
Liu Chu, along with a group of advisers, including himself, deeply regretted why they had presented this lowest strategy.
It was torture.
"It's different at different times," Liu Chu patiently advised, "Two years ago, we were just getting started, so staying put for a while was not a bad choice."
"But now that we have been here for so long, it seems unnecessary to continue like this."
"Moreover, it's not easy for the court to send supplies every day while we are just staying put."
"If it's not easy for us to supply, wouldn't it be even harder for the enemy?"
Chen An laughed, "I remember that for the sake of easier supply, I can even give those difficult places to walk to them, right?"
Without mentioning this issue, Liu Chu's mouth twitched.
This was something Chen An had done before.
In order to defend more easily in the long run, he directly abandoned several regions that were difficult to defend, giving them to others, leaving behind only an empty city.
In addition, he personally led people to cultivate in various places, trying to be self-sufficient.
Everyone who saw this was stunned.
Without the permission of the court to abandon counties, this was a crime of abandoning land.
To establish military camps without permission and try to make the army self-sufficient was also taboo.
Frankly, everything Chen An did was something a normal general wouldn't dare to do.
Would an ordinary person dare to do something like this?
I'm afraid they would have been exposed long ago and dealt with.
But Chen An did all these things and nothing happened.
"The nearby terrain is very good, easy to defend and difficult to attack. We can establish military camps on site, and the reinforcements sent by His Majesty can support us," Chen An said with a smile, "But when the soldiers of Song come from afar, it won't be so easy. Each cart of food they bring will take a toll on them on the way."
"Previously, Song had thirty thousand troops, but now they might not even have twenty thousand and are scattered everywhere, exhausted."
For Chen An, the current situation is essentially a matter of burning money, seeing who can sustain their fighting power for longer.
And the cost of maintaining the Song troops coming from afar would definitely be higher than that of Chen An.
So the longer it takes, theoretically the better.
Of course, Song could also establish military camps and resettle people like Chen An was doing.
But even if they succeeded, there were still enemy soldiers around.
Chen An mainly focused on defense, not entirely giving up on the idea of attacking.
Sending out cavalry to sweep the area, harassing and disrupting the enemy is also possible.
Without solid military fortresses to rely on, establishing military camps is impossible.
"The enemy is growing weaker, that's true," Liu Chu said helplessly, "But now, two years have passed, the Song army is already exhausted. It's time to strike."
"We have four hundred thousand men, and we have been training and preparing for a long time. The enemy is down to two hundred thousand, scattered and exhausted."
"We have the advantage!"
"What did you just say?" Chen An suddenly turned around, looking at Liu Chu.
Liu Chu was a little confused, "Subordinate said we have the advantage with four hundred thousand against two hundred thousand."
"Good," Chen An slapped his thigh and smiled, "Send the order, tighten the defense in all areas."
"We must be prepared to defend for ten years!"
"Ten years!"
Liu Chu's eyes widened, completely astonished.
But what made him even more bewildered was yet to come.
The next day, news came from all over that Liu Guogong Liu Chu had advised the Duke of Chen that the situation was excellent at the moment, there was joy everywhere, all attributed to the success of the defense, so they should defend for another ten years.
