Fully loaded grain cart after fully loaded grain cart returned to the realm, but they could not solve the food crisis it was facing.

Each military fort held only ten days’ worth of provisions, with not a single grain to spare. The rations for four thousand soldiers for ten days would last ordinary civilians thirty days if they ate sparingly. If someone were to perform the calculations, they would find out that Wei Yuan’s efforts over the entire day amounted to just one day’s worth of food for the entire realm.

They had seized a considerable amount of weapons and armor, and they were undoubtedly valuable. Alas, they were useless for sustenance.

The largest granary in Ningxi Commandery was still located in Willow Ash Town, standing right next to the commandery office and adjacent to the military camp. Wei Yuan’s original plan had been to launch a direct raid on the town, but upon further reflection, he realized the consequences would be too far-reaching. Just as Wei Yuan was hesitating, another ten thousand reinforcements had arrived at Willow Ash Town.

According to intelligence from Xu Jingfeng, the newly arrived force of over ten thousand troops consisted of border troops transferred from the north—meaning that they were battle-hardened elite soldiers. The high-ranking military officer leading them bore the surname Hsu and hailed from the main branch of the Hsu Clan. That such a force was deployed in Ningxi carried a very clear message of intimidation.

That was why Wei Yuan turned...