Chapter 48: The Wind Rises (1)

“Brother Kuo, there’s something I’ve always wanted to say to you. Actually, the brothers are all doing this for your own good…”
Zhang Yanji twisted his hands anxiously, his face turning red from strain, before finally uttering these words: “Sometimes, what the brothers say might not sound pleasant, but their hearts are still with you.”
Li Kuo smiled bitterly and shook his head. “How could I not know that? It’s just that we see things from different perspectives. Look at this bowl of rice porridge—what’s the difference between the grains? But when poured into a pot, some get cooked, some remain raw, and some are stubborn as stones, hard enough to chip your teeth!”
Seeing Li Kuo’s playful tone, Zhang Yanji burst into laughter.
“So, in your opinion, Xiao Chun and the others are those stubborn stones?”
Li Kuo didn’t answer and continued, “No matter what quality this pot of rice porridge has, it’s all cooked together. If you get the cooked grains, you’re lucky; if you get the raw ones, it’s your misfortune—no one else to blame. But this pot of porridge is one whole thing, and any movement of a single grain can affect its taste and reputation. That’s why I, as the cook, must do my best to cook it thoroughly so everyone can eat it.”
After a pause, Li Kuo added, “As for whether every person can enjoy its taste, that’s beyond my control—after all, tastes vary.”
“Mm, mm…”
Zhang Yanji nodded. “The cook really has a tough job. Daily, they face hardships and still have to endure customers’ complaints. Brother Kuo, you’ve worked hard.”
“You kid, you didn’t come here just to tell me this, did you?”
Li Kuo patted Zhang Yanji’s arm. “Hurry up and tell me what it is. We need to set off early tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
With a brief reply, Zhang Yanji opened the palm of his left hand and placed a handful of moldy corn in front of Li Kuo. “The brothers found this while digging for firewood underground!”
Zhang Yanji pushed the moldy corn toward Li Kuo with enthusiasm, as if he were a hero who had achieved great feats and awaited rewards.
“Hm? You say the brothers dug up moldy corn underground?”
Li Kuo frowned deeply and strode back and forth with his hands behind his back. “Is there much of this kind of corn? How deep was it buried?”

“That’s quite a lot. Lao Mu said that when they stuck the long spear into the soil, it went about a foot deep, and with just one swipe, they could get a bag full of corn. Since it had rained continuously for some time, most of the corn had gone moldy. Lao Mu kept sighing over it, saying that if it hadn’t rained, this corn would have been enough to feed five thousand of us for three months.”
Zhang Yanji marveled at this, as if the moldy corn could instantly turn into delicious porridge.
“What? You mean all this corn was dug up from a depth of a foot, and there’s more hidden throughout the entire camp?”
Li Kuo was shocked and kept asking questions.
“That’s right. Lao Mu said that such a large amount of food surely couldn’t belong to ordinary farmers. He guessed it must be military provisions. Brother Kuo, what’s wrong? We can still pick up some of this corn; maybe we’ll even have enough to last another half month.”
“Damn it!”
Li Kuo sighed deeply and said, “This must be the camp left by General Gao. I should have guessed it from the layout of the camp. General Gao was eager to engage in a decisive battle with the Arabs and didn’t want to be slowed down by supplies. That’s why he buried most of the food a foot underground, planning to dig it up again on the way back. But the rain caused all the food to go moldy, wasting so much military provision!”
Seeing Li Kuo so upset, Zhang Yanji hurried to comfort him, “Brother Kuo, don’t worry too much. The fact that General Gao buried most of the food here means the main army isn’t far away. Although the Anxi army is short of food, isn’t one of our purposes here to supply them? As long as we get there in time…”
At this point, Zhang Yanji seemed to think of something as well, and his voice suddenly stopped.
“When we set out, we calculated the army’s food supply based on full reserves, so they should still have ten days’ worth of food. But if General Gao sacrificed everything by burying most of the food underground, then now, they’re probably already out of food.”
Although he was extremely reluctant, Li Kuo still said the words “out of food.” The worst possible thing had happened—the Anxi Tang army was now out of food!
“Damn it! That Lao Mu is still gloating, saying we’ve gotten a huge bargain. A huge bargain indeed! What will General Gao and his men do now?”
Zhang Yanji slammed his thigh angrily and said, “Brother Kuo, tell me what to do. With just one word from you, the men will set off overnight and head for Talas.”
“Don’t rush. Let me think carefully!”

Li Kuo waved his hand to signal to Zhang Yanji to stay calm. “Things aren’t at their worst yet. Armies usually keep reserves of food for emergencies, and when food is scarce, it’s easier to allocate rations to each person. So, for now, morale won’t collapse.”

After a brief pause, Li Kuo continued, “But even so, the food only lasts a few days. We must head to Talas immediately to support General Gao.”

“Alright, Brother Kuo! I’ll go issue orders right away so everyone sets off overnight!”

With that, Zhang Yanji turned and headed toward the tent door.

“Wait!”

Li Kuo quickly stopped his friend. “Traveling at night with so many people will surely attract the attention of the Arab scouts. Marching at night is already difficult, and carrying so much baggage will definitely slow us down. How about this: We send 1,000 soldiers and 3,000 cavalry from the front camp along with 8,000 dan of military grain to Talas as emergency aid. You tell Brother Dou to set out early tomorrow to chase after us!”

Zhang Yanji was shocked. “Brother Kuo, that won’t do. If we’re going, we all go together. How can we leave Brother Dou and the others behind?”

It wasn’t surprising that Zhang Yanji was alarmed—splitting the army was a serious mistake, especially in enemy-controlled territory! If they encountered the Arab cavalry, neither group would stand a chance and would be gradually overwhelmed by them.

“Listen to me!”

Li Kuo firmly grasped Zhang Yanji’s arm. “The most important thing now is to give General Gao and his men hope. The Arabs might already be launching a full-scale attack on the Anxi army. Do you really want to watch them fight the Arabs on an empty stomach? This is emergency food—just one day could change the outcome of a battle!”

“But what if we encounter the Arabs…?”

Zhang Yanji still found the decision risky and shook his head. “How about we all go together?”

“No! Time is of the essence. It will take at least two hours for the entire army to set out. Just do as I said—go inform Brother Dou, and I’ll gather the troops! Remember, tell him to march swiftly along the ancient course of the Pearl River tomorrow morning! Don’t forget!”