loor.At this time, everyone witnessed the power of the firearms.Several of the prince's personal guards immediately shielded him with their own bodies.Li Chen smiled ambiguously and said, "Uncle Wang,...Chapter 1254: Military Law is Ruthless

Upon hearing this, Su Pingbei, who had never actually participated in city defense operations, immediately asked, “Don’t they usually store these supplies at Yueya Pass”

Su Pingbei was known for his blunt honesty, asking whatever came to mind. However, when he saw the strange expressions on the surrounding generals' faces, he realized he had asked a rather naive question.

"General Su, you're not familiar with city defense warfare, so it's understandable that you don't know," Wu Ban Shan explained.

“When the first brick of Yueya Pass was laid, its purpose was ordained: to defend against the Liao army. So, regardless of whether it was wartime or peacetime, we always kept our defenses well-stocked. But this time, with a staggering 600,000 elite Liao soldiers besieging the pass, their strength far exceeded anything we’d seen in recent years. Under such intense pressure, even with our ample supplies, our resources would be depleted.”

As Wu Ban Shan's words fell, someone muttered under their breath: "That's right, it sounds like we're not prepared enough. If you have the ability, come defend and see for yourself. The amount of supplies consumed in a day would be astronomical. You're just an outsider, you don't understand anything."

"Shut up!"

Wu Qingcang turned his head to look at the general who had muttered, and roared, "The Liaodong army has traveled day and night to come to our aid. This is a great favor, yet you dare to speak coldly. Get out and receive ten lashes! If there's another time like this, you will be dealt with by military law!"

The general's face turned pale, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "This subordinate knows he was wrong."

After finishing his words, he turned and walked out to receive his punishment. Soon, the sound of whips hitting flesh and the muffled groans of the general, trying to suppress his pain, came from outside.

Wu Qingcang looked at the remaining crowd expressionlessly. He said, "The current situation is difficult, and all of you have endured great pressure in these past half a month. This general knows this well, and this general also knows that everyone is doing their best to win this battle. However, belittling colleagues, slander the court, and recklessly discussing state affairs are absolutely not allowed under this general's command!"

"The soldiers of Yueya Pass, just focus on fighting, don't worry about politics, and never mock or belittle those who come to support. If anyone can't do this, get out of here right now. Anyone who doesn't leave will be punished by military law if they dare to disobey in the future!"

A multitude of soldiers wore serious expressions. Within Yuèyá Guan, the biggest tradition was to obey orders.

Wu Qingcang, both in terms of seniority and prestige, is more than capable of suppressing this group of people. Previously, what he lacked most was a formal position, which now came with an imperial decree.

Therefore, Wu Qingshang's words were not to be disobeyed within Yueya Pass.

"The last general, etc., will respectfully obey the commander's orders."

Upon hearing the uniform and consistent answers, Wu Qingcang nodded in satisfaction.

And then he said: "The brothers of the Liaodong Army will be here soon. Although they can't bring us city defense supplies right now, we still have to figure out a way ourselves. First, we should dismantle the buildings within the pass, starting with some public buildings. Then we'll dismantle those belonging to officials, and lastly those belonging to the common people. But we must make sure that the people have somewhere to live; we can't tear everything down."

"For now, we can only use this method to temporarily alleviate the situation."

Although there have been several instances in the history of Yueya Guan where buildings inside the pass were demolished for wartime use, considering both military morale and the cost of reconstruction afterward, it has always been a very unprofitable deal.

Demolishing a house leaves only scraps of wood and stone, but rebuilding it costs a fortune.utside Fengxi Palace, and said calmly.The maidservant in charge of the Fengxi Palace dared not neglect her duties. She curtsied to Su Jinpa and then said, “Your Majesty has just woken up and is still...