"Heh, General Xiao need not worry about that," Ye Jingyu chuckled lightly, "As long as General Xiao provides my army with sufficient military supplies, we can move tonight..."

"General Ye, the Iron Army's military supplies have always been directly allocated by the court; how can my Cloud Army be expected to provide them?" Upon hearing Ye Jingyu's words, Xiao Geng let out a cold snort.

"To ensure the fastest speed, our army retained only the most basic rations and discarded all excess weight. Now, we don't even have rations for tomorrow morning. What are we supposed to use to fight the Ao Shi Battle Group?" Ye Jingyu spread his hands, feigning complete innocence.

No rations for tomorrow morning? Xiao Geng cursed inwardly. When he arrived, he had seen the Iron Army soldiers butchering fat pigs; they were eating better than his own Cloud Army soldiers. Yet now, Ye Jingyu claimed they lacked even tomorrow’s food. Did this fellow take him for a blind man?

"I wonder how much military grain General Ye requires?" Although cursing internally, at this juncture, Xiao Geng only wanted to hurry Ye Jingyu off to the front lines to die and couldn't be bothered to waste more words on him.

"The Ao Shi Battle Group is the most elite contingent of the Hu Kingdom; a quick victory is out of the question. General Xiao should prepare at least a month's worth of military rations for me, shouldn't he?" Ye Jingyu said, shaking his head pompously.

"You..." Xiao Geng was furious. Fifteen thousand men required only thirty thousand jin of grain per day. A month would total nearly a million jin. Where on earth could he find that much immediately?

"What? Does General Xiao expect our Iron Army warriors to fight on empty stomachs? Even if I were willing, the soldiers under my command would not be... Perhaps without food, those fellows will desert by tomorrow. General Xiao, you know their nature," Ye Jingyu drawled lazily.

"Fine, I will prepare one million jin of grain for you by tomorrow, but I hope you do not forget your mission... His Majesty has already urged action several times," Xiao Geng said coldly before turning and walking toward the door. He knew that the humiliation he suffered today could not be retrieved.

"General Xiao, wait a moment..." Before he reached the door, Ye Jingyu’s voice rang out again.

"State whatever other demands you have," Xiao Geng was too weary to exchange pleasantries with Ye Jingyu. As long as he could send this man away quickly, he would agree to any condition.

"Heh heh, besides grain, we also require all manner of military equipment, such as crossbow bolts, shields, and fire oil..."

"How much do you need? Draw up a complete list, and I will prepare it for you. However, if you have not moved before sunrise tomorrow, don't blame me for reporting to His Majesty." Xiao Geng interrupted before Ye Jingyu could finish.

He was only wearing an undershirt and did not wish to be humiliated further here.

"In that case, I thank you," Hearing Xiao Geng agree, a faint smile appeared on Ye Jingyu's face.

Xiao Geng snorted, rushed out of the Drunken Fragrance Tower without looking back, fully circulating his innate true energy. His speed was incredible; within a few breaths, his figure had completely vanished. In his current state, he could not be seen by too many people.

Seeing Xiao Geng driven away so completely by Ye Jingyu's words, Bei Li and the others looked on with admiration. They truly hadn't realized that killing did not always require a knife.

Ye Jingyu was ruthless indeed; to devise such a stratagem was astonishing. Even Xiao Geng, with his immense courage and steady mind, was made to lose all face.

"This Xiao Geng is capable of yielding and persevering; he is a formidable character. Brother Ye, you must be careful," At that moment, Zhuge Yi Shi, clad in white, stepped forward, looking in the direction Xiao Geng had departed and saying calmly.

"He intends to kill me; if I don't collect some interest first, how can I justify myself? Brother Zhuge, are those five thousand men arranged properly?" Ye Jingyu scoffed a few times, then turned to ask.

"Yes, they are arranged. However, even with that, this battle is still overwhelmingly perilous for us," Zhuge Yi Shi nodded.

"It is unavoidable. The Sovereign's command is absolute; to refuse is insubordination, which is certainly a dead end. To go, however, offers a sliver of hope," A look of helplessness crossed Ye Jingyu's eyes.

The Ao Shi Battle Group was the Hu Kingdom's most elite force. How many of their brothers would survive until the end?

Hearing the helplessness in Ye Jingyu’s tone, all those present sighed heavily. Even though they had managed to utterly humiliate Marquis Wei Wu, they could not disobey the Sovereign's command.

Before heading to the Tiangang Gorge, Ye Jingyu had squeezed another hefty sum from Xiao Geng. Besides the one million jin of grain, he extorted fifty thousand crossbow bolts, five thousand strong bows, and five thousand powerful crossbows. Such a massive amount of military matériel was enough to reorganize an entire army.

When his quartermaster presented the requisition list, Xiao Geng's expression twitched violently. Although his Cloud Army was excellently equipped and richly supplied, having a third of their stores stripped away was enough to cause him sharp pain for a long time.

But the thought that Ye Jingyu would vanish from this world completely in a few days made him feel much better.

How could five thousand Ao Shi Battle Group soldiers possibly destroy an army of over ten thousand?

Ye Jingyu, this time, let's see the grand gift I have prepared for you. I hope you do not disappoint me...

Xiao Geng stood in his main tent, gazing toward Tianyun Town, thinking coldly to himself.

And the night deepened, the dark clouds in the sky obscuring the silvery moonlight, making this small border town in the Western Frontier appear utterly dark.

In Tianyun Town, the Drunken Fragrance Tower occupied by Ye Jingyu remained brightly lit, occasionally punctuated by the boisterous laughter and curses of men mixed with the seductive murmurs of women—a scene of drunken revelry.

However, figures clad entirely in black quietly slipped out from the Iron Army camp. Taking advantage of the pitch-black night, they swiftly disappeared around Tianyun Town, merging into the boundless expanse of the Tiangang Mountains.

Around three o'clock in the morning, the deafening sound of military drums echoed throughout the Iron Army barracks. The soldiers, already fully prepared, shouted loud slogans and charged westward.

Not far from Tianyun Town, Xiao Geng watched the Iron Army rushing westward, a cold, sinister smile playing on his lips: "You think a night raid will guarantee victory? This time, you are certainly doomed..."

Little did he know that the strength of this Iron Army had been reduced by a full five thousand men.