The dinner that night ended in a bad mood. Although they were now in the military camp, Li Xiang's living environment was still very good. The area of this tent was at least thirty or forty square meters. There were only three such tents in the entire military camp. Songtsen Gampo's was slightly larger, Li Xiang's was the second largest, and the slightly smaller one was where Lu Dongzan lived. The hierarchy in Tubo was also very strict.
Li Xiang drank a lot of wine tonight, but he was still able to stay sober. Li Xiang just stretched himself, and the people who went out for reconnaissance had returned. These people had a combat strength of 25 people, so even though this was a military camp, they could come and go freely.
"What did you hear?"
Li Xiang poured a glass of water for Long Liu. This was nothing in Li Xiang's opinion, but the people below were flattered. Although they were all exchanged from the system, they still remembered the concept of seniority and hierarchy. Li Xiang was their master, so how could the master pour water for them?
"Your Highness, there is still enough food in the barracks. However, I heard the soldiers transporting the food say that their granaries in the rear are empty. They have taken out almost all the food they can. However, many chieftains still have food in their granaries, but the amount is not large. They can only eat themselves. The slaves below really have no food."
Long Liu honestly said, "According to the information Li Xiang had, Tubo probably had no extra food. Their main grain-producing areas were in the hands of the chieftains. Now that the two sides were at war, how could trade be possible?" Therefore, every additional day of holding out meant a greater chance of starvation for Songtsen Gampo.
Of course, as Long Liu said, there is food in the chieftain's granary, and the nobles will not starve to death, but they live above the slave system. If the lower-class slaves have no food to eat, they will rise up and rebel, and they will not produce anything. Then at that time, it will threaten the rule of these nobles. So before that, the nobles must find a way to get food, otherwise they will just have to survive for the rest of their lives.
“Is there any anti-war sentiment in the barracks?”
Li Xiang knew that his men had gathered information in a very complicated way. If he asked them to summarize it, it would probably take a while, so Li Xiang picked out some information that he wanted to know first.
"Your Highness, what these people are most worried about right now is that many border troops have returned from the border and told them about our new weapons and how the Tuyuhun army was defeated. They are not worried about the army of the Tusi Lord on the opposite side. They are worried that after the battle here is over, the Tang army will come from the north..."
After hearing what Long Er said, Li Xiang was really surprised. He thought these people were worried about the chieftain's army, but he didn't expect that they were worried about the Tang army. It was normal to think about it. The influence of the Tang Dynasty has been increasing in recent years. In addition, the troops in the border areas have seen our new weapons. Naturally, they have their own plans in mind. He didn't expect that letting Lu Dongzan bring the border troops back would disrupt their morale.
"It's getting late today. Apart from the necessary people staying behind to keep watch, the rest of you should rest in your tents. Don't go to the tents they prepared for you. If we all disperse, something might happen."
Li Xiang did not bring many people with him, but these people had to stay by his side. Li Xiang sent Yuchi Baolin and Changsun Chong out and asked them to go to the tent arranged by Tubo. In this way, they could support each other in the entire camp. If something happened, the three of them could support each other and would not be surrounded in one place. Once we are on someone else's territory, we have to think more about everything we do.
The guards thought so too. If they were too far away from Li Xiang, even if they had great skills, they might not be able to take care of Li Xiang. After hearing Li Xiang's words, these people began to spread out their bedding and surrounded Li Xiang in the center.
For several consecutive days, Li Xiang had nothing to do in the military camp. He was either entertaining one minister or going hunting with another. Anyway, he had a very good time during those days. Li Xiang also knew that Lu Dongzan was not idle, so he sent out his confidants that night. These people contacted some people from the Tang Dynasty and Nanzhao as quickly as possible.
Songtsen Gampo also heard from Lu Dongzan that the price of twenty-five cents was absolutely unacceptable. If they used this price to buy food, their treasury would be emptied. If it were a prosperous year, they might consider it, but now there was only a little money in the treasury, and there were places to spend money everywhere. If they used this price to buy food, when the chieftains counterattacked next year, they would not even be able to organize soldiers. Therefore, Songtsen Gampo supported Lu Dongzan's idea. No matter how high the price was, it would never be as high as twenty-five cents.
At this moment, the two men were walking back and forth in the tent, like ants on a hot pan. Li Xiang had already gone out of the camp to hunt. Lu Dongzan gave clear instructions to his subordinates, asking them to ensure Li Xiang's safety and to monitor the people around him. If one person was missing, they should report quickly. They wanted to tie Li Xiang up with all kinds of pleasures so that they could do something in secret.
Li Xiang naturally knew what Lu Dongzan was thinking. In Li Xiang's eyes, Lu Dongzan was undoubtedly smart, but now it seemed that he was only a little clever. The facts were already here. Even if you were a little clever, you could not change the fundamental situation.
Li Xiang simply took advantage of the situation. He was very tired during this period. Since you have arranged entertainment activities for him, he might as well enjoy them. He had been having a lot of fun these past two days, but the attack from the chieftains forced Li Xiang to stop this kind of life.
"What's going on?"
Li Xiang asked knowingly, saying that smoke signals had already been lit over at the military camp, and his men were afraid that something might happen to Li Xiang, so they immediately protected Li Xiang and walked to the rear. This place was still some distance away from the military camp where Li Xiang lived. When he saw the golden dome in front, Li Xiang knew where this place was. Every time there was a battle, Songtsen Gampo had to retreat here first, and the front line was under the management of Lu Dongzan.