As soon as Shen Qingwan entered the main tent, her eyes immediately fell on a tall figure.

The figure turned around upon hearing someone enter.

When Shen Qingwan saw that familiar yet distant face, she almost blurted out, “Dad.”

The man before her was thin to the point of being unrecognizable, but he still possessed a dignified and handsome appearance.

Shen Qingwan instantly recognized him as her father from her previous life.

In that past life, her father had passed away early, leaving only her and her mother to rely on each other. She had never imagined she would see him again.

“You are Shen Qing?”

Seeing her staring at him, Gu Tingyi took the initiative to speak first.

Shen Qingwan quickly composed herself and responded, “I am Shen Qing. Greetings, General Gu.”

“The War King mentioned in his letter that you brought provisions. Is that true?”

At the mention of food supplies, Gu Tingyi’s eyes lit up, staring at Shen Qingwan as if she were a piece of meat in a starving wolf’s sight.

Noticing his eagerness, Shen Qingwan quickly nodded. “Yes, I brought provisions. The first batch, about fifty thousand stone, will arrive tomorrow morning.”

“Truly?” Gu Tingyi’s excitement was palpable.

Fifty thousand stone of grain—his soldiers wouldn’t have to starve anymore!

As Gu Tingyi was still processing the news, a soldier rushed into the tent.

“General, I found half a piece of cornbread. Please eat something to sustain yourself.”

The soldier, Chen Bin, was Gu Tingyi’s personal guard.

He held half a cornbread in his hands, looking overjoyed as he presented it to the general.

Gu Tingyi coughed awkwardly and glanced at Shen Qingwan with some embarrassment. “I apologize for this sight. The camp has been without food for a long time. Everyone is starving. If the provisions could arrive sooner, it would be even better.”

Who knew how many more soldiers would starve to death tonight?

Chen Bin, realizing that Shen Qingwan had seen the meager food, awkwardly tried to hide the cornbread behind his back.

But then, remembering that the general hadn’t eaten in three days, he stepped forward again. “General, please eat something, or your body won’t hold up.”

Gu Tingyi waved his hand, intending to refuse, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his vision darkened, and he nearly collapsed.

Shen Qingwan quickly caught him and pulled out a white wheat bun from her pack, bringing it to his lips. “Eat something first.”

Gu Tingyi looked at the wheat bun so close to his mouth and took a small bite. Feeling slightly revived, he tried to push it away.

“Save it for the others. They need it more than I do.”

Shen Qingwan’s expression darkened. “You eat first. I promise that tonight, everyone will have food. Finish this bun, and I’ll take you to the supplies.”

Hearing this, Gu Tingyi’s eyes brightened instantly.

He grabbed Shen Qingwan’s wrist excitedly. “Really?”

Shen Qingwan didn’t answer but instead glanced at the bun in her hand.

Realizing her meaning, Gu Tingyi immediately snatched the bun and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing it in just a few bites. “I… I finished it.”

Shen Qingwan sighed helplessly and helped him up.

Gu Tingyi pounded his chest as he struggled to swallow, unwilling to waste even a single crumb.

Watching this, Chen Bin felt a deep ache in his heart.

The general had been rationing his meals to the point of eating only once a day, then once every few days, barely keeping himself going.

The soldiers were even worse off, digging up roots and eating clay just to fill their stomachs.

The northwest terrain was barren and filled with rolling hills, with barely any vegetation beyond dry, yellow grass.

They couldn’t even find tree bark to eat.

Fortunately, the enemy, Xiyue, was also experiencing a food shortage and hadn’t launched an attack. Otherwise, in their current state, the Northwest Army would have collapsed the moment Xiyue charged.

“You take three thousand men and follow me.”

Seeing Gu Tingyi’s urgency, Shen Qingwan had no choice but to lead them to the supplies immediately.

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingyi straightened up, a wide smile spreading across his face as he strode outside.

“Hahaha! We have food! Finally, I can properly fight those bastards from Xiyue. Fighting a war without food has been unbearably frustrating!”

Once this battle was settled, he needed to find his wife.

She had been missing for so long—how was she now?

He had sent people to search for her, but there had been no news.

The anxiety had been gnawing at him.

Meanwhile, he had been unable to leave.

His son had gone to procure supplies and hadn’t returned yet.

He had no idea if the mission was successful.

Stuck in the camp, he could do nothing but wait, burning with impatience.

The court had delayed sending supplies for too long, and unrest had already started among the troops. Now that they had completely run out of food, morale had plummeted.

Soldiers were questioning why the court hadn’t sent aid, but he had no answer.

He couldn’t tell them the truth—that the imperial court was in turmoil and had no plans to send supplies. If he revealed that, it would only further weaken morale.

Gu Tingyi gathered three thousand soldiers, hitched up the supply wagons, and followed Shen Qingwan to a secluded courtyard outside Xijiang City.

At the entrance, Shen Qingwan instructed them to wait while she entered alone.

Inside, she immediately summoned fifty thousand stone of grain into the courtyard and set up a table of food in the house, along with several large baskets of white bread.

Once everything was ready, she opened the gates and let them in.

“Heavens! It’s real—it’s actually food!”

“We finally have something to eat!”

“No more digging up roots to survive!”

“This much grain—it’ll last us for a long time!”

The soldiers flooded into the courtyard, looking at the supplies as if they had just struck gold. Their eyes sparkled with excitement.

“General, it’s really food!”

Chen Bin turned to Gu Tingyi, overwhelmed with emotion.

The accompanying officers had tears in their eyes.

The oldest among them, General Xu, was over fifty years old.

After starving for so long, he had been certain his old bones would never leave this battlefield.

He had prepared himself to die on the front lines, but starving to death before even fighting was unbearable.

Now, at last, they had food.

“General, we can finally fight Xiyue to the death!”

Gu Tingyi met General Xu’s gaze and nodded solemnly. “Take the grain back to camp. Tonight, we feast. Rest and recover for three days. After that, we fight Xiyue in a final battle!”

As long as they could eat their fill, they had no regrets—even if it meant fighting to their deaths.

Gu Tingyi ordered the troops to load the grain onto the wagons and transport it back to camp.

Before he could leave, Shen Qingwan called him and the other officers inside for a meal.

They had thought they would have to wait until they got back to eat, but to their surprise, Shen Qingwan had already prepared food.

Some of them, catching the rich aroma from inside the house, couldn’t hold back their hunger.

Without hesitation, Gu Tingyi waved his hand and led them inside.