Chapter 428: How to Choose

The twentieth year of Great Wu’s war-torn era. In the depth of winter, with thousands of miles frozen over, the land was blanketed in white as far as the eye could see.

Watching the goose-feather snowflakes drift down from the sky, Yan Wuyong, whose temples were touched with frost, murmured softly,
“Twenty years… This war should be over by now…”

“What was I doing on this day twenty years ago? I think I was at home, eating dumplings my mother made…”

“Advisor Liu, you wouldn’t know—my mother’s dumplings were absolutely divine.”

Beside him, Advisor Liu, whose beard and hair were completely white beneath his thick cloak, exhaled a breath of steam and replied helplessly,
“Your Majesty Yan, the war should indeed end. But you know in your heart—those 200,000 civilians can’t be saved anymore… Nothing is ever perfect. Only through sacrifice can we gain something…”

“Easy for you to say!”

Yan Wuyong’s voice deepened.
“Two hundred thousand civilians—those are living, breathing lives!”

“How can I harden my heart like that?”

“Your Majesty!” Advisor Liu raised his voice.
“You can’t let go of the 200,000 in Yinsha Prefecture—but what about the tens of millions in all of Great Wu? Are you willing to let them go?”

“Between the two, which is lighter and which is heavier—can’t you tell?”

Yan Wuyong shook his head and said,
“Advisor Liu, if I can abandon 200,000 people today, then tomorrow I’ll be able to abandon even more!”

“Besides, life should never be measured in numbers.”

“Back then, Mr. Gu left us with a single phrase—‘Water carry boats, but can also capsize it.’ That’s the only reason we’ve survived until now… The people once entrusted me with their future. So what gives me the right to decide their fate today?”

Upon hearing this, Advisor Liu sighed and said,
“Your Majesty… dragging this out like this isn’t a long-term solution! Better a quick pain than prolonged suffering!”

“The demons now only have that single Yinsha Prefecture left. They’re holding those 200,000 civilians to stall for time—waiting for their royal descendant to awaken.”

“Or rather, they’re waiting for our million-strong army to run out of provisions and starve us to death!”

“You must understand—this army of a million normally needs three million catty of food daily. Even now, with each soldier eating just one catty per day, that’s still a million catty!”

“And where does that food come from?”

At this, Advisor Liu pointed behind them and said sternly,
“From the tens of millions of common folk in the rear, tightening their belts, wearing tattered clothes, and saving every single grain for us!”

“Those people support you—because they want you to drive out the demons from Great Wu, to restore peace and prosperity!”

“And yet look at you—indecisive and hesitant! Is this how an emperor should be?”

“Those 200,000 have already been captured and enslaved. They’re living worse than animals. Can’t you at least give them a swift end?”

“If they die, we’ll slaughter the demons to avenge them—wouldn’t that be enough?”

After spitting out that long tirade, the agitated Advisor Liu was panting heavily, puffs of white breath trailing behind him.

No one knew how much time had passed before Yan Wuyong, who had been silent all along, turned around and walked toward the command tent. As he passed Advisor Liu, he left behind a single line:

“Think of another way. Give them more time. Every moment more we buy is another thread of hope for survival…”

“Still waiting, still stalling!”
Suddenly enraged, Advisor Liu grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and hurled it violently at Yan Wuyong.

The snowball exploded against Yan Wuyong’s back. He paused for a moment, but didn’t react, continuing his steps toward the tent.

Behind him, Advisor Liu shouted angrily,
“Yan Wuyong! Every moment you wait, more people starve to death in the rear. Do you even understand that?”

“How can you have it both ways in this world?”

“If Emperor Tongchu were standing here today, forget 200,000—even a million or two million civilians, he’d make the decision without so much as a frown!”

“But you!”

“Ahhh!”

“Get back here, dammit!”

Thud!

Another snowball flew from Advisor Liu’s hand. This time, it missed Yan Wuyong and exploded on the tent’s awning.

With a face full of bitter disappointment, Advisor Liu exhaled heavily, steadied his emotions, then closed his eyes and murmured:

“Forget it. I’m already an old bag of bones, half in the grave. What do I have to fear from retribution now?”

“This dirty job… I’ll do it.”

…

In the vast world of ice and snow, a grain depot located in an open area stood out clearly, thanks to personnel clearing away the snow day and night.

High walls surrounded the depot, built from thick earthen bricks and stone, thatched over with straw and tarps to guard against dampness.

Inside, mountains of provisions were sorted into separate piles—grain, hay, and easily stored vegetables.

Every soldier on duty wore thick padded armor and felt hats, yet their faces were still red from the cold, and their hands were covered in chilblains.

A place of such strategic importance was usually off-limits to regular soldiers. But as Advisor Liu approached, the path cleared for him with no resistance. Every soldier who saw him bowed respectfully and greeted him,
“Advisor.”

The reason for such treatment was simple: in battles against the demon race, Advisor Liu had come up with countless brilliant tactics. He dealt the greatest damage with the smallest cost, forcing the demons into a panic.

Especially after losing the human territories and renaming their nation to the Grand Lei Dynasty, the demons—though powerful and savage—knew nothing of strategy. Their approach to war was nothing more than brute force and blind charges.

Meanwhile, Advisor Liu had mastered the eight-word doctrines of “fire attack, water flood, earth burial, and ambush,” using them with surgical precision. Time and again, the demons thought they could launch surprise attacks when Yan Wuyong wasn’t present—only to be burned alive, drowned, or suffocated by commoners.

Thus, even though he rarely took to the battlefield himself, Advisor Liu held unmatched prestige in the army—second only to Yan Wuyong.

Reaching the rear of the grain depot, Advisor Liu spotted the man he was looking for among the busy crowd of soldiers transporting food. He stepped forward quickly and called out:

“Captain Wei, still personally managing the food stocks?”

Recognizing the familiar voice, a simple, honest-looking middle-aged man in padded armor quickly set down the sack of grain he was carrying, turned around, and bowed deeply:
“Subordinate Wei Ming greets Advisor Liu!”

Nearby, many soldiers unloading food from carriages also bowed to him.

Liu waved his hand.
“We’re all brothers here. No need for formalities. Carry on with your tasks—don’t mind me.”

Hearing this, the soldiers resumed their work. Captain Wei remained in front of the advisor and quietly asked:

“Advisor Liu, what brings you here so late at night? Is there an order from His Majesty?”