From cute to empress

Chapter 121 Difficulties

The letter landed lightly on the soft carpet, but it felt like a huge rock had hit my chest, nearly choking me. How could this happen? How could there be a shortage of supplies?! I clearly ordered the Ministry of Revenue to fully guarantee supplies to the front lines, so how could this happen...

"Xiao Tao, call Minister Liu!" I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Tao saw that I was in a bad mood at the moment, and did not dare to say much. She hurriedly left to summon the ministers.

In less than an incense stick of time, Minister Liu hurried to the imperial study. "Your Majesty, what instructions do you have for this old minister?"

"Take a look for yourself." I threw Zhen Youcai's letter in front of him with a cold tone.

Minister Liu quickly picked up the letter and began to read it carefully. His brows furrowed, and his expression grew more serious.

"Your Majesty," Minister Liu said gravely after a long moment, putting down the letter. "I have tried my best to gather food, fodder, and weapons, but the treasury is empty. It is difficult to meet the needs of the front lines in such a short time!"

"I ask you, is there any other way?" I suppressed the anger in my heart and asked coldly.

"Your Majesty, I have already issued orders to urgently allocate food and fodder from the surrounding counties and to expedite the production of military equipment, but all of this will take time..."

"Time!?" I stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the imperial study. "General Zhen made it very clear in his letter that the army's food and fodder can only last for ten days at most! If there are no reinforcements after ten days, the consequences will be disastrous!"

Minister Liu fell to his knees with a thud, "Your Majesty, please calm down! I have done my best!"

"I know you tried your best, but..." I looked at the elderly Minister Liu, kneeling on the ground, with mixed feelings. He was right. The national treasury was empty, and the surrounding counties were not wealthy. How could it be easy to raise enough supplies to support the army in such a short time?

"Your Majesty..." Xiaotao looked at me worriedly, hesitant to speak.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Now was not the time to panic. I had to come up with a foolproof plan, otherwise...

A bold idea emerged in my mind. I suddenly raised my head and looked at Minister Liu with a firm gaze: "Pass the order down and prepare the imperial carriage..." "Your Majesty! Where...where are you going?" Minister Liu looked at me in shock, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"I'm going to the border!" I said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "Since the Ministry of Revenue can't solve the supply problem, I'm going to go and see for myself what's going on!"

"Your Majesty, absolutely not!" Minister Liu hastily dissuaded him. "The journey to the border is long and the environment is harsh, and the enemy is eyeing us covetously. You are so precious, how can you take such a risk?"

"I've made up my mind. No need to persuade me!" I waved my hand, interrupting him. "I'm the monarch of a country. How can I sit idly by and watch my soldiers starve? I've made up my mind. I'll set off tomorrow morning!"

Before dawn the next day, I took a few guards and set off for the border. The journey was bumpy, and I had to sleep in the open air. I had never experienced such hardships before, but when I thought of the soldiers fighting bravely on the frontier, I told myself that this little hardship was nothing!

Ten days later, I finally arrived at the border, but the scene before me shocked me.

The once bustling border town was now a shabby mess, its streets sparsely populated and desolate. I entered the barracks and saw ragged, emaciated soldiers. Many of them didn't even have a complete set of armor, and could only wrap themselves in rags.

"Your Majesty..." A soldier saw me and widened his eyes in surprise. The steamed bun in his hand fell to the ground without him noticing.

I suppressed the sadness in my heart, walked over, picked up the steamed bread on the ground, and asked, "Is this what you eat?"

The soldier lowered his head in shame, not daring to look at me. I broke open the steamed bread and found it was filled with sand and weeds, making it impossible to swallow.

"Your Majesty, you don't know!" The old soldier beside him couldn't help but say, "We haven't had a full meal in a long time. The army is short of food and fodder, so we can only use these things to fill our stomachs..."

My heart felt as if it were being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe. I looked up at the soldiers fighting for their country, yet they couldn't even afford a full meal. I felt a surge of guilt and heartache...

"I know, I know everything..." My voice choked, barely able to form a complete sentence. Looking around, every soldier's eyes were filled with exhaustion and hunger, but more so with a resolute determination. They were willing to sacrifice everything to defend their country. How could I, as the emperor, let them down?

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, and instructed the guards accompanying me, "Pass the order down. Immediately count the existing food and fodder, and mobilize supplies from nearby towns as quickly as possible. Make sure the soldiers are well fed and clothed!"

"As you wish!" The guard took the order and left.

I turned to look at the old soldier and said with a firm gaze, "Don't worry, I will solve the food problem as soon as possible and will never let you go hungry again!"

The old soldier knelt on the ground excitedly, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is wise!"

I helped the old soldier up, but my heart felt even heavier. Solving the food and fodder problem was only the first step; the more important thing was to fundamentally address the shortage of supplies on the frontier.

I returned to the temporary headquarters and immediately summoned several ministers who were accompanying me to discuss countermeasures.

"Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task is to mobilize civilian resources to support the border areas," Minister Liu said first. "We can issue a fundraising order, calling on the people to donate food, fodder, and clothing to alleviate the urgent need."

"I second the motion." Other ministers also expressed their agreement.

I nodded and immediately gave orders, instructing people to spread the fundraising notice throughout the country as quickly as possible.

After the news spread, the people responded one after another. Those who had money donated money, and those who had strength donated their strength. In just a few days, they raised a large amount of food, fodder and clothing and sent them to the border.

Watching truckloads of aid delivered by the people slowly roll out of the city gates, my heart is filled with emotion and hope. I believe that with the support of the people across the country, we will be able to overcome the difficulties we face!

However, things never go as planned. Just as the first batch of supplies was about to arrive at the border, a sudden snowstorm swept across the entire northern land...

"Your Majesty, this is bad! News has come from the front: the grain transport team encountered a snowstorm, the roads are blocked, and the supplies won't arrive on time..." The guard rushed in panic and knelt before me, his voice trembling, almost unable to speak...

"What?!" I stood up suddenly, and the memorial in my hand fell to the ground. "The road is blocked? How could this happen..."

The guard lowered his head even lower. "Your Majesty, this blizzard came suddenly and violently. When the grain transport team reached the dangerous canyon, they were hit by an avalanche. The road was blocked, and the losses were heavy..."

My heart sank suddenly. The dangerous canyon is the only way to the border. The terrain is steep and there is snow all year round. If an avalanche occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Are there any more casualties?" My voice trembled a little, and a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. As long as no one is safe, I can find another way if the food and supplies are gone.

"This..." The guard looked troubled. "The specific casualties are not clear yet, but..."

"But what?" I had a bad feeling in my heart.

"However, according to the news that has been brought back, the one escorting the grain and grass this time is Minister Liu's eldest son, Lord Liu..."

"Minister Liu's eldest son?" I immediately understood what the guard meant. Minister Liu's eldest son, Liu An, had been pampered and clothed in luxury since childhood. How could he have ever endured such hardship? If Minister Liu hadn't volunteered to let his son escort the grain and fodder as a token of his loyalty, I would never have agreed to let him take such a risk.

"Pass the order down immediately, organize people, bring tools, and make sure to clear the road as soon as possible to rescue the trapped people!" I made a prompt decision. Now is not the time to assign responsibilities. Saving people is the most important thing.

I slumped weakly into a chair, rubbing my aching forehead, feeling a surge of anxiety. The fighting on the border was intense, and the soldiers' morale was already low. Now that food and fodder weren't arriving on time, if their morale collapsed, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Minister Liu walked in with an anxious look on his face, his eyes red, obviously having heard the news about his son.

"My dear minister, I am deeply saddened!" I said in a deep voice, "I have already sent people to rescue them. I believe there will be news soon."

Minister Liu suppressed his grief and said, "Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask of you!"

"My dear, please speak!"

"I beg Your Majesty to allow me to go to the dangerous canyon in person to rescue my son!" Minister Liu said as he was about to kneel on the ground.

I quickly stood up, supported Minister Liu, and said in a deep voice, "My dear minister, I understand your love for your son, but this matter is too dangerous. You are old, and you must not put yourself in danger again!"

"His Majesty……"

"My dear, there's no need to say more. I've made up my mind!" I said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to save your son!"

Minister Liu wanted to say something else, but I stopped him with my eyes.

Watching Minister Liu's dejected back as he left, my heart grew heavier. The blizzard, the food, and Liu An... all of this was like huge rocks, weighing me down, making it hard to breathe.

At this moment, a young eunuch rushed in and said, "Report..."

"Urgent news from the border!" The eunuch's voice was shrill and piercing, exploding in my ears. My heart tightened, a sense of foreboding washed over me, and I quickly took the battle report.

When I opened it, the contents of the battle report made me feel like I was falling into an icy cave...