Finally, after a long silence, Pang Tong couldn't help but ask.
"Commander Xun, isn't there something wrong with my ears?"
How could it be possible to eat three million stones of grain in less than a year!
Under normal circumstances, an army of 100,000 would cost at most 100,000 shi of food per month.
Nowadays, it only takes eight months to complete the battle. Even if there is some excess consumption, it will not exceed one million stones.
Even if the food consumption of the soldiers who died in battle is included, it is impossible to exceed twice!
Xun You understood Pang Tong's mood very well. When he learned that food was being consumed so quickly, his reaction was even worse than Pang Tong's!
It's a pity that it is a shock to be shocked, the fact is indeed the case, and it cannot be changed.
"What Shi Yuan didn't know is that it is very difficult to transport grain on the Qishan Road. Transporting ten thousand shi of grain from Yangping Pass to Ji County consumes 23/10 of the transportation cost."
"Since the beginning of the war, we have successively transported four million shi of grain from Hanzhong, but when we arrived in Ji County, we only had less than 3 million shi left."
Xun You was helpless about this result.
After all, there were hundreds of thousands of civilians recruited for conscription alone!
Without so many civilian workers, how could we transport mountains of food?
"Even so, there should be nearly three million stones left!"
Pang Tong knew about the food consumption problem of the people, but he still couldn't understand that the three million stones of grain and grass in Hanyang County had turned into one million stones in eight months!
"Shi Yuan, think about it, what did Han Sui do to provide food for an army of three to four hundred thousand men? How could he not plunder all the food for the people under his command?"
"There are nearly 200,000 people in the counties of Longxi County and Hanyang County. That's 200,000 mouths!"
Xun You shook his head helplessly. No matter how much he saved for 200,000 people, he would still have to consume nearly one million grains!
Liu Zhang's strategy of delaying the advance was undoubtedly extremely wise and correct in Xun You's opinion.
After taking over the entire Jincheng County, food relief will definitely be needed for the people, which is another huge expense.
"this..."
Pang Tong was so shocked that he had no idea about rescuing the people.
"Commander Xun, with Han Sui's 400,000 Qiang troops in front and the Xianbei's 200,000 cavalry behind, there is no way to know the outcome of the war. How can you waste food without any scruples?"
When Xun You used the rations from the Yizhou Army to relieve the people of Liangzhou, the Yizhou Army was still in an extreme crisis.
Once Liu Zhang was defeated by Han Sui and lost to Yuzhong, or the street pavilion was broken through by the Xianbei people.
That could almost declare the defeat of the Northern Expedition. Then wouldn’t all the food that had been used to help the people go to the enemy?
Pang Tong was not opposed to helping the people, he felt that at least he had to make sure that the people were the people under Yizhou's command, not the enemy's people.
When Xun You was in a dilemma, Liu Zhang, who was in charge, spoke.
"Shiyuan, this is my order."
Unfortunately, Pang Tong did not choose to settle the matter because it was Liu Zhang's order, but instead transferred his doubts about Xun You to Liu Zhang.
"Lord, is this too reckless? What if..."
Pang Tong did not continue, but everyone understood what he meant.
What if we lose the battle?
If it were not for supplying the people regardless of consumption, there would be no need to transport Hanzhong's grain to only one million shi.
If it were just to supply the army, Hanzhong would probably still have at least two million more grains in stock.
Even with the economic strength of Yizhou, it would take several years to accumulate five million stones of grain and grass in Hanzhong with the support of the Chamber of Commerce.
Once the Yizhou Army is defeated, not only will the entire army return to Hanzhong, but the amount of food wasted will be astronomical!
Perhaps within a few years, the Yizhou army would not be able to compete northward for Yongliang, let alone Guanzhong.
Seeing the eagerness that was not for his age on Pang Tong's somewhat immature face, Liu Zhang couldn't help but laugh.
"Shiyuan, it doesn't have to be like this! Didn't we win?"
"There are so many what-ifs in the world! The fact is that we had the last laugh!"
Pang Yi shook his head seriously and did not reveal the matter because of Liu Zhang's playful smile.
"Sun Tzu once said in The Art of War, 'As a general, you should worry about defeat before thinking about victory, so you can fight a hundred battles without danger'!"
"My lord, have you ever thought about what kind of disaster it would bring to us once our army is defeated, just the loss of food and fodder?"
From now on, there is indeed no problem with this matter.
Although aiding the people cost a lot of food and grass, Liu Zhang also gained the hearts and minds of the people in various counties.
But what Pang Tong saw was not just the matter itself.
The Yizhou Army achieved the final victory entirely due to the strength of the soldiers, the bravery of the generals, and the wisdom of the military advisors!
All of this has nothing to do with the people of Yongliang.
Once the Yizhou army is defeated, can the rescued people turn the tide of the war for Liu Zhang?
Certainly not!
It is equivalent to Liu Zhang just using a large amount of food to win the hearts of the people after the victory.
For a military strategist, the effort and results are completely out of proportion.
As long as the Yizhou army fails, the food in the hands of the people will become food and fodder to support Han Sui.
Liu Zhang could completely understand what Pang Tong was thinking, but he disagreed with Pang Tong's views.
"Shi Yuan, since you mentioned Sun Tzu's Art of War, you must know that Sun Tzu once said, 'Throw yourself into death and survive; be trapped in death and survive'."
"Our Yizhou Army is surrounded by enemies from both sides. How can we win if we don't put ourselves to death?"
Unexpectedly, Pang Tong became even more excited and waved his hands repeatedly to deny Liu Zhang's statement.
"Lord..."
"Shi Yuan!"
Just when Pang Tong wanted to continue to refute Liu Zhang, Xun You interrupted him sharply.
Pang Tong was a little confused at first, but as Xun You kept winking, he soon understood what Xun You meant.
How disrespectful to Liu Zhang!
At present, Ma Chao, Pang De, and Cheng Gongying are not old people. Facing these surrendered generals, wouldn't it make it impossible for Liu Zhang to come to Taiwan?
"My lord, I was reckless and did not understand my lord's intention."
"Please forgive me, my lord!"
In fact, Xun You was overthinking it, and Liu Zhang didn't care at all.
In Liu Zhang's eyes, neither Pang Tong, Ma Chao nor Cheng Gongying regarded them as outsiders.
"Shiyuan doesn't have to be like this. If you have any questions, just raise them. This is a good thing!"
Liu Zhang knew that Pang Tong had not finished what he said, and also understood what Xun You meant.
But after all, as the leader of a state, he must have some face.
"My lord, we have been fighting for a long time today and all the generals are tired. How about we discuss it tomorrow?"
"Well, you should go back and rest early!"
Liu Zhang nodded and immediately agreed to Xun You's suggestion.
"I'll take my leave!"
Everyone stood up and left, leaving only Pang Tong, Xun You and Fazheng.
Now only Liu Zhang's most trusted advisor was left in the room.
"Shi Yuan, please continue."
"um, I..."
Liu Zhang thought that after everyone left, Pang Tong would speak freely and teach him a lesson.
Unexpectedly, Pang Tong was so embarrassed that he was speechless for a long time.