Chapter 12503

Chapter 12503

Guo Xianggu steeled his resolve: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is the first time I've heard of this matter. Chen Qun was in charge of the grain transport. I failed to properly manage my subordinates and am guilty of negligence. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Song Chi's face visibly darkened.

He was well aware that his cooperation with Guo Xianggu was only temporary, and they were by no means truly on the same side; there would inevitably be a time when they would fight like dogs.

But he never expected that this moment would come so soon.

The key point is that this guy has a kind-looking face with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but he can turn on you faster than a dog!
Song Chi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, everything I did was instigated by Li Yan. He is the mastermind behind all of this. With my authority alone, I could not possibly cover up such a major event. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

Guo Xianggu was furious: "Shameless villain, having committed such a heinous crime, still dares to implicate his superiors! His crimes are unforgivable! I beg Your Majesty to execute this traitor immediately!"

Song Chi immediately turned the tables and accused Song Chi of the same thing.

The intention was very clear: to sacrifice my fellow Daoist rather than myself.

Now that things have come to this, someone has to step forward and take responsibility, and one of the two has to die no matter what.

However, this highlights Guo Xianggu's advantage due to his status.

The character he portrays, Li Yan, is one of only two trusted ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor in the court. Even if he makes a serious mistake, it would be difficult for Liu Shan, given his status, to do anything to him.

Even the court officials were not qualified to call for his execution; the only one who was qualified was now being put on the front lines and suffering setbacks.

In this case, at most he would only be punished with three cups of wine.

On the other hand, Chen Qun, whom Song Chi chose, has the advantage of a low status, allowing him to handle many things personally. However, at this moment, he is inevitably being used as a scapegoat.

Song Chi was naturally unwilling to be eliminated just like that.

He had long anticipated this move and had secretly collected various pieces of evidence against Guo Xianggu.

Unfortunately, Lin Yi didn't give him a chance to confess on the spot and directly ordered his men to take him down. As for the evidence that Song Chi kept shouting about, he didn't even bother to listen to a word of it.

Guo Xianggu breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, we encountered such an incompetent ruler!
If this person weren't an NPC in the script, but rather played by another participant, they would definitely take the opportunity to eliminate him and Song Chi together.

Killing a trusted minister who entrusted the young emperor with a great responsibility certainly carries enormous risks, and could have endless consequences if not handled properly. But for these participants in the race, the consequences are of no importance.

Lin Yi said, "You are responsible for negligence and should be punished along with others, but considering that you are an important minister entrusted by the late emperor, we will give you a break this time."

Before Guo Xiang could even catch his breath, Lin Yi abruptly changed the subject: "However, you must gather the necessary provisions within three days, or all the old and new grievances will be settled together. Do you understand?"

"Yes Yes."

Guo Xianggu readily agreed, but inwardly he frowned.

Shu Han's potential was limited. The previous food shortage was partly due to his and Song Chi's interference, but also because the available supplies were indeed limited.

To put it another way, if Shu Han truly had great potential and sufficient supplies, even if the logistics chief wanted to sabotage things and deliberately tried to cut off the front lines' food supply, it wouldn't have been so easy.

Now, forcing him to gather enough provisions within three days is no easy task.

Guo Xianggu emerged from the Military Affairs Office with a head full of trouble.

No matter how he planned it, it was an absolutely impossible task.

"Let's find some excuse to fool them first."

Guo Xianggu immediately made up his mind.

Despite Song Chi's cautionary tale, from his perspective, gathering provisions for Zhuge Liang would be a foolish act that undermines his own foundation, so there was no need for him to take it seriously.

However, how to fool Liu Shan, this mediocre ruler, is something we need to think about carefully right now.

Just then, a voice came from behind: "Lord Li, please wait."

Guo Xianggu turned around and saw that he had just met the man in the Military Affairs Office. His name was Dong Yun, and he was a rare capable official in the Shu Han court.

They should not be underestimated, but in the end, they are just NPCs in the script.

Guo Xianggu silently made a judgment in his mind, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then asked, "Does Lord Dong have something to discuss with me?"

"His Majesty has ordered me to oversee the procurement of provisions. Lord Li, what are your plans next?"

Dong Yun adopted a businesslike attitude.

The aftereffects are coming!
Guo Xianggu secretly groaned.

Although it was a last resort to push Song Chi out as a scapegoat, without this helper, everything will be much more difficult from now on.

Especially now that Dong Yun has become the military supervisor!

Guo Xianggu smiled bitterly and said, "I'm also completely clueless right now. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. This is all the grain I can gather. Even if I scrape it clean, I can't conjure up that much."

This is a true statement.

With the logistical resources under his control, he can only fill 10% at most, leaving at least 90% of the gap.

If it weren't for Dong Yun, he could have managed to fool him.

But now, he doesn't even have a chance to fool anyone!
Dong Yun said meaningfully, "His Majesty knows of Lord Li's difficulties and specifically instructed me that extraordinary measures can be taken in extraordinary times. If necessary, Lord Li can borrow grain from powerful and wealthy families."

"Borrow grain from powerful families?"

Guo Xianggu's eyelids twitched.

As a native of Tianjun, having grown up in the shadow of a prominent family in Tianjun, he knew all too well the value of the word "prominent family".

Given his current role, offending Liu Shan wouldn't cause any problems, but if he offended the powerful clans, especially the entire powerful clan group, he might be in serious trouble from then on.

The other party said they were borrowing grain, but what the real situation was, even a fool could guess.

Dong Yun said in a deep voice, "His Majesty ordered Lord Li to redeem himself through meritorious service, which requires some courage. At present, the war on the front line is more important than anything else, and the shortage of food supplies must be filled no matter what."

"The only difference is whether Lord Li fills it out himself or someone else does it."

"Lord Li is more experienced than me in this regard, so I don't need to say more."

As Dong Yun spoke, a circle of people appeared around him without him noticing; they were all experts who kept their auras concealed.

Guo Xianggu's heart pounded wildly.

As an ordinary person from the lower class, although he made a name for himself in Tianjun through his poetry and prose, he was basically nothing to brag about in terms of ability.

Even if it's not presentable, it's still considered a high-level item.

In this scenario, theoretically, he should be indiscriminately killing everyone, but right now, the aura displayed by any random expert is no weaker than his.

Judging from this situation, if he utters even half a word of dissent, he will be immediately apprehended and follow in Song Chi's footsteps.

"Did His Majesty instruct you to do this?"

Guo Xianggu couldn't help but ask.

Dong Yun smiled but remained silent.

Seeing his expression, Guo Xianggu immediately confirmed that this was definitely not the instigation of Liu Shan, the NPC mediocre ruler; there was only one other possibility left.

This is Zhuge Liang remotely controlling things from the front.