After feeding Xiao Wei two more sips, Fu Chen'an tied the gourd back on his waist and carried Xiao Wei as he followed the soldiers and retreated to the border wall.
When they reached the wall, he ran toward the gate while shouting, "Physician, please save my brother!"
Hearing his words, a middle-aged man rushed over and checked on Xiao Wei's injuries.
He thought that with how severe his injuries were, this man wouldn't survive. But when he checked his pulse, he was surprised to find that it was strong, albeit chaotic.
Since Xiao Wei had lost too much blood, he was currently in a coma. The physician took out his silver needle bag and used acupuncture to stop the bleeding. Afterward, he cleaned the wound and put on the ointment before he used a piece of clean fabric to bandage it.
When he was done, he turned to Fu Chen'an and said, "Tonight, he might develop a fever. As long as he survives the fever, his life won't be in danger."
After saying these words, the physician packed up his medicine box and went to treat another wounded soldier.
Even though Fu Chen'an wanted to ask the physician for a prescription, he knew that in war, being able to treat injuries was already good enough. It was impossible for them to be able to drink boiled medicine.
Looking at his brother's pale face, he made up his mind and fed him more medicinal water. After drinking half of the water, Xiao Wei's breath finally stabilized.
Although he was still unconscious, he was no longer as weak as before. Fu Chen'an knew that the water given by his wife was actually a life-saving medicine. Since that was the case, he would use it sparingly.
Since both sides had stopped the attack, the soldiers retreated back to the town, while the wounded soldiers were carried to the tent where they could rest and receive treatment.
The soldiers who were able to move were arranged to continue guarding the wall and take turns to rest. While they stood guard on top of the wall, they were given some water and three black steamed buns.
After fighting for a long time, the soldiers were exhausted. Combined with the coarse food and limited water, their bodies were unable to recover as quickly as usual. At this moment, the morale of the army was very low.
Standing on top of the wall, Fu Chen'an stared at the vast open area in the distance and wondered how long this battle would last.
While he was lost in his thoughts, a group of people was discussing the current battle situation in the Governor's Office.
"Lord Heir, this battle might last longer than we expected. Is there any news about the military rations?" a middle-aged man asked.
A young man standing on the sand map table shook his head. "There is no news yet."
When they heard this, everyone frowned deeply.
"General, our supplies are only enough for half a month, while our water is only enough for another ten days," a man in his twenties said worriedly.
"What should we do now? Even with food, without water, it's impossible for our soldiers to go into battle," another man added.
Lu Qianxuan raised his gaze and looked at his subordinates. He understood the situation better than anyone. Right now, they were not only facing the barbarians but also the hidden scheming of those people in the Capital.
With his family's reputation and popularity, the emperor was wary of them and wanted to give them some lessons. Therefore, he pretended not to know when the officials withheld the military payments and delayed the military rations.
Thinking about his grandfather, uncles, and brothers who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield to protect the Great Yan Kingdom, he couldn't help but resent those people, especially the one sitting on the throne.
If not for the lives of the commoners and his family, he wouldn't risk his life to defend this land.
After a long silence, he finally said, "We cannot wait for them. Send a messenger and request assistance from the Luan Army."
"General, we have already sent three messages requesting their assistance, but until today, we have not received any reply at all."
"Rather than pinning our hope on others, it's better for us to find the solution ourselves," the military strategist said suddenly.
Hearing this, Lu Qianxuan turned to him and asked, "Sir Wen, do you have any solution?"
Wen Liyan nodded and replied, "Although the border areas are facing a prolonged drought, there are several cities and towns with strategic locations."
"There are a lot of merchants coming from other provinces to sell grains and other supplies. While the price will be higher than usual, we can buy the grains from the merchants and solve our urgent needs first."
"Sir Wen, if we want to buy grains, we have to get the money first. As you know, it has been several years since we received full military payment. All these years, if not for the General's family subsidizing the military pay, we would have long starved to death," one of the battalion officers said.
As soon as he said these words, everyone nodded in agreement. Not to mention having a luxurious lifestyle, the General's family members barely have enough food to eat.
Wen Liyan went silent as he also knew the situation of the Lu family. After thinking for a while, he finally said, "Since we cannot pay them, then let them donate the grains instead."
The military officers looked at him as if he were crazy. Not to mention the merchants, even farmers wouldn't agree to donate their grains to the army.
What's more, with the prolonged drought, the possibility of famine was high. No one was foolish enough to risk their lives just to support the army.
Meeting their gazes, Wen Liyan spread his arms and said, "This method won't work, that method won't work. Then how about you all come up with a solution instead?"