V13 Chapter 71 – Indispensable

“Lord Lu, our scouts continue to report no meaningful sightings of spirit beasts,” said General Hu.

That prompted an almost even split in the expressions on the faces of the people occupying the tent. Half of the military leaders looked exceedingly pleased at this news. The other half, including General Hu, did not look happy. Sen found his opinion of those latter officers instantly improved. After all, Sen had explained why he wasn’t happy that they’d seen so little spirit beast activity. Yet, it seemed that some of the generals and their underlings could only see today’s good tidings. They either didn’t or wouldn’t recognize that the same news could mean ill tidings tomorrow. If they didn’t recognize it, that made them terrible strategists. Not something that a smart leader looked for in their generals. If they wouldn’t recognize it, that made them fools who wished to hide from unpleasant possibilities. Also not something that smart leaders looked for in their generals.

Sen once more found himself frustrated by the fact that so many generals acquired their position courtesy of their families, rather than their talent. As he’d been doing more and more often, he added that problem to a list of things he would need to change after the war. He understood that nothing he did could ever fix corruption entirely. Some people would keep being corrupt even in the face of annihilation, to say nothing of when the world was at peace. It was also inevitable that some level of questionable patronage would wield influence in the military. Superiors were going to play favorites sometimes. Sen did it, so it only stood to reason that others would too. However, he was damn sure going to do away with giving command of armies to people based solely on coming from the right, meaning noble, families. There were too many lives at risk to treat merit as anything less than the main reason for promotion to general. Of course, that was a problem for later. He needed to focus on the present for the moment.

“And have we found—” Sen braced himself mentally, “anyone?”

That question dampened everyone’s mood. The gloom that descended also answered Sen’s question. Ever since they’d entered this part of the continent, there had been no sign of human beings anywhere. Only abandoned towns and farming villages. And corpses. They’d found all too many corpses. Enough that Sen had been forced to have the bodies burned or risk some kind of plague. That task had fallen largely on the fire cultivators with the army. A group that, while usually insensitive to the plight of mortals, had been showing signs that the task was starting to weigh down on them. As it should, thought Sen. It wasn’t like they’d only found dead warriors.

The spirit beasts were indiscriminate with their bloodshed. Those fires had consumed women, children, and elders. Groups that most armies didn’t automatically kill. Yet, Sen’s main concern was that this would simply harden the cultivators even more. Then again, it was probably hardening the regular soldiers as well. He struggled to imagine what kind of people would remain when this was all over. What would they value? How meaningless would life become to them? Auntie Caihong had warned him about this very problem. He remembered how glib he’d been when he’d said that their souls were someone else’s problem. It had been easy to say at the time.

Now, he was seeing firsthand what she’d meant by saying that war could change people. And he had no idea what to do about it, or even if he could do anything about it. It wasn’t as though he had some deep insight about preserving people’s hearts and souls. He didn’t even know how to protect his own heart and soul.

“I take it from everyone’s despondent expressions that we haven’t found anyone alive?” asked Sen.

“No, Lord Lu,” answered General Hu.

“Very well. Then we press forward.”

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There was a moment of silence before General Hu coughed nervously.

“Yes?” asked Sen.

“Lord Lu, perhaps it would be wiser to rest for a few days.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, given your recent advancement—” the man trailed off.

Sen lifted an eyebrow and asked, “What about it?”

“It’s just that— Well, that is—” hedged the general without ever reaching a point.

“Out with it, General Hu,” commanded Sen.

“It’s my understanding that advancements are taxing on cultivators,” said the man in a weak voice. “If there is a large spirit beast army ahead, wouldn’t it be best to wait until you’ve fully recovered? Your strength may well decide the battle.”

This was another problem, and one Sen was equally unsure how to fix. The generals still saw him as indispensable to victory in any battle. Maybe it was even true from the standpoint of pure morale. Sen was their leader, after all. In practical terms, though, Master Feng was still far more crucial to any victory. Song Lan and several other nascent soul cultivators probably were as well. The only thing Sen really had over them was the technique he and Master Feng used to restore their qi faster. It was a formidable advantage, without question. It still didn’t make up for the shortfall in his power compared to some of the other nascent soul cultivators. None of which the generals wanted to hear. Sen knew this because he’d tried to explain that reality to them more than once.

“A few more days won’t make a meaningful difference in my strength if we are to face a spirit beast army,” answered Sen. “That being said, I won’t disgrace myself if it happens.”

The generals all traded uncertain looks, but seemed unwilling to continue pursuing the matter. If he was lying to them, there was nothing they could do about it. If he wasn’t lying to them, pressing the issue might well infuriate him. That could lead to a round of hasty promotions for their juniors. Sen could almost see those thoughts passing through their minds.

General Hu bowed and said, “Of course, it is as you say, Lord Lu.”

“Are there any other matters that require my immediate attention?”

“There is the matter of food,” said one of the other generals.

Sen looked at the man with a gray beard that was starting to go white. He wondered if that was because of the man’s age or just because of the pressures of the war. The general’s name eluded him. They’d picked him up in one of the kingdoms the army had conquered. Sen wasn’t even sure which one. Still, the comment surprised him.

“How is food a problem?”

“We’ve made a habit of purchasing food as we go, but there is no food to purchase here. The farms are all abandoned or worse,” answered the man.

“And the food in the storage rings? Have we already gone through that?”

“Storage rings?” asked the general.

Sen directed a look at the generals who had been with him since the beginning. They all averted their eyes, seeming to find the ground or the walls of the tent to be of supreme interest.

“I will explain it to him,” said General Hu.

“Good. Although, if we need to dip into those supplies, it is a problem. They’ll last for a while, but not forever.”

Sen’s reading of history had taught him that supply lines were crucial to keeping an army moving. He had sidestepped the issue so far with the storage rings. That, and by paying out vast sums of seized gold and silver to purchase food as they went. He’d forbidden pillaging of any kind. He meant to rule these lands one day. Leaving behind a starving population would make that a nearly impossible task, tyrant or not. Still, as long as things had remained peaceful behind them, it should be feasible for supplies to catch up with them. It would really depend on how firm a hold his governors had maintained over their provinces.

Jing had made noises about setting up a bureaucratic corps to disperse throughout the captured provinces. That would have made facilitating things like supply lines so much easier. Unfortunately, that idea was still in the earliest stages. Sen was also wary about handing out too much power to a group like that, but that too was a future problem. Dealing with this food problem would require some long talks over the communication core later that day. It wasn’t his favorite activity, especially when it meant cutting short the time he spent talking to Ai and everyone else back home. It was unavoidable, though. Unlike Sen, food actually was indispensable. Starving armies were defeated armies.

Sen made a dismissive gesture with his hand and the generals left the tent. No sooner were they gone than Master Feng came in.

“So, tell me more about this god,” said the elder cultivator.