The left prime minister spent less and less time at the Cao mansion as he was always called for impromptu court meetings at the imperial palace where the emperor and ministers could discuss the situation at the borders.
The nation's coffers were almost empty because the output of grains and rice this year was abysmal. General Shang had been situated at the Northern border and reinforcements had been called from the Western border.
The capital was right in the middle so the soldiers from the West would have go through there on their way to the North. The plan was for the soldiers to pick up supplies from the vassal states and villages along the way but with the low crop output, things were looking bad.
Very bad.
The emperor had been receiving correspondence from the soldiers at the North who were trying to hold off the enemy. The general going missing had weakened their morale and the lack of supplies had further beaten them down. They wouldn't hold on for more than three months.
