Chapter 782: Chapter 767: Burn the Boats
"You’re talking about Xiao Tang, right? He’s been out gathering supplies and hasn’t returned for a while. There’s no way around it, we can’t compare to your factory, Mr. Liu. You have a large stock of materials with nothing to worry about. But our situation is different. To solve the food problem for everyone at the villa, I have no choice but to send people out on dangerous trips to gather supplies. Otherwise, the small amount we have at home can’t possibly sustain so many people and mouths. So, to level with you, Mr. Liu, our situation is quite dire. Even before you came to the villa, we were already facing a shortage and had to start rationing. And the attacks from Spring Xiu’s group have only made our supply issues worse. Not knowing when they might launch another attack, for safety’s sake, I’ve ordered Xiao Tang and his team not to return for now to avoid being ambushed on the way back. But this means the villa’s supplies aren’t being replenished on time. If this continues, we’ll soon face the threat of running out of food."
Old Xu used this opportunity to exaggerate, catching Liu Fugui’s attention. As the saying goes, "man is iron, and food is steel." If you miss a meal, you’ll truly feel it.
If they can’t even fill their stomachs, how can they possibly face Spring Xiu’s group?
So, Old Xu had some sense in keeping Tang Xiaoquan outside. This way, he can preserve their strength and coordinate inside and out against the enemy when necessary.
But this is not a long-term plan. If Spring Xiu blocks the road leading to and from the villa in the east-west direction, it’s like choking all the people in the villa.
At that point, they wouldn’t need to confront the villa directly. Just by enforcing the blockade, they could cause the villa to collapse due to lack of food and resources.
This was the first time Liu Fugui felt such concern for his and his son’s safety since coming to the villa. He quickly continued asking, "Captain Xu, how long will the supplies we have on hand last us?"
The purpose of Old Xu’s words was to imply they were both in the same boat. If he used the aforementioned method to blockade the villa, they wouldn’t benefit either: "As for the exact amount, there have been so many issues lately that I haven’t asked. We just need to find a solution quickly, or else we won’t last much longer."
With that, Old Xu discreetly glanced at Liu Fugui. Seeing the grave expression, he thought to himself, even this old fox worries about food. If you’re so afraid of starving, you better tell your men outside to behave. Otherwise, the first to lose their food ration will be you and your son.
Old Xu sighed deliberately, pretending to be worried, and asked, "Mr. Liu, with your vast experience, have you thought of a good solution? This issue has me at my wit’s end, and I can’t come up with a proper solution!"
Old Xu’s anxiety was understandable to Liu Fugui, but solving food and drink issues for everyone in their current predicament seemed near impossible.
On one hand, the villa needs personnel to handle potential attacks from Spring Xiu and He Lei’s groups at any moment. This means they can’t send out more teams to gather supplies.
On the other hand, based on the information he had, there are currently two teams outside the villa. Although they could serve as supply-gathering teams, getting those supplies back to the factory safely is another challenge.
Five minutes later, Liu Fugui spoke in a serious tone, "Captain Xu, we urgently need to figure out how long the remaining supplies will last for everyone, then adjust distribution accordingly. For the guards in the villa, we need to ensure their meals as much as possible. As for other support staff that don’t face the enemy directly, we should cut their rations. We should also reduce the number of meals overall, skipping breakfast for everyone except those on the night shift. Also, we should avoid unnecessary physical exertion, like this morning’s drills; those should be canceled. Of course, these measures are just temporary. To solve the villa’s supply issue thoroughly, we need to take a desperate gamble."
"Mr. Liu, go on, what is your desperate gamble plan?"
"It’s simple. From what I know, there are currently two groups still outside, right?"
"Yes!" Old Xu nodded.
"Then in the last 2 to 3 days of our calculated supply time, these two groups should be tasked with something risky!"
"What do you mean?"
"We can have one group return first. If they encounter Spring Xiu’s blockade, they will lead them away from the road, while the other team uses this chance to return to the villa. This plan requires many preconditions and is extremely dangerous, so it’s a last resort, hence the term ’desperate gamble.’"
Old Xu certainly had no intention of executing Liu Fugui’s so-called desperate gamble plan. Besides, the latter didn’t know the villa had a second refuge where Old Zhao and others had prepared winter supplies long ago.
So, despite Liu Fugui’s serious tone, Old Xu saw them as nothing but tricks.
However, he had to admire something: the allocation and control of resources suggested by Liu Fugui was something to consider and utilize.
"Ah, Mr. Liu, indeed! In just a few minutes, you’ve thought of so much. You’ve made excellent points, and I’ll go arrange it. But this means the villa’s food standards will drop another notch. We already struggle to offer you much, and now it’ll be even less..."
Liu Fugui, full of smiles, shook his head and waved his hand, "Haha, Captain Xu, don’t joke with me. I am homeless now, and if it weren’t for you taking me in, I might not even have the basics for survival. I’m really just grateful for what little I can offer in return, even if it isn’t much. I’m truly burdened by the thought of not being able to do more to help you."
Watching Liu Fugui’s pretended modesty, Old Xu genuinely admired how these business tricksters can lie without blushing. If it weren’t for Xiao Tang and Old Zhao monitoring the factory moves, who knows how long this old fox would have fooled them. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
