In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 649 News spreads quickly, provisions grow fast

"Grain."

The assistant commander in charge of land reclamation at the Daning Vanguard stepped forward stammering, his forehead covered in sweat.

In the darkness, a cold wind blew, but it couldn't dispel the panic in his heart.

"Grain. Your humble servant."

Liu Heiying suddenly turned around, and his long sword flashed out.

It was held stiffly against his neck, its eyes gleaming with ferocity.

Those around them held their breath involuntarily at the sight.

"Stop stammering and give me an explanation."

The ledgers said the warehouse was full, but it was actually empty. It's unbelievable!

The man was covered in sweat and knelt down with a thud.
He lowered his head and remained silent.

Liu Heiying's gaze swept across the surroundings.
Looking at the innocent, terrified, and bewildered officials, he let out a cold snort:
"The military settlement is located outside Daning City."
They were completely emptied out right under the commander's nose?

"If I hadn't suddenly arrived today..."

Can this peaceful and prosperous era continue?

No one spoke
Only strands of hair and the hem of clothing fluttered in the wind.

Their hearts, filled with dread, were also tossed about.

Are they all mute?

Liu Heiying's voice spread outwards.
It startled away countless birds that were circling in the darkness.

He looked at Hong Yishan, the Prefect of Daning, his gaze sharp as lightning:
"Lord Hong, if I remember correctly..."
The military settlements, fertile fields, and military equipment near Daning City were all inventoried by personnel sent by the prefectural government.

Could you please provide an explanation for this?

Hong Yishan stood there, trembling with fear.

My lips were extremely dry, and my throat was constantly moving.
He felt the cold wind around him scraping his throat like a knife.

"This... General Liu, I didn't know either."

"Don't know? What a convenient 'don't know'!"

Liu Heiying sheathed his long sword, looked at the many soldiers present, and said in a cold voice:
"Please all the officials present return to your headquarters and calm down."
As for this granary...
Let's just leave it there and see if it suddenly fills up tomorrow!

"Yes!"

The surrounding soldiers stepped forward without saying a word.

They managed to restrain several high-ranking officials present.

On the return journey, Liu Heiying rode his warhorse.
His expression was extremely grave, and a flash of gloom passed through his eyes.

If it weren't for the year-end accounting and the need for the department to rewrite the documents,
He was still unable to discern any clues.
I was just thinking of taking a look, even if it's a small number, it won't matter.

At worst, we can just fill it in later and register it properly.

Unexpectedly, this impulsive trip today turned out to be a wonderful surprise.

"Who took the food?"

Liu Heiying was completely baffled.
There has been no fighting in Da Ning recently, and Commander Zhou Xing is a ruthless man.
Stealing grain right under his nose—isn't that suicidal?
Did they steal it after Zhou Xing left?
Is it because Brother Yun'er can't control the situation?
Thinking about it this way, Liu Heiying's face darkened even more.
If someone were to provoke us so openly, then we should really make an example of them.
"Damn it, they really don't know what's good for them."

The heavy gates of Daning City opened, and the group proceeded in a grand procession towards the Commandery.

Liu Heiying was in the middle of the group.
Looking at the city of Daning, dotted with lights in the darkness, it seemed as if one could hear laughter and cheerful voices coming from inside the house.
What has been done in Daning City over the past two months
It brought complete silence to the city.
Neither the common people of the Ming Dynasty nor the people of the grasslands caused any trouble.
Life is getting better day by day.
This has actually happened.

This is utterly absurd and outrageous!
At this moment, Hu Xiaowu pulled his warhorse closer and whispered:

"Sir, there are people scouting from both the east and west, and their movements are secretive."

Liu Heiying's eyes narrowed instantly, a cold glint flashing within them.
"Is someone about to make a move?"

Hu Xiaowu's expression turned slightly grave, and he slowly shook his head:

"They should only be conducting reconnaissance, hiding in the darkness, and their numbers should be around eight to ten."

Liu Heiying straightened his back, his body swaying gently with his warhorse, and spoke calmly:
"Follow them and see whose informant they are."

"Yes."

Hu Xiaowu quietly slipped away.

A short while later, a commotion suddenly arose at the rear of the group.
The noise suddenly broke the silence of the night.
This caused many people in the group to turn around and look around warily.

Just then, two dark figures in the group silently broke away from the group as they passed through the shadows.

Only two empty warhorses remained, walking slowly.

The surrounding soldiers changed positions with great skill.
They quickly squeezed the two empty warhorses between them.

After doing all this, Liu Heiying finally turned his gaze back from behind.

At the same time, he subtly glanced around and let out a soft hum.
"Walk."

As midnight approached, very few places within the military headquarters were lit.

Only the gatehouse, the office of record keepers, the office of judges, and the left wing room still had candles burning.

The patrolling soldiers looked at the few lights and a hint of admiration flashed in their eyes.

Inside the room, Lu Yunyi was frowning as he looked at the military documents prepared by Zhang Huai'an, his expression somewhat grave.
Besides the thick document that was already half-read, there was nothing else on the table.

There were also some draft papers that he had measured.
There were already dozens of crumpled pieces of paper on the ground, with numbers appearing one after another.

Just as he was calculating the rations for his warhorses,

A shout suddenly came from outside the door.
"My lord, Lord Liu has returned with a large number of people. It seems something has happened."

Lu Yunyi paused, then abruptly looked up: "Come in and talk."

Lu Kang, a bodyguard, entered, his expression somewhat strange. He said in a deep voice:
"Reporting to your Excellency, according to the reports from the patrolling soldiers within the city..."
General Liu seems to have arrested some people, including Magistrate Hong from the prefectural government.

“Hong Yishan?” A questioning glint flashed in Lu Yunyi’s eyes.

"Exactly."

Lu Yunyi twirled the brush in his hand, spilling ink in a semi-circle.
"I understand. Have him come over when Black Hawk returns."

"Yes!"

After Lu Kang left the house, Lu Yunyi looked thoughtful.

He glanced at the thick stack of documents on the table.
Those were the statistical documents submitted by the government office yesterday.

More than half of them are garrisons that will be distributing rewards tomorrow.

As he pondered, Lu Yunyi let out a soft chuckle:
"Strange, very strange."

Lu Yunyi lowered his head and continued reading the documents, making calculations as he went.
And so, a quarter of an hour later, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Liu Heiying just barged in like that.

The armor on their bodies creaked and groaned as it clashed.
The whole place was filled with a menacing aura, as if it had just returned from a battlefield.

"Brother Yun'er, something's happened."

"What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"The granaries of the Daning Vanguard Army are empty," Liu Heiying stated succinctly.

Lu Yunyi's rapidly moving pen suddenly stopped.

His pupils contracted slightly, and he slowly raised his head:
"You've seen it?"

"Yes, it's empty. The entire grain outlet was smashed clean, but no grain came out."

The assistant commissioner in charge of land reclamation and Hong Yishan, who was in charge of statistics, were detained on the spot and are now being held in the reception room.

"Ah"

Lu Yunyi put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.

The corners of his mouth twitched, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"Who do you think did it? Does Commander Qu Qingfeng know?"

"It must be related to him; he even spoke with absolute certainty when he submitted the documents today."
The Daning Vanguard has made all the necessary preparations; the authorities can investigate at will.

Liu Heiying's expression was strange, and even his voice changed slightly.

"By the way, someone was secretly watching us on the way back."
Xiao Wu has already sent people to follow them; it's unclear whether they'll find anything.

"I also sent people to stay near the Daning Vanguard."

Let's see if anyone tries to refill the granary tonight.

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice:

"Since the military granaries are empty..."
Whether Qu Qingfeng knew or not, he couldn't escape responsibility.
Tomorrow is the day when the various garrisons distribute reward money; favors are followed by authority.

The distribution of rewards to the Daning Vanguard will be suspended for now.

"Yes!"

A fierce glint flashed in Liu Heiying's eyes:

"I'll have the documents revised right away, and then we'll begin the interrogation tonight?" Lu Yunyi nodded.
"Interrogate them, the clerks and officials in charge."
The garrison commander in charge of the matter also began the trial.

Find out when the granary was emptied; this timeframe is crucial.

It's only natural that there's some trouble within the military command; it's good that they're stepping in.

If they hide, it will be difficult for us to find them.

"It's Brother Yun'er, I'll go first."

"Go ahead, once you're done with this busy period, I'll let you take a break and stay home with your wife."

Lu Yunyi kept his head down, looking at the documents on the table.

Liu Heiying didn't speak, but his expression turned strange.
He'd heard those words so many times he was sick of them.

The next morning, I was incredibly excited all night.

Having slept for less than two hours, Zhang Huai'an arrived at the military headquarters excitedly.
Looking at the few pedestrians in front of the door,

Zhang Huai'an felt that he couldn't go so soon and should wait.
So he went to the canteen located in the backyard of the military headquarters.

I'm planning to go there for a big feast, and also think about how to respond to the adults.

After he arrived here, he went inside.

I immediately spotted several unfamiliar figures sitting there, wolfing down their breakfast.

They were burly and broad-shouldered, their faces mostly weathered and cracked.
They range in age from their thirties to their fifties.

Although they are of different ages.

But they speak very loudly, especially in the cafeteria.

After a moment's thought, a look of understanding flashed in Zhang Huai'an's eyes.
These people must be commanders of garrison posts from various places.
I came to the military headquarters to report on my duties as the year drew to a close.

He silently prepared a large bowl of thin porridge, two eggs, a piece of boiled mutton, and two dry flatbreads.

Then he walked to a spot not far from them, sat down, ate quietly, and listened intently.

At first, they talked about everyday family matters and the many difficulties they had encountered recently.

But slowly,

Their voices were very low and carried a hint of solemnity.

"Did you hear about the big event that happened outside the city yesterday?"

"what's up?"

More than one person looked puzzled.
Zhang Huai'an also perked up his ears, listening attentively without making a sound.

A middle-aged man in his forties licked his lips.

He slurped up a mouthful of thin porridge and grinned menacingly.
"Something happened at the grain depot?"

"Hurry up and tell me, stop keeping me in suspense."

The middle-aged man then smiled, lowered his voice considerably, and leaned forward:
"The military warehouses in Daning Vanguard are empty."

"empty?"

The oppressive atmosphere was instantly shattered, and the tone of voice suddenly rose.

More than one person suddenly sat up straight, their faces showing absurdity, their expressions shifting back and forth.

Zhang Huai'an paused slightly while chewing.
But the lake of my heart was stirred up with turbulent waves, and began to churn.
"How could that be? I went to see it just the day before yesterday."
It was overflowing with grain, how could it be empty?

Zhang Huai'an pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

It was finally confirmed that it was indeed the Daning Vanguard.

He absolutely wouldn't have misremembered this place.
Because of the strategy he devised,
Some of the horses' feed came from Daning Fortress.

To be on the safe side, he personally went to survey the area to ensure that the supplies were absolutely secure.

As for why this was done
His father once said that regarding matters concerning provisions and armaments...
You can't trust what others say; you have to investigate for yourself.

We'll keep whatever we have, and we shouldn't believe any promises of new supplies arriving in a few days. We'll stick to the current grain and fodder deployment strategy.

He remembered these words very clearly because his father always said them.

"There was still some just the day before yesterday, and in just three days, so much grain and fodder disappeared?"

Zhang Huai'an's chewing movements slowed down suddenly, and the seriousness in his eyes was almost impossible to suppress.

Soon, he started wolfing down his food again.

In less than fifteen minutes, he had stuffed a large plate of food into his stomach.

He then stood up, put down his tray, and walked out of the cafeteria with a normal expression.

After leaving the cafeteria,
He quickened his pace and headed straight for the left wing.

Before long, he met his personal guard, Lu Kang.

"Is Your Excellency here? I have something important to report."

Lu Kang gestured for him to wait a moment, then turned and went inside to inquire. After a short while, he waved his hand:
"The master wants you to come in."

Zhang Huai'an nodded:
"Thank you."

Inside, unlike the bitter cold outside, a warm atmosphere filled the entire government office.

The furnishings were exactly the same as when I came yesterday.
Even the mink fur on the sewing machine remained in the same position.

The only change was at the desk where Lord Lu was.
There were nearly twenty crumpled pieces of paper on the ground.
You can faintly see the ink marks peeking out through the folds.

And the thick stack of documents on the table

Now we've flipped to the very end, only a thin layer remains.
At this moment, Zhang Huai'an's eyes did not show the joy that should have appeared; instead, they were shrouded in gloom.

He had clearly already checked, but the provisions still mysteriously disappeared.

If a war really breaks out, wouldn't that be fatal?
Lu Yunyi sat there, not even looking up, and said:

"Sit down and wait a while. I told you to come later, but you didn't listen. You haven't finished reading the documents yet."

As he spoke, Lu Yunyi turned another page.
He scratched his head with a calligraphy brush and began rapidly calculating the numbers on it.
But soon he noticed that Zhang Huai'an not only didn't go to sit down, but was standing there blankly.
Lu Yunyi looked up: "What's wrong?"

Zhang Huai'an jolted awake, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice:

"My lord, I visited the granary at the Great Ning Vanguard the day before yesterday, and it was still full then."

"Ok?"

Lu Yunyi stopped abruptly as he was about to lower his head.

He suddenly raised his head, thought for a moment, and then said:

"Have you inspected the horses' feed on-site?"

Zhang Huai'an nodded vigorously:
"We've surveyed it, and we got Lord Duan's badge. It was around noon the day before yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunyi's expression instantly became playful.
"So, the grain just vanished in the last two days?"

Are you sure it's a full position? Or were you scammed?

Zhang Huai'an quickly shook his head:
"Sir, my father talks to me all the time about the importance of the granary."

My subordinates also know several methods for investigating granaries.

His subordinates even climbed inside to check, and there was no problem.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunyi chuckled, a strange smile appearing on his lips.
"That's really strange. Could it be that the grain has grown legs and run away?"

"Your subordinate also finds this extremely strange."
Upon hearing the news in the cafeteria, he rushed over to report it.

Lu Yunyi nodded to indicate that he understood.
"You've been a huge help this time."

"I dare not, it was just something I did unintentionally."

"You can't say that."

Lu Yunyi put down the brush and waved his hand:
What you do is what you get; if you don't take your work seriously...

You can't control when the food runs out.

Similarly, if Black Hawk hadn't been extra cautious and investigated...

The grain has truly vanished into thin air.

"General Liu?"

"Yes, he discovered some errors in the documents yesterday and wants to go to the scene to investigate."
I was thinking that if it was a little less, it would be fine.
To my surprise, the entire granary was empty; it was truly shocking.

Speaking of such absurd things,
Lu Yunyi even laughed, shaking his head as he laughed.

"Let's not talk about such troublesome things for now, let's talk about your document."

Zhang Huai'an immediately stood up straight and waited with a serious expression.

Lu Yunyi pondered for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice:
Overall, it was barely satisfactory.
There is still much room for improvement in some of the strategies.
Moreover, this document cannot serve as a reserve document for actual combat.

Zhang Huai'an's face initially lit up with joy, but he immediately froze on the spot:
"Why? Please enlighten me, sir."

(End of this chapter)