"Zhang Feng pays respect to the Commander!"

As dawn approached, Yan Yingyuan met Zhang Feng, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, in a dead end.

"How is it going?"

Zhang Feng hadn't slept all night. His mouth was dry, so he first moistened his throat with saliva, and then said, "According to investigation, the eight businesses mentioned by the commander have close ties with Wu Zhiyuan, the commander of Wanquan Metropolitan Command."

"Before transporting goods, these merchants would ask Wu Zhiyuan for a warrant to avoid being intercepted by checkpoints along the way. Although it is unclear what goods were transported, according to the caravan's groom, there must be iron among them."

"It will take a while to find other evidence. I hope you can give me a few more days!"

Yan Yingyuan shook his head slowly. Even if the Jinyiwei were given more time, it would be impossible to find evidence.

These businessmen are very cautious and their abilities are beyond imagination.

Once the news is leaked, the witnesses will be killed and the physical evidence will be destroyed.

"No need to look for evidence. Take a good rest today and go all out tomorrow!"

After saying that, he took out something wrapped in oil paper from his arms and handed it to Zhang Feng.

Zhang Feng thought it was important information, so he opened it and checked it in front of Yan Yingyuan.

It would have been fine if he hadn't looked at it, but after looking at it he was stunned where he stood.

Then, his eyes instantly became moist and he looked at Yan Yingyuan excitedly.

That was not information, but a piece of...roasted leg of lamb.

"I roasted a leg of lamb last night. Since it's inconvenient for you to show up, I left a piece for you. The meat is cold and hard to chew. Let's go back and roast it before eating!"

"Thank you, Commander!" Zhang Feng carefully put away the roasted leg of lamb and waited for Yan Yingyuan's next instruction.

"Go back and tell the brothers of Jinyiwei that tomorrow they can only succeed and not fail!"

Zhang Feng nodded and accepted the order, and his figure disappeared in the darkness before dawn.

For the whole next day, the soldiers of the Fifth Army Camp, under the instructions of Yan Yingyuan, guarded the city gates tightly and did not let anyone leave the city!

Finally, night fell.

The caravan carrying food and supplies entered the city under the cover of night and was then divided into three teams under the cover of darkness.

One team went to the parade ground under the protection of hundreds of soldiers, and the other team parked the carriages on the street near the west gate and evacuated immediately.

The last team went to the official warehouse in Xuanfu Town.

A quarter of an hour later, Fan Yongdou's figure appeared at the corner of the street, followed by dozens of servants.

"Go and see what's in the car!" Fan Yongdou ordered the butler beside him.

The butler did not dare to be careless. He looked around first, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he rushed over at lightning speed and opened the tarpaulin on the carriage.

There was a bag under the tarpaulin. In the moonlight, one could clearly see that what fell out of the bag was not grain, but rice husks.

He reached out and moved the bag full of rice husks away, and a huge black monster appeared before him.

It's artillery!

The butler was already accustomed to such scenes. To be cautious, he checked all the nearby carriages as quickly as possible.

The nearby carriages were loaded with different items. There were projectiles for artillery, including large solid bullets and hundred-bullet bullets; there were falconets, and several thick stacks of cotton armor.

These were all goods whose trade was prohibited by the Ming court.

After confirming that everything was correct, he did not have time to clean up the scene, and quickly returned to Fan Yongdou to report the situation: "Master, I checked five carriages, a red cannon, a Portuguese cannon, six boxes of projectiles, several boxes of saltpeter and sulfur, and several hundred sets of cotton armor."

Fan Yongdou blinked and ordered, "Retreat!"

"Master... why are you retreating? These are the supplies needed in Liaodong. It would be very profitable to transport them over there!" The servant looked confused.

Bang!

Fan Yongdou slapped the housekeeper hard in the face: "Stop talking nonsense and leave!"

The group hid in the shadows of the wall and quickly left the scene.

"Sir, has your plan been discovered by Mr. Fan?" In a dark corner, Zhang Feng squatted beside Yan Yingyuan and asked in confusion.

Yan Yingyuan pouted and replied in a low voice: "A dog can change to eat meat, but it can't change to eat shit! Fan Yongdou is a smart man, he won't put himself in danger."

"These people are all his loyal soldiers. They would rather die than betray him. If we rush out to arrest them now, they didn't steal or rob, they just violated the curfew."

"But...if nothing unexpected happens, they will be back soon."

As expected.

After waiting for another quarter of an hour, dozens of figures appeared stealthily on the street. Seeing that there was no one around, they skillfully pulled the carriage away.

Zhang Feng knew it was his turn to work, so he clasped his hands to Yan Yingyuan and then quietly walked over with a few Jinyiwei.

......

The next day.

Fan Yongdou stood in the yard anxiously, pacing back and forth.

Although he was not clear about what was happening in the court, based on his years of experience, he judged that the days of making big money would become fewer and fewer in the future.

Although the timing of the arrival of this batch of supplies was somewhat wrong, under the temptation of huge profits, he decided to take the risk and give it a try.

It’s done, and money is rolling in.

Defeat has nothing to do with him.

Just when he was about to lose patience, the butler rushed in and said, "Master! The new Lord Yan has brought several hundred people to the parade ground. All four city gates, east, west, south, and north, can be used for entry and exit. I have sent people to watch nearby for a while, and the inspection is very strict."

"Okay, notify Team One, Team Two, Team Three, and Team Four to hang up our Fan family's flag and leave the city from the four gates respectively."

The butler responded and ran out.

Half an hour later, the butler came back and said, "Master, except for the West Gate, the other three gates were strictly checked."

Fan Yongdou nodded and continued to instruct, "Notify Team Five to leave the city from the west gate. After leaving the city, separate from the other horse teams and head north. Get out of the pass as quickly as possible. There should be no guards near the pass. Even if there are, they are all acquaintances of ours and will not deliberately make things difficult for us."

"yes!"

Two quarters of an hour later, the butler returned again and said to Fan Yongdou, panting heavily, "Master, the convoy has left the city!"

"Okay!" Hearing this, Fan Yongdou breathed a sigh of relief.

As a man who makes money on the edge of a knife, he trusts no one except money.

Not to mention Yan Yingyuan, even if the senior official of the court came in person, it would not work.

We must be cautious where we need to be cautious.

Money is important, but life is more important.

Once the truth is revealed, you will be safe as long as you distance yourself from the matter.

Fan Yongdou rested for a long time on the stone bench in the yard. When he saw that the time was almost up, he ordered his attendants: "Come here, prepare the car! I want to report to the authorities at the Xuanfu government office!"

"In broad daylight, in a clear and bright world, my cavalry was stolen! How despicable! How hateful!"