Chapter 1330: A Secret Maneuver (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Shen Tang had been fighting for over a decade, and this was the first time she had ever directly parachuted into the enemy's granary. What difference was there between this and throwing a rat into a rice jar? No need for intrigue, no need for stealth, it was so smooth that she began to suspect foul play: "Could this be a conspiracy?"

Has the enemy already seen through their disguise?

Lurking in the shadows, waiting for her to take the bait?

Shen Tang secretly heightened her vigilance, focusing her attention on her ears, but detected no suspicious breathing nearby. At this moment, the others also removed their disguises and moved their somewhat stiff limbs. Their reactions were similar to Shen Tang's, progressing from confusion and astonishment to elation and then to suspicion and wariness. She raised her hand and gestured silently, signaling them to completely conceal their presence to avoid giving themselves away.

They could use the fishy smell to mask their true scent, making them difficult for the enemy to detect. However, once they left this place, the fishy smell would become irrefutable evidence of their presence. While there was still time, they concealed their aura: "My lord, should we..."

A nimble-witted military officer stepped forward and gestured.

They effortlessly airdropped the enemy's grain depot—what else could this be but a stroke of good fortune? This time, even the heavens were on their side!

If Heaven gives you something and you don't take it, you'll suffer the consequences!

If you don't seize the opportunity when it arrives, you'll suffer the consequences!

If they didn't seize this opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to the enemy, wouldn't they be wasting the good fortune of heaven? His idea was to set a huge fire and burn the granary to the ground! That way, even if their operation failed and they couldn't coordinate with the outside world, they would still severely damage the enemy—a win-win situation! Without the granary, Sugyong County wouldn't last until the next supply of provisions from the royal court!

A cold glint flashed in Shen Tang's eyes: "Damn it!"

How to burn food is also an art.

If the fire is discovered too early, and the enemy manages to put it out in time, the damage caused by the fire will be negligible, and it will also prematurely reveal our location. Shen Tang wanted to follow suit and sprout the grain again, but she restrained herself.

It's not that this method is bad, it's that it's too good.

So far, this has only happened once in the Southwest battlefield. If Shen Tang were to do something similar here, what if the outside world associates the branch company with Kangguo? Shen Tang doesn't want to reveal his undercover identity to the public yet.

Some things are possible on a small scale but not on a large scale. A warlord who grows wildly can do them, but a successful ruler of a great power cannot.

Shen Tang hasn't had enough of enjoying her freedom yet.

His eyes darted around, and a plan came to mind.

She beckoned to the military officer: "Come closer to my ear."

And so on, and so forth.

As the other person took notes of each step she described, she nodded and said, "Rest assured, my lord, I will certainly be able to handle this matter."

"Let's go, split up!"

Normally, given the discord between the new prefect and the military officers led by the commandant, the prefect would likely strengthen the defenses of the granary to prevent the officers from storming the area and seizing the supplies. In reality, the granary was far less heavily guarded than the military camp, with extra personnel deployed to defend the city—the new prefect harbored a strange trust in the commandant, believing him to be truly incompetent enough not to do such a thing.

With the grain depot secure, there's no need to waste extra manpower.

This also made things easier for the mice that were thrown into the rice jar.

The operation went so smoothly that it made people question their existence.

The granary watchman struck his clapper as usual: "Dry weather, be careful with fire. Dry weather, be careful with fire."

Thump thump thump, thump thump thump—

"It's really cold outside."

The watchman returned to his hut after making his rounds. Inside, his colleagues had already lit a charcoal brazier. A wave of heat washed over him as he approached, dispelling the chill that had gripped him. He put his things down and hurriedly placed his frozen hands over the fire to warm them. As the temperature rose, the swollen chilblains on his knuckles throbbed with an intense, piercing itch: "What smells so good? Where did this fish come from?"

The watchman assumed it was a colleague fishing in the river.

I was just about to marvel at their good fortune, knowing that long ago there was nothing left to eat in the river, and other food was expensive. Luckily, his job was convenient, and his whole family could barely afford to eat about 70% full. Others, however, weren't so fortunate.

His colleague smiled, revealing a set of uneven, yellow teeth.

He said smugly, "The warehouse has a new one today."

The night watchman gasped upon hearing this: "Which batch today?"

Seeing his timid demeanor, his colleagues chuckled and said, "If it's not today's, then when is it? There are countless fish in each truckload; if three or five are missing, no one will notice. You should try some; the taste is absolutely amazing once the fish is charred."

The oil rendered from the tender fish skin during grilling is incredibly fragrant.

The night watchman swallowed hard, but in the end he couldn't hold back.

His colleagues, who were warming themselves by the fire, continued to laugh at him.

As long as you're not too honest, you won't lose much weight working at the granary. But this watchman is an exception. He does the same work as the others, but he's always on edge, afraid of being discovered by his superiors and having his family suffer along with him.

In fact, it's just needless worry.

Anything that is edible is difficult to preserve.

Over time, the grain rots, smells bad, or gets eaten away by insects. Regular inspections of the grain depot are conducted, and substandard grain is replaced with fresh produce. These inspections are compiled into statistics and presented to those above, seemingly demonstrating transparent and fair oversight. However, in reality, there are countless opportunities for manipulation. Determining the extent of spoilage and the number of grains to replace is entirely up to the lower-level staff. The higher-ups won't stoop to inspect each grain individually.

Important people only need the accounts to match.

Little did they know that, unseen by them, the food had already been embezzled and exploited at every level. They were the lowest of the low, scavenging scraps left between the fingers of others to fill their stomachs.

Nothing has happened all these years.

The group warmed themselves by the fire while chatting about everyday anecdotes.

The night watchman chose a spot not too far from the fire pit to rest with his arms crossed. His body, ingrained by the daily grind, would automatically wake up when the time came. A few of his colleagues were less near the fire; they must have gone on patrol. The watchman picked up his clapper and, following the route he could walk with his eyes closed, continued his shift.

"The weather is dry, so be careful with fire."

The sound is loud and penetrating, and can be heard from afar.

"The weather is dry, be careful—"

The night watchman yawned, and it seemed he stepped on something wet and muddy. Water droplets splashed onto the surface of his cloth shoes, and the damp, cold liquid took away the little warmth he had left. He shuddered and looked down; sure enough, there was a puddle on the ground.

He looked up at the night sky with a puzzled expression.

When did it start raining?

He snapped out of his daze, avoiding the puddles, but noticed that the ground under the shadows was a strange color, darker than usual. Feeling uneasy, he still brought his lantern closer to the shadows. Upon closer inspection, he realized the ground was wet.

"Is it really raining?"

The night watchman only felt the air grow even colder.

He tightened his bulky, rather inadequately warm winter coat, and missed the brazier in the cabin even more. He'd go back and roast some fish after this round of banging, and ask his colleagues if they had any left, so he could roast half a fish to take back to his son.

As we walked out of that section of road, we turned a corner and encountered a patrol of soldiers.

Among them were acquaintances of the night watchman.

The night watchman casually asked, "Why aren't you wearing a raincoat?"

"That thing is neither warm nor heavy, why would you wear it?"

The night watchman asked in surprise, "Wasn't it raining just now?"

"When did it start raining?" an acquaintance joked. "You make your living off the weather, how come you can't read the sky?"

To minimize their suffering in this line of work, they needed to be able to read the weather—knowing when to bring rain gear and when to add layers for warmth—these were all lessons learned from experience. The watchman, his face turning ashen at these words, turned and ran back the way he came without a second thought.

Why are you running?

The night watchman slammed on the brakes, but before he could explain, an acquaintance attacked him from behind, twisting his arms behind his back.

After repeatedly checking and confirming that the night watchman was indeed him, the acquaintance was furious: "Are you crazy? Why did you suddenly run away?"

Didn't they realize that doing this could easily lead to them being mistaken for an enemy and killed by mistake?

The night watchman's lips were bloodless: "Water, water—"

What kind of water?

"There was water on the ground on the way here."

What is a grain depot?

This place requires dryness, ventilation, and a suitable temperature for storage; if any one of these conditions is not met, food will easily rot, sprout, mold, and become infested with insects. Not only has it not rained today, but it hasn't rained in Suginaga County for over twenty days. How could there be water on the ground?

Which place are you referring to?

The acquaintance's pupils suddenly contracted, and a muffled sound escaped his throat.

With great effort, he uttered the last word: "Fang..."

The night watchman saw a metallic blood bloom on the chest of a familiar man, and his legs went weak with fear as a strong aura of death enveloped his entire body.

Without thinking, he took off running.

But all he saw was a headless corpse lying in his field of vision. The headless corpse was dressed as a watchman, exactly like him.

Before he lost consciousness, he saw a pair of combat boots step over him, and the other person's voice was faint, as if it came from a distant horizon: "You're just unlucky. So what if it's raining?"

The corpses on the ground were all thrown into the shadows in the corner.

It was as if nothing had happened.

In the Sugine County government office, the prefect's study was brightly lit.

Inside the room, besides the prefect, were three middle-aged retainers and strategists. The four of them were in a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere, a far cry from the sorrow of the previous days. Today, they had not only obtained a large quantity of frozen fish, but had also further tested the captain. Judging from the captain's behavior, the other party had no intention of overturning the table.

This also means that their safety is guaranteed.

"This Luo San is as cowardly as ever."

Any man with a backbone would not tolerate such humiliation.

"...If he weren't cowardly, we would be in grave danger..." The prefect sneered, having just taken a sip of tea, when he heard a commotion outside. He was displeased and questioned the guards outside, "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

Could it be that the enemy has invaded?

He stepped outside and saw a thin layer of orange tinged the dim sky. He instinctively realized there was a fire somewhere. And it was in this direction no less… A sense of foreboding washed over him. The soldier's words made his vision blur: "Report! The granary is on fire—"

The prefect's face turned from pale to black.

Grain depot on fire?

Was it a natural fire or the work of an enemy?

Or is it that Luo San is two-faced, saying one thing to people and doing another behind their backs?

The prefect immediately mobilized manpower to put out the fire, roaring at those around him, "What are you all standing there for? Send someone to put out the fire!"

If a fire is extinguished in time, it can still be saved.

Because of the guards, the granary and the military camp were not in the same direction. By the time the captain received the news and led his men to the scene, the fire was already showing signs of being brought under control. This place hadn't seen such a scene in a long time, and with so many incompetent officials at the granary, the situation was chaotic for a time. From the point of origin and the dispersed nature of the fire, the captain immediately determined that this blaze was man-made rather than a natural disaster.

The veins on his forehead throbbed violently.

He gritted his teeth and said, "These young lads—"

Indeed, not a single word he uttered was true.

Gu De had just defected, and the granary was set on fire shortly afterward. If there wasn't some connection between the two, his life would have been in vain. He wanted to go back and kill Gu De, but he didn't have the time or energy.

"This is a bunch of utterly stupid idiots!"

So many people can't even control a fire? Are they all just good-for-nothings?

The captain could have stood by and done nothing, but his soldiers also depended on the granary for food, and he couldn't let them go hungry. The fire had to be brought under control as soon as possible. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike.

In an instant, a five-finger phantom, more than twenty feet wide, descended from the sky.

The domineering palm strike instantly sucked away the surrounding air.

One palm strike ignites one fire point.

The captain's efficiency was comparable to that of hundreds of firefighters.

In the distance, Shen Tang whistled at him.

"Old ginger is spicier, no wonder he's an old man." He's much better than those busy but useless good-for-nothings. I just hope he won't be too angry when he sees the gift she gave him.

With the help of the captain, the fire was extinguished with a few slaps.

Upon recognizing the soldier who had appeared out of nowhere, the prefect's joy vanished instantly. Before he could even question him, the soldier launched into a tirade demanding an explanation: "What are you standing there for? Don't you know the enemy has already infiltrated? You're even more useless than your father!"

The two worked together for eighteen years, and the grain depot never caught fire.

The new prefect's face alternated between dark and pale.

He wanted to explode in anger, but when he met the captain's unusually piercing gaze, he suddenly shivered and swallowed back the words that were about to spill from his mouth. The enemy had infiltrated; wasn't it his dereliction of duty as captain that had caused this? Why was he being blamed?

The captain could tell from his eyes that the other man hadn't figured it out.

This blockhead actually wants to avenge his father?

The captain said, "I will go to the city gate first."

The enemy, having infiltrated, certainly wouldn't be satisfied with just setting a fire.

There must be something bigger going on; the city gates are probably in danger.

The captain was free to come and go as he pleased. Before the prefect could even utter a word of protest, the man had vanished without a trace. He gritted his teeth and cursed him as a "brute." His trusted aide rushed over with devastating news—several granaries had been flooded.

The prefect was dumbfounded: "Where did the water come from?"

"It's a pond."

Winters in Suginaga County are dry and rainless, and the grain in the granary is highly flammable. To ensure timely fire suppression, there is usually a pond nearby, connected to underground water. During the recent investigation, it was discovered that the area beneath the granary had been hollowed out at some point…

The area below is well-connected in all directions.

The captain's slaps shattered the precarious balance.

Groundwater gushed out, causing damage to the grain depot.

If the grains are not dried in time, they will also be ruined if they are soaked in water.

The prefect fainted on the spot.

Who would believe the nonsense that Luo is innocent?

The situation gave him no chance to question anyone; a sudden, violent commotion erupted from the direction of the city gate, the aftershocks of which could be felt even from a distance. The prefect's face turned pale; how could someone have caused such a huge mess?

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After making the changes, I realized there was an error in the title. I'll contact the editor tomorrow.

One year old is called "cong" (豵), two years old is called "ji" (豝), three years old is called "te" (特)...

Suddenly I really want to play around with Robert's references _(:з」∠)_