Chapter 221 Burning the Enemy's Granary
Li Hong sneered, "He's come all this way, and on this cold winter night. Of course we have to give him a big gift! The weather's been cold and damp lately, let's go add some fuel to the fire in the granary and warm it up!"
Soon, the two soldiers who had been sent to scout ahead returned.
He lay prone at the foot of the slope and whispered, "Boss, we've found out. It's in the southeast corner. But they're on high alert; there are several guards with swords surrounding them."
Li Hong thought for a moment, then pulled the ten people aside and whispered their plans.
After resting, the team set off again, splitting into several groups as Li Hong instructed.
As they approached the enemy camp, Li Hong picked up his slingshot, took out a small steel ball from his pocket, but hesitated for a moment before putting it back. He then picked up a few pebbles from the ground.
Aiming at several patrolling sentries
"Whoosh—smack!"
"Ouch! Who? What hit me?!"
Meanwhile, another squad began to move, carrying torches and making noise in another direction to attract the sentries' attention.
Li Hong and his men, quick-witted and sharp-eyed, launched a swift sneak attack on passing enemy soldiers, knocking them unconscious and then deftly stripping off their outer garments to put on themselves.
Based on prior reconnaissance, Li Hong led several men to quietly approach the grain and fodder storage area and several relatively secluded tents on one side of the enemy camp.
With fewer sentries patrolling, the security here is relatively lax.
Furthermore, since they were wearing enemy uniforms, they were not discovered.
"Action!" Li Hong gave the order.
"Clatter!"
The crisp sound was barely audible in the night wind, and the orange flames leaped up instantly, burning steadily in the cold wind.
A hint of excitement flashed in A Dong's eyes. He immediately lit the torch in his hand, and after the flames were fully burning, he threw it into the enemy's granary.
Li Hong did the same thing.
The convenience of a lighter is on full display here!
If a traditional tinderbox is used, it's questionable whether it can be lit successfully in this cold night wind.
The dry grain and felt ignited as soon as they came into contact with fire, and the flames quickly shot up and, with the help of the wind, soon spread together!
"Fire! Fire!"
"The grain supplies are on fire!"
The enemy camp erupted into chaos instantly, with a cacophony of footsteps echoing throughout, plunging the once orderly camp into utter disarray.
"withdraw!"
Seeing the flames completely engulfed, Li Hong whispered a command and led A Dong and two other soldiers to escape along the planned route.
The other squad members also did not linger in battle and quickly withdrew in the chaos before the enemy could discover them.
The ten people met up at the designated hillside. They didn't relax at this point, but instead used the cover of night and the terrain to run to a more distant hillside. Only after confirming that the distance was safe did they stop.
Looking back, flames soared into the sky from the direction of the enemy camp, illuminating half the sky red, and the chaotic sounds of battle echoed from afar.
"This is a gift from our Highness! Enjoy it!"
A smug and mischievous smile spread across Li Hong's face.
————
A resettlement site for displaced people on the outskirts of Beijing.
Although the heavy snowfall of the past few days has stopped, the chill seems to have seeped into the bones.
The north wind swept across the open fields, freezing the ground solid, and the white breath exhaled instantly condensed into frost.
More and more refugees were arriving outside the city, and the makeshift shacks were teetering on the brink of collapse in the cold wind.
Cheng Fang and Zhao Jingxing stood on the city wall, looking down at the densely packed refugees below, their brows furrowed.
Cheng Fang sighed. "Although the heavy snow came late this year, winter has still arrived."
Clothing, food, shelter, transportation, firewood, rice, oil, and salt. The first two words tell us that coldness is a knife that kills without drawing blood.
Especially for these homeless disaster victims.
The arrival of winter will be their greatest test.
Few people die from heat, but countless people die from cold every year.
Zhao Jingxing spoke, and the hot breath he exhaled was immediately swallowed by the cold wind, turning into white mist:
"Are there any tents available in the army that we can borrow?"
Cheng Fang shook his head.
He has already used his father, Marquis Wu'an's, connections; he has borrowed all he could.
It wasn't just outside the capital that disaster victims were gathering; many disaster victims were also gathering in various continents.
With the arrival of winter, the camps that were originally too numerous to store have now become sought-after supplies.
The emperor had already issued an edict assigning disaster relief personnel to various prefectures.
If the area under one's responsibility suffers heavy casualties, it will become a significant and memorable chapter in one's career!
Cheng Fang and Zhao Jingxing walked down from the city wall together and then went into the warehouse where supplies were stored.
Before me were neatly stacked, long, rectangular objects wrapped in thick waterproof cloth.
This is the tent that Jiang Ling brought to them.
In addition to food and cloth, Jiang Ling also brought these emergency tents this time.
"It seems this is our last straw!"
Zhao Jingxing picked up an instruction manual that Jiang Ling had specially attached, which used simple illustrations and text to indicate how to use it.
Cheng Fang also held an instruction manual in his hand: "These must be set up before the next heavy snowfall."
He clapped his hands, and the guards waiting outside immediately came in.
"Go and gather fifty people to set up the tent."
"yes."
Zhao Jingxing was still carefully reading the instruction manual. Although he had never seen it before, the instructions were very detailed.
Cheng Fang immediately reached out and tore open the strap of a package, revealing a thick canvas folded squarely, several lightweight yet sturdy metal supports, and some miscellaneous accessories.
Cheng Fang looked at the instruction manual, picked up a gleaming silver metal rod, weighed it in his hand, and then tugged at the thick, gray-blue canvas.
Zhao Jingxing carefully looked at the illustrations in the instruction manual: "It says that this item is called an emergency tent, which can be quickly set up, is windproof and waterproof, and can accommodate several people."
He pointed to several key connection points on the diagram, "Look here, it seems that you just need to thread these rods through the cloth sleeves and then cross them to support them."
"Sounds easy!" Cheng Fang said eagerly. "Come on, Jingxing, let's try one first! We can teach them after we understand it!"
At this time, fifty soldiers had already gathered outside the gate.
Zhao Jingxing ordered them to go out in pairs, each taking a tent.
Most of the soldiers came from poor families, and very few of them were literate.
Even with the instruction manual in hand, I still can't understand it.
Zhao Jingxing and Cheng Fang could only demonstrate how to assemble it for them on site.
"These are newly allocated winter tents from the imperial court! Two people will each take one and work together to set them up. General Zhao and I will demonstrate in a moment, so everyone can see clearly!"
Cheng Fang shouted at the top of his lungs, his loud voice carrying through the cold wind.
The fifty people were divided into twenty-five groups and arranged neatly.
Both were intelligent people, and with the blueprints to guide them, they quickly mastered the skills.
Cheng Fang, being strong, was responsible for opening the main frame, while Zhao Jingxing, being meticulous, was responsible for securing the ground stakes and tightening the windproof ropes.
With a soft click, the last support rod snapped into place.
"Pull it this way! Yes, taut!" Cheng Fang shouted.
With the final step completed, a neat, sturdy, and sleek gray-blue tent appeared before everyone!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com