Xie Yun's temporary headquarters was set up in the accounting office of an abandoned cotton mill 300 meters away from the porridge factory. Although it was dilapidated, the location was excellent. From the window, one could see the movements of the entire porridge factory. The room was filled with a stale atmosphere. On a shabby table, a dusty beech abacus was casually pushed aside.
In the dim light of the kerosene lamp, Xie Yun was sitting at the table with a serious expression, his slender fingers stroking the list brought by Zheng Yuheng.
"Captain Li, who is responsible for the current situation in the southern suburbs?" Xie Yun's fingertips ran across the smudged ink on the list, his voice as cold as ice.
"Report to the young commander!" Li Sheng knocked his boot heels together, the hem of his uniform still stained with snow and mud, "At present, I and Captain Zhang from the Third Regiment are jointly responsible." His Adam's apple rolled, and he added: "Captain Zhang was temporarily transferred here by Captain Cheng last week."
Xie Yun slammed the list on the table. When he stood up, the wind from his military uniform stirred the flame of the kerosene lamp, casting a swaying shadow on the wall. "More than a dozen children are missing. Are you blind or deaf?"
Li Sheng's face instantly turned grim. He recalled the snowy night three days ago when patrol soldiers reported hearing a child crying, but Captain Zhang brushed it off as "refugees having hysteria."
"I...willingly accept the punishment."
Xie Yun poked heavily on the list, and the paper made a rustling sound under his fingers.
"Punishment?" He suddenly shouted, and threw the list towards Li Sheng's chest, "Look at these names! The youngest is only four years old! You can't afford it even with ten lives!"
Li Sheng hurriedly reached out to catch the falling list, veins bulging on his rough fingers from exerting too much force.
"You made a lot of mistakes when you were transporting grain, and now you can make even bigger mistakes in the southern suburbs." Xie Yun's voice was like a blade tempered with ice. Every word was chilling and scraped across Li Sheng's back inch by inch. "What are you going to pay for the lives of these children?"
He suddenly took a step closer, stomping his boots on the floor: "Li Sheng, I dug your life out of a pile of dead bodies. How many eyes are staring at you as the first company commander of the 1st Cavalry Regiment?" He grabbed Li Sheng's collar and said, "Tell me the truth, how much do you know about these missing cases?"
Li Sheng's Adam's apple rolled violently, and his voice was hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against each other: "Young Marshal, I know that I really didn't know anything about the missing person case. Captain Zhang and I are incompatible in terms of work style. These days, I have only been in charge of grain escort and refugee resettlement. As for grain distribution and public security maintenance, Captain Zhang is in charge of it all."
He knelt on one knee, clenching his fists tightly, "The young marshal has been very kind to me. I will never forget his kindness in promoting and cultivating me. I am stationed in the southern suburbs this time, shouldering a heavy responsibility, but I have no idea about such a big thing. I have really failed the young marshal's high hopes. I am willing to accept any punishment."
Xie Yun's brows were twisted into a knot, he knew very well that it was strange that Cheng Shaojie from the Third Regiment suddenly sent troops to assist in the defense of the southern suburbs.
He paced around the room with his hands behind his back, then turned around and stared at Li Sheng: "Such a big incident happened in the southern suburbs, and you didn't know about it. Could it be that Zhang Debiao also pretended to be deaf and dumb?"
Xie Yun's hawk-like eyes instantly caught Li Sheng's hesitant expression. He slammed the table hard, making the teacup jingle: "Speak!"
Li Sheng took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind: "I suspect...the people in the Third Regiment are extravagant and wasteful on military rations."
"Speak clearly."
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