When the night pressed down on Zhenbei City, the wind and sand rolled close to the alley entrances.
There were not many lights in the side hall. Three new booklets were spread out on the desk, the paper freshly cut, the edges still stiff.
Xu Qinghuan sat in front of the desk. A packet of dehydrated vegetables sent from Jiangning lay at her hand, its clay seal not yet fully broken.
Tie Lanshan sat in the seat of honor. Lao Sun squatted by the desk, using a charcoal pencil to correct words on the paper.
"The words for medicine and rations must be written separately."
Xu Qinghuan tapped the cover of the booklet.
"Entering the warehouse goes through military supplies, leaving the warehouse goes through the military doctors. The weight is recorded by the quartermaster, and the symptoms are recorded by the military doctor."
"Who collected it, who it was given to, how many bowls they drank today, and whether their gums are still bleeding tomorrow."
"Whether they can see the road at night, everything must be written down."
Lao Sun looked up.
"Imperial Envoy, if we write it like this, I'm afraid the military medical camp won't have enough manpower."
"Then transfer the apprentices."
Xu Qinghuan handed the charcoal pencil over.
"If they don't know how to write the symptoms, they can copy what you dictate. If they can't distinguish the severity, just divide them into three grades first: severe, mild, and night patrol."
"Whoever dares to report falsely will first be beaten with twenty military sticks, and then we will investigate which camp is behind him."
Tie Lanshan heard this.
"The quartermaster also double signs?"
"Yes."
Xu Qinghuan turned the booklet to a blank page.
"Every day when the warehouse is opened, the military doctor signs once, and the quartermaster signs once."
"If the military doctor doesn't sign, the quartermaster cannot release the vegetables. If the quartermaster doesn't sign, the military doctor cannot privately collect them. Both sides will keep an eye on each other. Anyone who wants to steal half a packet will have to pass through two pairs of hands first."
Tie Lanshan snorted.
"It's troublesome this way, but the trouble is useful."
Lao Sun put down the charcoal pencil and rubbed his wrist.
"I will add one more sentence. If a sick soldier stops using it, the reason must also be written."
"Recovery, camp transfer, or death, it all must be written clearly."
Xu Qinghuan glanced at him.
"Write it."
The sound of boots came from outside the door.
Xu Zhan lifted the curtain and came in, his armor plates covered with sand, holding a confession in his hand.
"Miss, Zhao Kui has confessed."
Tie Lanshan looked up.
"Who gave him the nerve?"
Xu Zhan placed the confession on the desk.
"He said someone gave him thirty taels of silver to spread demonic rumors in the wounded soldier camp during the day, insisting that the dehydrated vegetables are harmful to the body."
"The silver was handed over in the back alley of the sheep market in the east of the city. The person handing over the silver wore a bamboo hat and did not reveal his name."
Li Sheng cursed half a sentence beside him, then forcefully suppressed it.
"For just thirty taels, he dares to gamble with the lives of a whole camp of wounded soldiers?"
Xu Zhan continued to speak.
"He also confessed that someone else would make a move at night, and the target is the temporary warehouse."
"The other party said that as long as the warehouse is burned, the various camps will definitely be in chaos tomorrow, and the medicine and ration booklets will not be able to be implemented."
The side hall was quiet for a moment.
Tie Lanshan suddenly stood up.
"How much is in the temporary warehouse?"
Li Sheng quickly answered.
"After breaking the seal today, the rest is all in the warehouse, more than three hundred catties."
"The warehouse is in the north alley of the wounded soldier camp. It was originally an old leather armor armory. The walls are thick, and there are two locks on the door."
Lao Sun grew anxious.
"Then what are we waiting for? Dispatch troops to guard it!"
Xu Qinghuan did not stand up. She only picked up the confession, read two lines, and put it back on the desk.
"Around the warehouse, which way is the wind blowing tonight?"
Everyone was taken aback for a moment.
Li Sheng was the first to react. He ran to the door to ask the night guard, and returned a moment later.
"Northwest wind. The wind blows from the old leather armor armory towards the outer street of the wounded soldier camp. If a fire starts, the smoke will press towards the southeast and will not pour directly into the sick tents."
Xu Qinghuan closed the booklet.
"Li Sheng."
"Present."
"Take two men, don't light the big lanterns, take the key to the back door of the Commander's Mansion, and transfer all the clay pots to the cellar of the wounded soldier camp."
"Block the cellar door with herbal baskets, and paste the seals on the outside as usual."
Li Sheng was stunned.
"What about the temporary warehouse?"
"Leave empty boxes, leave a few packets of ordinary sun-dried vegetables, and paste the clay seals as usual."
Xu Qinghuan stood up, picked up the packet of dehydrated vegetables by the desk, and pressed the seal tight again.
"If the other party wants to burn it, let him burn it to his heart's content."
Tie Lanshan looked at her, and it took a long while before he spoke.
"You want to use the fire to draw them out?"
"After the fire starts, the people will jump out on their own."
Xu Qinghuan looked at Xu Zhan.
"Change the guards outside the warehouse to two death row prisoners.
"Second Brother, take the personal guards and hide behind the gutter of the south wall.
"Only block the exit, don't fight the fire. If the men in black can be captured alive, keep them alive; if they strike to kill, protect our people first."
Xu Zhan cupped his fists.
"Understood."
Li Sheng still felt a bit conflicted.
"Miss, if the sick soldiers hear that the warehouse is burned, I'm afraid they will cause a disturbance."
"They will."
Xu Qinghuan pushed the medicine and ration booklet to Lao Sun.
"So Lao Sun needs to stay in the wounded soldier camp. When the fire starts, first tell the sick soldiers not to rush out."
"Tell them that the Imperial Envoy hasn't spoken yet, and no one is allowed to run around."
Lao Sun gritted his teeth.
"I will guard it."
After the third watch's clapper sounded, the lights in the north alley of Zhenbei City grew much fewer.
Two storm lanterns hung in front of the door of the old leather armor armory. The wicks were cut short and did not shine far.
Three dark figures approached the alley entrance, pressing against the wall.
The leader raised his hand, and the two behind him stopped.
He crouched down first, touched the sand marks on the ground, and then looked up at the light seeping through the crack in the door.
"There's actually no one?"
"Do we make a move?"
"Make a move!"
The person behind suppressed his voice.
The three separated. One went around to the base of the wall, and one pressed against the side of the door.
The men in black did not enter the warehouse. They first pried open the door lock, and then splashed kerosene on the door panels and haystacks.
As soon as the fire striker lit up, the flames licked the oily surface and shot up with a whoosh.
"Go."
The three turned to retreat, but the night patrolmen outside the alley had already started shouting.
"Fire!"
"The medicine and ration warehouse is on fire!"
The firelight illuminated half of the north alley. The wind rolled, and the smoke rushed towards the old wall.
Over at the wounded soldier camp, tent curtains were lifted one after another. Sick soldiers draped their clothes over their shoulders and looked out, some even leaning on wooden sticks.
"Where is the fire?"
"The medicine and ration warehouse! The green life-saving rations are there!"
"It's over, the life-saving vegetables that were just distributed are gone!"
Several mildly ill soldiers were so anxious they wanted to rush out. Lao Sun carried his medicine box and blocked the tent door, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Go back, all of you! Whoever dares to trample the medicine pots, I will whip them first!"
"Elder Sun, the warehouse is burned, and you still care about the medicine pots?"
"The Imperial Envoy hasn't given the order, no one is allowed to cause chaos!"
Lao Sun shouted until his voice grew hoarse, his walking stick knocking against the wooden stakes with a bang.
The sick soldiers crowded at the tent entrance, stomping their feet in anxiety, but truly no one dared to cross him.
Three houses away from the north alley, two people stood on a roof ridge.
One of them wore an old cloak. The firelight reflected on his chin, and he chuckled softly.
"Without the demonic vegetables, let's see what that Imperial Envoy uses to buy the army's loyalty."
The trusted aide beside him lowered his voice.
"Should we report to the master?"
"Wait and see. It burned successfully tonight; the camp will naturally be in an uproar tomorrow morning."
Outside the Commander's Mansion, a general also rushed over on horseback. Seeing the fire in the north alley from afar, he almost pulled the reins until they broke.
"Oh no, the newly established medicine and ration booklets, I'm afraid they will be completely ruined overnight."
"Quickly go invite the Commander-in-Chief!"
By the fire, when the quartermaster clerks arrived, half of the warehouse door had already collapsed. Empty boxes were swallowed by the fire, and a few packets of sun-dried vegetables were burned pitch black, giving off a terrible smell.
Ma Jin'an arrived very quickly, his clothes not even properly worn. He stumbled a bit when he entered the fire scene.
"How could this happen?"
He looked at the collapsed door and turned to salute Tie Lanshan.
"Commander-in-Chief, the medicine and ration warehouse has fallen, and chaos has already broken out in the army."
"The Imperial Envoy used a new method, and it should have been kept safely."
"Now that the warehouse is destroyed and the vegetables are gone, if we push the medicine and ration booklets again, I'm afraid the various camps will not submit."
Several quartermaster clerks were already panicked. Hearing these words, they looked at each other, and three of them knelt down.
"Commander-in-Chief, can the medicine and ration booklets be postponed?"
"The army just suppressed the rumors about the demonic vegetables, and tonight the warehouse was burned again. The soldiers will definitely be suspicious."
"Please rescind the order, Commander-in-Chief. We can discuss this again once the matter is investigated."
When Li Sheng rushed to the scene of the fire, his forehead was covered in sweat. Hearing these words, he almost charged forward to kick someone.
"The warehouse hasn't even been cleared out yet, and you're in a rush to halt the registry? Who taught you to handle official business like this?"
Ma Jin'an sighed.
"Manager Li, the morale of the army is of the utmost importance. I am merely trying to share the Imperial Envoy's burden."
"Share the burden?"
Li Sheng sneered.
"You sure know how to share it. The fire isn't even out yet, and you've already brought a knife to my young lady's feet."
Tie Lanshan kept his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, remaining silent.
The fire was burning fiercely as Xu Qinghuan walked over from the entrance of the alley, followed by Xu Zhan and two personal guards.
The crowd automatically parted to make way for her.
Ma Jin'an hurried forward.
"Imperial Envoy, it is truly a pity that the warehouse has burned down."
"Right now, the troops in the various camps are unsettled. It would be better to suspend the medical and ration registries for now, until the medical camp and I can re-verify everything..."
Xu Qinghuan stopped just outside the glow of the fire and cast a glance at him.
"Are you in that much of a hurry, Lord Ma?"
Ma Jin'an froze.
"I am only afraid that the chaos will spread."
Xu Qinghuan ignored him and turned to look at Li Sheng.
"Open the cellar."
Li Sheng loudly complied and led his men straight to the backyard of the wounded soldiers' camp.
Ma Jin'an's eyelids twitched.
"Cellar?"
The military quartermasters also looked up.
Tie Lanshan strode after them, and everyone by the fire headed toward the wounded soldiers' camp.
The sick and wounded soldiers crowded at the entrances of their tents. Hearing the word 'cellar', they all craned their necks.
The entrance to the cellar in the backyard was blocked by several baskets of medicinal herbs. Li Sheng moved the baskets aside, tore off the paper seal, and took out a key to unlock it.
As the wooden door was lifted, a draft of cool air wafted up from below.
The guards held their torches high and descended.
Rows of clay-sealed pottery jars were arranged in the cool shade. The mud seals on the mouths of the jars were perfectly intact, and the red painted numbers were neat and orderly.
From A-One to A-Sixty, nothing was out of place.
Lao Sun personally went down, picked up a jar, and placed it before the crowd.
He used a small knife to pry open the mud seal. Upon lifting the lid, the aroma of dried vegetables drifted into the air.
The sick soldiers were stunned at first, and then someone shouted.
"It's still here!"
"The green life-saving rations are still here!"
"The Imperial Envoy moved the vegetables!"
Cheers rolled through the tents before being shouted down by the military law officers, but everyone's shoulders had visibly relaxed.
The old soldier who had just been leaning on a cane, ready to charge into the fire, now hugged his bowl, muttering several prayers of thanks to the ancestors' blessings.
Ma Jin'an stood at the entrance of the cellar, his throat bobbing.
Xu Qinghuan handed the jar of vegetables to Lao Sun.
"Inspect it."
Lao Sun pinched a few pieces of the dried vegetables, smelled them, and dropped them into a bowl of hot water.
The vegetable leaves unfurled, their color still a vibrant green, and the aroma remained.
"It hasn't gotten damp, and it hasn't been tainted by smoke. It is usable."
