Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

After the meeting, everyone dispersed. Yuan Shu, however, hurriedly returned to his camp and led tens of thousands of men to the place where grain and fodder were stored.

The Guandong Allied Army's main camp outside Hulao Pass was not a place to store provisions. Yuan Shu placed it further back.

Along the way, Yuan Shu watched as the vast army transported provisions, his heart bleeding with grief... those were all his provisions!!
However, compared to his petty favors, Yuan Shao truly undermined his cause.

"Damn it! If we distribute all the grain and supplies to the various warlords, how can the Kwantung Coalition unite and obey orders?"

"Ridiculous! Yuan Shao is such an idiot, he didn't even think of this." Yuan Shu complained wildly.

"My lord, Yuan Shao's actions are not merely an attempt to win over the various warlords, but also a means to deal with you!"

"He's trying to weaken our lord's foundation!" someone nearby warned.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu's expression changed slightly. He had sensed Yuan Shao's hostility during the meeting.

But the current situation is beyond his control...

He led his men there, ostensibly to maintain order, but secretly to prepare to transport away the embezzled grain and fodder!

He had been secretly transporting supplies, but he was very careful for fear of being exposed, and he only transported small quantities of supplies frequently.

Now that everything is laid bare, he will no longer have any reservations!

"I should have agreed to Lin Mu's purchase request... Selling the supplies to Lin Mu and getting the money would have been the best thing to do!" Yuan Shu muttered to himself as he rode his horse.

It turned out that, secretly, during a previous visit, Lin Mu had already mentioned to Yuan Shu his intention to purchase resources. Lin Mu knew that Yuan Shu, the grain supervisor, was by no means an honest man, hence his actions. However, because of his conflict with Lin Mu, his disdain for Lin Mu, his fear of exposure, and the fact that the price Lin Mu offered was not his ideal price, Yuan Shu refused.

I regret it now...

"Send someone to contact Lin Mu and tell him I want to sell resources!" Forced into this situation, Yuan Shu finally spoke up!
Now that there are no ships, relying solely on land transport would require an enormous convoy, which could easily be intercepted and killed by ambitious individuals along the way...

So if he wanted to get away with it, he had to find a scapegoat, and Lin Mu was that scapegoat.

They sold the supplies to Lin Mu, made money, and then pinned the blame for the lost grain on Lin Mu, saying that Lin Mu had attacked the granary and forcibly seized the grain!

As undercurrents surged, the entire Kwantung Allied Forces were shrouded in intrigue and uncertainty.

During this distribution of provisions, those warlords who were not present, such as Lin Mu, Sun Jian, and Ma Teng, did not receive any. However, Cao Cao, who was at the camp, received provisions even though he did not attend the meeting.

Cao Cao didn't stand on ceremony and immediately ordered Xiahou Dun to lead men to move the goods. Despite his anger, he couldn't let the benefits slip by.

However, the grain transport teams of the various warlords were temporarily blocked outside the grain camp after Yuan Shu arrived.

The reason is simple: we need to do a count and inventory first.

After taking control of the grain supply camp, Yuan Shu's contact with Lin Mu also received a reply.

"What? Fifty percent!!!! Why doesn't he just rob it!!!" Yuan Shu's face turned green when he heard Lin Mu's reply.

Fifty percent means that Lin Mu purchased it at half the market price!
"My lord, they say that the current price of grain has skyrocketed too much, and the price is too inflated, hence the current price," the messenger reported.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu took a deep breath and calmed himself down slightly.

In fact, a 50% price is quite reasonable. After the Guandong Allied Army entered Sili, the price of grain and fodder skyrocketed every day, becoming artificially inflated.

However, this also proves that grain production has indeed been much lower recently...

"Sell!" Yuan Shu slammed his fist on the table, making the final decision.

There was no time to haggle now; a 50% discount was acceptable, and this was also a good opportunity to frame Lin Mu.

"Have Lin Mu bring the gold coins over and trade directly within the grain and fodder camps. Pay the money first, then we'll lead our men out of the grain and fodder camps and continue trading from camp to camp!" Yuan Shu suggested.

After some communication, more than ten people arrived at the supply camp that night.

"Lin Mu?! You actually came in person?" Yuan Shu exclaimed in astonishment upon seeing the leader.

"Also, why did you bring so few people?" Yuan Shu glanced behind Lin Mu and found that there was no large army following him.

That won't do. If the commotion isn't big enough, what's the point of framing someone?

"I've brought the gold coins. Let's make a trade," Lin Mu said calmly.

"There are 537 grain and fodder camps here, stretching as far as the eye can see. That's quite a number. How many do you want to buy?" Yuan Shu's expression hardened slightly as he asked in a low voice.

"Hehe... Shouldn't you deal with the grain and fodder camp you embezzled first?" Lin Mu suddenly said meaningfully.

"With this as the center, there are twenty on the left and right flanks, making a total of forty!" Yuan Shu said with immense pride, as if showing off his great achievements.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu thought to himself, "Good heavens! Of the 530 or so people, Yuan Shao embezzled 40... and that number might even be an understatement by Yuan Shu... it could be over a hundred..."

In fact, the position of grain supervisor is not easy to hold, as it requires a huge amount of manpower and resources. Among the various warlords at present, he and Yuan Shao have the largest number of troops.

Yuan Shu managed to keep the more than 30 million people of the Guandong Coalition from starving, which was actually quite good. His soldiers were all very busy, mostly serving as logistics personnel. Along the way, other warlords suffered losses to varying degrees, but Yuan Shu's losses were the fewest, even less than Lin Mu's.

"Lin Mu, each grain supply camp is worth a lot, almost ten million gold coins. Do you have that much money?" At this moment, Yuan Shu began to verify the funds.

“Counting them one by one is too troublesome, and it’s impossible to count them all in a short time. My price is one: two hundred million gold coins for forty grain and fodder camps!” Lin Mu said firmly.

"What?! You're still haggling?!" Yuan Shu's face was so dark it looked like it could be squeezed out of water.

Half and half again... Do you really think he's a pushover? I wouldn't even sell a dog for that price!
"Fine!!! But you have to buy at least two forty-yuan notes!!" Yuan Shu stated his condition.

Yuan Shu: If they won't sell the dog, I'll sell it!

"I'll buy three forty!!!" Lin Mu said grandly.

Two invasions of the Eastern Japan region, one invasion of the American region, plus other plundering, the wealth of the Great Wilderness Territory is truly astonishing!

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu's expression changed slightly. Even with his vast wealth and control over numerous grain supplies, he could only embezzle sixty of them. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that he simply lacked the means to transport them.

From Suanzao to here, his three million troops were all used as grooms. He even borrowed two million troops from Yuan Shao. In addition, with the support troops from other warlords, there were nearly eight million people in total serving as support troops to ensure that the food supplies did not lag behind.

One can only imagine the pressure and terror involved...

On the surface, the various lords were making a lot of noise and seemed to have no worries, but in reality, the grain inspectors were under a lot of pressure.

In other words, apart from Yuan Shu, there really wasn't any other warlord suitable to be the grain supervisor.

This is why, even though other warlords knew that Yuan Shu was unreliable at times, they still did not object and entrusted him with the lifeline of grain supplies.

"Fine! Leave the money in the camp, then go and move it!!!" Yuan Shu said through gritted teeth.

This transaction was actually an opportunity for him. With 600 million gold coins, the resources he controlled in the Yuan family would be restored to some extent.

The thought of Dong Zhuo confiscating the Yuan family's vast fortune in Luoyang, the capital, filled him with heartache.

Dong Zhuo must die!!!

And so, the transaction between the two parties began.

A moment later, a dazzling golden light flashed across the pitch-black night sky, illuminating the surrounding camp in a golden glow.

Looking into the distance, a colossal mountain of gold appeared amidst a large camp!

But that wasn't all. Afterwards, mountains of gold appeared in several nearby camps!

Under the escort of Dian Wei and others, Lin Mu, like a glutton, quickly gathered the grain and fodder.

Even with divine artifacts like the Purple Evolution Cave Heaven Ring and the Yuanlong Ring, Lin Mu and his group still spent a full five days collecting the provisions for dozens of camps.

All sorts of equipment were crammed in, and there were still three large camps' worth of provisions left to be collected... Moreover, Lin Mu hadn't taken all of the provisions from the other camps; there was still quite a bit left from each one. Furthermore, Lin Mu only picked out grain and didn't pay much attention to horse feed. Even so, he still couldn't transport it all, which shows just how terrifying the amount of provisions was this time!

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Lin Mu did not continue collecting grain from the three camps, but instead gave up and disappeared into the vast mountains.

Over the past few days, there has been an undercurrent of tension in the area.

Yuan Shu blocked the grain transport teams of other warlords for five days and six nights, which aroused public anger.

If it weren't for the fact that the warlords had blocked the retreat routes of their continuous camps, they would have thought that Yuan Shu had been frantically smuggling grain supplies over the past five days...

Yuan Shu watched Lin Mu's retreating figure, his face turning ashen.

Lin Mu managed to store so much grain and fodder with just a dozen or so men—that's terrifying!

At this moment, his understanding of Lin Mu reached a new level. True depth is comprehensive, not one-dimensional. Lin Mu's storage space is one aspect of that depth!

This is no ordinary foundation; it's a hidden treasure. Because it involves the operation of supplies.

It is extremely important in war, and sometimes even plays a decisive role!
Lin Mu not only possessed military shelters and equipment, but also incredibly terrifying food and fodder storage equipment!!
"My lord, our men have packed up the provisions and we can withdraw now!" Ji Ling reported.

"Alright, let's retreat!" Yuan Shu glanced at the dark mass of troops outside and said in a deep voice.

Afterwards, under the watchful eyes of many warlords and their confidants, Yuan Shu transported the grain and left.

It took three million logistics troops two days and two nights to complete their evacuation.

This time, Yuan Shu's advance was headed towards Hulao Pass.

And this time, compared to before, they are relatively unburdened.

Without Yuan Shu in charge, the other warlords swarmed in and began to seize the grain supplies.

This chaos is exactly what Yuan Shu wanted to see. (End of Chapter)