Aoyama

Chapter 260 Searching for Food
Thick smoke billowed into the air, carrying with it sparks and ashes, and the sky hung low.

The people of Guyuan all turned their heads to look at the raging fire in the distance. For a moment, they turned into sculptures, their mood gradually fell to the bottom, and their faces showed despair.

Chen Ji stood on the eaves of the tavern with a serious expression, staring closely at the border army camp.

The next moment, a roar was heard from the border army camp, and a huge explosion resounded throughout Guyuan, as if more than ten cannons of the Shenjiying Camp were fired at the same time.

Is it a firearm?

No!

Chen Ji watched as the flames flew in all directions and instantly engulfed a large area of ​​the tents... This was the appearance of a dust explosion, and the flour in the border army camp exploded.

What was burned was indeed the border troops’ stored food!
At this time, someone downstairs yelled angrily: "Damn it, the border troops took our food and burned it again by the Jing Dynasty spies?"

"The border troops are useless. They can't even take care of the food. What kind of war are they fighting?"

"I've said it before, that Hu Junxian doesn't know how to fight at all, the General of Guyuan should have been replaced long ago!"

Someone said angrily, "What's the point of saying this now? Guyuan is finished! Everyone, clean your necks and wait for the Jing Dynasty army to come in!"

"Let's go and ask the border troops for an explanation!"

Before the Jing Dynasty army even set out, the city of Guyuan was already in chaos.

Chen Ji looked at the huge crowd rushing towards the border army camp, then turned around and jumped away between the rooftops.

When they rushed back to Longmen Inn, the Yulin Army was standing on Qiuci Street, looking at the fire from afar with a complicated expression and remained silent.

The people of Guyuan passed by them in groups, shouting that they wanted to ask the border troops for an explanation. They all looked at Li Xuan and said, "Brother-in-law, why don't we ask Hu Junxian what the border troops do for a living?"

Li Xuan glared at him fiercely: "Isn't it chaotic enough?"

Qi Zhuozhuo stiffened his neck and said, "Isn't it all the fault of the border troops? If I can return to the capital alive, I will let my grandfather report Hu Junxian!"

The prince said slowly, "Okay, let's go into the house and count the food we bought today... Is Chen Ji back?"

He saw Chen Ji standing outside the crowd and subconsciously looked at Chen Ji's hands, but when he saw that Chen Ji's hands were empty, he was immediately disappointed.

The prince asked solemnly, "You didn't find any food either?"

Chen Ji calmly replied: "Your Highness, I didn't go looking for food today. I was doing other things."

Qi Zhuozhuo frowned and said, "What is more important than food nowadays? Why are you busying yourself instead of looking for food?"

Chen Ji looked at him silently and didn't say anything.

The prince sighed and said, "Now is not the time for colleagues to attack each other. Let's go inside and talk. Don't let the people laugh at you."

Li Xuan took a few steps forward and opened the cotton curtain for the prince, and everyone entered one after another.

In the main hall of the inn, the shopkeeper had gone somewhere, leaving Xiaowu alone, sleeping on the counter.

The prince and Li Xuan sat at an eight-person table. Li Xuan had an account book in front of him. He picked up a pen and asked the Yulin Army in front of him, "How much food did you buy today?"

The Yulin Army soldiers bowed their heads: "Sir, I..."

Li Xuan asked solemnly, "Didn't you buy any food today?"

The Yulin soldiers said ashamedly: "Sir, I visited hundreds of people today, and they all have no surplus food at home. No matter how much silver you give, it will be useless."

Li Xuan hesitated to speak, and finally waved his hand helplessly: "Next."

The soldiers of the Yulin Army carried empty cloth bags when they went out in the morning, and carried empty cloth bags when they came back. Hundreds of people took turns to report their harvests, and in the end, there was only a little bit of food piled on the Eight Immortals Table.

Li Xuan stared at the bags in front of him, then looked up at the Yulin Army: "More than 400 people went out today, but only bought 12 kilograms of millet and 28 kilograms of yellow noodles. I cooked porridge tonight, and I don't know what to eat tomorrow morning..."

It was only the first day of the siege and the Yulin Army could no longer hold on.

Li Xuan looked around and said solemnly, "Now go out and continue to look for food. If you don't find any, you won't sleep tonight. No matter what means you use, if you come back empty-handed, you don't have to come back!"

Chen Liqin suddenly added, "But you all should also be careful not to do anything that violates the law of the country, and you must not bring shame upon His Highness."

Qi Zhuozhuo raised his eyebrows and said, "Master Chen, what do you mean by this? Do you look down on the military discipline of my Yulin Army?"

Chen Liqin's face darkened. "Deputy Envoy Qi, I didn't mean that. I just wanted to remind you to be careful when looking for food. There are so many eyes on your Highness. If you make a mistake, your Highness will also be implicated and recorded by the historians. How will the world view your Highness?"

Qi Chenzhuo angrily scolded, "Master Chen, you are so easy to talk about. Your servants bought food today, right? Why didn't I see them put it together with everyone else's food? Our brothers in the Yulin Army braved the cold wind to find food, and your Chen family hid in the house to keep warm. Even if it is inconvenient for you and your wife, Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, and Chen Ji should come with us, right?"

Wang Gui hurriedly said, "My eldest and second sons are both juren!"

Qi Zhuozhuo spat on the ground: "Bah, what a bullshit Juren, my Qi family has many Juren, is it so rare? Ask my brothers in the Yulin Army, which family doesn't have a Juren?"

Wang Gui wanted to say something but was stopped by Chen Wenzong.

Chen Wenzong clasped his fists and said, "Brother Qi is right. I will go out with you to look for food later."

Qi Zhuozhuo sneered, "That's what a human being says! Also, take out the food your Chen family bought today, don't hide it!" Liang said in a slow voice, "The Chen family didn't buy much food today, we just steamed a few steamed buns at noon and ate them all."

Qi Chenzhuo raised his finger and pointed at Wang Gui: "No, I just saw him hiding in the kitchen of the inn eating steamed bread!"

Liang suddenly turned around and looked at Wang Gui with eyes as sharp as knives.

Wang Gui quickly knelt down and said, "It's unfair. Deputy Envoy Qi was wrong. I didn't hide any grain."

Chen Liqin shouted angrily: "Go and get the food you hid, or I'll break your legs!"

"Hey, I'll go right away!" Wang Gui rolled and crawled to the backyard.

……

……

Amid the hustle and bustle, Chen Ji stood quietly in the corner, looking at the beams and thinking to himself, the shopkeeper had said before that the secret passage was under the wooden board of the counter, he wondered if it was true?
Was this fire caused by Jingchao's spies or Bailong's work?
Chen Ji didn’t know the answer. He only knew that anything involving Bai Long would become confusing and no one would know what would happen until the last moment.

He could only wait and see.

At this time, the prince saw that he was distracted and suddenly asked, "Chen Ji, what did you do today?"

Chen Ji shook his head and said, "Your Highness, I am going to look for the traces of the Jing Dynasty spies."

The prince looked inquiringly and asked, "Have you found it?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "No."

Today he captured Old Wu, killed the owner of Yang's fur shop, and found the Secret Service and Bai Long, but he had to keep all of this secret so as not to ruin Bai Long's plan.

In the main hall, a Yulin soldier sneered, "So, you've been busy all day for nothing? You might as well go find some food, at least you don't have to starve. At this time, you're still thinking about looking for Jing Dynasty spies. Do you think you're the zodiac sign of the Secret Service?"

Chen Ji glanced at him and did not refute.

Qi Chenzhuo was unyielding, "You haven't been hiding somewhere to slack off all day, have you? His Highness appointed you as the Right Guard, but you haven't achieved anything yet. I advise you to be more diligent and help His Highness."

Chen Ji was silent for a long time, and finally bowed to the prince and said, "I originally thought that finding food would not be a difficult task, and with the soldiers of the Yulin Army finding food, it should be enough. So I simply went to find the Jing Dynasty spies, and didn't take it seriously. But I didn't expect that so many people in the Yulin Army only brought back 40 kilograms of food."

As soon as these words were spoken, the room suddenly became quiet, and the Yulin soldiers turned to look at Chen Ji with serious expressions.

Qi Chenzhuo was furious: "Chen Ji, what do you mean?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "It doesn't mean anything."

Li Xuan frowned and said, "Master Chen, please don't be so quick to talk. It is really not easy to find food nowadays. Don't embarrass yourself."

Chen Ji bowed to the prince and said, "Your Highness, I know where to find food, but the food is expensive, I'm afraid you will have to spend money."

The prince hesitated for a moment and said, "Chen Ji, you don't have to worry about the price, but can you really find food? Don't worry, it's okay even if you can't find food, don't force it."

Chen Ji said calmly: "I can definitely find some food, but I have a request."

Seeing that he was determined, the prince stopped trying to persuade him: "What is your request?"

Chen Ji pointed at Qi Chenzhuo who was standing beside him and said, "If I can buy 40 kilograms of grain, Deputy Envoy Qi can just call me Lord Chen when he sees me in the future."

Qi Chenzhuo sneered and said, "What are you bragging about? If you can really find me, why not call you Master Chen?"

Chen Ji nodded: "It's a deal."

After that, he looked at the prince and said, "Your Highness, now forty kilograms of food may require four hundred taels of silver to buy. This amount of silver..."

Under normal circumstances, four hundred taels of silver could buy forty cows, eighty mules, and forty-eight thousand kilograms of grain. But now that human lives are at stake, the prince can't care about these things.

He glanced at Li Xuan, who took out a string of Buddhist coins from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Ji: "This is five hundred taels. As long as you can buy it, the silver is negotiable."

Chen Ji took the Buddhist Tongbao, turned around, lifted the curtain and walked out of the inn.

At this moment, shouts came from outside the door: "The border troops are killing people! The border troops are killing people!"

"Run!"

The sound of dense footsteps could be heard, and countless people from Guyuan ran past Qiuci Street, some of them with blood splattered on their bodies.

Chen Ji stopped a man and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on? Why are the border troops killing people?"

The man who was held back explained in panic, "We went to the frontier army camp to ask for an explanation, and somehow, someone moved the barricades and rushed into the camp. The frontier army turned their backs on us and killed everyone they saw. I'm afraid they killed hundreds of people!"

Chen Ji looked at the setting sun that was gradually sinking behind the city, and remained silent for a long time.

If someone breaks into the military camp, the border troops should make an example of him and cut the Gordian knot.

But this is only the first day of the siege.

(End of this chapter)