The Ming Dynasty: Starting with bandits, it swept across the land.

The victory celebration banquet that was originally planned to be held after the city was captured was abandoned by Wang Er because his own troops were in chaos.

He simply had Xu Youlu send Li Chengye a dozen or so pigs and sheep as a reward.

Li Chengye no longer finds these pigs and sheep particularly appealing.

In the process of quelling the rebellious army, Li Chengye reaped considerable gains from the soldiers who had looted the place.

For poor families, they try their best to return lost items to their owners.

Seeing Li Chengye's gentle demeanor, the wealthy families also wanted to ask for something, but Li Chengye's question, "Why didn't you open the city gates when you attacked the city?" shut them all down.

They were probably all cursing Li Chengye, that scoundrel, in their hearts.

But Li Chengye didn't care. There was a saying he deeply agreed with: "The problem in the world is not about scarcity, but about injustice."

Extreme inequality of wealth is the root of chaos in the world.

If Heaven cannot distribute things equally, He will naturally distribute them equally.

There was a great deal of it: cloth, grain, silver, and even livestock.

As darkness fell, after working together with Luo Dai to escort all the soldiers of the old camp back to their camp, Li Chengye also led his troops back to camp. They began to slaughter sheep and pigs, steam buns, and celebrate.

The first iron pot used to cook the mutton was the one that was confiscated from Zhao Shouren's house.

The entire camp of over 1,500 people each received a full bowl of mutton soup and a large plate of golden steamed buns.

Everyone ate with great delight, and many even licked the bottom of their bowls clean.

Contrary to what some people said, Li Chengye did not stand in line with everyone else to receive mutton soup, as some might have suggested. He did not insist on having a separate table for such a banquet.

After slurping down a large bowl of mutton soup, Li Chengye felt his stomach was round and only then did he feel full. The bowl of millet rice he had eaten that afternoon had only made him a little more than three-tenths full.

At this moment, Master Qin came over and pointed to a secluded corner. Knowing that he had something to say to him, Li Chengye got up and followed him.

Upon arriving, Master Qin lowered his voice and said, "Chengye, the warehouse inventory is complete, and the grain and medicinal herbs are all fine."

But deep inside, we found armor, and quite a lot of it.

"Armor?!"

Li Chengye's breathing instantly became heavier.

From the moment they embarked on the path of rebellion, armor became a hard currency for them, stronger than gold and silver, and a true lifeline on the battlefield!

But along the way, there was really no chance to get it.

Without saying a word, he followed Master Qin and walked quickly toward the warehouse.

After passing the sentry post set up by Han Sanhu, the two entered the warehouse again.

In the firelight, the first thing that catches the eye is a few suits of armor placed against the wall, which are quite different from what one usually sees.

There were three or four sets of "purple cloth armor" and one set of "chainmail".

The purple cloth armor protects the upper body and waist. The armor plates are not sewn inside the purple cloth, but are made of fine iron lamellar plates carefully woven together with leather ropes. The surface of the armor plates has a well-maintained matte blue sheen, and the edges are finely rolled to prevent wear and tear on the ropes.

One of them, in particular, had a gleaming breastplate on its chest, as large as a large bowl, which looked especially striking in the firelight.

The chainmail was even more exquisite, with plates adorning key areas to enhance defense. It was soft and close-fitting, suitable for wearing under clothing, but the densely packed iron rings made it feel heavy to the touch, a craftsmanship that no ordinary artisan could achieve.

"This is good stuff! Only officers of general rank are entitled to use this!"

Although Li Chengye was not an expert, he could tell that it was extraordinary, and he was pleasantly surprised.

These armors are enough to significantly increase the defensive capabilities of core combat forces like Yang Chongwang and Han Sanhu.

"That's not all," Master Qin's expression grew even more serious. He led Li Chengye to the innermost part of the warehouse, where seven or eight inconspicuous large wooden crates were piled up.

Master Qin painstakingly pried open one of the box lids.

What comes into view are neatly arranged cloth armors separated by oil paper.

There are many pairs; at first glance, one box contains more than a dozen pairs.

These cloth armors all have a uniform appearance, made of indigo cotton cloth and covered with brass studs. Although there are some signs of storage, the cloth is sturdy and the studs are all intact.

Master Qin picked up a piece; it felt heavy in his hand, and the iron plates inside emitted a dull rubbing sound.

"Look inside," Master Qin said, flipping open the lining. He saw that the iron plates were of uniform size and the key parts were tightly overlapped. Although they were not as good as the lamellar armor outside, they were far better than the junk in Wang Erlao's camp.

"There are a few more boxes over there," Qin said, pointing to several smaller boxes of the same type in a corner. "We pried one open and took a look. They weren't finished armor pieces, but rather cut thick cloth, stacks of iron plates, studs, and rolls of leather rope... It looked like something that could be used to make or repair armor at any time."

Li Chengye's joy was gradually replaced by enormous doubts.

It's understandable to hoard grain, salt, and medicinal herbs, and to privately hoard some knives, guns, bows, and arrows. But to possess such a large quantity of uniformly made cloth armor, even high-quality lamellar armor for officers, along with the matching manufacturing materials, is truly astounding.

This is something that no ordinary local tyrant should have or dare to have!

"Go and call Brother Yang," Li Chengye said in a deep voice.

Before long, Yang Chongwang arrived in a hurry, still smelling slightly of alcohol.

When he saw the armor in the storeroom, he first gasped, then rushed to the several sets of fine iron armor, carefully stroking the edges of the armor plates and the weaving method with his fingers, and then checking the color and lining of the cloth armor one by one.

"Incredible... truly incredible!" Yang Chongwang's voice was filled with excitement. "Chengye, these are some of the best pieces," he pointed to the waist armor and chainmail, "these are made with 'Su steel' plates, tough and strong. The weaving, the thickness and curvature of the breastplate... these are not products of ordinary garrisons. They are likely handcrafted by skilled craftsmen from the 'Craftsmen's Camp' or the officers' own households."

The person wearing this is at least a full-fledged captain, or a highly regarded and meritorious head of the household guards within the company.

He turned and picked up another piece of cloth armor: "These make it even clearer. Look at the indigo color and the arrangement of the studs—this is a standard cloth armor that the border troops in Yulin Town or Yansui Town changed to a couple of years ago! Back in Jian'an Fort, I dreamed of wearing this new armor; it's so much better than the old, tattered thing we were wearing!"

But then Yang Chongwang frowned and said to Li Chengye, "I heard from that constable that the Liu family members are generals in Yansui Town. I originally thought they were just ordinary garrison officers. But judging from their actions, it's probably not that simple."

It is true that it is common for ordinary military officers to make money and buy land, but what is he planning to do by purchasing such a large quantity of standard military armor in private?

"Just bring the Liu family here and ask them, then everything will be clear," Li Chengye thought decisively.

"I'm afraid it's no use. That family disappeared without a trace when the city fell. I came back from the official granary and wanted to go to their house to ask for some grain, but when I got there, the place was already empty."

The group was speechless.

But now that they have the goods, and they are all rebels, who cares who it was originally meant for?

Li Chengye stepped forward, picked up the purple floral cloth armor with the breastplate, and weighed it in his hand.

"Good stuff, but it's a bit heavy."

This armor weighs nearly 35 pounds; even Li Chengye himself might not be able to handle it.

With that, Li Chengye handed it to Yang Chongwang, "Brother Yang, this armor is yours."

Although Yang Chongwang had expected this, he still grinned from ear to ear as he accepted the armor.

The remaining armor also needs to be put to use; we can't let it continue to gather dust here.