allonlinenovel Chapter 2036 Where the Military Rations Went
Chapter 2036 Where the Military Rations Went
When he arrived at the stone gate, Huo Changhe looked inside.
After a moment, he turned around and made a "three" gesture to Yan Ruyu, indicating that there were three people inside.
Yan Ruyu understood and took out three more sleeping pills and handed them to him.
Huo Changhe flicked his finger, and the small pill rolled inside, exploding into a cloud of smoke.
Not long after, the sound of someone falling was heard from inside. Huo Changhe pushed open the stone door, and the two looked at each other and walked in side by side.
Huo Changhe stepped through the stone gate first. He paused as he crossed the threshold, turned around and raised his chin towards Yan Ruyu behind him. "Look at this, how can you call it a stone house? Calling it a stone warehouse is an understatement. It's even more spacious than the granary in Rongzhou City."
Yan Ruyu followed him in, her nose catching a glimpse of the air. She tilted her head slightly, her tone filled with surprise, "It's the aroma of wine. And it's not the bland rice wine sold in street vendors. This aroma is very rich and mellow. I can tell it's a premium wine just by smelling it."
Huo Changhe sniffed the scent and his eyes fell on several people lying on the ground not far away. He pointed over there and said, "Look at those people. They have something covering their faces."
Yan Ruyu looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, she saw that the fainted people all had dark brown masks on their faces, covering most of their faces, leaving only their chins and eyes exposed. There were also thin straps sewn on the edges, tied around their necks.
She took two steps closer to examine it carefully, her brows furrowed slightly. "This looks like a military gas mask, but it's more sophisticated."
Huo Changhe was about to step forward and take one off to see what was inside, but Yan Ruyu waved her hand away in time: "Don't touch it. Who knows if there's any trick on this mask?"
As she spoke, she raised her hand and pressed it lightly on her waist. Two masks similar to the ones on the face of the person on the ground appeared out of thin air in her palm, but the color was lighter, plain white.
"I have some emergency supplies in my space, and this mask can be used."
Yan Ruyu handed one over, pinching the edge of the mask with her fingertips to demonstrate, "Wrap the strap from behind your ear to the back of your neck, and fasten this hidden buckle. It will block the smell of alcohol, and even if there is something else inside, it can also provide some protection."
Huo Changhe took the mask and touched the surface with his fingers. It had a delicate leather texture. He put it on like Yan Ruyu did and tried breathing. He felt that the airflow was softer when passing through the mask, and the aroma of wine was indeed much lighter.
He raised his eyes to look at Yan Ruyu: "This thing is very delicate, and it is not uncomfortable to wear."
"Of course." Yan Ruyu also put on her mask and raised her chin towards the depths of the warehouse. "Let's go and see what else is inside."
The two walked in side by side, and the aroma of wine became stronger the further they went.
When they turned a corner, the sight before them stopped them both in their tracks—hundreds of wine jars neatly stacked together, half a person's height.
The body of the altar is dark brown with dark gold patterns painted on it. When the light falls on the altar, you can actually see the reflection of the glaze.
Huo Changhe walked forward and touched the jar, feeling the smooth glaze with his fingertips. "The glaze and pattern on this wine jar are of the style of an official kiln. How could an ordinary restaurant afford such a jar? Even the most famous 'Zuixianlou' in Rongzhou City doesn't use jars that compare to these."
Yan Ruyu also took a closer look, her eyes landing on the seal on the jar's mouth. "There's a mark on the seal, it looks like the character 'Si'. Have you ever heard of a wine-making family with the surname Si?"
Huo Changhe frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I've read all the information about Rongzhou, but I've never heard of anyone with the surname Si. Furthermore, it's not just the winery; anyone who makes money and is well-known usually has the surname Liu."
He paused as he spoke, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. Then, as if he had thought of something, his tone suddenly became serious: "Do you think... could they have brewed the wine with military rations?"
Yan Ruyu's face darkened instantly. She raised her hand and gently knocked on the wine jar. The jar made a dull sound, and she could tell that it was very full.
“If that’s the case, then they are despicable.
The military rations are used to feed the Rongzhou soldiers defending the city. Now the city is out of food. If we hadn't intervened, we wouldn't even have rice grains, let alone porridge. And yet they're using the military rations to make wine."
She paused, her tone full of coldness: "Judging from the quality of this wine, a jar can be sold for at least fifty taels of silver. If all this wine is sold, how much can you earn?
This is a completely unprofitable business. They are using the lives of soldiers and the safety of Rongzhou to make money. Their hearts are too dark."
Huo Changhe clenched his back teeth, his jawline tense. He said nothing more, but turned and walked deeper into the warehouse, his pace faster than before.
Yan Ruyu followed closely behind, already having a bad feeling in her heart. Sure enough, after walking a few steps and passing the last pile of wine jars, bags of grain appeared in front of her.
The grain was packed in burlap sacks, neatly stacked into several piles. On each pile was a piece of paper with the date written in ink.
Huo Changhe walked over quickly, reached out to peel off the top piece of paper, his eyes fell on the date, and his brows instantly furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Yan Ruyu walked over and looked at the note following his gaze.
"Look at this date." Huo Changhe's voice was filled with uncontrollable anger. He handed the note to Yan Ruyu, "This date is exactly the same as the date on the military rations escort order that Su Zhenhai showed me before.
On the date Su Zhenhai mentioned, there was no trace of the military rations. He sent people to investigate, but found no trace. It turned out that all the rations had been transported here."
Yan Ruyu took the note and pinched the edge of it with her fingertips. She could feel the roughness of the paper with her fingertips. She stared at the date on it, then looked up at the pile of grain in front of her.
"This much grain, at least two thousand dan, if shipped to Rongzhou, would be enough for the soldiers to eat for two months, and the food crisis in the city would be alleviated. But now..."
Before she finished speaking, her gaze turned to the wine jar beside her, her tone filled with anger: "Not only did they embezzle the military rations, they also used them to make wine. How can this be called business? This is murder!
Fortunately, there was no mutiny in Rongzhou City. If they had been unable to defend the city due to lack of food, the civilians and soldiers in the city would have suffered. Aren't they afraid of divine punishment?"
Huo Changhe walked to the grain stack and patted the sack. The grain in the sack made a rustling sound, and one could tell that the grains were full.
He took a deep breath and tried to suppress his anger: "They are so brave!"
Yan Ruyu walked over to him, her eyes as cold as ice. "Look at the layout here. The wine jars and grain stacks are stacked so neatly. It's obvious that this hasn't been done in a day or two. They must have brewed a lot of wine with the military rations, and they should have sold some of it."
He clenched his fists and said in a cold tone, "If the soldiers in Rongzhou knew about this, they would probably rush over and tear down this warehouse immediately.
They fought tooth and nail, but someone was stealing their life-saving food. No one could accept this!"