Chapter 228 – Lost a Son and Now Grain Too (Part Four)
He forced himself to calm down and instructed his subordinates to find an old hunter familiar with the mountains near Hejian to guide them.
As for entering the city?
Not happening!
The location drawn on the map was outside the city, not inside, and going in would only be a waste of time.
But before that, he needed to clarify one question: when did Meng Hunyun’s people stuff that coarse cloth into the grain cart?
This question puzzled not only him but also the cook responsible for transporting the grain.
To ensure the grain count was accurate, they would meticulously check the grain carts every time they stopped for rest.
Therefore, it was almost certain that those strange coarse cloths were not in the cart before the last stop.
The Escort Group Leader knew this, so he didn’t waste time on that matter; instead, he surveyed all the cooks with a suspicious eye.
He asked, “Does anyone remember if anyone got close to these grain carts?”
That question threw everyone off, and a group of cooks stared at each other in confusion—there were too many people who could get close to the carts. Who could remember?
One quick-witted cook asked, “Could it be someone from before, at the tea house?”
In a place like a post station tea house, where crowds were immense, an ordinary-looking person slipping in wouldn’t raise suspicion.
However, that idea was quickly dismissed by another cook, who said, “We can’t wrongly accuse someone—the whole crowd was around the grain carts during the rest. Where would a suspicious person come from? Those things… clearly just appeared out of thin air…”
People of this era were superstitious, often using mystical explanations for things unknown to them.
The Escort Group Leader felt irritated by the nonsense; he shouted, “Nonsense! How can you believe in ghosts and gods? Think carefully, who is it?”
If no outsiders had touched the grain carts to leave those things… then the only explanation was that there was a spy from the Meng Clan within the grain team.
Having reached that somewhat reliable conclusion, the Escort Group Leader felt he had found the answer.
The cooks shook their heads in disbelief; some even speculated it could be Jiang Pengji who delivered tea, but that hypothesis wasn’t reliable. Besides Jiang Pengji, the tea house owner and the waiter had also brought tea, and compared to the latter two, the former hadn’t approached the grain cart—how could she have stuffed the coarse cloth in?
The cooks exchanged glances, tense, fearing the Escort Group Leader suspected them of being spies.
The Escort Group Leader scanned everyone, trying to uncover the spy among them; but in the end, everyone looked like a spy, yet no one looked like one as well. With no choice, he had to set this detail aside and prepare to transport the grain to its destination.
Finding a familiar old hunter was easy; after promising a handsome reward, he agreed to lead the way.
However, this made things tough for the cooks transporting the grain since the mountain roads were steep and not suitable for carts.
So, they had to abandon the carts and opt to carry the grain bags on their shoulders, relay-style, up the mountain.
But it seemed this mysterious game had just begun. Someone discovered a bamboo slip at the location marked on the map, which read—
“Obedient little ones, but your speed is disappointing. I couldn’t wait and have gone ahead to deliver the grain to this location; this is punishment for your inefficiency. Left by treasonous Meng Hunyun.”
Upon seeing this bamboo slip, along with a piece of coarse cloth pressed underneath it, the Escort Group Leader’s expression turned as dark as a pot bottom.
At that moment, a soldier nervously asked, “Boss, what do we do now?”
Gasping for breath, the Escort Group Leader, although not carrying the grain, was sweating buckets due to the steep mountain paths and his heavy armor, replied, “What else can we do? Just follow the instructions on that note—”
They were afraid of the consequences; Meng Liang was still in Meng Hunyun’s hands. If they didn’t dare follow through and angered Meng Hunyun, he could just as easily kill Meng Liang, and they would be the ones crying! For that little ancestor’s life, they had no choice but to obey.
Fortunately, the second map’s destination wasn’t very far; the old hunter informed them they could get there in about a quarter of an hour.
“Ah! You all came pretty fast this time, but I’ve already left! Watching you puff and pant delivering grain is pretty funny. But I haven’t seen enough yet—I want to see Meng Liang; get the grain here. Left by treasonous Meng Hunyun.”
At this point, the Escort Group Leader, furious, slammed his fist against a tree trunk, producing a dull thud.
The old hunter looked at that map, terrified, and said, “Sir, that place is not safe at all.”
“Why isn’t it safe?” the Escort Group Leader asked coldly.
The old hunter trembled, looking like he wanted to cry. He had thought leading them would be an easy job, but now he sensed trouble brewing.
“Sir, I need to report that place is a bandit stronghold. I once caught a glimpse from afar while hunting, and those inside are ruthless killers… If you go to that place…” the old hunter stammered, struggling to explain why.
The Escort Group Leader coldly chuckled, “Just lead the way. No more nonsense.”
It was just a bandit stronghold after all—he had so many people with him; he could handle it!
However, one thing puzzled him: why did Meng Hunyun specifically want the grain delivered to the bandit stronghold?
Could it be a trap?
Thinking about that, the Escort Group Leader felt uneasy and dispatched a clever soldier to scout the situation.
The soldier quickly returned and reported, “The bandit stronghold is empty.”
Empty?
At that moment, the Escort Group Leader was somewhat confused but had no choice but to press on.
“However, my subordinate found this at the entrance of the stronghold…” The soldier respectfully handed over a bamboo slip and a piece of coarse cloth.
Upon seeing that item, the Escort Group Leader reflexively felt anxious, fearing it was another trick.
He opened it to see yet another message left by Meng Hunyun.
“The grain is in the compound of the stronghold, and that little brat Meng Liang is in the place shown on the map. Don’t try anything funny; otherwise, that brat’s life will be at stake. Left by treasonous Meng Hunyun.”
The Escort Group Leader calmed his mind, suddenly sneered coldly, “Cowering turtle, coward!”
If it weren’t for fearing the Meng Clan’s authority, why would Meng Hunyun go through all this trouble, messing around with these things?
It was simply because he was scared that when it came time to exchange the grain, his soldiers would be surrounded and killed!
A fearful being!
With a sneer in his heart, the Escort Group Leader raised his hand, “You all take the grain here, and the rest come with me to rescue the Second Young Master.”
Since Meng Hunyun was so afraid for his life, it showed he didn’t have much confidence.
If they took the opportunity to strike whilst he was off-guard, capturing Meng Hunyun’s head to bring back would be a major achievement!
Originally, he had no intention of ambushing Meng Hunyun, but since the other side was asking for it, even a mud person would have some fire in them!
“Understood!”
Though exhausted from all the running around, the soldiers still stood up straight and replied loudly, filled with vigor.
