From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 50 Confiscation

"Then I'll help you find it."

Upon hearing this, Old Official Ma stood still and did not move.

He sat by the door smoking a pipe for about fifteen minutes, then suddenly slammed it on the ground: "Deputy Commander Lin, tell me the truth. Are you investigating this to vent your anger, or to seriously investigate a case?"

"My men aren't getting their pay, so this is just venting my anger." Lin Yan put down the account book in his hand. "But reselling military rations is taking the lives of soldiers on the front lines for money, and that's a case."

Old Ma stared at him for a long time, then tucked his pipe into his waistband and said, "Come with me."

He led Lin Yan into a small compartment at the very back of the warehouse.

The cubicle was full of old account books, piled up to the ceiling, covered in a layer of dust about half a finger thick.

"What you're looking for is here."

Old Li pointed to a wooden box against the wall, "This is the old account book that was replaced the year before last. At the time, they said that several pages were accidentally wet, so they just pulled them out and replaced them with new account books."

I was a bit suspicious at the time, so I didn't throw away the original wet tent; I dried it and kept it hidden away.

Lin Yan opened the wooden box, inside which was a thick stack of yellowed account pages.

He flipped through a few pages, his eyes narrowing slightly.

On paper, from July to September of the year before last, the Beiying warehouse had a batch of "losses" that were replaced every month.

The amount is not small, at least three hundred shi a month.

All of them were produced in the same month and signed by the same person. In three months, they were enough to equip half a battalion of soldiers.

"Who is Ku Shou?" Lin Yan asked.

The old clerk lowered his voice: "His surname is Qian, and he's no longer in the supply battalion. Last year, he was transferred to the military government office and became the deputy manager of the grain and fodder department."

Lin Yan pulled out the ledger pages and put them away, then closed the box again.

The next morning, instead of going to see Wu Baichuan, he took the account book directly to the military headquarters.

Inside the military government office.

After reviewing the account pages, Deputy Commander Cao Yan's face darkened considerably.

"Lin Yan, do you know who you're suing?"

"Report those who resell military rations," Lin Yan said. "According to military law, anyone who resells military rations shall be executed."

Cao Yan placed the account pages on the table: "Where did these account pages come from?"

"Found in the old ledgers of the Beiying granary."

Cao Yan pondered for a moment: "Wu Baichuan, have you reported this to him?"

"No," Lin Yan said. "I suspect that Commander Wu is involved in this matter."

Cao Yan looked up at him: "Do you have any evidence?"

"There is no direct evidence at the moment," Lin Yan said. "But the deduction of military pay and the resale of military rations both occurred within the supply battalion. It doesn't make sense for him, as the chief commander, to deny everything."

Cao Yan remained silent. After a long while, he called out, "Someone, go and invite Commander Wu."

Wu Baichuan arrived quickly. As soon as he entered, he saw Lin Yan standing below the hall, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

"Commander Wu, take a look at these account pages." Cao Yan pushed the items over.

Wu Baichuan took it, flipped through it, and asked with a puzzled look:

"What are these? They look like outbound slips from the Beiying warehouse?"

"From July to September of the year before last, several suspicious 'losses' occurred in three months, totaling a considerable amount. The same warehouse clerk who handled them is now the deputy manager of the grain and forage department. Commander Wu was the commander of the Northern Camp at the time, and you signed all these loss slips."

Wu Baichuan examined the documents carefully for a long time: "These loss and damage records are indeed signed by me. The ledger records indicate that the granary was damaged by moisture during renovations. I had already reported this to the military government at the time. Could it be—"

"Dampness-damaged?" Lin Yan interrupted him. "Damp grain is supposed to be burned under the supervision of the military government according to regulations. Who participated in the burning? Where are the destruction records?"

Wu Bochuan opened his mouth, "This..."

"I can look for the records of the burning at the time," Lin Yan said. "If it really burned, we can always find a few soldiers who were there. If it didn't burn, where did the grain go?"

Wu Baichuan's expression gradually changed.

He looked at Lin Yan, then at Cao Yan, and cupped his hands, saying, "Governor Cao, this matter was indeed handled according to the rules at the time, but too much time has passed, and some procedures may not be complete..."

"Not necessarily complete?" Cao Yan slammed his hand on the table. "Wu Baichuan, the destruction of damp military rations must be strictly documented. You're telling me now that it might not be complete? Someone, go and retrieve the burning records from back then, and bring that Qian guy from the grain and fodder department here too!"

When the man surnamed Qian was summoned, his legs went weak.

Cao Yan only asked three questions before he gave up.

The grain was never burned; it was all resold to the Yongfeng ship.

He also revealed the major owner behind the Yongfeng ship: a steward surnamed Lu from the Eastern Palace's Chamberlain's Office. Wu Baichuan's superior was that steward, Lu.

"Wu Bochuan, what do you have to say now?"

Wu Baichuan's face turned deathly pale: "Governor Cao, please have mercy! I was coerced..."

"Take him away." Cao Yan waved his hand. "I have no authority to decide how to deal with this man; I must report to the General of the North for a decision. Detain that man surnamed Qian as well, and confiscate Yongfeng Firm's assets."

Two guards came forward and took Wu Baichuan away. Cao Zhongyan looked at Lin Yan again: "This matter is of great importance. I will report it to the General's Mansion immediately. You will temporarily take charge of the supply battalion and make up for the old soldiers' pay first."

Lin Yan clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Governor."

Cao Yan picked up the account book and looked at it again, then lowered his voice and said:

"The supply depot is more complex than you think. Behind that Lu fellow is the entire Eastern Palace. We were able to deal with him this time because the evidence was solid. But next time, you might not be so lucky."

Lin Yan paused for a moment: "Governor, I'm not going there for the Crown Prince."

Cao Yan nodded: "You handled this situation well. Go ahead."

Lin Yan turned and left the military compound.

That evening, Xiong Kuo led his men back to collect the military pay.

The quota for a full two months, not a penny less.

Xiong Kuo dumped the copper coins on the table, and Sun Dayong grinned as he counted them for a long time, while Old Zhou, leaning on his cane, laughed so hard he coughed.

"Chief, you're really something."

Sun Dayong gave a thumbs up, "They investigated and handled it just like that, in just a few days."

"Alright, stop calling me chieftain," Lin Yan said. "This is the supply depot, not Jiming Ridge."

"That's called a Commander-in-Chief."

"Deputy Commander-in-Chief."

"Anyway, in our hearts you're the boss."

Sun Dayong put away the money bag, curled his lip, and said, "I'm in a good mood today, I'll treat the brothers to drinks."

Chen cooked two bowls of noodles in the kitchen and brought them out.

Lin Xiu skipped and hopped along as she picked up her chopsticks. Now the little girl's face was fuller, no longer the sallow and thin girl she used to be. Looking at her, Lin Yan felt that all the effort he had put in these past few days hadn't been in vain.

By the time we finished eating the noodles, it was completely dark.

Xiong Kuo and Sun Dayong returned to the barracks after drinking, and Lao Zhou also slowly walked away with his cane, leaving Lin Yan alone in the courtyard.

The matter of military pay was considered settled, but Cao Yan's words kept swirling in his mind.

Manager Lu, Yongfeng Company, East Palace. Wu Baichuan is merely a middleman; now that he's made a move on this line, whether or when the people behind him will make a move against him is all unknown.

There were also over a hundred people in the supply battalion.

The soldiers' pay was replenished, but he had a clear understanding of their previous situation in the camps since he arrived. Other battalions ate coarse chaff, while the supply battalion received stale rations. Other battalions were issued brand-new swords, spears, and armor, while the supply battalion used only old equipment retired from the front lines.

Lin Yan leaned against the stone bench and looked up at the moon.

The moon at Iron Coffin Cliff was bigger than here, hanging over the cliff mouth and illuminating the entire Black Wind Ridge as if it were daytime. Xiong Kuo and the others often said back then, "With you guarding this cliff mouth, we feel at ease." But Zhenbei City is not Iron Coffin Cliff, and the supply camp is not Jiming Village.

The rules in Jiming Village are simple: whoever has the strongest fist gets to call the shots.

He hadn't yet figured out the rules of the Zhenbei Army.