It took Xu Hui and Ye Bin two whole days to calculate the enormous amount of supplies stored by the bandits in this town.

  "Grains: 338,540 stones; Silver: 780,000 taels; Gold: 22,000 taels; Salt: 790 stones; Cotton cloth: 37,000 bolts; Fine iron: 45,000 catties; Raw and refined iron: 86,000 catties in total; Cured meat: 120 million catties; Coal: 7,300 bags (each bag weighing 200 catties); Bows: 600 units; Arrows: 40,000 shafts; War horses: 1,100 heads (including those under Jin Heng's command and those embezzled); Sheep: 1,500 heads; Pigs: 740 heads; Iron armor: 260 suits; Leather armor: 5,200 suits; Leather: 3,000 sheets; Various weapons: not counted; Mules: 600 heads; Fodder: 83,000 bundles; Black beans: 2,800 stones; Wine: 2,300 jars..."

  Liu Ce and the others listened to Ye Bin's report, their breathing quickening involuntarily. It was worth it! Damn it, it was worth it! This was the first thought that came to everyone's mind after hearing about this harvest. This almost completely wiped out Gao Yang's granary! Even Qin Mo, who was normally calm and composed, couldn't help but tremble slightly with excitement.

  "Gentlemen, don't be too excited yet." Liu Ce suppressed his excitement, "How can we transport so many supplies back to the village? The round trip is nearly 400 miles, how long will it take to finish transporting everything, and besides, there's no room in the village for all these things."

  As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd was like a basin of cold water poured over them, instantly extinguishing the passion in their hearts. Ah, how to transport back so many supplies, this is a difficult problem.

  ……

  "How can you sleep here?" Wu Liwen had finally had a few days of decent living, and the new Imperial Guard hadn't given him too much trouble. Although Yang Kai and some of the other main officers didn't have a good impression of him, overall they hadn't made things difficult for him, which was a huge difference from those bandits led by Jin Heng. After helping Liu Ze finish counting the supplies today, he felt somewhat tired and was thinking of going home to get some rest, but then he found Imperial Guard soldiers sleeping under the eaves, wrapped in their bedding, and his curiosity was piqued.

  "Our general said that our army is a just and righteous one, we will not disturb the civilians." The soldier replied to Wu Liwen with sleepy eyes.

  "But you can't sleep like this, there are many empty houses on the other side, go in and rest, don't freeze to death." These Jinwei camp soldiers were indeed as Wu Liwen said, with strict discipline, a hundred times stronger than the official army. Originally, Wu Liwen and the townspeople were worried that these soldiers would follow the usual practice of looting for three days, but unfortunately, after two days, the things they worried about did not happen. Those soldiers would rather eat wind and sleep in the dew than take a step into the civilians' homes, let alone do anything to harm women. This couldn't help but make the townspeople and Wu Liwen put their minds at ease and start to look at them with new eyes.

  "What's going to freeze? This cotton bag is warm, besides, it'll be over in a few days and won't bother everyone." After finishing speaking, the soldier yawned with an impatient face, closed his eyes and continued sleeping. Last night they were on guard duty and were woken up by Wu Liwen with some dissatisfaction.

  "What? Leave?" Wu Liwen's mind couldn't turn around quickly, taking down the town and actually leaving, just for these supplies?

  Looking at the soldiers of Jingwei Camp who fell asleep soundly, Wu Liwen felt that these soldiers gave him a feeling of just two words: down-to-earth.

  "Maybe they are indeed righteous warriors as Liu Ce said, a true army of justice?" Wu Liwen clapped his hands and immediately turned around to head towards the government office.

  ……

  Inside the government office, everyone was still worried about how to deal with these supplies. Guo Tao suggested that they take as much as they could and leave the rest behind, but he was immediately opposed by the others. After all, who would be willing to give up such a valuable prize? During the discussion, Feng Xiang fell asleep, leaning against Han Feng's shoulder, and soon began snoring loudly. Han Feng was furious and pushed him awake, "What the hell are you doing sleeping at a time like this?"

  "Mr. Qin, what's your good plan?" Liu Ce asked for Qin Mo's opinion as he saw that everyone was discussing but couldn't come to a conclusion.

  "General, there are two plans at present. One is to recruit the strong and capable people in the city to transport goods back to the village."

  "It would require at least 50,000 to 60,000 people, and the weather is getting colder by the day. There are only over 40,000 civilians in the city. If we recruit all the able-bodied men, what will happen to the women and children in the town?" Liu Ce shook his head, this strategy was not feasible. Although he didn't have much affection for the townspeople, he couldn't bring himself to do something so against reason. Moreover, doing so would be equivalent to indirectly violating the regulations of the Imperial Guard that he had established.

  Qin Mo smiled, as if he knew Liu Ce would respond that way, and continued: "Then there's only the second plan left, send people to escort the refugees from Zhuang Nei to Meihe Town to settle down, Wan Jia Zhuang is already overcrowded and no longer suitable for the long-term development of Jingwei Camp."

  Liu Ce sank into thought for a moment: "This place is 400 miles away from Gaoyang, I think why Meihe Town has stored so many materials at such a distance, and every day and night people are sent to reinforce the city wall. It must be the retreat route left after being defeated by the government army. Now that the bandits' retreat route has been cut off by me, the Gaoyang side will surely send a large army to surround and annihilate them when they receive the news. At that time, it will probably be the second Houtu Fort..."

  "What the general is worried about is indeed true, the bandits will definitely lead a large army to come and take revenge. I still hope that the general will make a decision." Qin Mo nodded his head, admiring Liu Ce's insight.

  "Report!" At this moment, a soldier from the Jingwei camp came to report outside the door. "Wu Liwen requests an audience!"

  "What's he doing here? Didn't we tell him to go back and rest?" Liu Ce thought to himself for a moment, then said, "Let him come in."

  Wu Liwen entered the hall under the lead of the soldiers and asked as soon as he entered the door, "Brave soldier, why are you treating yourself so cruelly?"

  "What did you say? How dare you!" The people in the hall heard this and couldn't help but burst into anger. Feng Qiu Nian, who was originally drowsy, jumped up first and loudly shouted at Wu Li Wen, his eyes filled with intense murderous intent!

  Wu Liwen broke out in a cold sweat and looked at Feng Qiu Nian with a mixture of fear and trepidation, then swallowed hard and met Liu Ce's gaze.

  After a long time, Wu Wenhui plucked up the courage to say: "Brave warrior! Your military discipline is strict, you keep your promises, and don't let your subordinates disturb the civilians. The old and young in this town have seen and remembered this. However, on such a cold day, you make your soldiers suffer from the cold outside, which is somewhat inhumane. Although our town is not wealthy and has been ravaged by bandits for several months, there are still nearly 10,000 empty houses that can accommodate your troops. Why don't you let your officers and men go inside to warm up and rest? This is much safer than wrapping themselves in cotton bags outside! As the leader of this town, I really cannot bear to see your soldiers suffering from the cold."

  Wu Liwen's eyes were filled with tears as he spoke, looking sorrowful and sympathetic.

  Everyone saw him speaking like this and also saw his appearance, so they didn't dare to make another move...

  Liu Ce sat down and said, "Wu Zhenchang, when I first established the Jingwei Camp, I set up military laws that strictly prohibited disturbing the civilians. The officers and men should follow the rules of our army and abide by the regulations. As for your claim that I mistreat my officers and men, you should ask those present and the soldiers from various departments whether I have ever been unfair to them? Whatever I eat, they also eat the same; do you say that the officers and men are sleeping in the cold with their bedding, while we here have never had a warm bed? If military discipline is not strict, what's the difference between us and bandits? Besides, didn't I arrange for the wounded to be taken care of by the civilians?"

  The people in the hall nodded in agreement, deeply feeling that Liu Ce's words were all true. Wu Liwen was even more choked with emotion, saying: "Righteousness! Our great Zhou dynasty has been established for over 360 years, and the heroic deeds of our ancestors are truly unprecedented. Please accept a bow from me!" As he spoke, Wu Liwen bowed deeply.

  "Director Wu, please get up quickly. These past few days have been quite troublesome. In just two or three more days, the Imperial Guard will leave the city and return Meihua Town to peace..."

  "What? Really leaving?" Wu Liwen was stunned, it seemed that the soldier before had not lied, everything he said was true. Although Jin Heng was destroyed, there were still several groups of bandits flowing around the surrounding areas, and the strongholds were all over the place, it was uncertain when they would attack the town again. With his own abilities, it was absolutely impossible to resist the bandit's invasion. Now that he had a disciplined army in front of him, with no harm done to the civilians, and with great combat effectiveness, how could he just let them leave?

  Wu Liwen composed his thoughts and said: "Brave warrior, please forgive me for being bold, I dare to ask where you are headed?"

  "Wu Zhenchang..." On the other side, Qin Mo heard and looked at him with a warning tone: "Please be careful with your words, do I need to inform you of every move my Imperial Guard makes?"

  Wu Liwen clasped his fists and said to Qin Mo, "This humble official has no other intention, but if this humble official's guess is correct, could it be that the bandits have been hoarding supplies in the city?"

  "Is that so? How?"

  Wu Liwen, the "Out of this World Beacon Fire Record" you are currently reading is only half a chapter in the 43rd installment at Meihe Town. To read the full version, please Baidu search: (go in and then search for) Out of this World Beacon Fire Record