"Sir, all the brothers are here." Someone beside him suddenly whispered.
The pelican first looked around carefully to make sure that there were no wild cats or other animals following him, and then he felt a little relieved. Now whenever he closes his eyes, the weird scene of those wildcats marching in line will always appear in his mind.
Only five people gathered here as agreed - compared to when they first arrived in White River City, who were gearing up and preparing to do something big, now everyone's faces showed an indescribable heaviness.
"Are you the only ones left?" Even the hard-hearted Pelican felt a bit of pity. These subordinates had been following him for a long time, ranging from three to four years to more than ten years. Unexpectedly, they all died in one day. Most of the damage was done.
"Yes, all the strongholds in the city were wiped out, and we only escaped the disaster when we happened to be out." The person who spoke replied, "Sir, is there... a traitor in the team?"
"That's right, someone must have revealed everyone's whereabouts, so Jin Xia's counterattack came so quickly!" Others said angrily.
"Not necessarily." Pelican shook his head, "Our opponents are alchemists. If there are enemies who are good at tricks, it is not surprising that they can't keep the secret. If a brother really confesses, can we use the secret word to meet again? We have been killed long ago. They caught them all in one fell swoop.”
The five of them couldn't help but fell into silence.
After a while, someone asked, "Sir, what should we do next? The funds have been confiscated by the other party. Should we wait for the Privy Council to issue new silver coins before taking action?"
"We don't know how long it will take for the people over there to contact us. The rumors of the food disaster have finally spread. We must not let this fire go out!" Pelican said firmly, "The food store is the next target, especially those who The shops where the grain store is out of business—if we can destroy them all, it will definitely make the fire of panic burn even brighter!"
"The grain store is now guarded by a large number of servants. With just a few of us, I'm afraid we won't be able to break in, right?" His subordinates expressed doubts.
"Indeed. So I prepared this in advance."
The pelican put down the suitcase at hand and opened the lid.
There were four bamboo tube-like things inside, each about the thickness of an arm. The main body was made of wood, and a metal rod was inserted into the head.
"Lord Tanshou, what is this?" Everyone asked in surprise.
"Zhentian Lei, a new gadget manufactured by the Ministry of Industry." Pelican picked up one of the "bamboo tubes" and briefly introduced, "Just pull out the pull ring on the copper rod, and then press the copper rod into the tube, and it will It can emit a shocking explosion, which can burn everything within the affected area, so a mere grain store is no longer a problem!"
"You never told us before... that there is such a sharp thing!"
"If I mentioned it, can it still stay?" Pelican snorted coldly, "Just because it is a new gadget, it can play an unexpected role at this time."
He took a deep breath, stared at the crowd and said, "Listen up, I know that the entire White River City is probably under the enemy's surveillance. This operation is extremely dangerous, and it is likely that there will be no return, but this is also true. This is a good opportunity to serve the imperial court! I have written down everything that happened here in detail and handed it over to the messenger, so you don’t have to worry about your achievements being buried."
Of course, there is another reason for this - if you evacuate the operation area without receiving instructions, it will definitely be a stain on your career as a secret agent if it spreads to the ears of the adults, and it may even affect your family. This is something he never wants to see. the result of.
One of the subordinates hesitated for a moment, "Sir, we are not afraid of death, but... is this really useful?"
"What do you mean?" Pelican frowned.
"On the way here, I heard a new news, which was spread by people from the Affairs Bureau." The man paused, "Not only did Jinxia City send a relief convoy, but a cargo ship full of food was also heading towards Baihe City. It's coming and is expected to arrive this afternoon. And... this is just the beginning of the assistance."
“The beginning of aid—what does that mean?”
"If I understand correctly, they will send at least one ship to deliver food every day until the food shortage is over."
These words made the scene fall into silence.
"How is that possible?" Pelican glared after a while, "Jinxia City is not a grain-producing area, so how can there be so much food for others to eat!? Even if it wants to protect Baihe City, what about Anshen City? What about Fuming County? ? It can’t possibly protect everyone!”
Any normal ruler can understand what the food shortage is like - if it cannot feed everyone, this investment is equivalent to pure waste. As long as the gap still exists, the part that is about to starve to death is bound to set off a war. turmoil. The correct thing to do at this time is to maintain the stability of Jinxia City, rather than allowing a gap in your own city!
The result of both rain and dew is that turmoil sweeps across Shenzhou.
Unless—they really have enough food to feed the entire Shenzhou!
The Pelicans certainly don't believe this.
Jinxia is a Yancheng city, but it is not a major grain producer. Even its own grain consumption requires supplies from surrounding high mountain counties. It is undoubtedly a fantasy to avoid this famine!
If this was all just a delay, he should probably find a way to thwart the enemy's plans.
"This way..." Pelican made a decision, "Let's split up. You go blow up the grain store, and I'll destroy Jinxia's cargo ship."
"Sir, are you sure you want to do this? The security around the cargo ship must be much tighter than that of the grain store!"
"Yes, maybe those warlocks who killed the brothers will also appear near the dock."
"So I can only rest assured if I do this myself." Pelican patted his subordinate on the shoulder, "What kind of life my family can live in the future depends on our efforts."
…
Having said that, Pelican has no intention of holding Zhentian Lei and dying with the enemy.
If you can survive and enjoy the honor, it is naturally better than dying in a foreign land.
He has been through dangerous situations like this no less than ten times, and he has been able to complete the mission and survive every time. Naturally, he relies not on ruthlessness, but on careful planning and calculation.
Compared with Baihe City, where wild cats are everywhere, it is easier to succeed in dealing with cargo ships - if the latter is not a rumor spread by the Affairs Bureau.
After all, as long as it is a ship, it must dock at the dock to unload its cargo, and the inland docks are always crowded with people, making it easier for him to blend in. In addition, there will be a delay between the triggering and detonation of this thunder, and there will still be about five breaths of time after throwing it. At that time, the wide river will undoubtedly be his best escape route.
At about midnight in the afternoon, the rumored Jinxia grain transport ship appeared in Pelican's field of vision.
No one reminded him, and there were no clear flags hanging on the ship, but as soon as he saw the outline of the cargo ship, he realized that the ship was coming from Jinxia.
Because he had never seen such a strange sailless boat.
Not only him, but all the people who noticed the ship were shocked, and there was an endless stream of comments. The ice-made ship, the lack of sails and oars, and the black bipedal beast carried on the ship are enough to keep people talking for a long time.
For the first time, the Pelican realized that the opponent he faced, or rather the opponent the Gyeonggi Privy Council faced, might be an enemy that could not be judged by common sense.
"It's fish - the food they brought is actually fish!" someone exclaimed.
The pelican also saw that on the deck of the large and simple ice ship, there were several small mountains of sea fish piled up. They were mixed with the ice debris, as fresh as if they had just been fished out of the sea.