Chapter 24: Zhao Yutu Comes Seeking Grain

"Master Zhao, what is the meaning of this?"

As soon as Liu Heng returned to the Archers' Camp, he found Zhao Yutu leading a group of men in a standoff against the new refugee recruits who were guarding the grain.

Upon seeing Liu Heng, Zhao Yutu said with a tone of mock surprise, "Oh! You've recovered? Back on your feet so soon?"

"Nothing to be done about it. I'm young, I have a strong constitution, so I heal quickly," Liu Heng said, eyeing Zhao Yutu with amusement. "But what about you, Master Zhao? Since when have you started suffering from a toothache?"

Zhao Yutu was taken aback. "A toothache? I don't have a toothache!" He was completely bewildered by the sudden remark.

Liu Heng sneered, "If you don't have a toothache, why is the left side of your face swollen? Could it be that Master Zhao had someone smack you with the sole of a shoe because of a toothache on your left side?"

Zhao Yutu's face darkened, and he snapped angrily, "Nonsense!"

Liu Heng laughed, "Whether it's nonsense or not, only Master Zhao knows."

At that moment, Li Shuheng walked over and whispered in Liu Heng's ear, "Zhao Yutu is here for the grain. He says he's acting on Shi Yunhu's orders to haul all of our supplies away."

Liu Heng patted Li Shuheng's arm, signaling him to stay calm, then turned to Zhao Yutu and said, "A night owl doesn't visit a house without a reason. I hear Master Zhao has come to the Archers' Camp to plunder our grain?"

"Liu Heng, your words are going too far," Zhao Yutu said with a sour expression. "I am following the orders of Chief Shi to bring the Archers' Camp's grain to the main camp for centralized management."

Liu Heng smiled. "Don't try to pressure me with Shi Yunhu. I risked my life alongside my brothers to secure this grain. Do you really think I'd just hand it all over because you asked?"

"I think you've misunderstood, Brother Liu," Zhao Yutu said. "Every camp is short on grain. The Chief instructed me to leave enough for the brothers in the Archers' Camp and the Rear Camp, and only then take the remainder to the main camp to be distributed to the other camps."

"Hold on!" Liu Heng interrupted. "Distributing grain is the business of the Rear Camp. If Master Zhao wants to distribute grain to the other camps, he needs my permission as the leader of the Rear Camp."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yutu's expression sank. He scolded, "Liu Heng, are you going to defy Chief Shi's orders? Or do you only care about the Rear Camp and the Archers' Camp, while the brothers in other camps are left to starve?"

Liu Heng chuckled, "No need for Master Zhao to trouble yourself. I have already arranged for grain to be sent to the other camps. Since you're here in person, you can just take the portion meant for the main camp, and save me the trouble of sending someone else."

***

"What? You've already distributed the grain to the other camps?" Zhao Yutu was startled, looking at Liu Heng with newfound seriousness.

In his heart, he had never truly regarded these fighters from Liaodong as a threat. Even Shi Yunhu, in his eyes, was nothing more than a greedy, lustful brute who knew only how to kill and could be easily manipulated. As a scholar from the Ming Dynasty, even after turning bandit and serving under a man he considered a thug, he still harbored deep contempt for them.

Now that he heard Liu Heng had distributed the grain, unintentionally ruining his plans, he couldn't tell if this was a coincidence or a calculated move.

While Zhao Yutu was still stunned, Liu Heng said to Li Shuheng, "Brother Shuheng, make the arrangements. Have the men bring out the grain for the main camp for Master Zhao to take."

Li Shuheng nodded and called over a few men to move the grain. Soon, bag after bag of grain was brought out and loaded onto the carts Zhao Yutu had brought.

When the last bag was loaded, Li Shuheng said to Zhao Yutu, "It's all there. Master Zhao, care to count?"

Zhao Yutu saw that the carts he brought weren't even one-fifth full, and his face darkened. "Leader Li, the amount is wrong, isn't it? This is far too little."

Li Shuheng replied, "The amount is correct. I personally watched them load the grain onto the carts. Not a single bag is missing."

Zhao Yutu turned to Liu Heng. "This amount is barely enough for the main camp to eat for three days. Isn't it a bit too little? You brought back much more than this, Brother Liu."

Li Shuheng interjected, "This is three days' worth of grain. After three days, the other camps can come to me for more. In any case, none of the brothers will go hungry."

Zhao Yutu's expression shifted, and he shouted, "Audacious! You are defying the Chief's orders!"

Liu Heng calmly took over the conversation. "Distributing grain is the business of the Rear Camp, and since I was the one who brought it back, I believe I have the right to decide how it is distributed. If I recall correctly, when the main camp brought back grain, it was always distributed one day at a time. Does Master Zhao think my three-day distribution method is wrong and needs to be done daily instead?"

Zhao Yutu was left speechless. He turned around, his face grim, and said to his men, "Take the grain and let's go."

The axles of the grain carts creaked as they moved further away, until they disappeared from sight.

Once Zhao Yutu was gone, Li Shuheng asked, puzzled, "When did we distribute grain to the other camps? I only recall you telling me to have the portions for them prepared in advance."

***

"We hadn't sent it before, but we can send it now," Liu Heng said. "Brother Shuheng, go make the arrangements. Have the grain sent to the Left, Right, and Rear camps. Don't send too much—just enough for them to eat for three days."

Li Shuheng nodded. "The grain is already prepared and ready for transport. I'll have them loaded and sent to the camps immediately."

Carts and wheelbarrows left the Archers' Camp, heading toward the Left, Right, and Rear camps. With Li Shuheng holding down the fort at the Archers' Camp, Liu Heng saw that everything was under control and returned to the open field where the refugee recruits were training, intensifying their formation drills.

Zhao Yutu's sudden demand for grain gave Liu Heng a bad feeling; he suspected that Shi Yunhu would not give him enough time to train the refugees.

Having already trained for ten days, the refugee recruits quickly adapted to the formations Liu Heng taught them. By evening, they were already looking quite impressive. In contrast, the three hundred newly recruited refugees were a mess, with problems cropping up everywhere, showing little progress throughout the day.

The training lasted until nightfall, when Liu Heng finally had them light torches and return to camp.

Back at the Archers' Camp, Li Shuheng had long since prepared flatbread and vegetable soup for the return of the recruits. The refugee recruits and the archers lined up orderly to receive their food, while the three hundred new refugees, seeing the provisions, swarmed around the baskets of bread.

Li Shuheng had anticipated this chaos. He had arranged over a dozen spearmen nearby. As soon as the refugees became unruly and rushed the food, the spearmen used the shafts of their spears to strike hard at them.

After a few blows, the refugees quieted down. The spearmen who were training them then had them reform their lines and wait their turn to receive food from the cooks.

Only after all the refugees and recruits had been served did Liu Heng take his own portion with Chen Xunping and move aside to eat.

"Leader, a man named Chen Daqing is at the camp gates, saying he has an urgent matter to discuss with you," a squad leader among the recruits, named Jia Liu, reported to Liu Heng.