Chapter 323: The Busy Shadow Guards
The elite soldier shook his head and replied, "I don’t have the authority to access that information."
The war prisoners of the Ji Army were not surprised when they heard his answer. Only those of high rank could know such important matters. Even an elite soldier of the Feng Army was still just a low-ranked soldier.
Since they remained silent, the elite soldier gestured to his comrades and said, "Let’s escort them back to the city wall construction team."
Two elite soldiers immediately stepped forward and led the ten Ji Army prisoners back to the labor camp.
Once everything was arranged, Fan Wanming turned to the South Gate’s captain and instructed, "Keep a close eye on anyone suspicious. If anyone stirs trouble, send them straight to the underground prison. This general will interrogate them personally later."
Clasping his fists, the gate captain replied, "Yes, General Fan."
Having given his orders, Fan Wanming mounted his warhorse and returned to the Feng Army barracks.
With over sixty thousand war prisoners of the Jin Army entering the special camp, he now had to tighten security and increase city patrols.
He was so busy that he didn’t notice the icy rain soaking his body or the weight of his drenched clothes.
While Feng Xiyan’s first plan was progressing smoothly with Bai Hanyun and Gui Ying’s assistance, Feng Er, who was buried with work in the Feng Clan shadow guard headquarters, had just received the investigation report from Shi Wu.
After finishing the report, Shi Wu handed over a few more letters and said, "Vice Commander, these are secret correspondences between Wen Kang, Wen Qiaolun, and the emperor of the Zhou Empire."
Feng Er opened one of the letters and asked, "Are you from the Sixth Division?"
Shi Wu removed the black token hanging at his waist, showed it to Feng Er, and replied, "Replying to the Vice Commander. This subordinate is from the Fourth Division, codename Shi Wu."
At that, Feng Er glanced at the token and saw the carving of a black nine-tailed fox upon it.
He nodded and said, "Well done. You may go to the Eighth Division to claim your reward. I will inform Feng Ba of this matter."
Shi Wu’s face lit up at the mention of a reward from the Administrative and Supplies Division. Clasping his fists, he responded, "Thank you, Vice Commander."
Feng Er nodded and waved his hand. "You may leave."
"Yes, Vice Commander."
After Shi Wu left, Feng Er turned back to the letters. The more he read, the deeper his frown grew. Just as he finished the last one, a knock came at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Without raising his head, Feng Er said calmly, "Come in."
The door opened, and a tall man stepped inside. "Second Brother, you were looking for me?"
Feng Er looked up and saw Feng Ba enter. He nodded in response. "Eight Brother, allocate some food or money and reward Shi Wu from the Fourth Division."
"Alright," Feng Ba nodded, waited for a moment, then added, "Second Brother, you wouldn’t have called me here just for this, would you?"
"You are right," Feng Er admitted. "Master just sent an emergency letter asking about our funds. How many supplies do we have left?"
Feng Ba shook his head and explained, "Not much. At most, our supplies can only last for two months. Transporting supplies is difficult, and money has little power in these turbulent times. If Master can send us more, we will be able to handle our tasks more easily."
Feng Er sighed when he heard Feng Ba’s answer. Looking at him, Feng Er said, "I don’t know where Master found the food and water, but it surely isn’t easy."
"I will try to contact Eldest Brother and ask him to relay your message. Whether more supplies come or not, I can’t make any promise."
Clasping his fists, Feng Ba replied, "Understood. Then I will take my leave first. There are still a lot of missions to release and rewards to give out."
Noticing the dark circles beneath Feng Ba’s eyes, hidden under his black mask, Feng Er said kindly, "Get some rest. You can’t afford to fall ill. Let your subordinates take over part of your work."
Grinning at him, Feng Ba replied, "Got it. You should rest as well, Second Brother. Your complexion is no better than mine."
"I know."
After finishing their discussion, Feng Ba left, leaving Feng Er surrounded by mountains of documents and missions awaiting approval.
An hour later, Feng Er summoned one of his subordinates. "Shi Yi."
Opening the door, Shi Yi stepped inside. "Vice Commander, what are your instructions?"
Feng Er handed him a stack of documents and instructed, "Give these missions to Feng Ba and have him arrange the teams to do these missions. It’s urgent, so make sure to tell him to prioritize these missions."
Then he passed over another stack of documents and continued, "These investigation reports go to the Fourth Division. Since Feng Si is away on a mission, deliver them to their Shi Yi of the Fourth Division."
Shi Yi hesitated for a second before saying, "Vice Commander, Shi Yi from the Fourth Division is also on a mission and hasn’t returned yet."
Feng Er paused for a moment when he heard that. After thinking for a few seconds, he said, "Then give them to Shi Er of the Fourth Division."
"Yes, Vice Commander."
After making arrangements for the new missions and investigation reports, Feng Er gave Shi Yi a small bamboo tube. "Send this to the Commander. It’s urgent."
Taking the tube, Shi Yi nodded. "This subordinate will see to it at once."
Once Shi Yi left, Feng Er gazed at the towering piles of documents in his office and sighed. He removed his black mask, rubbed his tired eyes, then put it back in place before resuming the arduous paperwork.
Meanwhile, as the shadow guards at headquarters worked overtime, Feng Xiyan was holding a meeting with his generals in the commander’s tent.