Chapter 144: I Wasn't Causing Trouble

"Come in and speak." Huo Jiang restrained his smile, regaining the dignity of an army commander.

The mess sergeant rushed in holding a wooden ladle, still with vegetable scraps stuck to it; he must have noticed something wrong while feeding the sheep.

"General, something's wrong! The sheep pen on our east side has had an accident!"

Huo Jiang frowned impatiently, "Oh come on! You keep saying 'something's wrong,' 'something happened'—just tell me exactly what's wrong and what happened!"

The mess sergeant then got to the point, "Just now I went to add water, and I found six sheep collapsed on the ground; upon closer look, the other sheep also seemed off, listless and unwilling to eat."

"Some are already staggering as they walk, probably about to faint; I didn't dare delay, so I rushed to report this to the general."

Huo Jiang and Meng Chengping exchanged a glance, their expressions turning grave.

Outsiders may not realize how important these sheep are to the Northwest Army.

Nearly half of the Northwest Army's supplies must be self-sufficient.

The soldiers stationed year-round on the border suffer bloodshed and injuries, with loneliness and pressure constantly shadowing them.

Huo Jiang thought, at the very least, he wanted everyone to be able to eat their fill of meat during festivals or after a victory, satisfying their hunger while also finding some comfort in their hearts.

Therefore, they raised several hundred sheep in the camp, and following the tactic of a cunning rabbit with three burrows, the sheep pens were divided into four locations—east, south, west, and north—placed in relatively inconspicuous spots.

As a result, even when the imperial court sent inspectors, they failed to notice the sheep in the camp.

The east sheep pen mentioned by the mess sergeant is also the one closest to the edge of the camp.

Meng Chengping said, "If the sheep were sick, there would usually be early signs, and the infection wouldn't spread this quickly—could it be……"

He looked at Huo Jiang, "Could the enemy have poisoned them?"

Huo Jiang kept a solemn face, silent, still thinking.

Mu Nan Zhao idly played with the bronze wine pot on the table, saying, "Although that place is near the outer defenses, the chance of poisoning is practically zero."

Meng Chengping objected, "On what basis are you so certain, Brother Mu?"

Mu Nan Zhao lifted his eyes and gave him a look that said, "You idiot, can't you figure it out yourself?"

Huo Jiang pondered, "First, no one has yet been able to silently breach my main camp."

"Second, even if there were spies inside the camp, there are many easier targets—water cellars, granaries, even the kitchen—so why would they choose to poison the sheep?"

Meng Chengping mused, "That's right—if they poisoned the sheep, we'd notice something wrong and wouldn't eat them; why would the poisoner take the risk for no gain?"

At that moment, Gu Xixi, who had been silent, quietly stood up.

"General, may I go check on those sheep?"

Huo Jiang faced Gu Xixi, "Boss Gu, have you thought of something?"

Gu Xixi said, "I'm not skilled in animal husbandry; if it's an epidemic, that would be truly difficult."

"But if it's……"

She hesitated a moment, then voiced her guess frankly, "If there's something wrong with the grass the sheep eat……"

"Impossible!" the mess sergeant protested, "Since I took over last summer, I've fed them this way all along, and there's never been a problem."

Gu Xixi asked, "How do these sheep eat each day?"

The mess sergeant replied, "In the morning they eat the fresh grass I cut myself; at noon they eat the stored fodder from the camp; at night they get fodder mixed with bean dregs, plus all the vegetable roots and peels collected throughout the day."

Gu Xixi frowned slightly, then after a moment asked, "Was it also fresh grass this morning?"

The mess sergeant nodded proudly, "Since the plants sprouted in spring, I've gone out to the camp each morning to cut them the freshest grass; the sheep eat it and feel good—just like last year."

Gu Xixi calmly said, "Perhaps the native grass species around here are actually fine."

"But plants can migrate."

"Seeds may be scattered by the wind or carried far by animals."

"Moreover, our own activities can bring in grass species that don't belong here."

"As long as conditions are suitable, they can take root and sprout."

The mess sergeant scratched his head in confusion, not really understanding.

Huo Jiang, however, roughly understood, "So those sheep might have simply happened to eat some poisonous grass?"

Gu Xixi nodded, "It's not impossible."

"All right," Huo Jiang immediately pointed at Meng Chengping, "You, take Boss Gu to the sheep pen."

Then he told the mess sergeant, "Go fetch the military doctor and have him check whether the sheep are sick."

The mess sergeant acknowledged, lifted his ladle, and ran off.

Gu Xixi and Meng Chengping were about to leave, but Mu Nan Zhao strolled after them.

He looked straight ahead, not glancing at anyone, and said, "If there's excitement, I'm coming too."

Meng Chengping had already sensed that the atmosphere between those two was off, and he didn't want to get involved.

So he deliberately strode ahead, calling it "leading the way."

Mu Nan Zhao lightly parted his lips, speaking in a volume only the two could hear, "The general has already told you, a battle is coming soon—this place will be unsafe at any moment."

Gu Xixi gave a perfunctory hum, low as a mosquito's buzz.

Mu Nan Zhao continued, "The compensation the army owes you must have been settled as well."

"I advise you to mind your own business; after checking the sheep, go back right away."

Gu Xixi finally turned her head toward Mu Nan Zhao and couldn't help but sneer.

"I was thinking, giving money to buy everything off—your style is consistent; it seems you, this expert, gave the general that idea?"

Mu Nan Zhao did not deny it.

Gu Xixi turned her face back forward and said coldly, "Too bad, I haven't agreed yet, so it's not settled."

"Gu Xixi!" Mu Nan Zhao's face showed annoyance, "Can't you stop causing trouble?"

Gu Xixi laughed scornfully, "You say I'm causing trouble? Then go tell the general that someone is stirring up trouble in the army, and have him kick me out immediately."

The two faced each other, glaring, neither willing to yield an inch.

Meng Chengping had looked ahead several times and couldn't avoid stepping in to smooth things over, saying, "That… the sheep pen is just not far ahead; we had better hurry up."

Meanwhile, Huo Jiang sent a few people off on errands and immediately led others to the granary.

When a flock of sheep develops problems all at once, if it isn't illness, the first thing to check is the fodder.

Besides fresh grass, the army's sheep receive a daily ration of dry fodder equal to that of the warhorses.

If the warehouse storing the fodder has a problem, that's a major issue.

With the battle imminent, grain and fodder are of utmost importance.

To be safe, it's better to find nothing after an investigation than to miss any problems.

The eastern sheep pen.

The military doctor arrived first.

Hearing the squad leader address him as "Mr. Zhao," he was a middle-aged man with a scholarly air, his face pale and unblemished, wearing a faded blue cloth robe.

Mr. Zhao squatted in the sheep pen, observing, smelling, questioning, and feeling a fallen sheep.

As Gu Xixi drew near, she heard him muttering complaints: "Have me look? Am I a veterinarian?"

"I'm doing the work of over a dozen people by myself, and now they actually want me to treat sheep?"

"That Huo scoundrel didn't say that when he first hired me!"