Once Ning Chen had finished, just about everyone understood.

Ning Chen meant to have Niu Anguo's men pose as bandits and rob the grain merchants of all their grain.

Only Ning Chen could come up with such a low-down scheme.

But Ning Chen had no choice. He'd already sent for grain from Zhangzhou, but it would never arrive in time.

He couldn't just watch the people starve to death. Even a single bowl of thin porridge a day was hope enough for them to hang on.

"This officer accepts the order!"

Niu Anguo didn't hesitate for a second.

First, the grain had belonged to the Qingzhou granaries all along.

Second, a military order is a mountain.

Just then, several Ning'an Army soldiers came back to report.

Ning Chen's face lit up. They were back just in time.

He had them come in.

"Did you find out everything?"

One soldier said respectfully, "We have, my lord prince!"

As he spoke, the soldier took out a map. "My lord prince, every grain shop and private granary in the city is marked!"

Ning Chen smiled. "Good work. You've each earned a commendation."

"Thank you, my lord prince!"

Next, Ning Chen laid out the plan.

Then he handed the map to Niu Anguo.

Late that night, riots suddenly broke out all over the city.

Countless bandits in black burst into the city's grain shops and private granaries and started looting.

The men guarding the grain shops and granaries were knocked out with no trouble at all.

The bandits were real professionals, and bold with it. They parked their carts right at the doors of the grain shops and granaries and began hauling the grain out.

And it was happening all over the city.

When the guards came to, they burst into tears on the spot. The shops were bare. Even a rat would have left in tears.

In a single night, every grain shop and granary in the city was robbed clean.

When the grain merchants heard the news, a whole crowd of them fainted dead away from rage.

Early the next morning.

Ning…