The moment Thousand-man Commander Bai saw General Chen arrive, he quickly put away his previous arrogance and hurried forward to salute, cautiously asking, “General, why have you come?”
General Chen strode forward. As he passed by him, he gave him a heavy look, his gaze somewhat terrifying. Then without saying a word he continued walking forward in large strides.
Thousand-man Commander Bai’s heart jumped. His bent back stiffened slightly, and a vague sense of unease rose in his heart.
When he raised his head again, he happened to run into the two attendants who had come with General Chen, as well as Physician Hu… and Li Chanxiu.
Knowing they had come with General Chen, Thousand-man Commander Bai naturally did not dare have any objections to Li Chanxiu appearing here, and even inconspicuously moved a little to the side, letting these people pass.
When Li Chanxiu appeared, Pei Er’s gaze had already fallen on him.
When Li Chanxiu passed by his side, he smiled at him without leaving any trace, then walked forward together with Physician Hu, and Pei Er’s gaze unconsciously followed along.
When General Chen had just passed earlier, the soldiers on both sides had already spontaneously made way. Now they all craned their necks to look, curious about what had happened.
General Chen walked all the way to the cook who was serving food to the soldiers. Before the other could react, he suddenly snatched the iron ladle and scooped up a large spoonful of vegetables from the bucket.
His face dark, he did not even use chopsticks. On the spot he grabbed some vegetables with his hand and stuffed them into his mouth as if not afraid of the heat, chewing in large bites.
Gradually, his gaze became frightening. The cook beside him was so scared he did not dare make a sound. In the freezing weather, sweat gradually began to appear on his forehead.
Not far away, when Thousand-man Commander Bai saw this, his face also turned slightly pale, and panic rose in his heart.
“Clang!”
The iron ladle was suddenly thrown heavily back into the bucket, splashing a little vegetable broth.
General Chen, unable to suppress his anger, demanded of the cook, “Have you tasted this dish?”
The cook hurriedly raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat on his forehead and answered tremblingly, “T-tasted it.”
“Good. Then I ask you, did you taste anything wrong with the flavor of this dish?” General Chen continued, suppressing his anger.
The cook’s legs were already shaking. Catching sight of Thousand-man Commander Bai not far away from the corner of his eye, he gritted his teeth and replied in a trembling voice, “Reporting to General, n-no. It’s just the normal taste of vegetables.”
A clear flash of killing intent passed through General Chen’s eyes. He suddenly sneered twice and turned to his personal attendant soldiers, saying, “Bring over the portion of vegetables from this morning for him to taste. Let him taste the vegetables from the bucket too. Also, call over Sun Enhe who manages the military supplies, and Bai Shizhong. Let them all come taste this dish!”
Bai Shizhong was Thousand-man Commander Bai. When his name was called, he clearly trembled, and his face instantly turned even paler.
When he raised his head, his gaze happened to meet Pei Er’s across from him. Pei Er only glanced at him indifferently before withdrawing his gaze, as if he were already a dead object.
Thousand-man Commander Bai secretly gritted his teeth, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and walked forward with heavy steps.
Before long, Sun Enhe, who was in charge of the military supplies, also hurried over. He had run all the way there, and his somewhat fat body was breathing slightly from the exertion.
The surroundings were completely quiet. By now, the soldiers had also discerned a few clues, most likely someone had been skimming off their rations and had been discovered by General Chen.
For a moment, some of those present remained silent, while others stared fiercely at Thousand-man Commander Bai and the other two, feelings of injustice and anger beginning to rise.
Sun Enhe, who managed the military supplies, still did not understand the situation. He cautiously glanced at Thousand-man Commander Bai beside him. His thick lips moved as he was just about to say something, when he was ordered to taste the two portions of vegetables.
Sun Enhe still did not understand what was going on. While feeling puzzled, he forced a dry laugh and said to the soldier beside him, “Sorry to trouble you, get me a pair of chopst…”
“Use your hands to grab it!” Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by General Chen’s angry voice.
Sun Enhe was so frightened he shuddered. When he turned again, he saw that Thousand-man Commander Bai and the cook were already kneeling on the ground, grabbing the vegetables from the basin with their hands and eating them.
Frightened, he quickly knelt down as well and, like the two of them, grabbed the vegetables from the basin and desperately stuffed them into his mouth.
Seeing these two men, usually so imposing and often looking down on everyone, now kneeling on the ground grabbing vegetables to eat, the soldiers felt somewhat relieved. But when they thought that these men might have skimmed off everyone’s rations, it still did not feel like enough.
Pei Er also watched coldly, no emotion visible in his eyes.
Li Chanxiu, as always, wore a calm expression, standing behind General Chen beside Physician Hu.
After Thousand-man Commander Bai and the other two had wolfed down several bites in a miserable state, General Chen finally looked at them again and spoke in a heavy voice, “Did you taste any difference?”
Thousand-man Commander Bai and the cook both had cold sweat on their foreheads and did not dare answer. Sun Enhe had eaten two bowls of the same vegetables, yet one had a salty taste and the other had none. Only now did he belatedly realize what was going on, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
The three of them remained silent for a long time. General Chen sneered, holding a riding whip in his hand, and said, “None of you will speak, is that it? Fine, I’ll say it. Why is there no salt in the vegetables in this bucket? Since when did this start? Where is the army’s salt? Where has it all gone?”
His voice carried fury, shaking their eardrums with pain. After speaking, he raised his hand and lashed each of them once with the whip.
The three were whipped so that blood immediately appeared on their faces, yet they still knelt there, not daring to move in the slightest, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing that they still did not answer, General Chen sneered and said, “Since none of you will speak, drag them away and behead them.”
The moment Sun Enhe heard this, his limbs went weak, and he could not even remain kneeling. He was the first to beg for mercy: “Spare me, General! I’ll speak, I’ll tell everything. Thousand-man Commander Bai gave me some silver and told me to let him handle transporting the military supplies and rations every time. As for whether he skimmed some off in the process, I truly don’t know!”
When Thousand-man Commander Bai heard this, he immediately turned and glared at him angrily. “Slander! When did I ever give you silver?”
At this moment the cook also said tremblingly, “General, I also confess. The Thousand-man Commander gave me some silver and told me not to make a fuss about the lack of salt. I thought that since it was only for this month or so at the start of winter, with a little less salt it shouldn’t matter much, so I, so I was momentarily blinded by greed and agreed. I truly didn’t know he was skimming off the salt.”
Both of them pushed the blame for the skimming onto Thousand-man Commander Bai. Thousand-man Commander Bai was so furious he nearly fainted on the spot and immediately cursed loudly: “Nonsense! You two thieves, when did I ever give you money? One of you manages military supplies and the other manages the kitchen. If the salt is gone, it is clearly your responsibility. Yet you collude with each other, wolves working together, conspiring to frame me, a person who has nothing to do with this!”
“General, we are not lying! It was Thousand-man Commander Bai who ordered it!” The other two immediately wailed and cried out in grievance.
Seeing the three of them turn on each other like dogs biting dogs, General Chen sneered and said, “Drag them all away and give them fifty heavy strokes of the military cudgel.”
The moment the words fell, soldiers on both sides immediately stepped forward, forcibly dragging the three men, who were still crying their innocence, to an open patch of ground not far away. They pressed them directly onto the frozen, hardened earth and raised the military cudgels to begin beating them.
“Smack! Smack! Smack!”
The sound of the military cudgels striking flesh one after another made the soldiers present feel their own skin ache, but when they thought of what the three men had done, every one of them gritted their teeth in hatred.
No wonder the food in the camp was always bland and tasteless, so someone had been skimming off the salt. If even salt could be skimmed, who knew whether they had skimmed anything else?
Li Chanxiu watched this scene calmly. Yesterday he had also realized this point, which was why he felt the matter was serious.
Moreover, with Thousand-man Commander Bai alone, he likely would not have had the courage to do this. He, together with the supply officer and that cook, were very likely only the ones carrying things out below. The supply officer and the cook might even have no idea who the person at the very top was.
So even after being beaten until now, the supply officer and the cook only cried out their grievances, not saying a single useful word.
Thousand-man Commander Bai had fought in wars after all and actually held on stubbornly the whole time. Even after he was beaten until his skin split open and the military cudgels were stained with blood, he only cried out his innocence without saying anything, and finally fainted.
At this moment, Commandant Jiang suddenly walked over, with his younger brother, Centurion Jiang, following behind him.
Centurion Jiang immediately spotted Li Chanxiu among the crowd and could not help being stunned, then delighted.
Suddenly, his line of sight was blocked by a figure, and he immediately became displeased. “Which blind…”
Before he finished speaking, his voice stopped.
Pei Er stood coldly in front of him, his right hand gripping a black iron curved blade, expressionless, his voice icy. “Want to spar again?”
Centurion Jiang stiffened. Seeing him made him recall the one that had been ruined the last time they sparred. For a moment he was both furious and hateful, clenching his teeth and tightening his fists.
Commandant Jiang suddenly called out to him. Only then did he unwillingly loosen his fist and leave resentfully.
Pei Er watched him walk away with cold eyes. Then he also walked over and stood beside Li Chanxiu, who was behind General Chen, and grasped the fingertips inside Li Chanxiu’s sleeve, his gaze fixed coldly toward the distance, as if silently declaring something.
Li Chanxiu’s fingers were suddenly held, and he clearly stiffened, then froze in surprise, raising his head to look at him in confusion.
Pei Er’s expression did not change. “Jiang Chong has come.”
Li Chanxiu glanced at Centurion Jiang who had come with Commandant Jiang, then looked back at Pei Er, a trace of confusion still in his beautiful eyes.
“It must not be seen through.” Pei Er’s expression was calm, but the hand holding his tightened a little more.
Li Chanxiu instantly understood his meaning. After coming back to his senses, he could not help but look at him gratefully.
That was right, they had a fake marriage, and in front of outsiders they had to put on an act, especially in front of Centurion Jiang.
He had actually forgotten this point and needed Pei Er to remind him. Had he thought that once they were married, everything would be settled?
Thinking this, Li Chanxiu’s fingers curled slightly. He also grasped Pei Er’s hand and moved a little closer to stand beside him.
The faint medicinal fragrance around him suddenly drew near. Pei Er’s body stiffened, and even his breathing paused.
Across from them, Centurion Jiang watched with gritted teeth, while Commandant Jiang walking ahead remained completely unaware.
Commandant Jiang stopped in front of General Chen. After glancing at the three men who had been beaten bloody and had fainted, he spoke in a deep voice, “General Chen, before I came I had already heard about it. This Bai Shizhong dared to collude with others to skim off the army’s salt, he truly deserves death. I think there’s no need to keep him alive; simply beat him to death and be done with it.”
General Chen was no longer as furious as at the beginning. He raised his head to look at him and said, “No rush. These three must certainly have accomplices. We need to interrogate them slowly.”
After saying this, he ordered Physician Hu again, “Go take a look at them. Don’t let them die.”
Physician Hu answered with an “Ai,” hurriedly carrying his medicine box over.
Commandant Jiang narrowed his eyes, watching Physician Hu walk toward the three already unconscious men. After a moment he withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Chanxiu again, sizing him up inconspicuously before saying, “I heard that this time it was this Miss Shen who discovered the matter of the missing salt?”
General Chen also turned to look at Li Chanxiu and Pei Er, approval showing in his eyes. “That’s right. This time it was indeed she and her husband Pei Er who discovered the clue. I was just about to reward the couple.”
After hearing this, Li Chanxiu and Pei Er bowed to him in thanks.
“Heh, truly a remarkable woman,” Commandant Jiang praised with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
Li Chanxiu’s expression did not change, while Pei Er unconsciously tightened his grip on his hand.
The surrounding soldiers suddenly understood when they heard this, so it had been Centurion Pei and his newly married wife who had discovered that the army’s salt was being skimmed.
Immediately, quite a few people looked at the two of them with a measure of respect and gratitude.
Bai Shizhong and the other two had been beaten unconscious and could not be interrogated further for the moment, so General Chen ordered that the three of them be locked into prison first.
Then he stood up and reassured the soldiers present, promising that the three would certainly be severely punished.
As he left, he looked at the young couple still “stuck” together and suddenly smiled. “Pei Er, come with me for a moment.”
Pei Er had no choice but to release Li Chanxiu’s hand. After glancing at Centurion Jiang, who had not yet gone far, he called Zhang Hu over and told him to escort Li Chanxiu back.
***
Li Chanxiu returned to the pharmacy. After quite a while, Physician Hu finally came back.
After setting down his medicine box, the other man let out a long sigh, then said to him, “This time it’s thanks to you that we discovered in time that there was actually a nest of parasites in the army.”
Li Chanxiu was warming himself by the brazier. Hearing this, he raised his head and asked, “Have they already confessed?”
Physician Hu nodded, but then shook his head. “That Thousand-man Commander Bai, oh, Bai Shizhong, his mouth is very tight. He still refuses to admit anything. But the other two have already said everything they know. Your earlier guess was correct. They didn’t just skim salt; they also skimmed other military supplies. They swapped new rice for old rice that was nearly moldy, replaced fine white flour with wheat bran and old flour, and even the winter uniforms, the good cotton inside was replaced with old cotton… truly sinful. Doing such heartless things, aren’t they afraid of being struck by heaven’s thunder?”
As for the salt, they had not skimmed so much from the beginning.
According to the supply officer and the cook, Thousand-man Commander Bai had spent money to bribe them to swap out some military supplies. They had actually known this perfectly well.
But after a long time, they also could not resist becoming greedy.
However, with rice and flour they did not have Thousand-man Commander Bai’s ability to make the swaps, and if those things decreased it would easily be discovered, so they set their sights on the salt.
Each time after Thousand-man Commander Bai made a swap, he would leave about thirty percent of the salt behind, barely enough for the soldiers to taste some saltiness in each meal, so that symptoms of salt deficiency would not appear.
But he did not know that after he took a portion, the supply officer would take some more, and then the cook would take some as well, so not much was left.
At first they were somewhat restrained, but greed gradually swells. Especially after winter arrived, when the weather turned cold and there were not many battles, the soldiers feared the cold and were already rather lazy. The two of them could not help thinking: taking a bit more might not matter anyway. After all, there were no major battles recently. At worst, once the weather warmed, they could just take a little less.
Thus the dishes in the camp became more tasteless day by day. The soldiers did not understand, at most complaining a few times.
Until after the grand contest, when Pei Er was promoted to centurion, and the higher-ups were going to assign him around a hundred men.
It just so happened that someone in the camp wanted to make things difficult for Pei Er and took the opportunity to hint to Thousand-man Commander Bai.
Thousand-man Commander Bai did not know that the salt had also been skimmed by the supply officer and the other two. Thinking those soldiers who lacked strength were simply being lazy, he assigned them all to Pei Er. That was how the later discovery of the soldiers’ salt deficiency by Pei Er and Li Chanxiu came about.
![After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]](https://i1.wp.com/lazygirltranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20240810023906_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth]")
