Return of the Pearl

Fu Heng and his companions were all in high spirits and high-spirited as they set out on their journey home. With their hearts full of joy, they moved forward firmly towards Jinan Prefecture.

But just as their eyes accidentally touched the cold bodies of the soldiers, the sky, which was originally scorching hot, suddenly seemed to lose all its heat and became completely cold, and their hearts were deeply invaded by a bone-chilling chill at this moment.

At the same time, in their hearts, a surge of anger rose uncontrollably like a surging wave, their blood began to surge rapidly, like boiling water, and anger burned fiercely in their chests.

The soldiers complained to Fu Heng and the others with grief and indignation. They were still a step too late. The soldiers responsible for transporting the food had all been killed, and the food and grass had been completely looted, leaving nothing behind. The joy they had just felt at having found the water source was like a fragile bubble that disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Fuheng and others walked towards Qianlong with heavy and slow steps and reported the truth one by one. They told Qianlong that they had found seven or eight water sources and had arranged special personnel to guard them closely. The news finally made Qianlong feel a little comforted.

Qianlong patted Fuheng's shoulder gently and said in a gentle tone: "You have worked hard today. Go down and have a rest. We will continue searching tomorrow." At that moment, their mood suddenly became extremely heavy, as if a huge stone was pressing on their hearts, making it difficult for them to breathe. Every step was like dragging a heavy burden.

It was not until the night when the silver light gently sprinkled on the earth like a veil that the soldiers hurried back. They were all exhausted, but they could not hide their anxiety. They came before Qianlong and knelt on one knee. One of the soldiers took a deep breath and mustered the courage to report.

"Your Majesty, after countless hardships, we have finally discovered that those ruthless bandit leaders were so audacious as to secretly transport all the grain to the residence of Shandong Governor Altai.

Look at the bandit chief and the Shandong governor. They are talking happily, looking very happy and close like brothers. We, the servants, were afraid of alerting the enemy, so we left some elite soldiers there to monitor secretly, and we hurried back anxiously to ask Your Majesty how to properly deal with this difficult matter.

"The Shandong Governor commands a considerable force. If a real battle were to take place, with our current manpower, we would be unable to resist. Your Majesty, I beg for your wise judgment." The soldier finished speaking, beads of sweat covering his forehead and a look of worry and uneasiness in his eyes.

As soon as he finished speaking, the other soldiers nodded in agreement, with solemn expressions on their faces. Some of them frowned, some clenched their teeth, as if they were trying hard to restrain their inner anger and anxiety.

Qianlong sat on the chair with his brows furrowed and his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it. His fists were clenched tightly, and his knuckles turned white from the force. He was burning with anger. He had never imagined that these bandit leaders would be so bold as to collude with court officials. He was well aware of the seriousness of the matter. If it was not handled properly, the consequences would be disastrous.

The air around seemed to be frozen, and the silence was depressing. The stars in the night sky twinkled faintly, as if silently watching all this. The night breeze blew gently, bringing a hint of coolness, but it could not dispel the anger in Qianlong's heart and the worries in the hearts of the soldiers.

When Qianlong heard this, he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. He suddenly raised his arm and slammed his palm hard on the solid wooden table. There was a loud "bang" sound, and it seemed as if the whole room was shaking.

Qianlong's eyes were wide open, veins popped out on his forehead, and he shouted sternly: "How dare you! These daring fellows! Keep a secret watch first, and wait for Fulun's troops to arrive! Are you sure about the location of the grain?" His voice was full of anger and majesty, which made people shudder.

At this moment, Qianlong was filled with anger and worry. He knew the seriousness of the matter and had to handle it with caution. The wooden table trembled slightly under his heavy blow, as if telling of his inner anger and helplessness. The air around him seemed to be ignited by this anger, filled with tension and uneasiness.

Seeing this, the soldiers hurriedly replied, their voices filled with a hint of urgency and respect, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. The location of the grain has been clearly identified. We have discovered that they have only stored the grain in the warehouse and have not made any move to use this batch of disaster relief grain."

Their eyes revealed determination and seriousness, fearing that Qianlong might have any doubts. At the same time, there was a hint of fatigue on their faces. After all, the tracking and observation along the way was not easy.

After hearing the soldiers' reply, Emperor Qianlong relaxed his frown a little, and his worries were slightly alleviated. He heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I understand. You must be extremely careful and cautious and don't let them notice.

If the situation is not favorable to you, you can temporarily forgo the food, but your lives are the most precious. I do not want my Qing Dynasty to lose any more brave men."

Qianlong's words were full of concern and love for the soldiers, and his eyes revealed sincere emotions, which made people feel his responsibility as an emperor.

After hearing Qianlong's caring words, the soldiers were moved and tears welled up in their eyes. Those tears were filled with longing for their fallen comrades, emotion for the difficult mission, and gratitude for Qianlong's compassion.

This trip to Shandong was indeed full of hardships and sacrifices. Too many people lost their lives in this difficult battle, including victims suffering from the disaster and countless brave soldiers fighting side by side with them. Every life lost made them feel extremely sad and heavy.

They knew very well that if it were not for this trip to Shandong, they might never have the chance to see the emperor in their lifetime, let alone hear the emperor's caring words in person. But at this moment, they were filled with gratitude, grateful that they had such an emperor who cared about the world and was compassionate to lead them.

"I obey your command." The soldiers' voices were choked with sobs as they slowly retreated. The moment they turned and left, they secretly vowed in their hearts that they must work harder to complete the task and live up to the emperor's expectations. For the sake of the country and the people, they would pay any sacrifice.