Chapter 161: Gunpowder

Let's not talk about that now; hurry up and settle them.

Jiang Xiaomu urged.

Pei Donglai and Zhang Biao only then reacted, rushing forward to help.

"Ye Ying!" Jiang Xiaomu shouted toward the distance.

Take these women away, find a safe place to settle them.

Okay.

After settling those frightened women, Jiang Xiaomu wearily leaned against the wall, rubbing his temples.

Suddenly, a cold mechanical voice sounded in his mind:

【Warning! In three days, the barbarians will launch a total offensive.】

【The host resists while ill, Wangzhou City will be breached.】

【The host is outmatched, surrounded, and refusing to surrender, the host is killed by the enemy commander.】

【Wangzhou City will be massacred.】

Jiang Xiaomu's eyes flew open, his heart pounding wildly.

Three days, only three days left.

He took a deep breath, striving to calm himself. His mind raced, considering countermeasures.

Suddenly, he recalled the ghost-faced army officer who had thrown a black sphere in the passageway.

That tremendous explosion might be the key to turning the tide.

"Xiong Kuohai, help me find an empty room."

Xiong Kuohai was doubtful, but he did as asked.

Jiang Xiaomu entered the room, closed the door behind him, and with a thought entered the system space.

Inside the system space, the dazzling array of items left him dazzled.

He quickly scanned, looking for the materials needed to make explosives:

【Saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal……1,000 Heavenly Fate Points.】

Found it!

Jiang Xiaomu felt a surge of joy, taking out the required materials one by one.

He immediately summoned that ghost-faced army officer.

"Chief, what are your orders?" the officer asked respectfully.

What is your name?

Lei Gong!

Good, can you make those black spheres?

Jiang Xiaomu pointed to the materials on the table and asked.

I know a little.

Lei Gong answered modestly, but a hint of pride flashed in his eyes.

Good, do it now—make as many as possible.

Jiang Xiaomu ordered.

Lei Gong dared not delay, immediately getting to work.

He skillfully mixed the ingredients in proportion, then carefully filled them into ceramic jars, wrapped them tightly with cloth strips, and finally inserted fuses.

Sir, they're all done.

The officer wiped sweat from his forehead, pointing to the neatly arranged dozen or so ceramic jars on the ground and said.

Test the power.

Jiang Xiaomu picked up a jar, lit the fuse, then threw it toward a distant open space.

Boom! A tremendous roar erupted, flames shot skyward, and the ground was blasted into a large crater.

The huge commotion startled Xiong Kuohai and the others, but Ye Ying and her companions remained unusually calm.

Although its power cannot compare to modern grenades, in the cold-weapon era it is absolutely a formidable weapon capable of turning the tide.

Excellent! Jiang Xiaomu nodded in satisfaction.

Keep making them—the more the better!

Over the next two days, the entire room turned into a small explosives workshop.

A pungent sulfur smell permeated the air, stinging eyes and bringing tears.

Lei Gong had long grown accustomed to the odor, working day and night, producing batch after batch of explosives.

Jiang Xiaomu, meanwhile, continued searching the system space for other useful supplies.

He found some modern medical supplies, just in case.

He also found some strength-enhancing potions, and without hesitation injected himself with one.

A warm current instantly spread through his body; Jiang Xiaomu felt his strength and speed markedly increased.

This feeling……

Jiang Xiaomu moved his slightly stiff shoulders; these past two days he had practically been living in the system space.

Were it not for the effect of the strengthening potion, he thought he could barely walk now.

A faint whiff of sulfur drifted into his nostrils, reminding him to check on Lei Gong's explosives progress.

Pushing open the door of the wooden hut, a strong sulfur smell nearly choked him.

Inside, wooden crates were piled high like mountains, leaving hardly any room to stand.

In each crate, the dark ceramic bomb jars were neatly stacked, their fuses like black snakes coiled around the mouths.

Lei Gong stood before the table, holding a bow and arrow; an explosive packet far smaller than a clay pot was tied to the arrowhead and carefully secured with hemp rope.

"Lei Gong, how's it going?"

Jiang Xiaomu asked, covering his mouth and nose.

Lei Gong raised his head and said:

"Chief, I have not failed the mission! These were all rushed out these past two days, enough to blast the barbarians' dog heads!"

He pointed at the explosive packets tied to the arrows and said proudly:

"I also improved some of them, turning them into rockets."

"Their range and power have increased considerably; Chief, would you like to try?"

Jiang Xiaomu picked up a "rocket" and examined it carefully, secretly startled.

This Lei Gong really has talent; he actually came up with this improvement—looks like I'll need to nurture him well from now on.

He nodded.

"Let's not test the power now, lest we blow up this little wooden hut."

He hadn't finished speaking when a soldier rushed in.

"Sir, Prefect Zhao requests your presence at the Governor's Mansion for a meeting."

"Got it." Jiang Xiaomu put the rocket back on the table and ordered Lei Gong:

"Keep producing the explosives; the more, the better."

Having said that, he followed the soldier out of the wooden hut.

Inside the Governor's Mansion, Prefect Zhao was pacing back and forth.

Upon seeing Jiang Xiaomu enter, he immediately went up to meet him.

His fat hands tightly gripped Jiang Xiaomu's arm, his voice trembling.

"Jiang… Mr. Jiang, we've received news that the barbarians… the barbarians will attack the city in a few days; what… what are we to do?"

Jiang Xiaomu silently pulled his arm away, inwardly sneering.

This Prefect Zhao usually acts high and mighty, wishing he could carve the words 'I am the prefect' onto his forehead.

Now, with the barbarian army pressing the border, he's like a frightened rabbit—truly laughable.

"The barbarians have already sent a challenge; in my view, they'll attack the city as early as tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Prefect Zhao nearly dropped his teacup.

"Prefect Zhao need not panic," Jiang Xiaomu said calmly.

"I already have a plan."

"A… a plan?"

Prefect Zhao's eyes widened, the flesh on his fat face bunching together until his eyes were almost invisible.

"What plan?"

Jiang Xiaomu gave a mysterious smile, leaned close to Prefect Zhao, and lowered his voice:

"A secret weapon—I guarantee the barbarians won't return."

Upon hearing this, Prefect Zhao instantly perked up, his fat body straightening a bit.

Rubbing his fat hands, he asked eagerly:

"What secret weapon? Quick… quick, let this official see it!"

Jiang Xiaomu, however, kept it secret, pretending to be mysterious:

"You'll find out when the time comes, Prefect Zhao."

Jiang Xiaomu had just stepped out of the Governor's Mansion gate when he bumped into Xiong Kuohai.

"Boss!" Xiong Kuohai bellowed in a deep voice:

"The barbarians have sent an envoy over, saying they want to 'negotiate' with us!"

He deliberately stressed the two words 'negotiate', his tone full of contempt.

Jiang Xiaomu's mouth curled into a cold smile.

"Negotiate? More like they're here to deliver an ultimatum."

"The barbarians are accustomed to arrogance and domineering; do they really think we're afraid of them?"

"Chief, should I go meet him first? I'll make sure he knows how formidable we are!"

Xiong Kuohai said this, hefting the axe in his hand.

"No rush," Jiang Xiaomu waved his hand.

"I want to see what medicine those barbarians are selling in their gourds."