Chapter 165: Preparing to March on Shiya City!

Xiao Moting had already grown accustomed to Bai Wei being by his side; he did not want her to leave!

"Shennü Daren, will you leave us?"

When Bai Wei received the note, a trace of hidden worry also surfaced in her heart.

At the very beginning, it was through the wardrobe that she could exchange items with Xiao Moting.

Later, through the Jade Pendant, she made the wardrobe appear in her consciousness, allowing her to communicate with Xiao Moting anytime and anywhere.

But if one day these two objects lost their power to traverse time and space, wouldn't she never be able to see Xiao Moting again?

Just as Bai Wei was about to write a reply, several more notes suddenly fluttered down in front of her.

They were all written by Xiao Moting.

"Shennü Daren, can you not go? I do not want you to leave."

"Do not leave, do not stop replying... just stay by my side like this, okay?"

"If you are very busy on your side and have no time to come find me, just responding to me occasionally is fine. Replying to my messages once every ten days, half a month, or a month is no problem; I will always wait for you."

"Xiao Moting does not want you to go; can you stay? Just treat it as my... selfish thought."

"I am sorry, I have overstepped; I should not force you to stay here. But if I fulfill your wish, can you reward me once? Do not leave."

"No matter what you want, I can do it; just please do not ignore me."

Countless notes fluttered in the air, falling down like snowflakes, drifting about.

Every note was filled with dense, cramped handwriting.

Bai Wei looked at the falling notes, completely stunned.

Across time and space, she could feel Xiao Moting's anxiety, unease, and nervous panic.

Bai Wei had never seen him look so anxious before; he even disregarded his usual shyness, trying his best to make her stay.

She hurriedly replied to the message to soothe Xiao Moting.

"Who said I would leave? I won't leave you all; I still want to watch you unify the world."

She made a promise, which finally managed to calm Xiao Moting down.

But no one could say for sure what would happen in the future.

However, as long as the wardrobe could still exchange items, she would not leave.

After all, she had spent quite a lot of money on the Northern Frontier Army!

Bai Wei comforted him for a long while, finally letting Xiao Moting feel at ease.

Then, the two of them, just like before, began discussing tactics for attacking the city together.

"... Shennü Daren, I had craftsmen make a fake wardrobe and sent someone to deliver it to the National Preceptor by carriage; the journey will take ten to twenty days."

"Xiao Moting, are you planning to stall for time?"

"Yes, and it can also stabilize the National Preceptor; I will take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Shiya City."

Bai Wei thought for a moment.

Shiya City, where Xiao Liujin was imprisoned, was built against a mountain; the city walls were built with giant rocks, and most of the houses in the city were also built with stone, making it incredibly sturdy.

Xiao Liujin and the others were locked in a mountain cave; this was a natural Stone Prison.

There was also a Coal Mine in the city, which could produce quite a lot of coal.

If Xiao Moting took Shiya City and captured the Coal Mine, the winter in Beijiang would be no cause for worry, and she could also instruct the craftsmen to build an Iron Smelting High Furnace; with coal and electricity, they could use Iron Ore to refine steel.

Bai Wei asked, "How is the situation at the mine? How much Saltpeter has been mined?"

"The yield of Saltpeter is not high; currently, only about three hundred catties are stored in the Warehouse."

"That's enough! I will send over the formula for Black Powder; Black Powder can be loaded into empty shell casings to make Reloaded Ammunition, but Reloaded Ammunition has certain risks and its power is smaller than a Bullet, so keep it for emergencies first. You have the craftsmen make Explosive Packs first to blow open the Stone Prison and rescue Xiao Liujin."

Bai Wei immediately went out to a chemical store and bought a set of Purification Equipment.

She sent the equipment, the method for refining Saltpeter, and the proportions for Black Powder to Xiao Moting all at once.

Beijiang had recruited a mathematics teacher named Han Fang, and he had already finished the junior high school textbooks and mastered basic electrical knowledge, so it would be no problem for him to use Saltpeter to refine potassium nitrate.

Adding charcoal and sulfur to Saltpeter would make Black Powder.

With Black Powder, they could make Explosive Packs!

After finishing all this, Bai Wei called Richard.

"Mr. Richard, didn't you say you wanted to exchange antiques with me?"

"I have considered it; I will exchange a portion of the antiques with you and then sell some gold coins to you. If you are interested, come to my hotel tomorrow to discuss the details."

Beijiang was going to war again; she had to prepare sufficient funds!

It just so happened that Richard, this big sucker, had arrived.

Bai Wei picked out some of the least valuable items from the three crates of Western antiques Xiao Moting had sent, preparing to sell them to Richard at a high price.

"Teacher Han, I will have to trouble you with the matter of the Gunpowder."

Xiao Moting's expression was solemn.

Han Fang hurriedly bowed, "Prince, there is no need for praise; this is my duty as a commoner. I will take my students and research the production of Black Powder together!"

"Good." Xiao Moting nodded with satisfaction and ordered in a deep voice, "Someone, convey my command: from this moment on, Han Fang is the Supervisor of the Northern Frontier Armory, responsible for researching Northern Frontier military equipment!"

After finishing, he spoke to Han Fang again.

"Supervisor Han, the Armory is now under your charge; you may scout for suitable deputy supervisors to assist you from the side."

"I will have the craftsmen build an armory experimental camp using bricks and tiles."

"If there is anything else you need, just ask."

Han Fang was so excited that he could not speak for a long while.

After coming to his senses, he hurriedly and tremblingly bent his waist, lifted his long robe, knelt before Xiao Moting, and prostrated himself on the ground to perform a grand salute.

"Han, I thank the Prince for your promotion!"

As he spoke, Han Fang's voice carried a tremor, filled with immense gratitude toward Xiao Moting.

To become an official in the Daliang Kingdom, one must be able to write essays in order to place as a Top Scholar.

Han Fang had an uneven academic focus; he was proficient in mathematics, but his essay writing was very poor.

He had studied diligently for many years, taking the imperial examinations for over a decade, only to barely manage to pass as a Child Scholar; he could not even pass as a Cultivated Talent and was repeatedly mocked by his fellow students.

He had thought that he would only be able to be a schoolteacher for the rest of his life.

Yet he never expected that he would actually be able to enter officialdom and serve as the Supervisor of the Northern Frontier Armory!

Han Fang was moved to tears by his gratitude toward Xiao Moting and remained kneeling, unable to rise.

The group of students behind him were also inexplicably excited!

Everyone was a student with uneven academic focus; some could not even write an essay properly and had no hope of taking the imperial examinations, but now, everyone saw hope!

Who said that if one cannot write essays, one cannot enter officialdom to serve as an official?

The Prince of Northern Suppression said, if you are proficient in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, you can travel the world without fear!

Night fell.

The Northern Frontier Camp was brightly lit, illuminating the vast, dark mass of the army on the battlefield.

The Northern Frontier Army was about to set out on an expedition again!

Xiao Moting trimmed the lamp to inspect the troops.

Street lamps had been installed along the edge of the battlefield, utilizing solar power.

Therefore, no one needed to carry torches for illumination; the light from the electric lamps was exceptionally bright, not only clean and convenient, but also brighter than torches!

"Thousand-Man Commander Yang Kai, step forward!"

"Huang Yuanji, step forward..."

Qin Zhan held the roster of officers and called out their names in a loud voice.

For this attack on Shiya City, Xiao Moting was only taking seventy thousand troops, leaving the rest to guard the camp to prevent enemy raids!

Xiao Moting handed the Military Order to the messenger, ordering him to deliver it into the hands of Wang Ziyi.

Xuancheng had a garrison of sixty thousand, led by Wang Ziyi.

He issued a Military Order to the Xuancheng garrison commander Wang Ziyi, ordering the other party to mobilize thirty thousand soldiers to come to the outskirts of Shiya City and rendezvous with the troops from the Northern Frontier Camp.