Although the Yongzhou army was very brave and skilled in battle, it was now facing a crisis.

In his letter, He Yingyuan wrote that the northern lands had just experienced war and then a cold wave, leaving the people starving and freezing, with corpses littering the ground and nine out of ten houses empty. To help the civilians, the Yongzhou army had diverted a portion of its grain and salary to disaster relief, to be replenished once the imperial relief grain arrived. However, for some unknown reason, the imperial court had cut off the army's supplies.

The people and soldiers of Yongzhou are now in a state of crisis. He Yingyuan has no choice but to seek help from Qin Sanniang. He had previously stored a large amount of grain in the warehouse at the dock, having used a third of his assets to buy grain in order to prepare for future natural disasters and man-made calamities. He just didn't expect it to come in handy so soon.

The letter mentioned where the key was kept—in their own flowerbed! Good heavens, when did Mr. He put the key there? Could it have been He Mingzhe and his kids?

Qin San Niang's task was to secretly transport the grain out and make contact with the merchant caravan outside the city.

However, such a commotion would inevitably alert the enemy, and she was well aware that Zhennan Wang held power in He County. Moving 100,000 shi of grain out of the granary in a short period would certainly not be an easy task.

The county town had a curfew, and at other times it was bustling with people. Transporting grain under the watchful eyes of so many people was simply impossible. Even someone like Xiao Chang'an felt the plan was risky.

But He Yingyuan knew that Qin Sanniang could do it! His confidence encouraged Xiao Chang'an, who immediately dispatched a strong force to accompany her. As long as Qin Sanniang could transport the grain out, they would take over.

This would be quite difficult for anyone else. Magistrate Jia is clearly from the Southern faction, and although they have a good relationship, she can't be completely trusted. Chief Clerk Qi is extremely shrewd; he only considers those with shared interests as friends. The only person she can consider a friend is Qi Yuchen, who has an excellent relationship with Xiao Chang'an. If necessary, she can ask him for help.

But who is Qin San Niang? She's the chosen one with an invincible spatial ability. For her, ten times the amount of grain, let alone ten thousand shi, wouldn't be a problem! Moreover, after careful consideration, she decided not to alarm Qi Yu Chen for the time being. Although he had a close relationship with Xiao Chang An, this matter concerned her life and fortune, and she was the only one she could truly rely on. Besides, even if that man could keep his mouth shut, he had too many people around him and too many connections. Qin San Niang wasn't familiar with him and couldn't risk taking such a risk.

Since that's the case, then let's get to work. Thinking of the soldiers on the border, starving to death from hunger and cold, she felt anxious. They were also sons and husbands, doing their duty to protect their country. Although one person's strength is like an ant's, she wouldn't refuse to do what she could.

Those who carry firewood for the masses should not be allowed to perish suddenly in the wind and snow...

That day, Qin San Niang found the key. In the soil of the flowerbed, under the roses planted by Xiao Er and He Mingzhe, there really was a box lying quietly, and inside it was a key.

Qin Sanniang's eyes flickered as she pondered for a long time. She realized that handling this alone was insufficient. Even if she could manage to secure the grain by herself, she would still need someone to guard and assist her outside the county town. Ten thousand shi of grain couldn't simply appear out of thin air—that was too unbelievable! She needed a reliable person to help her, someone meticulous and capable of holding off ten thousand—Gu Qingshan was the perfect candidate.

Qin San Niang had already decided on the meeting place: the back mountain where Xiao Er and the others had their accident.

Upon hearing the reason for the matter, Gu Qingshan was suddenly stunned. "Sister, you mean Qizhou Pass?"

Qin San Niang nodded, not missing the glint in his eyes. This place was probably not unfamiliar to him. But she wouldn't pry. The past was past; what could be more important than living well? Besides, Qingshan had followed her for so long and was now her sworn brother, a trustworthy person.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qingshan rarely talked to her about his past. "Sister, I was originally under the command of General Feng, the garrison commander of Qizhou. In the third year of the Dasheng era, I left my hometown to join the army in order to give my wife and children a better future. At that time, I was young and ambitious, and I had some martial arts skills. I was very spirited."

As he spoke, a rare glint appeared in his eyes, a light that must have been from his most youthful and impetuous years.

"And then what?"

"Later, things did indeed turn out as I wished. Because of my excellent archery skills, I was selected for the Divine Archery Battalion of the Qizhou Army. In the war against the Hu people, our small detachment repeatedly achieved great feats and received numerous rewards. Later, the Tatars, in alliance with the Hu people, launched a fierce attack. Everyone thought it would be a tough battle, but as a formidable force, we had to fight no matter what. However, for some reason, the commander was suddenly replaced and ordered to retreat. At that time, I was already the captain of the Divine Archery Battalion, and I couldn't disobey orders! When we retreated to Monkey Valley, I sensed something was wrong, but it was too late..."

As for the rest, even without being told, Qin San Niang could guess. It was nothing more than the commander being an idiot, either bribed or betrayed.

Afterwards, Gu Qingshan's Divine Arrow Battalion was ambushed and wiped out. He jumped off a cliff, but unexpectedly, a crooked tree saved his life.

What happened next shocked Qin Sanniang the most! It turned out that Azhi wasn't his biological daughter! Azhi's true identity was actually the daughter of the former governor of Qizhou. No wonder Qin Sanniang had always felt that this child's speech and behavior didn't seem like that of a peasant's daughter…

Gu Qingshan continued, “At the time, I was lucky enough to return to Qizhou. I intended to report this matter to my superiors, because the lives of the forty-nine men of our Divine Arrow Battalion couldn't be lost in vain! But when I entered Qizhou, I discovered that the world had changed! The streets were full of newly arrived royal troops. I recognized their swords; they weren't from our Qizhou army. The governor's mansion was surrounded by layers upon layers of people. A kind old man told me that the governor had committed some crime and suffered a devastating blow. The men were executed and exiled, and the women were relegated to the lowest social class…”

What followed was his nighttime raid on the prefect's mansion in hopes of finding some new clues. Unfortunately, he overheard a huge secret: the garrison leader was secretly meeting with a Hu informant, and their Qizhou army had been killed by their own people!

Gu Qingshan was furious and thought of killing these two harmful people by surprise to vent his anger!

Before he could act, the two men's next words made him stop in his tracks. It turned out that the Hu people and Tatars had joined forces with traitors within our dynasty, and would soon seize all of the northern lands.