Zhao Minggeng had been wondering how to establish a connection with the border defense forces, but now they've come knocking on his door.

Knowing that the border region was harsh and cold, Zhao Minggeng didn't bring anything else with him. Instead, he took a pound of good tea and two pounds of dried vegetables to the city defense camp.

The general's surname was Wu, and his given name was Tong. He was skilled with a large sword. When he entered enemy territory, it was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

He was around 40 years old, with a full beard, and his laugh was incredibly hearty.

The reason why the Divine Dragon Kingdom was able to recapture Davar City was truly thanks to Wu Tong.

Although the northern Mongols continue to harass us, at least the imperial territory is still intact.

Zhao Minggeng was entering the army camp for the first time and found it all very novel.

But he dared not look around carelessly, lest he be mistaken for a spy.

Upon meeting Wu Tong, Zhao Minggeng felt a sense of kinship with him.

"Are you the new magistrate of Dawar?" Wu Tong asked in a deep voice.

Zhao Minggeng clasped his hands in greeting, "Reporting to the General, I am Zhao Minggeng, the newly appointed magistrate of Dawar City."

Wu Tong noticed that Zhao Minggeng didn't act like a pedantic scholar, who was obsequious in front of him; instead, he felt a greater appreciation for him.

"Judging from your appearance, you do not have the frailty of a typical scholar; on the contrary, you possess a heroic air."

Zhao Minggeng clasped his hands in a fist salute again.

"Reporting to the General, I am from a farming family, and I have been hunting in the mountains with my mother since I was a child."

Therefore, his physique was naturally far superior to that of a weak scholar who only knew how to read books.

Upon hearing Zhao Minggeng's words, Wu Tong burst into laughter.

"You're quite blunt, aren't you? Do you know how many scholars you'll offend with those words?"

Zhao Minggeng showed no remorse whatsoever for saying the wrong thing.

"I still prefer to tell the truth. Reading doesn't mean there's nothing else besides books."

All the men in our family, except for those who aren't even as tall as the stove, have to do housework.

Wu Tong was quite surprised by Zhao Minggeng's words.

"Don't you scholars always say that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen?"

Zhao Minggeng shook his head and said,

"Those who say that are lazy."

"If you don't want to work, you make excuses, and then you repeat those excuses to other lazy people. Over time, you become known as a sage."

Wu Tong laughed so hard his stomach hurt from Zhao Minggeng's words.

"Oh my god, I can't take it anymore, you're just the kind of guy I like."

I invited you here today for no other reason than to inquire about the method of making a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

I heard that thing, when lit by a fire in winter, can stay warm all night.

Zhao Minggeng immediately understood, and with Wu Tong's pen and ink, he quickly drew up the blueprints for building the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove).

At the same time, the importance of chimneys was emphasized.

He explained as he drew.

"If our border troops also need to build heated brick beds, my son and I can teach the soldiers this method."

As for the blue bricks used, if there aren't enough, mud bricks can be used instead.

Yellow mud is mixed with weeds and shaped into adobe bricks, which are then dried before being used to build heated kang beds.

That would require a lot of clay, so the brothers would have to work hard.

Wu Tong was overjoyed to hear that adobe bricks could also be used.

After all, no one knew Davar City better than him. If it wasn't nine out of ten houses were empty, at least 60% of the population had already left.

There are countless soldiers in the army; if we let them do this job, they can definitely get it done quickly.

The two chatted happily, and later they even got into a fight at the martial arts arena.

On the surface, the two sides appeared evenly matched, but in reality, Zhao Minggeng deliberately lost.

After all, it's not appropriate for a county magistrate to be more capable in battle than a great general.

Before leaving, they offered tea and dried vegetables, which was a gesture that deeply pleased Wu Tong.

The dried vegetables were sent to the kitchen, where the head chef noticed their unique qualities. Once they were prepared, he personally delivered the food to the general's tent.

After explaining his purpose, Wu Tong, with the chef's guidance, also noticed the difference in the dried vegetables that Zhao Minggeng had brought.

The soldiers guarding the border ate quite a lot of dried vegetables.

However, those dried vegetables didn't taste very good.

Even worse, some people finish eating without knowing what they've eaten.

But these dried vegetables, once soaked in water, not only swelled up quickly, but their color even became almost identical to fresh ones. That's amazing!

The taste is not much different either.

The next day, when Zhao Minggeng was directing his soldiers to build a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) with his two sons, Wu Tong grabbed him again and started nagging him.

There was only one purpose: the soldiers were suffering, and they needed a lot of supplies, especially food. The soldiers had nothing to eat, so they were suffering from internal heat and constipation.

In the end, Zhao Minggeng almost vomited from talking so much.

"General, these dried vegetables are my daughter's business."

If the General needs to purchase supplies in large quantities, he can discuss it with my daughter.

Also, General, there's something I forgot to report to you yesterday..."

So Zhao Minggeng told the story of the adopted child saying there was a dog hole in the north city wall.

Wu Tong was so angry he wanted to kill someone, his eyes blaming Zhao Minggeng for being so careless.

You should have reported to him as soon as you arrived in Davar; why have you been delaying for so many days?

I've completely forgotten when we met yesterday.

Zhao Minggeng also felt wronged, "After hearing about this, my whole family set off immediately."

We're here because there isn't even an inn, so we're thinking of quickly settling the elderly and children in our family before visiting the general.

Besides, it's not too late for me to think about it now, is it?

Wu Tong took a few deep breaths. He had a bad temper, but that didn't mean he was unreasonable.

Expecting a scholar who hasn't experienced much in life to have an awareness of safety hazards seems a bit unreasonable.

It's all his fault as the general; he didn't even know that such a huge problem had occurred in the city.

No wonder those dogs from Beimeng were able to sneak in so quietly half a month ago.

Immediately issue orders to check for breaches in the city walls and to search every house to see if any of the Northern Mongols are still hiding.

This time we must be absolutely certain; even if he's hiding in a mouse hole, we have to dig him out.

When Magistrate Zhao Minggeng arrived in Waer City, it seemed he hadn't done a single important task. He was only concerned with repairing his county office.

However, the method of using heated brick beds and walls quickly spread.

In winter, if someone in a family freezes to death, they will squat in front of the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and cry uncontrollably.

It's unclear whether they were mourning their deceased family members or resenting that this method hadn't been passed down sooner.

That day, Zhao Qingyan had just finished cultivating the back garden of the yamen with her grandparents when the quartermaster came to her door.

When Zhao Qingyan learned that she wanted to buy dried vegetables, she didn't hesitate.

"May I ask how many kilograms you would like, sir?"

How much are you planning to pay? Besides the dried vegetables, is there anything else you'd like to buy? Perhaps you could mention it all at once.

As long as the price isn't too unreasonable, I will try my best to meet the needs of the soldiers.

You can rest assured about the quality.

This was the first time the quartermaster had ever sat in the county government hall, which had only one table, and was discussing business with a young girl.

"Young lady, don't speak too confidently. Do you know that the daily food and supplies for our 100,000 soldiers on the border are enormous?"