Lu Yanzheng rushed back to the army and summoned the generals for a meeting.

"Where is the enemy now?" Lu Yanzheng asked calmly.

The border troops were not to be underestimated. The sentries and scouts were well-trained, and monitoring the movements outside the pass was a daily function of the scout battalion.

Now that they had discovered the enemy's movements, it was impossible for them to wait until the enemy was right under their noses to report it.

"Reporting to the general, the Western Qiang and Dayuan are advancing towards our army from the west and north respectively. Judging from the speed at which we fought them before, they should still be about thirty miles away from us at this time."

Thirty li (approximately 20 kilometers) is a short distance; if marching at full speed, it would take less than an hour to reach the city walls of the border town.

"Pass down the order to evacuate the civilians near the city wall. All border troops shall stand in their usual drill formations and perform their duties in preparation for battle!"

Lu Yanzheng quickly made the arrangements, and the generals accepted the orders and left.

After they left, Qin Shen spoke up, "General, we previously seized the Western Qiang's granary, so how come they still have the strength to form an alliance with Dayuan?"

“It’s not that they have the strength, but…” Lu Yanzheng looked up at the sky, “The world is about to change. Heaven is not giving them a way to survive, so they have no choice but to come and steal.”

In the past, Lu Yanzheng would have thought that even if the border town was breached, his timely evacuation of the people and retreat to Yongshan County would have been a last resort, but not now.

Now that the border town has a water source and the food problem is about to be solved, he absolutely cannot allow the combined forces of Dayuan and Xiqiang to breach the border town!

The border town was unique because the north gate was the only way to connect Dai Viet and Da Yuan. As long as the north gate was breached, one could enter the border town and then enter Dai Viet through the south gate.

The border troops had always held the north gate, but last time the allied forces of Dayuan and Xiqiang bypassed the north gate, using strong individual soldiers to break through into the city, and then skilled soldiers opened the north gate from the inside.

Lu Yanzheng arrived at the North Gate, climbed the city wall, and looked out at the gate, where nothing seemed amiss.

The land outside the city had been ravaged by numerous wars, and even the soil had gradually turned black, like dried blood.

The soil was incredibly fertile, but no one in the border town dared to leave the city to cultivate the land.

Lu Yanzheng took a deep breath, his ears twitched slightly, and he spoke slowly, "They're here. Prepare to meet the enemy..."

Meanwhile, the sudden news caught everyone off guard, and the old farmers all looked at Jiang Qinyu with great worry.

"Madam, shall we continue breeding now?" someone asked.

Jiang Qinyu looked in the direction Lu Yanzheng had left, her gaze resolute as she spoke, "Yes! Especially in times like these, we must not panic. Our soldiers are sacrificing their lives to protect our country; we should cultivate the land well and produce high-yield crops so they don't go hungry!"

She believed that Lu Yanzheng could definitely defend the city gate!

"Yes! Whether it's for the elderly and children at home, or for the soldiers in the army who shed blood and sacrificed their lives to protect us, we should plant these sweet potatoes!"

"Grow it! The Great General will surely be able to defend the city gates..."

"Everyone, stop standing there! Find tree branches, dig ditches, sort the sweet potatoes, everyone get moving..."

The last sentence was shouted out by Qi Wu.

Jiang Qinyu's words ignited everyone's passion. The bustling scene by the river contrasted sharply with the scene of waiting for the enemy at the city gate, yet they appeared perfectly harmonious.

Jiang Qinyu looked at these people and sighed inwardly. It was really tough being an ordinary person in a chaotic world!

No wonder there's an old saying, "Better to be a dog in a prosperous era than a human in a chaotic one." The person who said this must have experienced countless cruel realities.

Seeing that Qi Wu and the others were all in work mode, Jiang Qinyu greeted everyone and then drove her carriage back to the General's Mansion.

Just in case, she should make some preparations.

...

However, to everyone's surprise, on the very night that the Dayuan army and the Western Qiang army were arrayed outside the north gate, poised to attack at any moment, the temperature suddenly plummeted.

It was almost February, and the weather should have warmed up, but Jiang Qinyu had felt that last winter was strange, colder than the previous few years, and the temperature hadn't risen much after spring.

No one expected that there would be another sharp drop in temperature at this time.

Jiang Qinyu was so cold late at night that she hadn't even gone to sleep yet, and she was pacing back and forth on the ground, constantly rubbing her hands.

"Why is it so cold?" Jiang Qinyu muttered to herself. "No, Shufan and Pan'er need to wear extra blankets, or they'll freeze."

As she spoke, she ran towards the two children's room.

Shufan and Pan'er lived on either side of the master bedroom. Jiang Qinyu went over to each of them and added a down comforter. After thinking for a moment, she also put a few heat packs in their blankets.

After finishing these tasks, Jiang Qinyu returned to her room and immediately opened the system to check the supplies she had previously stockpiled, taking out the items needed to complete the mission.

Looking at the accumulated number of transactions, Jiang Qinyu gritted her teeth and reluctantly spent a thousand points to reach the required number of transactions.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have completed the first task of unlocking the second floor area!]

Jiang Qinyu didn't hesitate to open the store for the general's coat.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have triggered an unlocking quest reward. The system is giving you 1 randomly unlocked area!]

[Ding! Small appliance section unlocked successfully!]

Jiang Qinyu shook her head and quickly went to check out the two newly unlocked counters, immediately feeling more at ease.

Now she, her two children, and even everyone in the general's mansion will be warm.

But what about all those civilians and soldiers?

[Friendly Reminder: The host has completed 1888 transactions in the in-game store and has been granted the right to purchase a specific item. Would you like to use this right?]

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!