Lu Yanzheng suddenly stood up and walked towards the door.

Jiang Qinyu asked, puzzled, "Is Wang Bo's escape a serious matter?"

All she knew was that after Wang Bo was arrested in Dingshui Village last time, Qin Shen took him away to deal with him. She never expected that he would be sent to the border town to mine.

Lu Yanzheng paused, turned to look at her, his expression somewhat serious. "Wang Bo knows the formula for the Thunderclap Bomb, and he has lived in Dingshui Village and knows the situation there. This person cannot fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and left quickly with Qin Shen.

Jiang Qinyu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

According to Lu Yanzheng, if Wang Bo falls into the hands of outsiders, especially the enemy, then Dayue will be in trouble.

However, Qin Shen just said that Wang Bo escaped from the saltpeter mine. Could it be that Lu Yanzheng is planning to mass-produce gunpowder?

Jiang Qinyu was right.

After Lu Yanzheng learned that different proportions of gunpowder would produce different effects, he sent a message to the Ordnance Bureau, asking them to begin testing.

The enhanced thunderbolt that was able to shock the fifth prince of the Western Qiang was made by the Military Equipment Bureau.

However, it is impossible to extract too much nitrate and sulfur in a short period of time, so the output is limited.

"Which direction did Wang Bo escape in?" Lu Yanzheng asked as he walked.

Qin Shen said, "The saltpeter mine is very close to the area outside the pass. He must have fled there."

Lu Yanzheng stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed. "Are you sure it's outside the Great Wall?"

"There's an 80% chance," Qin Shen said, though he couldn't be entirely certain.

Lu Yanzheng thought for a moment and then asked, "Where are the allied forces of Dayuan and Xiqiang now?"

"They haven't completely retreated. Our scouts reported that the Fifth Prince of Western Qiang has led his men to retreat to a place fifty miles from the border city." Qin Shen had just received the news.

Lu Yanzheng simply turned and walked towards the main courtyard, "Have everyone search for Wang Bo with all their might, we must find him alive or dead!"

"Huh? General, aren't you going to go take a look?" Qin Shen looked at his back, a little confused.

Lu Yanzheng said coldly, "I am alone. If Wang Bo has not fled to the border, we don't need to worry too much. But if he has fled to the border, it would be of little use for me to catch up with him in such a vast land."

Qin Shen felt that his general's words made a lot of sense.

“Go back and tell Old Wu at the Ordnance Bureau that the research on gunpowder cannot be stopped, and gunpowder weapons must be made as soon as possible. They must be equipped to all the border troops within a month,” Lu Yanzheng suddenly added.

Qin Shen immediately stood up straight and solemnly replied, "Your subordinate obeys!"

This enhanced version of the Thunderclap Bomb has made a big splash, and everyone has seen its power on the battlefield. Even if it means selling everything they own, they are determined to develop gunpowder weapons.

...

Seeing Lu Yanzheng return, Jiang Qinyu asked curiously, "What happened?"

She thought he was going to deal with Wang Bo's escape.

"Qin Shen brought news that the armies of Dayuan and Xiqiang have not retreated and are now stationed fifty miles away from the border city." Lu Yanzheng's brows were furrowed with a hint of worry.

Both sides suffered losses in the previous battle, but the allied forces' losses were about ten times that of the border troops. Even so, the enemy's total of 170,000 troops still had 160,000 left. If they were to launch a counterattack, their side would not have much of a chance of winning.

Jiang Qinyu frowned upon hearing this. The other party was indeed cunning. They had retreated, but not completely. It was clear that the Fifth Prince was not an incompetent fool.

"So how do you plan to deal with this?" Jiang Qinyu asked.

Without hesitation, Lu Yanzheng explained the current situation of the border troops and his plans: "The army is not yet running out of food, and there is no shortage of food. However, we don't have many thunderbolts left that were able to scare them off this time. We need to stockpile more as soon as possible for next time."

Other supporting measures will naturally follow, but he won't go into the complicated details.

After listening, Jiang Qinyu said, "I think you could do it this way..."

Hearing her say this, the slight worry between Lu Yanzheng's brows dissipated considerably. "Let's do as Madam says!"

"I'm glad you don't mind me being nosy." Jiang Qinyu didn't dare take credit; she had just thought of it suddenly and blurted it out.

Lu Yanzheng looked at her seriously and said, "No matter when, what you say is never meddling."

Even if she says something meaningless and irrelevant, he will feel happy.

Jiang Qinyu didn't take it to heart, and looked at the sky, saying, "It's getting late, let's get some rest."

Seeing that Lu Yanzheng had quickly set up the chaise lounge by the window, Jiang Qinyu suddenly remembered something. "Uncle Chen and the others just said that you rarely came back to the mansion before and always stayed at the military base. Why do you want to stay at the mansion now?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanzheng initially wanted to find an excuse, but after thinking for a moment, he smiled half-jokingly and said, "I used to be all alone, but now that I have my wife and Shufan, things are naturally different."

Jiang Qinyu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. She quickly pulled the covers over herself and lay down, mumbling, "Go to sleep!"

Strange, why is she reacting so strongly to Lu Yanzheng's words? She never did before!

Jiang Qinyu had something on her mind and slept restlessly, but she fell asleep quickly.

In the side room next to her, Uncle Chen had also settled Shufan and Pan'er in.

He had sharp eyes and saw the general and his wife enter the house, so he quickly volunteered to settle the young master and young lady in.

It's alright with the young master, but he can't be of much help with the young lady.

No, we must go to the street and buy a few young maids tomorrow. Otherwise, if the madam and young lady have to do everything themselves, what kind of image will the dignified General of the Nation's Mansion have?

Thinking of this, Uncle Chen quickly left the main courtyard.

...

Meanwhile, fifty miles away, in the main tent of the Dayuan-Xiqiang allied forces, the Fifth Prince was pacing back and forth.

"More than 100,000 people are helpless against Lu Yanzheng's less than 100,000 words. If I, the prince, were to return like this, wouldn't I be ridiculed by the whole world?"

Upon hearing this, the Fifth Prince's advisor advised, "Your Highness, there is no need to belittle yourself. If the Great Yue people hadn't used despicable means, we would have already breached the border city."

"You say they're using despicable methods, but if that thing were in our hands, would you use it or not?" the Fifth Prince sneered.

The battlefield is ruthless; who cares what methods are used? As long as you win, it doesn't matter if you do something dishonorable, because history is written by the victors.

"This..." The advisors looked at each other in bewilderment.

Just then, a soldier's voice came from outside the tent, "Your Highness, we've captured a fugitive from Dai Viet. He says he can make thunderbolts..."

"A thunderbolt?" The Fifth Prince was taken aback, then his face lit up with joy. "Quickly, bring him in!"

The next moment, a man dressed in tattered clothes was brought before the Fifth Prince.

"What is this thunderbolt you're talking about?" the Fifth Prince asked, looking down at him.

The man looked up and recognized him as Wang Bo, who had escaped from the saltpeter mine. He said obsequiously, "Your Highness, the thunderbolts are what Lu Yanzheng used to deal with you..."