Song Sanniang stood at the foot of the mountain and looked at this "unremarkable" mountain for a few seconds.
Then, following her memory, she brought the female soldiers behind her to the place where she discovered the saltpeter mine. There were traces of her mining left at the scene.
Song Sanniang pointed at the gap she had chiseled on the ground and said.
"Everyone, let's start digging from here." Seeing that they looked a little hesitant, Song Sanniang turned her gaze to Huo Buyi and Chen Shi'an, touched her chin, and decided to leave the command to professionals.
"You two generals are more familiar with leading troops than I am. From now on, the arrangements for mining and transportation will be left to you two."
The two looked at each other after hearing this. Huo Buyi took a step back and handed the initiative to Chen Shian. In terms of rank, she was inferior, and the other party had longer and richer experience in leading troops.
Chen Shian was not surprised to see Huo Buyi hand over the full leadership to her. After all, she was considered a senior in terms of seniority.
Next, Chen Shian did not integrate the two teams of female soldiers, but directly divided them into teams, and the two teams took turns mining.
Each team assigns two people to stand guard at a time, patrolling the surroundings to ensure the safety of their teammates. They change positions every two hours, which is considered a rotational rest.
Under this arrangement, the two teams of female soldiers soon performed their duties and began to act quickly.
At dusk, the open carts they brought this time were filled with saltpeter and returned to Lixi City under the cover of night.
As the city gates opened and closed, peace returned outside the city, with only traces of wheel tracks on the ground indicating that someone had passed by.
Inside the city, after they rode into the city, many female soldiers around them who didn't understand the situation looked at them in surprise as they "returned with a full load".
The two of them were confused and felt uneasy when they were looked at with admiration from all directions, so they quietly increased their speed.
Only after entering the military camp did they breathe a sigh of relief and relax.
But what they didn't expect was that the princess was standing at the door waiting for them.
Huo Buyi and Chen Shi'an quickly dismounted and saluted Gongyi Qingjun.
"No need to be so polite, both of you." Gongyi Qingjun waved her hand for them to stand up. She herself couldn't wait to come to the open cart, lifted the cloth covering it, and underneath were large and small blocks of saltpeter.
Gongyi Qingjun looked at the saltpeter on several carts. It was probably enough for the time being.
Behind her, Huo Buzhi and Chen Shi'an were a little nervous. These few carts of stones were the maximum that all of them could collect. Because the princess did not specify the specific quantity before setting off, they had no choice but to fill up all the open carts that the princess assigned to them.
There was also a small episode. At the beginning, one of them was responsible for supervision and the other was responsible for protecting Song Sanniang's safety. Later, as it was getting darker, the last two of the six open carts they brought were only half loaded, and the other was even empty.
They also hurriedly joined the mining business, covered in dust and dirt, and finally filled the open truck before the sun went down...
Gongyi Qingjun couldn't hide his happiness. He patted Huo Buzhi and Chen Shi'an on the shoulders and said, "You have done a great job. The female soldiers who participated in this mission should remember this. When we defeat the White Tiger Kingdom, we will reward you for your merits together."
Hearing her words, the female soldiers who participated in the mining showed a hint of joy.
"Thank you, Commander!"
Gongyi Qingjun's mind was now completely focused on the car. With these saltpeter, there was no need to worry about defeating the White Tiger Kingdom. She even felt that it was possible to conquer the country once and for all and unify the world...
She turned to look at Song Sanniang, who had been standing quietly by the side without saying a word. Now she had the materials, but she still needed help to process the saltpeter with her.
Song Sanniang saw that the heroine had inspired the soldiers and rallied their morale with just a few words, as if they were ready to die for her in the next second. She saw the look the heroine gave her.
For some reason, she understood it all at once.
Gongyi Qingjun asked the female soldiers who had been tired all day to rest, and called a few more female soldiers to pull the carriage to the open space behind her tent. There were already people there. After parking the carriage, the female soldiers saluted and withdrew.
In the open space, Master Zhu was leading a dozen people, methodically placing saltpeter from a cart into empty buckets on the ground. They added water to soak and mix thoroughly, filtered it several times, and then set it aside to settle. They then heated it in a large pot to evaporate the water, and finally, after cooling it, it became saltpeter crystals. (This content is from Baidu and may be wrong.)
Among them, Master Zhu was obviously skilled, while the others were probably just learning, so their movements were a little clumsy, but they didn't make any big mistakes. However, as time went on, they improved at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Gongyi Qingjun and Song Sanniang stood side by side, their eyes shining as they watched this scene.
"Even if they keep working like this day and night, the amount of saltpeter that meets the purity standards won't be enough for large-scale use. The formula for gunpowder is in your hands alone, but how much gunpowder can you make by yourself?"
Gongyi Qingjun did not refute, "I know, but unfortunately I don't dare to gamble."
Li Xi City seems to be harmonious now, but she knows that in the army there are not only people sent by her mother to watch over her, but also people planted by her sisters and aristocratic families, and even spies from the White Tiger Kingdom.
So she didn't dare to gamble.
"But don't I still have you now?" If the two of them worked together to make gunpowder, it would be impossible to conquer the White Tiger Kingdom, but it would be no problem to repel the White Tiger Kingdom.
As long as the White Tiger Kingdom withdraws its troops and gives her some more time, her confidants will be almost certain, and then the embarrassing situation she is facing now will be resolved.
Song Sanniang raised her eyebrows after hearing this. The heroine hadn't asked for her opinion yet. If she was not there, could she still achieve her goal?
"You know what I want? To trust me that much?"
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