Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei could tell from the color of the soil that it must contain saltpeter, which slowly precipitated in the moist air and finally adhered to the stone.

"That's why they want the village to explode..." Mu Tou understood why Zhang Jingwei came here. "So, this is the firecracker that Wang Zhen mentioned, the one that can blow up the city wall?"

Zhang Jingwei pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, firecrackers can also be used. However, if you want to blow up the city wall..."

"How many stones like this are needed!" Mu Tou exclaimed.

The creation of gunpowder is not surprising. This thing was researched during the Warring States Period, but it was not widely used. It was not really used until the Tang Dynasty, when people discovered that adding some iron filings to gunpowder could produce gorgeous fireworks.

Although gunpowder is already widely used by the people, at least in this era, there is no ability to produce smokeless gunpowder. Could there be other time travelers in this world?!

The more I think about it, the more outrageous it becomes, but everything is possible and everything remains to be verified.

The next morning.

Zhang Jingwei and the officers of Yunzhou were ready to take Han Ye and Wang Jue back to Yunzhou. Liu Yanzhi was going to capture the magistrate of Gaoyang County, and the water defense camp was temporarily handed over to Zhao Wuchuan for management.

Before parting, Gao Fei also handed Liu Yanzhi a letter. This letter was for Pang Lu in Gaoyang County to read, saying that after Pang Lu saw the letter, he would definitely help.

Liu Yanzhi thanked them and left with a group of detectives.

"I can finally go back." Ji Fubao was overjoyed. The more he thought about the big promise Zhang Jingwei had painted for him, the more excited he became. He wanted to stay up all night and return to Yunzhou.

Zhang Jingwei was still worried about whether Liu Yanzhi could deal with the county magistrate. "The teacher is old and has a bad temper. I'm really worried that he will suffer."

Wang Zhen said, "You don't understand because you haven't been an official. A higher-ranking official can crush people to death. This is not a joke." He used to speak in a refined manner, but after following Zhang Jingwei for the past two days, he actually learned to speak in vernacular.

Zhang Jingwei consoled himself, "I hope so... I have a bad feeling, and my eyelids keep twitching."

"That's because the young master doesn't like to sleep and stays up all night long!" Mu Tou echoed.

Zhang Jingwei said angrily, "That's nonsense. I go to bed at that time every night. It's just that you get up too early. I never got up before noon."

In the past, Zhang Jingwei worked from nine to five, and basically punched in on time. If the alarm rang at 8 o'clock, he would insist on staying until 8:30. He would get up early and have breakfast downstairs before coming to work.

After living there for a while, he admired the ancient emperors very much. Even though they were emperors, they still had to get up early to attend the morning court and work overtime to correct homework at night.

Moreover, these people in ancient times were very hardworking in their travels. It would take them two days and one night to walk fifty or sixty kilometers. In modern times, if they took the highway, it would only take half an hour.

Passing Jia Village, the entire village was draped in white cloth, with funeral ceremonies and paper money flying everywhere. Zhang Jingwei wanted to go over and say hello, but then thought better of it. He didn't want to cause trouble for others at a time like this.

Han Ye had dark circles under his eyes. Every time he closed his eyes, someone would knock on his prison van. He hadn't slept for the past two days and was almost in a state of madness.

Fortunately, the prison van he was held in was made of iron, otherwise he would most likely have dismantled it by force.

It was already noon when the sun was high in the sky. Hundreds of people huddled in a forest to cool off and distribute dry food. Zhang Jingwei had eaten this many times before, but he had never figured out how this dry food was made.

It is very hard and slightly salty, and can be dissolved in water, but it tastes a bit bitter when eaten that way.

Beta explained to him about the dry rations, "They're made from corn. We cook the rice, dry it, cook it again, add salt, dry it again, and finally cook it again and press it into cakes. Each cake weighs three ounces and is enough to make a whole meal."

Zhang Jingwei thought: Are these compressed biscuits made using traditional methods?

"Why don't you light a fire and bring a cook so the soldiers can have something good to eat!"

Beita smiled and said, "I used to think so too. But Master Gao told me that if you cook with a pot buried, the smoke will easily reveal your whereabouts and also give the enemy a message that your army is starving."

Zhang Jingwei nodded. He could understand that the soldiers had a very hard time during the battles in ancient times.

Mu Tou came over holding a bunch of fruits, "Master, I picked some wild fruits, all of which are edible."

The wood is very thoughtful and has been washed.

Zhang Jingwei picked up a numb fruit, chewed it twice, and swallowed it with difficulty.

So sour——!

Zhang Jingwei had never seen this thing that looked like bitter melon before, and he ate it completely out of trust in Mu Tou.

Ji Fubao saw Zhang Jingwei's distorted features and hurriedly reminded him, "This tussock is cold in nature, so you should eat less."

Mu Tou scratched his head, looking embarrassed, feeling that he had done something bad with good intentions.

Those officers felt particularly uncomfortable looking at Zhang Jingwei, but they couldn't say anything.

Because he only drinks boiled and then cooled water, and is very picky about food, which makes him look like a rich young man.

But this is just some common sense in life. No matter how clean the water is in the wild, it must be boiled before drinking. Otherwise, it will be infected by bacteria or parasites, and vomiting and diarrhea are inevitable, and you may even lose your life.

……

After a brief rest, they continued on their journey.

The sun was the hottest in the afternoon, and Zhang Jingwei felt stuffy and uncomfortable in the carriage, so Mu Tou removed all the curtains and left a roof to block the sun.

Zhang Jingwei blamed the wood instead.

"This carriage is rented. If you damage someone else's carriage, you will have to pay compensation!"

Mu Tou didn't care about renting or buying. His original intention was just to make the young master more comfortable. At worst, he could ask Liang Dahai to fix it when he got back.

Zhang Jingwei shook his head helplessly. He knew Mu Mu was doing this for his own good. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the road ahead, and prayed silently in his heart that he could reach Yunzhou safely.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the front of the team. Zhang Jingwei looked over and saw several soldiers surrounding a damaged carriage, seemingly in trouble.

The owner of the carriage was a businessman. The official road was very wide, but the carriage was lying sideways on the side of the road, causing the entire team to come to a standstill.

The team was led by archers, with two flag officers holding flags and walking in front to lead the way. The second team was composed of officers and Zhang Jingwei, and the third team was composed of cavalry led by Gao Fei.

So as long as the first team is blocked, no one else can pass.

Zhang Jingwei got off the carriage to check. The carriage was no longer usable and the cargo was scattered all over the ground. They were all silks and brocades, as well as some bottles and jars.

A flag officer was shouting at the merchants to make way, demanding compensation for delaying their journey!

Zhang Jingwei frowned and stepped forward and said, "As an officer and soldier, you don't help the people in distress, but instead extort them. Which unit are you from?"

The flag officer replied, "In response to Master Zhang, I am the chief flag officer of the Yunzhou Zuotun. I am also following the rules. I should be punished for delaying the journey!"

The merchant had a worried look on his face and kept apologizing, even asking for the price. "Sir, I'll give it to you. Just don't confiscate my goods. I'll accept any fine!"

"Hmph, I'm going to temporarily confiscate the goods today. The fine will be calculated after our army returns to the camp. Get out of here!" As soon as he finished speaking, the general flag officer pushed the merchant away and snatched the goods!

The soldiers behind him rushed forward and started snatching the goods.

The businessman slapped his thigh anxiously, "What should I do? What should I do?"

"Put them down, put them down!" Zhang Jingwei was furious and shouted at the soldiers, "Are you soldiers or bandits? Look at your behavior! How are you any different from those beasts who snatch food from the mountains?!"

Several soldiers stood there in a daze, still holding the silk tightly in their hands.