The government was sending out wives, and I ended up with a princess from the previous dynasty!

Soon, Jia Daoshi and Shen Li arrived at the military supply vehicle that was transporting gunpowder.

Jia Daoshi had one of the carriages opened, and inside were the firearms that Shen Li had mentioned.

Because Shen Li had the craftsmen build it themselves according to the blueprints left by Jia Daoshi, it looks relatively simple. To describe it, it's like using an iron ball, wrapping gunpowder, and adding a fuse—that's how you make a bomb!

According to Jia Daoshi, the idea was to create something like a hand grenade.

However, having these is already quite good.

"Sure, take a few to the grasslands and test their power."

Jia Daoshi nodded and said.

The five cities, including Jinshui City, are no longer inhabited by ordinary people; they are now garrisoned by elite troops and mechanical beasts.

Outside Jinshui City lies an endless grassland, perfect for testing the power of gunpowder.

Upon hearing Jia Daoshi's words, a guard immediately pulled a carriage and took them to the grassland outside Jinshui City.

Looking at the dark, lumpy iron objects inside the box, Chu Luen simply couldn't understand it. Last time, in the canyon outside the Cliff City, it was these very things that killed 300,000 allied soldiers!

How did these things manage to conceal such immense power?

After the guards parked the carriage, they brought out some wooden figures dressed in armor to test the power of gunpowder.

These wooden figures stood in a square formation on the grassland amidst the wind and snow!

Jia Daoshi picked up each of the ten-kilogram bombs and saw the fuse hanging there.

This kind of lead wire is actually a problem; if it gets damp, it becomes useless.

Shen Li: "My lord, the craftsmen said that this gunpowder is the simplest kind, and its power may not be as good as expected."

The blueprints left by Jia Daoshi show more than a dozen ways to make artillery shells, but many of the craftsmen couldn't understand them, and some were made only because they lacked the materials.

Jia Daoshi didn't care. In fact, his troops were already invincible on the battlefield, and having gunpowder was just icing on the cake.

"It's fine, as long as it makes a sound."

As he spoke, he took a tinderbox from the guard beside him, lit the fuse, and threw it at the wooden dummy formation!

"boom!"

After a deafening explosion, the wooden figures wearing armor were blown into the air, and even those wearing armor were blasted into several pieces!

In Chu Luen's mind, the scene of the tribal warriors being blown to pieces by the explosions in the battle of Furong Gorge outside the cliff city immediately appeared!

Thick white smoke appeared after the explosion!

Upon seeing the white smoke, Jia Daoshi knew that its power was only so-so.

"Let's go and take a look."

Jia Daoshi and Shen Li stepped forward together.

When Jia Daoshi reached the epicenter of the explosion, he discovered that the shrapnel from the explosion had penetrated his armor and embedded itself deeply in the wood!

However, only a shallow pit was left on the ground!

Of course, the shells that Jia Daoshi had made were not intended to create craters in the ground, but rather to cause as much damage as possible.

So far, it seems to be quite powerful.

“Yes, when the Jingjue King’s army arrives, we’ll let them see what it’s like.”

Chu Luen couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the King of Jingjue. In the dead of winter, he had come all this way to his death. No one else would do that.

The key point is the bloody lesson learned from the 500,000 soldiers who fought on the grasslands. Has this fool really forgotten it?

Although the war has not yet begun, Chu Luen has already foreseen the defeat of the King of Jingjue.

It seems that the last remaining bloodline on the grasslands is about to be extinguished.

Kushan, Yuezhi, the Eight Western Kingdoms... all became part of the Great Jing's territory!

Soon, another seven days passed.

If it weren't for the snow falling outside, Jia Daoshi would have really wanted to lead his troops straight into the grasslands.

There has never been an enemy that he has been longing for for so long!

However, the grassland was so vast that he was too lazy to bother with it. After all, what was meant to happen would happen eventually, and waiting patiently was better than launching a long and arduous expedition.

Moreover, the weather is terrible, and after the snowfall, resupplying supplies will be a major problem.

At this moment, Jia Daoshi was warming himself by the stove while eating roasted meat.

Shen Li: "My lord, I heard that some people collected those black stones and burned them at home, and then they couldn't find them the next day. They were eventually found to have been poisoned to death at home. Is it really okay for us to use these black stones instead of wood?"

The coal burning in the furnace was coal that Jia Daoshi had the craftsmen process.

Since the discovery of coal mines in the mountains surrounding Cliff City, Jia Daoshi has been working on a mining plan. Although he has not been in Cliff City for some time, the plan has been proceeding smoothly and has not been delayed because of his absence.

Coal is a novelty to people around the world, but Jia Daoshi knows it very well.

At first, the people didn't know that this kind of stone could be used for burning.

However, later, the city lord's mansion of Cliff City began to promote this black stone called coal. On cold nights, lighting one piece could keep it burning all night.

This is much more convenient than burning firewood!

As the weather gradually gets colder, more and more people in Youzhou County prefer to use coal for heating.

Later, some villagers secretly went to the mountains to collect coal and took it home to burn. However, if this kind of thing is not processed, it will produce poisonous gas when burned. Many villagers who collected it and burned it were poisoned to death!

This has caused many ordinary people to worry that they might be poisoned by burning coal.

The city lord's mansion has posted a notice stating that processed coal will not poison people and that there is no problem as long as windows are opened for ventilation, but some people are still worried.

Actually, you can't blame the common people; some officials in Youzhou County didn't dare to use them.

After all, a black stone that can burn always carries a strange feeling.

Hearing Shen Li's words, Jia Daoshi laughed and said, "Your Highness, I have already issued a notice and explained it repeatedly, why are you still so worried?"

Shen Li: "I just think this tastes weird, maybe it's poisonous."

Jia Daoshi laughed and said, "Don't worry, the coal we use now is completely different from the coal that was just mined. As long as we ventilate regularly, it is very safe."

“Winter comes early in Youzhou County, and the snow falls early too. It’s especially cold at night. We’ll be burning firewood every day, and one day all the firewood on the mountain will be gone. That will cause a lot of damage to the ecosystem. So we still have to use coal. As a prince, you have to set an example, right? If you don’t use it, how can the common people dare to use it?” Jia Daoshi said with a smile.

Shen Li blushed and said somewhat ashamedly, "My lord is right to teach me a lesson."

"Let's go for a walk." Jia Daoshi took Shen Li's hand.

Although the two spent all their time together, Jia Daoshi did not actually do the "love thing" with Shen Li.

Firstly, the weather is getting cold, and secondly, this is the front line of the battlefield, so he can't act lawlessly just because he is the commander of an army.

Once back at the city lord's mansion, you can do whatever you want.

But this is a battlefield!

As soon as the two reached the city wall, Jia Daoshi felt the ground beneath his feet tremble!

Looking at the distant grassland, amidst the vast snowstorm, a row of dark shadows seemed to appear!

"coming!"