Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

As soon as the arrow hit the ground, a soldier rushed forward to pick it up and presented it to their squad leader. The squad leader guarding the city wall trembled as he looked at the token engraved with the words "Order of Princess Wenfu." Could the woman below really be a princess from the capital? But what was she doing here with several women at this time? The city's greatest need right now was food, not women.

"Captain, is this really the princess's token?" someone nearby asked.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I recognize the words on it, but I can't tell if they're real or fake. Who went to invite the general? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

Xia Yu wasn't in a hurry; he simply sat on his horse and waited patiently. Judging from the journey so far, news from the capital was very difficult to get, so it was understandable that they dared not open the gate rashly.

However, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the road they had just walked on. Judging from the ground tremors, a large group of people were approaching.

"Miss, it seems the rebels are catching up. What should we do?" Nineteen glanced at the city wall, which remained still, and looked worried.

"Don't worry, the people on the city wall won't watch us die here," Xia Yu said calmly, looking in the direction from which the horses' hooves were coming.

Soon, amidst the rising dust, a squad of armored soldiers came into view.

Although they came with great force, they stopped within the range of arrows fired from the city walls.

"Who are you, and why are you killing our soldiers?" the leader shouted at Xia Yu and the others.

"..." No one answered.

The man, not expecting to be so ignored, cursed in annoyance.

"You bunch of little wenches are so arrogant! Archers, get ready!" As soon as he finished speaking, the archers who were waiting behind him ran to the front with their bows and arrows, aiming the arrows at Xia Yu and the others.

Seeing that Xia Yu and the others remained unmoved, the other side finally couldn't hold back and waved his hand, sending arrows raining down to within a few steps of Xia Yu and the others.

As soon as they made their move, the archers on the city wall also started firing their arrows. But the result was the same: neither side was within the range of the other's arrows.

Xia Yu looked at the arrows that had been shot at the enemy and felt a great sense of regret. With Jialing Pass under siege, arrows were a consumable resource; once they were used up, they were gone. How could they be wasted like this!

"Put all these arrows away," Xia Yu suddenly ordered after thinking for a moment.

"Huh?" Nineteen didn't react for a moment.

"Let's collect all these arrows; we can use them again," Xia Yu said again.

This time, those around her understood what she meant and dismounted. They pulled out the arrows that had been shot into the ground one by one and collected them.

The young general leading the group on the other side was even angrier at the sight before him. He waved his hand again, and a whirlwind of arrows rained down on Xia Yu and his men.

Nineteen glanced back at Xia Yu, who nodded and resignedly directed everyone to collect the arrows.

"Everyone be careful. Pay attention to their movements while picking up the arrows. If they shoot arrows again, retreat. Safety is the most important thing."

"Yes, Miss." A dozen people responded in unison.

So when the commander of the city gate came to the city wall, he saw this strange scene outside the city. The enemy was shooting arrows, and the women below the city were hiding outside the range, taking advantage of the gaps in the middle to collect all the arrows that were shot at them and gather them together.

"General, this is the token that the woman downstairs brought up. Please check if it's genuine." As he spoke, the squad leader handed over the princess token.

The commander took the token handed to him, and when he saw the words on it, his hand trembled and the token almost fell to the ground.

"Quickly, quickly, open the city gates! Archers, provide cover! Fire as soon as the rebels enter range!" the commander shouted. He then led his men down from the city wall.

"Yes!" The guard's spirits lifted, realizing that the person below was indeed the Princess, and his heart was instantly filled with hope.

The heavy city gate slowly opened a crack, just wide enough for one horse to pass through. Xia Yu and the others passed through the gate in an orderly fashion, and as soon as everyone was inside, the gate slammed shut with a "bang."

"Your Highness, I, Chen Yu, am late and have kept you waiting. Please forgive me." Chen Yu recognized Xia Yu at a glance and knelt down before her horse to beg for forgiveness.

"General Chen, please rise. News from the capital is slow to get through, so it's only right that you be careful. Where is General Zhao now?" Xia Yu asked.

"Your Highness," Chen Yu replied, "when I left the General's residence, the General was discussing countermeasures with his colleagues. The messenger encountered me on the way, and the General should be on his way now."

"Alright, General Chen, please lead the way to the General's Mansion."

"Yes, the general will take your orders."

Just as Chen Yu had said, they encountered General Zhao on horseback with his men on their way to the General's Mansion.

Upon seeing Xia Yu, General Zhao swiftly dismounted and led his men to kneel ten paces in front of Xia Yu's horse.

"This humble general, Zhao Bei, greets the Princess Zhenguo."

Xia Yu dismounted and smiled at the old acquaintance.

"General Zhao, please rise. Everyone, please rise as well. The Emperor in the capital is aware of the difficulties here, so he specially ordered me to escort grain to relieve the predicament of Jialing."

"Princess, you...you are truly Old Zhao's lucky charm!"

Upon hearing that Xia Yu had come to deliver grain, Zhao Bei was so moved he almost cried. His last promotion was due to escorting the village lord and the nobleman back to their hometown. Now, at this critical moment at Jialing Pass, Princess Wenfu, a mere woman, had traveled thousands of miles, breaking through the rebels' ambush to deliver grain. How could he not be moved?

General Zhao, moved, glanced behind Xia Yu, then looked again. He rubbed his eyes and looked once more, but still saw nothing. Besides a dozen or so women, there were no grain carts at all!

Although somewhat embarrassed, Zhao Bei still rubbed his hands together and asked Xia Yu with a smile.

"Princess, where is the grain you transported? Do you need me to send troops out of the city to meet it?"

"No need for backup. It's just the few of us; there's no one else behind us. Take me to the granary in the city; I'll just drop it off there," Xia Yu said, waving his hand.

Her words left not only Zhao Bei bewildered, but also the soldiers following him. What did the princess mean? How much grain had she brought? The real question was, where was the grain? Could it be the bundles carried on the horse's back?