In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

As the sound of tearing fabric rang out, Zhao Zexuan looked up and frowned. The soldiers behind him couldn't help but step forward to stop him, but they managed to restrain themselves due to the situation.

The soldiers continued their actions, and the woman's screams and cries grew increasingly shrill. The child, who was being held tightly in the woman's arms, also began to cry, though very softly. The child's thin face was bruised and purple, as if he were about to faint at any moment.

Just as the woman was about to be dragged into the hut, Zhao Zexuan gave Wang Zong a look behind him, and the next second Wang Zong stepped forward to stop her.

The three soldiers were startled by Wang Zong's sudden appearance, but then they greeted him with smiles, "Brother, you've come at just the right time. Let's experience it together."

Looking at the woman who was sitting on the ground, trembling and holding her child, Wang Zong's eyes flashed with murderous intent. The next second, he scolded, "Have you finished the task the master assigned? You have time to mess around here."

Upon hearing this, the three soldiers looked somewhat displeased, but seeing Wang Zong's imposing manner, they assumed he was their superior and put on a fawning smile, saying, "Don't worry, sir, the gunpowder to be transported back to the city has already been stored in the warehouse, and we brothers have already counted it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zong remained unmoved and still scolded in a low voice, "Then hurry back and guard the warehouse. If anything happens to the things in the warehouse, you'll be in big trouble."

Upon hearing this, the three soldiers tensed up and stopped dragging the woman away. They quickly assured him, "Don't worry, sir, we'll go back right away, right away."

Seeing that they said they were leaving, but their eyes kept glancing at the woman, Wang Zong immediately scolded, "Get out of here now, or I'll report you to the magistrate."

Upon hearing this, the three soldiers immediately snapped out of their daze, reluctantly turned their gaze away, and pushed each other away.

After everyone left, Wang Zong said to the woman who was kneeling on the ground, trembling, "Go back quickly."

Upon hearing this, the woman quickly hugged her child and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, sir."

Seeing the woman leave, Wang Zong returned to Zhao Zexuan's side and respectfully said, "General, their warehouse is full of gunpowder, should we..."

Understanding Wang Zong's meaning, Zhao Zexuan glanced at the location of the warehouse and said, "Let's discuss this further and make a decision after Mo Nan has found out the situation clearly."

***

As the three soldiers walked back, they complained, "We had such bad luck today. We had to run into an officer, which left me with no way to vent my anger."

“That man is such a busybody. It’s not like other officials have seen this before and said nothing, but this time he’s been fixated on us.”

"This is absolutely terrible luck. I've never seen that person before. Is he our superior?"

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged glances, and after a moment of silence, one of them said, "It must be him. That man has the aura of a soldier, and if it weren't him, how could he dare to openly command us?"

“It’s not surprising that we haven’t seen this official before. More and more officials have been coming here lately. It’s said that the King of Wu has a new idea and it’s estimated that war is about to break out, so we need to speed up the production of gunpowder.” The three of them huddled together and whispered.

With that thought in mind, the three of them stopped caring about what had just happened and quickened their pace toward the warehouse.

After Zhao Zexuan and his men openly strolled around the area, it was already afternoon. They managed to shake off the soldiers inside and escaped successfully.

Mo Nan had already returned with his men after gathering information and was waiting in the same spot. Upon seeing Zhao Zexuan and his group return, he immediately went to greet them.

"General, the situation has been clarified," Mo Nan said.

"Wait a moment, we'll talk about it when we get back!" Zhao Zexuan stopped him.

As darkness fell, judging from the current deployment in Majia Village, it was estimated that martial law would be imposed after dark, so it was best not to linger. The group quickly withdrew and returned to their unit.

Su Li, who was directing the soldiers to load the cotton-padded clothes and quilts they had made onto the vehicle, saw Zhao Zexuan and his group returning in a hurry. Seeing that they seemed to have something to say, she did not go up to disturb them.

Everyone in the group noticed the return of Zhao Zexuan and his group, and realizing they had something to do, they quietly continued with their own tasks.

Back on their own territory, the group relaxed a little. Mo Nan then continued, "General, what they're digging for isn't iron ore at all, but saltpeter, the material for making gunpowder. They've already made quite a bit of gunpowder, which is all stockpiled in the warehouse in Majia Village."

"There's good news. The gunpowder they've made hasn't been shipped out yet. We've heard that Huacheng will send people to pick it up in three days."

Upon hearing this, the generals who remained in the ranks immediately said nervously, "General, we cannot let them get their hands on the gunpowder. If the gunpowder falls into the hands of the King of Wu, countless people will suffer."

The generals present all knew the power of gunpowder. In the past, when no one had gunpowder, it didn't matter. But if one side suddenly broke the balance, the situation would likely become tense instantly.

In no time, the generals reached a consensus—the gunpowder must not be transported away, absolutely not.

"General, what should we do next?" Wang Zong asked.

"Have you found out the location of the warehouse?" Zhao Zexuan asked.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zong immediately nodded and said, "I've found out. It's right in the center of Majia Village. Those people have combined the houses inside into one room to use as a storeroom, and it's heavily guarded."

"Around what time will the warehouse staff be on duty?" Zhao Zexuan asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Zong said, "Their shift starts at midnight, and there's only a 15-minute gap in between. After that, there will be even more people on guard!"

“So we only have a quarter of an hour, which means we have to empty the gunpowder from the warehouse within a quarter of an hour, right?” Zhao Zexuan said.

"That's the principle, but it's quite a challenge to empty the entire warehouse of gunpowder in such a short time," Wang Zong said with some concern.

Upon hearing this, the other generals also showed worried expressions. They gritted their teeth and said, "No matter what, we have to get the gunpowder out, even if it costs us our lives. Otherwise, if they really get their hands on it, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"But this will also result in significant losses for us," Wang Zong said with concern.

Upon hearing this, the other generals were about to speak up in rebuttal when Zhao Zexuan stopped them, saying, "If we can't fight them head-on, then we'll outsmart them. Right now, they're in the open while we're in the shadows, so what's there to worry about?"

Upon hearing this, the other generals asked in confusion, "How do you mean by outsmarting them?"

"Using a feint to lure the tiger away from the mountain, or a diversionary tactic to the east while attacking in the west, there's always a way to overcome difficulties!" Zhao Zexuan said.