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

In order to catch up with the group, Zhao Zexuan and his group had barely stopped on the road for the past few days and had been traveling non-stop. Now that they had finally caught up, they were all in a sorry state.

Seeing that Zhao Zexuan and his group were followed by many unfamiliar faces, Su Li knew that these were the people they had recruited. Without asking any further questions, she told the aunties to cook more food.

Mo Bei and Wang Zong greeted Zhao Zexuan with joy, saying, "General, you've finally arrived."

Seeing that everything was alright, Zhao Zexuan was relieved and nodded, saying, "Finally caught up. You two have worked hard these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Mo Bei and Wang Zong said, "This is our duty, it's not hard work. It must have been difficult for you, General, along the way."

Hearing this, Mo Nan became a little more lively and said, "It was not easy. We dealt with three groups of pursuers and traveled day and night to catch up with you."

"How did those soldiers react so quickly and catch up?" Wang Zong asked with some doubt.

Hearing Wang Zong's question, Mo Nan explained, "This batch of gunpowder is very important to King Wu. After learning that it was lost, King Wu sent a large number of people to search for it. They followed the clues and caught up with us, but we have dealt with them all now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zong frowned and said, "General, it seems they value this batch of gunpowder very much, otherwise they wouldn't be pursuing it so relentlessly. I doubt they'll give up so easily!"

Zhao Zexuan was well aware of Wang Zong's concerns, and said, "So we need to find a solution before the pursuers catch up. What do you think about us settling down in the north of the city?"

The last sentence was crucial. Wang Zong and the others hadn't expected Zhao Zexuan to have this plan, and they murmured uncertainly, "Settle down in Beicheng!"

"Wang Zong, convey my order to all the generals to put down what they are doing. I want to discuss something with everyone: settling down in Beicheng!" Zhao Zexuan said.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zong immediately nodded and turned to call for help.

Judging that it would take a while for everyone to gather, Zhao Zexuan took some time to go and visit Su Li.

Looking at Zhao Zexuan, who was unshaven and looked exhausted, Su Li could hardly believe that this was him.

"Did you have a safe journey?" Su Li asked first.

Hearing this, Zhao Zexuan nodded and said, "I'm alright, you're safe and sound!"

Su Li understood Zhao Zexuan's meaning, and said, "I'm fine, but you all look very tired."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan rubbed his temples and said, "Traveling day and night is tiring, but we won't have to travel anymore soon."

These sudden words puzzled Su Li, and she looked at Zhao Zexuan with wide eyes, somewhat uncertain.

“I have carefully studied every location on the map, and Beicheng is currently the most suitable,” Zhao Zexuan explained.

"North City? But I've heard that North City isn't very big!" Su Li asked in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan said, "That's why I plan to take over Nancheng, which isn't far away, as well!"

Perhaps worried that Su Li didn't know the location of the North and South Cities, Zhao Zexuan took out the map from his pocket, opened it, pointed to the location of the two cities, and said, "If these two cities can be connected, the territory will be greatly expanded. Moreover, the location here is very suitable. There are city walls in front of the city, and a large river behind the city, separating the two banks. It will be very difficult for the enemy to land by boat."

Hearing Zhao Zexuan's explanation, Su Li understood the key point and nodded, saying, "Then I have no objection. As long as everyone's safety can be guaranteed, there's no problem."

Zhao Zexuan understood Su Li's concerns and said, "I have clearly felt the temperature drop these days. Based on the abnormal natural phenomena in recent years, I suspect that this winter is not as simple as we imagine. The risks on the road are too great, and we cannot take that risk."

Su Li nodded. This was exactly what she was considering. If an unexpected situation occurred on the road, there wouldn't even be a chance to react.

Seeing that Su Li did not object, Zhao Zexuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It will still take some effort to conquer the North and South Cities. In the meantime, I will have to trouble you and your aunts to take care of them!"

"Don't worry, we definitely won't hold you back," Su Li assured her.

Speaking of the situation in the team, Zhao Zexuan thought of the miners who had been with them since Majia Village. After a pause, he said, "The miners who came with us helped us a lot in Majia Village. I also had someone carefully observe their character these past few days, and they seem to be quite reliable."

Understanding Zhao Zexuan's meaning, Su Li nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. As long as they behave themselves, I will treat them equally."

……

Zhao Zexuan had other matters to attend to, so he didn't go into details at the moment. The specifics of how to proceed would need to be discussed further.

The sooner things are settled, the sooner they can feel at ease. At this point, Su Li agrees with settling down, so she decides to give them her full support.

……

Unaware of Su Li's thoughts, Zhao Zexuan was currently discussing the matter of settling down with his generals, and the discussion was in full swing.

"What do you all think about us settling down in Beicheng?" Zhao Zexuan suggested.

"North City, isn't this place too close to the territory of the King of Wu?" a general asked with a frown.

Upon hearing this, the other generals also frowned and asked, "Yes, General, we just seized a batch of gunpowder from the King of Wu. Would it be inappropriate to settle here now?"

Knowing the generals' concerns, Zhao Zexuan took the original map from Mo Nan, unfolded it, pointed to the location of the North City, and pointed to the terrain around the North City, saying, "The North City has a good geographical location, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as we hold these entrances, it will be difficult for the enemy to attack the city."

"Besides, they won't have time to deal with us for long."

Upon hearing this, the generals all cast curious glances, wondering what was going on.

Seeing the curious looks from the generals, Zhao Zexuan didn't offer much explanation. He didn't want to cause panic before anything happened.

"Does the general intend to capture the southern city as well?" A military advisor, seeing through the general's intentions, asked directly.

Hearing this, Zhao Zexuan did not deny it and nodded, saying, "The South City is located near the North City. If we do not take over the South City, the North City will not be safe either, and we will always be attacked from both sides."

"As you can see on the map, if these two locations were combined into one, it would take the enemy a lot of effort to attack them," Zhao Zexuan said, pointing to the two locations of the north and south cities on the map.

"Which faction controls the North and South Cities now?" a general asked the most crucial question.

Zhao Zexuan: "The original official of the imperial court—Prefect Su!"

The generals exclaimed, "It's him..."