The smell of gunpowder, this smell of gunpowder, when they make fireworks and firecrackers, it will have this smell.
Maybe powerful weapons are made from the raw materials of this gunpowder, but itâs unclear why the power is so great?
Then only those who can make firecrackers and fireworks should be recruited into the army to study, similarly researching to create a powerful weapon, a weapon with heavy lethality, they will fight again.
The enemy army is temporarily silent.
The old general and his sons, along with other troops, are not idle.
They are preventing the opponent from sneaking over and stealing things.
Preventing another city, every few days some people claim to be a caravan or people sent by the court, wanting to enter the city, wanting to see the general.
They stopped all those behind, simply not opening the city gates.
For a period of time, they did not lack food, and when they did lack food, food and supplies fell from the sky.
It seems they lived better than before; they didnât want to temporarily stop receiving things from the sky just because of others arriving.
In the plot, that traitor receives a secret letter, angrily chatting with allied teams, they planned to eliminate the old generalâs family members so that the old general and people in their city would return.
They secretly have someone fake an imperial decree, send people to compel the old general to return to the capital, then they will find an opportunity to lure everyone out.
Jiang Tang, under his wivesâ advice, in the situation of a foolish monarch ignoring business, and the prince cooperating with traitors.
He quietly makes the traitor mastermind sick, his body gradually weakens to the point of being unable to walk or work, headaches whenever thinking.
His organs will slowly fail due to illness, then quietly die of illness.
Of course, heâs sick, and family members find doctors for him, and the prince also finds the imperial physician, but no one can diagnose the illness.
The traitor, the biggest ringleader, is sick, others also gradually get sick, it seems like an infectious disease; whether emperor, princes, or those with impure intentions, they all gradually get sick.
The imperial physician is busy at full stretch, the emperor is sick, they first treat the emperor, prince, and grandson; as for ministers, only excluding those with impure intentions.
Others are fine, they are okay, but with the emperor and princes sick, they cannot attend court.
Itâs an idle officeholder, fine since they all donât need to attend court, whether to attend or not doesnât matter.
Those with jobs, because of health issues, have no choice but to take sick leave at home.
Their families are anxious like an epidemic, with many changing, other families are okay, others irrelevant are fine, they are fine, healthy, but incapable, not involved in this war issue.
Moreover, the emperor has been consuming pills, is a Taoist, found by the emperor, refining pills for him to consume.
Now the emperor is sick, the Taoist feels anxious inside, yet does not admit itâs the pillâs problem.
Even some ministers say itâs due to him, he doesnât want to take the blame.
Although the emperorâs son tampered with the pills, they just used antagonistic medicinal herbs, not immediate lethal.
Itâs a kind of chronic poison, wonât cause illness rapidly.
If you say the emperorâs pills have problems, then what about the prince?
The ministers?
Some start discussing, more people become anxious.
Whenever there are such sick people in the family, there is no cure for them, because doctors havenât found the cause, how could they treat?
As for minor illnesses and pains, those differ from specific symptoms, these having illness wouldnât cause them panic.
Rumors circulate in the capital, itâs definitely those people did something for this situation.
However, such rumors are just acquaintances discussing among themselves.
After all, these sick people are all dignitaries, including the emperor and princes.
The emperor and princes are sick, certain ministers are sick as well, things start becoming chaotic here.
Royal family members, those previously weak feeling they have no authority, now that they are not sick and in pain, feel they start moving, opportunity arrives.
In such circumstances, initially only the emperorâs son contended for succession, now some royal family members also join.
They believe that as long as they have healthy bodies, theyâll have chances to stand at that position.
After all, not every dynasty uses people similarly, theyâll fight for it.
As long as they have the capability, they can fight for it.
The emperor and princes donât have healthy bodies, the ministers supporting them are also sick.
This equals providing others with a chance, given such an opportunity, those people started working.
The old general guarding the border is unaware of this, but they start preparing themselves.
A message has been written and sent back from the capital, the emperor and people are sick, unable to cure, soon they might become chaotic.
The old general listens to Jiang Tangâs advice, feels that this foolish emperor and his sons arenât fit to be emperor, people support him standing at that position, he and his family can compete.
Even if history books mention it, there will be people to support them; after all, those people are incompetent and donât care for the populace.
The old general wonât refrain from assuming that position just because heâs old now.
He might live decades longer; in these decades, heâll manage the country well before passing on the throne.
The old generalâs wise idea isnât discussed with his sons and grandsons yet.
They proceed secretly, sending sons and grandsons to execute.
After dealing with this, he could take his sons and grandsons back to the capital, leaving subordinates to guard here.
The people sent by him, as they began stabilizing the border, not receiving a decree canât return, he needs to handle it without allowing the border city to be breached, and after their departure, the hundred-thousand-strong army must defend this place.
Even with sufficient food supplies itâs not enough, due to large numbers, besides facing water scarcity in summer, winterâs snowy cold poses warmth challenges.
The entire city wishing to fare better through the winter.
The old general silently chants inside; after departing, once the family returns to the capital, the city will have reached winter?
After leaving here, ensuring adequate grain supplies, ensuring material supplies, preventing starvation and freezing to death due to scarcity in trying times.
After returning to the capital, distant water wonât quench near thirst.
The old general understands, this time if not for the deityâs help, even the whole family here couldnât save the soldiers and civilians.
Although they have guard troops, they are few; their salary, Generalâs Mansionâs shop earnings, these years spent purchasing food supplies and materials.
How significant is that amount of wealth?
If the court doesnât support them, the hundred-thousand-strong army besides eating and drinking supplies canât lack military salary, many need to support families.
Some soldiers have entire families living not too far outside camp, or several miles away.
There are residential areas for military families since not all soldiers originate from all over the nation, some are from villages near cities, reaching age must send a child to enlist.
Jiang Tang receives a request; isnât it easy?
Isnât it merely setting up simple formations for these two cities?
With protective formations, in freezing weather, they remain warm like spring.
Such weather eases material burdens for warming soldiers and regular peopleâs supplies every year.
Annual coal transport from elsewhere and various other materials or drugs used more during winter.
During departure, grain and related supplies aid by dropping from the sky, helping everyone.
At this moment, not only this city but neighboring cities also enjoy this benefit.
His formation encloses two cities, preventing supposed foreign soldiers from opening city gates, making invasion difficult.