I Became a Sugar Mama to an Ancient General during a Famine! - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: General, You’re Close with the Gods, Why Not Ask for Another Favor?

He watched as Zhan Chengyin welcomed soldiers from Chu kingdom who came seeking to join the army.

During the half year at Zhen Guan, he had observed everything clearly.

From the daily deaths by starvation to the opening of the General Manor’s granaries, providing water and porridge to the people.

Now, the Zhan family army possessed weapons and equipment that didn’t belong to this era.

The granaries were so full of rice that there was no room left.

The entire city’s residents had been feasting on watermelon for days, with more still available.

These days, breakfast alternated between steamed buns and scallion pancakes, served with rice porridge.

Such a bountiful breakfast was unheard of even in the homes of imperial ministers, let alone feeding an entire city.

The people of Zhen Guan were truly blessed; food was no longer a concern.

Last night, the dried-up river had filled with water.

It happened overnight.

This event was so astonishing that Shi Meng broke his master’s oath to perform a divination.

The backlash was severe—blood spurted from his nose!

Zhan Chengyin’s original fate had shown a short lifespan, with death certain within half a month.

But now fate had shifted, as someone powerful from another world supported him.

This mysterious benefactor was kind-hearted.

All of Zhan Chengyin’s generals revered this person as a god.

Considering this, Shi Meng decided to pledge his loyalty to Zhan Chengyin.

Zhan Chengyin’s destiny had transformed.

If he could overcome this obstacle, his future held limitless potential, even the possibility of ascending to the highest position.

Shi Meng had once sworn to his master to avoid worldly affairs.

But with people starving to death, such promises meant little. Survival came first.

Upon meeting Zhan Chengyin, he bowed with clasped hands. “Greetings, General.”

“You wish to join me?”

“Yes, General!”

“You may join the army…”

“General, I’ve seen your buried explosives. I know the proper gunpowder ratios; I’ve mixed it before, though for elixir refinement.”

He never imagined gunpowder could kill people, let alone that it could decimate half an army.

At Qingfeng Temple, his masters and fellow disciples constantly refined elixirs, destroying countless furnaces.

Yet none realized the explosions were caused by gunpowder.

Zhan Chengyin was stunned by his words. “Is this true?”

“Yes, General. I wouldn’t dare deceive you. While Zhen Guan lacks the saltpeter needed for gunpowder, if you provide me with some explosives, I can create ones of unprecedented power.”

Zhan Chengyin stepped forward and patted his shoulder. “Good. Try it first, and if successful…”

“You’ll have a place by my side.”

“Tian Qin, get this young man fresh clothes and shoes, and prepare a room in the General’s Manor.”

“Yes, General.”

As Tian Qin led Shi Meng away to work on the gunpowder, Ye Mumu sent a note.

「The ice is arriving soon. Is your pit ready?」

Zhan Chengyin replied, 「Give me a moment.」

「Alright!」

About five minutes later, Zhan Chengyin sent another note.

Ye Mumu transferred the ice blocks from her warehouse, followed by the pork.

The warehouse floor was stained with blood and melted ice water.

She cleaned the floor thoroughly with water.

By the time everything was tidied up, it was 5 PM.

She called the manager of the farm resort her parents had gifted her.

They had leased that mountain for twenty years and built a traditional-style resort there.

The property boasted eight ancient-style buildings, each containing four to six rooms.

It was extremely popular online, frequently attracting influencers for photo shoots.

Built halfway up the mountain with a small stream at its foot, the resort had taken on an ethereal quality recently, as rain-induced mist shrouded the mountains like a fairyland.

Behind the resort, her parents had specially constructed a three-story villa for her, hidden within the forest.

Adjacent to the villa stood a small warehouse with three underground levels, where her father had stored abundant supplies of canned food, water, and compressed biscuits.

Her father had joked that if doomsday ever came, this villa could serve as an apocalypse fortress, sustaining her for three to five years.

She instructed the manager to prepare the villa for her arrival that evening.

The mountain property, including both the resort and villa, had cost her parents hundreds of millions.

Though the resort performed well, earning three to four million annually after expenses, they were still far from recovering their investment.

As a vacation retreat, Ye Mumu was thoroughly satisfied!

Manager Li, upon hearing of her arrival, immediately had the villa prepared.

Ye Mumu drove to the resort, ascending the hillside to the villa.

Since its construction, her parents had spent two months there with her every year.

The house held precious memories of their family time together.

Now she returned alone.

Manager Li opened the door and set dinner on the table.

“Miss Ye, how long will you be staying?”

“A month or two. Go about your duties, and don’t disturb me unless necessary. No need to bring meals—I’ll call the restaurant when hungry.”

“Understood.”

After the manager’s departure, she noticed Xiao Hua calling. “Mumu, why weren’t you answering your phone?”

“The goods have arrived in the suburbs. Do you still want them?”

“Yes, Uncle Xiao. I’m at the farm resort now. Have the driver deliver them directly here.”

“Send me the address.”

Half an hour later, Xiao Hua, the explosives factory owner, and the driver arrived at Ye Mumu’s villa.

Upon exiting the car, Xiao Hua noticed the sign.

“Xianyuan Farm Resort—this belongs to your family?”

“Yes, my parents’ coming-of-age gift to me!”

Xiao Hua adjusted his glasses and said, “I’ve helped you so much. How about a VIP card?”

Ye Mumu retrieved a VIP card from her bag and handed it to him.

“The owner’s VIP card—three free visits, then 20% off thereafter.”

Xiao Hua’s eyes crinkled in satisfaction. “Not bad. You’re much easier to deal with than your father.”

“Let’s unload. Good thing we didn’t enter the city—police checkpoints are strict.”

They worked together to unload the goods.

Afterward, she settled the payment with Xiao Hua, who then paid the factory owner.

Once they departed, Ye Mumu wrote a note to Zhan Chengyin.

「The explosives have arrived. Will transfer them in half an hour.」

At that moment, Zhan Chengyin was meeting with his generals.

They had discovered the positions of the Chu and Yong armies.

Surprisingly, these forces were even closer to Zhen Guan than the barbarian army.

The two kingdoms were actively sharing intelligence.

The widespread rumors of their rivalry and constant warfare were completely false.

They had united, planning to kill Zhan Chengyin and seize Zhen Guan!

Ye Mumu’s explosives couldn’t have arrived at a more crucial time.

The Zhan family army desperately needed them.

Yong kingdom commanded 200,000 troops, while Chu Kingdom fielded 250,000.

Combined, they mustered 450,000 soldiers.

Adding the barbarians’ 200,000 would create a massive force of 650,000 troops.

Such an army could sweep through Qi kingdom multiple times.

Chen Wu was elated.

“The gods have blessed us with explosives at the perfect moment, as if knowing exactly what we needed.”

Chen Kui added, “With these explosives, we can resist the armies of Chu and Yong.”

Zhan Chengyin shook his head. “The numerical disparity is too great. Even with every citizen enlisted, we have less than 50,000—only 48,000 troops.”

Against 650,000, victory would be nearly impossible, even with superior equipment.

Their alliance’s overwhelming numbers would negate any advantage from the Zhan army’s advanced weapons.

“If we could recruit Xu Huai’s 100,000 men, we might stand a chance.”

“But we’d need massive quantities of weapons, equipment, and explosives to have any hope of victory.”

At this, everyone looked hopefully at Zhan Chengyin, eagerly discussing among themselves.

“General, let’s beseech the gods for more weapons and equipment!”

“We need triple the explosives—or better yet, as many as possible.”

“You’re close with the gods, why not ask for another favor?”