Chapter 252: Seizing Power 6
still foolish, such a wind-ling Xi, actually deceived everyone in the capital."Get out of here, or I'll kill you."Feng Lingxi glared at him, the wound on the back of her head throbbing from the force..."The last general greets the Queen."
General Zhang, who was stationed at the front line in the mountain valley, saw Feng Lingxi approaching and hurried forward to greet her.
"General Zhang, could you possibly do me a favor"
Feng Lingxi didn't hide it from him, seeing him nod, "I need a batch of supplies. General Sun over there can't leave. Could you send someone to the nearby county town to buy some back for me"
"Shall I make the trip myself"
Feng Lingxi nodded and took out a recipe and handed it to him, "This is the sulfur and charcoal I need."
"Your Highness, there are quite a few charcoal kilns in this city. Perhaps we could simply burn our own instead Even if we wanted to buy it, it would be impossible to obtain."
Feng Lingxi nodded, "Then buy sulfur, buy as much as we can."
General Zhang responded, and Feng Lingxi handed him the silver note, instructing, "Remember, keep this matter secret. Don't tell anyone, not even my third sister."
General Zhang responded, waving to his deputy beside him. "You stay here and guard this place. I'm going out for a bit."
The general's eyes fell on the formula in General Zhang's hand, and he inquired curiously, "General, this subordinate is being impertinent, but I wonder why sulfur needs to be purchased Why not just go to Shilippo Mountain, pick up some stones, and make your own"
"Shilipo" Feng Lingxi narrowed her eyes, "Are you sure there's sulfur over there"
The general nodded, "There's a hill over there, full of brimstone rocks. I once met a doctor from the city there, he was collecting stones. He told me that the whole place is made of brimstone rocks, but this stuff isn't very useful. Just take some rubble back and grind it into sulfur powder."
Wind Lingxi glanced at him, "How long will it take to get there"
"It took about a stick of incense to ride there, not far away."
Feng Lingxi looked at Xiaoli, "Let's go take a look."
General Zhang hurriedly stopped her, "Your Highness, the King ordered me to protect your safety. If you truly desire sulfur stones, I will have them brought back to you. Please do not make this journey."
Feng Lingxi soothed, "It's only a stick of incense time. You guys find some people to accompany me and take a look. Isn't this still our territory I'll be back soon, it won't take much time."
"But what if something happened to you…"
"It'll be fine, let's go."
Wind Ling leaped onto her horse. If it was indeed brimstone, she could save a sum of money, and all the materials needed for gunpowder production in the later stages would be available as well.
General Zhang, unable to resist her, hastily led his troops to follow. They camped and continued their watch.
After a stick of incense, Feng Lingxi arrived at Shilitpo as the deputy general had said. Looking at the desolate hills nearby, she walked towards the stone mill ahead. The deputy general hurriedly caught up with her and picked up a stone from where they had previously collected them and handed it to her, “Your Highness, this is the place.”
Feng Lingxi took the stone, looked at it, and drew out the dagger she had hidden in her waist. She knelt down, using the dagger to pry open the surface of the stone, taking out a palm-sized piece. Because of years of accumulation, the stone's color was not very bright, but underneath it was gleaming yellow. If this wasn't sulfur, then what was it
Feng Lingxi checked the area and found many sulfur stones piled up nearby.
"It's really a sulfur stone."
Feng Lingxi picked up several stones and gave them to Xiao Li to put away. "Send people here tomorrow to load a few truckloads back. All of them need to be like these stones."
He showed Zhang General the stones he had picked up, reminding them not to pick the wrong ones, and then returned to the city with the stones.
"Your Majesty, are these stones really brimstone"
Xiaoli watched as the princess, carrying a stone, entered the house and hurriedly followed her. After Feng Lingxi entered the house, she eagerly took out her tools and began tinkering.
Feng Lingxi responded, "That's right, it takes some time to extract sulfur, but it's still pretty good to save some money."
They are now short not only of grain, but also of money. They can save wherever possible, and besides, the refining methods are not difficult. If all else fails, they can find a doctor in town to help them, which is better than spending money to buy it. Besides, there is quite a lot of sulfur.
Xiaoli saw the busy figure of the princess and rushed forward to help. The two spent several hours until late at night before extracting sulfur. Feng Lingxi mixed the extracted sulfur with gunpowder and, according to the formula, configured the first batch of gunpowder, about twenty or so.
The next day, he took Xiao Li and General Sun to a hidden mountaintop to test the power of gunpowder, and after the test, they adjusted the amount accordingly.
After days of preparation, Feng Lingxi finally configured the proportions of gunpowder ingredients. After confirming their accuracy, she began to secretly refine and produce gunpowder.
Ten days had passed in a blink of an eye. It had been half a month since Dugu City went out. He only sent word that everything was going smoothly and he would be back in some time, asking her to take good care of the house.
"Xier, I heard that there have been good news coming from the King all along. So, can we go out for a walk"
Feng Yu Xi stayed in Xicun County for more than half a month, behaving calmly and not making any unusual moves. This behavior almost made Feng Ling Xi doubt if she had misunderstood her. If it weren't for the constant surveillance, she wouldn't believe that Feng Yu Xi could be so patient.
"Where do you want to go"
Feng Lingxi poured her a glass of water. Thinking about how she went to the market every day these days to drink tea and stroll around, interacting with people every day, he wondered why she hadn't made a move yet. Was this invitation meant to lure her out
How was the hunting outside the city
Feng Lingxi raised an eyebrow, looking at Feng Yu Xi's expectant eyes, and asked with a faint smile, "When will the third sister go hunting"
"Let's take a group out. We won't, they will do fine. I heard there are a lot of wild beasts these days, we can hunt some back for dinner, what do you think"
"Let the soldiers handle this. The Prince has ordered me to guard the city well, and I cannot leave without permission. If the enemy were to appear, Linxi County cannot afford any slip-ups. If Third Sister wishes to go hunting, I'll have someone accompany you."
Feng Yu's face fell as the evening approached, "What's fun about going alone I only want to go with you because it would be more fun."
Feng Lingxi furrowed her brows, it seemed she was really going to make a move. Dugu Cheng hadn't returned yet. If she really went out, if a fight broke out, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
"Third Sister, really no way. I'll accompany you when the Royal Prince comes back."
Feng Lingxi finished speaking, ignoring her displeasure. She picked up the ledger beside her and began to flip through it. Feng Yuxi noticed this and glanced at her neck. “Xier, was your Zixing necklace given to you by your mother”
"It was given to me by my mother before she passed away. What's the problem"
When the wind and rain were at their peak, she looked at her with concern and asked about Zi Xing's whereabouts. She quickly replied, "It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered and wanted to ask."
"My mother didn't tell me the necklace was called Zixing. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't said so. Besides being a reminder of my mother, this Zixing isn't anything special either."on his body made his murderous aura even stronger. A cold air emanated from his stern face."Ye Xi, bring people to continue searching for Dugu Xiu's whereabouts. This king wants to capture him alive."...