Fu Chen’an patted his wife’s hand gently and said, "Wife, don’t worry. The General will find a way to solve this problem."

Hearing this, Yao Zhi shook her head and sighed. "I’m afraid this matter is not that simple."

"What do you mean?"

Yao Zhi met his gaze and replied, "The Emperor clearly knows that the White Tiger Army lacks funds to pay the soldiers’ salaries, let alone provide new armor or weapons."

"If the General is unable to obtain new equipment, his chances of completing the task are almost zero. He might die on the battlefield."

"If he survives, he will bear the blame for losing the war and causing the deaths of countless soldiers. If that happens, his prestige among the soldiers and the people will be damaged, which is exactly what the Emperor wants."

"But if the General manages to provide new armor or weapons, the Emperor might use that as an excuse to accuse him of rebellion. Without permission, forging weapons or armor is considered treason."

"So the choices are between dying on the battlefield with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, or facing the extermination of his nine clans."

After she finished, she asked, "With the General’s personality, which choice will he take?"

Fu Chen’an’s heart trembled at her words. The more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right.

If the Emperor truly wanted to expand the territory, he would have prepared equipment and provisions. Since he did not, his true target was the General’s military power.

After a long silence, he asked, "Wife, do you have a way to help the General?"

Yao Zhi thought for a long time, weighing the pros and cons. Right now, the only person who could help them survive this ordeal was Lei Feng.

But Lei Feng was an identity she created through deception. She had no real backing, nor any so-called Nuwa Clan behind her.

Since she couldn’t provide modern weapons to aid the White Tiger Army due to the Heavenly Dao’s restrictions, she needed to find another way. With the Emperor laying traps for the General, she couldn’t provide weapons or armor either.

Without a clear plan, she took out the technology records given by the system. She flipped through the pages slowly as she checked the contents.

While she was absorbed in her reading, Fu Chen’an peeked at the book and saw nothing but blank pages. Unlike the military manuals, the contents of this book could only be seen by the Host bound by the auction system.

After a long time, Yao Zhi’s gaze stopped at the page where the recipe for gunpowder was recorded.

Besides the modern version of gunpowder, which used nitrocellulose combined with nitroglycerin, there was also an ancient version that used saltpeter, coal, and sulfur.

Although the blasting power of the ancient version was far weaker compared to the modern version, the materials were available in this era.

To make sure that she didn’t take out items that didn’t belong to this era, Yao Zhi checked the list she bought before from the system. Seeing that everything was available, she took out a piece of paper and a fountain pen from her system’s storage.

She wrote down the formula for the ancient version of gunpowder. Then, she turned to her husband and said, "Husband, we might have a way to solve the problem."

Fu Chen’an glanced at the paper and asked, "Wife, what is it?"

"This is the recipe for gunpowder. The main ingredients are saltpeter, coal, and sulfur. This is a type of weapon that explodes after being ignited. So, before it explodes, we must throw it at the enemy."

"I drew several designs of explosives using gunpowder. The tube-shaped one can be thrown by the soldiers. As for the ball-shaped one, it is to be thrown using a catapult."

As he heard his wife’s words, Fu Chen’an felt his heart beat so fast that he felt short of breath. Even without his wife telling him how powerful this thing was, he could guess.

He licked his dry lips and said, "Wife, even if we give the recipe to the General, we won’t have enough time to collect the materials and produce the gunpowder. What’s more, with the envoy keeping an eye on the General, this recipe might fall into other people’s hands."

"That’s why we are not going to the General. We are going to his wife," Yao Zhi smiled.

After she said this, she hugged her husband and said, "Husband, I will do my best to support you. But you have to promise me one thing."

The tips of Fu Chen’an’s ears turned red when he felt his wife’s softness pressing against his chest. He swallowed and asked hoarsely, "As long as I’m able to, I will give you everything."

"I didn’t ask you to give me everything you have. Just make sure to protect yourself and return safely. I don’t want to become a widow at a young age."

Noticing her worries, Fu Chen’an’s gaze softened. He wrapped his arms around her body and nodded. "I promise you."

They discussed their plans for a few more minutes before Yao Zhi went to cook a meal for her husband. After he finished the meal, Fu Chen’an left the shared manor. He still had a lot of things to do before he departed tomorrow.

As for Yao Zhi, she changed her clothes and left the shared manor. Reappearing in her room, she went to sleep. Tomorrow, she still had a lot of things to do.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Yao Zhi had already woken up and finished her morning routine.

When she left her room, she saw Ling Yi and the rest busy watering the garden, chopping firewood, and filling the water vats with well water.

Since this well was connected to the system’s river, the water was safe for consumption.

Seeing her coming, they greeted her, "Greetings, Master."

Yao Zhi raised her hand and said, "Good morning, everyone." After a moment of pause, she added, "I’m going out today. Shiwu, Shiqi, Shijiu, the three of you will come with me."

Hearing this, the three of them nodded and said in unison, "Understood."

After breakfast, they rode the donkey cart and left at six o’clock in the morning.