Traveling back to ancient times to get rich

Chapter 152 The Arrival of the Large Force

The following morning, sunlight streamed down the ancient streets of Ji City, and the distant sounds of horses' hooves and orderly footsteps echoed. A massive army of 2000 soldiers was rapidly approaching the small city. Clad in uniform armor and wielding sharp weapons, their imposing presence inspired awe.

To avoid causing panic among the local people, the rest of the soldiers, except for the leader, quietly bypassed the bustling streets and headed straight for the local government office. The leader, however, rode alone to an inn in the city.

When the leader arrived at the inn, he hurriedly dismounted, tossed the reins to the waiter, and rushed up the stairs. At that moment, in a room on the second floor, Gu Mochen sat quietly by the window, gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing a rapid knock at the door, he slowly turned his head, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his face. He knew it must be the leader coming to meet him.

"Come in!" Gu Mochen said softly.

The door was pushed open, and the leader strode into the room, kneeling on one knee to salute, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Chen! This humble general has been ordered to lead two thousand men to provide support. Please instruct Your Highness on the next course of action."

Gu Mochen stood up, walked to the team leader, reached out to help him up, and then calmly asked, "Brothers, was the journey smooth?"

The leader quickly replied, "Your Highness, all is well. It's just that the journey has been long, and everyone is a bit tired. Have we finally caught up with you? How are you and the Princess?"

Gu Mochen smiled and nodded slightly, his eyes revealing satisfaction, indicating his approval of the current situation. Then, he walked steadily to the desk where the writing implements were placed, reached into his robes, and pulled out an exquisite keepsake. This was something Ye Qingchen had made for him; many were made, pressed directly from transparent, colored plastic, making it impossible for anyone else to replicate.

Gu Mochen handed the token to the other party and said slowly, "We'll stay here for a few days. You should go and rest at the prefect's residence. Five days later, you can lead some people to the renowned weapons shop and the clothing shop to collect the items. These are gifts specially prepared by my beloved concubine for you brothers. After all, our journey is long and arduous, and the weather is getting colder, so having more supplies is always beneficial." After speaking, he paused for a moment and glanced thoughtfully at the door.

Then, Gu Mochen spoke again, "Leave the carriages prepared for us here." With that, he reached into his robes once more, this time pulling out several silver notes, each worth one hundred taels. Without hesitation, he handed them to the leader, saying firmly, "Take these notes and give the brothers plenty of meat and fish. This journey has been arduous; I should treat everyone to a good meal!"

The general took the silver note, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gu Mochen, and said, "On behalf of all the soldiers, thank you, Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort!" After saying that, he left, a slight smile playing on his lips. He thought to himself that he wanted to follow this prince from now on; he seemed like a rather nice person!

After resolving these matters, Gu Mochen hurried to find Ye Qingchen. Ye Qingchen was grinding cornmeal, struggling with it. Curious, Gu Mochen asked, "Madam, what are you doing? Did the cornmeal do something to you?"

Ye Qingchen slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on Gu Mochen, a faint smile playing on her lips. She gently rubbed her neck as she softly said, "Oh dear, no way! The cornmeal didn't bother me! Actually, it's just that I think the cornmeal they grind these days is too coarse, the texture isn't very good. So, I thought I'd make it finer, mix it with flour, and make some delicious pancakes. I've been tinkering with it for ages, and while it's definitely much finer than before, it still feels a little rough." With that, Ye Qingchen picked up the pestle again and continued diligently pounding the cornmeal.

Gu Mochen looked at Ye Qingchen with a face full of tenderness, and quickly reached out to gently help her up, saying gently, "Darling, perhaps we can try an easier and simpler method." As soon as he finished speaking, he carefully packed all the piles of golden cornmeal into a bag without hesitation.

Then, an astonishing scene unfolded! Gu Mochen took a deep breath, gathered his inner strength, and slammed his palm down on the bag full of cornmeal. A deafening "bang" resounded, as if the earth were collapsing, and the entire space trembled. When everyone looked closely, they discovered that the originally distinct cornmeal had now transformed into an incredibly fine powder.

This amazing scene left Ye Qingchen speechless with astonishment, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief. She stared blankly at everything before her, then laughed and exclaimed, "My God! So that's how it's done! How come I've never thought of this method before? Honestly, I feel like my brain has suddenly gone sluggish!"

Gu Mochen nodded slightly and said slowly, "The method you used is actually the one most people usually use. Generally speaking, people either use a heavy stone mill to grind grains into powder, or they rely on manpower to pound them with a pestle and mortar. However, the waterwheel idea you mentioned last time is quite novel and interesting. I have already given the craftsmen the instructions to start building it, as you suggested. It should be installed in about half a month, and you may be able to see it when we return in a while!"

Ye Qingchen listened attentively to the other person's words, nodding occasionally to show his agreement and understanding. He narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Yes, you're right. The design of that waterwheel is truly ingenious! It can make full use of the gravitational potential energy of water and effectively convert it into kinetic energy. In this way, the power generated by the waterwheel can drive the entire mill to operate."

At this point, Ye Qingchen smiled with satisfaction and continued, "In this way, we won't need to rely on manpower or donkeys to drive the mill anymore. This not only greatly reduces the intensity of labor but also improves production efficiency. I've always hoped that our farmers could live a more relaxed and convenient life."

As if suddenly remembering something important, Ye Qingchen slapped his forehead and excitedly continued, "Oh dear, your reminder has given me some good ideas. I have several blueprints here for equipment that facilitates sowing and weeding. If we give these blueprints to skilled craftsmen to study and work on, they might be able to create practical tools very soon. Then, farming will be much easier for farmers!"