Lately, with the war growing more intense, many common folk gathered in front of the Tianxia Grain Store, fearful that it too might shut its doors and leave Suzhou City.

It was Gu Qingwan who repeatedly reassured them that the Tianxia Grain Store would never close, and that she herself would never leave Suzhou.

Her words were like a calming tonic, and the townspeople believed her.

More than that, they firmly believed that as long as their “fairy of Suzhou” remained, the city would never fall.

As their faith in her grew stronger, more and more people began to kneel near the store, kowtowing and praying, hoping Gu Qingwan would bless them and protect them from the chaos of war.

To the people of Suzhou, praying to Gu Qingwan was more effective than going to temples and worshiping deities.

It was she who had given them hope again and again.

It was thanks to her that they had been able to plant high-yield potatoes and sweet potatoes this year.

Even though the harvest hadn’t come yet, just the sweet potato leaves alone had already saved them.

The full harvest was only a month away, but then Beirong’s army attacked.

To protect the crops, Gu Qingwan told everyone not to harvest early and to leave the produce in the ground.

After all, the Beirong army wouldn’t bother digging up potatoes and sweet potatoes.

So long as the crops weren’t harvested, the enemy wouldn’t trouble themselves to dig them up either.

Early the next morning, Gu Qingwan brought the hand-held repeating crossbows and the repeating crossbow war chariot she’d worked on all night to the government office.

When Zhao Zhuo saw what she’d brought, his jaw dropped.

The delicate repeating crossbow could be operated even by a woman with ease, without much strength, and could fire multiple bolts.

Most ingenious of all—it had a sighting mechanism, allowing even first-time users to learn with just a single lesson.

The crossbow war chariot was even more formidable.

It fired bolts as thick as a woman’s wrist and over a meter long, with iron tips, capable of launching five shots in succession.

Gu Qingwan aimed it at a distant courtyard wall. With a loud twang, five giant bolts flew out, pierced through the wall, and knocked it down with a thunderous crash. Zhao Zhuo was utterly dumbfounded.

“Do you think, Governor,” she asked, “that with these weapons, the newly recruited militia can hold off the Northern Rong army?”

Zhao Zhuo nodded rapidly. “Yes, absolutely! These are divine weapons! Even I can shoot straight with the repeating crossbow—it’s foolproof. With a little training, the militia will be more than capable. And this war chariot—its power is terrifying, yet it’s light enough that a single adult man can operate it. Brilliant!”

Then he asked, “County Lady, since you’ve made such divine weapons, why not send them directly to Prince Zhan? If the Northern Defense Army had these, they’d fight like gods. Perhaps even Yan Prefecture wouldn’t have fallen.”

Gu Qingwan had thought about that too.

But making weapons took time, and by the time they were finished, Yan Prefecture might already have fallen due to the sheer difference in troop strength.

That’s why militia recruitment was essential.

If Yan did fall, Beirong(Northern Rong)’s army would march straight in, and the towns and villages around Suzhou would be the first to suffer.

If they could finish making these weapons in time, they would send them to the Northern Defense Army. If not, she would use them to defend Suzhou with her own recruited militia.

Understanding her plan, Zhao Zhuo didn’t hesitate any longer and immediately pledged his support in recruiting soldiers.

The moment recruitment notices went up, the entire city of Suzhou was in an uproar.

Not only did the government post notices, but Gu Qingwan’s Tianxia Grain Store posted one too—written personally by her.

Her rallying cry of “A battle to defend our homeland!” instantly stirred the people’s blood.

Her declaration of “no gender restrictions” elevated the status of women in Suzhou to new heights.

Watching the grain store swarmed with eager volunteers, Zhou Buren muttered, “Madness. They’ve all gone mad. War means heads rolling, don’t they know that? And they’re lining up to sign up?”

Never mind how dangerous war was—recruiting soldiers privately was a beheading offense.

Was Gu Qingwan mad?

And how could the governor indulge her?

“Master, are we really leaving Suzhou City?” a few of his young assistants couldn’t help but ask.

Zhou Buren sighed, “What choice do we have? Northern Rong Army is practically at the gates. We have to lay low for a while.”

“But if they really invade, there’s nowhere safe anyway,” one boy scratched his head, confused.

Zhou Buren smacked the boy’s forehead. “Blockhead! If we leave, at least there’s a chance to survive. Stay, and we’re dead for sure. Once the Northern Rong Army takes the city, we’ll all be slaves!”

“Master! Look! Isn’t that young master?” one boy pointed toward the entrance of the grain store, spotting a familiar figure trying to squeeze through the crowd.

Zhou Buren shaded his eyes from the sun and squinted.

Sure enough, he nearly jumped in fright—that was his own useless son, Zhou Jiabao.

What the hell was that brat doing? Surely he wasn’t planning to enlist?

“Zhou Jiabao! Get your butt back here!” Zhou Buren shouted, huffing and puffing as he rushed over.

Jiabao, hearing his father coming, quickly dove deeper into the crowd.

“Sister Gu! Sign me up! My name’s Zhou Jiabao!” he shouted, afraid he’d be too late to register.

Gu Qingwan looked up.

She recognized the boy—Zhou Buren’s only son, the spoiled little tyrant of Suzhou.

But he had a sweet tongue and was always polite, calling her “Sister.” So today, she actually gave him a rare smile.

“What are you doing here, causing trouble? Better watch out or your father’s going to give you a beating,” she said, glancing toward the puffing Zhou Buren running over.

“Don’t worry about him, just sign me up first! I’m going to the frontlines! I can fight, really! Sign me up and I’ll make my dad donate grain. You’re recruiting soldiers, they gotta eat, right? Sign me up sister please!” Jiabao’s mind was spinning fast.

“Zhou Jiabao, you little brat! Get out here!” Zhou Buren wheezed, pointing angrily.

Jiabao panicked. “I’m signing up today no matter what! If you don’t let me, I’ll go on a hunger strike! Jin Zhengyang’s already gone—if he can go, so can I!”

He’d seen his childhood rival Jin Zhengyang enlist, and there was no way he was going to let himself be outdone.

Gu Qingwan handed off the recruitment duties to someone else and invited father and son to the backyard.

Zhou Buren bowed with an awkward laugh. “Please forgive the disturbance, Princess. The boy’s spoiled rotten. I’ve wasted your time…”