I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

The extraordinary story of "Diamond Cudgel" becoming famous overnight on the city wall spread like wildfire throughout the entire Jiangzhou garrison.

At first, everyone just took it as a joke. But later, more and more soldiers, in critical moments when they were out of ammunition and food, subconsciously began to imitate that soldier.

They discovered that this thing was incredibly hard! Swinging it around and smashing it on someone's head had an even more immediate effect than carrying bricks!

Thus, an extremely bizarre and darkly humorous scene unfolded on the walls of Jiangzhou: the soldiers of Daliang each carried a "baguette," taking a bite when hungry to replenish their strength; when the enemy charged up, they would simply swing the bukette and smash it down on their heads!

Those tall, strong barbarian soldiers never dreamed that one day they would be beaten so badly by a group of Liang soldiers wielding "fire sticks" that they would run away in terror, crying for their parents.

They felt their dignity had been insulted like never before.

Meanwhile, the soldiers of Daliang were greatly encouraged! They felt that what they held in their hands was not military rations, but a supreme treasure bestowed upon them by the Crown Princess, a divine weapon that could both eat and fight!

For a time, "Diamond Stick Bread" became the most popular strategic resource in Jiangzhou City, with demand even surpassing that for bows and arrows and rolling stones.

When Xiao Jingshi learned of this, he was both amused and exasperated. He never expected that his Crown Princess would unintentionally create a completely new school of thought for the military equipment of the Great Liang Dynasty—the "food-based weaponry" approach.

Despite his amusement, he knew that the "Diamond Cudgel" had indeed played an unexpected and remarkable role in this unequal battle to defend the city.

It not only solved the soldiers' food and clothing problems, but also greatly boosted everyone's morale in a peculiar way, adding a touch of inexplicable humor and hope to what should have been an extremely tragic city defense battle.

……

Time passed day by day amidst the tug-of-war of blood and fire, and more than a month had gone by in the blink of an eye.

With Xiao Jingshi personally overseeing the city and the support of various "high-tech" military rations, Jiangzhou City miraculously withstood wave after wave of frenzied attacks from the barbarian army.

Although the city walls were already in ruins, and countless soldiers fell in pools of blood every day, the Crown Prince's banner embroidered with a golden dragon still flew high above the city walls of Jiangzhou. Like a stabilizing force, it firmly held the morale of both the army and the people.

Meanwhile, the barbarian army outside the city gradually became restless and uneasy.

If the appearance of the "Golden Stick Bread" only made the barbarian soldiers feel that their dignity had been utterly lost, then what happened next completely shattered their psychological defenses.

That day, the barbarian soldiers launched another fierce attack. This time they were smarter; the soldiers in the front ranks held high their heavy wooden shields, braving the sparse rain of arrows and stones from the city walls, to protect the ladder-wielding soldiers behind them.

"Your Highness, the eastern city wall is about to collapse!" The messenger's voice was tinged with blood.

On the city wall, Xiao Jingshi's face was ashen, but he remembered the batch of pottery jars the Crown Princess had given him before her departure, so he ordered the soldiers to bring the jars up.

Soon, baskets of tightly sealed earthenware jars were carried up to the city wall. The soldiers curiously crowded around, thinking that the Crown Princess had invented some kind of delicious canned food.

"Cover your mouths and noses! Throw them down!" With the officer's order, dozens of terracotta pots were thrown down the city wall.

The pottery jar traced a chaotic parabola in mid-air before accurately crashing into the densest mass of barbarian soldiers below.

"Crack! Crack!"

The earthenware pot shattered with a crack, but the expected flames or shards of iron did not appear. Instead, an indescribable, terrifying stench, as if a mixture of rotten fish and shrimp, decaying vegetable stalks, and an old latrine, exploded forth in an instant!

The smell was so strong it almost became tangible, and the yellowish-green juice splashed everywhere, staining the armor and skin of the barbarian soldiers.

"vomit--"

The barbarian soldier who was closest to the ladder didn't even have time to scream before his eyes rolled back, he was so choked by the fumes that he foamed at the mouth and fell straight down.

Immediately following, as if in a chain reaction, a deafening retching sound erupted below the city wall. Those barbarian warriors who had just been fierce and fearless were now throwing down their armor and weapons, bent over, vomiting uncontrollably. Some even slipped on the smooth stone wall, tripping over their own comrades' vomit and rolling around in a heap like a string of gourds.

The entire siege formation collapsed instantly!

The Liang soldiers on the city wall also smelled a faint odor wafting up, and their faces turned pale instantly. But when they saw the hellish scene below the city, they were first shocked, and then burst into earth-shattering laughter and cheers!

"My goodness! What kind of divine fart is this?!"

"It's from the Crown Princess! It's definitely a treasure bestowed by the Crown Princess! This thing is even more exciting than rolling stones!"

"Quick! Give me another can! I'm going to show these bastards what it means to be 'terrified'!"

The soldiers' morale was at its peak, and they didn't care about the lingering smell anymore. They quickly threw down canisters of "biological weapons." They even gave this thing a resounding name—"The Crown Princess's Greetings."

Each throw was accompanied by the wailing and howling of the barbarian soldiers in defeat. They could endure pain and were fearless of death, but this double blow, both physical and psychological, completely destroyed their will to fight.

They thought that taking down the isolated and helpless Jiangzhou City would be a piece of cake, but they didn't expect this bone to be so tough, so tough that it knocked out several of their front teeth!

Their food supplies also began to run into problems. In addition, the humid climate of southern Xinjiang caused many barbarian soldiers to suffer from acclimatization issues, and small-scale epidemics even broke out in the army.

With this shift in balance, the tide of battle began to tip quietly toward Daliang without anyone noticing.

That evening, after inspecting the city's defenses, Xiao Jingshi returned to his simple temporary lodging and finally had a moment to catch his breath.

He took off his armor, which was already soaked with blood and sweat, and sat in the dim candlelight. He carefully took out a small package wrapped tightly in oil paper from his personal bag.

Inside the package was a snowflake crisp that had become somewhat dry and hard, which Ye An'an had made for him by hand before he left.

He couldn't bear to eat it, only taking it out to look at and smell it late at night when he was going crazy thinking about her. It was as if just smelling that familiar sweet scent could make him feel that she was still by his side.

He picked up the snowflake crisp and brought it to his mouth, taking a small bite. The crispy biscuit, the sweet nougat, the sweet and sour dried cranberries... that familiar taste that instantly put him at ease spread through his mouth.

He suddenly missed her terribly, so much so that his heart ached.

He didn't know how she was doing, whether the baby in her belly was behaving well, whether her morning sickness was still severe, whether she was eating and sleeping well, or whether... she was thinking of him too.

He walked to the desk, spread out a rough, yellowed sheet of straw paper, and picked up the brush whose nib had been worn down.

He wanted to write her a letter.

He wanted to tell her that he was doing well here and that she shouldn't worry.

He wanted to tell her how much she had done to make those "miracle military rations" here.

He wanted to tell her that he missed her and their unborn child.

He wrote for a very long time, the dim candlelight illuminating his handsome profile and focused gaze with unparalleled tenderness.

"An'an, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person."

"Southern Xinjiang is a damp and rainy place, but I am well, so don't worry."

"The military rations you made have become incredibly popular here. The soldiers all call them 'divine objects.' Especially that 'Diamond Cudgel,' which not only fills the stomach but also kills the enemy. It is truly an essential item for home, travel, murder, and robbery. I can't help but smile whenever I think of the ingenuity you showed when you invented it."

"You deserve first place once again for your merit in defending the city."

"Everything is going well for me here. The barbarian army is at its last gasp, and once the reinforcements from the capital arrive soon, they will be annihilated in one fell swoop. My return may not be far off."

"I just wonder how you are doing in the capital?"

Is your baby behaving well? Is morning sickness still bothering you as much as before?

"I don't want anything else, I just want you and your children to be safe and healthy."

Every night, I think of you. I think of the food you cooked, your smile, and your lovely scent.

I miss you, I miss you so much.

"Wait for my triumphant return."

"Written by Jing Shi himself."

After finishing writing, he carefully folded the letter and put it in an envelope, then summoned his most trusted bodyguard.

"Send it back to the capital immediately by express courier, and make sure to hand it over to the Crown Princess personally."