Overnight Riches! My Factory Spans Past and Present – Chapter 24

Ch 24: Call Him Back, I’ll Figure Out a Way for the Medicine

“Call him back, I’ll figure out a way for the medicine.”

At this moment, the border region had just endured a great battle.

General Xiao’s prediction had been correct.

Under this natural disaster, the barbarian tribes were faring little better than they were.

On the contrary, because Jiang Qi’an had opened the gate to that other world, it brought a glimmer of hope to the Xiao Family Army, while the barbarians had already begun to descend into internal chaos.

General Xiao led three thousand troops, striking the barbarian encampment in the early hours when their guard was lowest.

The barbarians fell into disarray and quickly crumbled.

The Xiao Family Army pressed their advantage, unstoppable like a breaking dam, and that very night they reclaimed Xiurong City, which the barbarians had occupied.

But the losses were heavy.

By the time Jiang Qi’an arrived in Xiurong, it was nearly dark.

The city was deathly silent, its dilapidated houses open to the wind on all sides. Anything that could be torn down had been, leaving the streets bare and exposed at a single glance.

The few homes with tightly shut doors and windows belonged to the wealthy, but even those were scarce.

Soldiers were cleaning the battlefield, clearing snow from the roads. There weren’t many visible corpses—most were frozen stiff beneath the thick snow.

Here and there, a few stark white bones protruded, smeared with indistinct flesh, as if something had gnawed them clean.

Jiang Qi’an averted his gaze, suppressing the churning in his stomach, and strode toward the main camp.

The military doctors were overwhelmed, especially since General Xiao had been injured too.

His wounds weren’t originally deep, but there were too many, and with the cold seeping in, he had begun to run a fever.

General Xiao clung to consciousness, finishing his instructions to the deputy general before catching sight of Jiang Qi’an. He struggled to rise and salute.

“Your Highness…”

“General Xiao, no need for formalities!”

Jiang Qi’an hurried forward to steady him, then turned to the doctor. “How is the general’s condition?”

The military doctor’s face darkened. After a long pause, he managed a few words: “Not good.”

Once a wound festered and fever set in, there was almost no saving the patient.

General Xiao’s face was pale, but his voice carried a tone of acceptance.

“Your Highness need not worry. If my loyal soul can earn even a fraction of His Majesty’s trust, I’ll have no regrets in death.”

“General! Young General Xiao has already gone out to search for medicine. Don’t say such discouraging words!”

“…”

General Xiao fell silent, and a bleak stillness settled over the tent.

In truth, everyone knew that surviving in such harsh, extreme conditions was already a struggle. Once injured, it was one foot in the grave.

Their urgency to counterattack wasn’t just a desperate gamble.

It was also to make the capital see clearly.

To make their emperor see clearly that the Xiao Family Army was fulfilling its duty loyally, worthy of the Jiang Kingdom.

How could Jiang Qi’an not understand this?

He stepped out of the tent alone, summoned all the deputy generals, and issued a series of orders regarding the takeover of Xiurong City.

Distribute fuel stones and clothing so the city’s people wouldn’t freeze.

Set up shelters and serve porridge to address hunger, strictly forbidding the consumption of human flesh.

Clear the snow from the roads, burn the corpses, and restore order to the city…

With Old General Xiao injured and Xiao Chengyu leading a team to raid wealthy homes in the city for life-saving medicine, there was no one left to oversee the camp. That’s why they’d urgently sent word to Jiang Qi’an to come.

After handling all this, Jiang Qi’an glanced back at the tent. “Is General Xiao’s injury that serious?”

The military doctor shook his head helplessly. “Injuries like these aren’t much on the battlefield, but the biggest problem now is the lack of medicine…”

Everyone knew how precious medicine was during wartime.

Yet the imperial court had shorted the Xiao Family Army’s rations, and medicine supplies had been cut off since last year.

In the battles earlier this year, soldiers didn’t die on the field but succumbed afterward—wounded, untreated, and dragged to death by their injuries.

The death toll was staggering. From an army of 150,000, only a little over 40,000 remained.

After this battle, who knew how many would be left?

Jiang Qi’an’s expression grew icy, a chilling aura radiating from him. He’d known his father, the emperor, was wary of the border and stingy with rations, but he hadn’t realized medicine had been cut off long ago.

“Call Xiao Chengyu back. He’ll take charge of all matters in the city,” he ordered coldly.

A deputy general protested, voice trembling with urgency. “Your Highness! We can’t abandon the wounded soldiers!”

Jiang Qi’an replied, “Call him back. I’ll figure out a way for the medicine.”

The deputy still wanted to argue. Even if Jiang Qi’an could order medicine from the capital, it was too far to save them in time. The soldiers and General Xiao couldn’t wait that long.

But a quick-witted deputy caught on.

“Your Highness, are you planning to go to Miss Chen’s shop?”

His excitement flared briefly before dimming. “Wartime medicine is worth more than gold. That girl doesn’t even want gold—why would she trade medicine to us?”

It wasn’t that they hadn’t considered procuring some through Jiang Qi’an before, but medicine—something that saved lives—was different from grain.

They’d already received plenty of supplies from her. How could they keep asking and risk her growing annoyed?

“No matter what, we have to try.”

If Xiao Chengyu could’ve found medicine, he’d have returned by now.

Xiurong City’s situation wasn’t much better than the small stronghold they’d held before.

The deputy looked at him, accepting the order with fervor. “Yes, sir!”

When Xiao Chengyu learned of Jiang Qi’an’s plan, he hesitated only a moment before turning back. Before seeing Jiang Qi’an out of the city, the young man, eyes red, made a solemn vow.

“As long as Your Highness can bring back medicine, Xiao Chengyu swears to serve you with his life!”

Loyalty to His Highness, not the emperor.

But Jiang Qi’an didn’t notice the distinction. He set off without pause, riding through the night back to the previous stronghold.

He’d been too careless, completely overlooking the aftermath of the battle.

…

By the time Chen Jinyue reached the restaurant, it was already nine in the evening.

She apologized awkwardly. “I’m really sorry. Something came up at the warehouse and delayed me. I kept you waiting.”

Chang Hongbo smiled. “No worries. Waiting for one is waiting, waiting for two is the same.”

As Chen Jinyue entered, she noticed only one person in the private room. Before she could ask, she heard his comment.

So he meant Zhou Yichuan was late too?

And even later than her?

“The Zhou family has a few factories here. There was an issue with a batch of goods during quality inspection, so he went to check it out,” Chang Hongbo explained, as if sensing her confusion.

Chen Jinyue nodded in agreement. “Quality issues are indeed important.”

Chang Hongbo smiled faintly but said no more.

When pharmaceutical safety went wrong, it wasn’t just important—it could land someone in jail.

He had no idea what his second brother’s subordinates were doing.

“He told us not to wait for him and to eat first. Tonight’s on him,” Chang Hongbo said, changing the subject.

Chen Jinyue protested, “No way! I said I’d treat you!”

Chang Hongbo brushed it off. “The timing’s off this time. You can treat next time. He ditched us for no reason, so let him pay.”

“No! I made you wait so long too. Let me treat you to this meal first.”

“…”

Seeing her insistence, Chang Hongbo didn’t bother arguing further.

The meal passed politely. Chang Hongbo subtly warned her to be cautious of retaliation from the Chen family, advising her not to leave evidence when doing anything shady.

Chen Jinyue nodded earnestly. “I’ve thought it through. As long as I have no morals, no one can touch me.”

Chang Hongbo laughed. “Pretty high awareness there.”

Chen Jinyue raised her delicate brows, about to reply, when a knock sounded.

“Bang bang bang!”

“Is that President Zhou?” Chen Jinyue suddenly asked.

Chang Hongbo looked puzzled. “Did he message you?”

Chen Jinyue tilted her chin toward the door. “Didn’t you hear the knock?”

Chang Hongbo was seated closer to the door.

He genuinely hadn’t heard anything.

His confused expression made Chen Jinyue wonder if she’d misheard.

“Bang bang bang!”

The second knock was louder, tinged with clear urgency.

Chen Jinyue jolted.

Because she was watching the door, she was certain this time—the sound hadn’t come from there but from inside her mind…