The Three Kingdoms: Starting as a county magistrate in Pingyuan, he rose to power and conquered the

Chapter 32 Qingzhou Repeating Crossbow

"This crossbow can be loaded with ten arrows at once and fired continuously. Although its power is not as great as that of a powerful crossbow, it is a deadly weapon in close combat."

Xu Shu took the blueprints, his eyes lighting up as he looked at them. He was an expert in military strategy and naturally knew what this weapon would mean for cavalry and dense infantry formations once it was deployed.

"My lord is truly a genius! To be able to design such an exquisite weapon!"

"Take the blueprints and go to the treasury to withdraw a thousand taels of gold. Bring me the best blacksmiths and carpenters from Qingzhou and even the surrounding counties, no matter the cost. Establish a secret armory dedicated to researching and manufacturing this repeating crossbow, as well as improving our armor."

Li Zhao knew that in this era of cold weapons, superior equipment often determined the outcome of a war.

He has money and supplies; there's no reason not to use them to advance technological advancements.

……

A few days later, the land of Qingzhou was once again in an uproar.

The road-building army set off, the military academy broke ground, and a secret armory was quietly established.

In order to further unite the people and deify his rule, Li Zhao decided to put on a grand "performance".

A high platform was erected in the square outside Linzi city. Tens of thousands of newly resettled refugees were organized and surrounded it.

They heard that the living bodhisattva, Prefect Li, was going to personally distribute grain to them.

At noon, Li Zhao, dressed in his finest attire, ascended the high platform.

Instead of giving his usual long speech, he had a huge empty vat brought up and placed in the center of the high platform.

"Fellow villagers!"

Li Zhao's voice was loud and clear.

"You have suffered! From this day forward, in Qingzhou, as long as I, Li Zhao, have food to eat, I will never let you go hungry!"

The crowd below cheered and were moved to tears.

Li Zhao smiled and reached out, pulling a handful of golden beans from his sleeve.

"Today, I use these golden beans as seeds to pray for the people of Qingzhou, wishing that Qingzhou will have bountiful harvests year after year, and that there will never be famine!"

As he spoke, he poured the handful of beans into the empty jar.

"Change!"

With a loud shout from Li Zhao, he activated the communication system with a thought.

The next moment, something astonishing happened.

Suddenly, white millet appeared out of nowhere in the large, previously empty vat!

The rice grains surged upwards like a fountain, instantly filling the large vat, then overflowing and cascading like a waterfall onto the high platform, and then flowing down below.

"A miracle! This is a miracle!"

"Your Excellency is a celestial being descended to earth! A living bodhisattva!"

The tens of thousands of refugees below the stage had never seen such a scene before, and they were all dumbfounded.

Then someone took the lead and knelt down, and soon everyone followed suit, kneeling down like a mountain of gold and a pillar of jade being overturned, and frantically kowtowing and worshipping.

Among the crowd, several pre-arranged historians diligently recorded this awe-inspiring scene.

Li Zhao stood on the high platform, looking at the millet surging like a tide and the kneeling crowd below, his heart unmoved.

This was merely a smokescreen used by him to retrieve items from the system's spatial storage. A hole had been dug in the bottom of the jar beforehand, connecting to a hidden compartment below. His trusted confidants cooperated from below, and he used his sleeve to obscure his view, creating the illusion that the grain had materialized out of thin air.

But in this superstitious age, this tactic is more effective than any benevolence or morality.

This incident solidified the rumors that "Lord Li possessed the ability to turn beans into soldiers and stones into gold," making it an unquestionable truth in the hearts of the people of Qingzhou. His rule was now as solid as a rock.

……

However, the tree wants to be quiet but the wind keeps on.

Just as things were getting heated in Qingzhou, Yuan Shao came looking for trouble again.

Ye City, the General's Mansion.

Upon hearing the scout's report, Yuan Shao's face darkened to the point of being sullen.

"You mean that Li Zhao, who's been building roads and establishing martial arts schools in Qingzhou, and even performing some kind of miracle, calling himself a living bodhisattva?"

"My lord, it is absolutely true. The people of Qingzhou now only know of Magistrate Li, but they know nothing of the imperial court, much less the Great General!"

"Damn it!" Yuan Shao kicked over the table in front of him.

He originally intended to flatter Li Zhao to his death, letting Li Zhao wear down the mess in Qingzhou. Who would have thought that Li Zhao not only wasn't worn down, but was thriving and was about to become a force to be reckoned with.

"My lord, please calm your anger," Xu You stepped forward and said. "Although Li Zhao is powerful, he is still nominally a subordinate recommended by you. Now that the autumn harvest is approaching, you might as well send a supervisor to Qingzhou, ostensibly to inspect the area, but in reality to collect taxes."

"If he pays, it will deplete his resources; if he doesn't pay, it will be considered disobedience and disrespect, and the lord will have a pretext to punish him."

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up: "Excellent! We'll follow Ziyuan's plan! Who should we send?"

Guo Tu, standing to the side, said in a sinister tone, "My lord, I recommend a man named Cui Yan. He comes from a prominent family in Qinghe, is upright in character, and is extremely particular about etiquette and hierarchy. He would be most suitable to send him to teach that peasant Li Zhao a lesson."

Yuan Shao was overjoyed: "Granted!"

……

Half a month later, Cui Yan arrived in Linzi with a group of arrogant followers.

This inspector, who came from a prestigious family, felt very displeased as he looked at the prosperous scene of Qingzhou along the way.

How could a poor boy govern a region better than Ji Province? He must have obtained it by exploiting the people!

Upon entering the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence, Cui Yan immediately adopted an air of superiority. Without waiting for Li Zhao to greet him, he sat imposingly at the head of the table, his nostrils flaring, and declared:

"Prime Minister Li, this Inspector has come on the orders of the Grand General to conduct an inspection. I've heard that Qingzhou has had a bumper harvest this year. I wonder how the preparations for paying taxes to the court and the Grand General's office are going?"

Li Zhao looked at this guy who was putting on airs with scallions stuck in his nostrils and found it amusing.

"Supervisor Cui, you've had a long and arduous journey. Qingzhou has just been pacified, and everything is in need of rebuilding. All the money and grain have been used to resettle refugees and repair the city's defenses. I'm afraid this year's tax collection will be somewhat difficult," Li Zhao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Difficulties?" Cui Yan slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Li Zhao! Don't try to play the poor card! This inspector has seen your people of Qingzhou all eating well and building massive projects. How do you look like you're short of money? I think you're clearly using your military power to resist taxes!"

"You have to pay this tax today, whether you like it or not! Otherwise, when the Great General's heavenly troops arrive, you'll be in deep trouble!"

The smile on Li Zhao's face gradually disappeared. They've given him too much face, haven't they?

"Someone come here!"

Li Zhao gave a soft shout.

"exist!"

Zhang Fei strode in, looking like half a black iron tower, exuding a menacing aura.

"Yide, this Inspector Cui has come from afar to see the true strength of Qingzhou. Take him to the drill ground and let him see for himself."

"Alright!" Zhang Fei grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. He had long disliked this pretty boy.

Ignoring Cui Yan's struggles and screams, he grabbed Cui Yan by the back of the neck like a chick and strode out.

"Li Zhao! What do you want? I am the Grand General's special envoy! How dare you touch me..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

Because Zhang Fei took him to the military academy's training ground outside the city.

At this moment, 30,000 elite infantrymen are assembling and training.

"Attention, everyone! Stand at attention!"