His Majesty is plotting a rebellion? Quickly, summon the Imperial Advisor!

Mining continued, and Xu Bing, living near "Tan Village," gained an aura of diligence.

Therefore, all fifty-odd households in Tan Village are diligent and hardworking.

However, due to the outdated equipment, an average adult male can only extract about a thousand kilograms of ore by working five hours a day.

Tantan Mountain is not a high mountain, but just a 30-meter-high, bare earthen slope.

On average, one hundred adult men are on duty each day, with fifty men responsible for mining and the other fifty responsible for transportation.

In a day, they can get 50,000 catties of ore.

The minerals in Tantan Mountain are iron ore.

After a week, they had 350,000 catties of iron ore. Three miles away from Tantan Mountain, Xu Bing ordered his army to build an iron smelting plant.

Thirty-five hundred thousand catties, or one hundred and seventy-five tons, could only yield two hundred and ten thousand catties of pig iron in the end.

Xu Bing's iron-smelting techniques could be further refined, hammering and compressing these pig irons to transform them into more robust and flexible refined iron.

The iron ore we currently possess is sufficient to forge armor.

But the real challenge in making a suit of armor is never the raw materials, but the craftsmanship!

A simple leather armor can be completed in three days by a skilled craftsman.

Close-fitting iron armor requires precise measurements and repeated forging; the process is incredibly complex, otherwise the coverage of iron armor in the Da Xi army wouldn't be so low.

Take Shang Shoucheng, the commander of the Imperial Guard, as an example.

The armor he wore weighed nearly thirty kilograms and was made by more than fifty of the most skilled craftsmen in the Great Xi Kingdom over a period of more than two hundred days.

This armor represents the pinnacle of Dae Hee's craftsmanship and is unique and cannot be replicated.

And Shang Shoucheng, with his keen mind, truly deserves this armor.

The armor he wore was called "Xi Ri Armor," while the Xuanjia Army's "Xuan Jia" (Black Armor), though not as good as "Xi Ri Armor," was still a fine suit of armor, costing just as much money and resources.

And it's ten thousand sets!

This demonstrates the terror of the Xuanjia Army. Xu Bing was able to act with impunity in the court, and the establishment of the "Fire-Cooking Army" and the "Supervisory Bureau" was partly due to the continued deterrent effect of the Xuanjia Army.

Even though there are dissenting voices in the court.

However, they dared not launch any major counterattacks.

Moreover, when Xu Bing opened Ji Yuan's panel, he found that she had not appeared, but her prestige remained high, and had now even risen to more than 300.

It is evident that the matter of the Xuanjia Army continues to unfold even now, and the more the officials reflect on it, the more terrifying it becomes.

Ji Yuan's prestige grew little by little.

However, Xu Bing possessed a "first-level armor production plan." The so-called first-level armor was the simplest armor, essentially a castrated version.

However, it is absolutely ahead of most of the armor-making techniques that Daehee currently possesses.

And it's armored!

This type of first-class armor requires less manpower and resources and is easier to forge, but it also maintains the armor's performance as much as possible.

It can be said to be extremely cost-effective.

Most importantly, this armor is very easy to make and requires no special skills.

Any adult male who is willing to put in the effort and work hard can make a set within a month!

Xu Bing passed down this method, intending to let the soldiers of the Fire-Cooking Army forge their own armor.

It saves time, effort, and money.

He made it clear beforehand that if anyone dared to secretly spread this method, he would kill them without exception.

As he spoke, he unleashed a terrifying wind blade, releasing the power of the Imperial Tutor.

This armor-making scheme is absolutely revolutionary.

"Your Excellency, rest assured, this is absolutely impossible! Our Fire-Cooking Army is under constant surveillance. If anyone dares to leak this information, I, Gong Zhonghou, will be the first to kill them!"

Gong Zhonghou knelt on one knee and spoke solemnly, his words filled with murderous intent and warning.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

After reviewing the design for this first-class armor, he could only say that it was a truly ingenious idea.

He never imagined that making a suit of armor could be so simple.

Some joint connections, through a clever design, avoid complex manufacturing processes...

With ample iron ore reserves, the Fire Cooking Army will have at least two hundred sets of first-class armor in a month!

Do not underestimate these two hundred first-class armored soldiers. Once this situation is established, they can retreat to the mountains and become kings. With good horses, they can come and go as they please.

Even in times of chaos, there is still a way to make a living.

"Mm." Xu Bing nodded gently.

After arranging all the matters concerning the ironworks, Xu Bing ran to the two thousand acres of farmland near Tan Village.

Such a large area of ​​farmland should not be left uncultivated.

With the success of his agricultural endeavors, Xu Bing's annual output value was quite considerable.

That's enough to support seven or eight thousand people.

After all, there are four harvests a year, plus the added benefit of agricultural products.

Currently, about thirty men and women from the family are managing these two thousand acres of farmland. They work hard, but they have a sense of confusion.

Winter comes late to Da Xi, and the weather is getting colder and snow is about to fall. They understand why we ask them to go mining.

But farming is something I really can't understand.

But who cares about all that? That lord provides food and lodging, and even bedding and clothes. He makes sure you're full every meal, and there's rice with every meal. All you have to do is go east when he points east.

This kind of job is something you can't ask for even if you beg.

"grown ups."

Upon seeing Xu Bing, the women, children, and men working in the fields all knelt down.

"Get up, there's no need to be so formal," Xu Binghe said with a smile.

After inspecting the farmland, Xu Bing nodded secretly. Judging from the growth rate, the first batch of rice could be harvested in about half a month.

According to Xu Bing's grain cultivation plan, four harvests a year can be guaranteed. Adding the regular farming aura, that makes eight harvests a year, plus the system's internal bonuses…

It can be consistently ripe once a month.

Therefore, these two thousand acres of land are more than enough to support ten thousand people!

He will master the art of cooking.

In the imperial court, his word was law.

Below the court, his gaze was fixed on the spears of the Fire-Cooking Army.

Only then will his words carry weight, and will local clans not obey? Will his decrees be ineffective?

The fire-cooking army rushed over and swept through the enemy with overwhelming force.

……

While things were proceeding smoothly on Xu Bing's side.

The outside world is also in turmoil.

First, there were the three highest officials in the imperial court. Their spies reported that Xu Bing was leaving the city every day.

I don't know what they went there to do.

followed by…

Zhao Qingyun, the son of the Zhao family, visited the Duke of Zhou today.

At first glance, Duke Zhou did not recognize the handsome young man with flowing robes and a graceful gait.

When they recognized the other person's identity, they tried to get closer to them, but were ruthlessly pushed away.

"Nephew Zhao, you've finally arrived!" Duke Zhou greeted him warmly. "You really are something, not even bothering to write back and let Uncle Zhou know you were coming back so he could have entertained you in advance."

As he spoke, he led Zhao Qingyun into the main hall.

Unexpectedly, upon entering the main hall, Zhao Qingyun naturally sat in the main seat, completely disregarding Zhou Gong's opinion, and said indifferently, "Tell me about the Imperial Preceptor Xu Bing and the Zhao family's affairs."

Duke Zhou's expression stiffened, looking somewhat unnatural. Logically speaking, he was a powerful minister, whose status was no lower than Zhao Qingyun's, and he was Zhao Qingyun's elder.

Seemingly noticing Zhou Gong's surprise, Zhao Qingyun smiled lightly, "I respect you, you are my Uncle Zhou, Zhao Qingyun. I don't respect you, you are just an old man who will be as dust in a few years, and you will die on your own without me lifting a finger."

"So don't act like an elder in front of me."

His voice was very flat, without a trace of emotion. His handsome face had a hint of coldness, as if he disliked or was annoyed. However, this feeling was not directed at Zhou Gong, but at ordinary people.

Duke Zhou's expression darkened further, and he was somewhat angry. This fellow had only been cultivating for a few years, yet he was already so disrespectful to his elders.

He forced a smile, "Nephew, you've misunderstood, you've misunderstood. I'm an old man, but I'm the most down-to-earth person."

After calming down, Zhou Gong told Zhao Qingyun about Xu's illness.

Zhao Qingyun toyed with the teacup with her fair fingers, her gaze amused. "Interesting. I didn't expect to come back to this scene."

“My father taught me to study hard when I was young, so that when I grew up I would become a high-ranking official, assist the emperor, wield great power, and enjoy endless wealth and honor.”

"At that time, I felt that the emperor of Da Xi was the most noble person in the world."

"But later I came into contact with cultivation, and now looking back, the so-called Great Xi was nothing more than a weak country, with a vast territory but no ability to defend it."

"This trip down the mountain has been quite fruitful. I, Zhao Qingyun, never expected that in such a small country, there would be a group of rats fighting so fiercely for power."

"Hahaha, that's really interesting."

As he spoke, Zhao Qingyun sneered, his sense of superiority undisguised.

Utter contempt, grating laughter, and utter disdain from the bottom of one's heart.

Zhou Gong, standing to the side, tried his best to control his anger. He sensed a strong sense of harshness and contempt from Zhao Qingyun.

"Nephew, what about the feud with the Zhao family..." Duke Zhou asked.

Zhao Qingyun said calmly, "I have long since transcended the mortal world. What does the Zhao family have to do with me?"

"I came down from the mountain because it was too boring. But I haven't been down the mountain for a long time, and now that I'm down, I'm not used to anything. There are ordinary people everywhere, crying and wailing all the time. It's so annoying."

Zhou Gong forced a smile, "Then..."

"Very well." Zhao Qingyun stood up and said, "I'll show you what a real Qi cultivator is, so you won't be fooled by some small fry and think that all Qi cultivators in the world only have his little skills."

Although Zhao Qingyun did not admit it verbally, his purpose in coming down the mountain was to cure Xu's illness. Although he had severed all ties with the mortal world and had no further connection with the Zhao family.

Even though the Zhao family was massacred, he was still unhappy, not out of hatred, nor to seek revenge, but simply because he was "unhappy".

"Where is Xu ill?" Zhao Qingyun put down his teacup and asked directly without delay.