Chapter 26

Boom, boom. Amidst the thunderous sounds, the ground trembled slightly, and the distant boulders shattered into pieces.

Everyone around Zhang Hao, except for him, stared in shock at the scene. For the people of the Han Dynasty, the power of gunpowder was truly terrifying.

"This is gunpowder? With this, what city walls or passes can stand in the way? Hmm, although getting close to the walls is troublesome, can this be launched in other ways, like with a trebuchet?" Xi Zhicai, after being shocked, immediately said.

This guy had an exceptionally sharp mind and immediately thought of military applications, which were somewhat like the early forms of cannons.

"Of course. It doesn't have to be a trebuchet; there are other better methods. I have already ordered research on it. You can take a look later," Zhang Hao replied.

"The master craftsmen have done a great job. I will reward them all according to the rules later. Also, this gunpowder is powerful, but the manufacturing process is also dangerous. Be very careful and strictly follow the safety manual I provided," Zhang Hao turned and said to the craftsmen on the side.

From the beginning, Zhang Hao decided to develop technologies like gunpowder. He couldn't just focus on civilian technologies while ignoring the equally significant military technologies. Now that the results were starting to show, Zhang Hao was very pleased. This was his weapon against the various warlords.

This place was an island off the coast of Lingshui County. The reason he chose Wuchang as his base was because there were many islands here, which could be used for covert development, whether for special technology research or hiding troops, making it very convenient.

After leaving the gunpowder testing site, Zhang Hao went to the other side of the island by the sea to check the progress of the salt field construction.

In this era, salt and iron were state monopolies, making these essential items extremely valuable. Zhang Hao naturally wouldn't miss out on the opportunity. Therefore, he established a salt field here.

For this, Zhang Hao brought a large amount of cement from the modern era to build the salt ponds.

There were people who secretly produced sea salt, but none were as brazen as Zhang Hao. Even the carefree Xi Zhicai was stunned for a long time after learning about the salt field.

Fortunately, the island's secrecy was strong, and it wouldn't be discovered in the short term. Otherwise, the government would definitely react.

Satisfied with the progress of the salt field, Zhang Hao didn't delay and left the island with everyone by boat.

"Zi Gao, what exactly are you planning?" On the way back, Xi Zhicai finally couldn't hold back and asked seriously.

Xi Zhicai wasn't stupid. The reason he hadn't buried himself in books these days was because he noticed some unusual situations. Although he didn't handle the affairs of the estate, he observed and found some inconsistencies.

The recruitment and expansion of the guard team never stopped. After the assassination attempt, the looks of both the refugees and the guard team members towards Zhang Hao changed day by day, from gratitude to reverence, and later to awe, which was very obvious. Zhang Hao must have done something.

Moreover, the salt field and the iron and steel workshops clearly showed Zhang Hao's disregard for Han laws.

The shipyard, which was still under construction, had already started building new ships, which didn't look like merchant ships at all.

The gunpowder this time clearly had a warlike aura.

Zhang Hao's endless books initially made Xi Zhicai immerse himself, but later he became puzzled. The knowledge recorded in the books was too powerful, and although Zhang Hao carefully selected them, there were still some details that revealed information that caught Xi Zhicai's attention.

Zhang Hao looked at Xi Zhicai's rare serious expression and thought for a moment. After so long, it might be time to reveal everything to him.

After all, Xi Zhicai wasn't the type of person who was loyal to the Han Dynasty.

After returning to the estate, Zhang Hao told Xi Zhicai the story he had fabricated and even took him to the modern era to see it.

The huge difference between the Han Dynasty and the modern era left even someone as outstanding as Xi Zhicai in awe.

"Am I on a pirate ship, oh, a divine ship?" After the tour, Xi Zhicai was stunned for a long time before saying with a bitter smile.

"Whatever ship you're on, Zhicai, we are destined to work together. So don't be lazy anymore. Also, practice the guiding techniques I gave you seriously. Your body is in bad shape, and we have a long journey ahead. You can't give up halfway."

Zhang Hao smiled. Regardless of his emotions, Xi Zhicai was very smart, and these words clearly showed his intentions.

He knew very well that since Xi Zhicai knew about these things, Zhang Hao wouldn't let him leave even if he didn't want to. Moreover, Xi Zhicai was also very interested in the various things Zhang Hao mentioned and the mysterious world.

"Now the guard team has several thousand members. Although they can get some training as a merchant escort, it's far from the requirements of an army. We must start preparing now and arrange practical combat training for the guard team," Xi Zhicai decided and immediately began to strategize.

"In the Han territory, we need to be careful not to alert the authorities, but there are other places where we can train. Since we have established contact with the northern border, we can send some people there. There are many border conflicts, and we can even pretend to be bandits to protect the trade routes.

Also, since we are preparing to rebel, we need to create a favorable environment. With bandits rising in various places, we can send some loyal people to act as bandits and cause trouble in different areas, such as in Xu Province, where the Yellow Turbans are already active. We can join them, which will cause a large number of refugees to flow in.

This is not a glorious task and must be carried out by the most loyal people. If you feel guilty or don't want to leave any traces, you can also consider directly contacting the bandits and the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, providing them with money and food, which will make them more active."

Zhang Hao listened to Xi Zhicai's long speech and couldn't help but stare at him. This guy was really devious, but he had to admit that these methods were very effective.

"You have a relationship with Zhang Rang, and this can also be utilized. Through money and Zhang Rang's influence, visit officials in various places, especially in Wuchang and the surrounding areas, which are our base. To ensure a smooth uprising, we can make arrangements now. Prepare some people in each county to coordinate inside and out during the uprising for a smooth expansion," Xi Zhicai added.

Having a strategist to help plan indeed made things much easier. Zhang Hao himself had no experience in rebellion. Even accumulating such a large estate often led to mistakes. Now, with Xi Zhicai's help, it was much easier to identify and address issues.

About half a month after Xi Zhicai, Zhang Hao also told Tian Feng the specific situation. Tian Feng's reaction was more intense. He still recognized the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty. But what could he do? Even some of Tian Feng's relatives in Ji Province were brought over by Zhang Hao's people.

At this point, Tian Feng could only throw a tantrum. Zhang Hao believed that with time, Tian Feng would eventually come around.

With Xi Zhicai's help, Zhang Hao's future development plans were greatly supplemented, and development in all aspects became more organized.

In the main hall, Zhang Hao discussed various matters with the current managers of the entire estate.

These managers were specially selected from the refugees and the recruited civilians, who could read and write, do arithmetic, and had management experience.

Initially, there were more, but after some time, these few intelligent managers gained Zhang Hao's trust.

"Lord, with the increasing number of refugees, our food and fodder are already insufficient," Zhang Fan reported.

Zhang Fan was in his thirties, a scholar from a poor family, whose family declined due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and he eventually ended up in Wuchang, where he was recruited by Zhang Hao.

This person was very capable, good at learning, and did things to Zhang Hao's satisfaction, thus becoming the chief manager appointed by Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao frowned, and Zhang Fan seemed to know what Zhang Hao was thinking and explained directly,

"The rebellion in Changsha has caused many people to flow into Yangzhou, many of whom we have recruited. The Yellow Turban Rebellion in Xu Province has also caused a large number of refugees to move south. Additionally, the horse business managed by Xie Yang is on track, and we now have more than 2,000 warhorses, which consume a lot of food. To speed up the progress of various projects, Lord directly recruited people with food, which has been very costly.

Previously, we could buy some food and fodder from other noble families in the region, but recently they are unwilling to sell to us.

The Mi family can help a bit, but not much. This year, there is a severe drought, and the harvest is poor. Their stock is also low. The trade team tried to buy food from other regions, but due to the climate and the increasingly chaotic times, many people are hoarding food and rarely selling it.

The high-yield seeds arranged by Lord are not yet ready for harvest, so there is still a gap."

Zhang Hao rubbed his forehead and thought about the issue. The reason for this problem, besides natural disasters, was also a lack of experience and poor planning, as well as Zhang Hao's policy of accepting all refugees.

To achieve rapid development, such problems were not unforgivable. Thinking about this, Zhang Hao said,

"I will solve the food problem, so you don't need to worry. But in the future, pay more attention to this issue. The Mi family has done their best, and we can also contact other business partners to see if we can buy food from them."

Zhang Hao made his decision, and the managers naturally agreed. They had great respect and trust in Zhang Hao.

The story of Zhang Hao descending from the heavens had quietly spread in the area he managed. After all, an empty warehouse was filled overnight, and the magical cement and various unprecedented items and technologies made people marvel.

This was all intentional on Zhang Hao's part. From the time he was assassinated and revealed the time portal, he began to use this method to increase his authority and reputation.

After the managers left, Zhang Hao took a bath with the help of Xiao Cha and Xiao Zhu and returned to the modern era.

There was no choice; the food problem had to be solved as soon as possible. Whether or not cooperation with other major merchants would succeed, the immediate need could only be met in the modern era.