Chapter 36

In a vast open area outside the city, countless civilians and aristocrats stood together, many of them gazing at the large white curtain on the high platform and whispering to their companions about what it all meant.

Although some of the aristocratic children were quite impatient and even stood alongside the commoners they usually despised, the surroundings were heavily guarded. A large number of soldiers, armed and stern, were vigilantly monitoring the situation, so no one dared to act rashly.

Especially the several cannons placed on the outer side of the venue, which attracted countless awe-filled gazes.

Of course, there were those who secretly slandered Zhang Hao in their hearts. After all, in the eyes of the aristocratic families, Zhang Hao was just a country bumpkin.

"Attention..." A long call echoed, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Many had already noticed that these soldiers, whether in formation or posture, were extremely disciplined, with very little variation.

Now, with the command, their nearly uniform movements made many military-savvy scholars change their expressions. From the discipline and quality of these soldiers, it was clear they were top-notch troops. This realization made many of the major aristocratic families regret not gathering more detailed intelligence on Zhang Hao earlier.

As a result, they found themselves in this situation today, unsure of how Zhang Hao would deal with them.

Zhang Hao's carriage, escorted by a group of knights, moved along the path formed by the soldiers, heading toward the high platform.

Along the way, wherever the carriage passed, the soldiers saluted with their rifles. This simple gesture naturally created a solemn atmosphere and made people involuntarily feel a sense of awe toward the person in the carriage.

Seeing this through the carriage window, Zhang Hao was satisfied.

He did not understand military affairs, but he had at least seen enough to know that discipline was the most important thing for an army. Combining modern military regulations with those of the Yue and Qi armies, he had formulated rules suitable for this era, which were instilled into the minds of every soldier early on.

Many soldiers were punished for this. Even during the month of sweeping through Wu County, there were numerous examples of punishment. These punishments were carried out publicly in front of the victims and the public.

Zhang Hao would never relax the discipline of the army. Without discipline, an army was nothing but a beast.

Of course, his satisfaction was also partly due to the impressive scene. The sight of such a powerful and majestic army loyal to him was very gratifying. To some extent, Zhang Hao realized he was quite vain.

Climbing onto the high platform and looking down at the vast crowd, with countless eyes focused on him, Zhang Hao suddenly felt a bit nervous. Although he had always been a good student, he had never faced such a large audience before. There were tens of thousands of people present today.

"Salute!" Huang Zhong's voice boomed, and he immediately bowed. The thousands of soldiers around him knelt on one knee, and the civilians, after a moment of shock, also knelt in a chaotic manner. The aristocrats were very unwilling but, under the threat of weapons, they reluctantly knelt as well.

Zhang Hao took a deep breath, suddenly feeling his mood change.

Now that he held the power over the life and death of everyone below, what was there to be nervous about? Besides the sense of achievement from holding such power, he also felt a great sense of responsibility. He felt it was his duty to make the lives of the people who knelt before him better.

"Long live the King!" Huang Zhong led the call.

The soldiers' shouts, along with the unconscious following of the civilians, created a wave of sound that swept through the area.

"Rise." Zhang Hao's voice was calm but carried far. It wasn't that his cultivation had reached Huang Zhong's level, but rather that he was wearing a wireless microphone for public speaking.

The soldiers, civilians, and aristocrats all rose, each looking at Zhang Hao on the high platform with different expressions.

Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out as the large white curtain behind Zhang Hao lit up, displaying his image, which was exactly his appearance on the high platform. Many civilians instinctively knelt again, recalling the rumor that King Qian, Zhang Hao, was a celestial being descended from heaven, and they began to worship him with fervent devotion.

Not only the commoners, but even the aristocratic children were shocked. Zhang Hao's soldiers, having seen more, were within their limits of tolerance.

The large projection screen and its various devices were set up by Zhang Hao and his personal guard.

Apart from the personal guard who had seen it during testing the night before, the other soldiers were seeing it for the first time. Watching the figure on the screen move with Zhang Hao's movements, their expressions became even more solemn and proud.

Just for these cameras, projectors, and screens, Zhang Hao had spent a considerable amount of money. Now, seeing the effect, it was well worth it.

Fortunately, these sophisticated devices did not have any issues in the Three Kingdoms era; otherwise, it would have been embarrassing.

It was still early February, and even though Wu County was in the Jiangdong region, the temperature was not high, especially with the cold wind blowing in the early morning.

But now, the people in this open area outside the city felt no cold at all; many were even sweating, due to their excitement.

Zhang Hao quietly waited for the people's emotions to calm down. Perhaps because of the awe-inspiring scenes they had just witnessed, the people gradually quieted as Zhang Hao stood silently on the high platform. At this moment, Zhang Hao had them rise again.

"I am the Purple Star Lord of the Great Luo Heaven, descended from the celestial realm. The heavens and the earth are in chaos, and faith is lost. There are even those who falsely establish deities. The gods originally intended to destroy the mortal world and recreate it. The Empress of the Earth, however, could not bear it and sent me to restore order, cleanse the chaos, and rebuild faith."

Zhang Hao spoke solemnly, his voice reaching everyone's ears. The common people, hearing these words, were somewhat confused. Zhang Hao chose a more direct approach.

"Today, the world is in turmoil, and the people suffer. Those who believe in me will have lighter taxes and less grain to pay. They will follow the law, and no one will be able to oppress them. Those who believe in me will live in peace and prosperity, with the elderly cared for and the young educated, and they will have enough to eat and wear. Those who believe in me will not enter the cycle of rebirth but will be reborn in the celestial realm. Those with outstanding achievements can become gods!"

Zhang Hao's words were clear, and for a moment, there was a stir among the people. These matters concerning their survival were of great importance to them. What Zhang Hao said, compared to the promise of eternal life, seemed insignificant, but it was precisely such words that made the people half-believe and half-doubt.

Many of the aristocratic children sneered at Zhang Hao's words. Lighter taxes and less grain meant less grain for the government granaries. However, some wise aristocratic children had grave expressions, for if Zhang Hao kept his word, the loss from the common people would have to be made up from the aristocratic families.

Even as the educated class of this era, many aristocrats still did not understand the principles of technological revolution and industrial upgrading.

Facing the various gazes of the crowd—some fanatical, some doubtful, some dismissive—Zhang Hao stood on the high platform and suddenly walked to the edge, raising his hands. Immediately, the crowd saw a miraculous sight through the large screen.

The sky seemed to tear open, and countless grains of rice fell from the air. Similarly, from the other hand of Zhang Hao, countless copper coins rained down.

Seeing this, the crowd fell silent. Many were wide-eyed, and many had their mouths agape, all revealing a sense of disbelief. Even the aristocratic children, who prided themselves on their broad knowledge, were stunned.

Previously, they had been highly dismissive of Zhang Hao's claim of being the Purple Star Lord sent to restore order. To them, it was no different from the slogans of the Yellow Turban rebels.

But now, seeing Zhang Hao raise his hands and rain down money and grain, they were deeply moved. In this era, people were superstitious about ghosts and gods, and even the most rebellious aristocrats now looked at Zhang Hao with a sense of awe.

The rice and copper coins piled up into two small mountains at the base of the high platform before Zhang Hao withdrew his hands. He had no choice; the storage space for rice and copper coins was already empty, and he couldn't afford to make a fool of himself.

"Those who believe in me will have lighter taxes and less grain to pay. They will follow the law, and no one will be able to oppress them. Those who believe in me will live in peace and prosperity, with the elderly cared for and the young educated, and they will have enough to eat and wear. Those who believe in me will not enter the cycle of rebirth but will be reborn in the celestial realm. Those with outstanding achievements can become gods!"

Zhang Hao spoke solemnly again. This time, everyone listened carefully and memorized his words.

"These money and grain will be distributed to everyone present today, as proof of my words."

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