My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 190: New Face

Iron ore isn't something you can use right after you dig it up.

This stuff needs to be smelted to get iron that can be used to make tools.

Sending large quantities of iron ore to Yeniu Village is simply not cost-effective; several large carts can't carry that much. Moreover, medium to large-scale smelting centers are not allowed around the mine. The government allows you to mine iron ore privately, but if you engage in large-scale smelting, then someone will come to your rescue.

Therefore, Chenghou Mountain became an excellent smelting center. The roads here were not as steep as those on Yeniu Mountain, and there were many flat areas. There were no villages or post stations around, so as long as people did not actively plunder, the government was generally unwilling to pay attention to them.

After all, in the eyes of the government, these thieves usually don't survive the winter. If they want to gain merit by suppressing thieves, that's easy. Aren't there 'collaborators' everywhere in the countryside? Just arrest and kill some of them.

"The mountain road is difficult to travel, and besides, a new batch of people have just arrived in the village. Your Excellency should not rush up the mountain."

Dugu Luo came down the mountain to greet him, partly to show his respect for Li Xuanba, and partly to stop him from going up the mountain. He led Li Xuanba and the others to an abandoned post station by the mountain road. When the Qi Kingdom still existed, Hedong was the most important military stronghold. Of course, it still is now, but it is far less important than during the Qi Kingdom period. At that time, the Loufan area was full of various garrisons, passes, towns, and post stations.

After the fall of the State of Qi, many things were abandoned, including several county towns, all destroyed during the war.

Dugu Luo took out a meticulously drawn map and carefully handed it to Li Xuanba, then told him about the situation in the mountains.

Dugu Luo and the others entered the mountain before winter had fully arrived.

Once they arrived in the mountains, he led a group of craftsmen to build a blast furnace and begin smelting.

Dugu Luo summoned many craftsmen, all of whom were willing to follow Li Xuanba to accomplish great things!
Later, due to heavy snow, they took a break for a while. Now that the snowstorm has gradually subsided, they are preparing to start work again.

"My lord, I will settle the smelting matters here first, and then head to Qingzao Village. Smelting can be carried out here, but it is not advisable to directly manufacture weapons and armor on a large scale here. Since they cannot be transported out, we can manufacture some as a backup."

When it comes to things he's not entirely sure about, Li Xuanba always listens to the advice of professionals.

At this moment, he was listening quite attentively.

Jingyue County.

As the weather warms up, the city is gradually recovering. Recently, Jing Le has seen an increase in strangers, most of whom are merchants.

This actually helped the local restaurant industry. There weren't many restaurants in Jing Le City to begin with, but with the increase of these outsiders, the restaurants were bustling with people all day long, making it quite lively.

The restaurant in the south of the city is the largest in the area. The owner of this restaurant is none other than Old Man Wu. This is just one of his many restaurants. Most of the people who come here are from out of town, but there are also some local playboys who have nothing better to do than come here to have some fun.

The shop owner, surnamed Wu, is a grandnephew of Mr. Wu. He is currently greeting customers with a smile on his face.

This year has been really good!

First came a timely snowfall, and after that, business is booming again. I never thought my own restaurant would be so crowded. However, I have never seen so many merchants come before. There are even a few foreign merchants whose business in the border region is quite good this year.
He then hurried forward to greet a guest who looked wealthy, offering him free tea and instructing the servant to take good care of him.

Just then, the merchant-looking man suddenly muttered to himself, "In the past, the roads in this area were difficult to travel, and the officials were fierce, so no one dared to go through here. But ever since it was renamed Loufan, the guards at this pass have stopped making things difficult for people, the roads have improved, and it's become much more convenient to go to the border. Could it be that the officials in Loufan have changed?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper laughed heartily, "That's right! Sir, you may not know this, but ever since the Duke of Tang became the local governor, this place has undergone tremendous changes!"

"The prefect is a first-rate benevolent man!"

The shop owner started praising it, and several people around him chimed in, and they continued to boast for quite some time.

A hint of helplessness flashed in the vendor's eyes, and he said to himself, "I see!"

"I'm from Henan. In our area, most of the prefects are good people, but their children... well, you can't say anything to them. It seems the prefect's children are all quite sensible."

"Of course! These young men are all renowned for their good character, let me tell you."

The shop owner praised it again.

The merchant smiled and nodded, then silently ate his meal.

"Humph"

A cold snort was heard from the side, then the person picked up the food, threw down the money, and limped out. Everyone looked at him, including the merchants. They saw that the man seemed to be injured, his face was haggard, and he walked out with his head down. The shopkeeper chuckled, looking quite disdainful.

"Shopkeeper, who is this person?"

"This man is quite famous in Jing Le. He originally came here with the Prince of Tang. I heard that he had been following the Prince for a long time. Later, when a capable person went to seek refuge with the Prince, this man actually asked for a bribe. When the Prince found out about this, he almost beat him to death and then threw him out of the mansion, and forbade anyone else to take him in."

"This man wanted to go back, but the merchants were unwilling to take him along. I heard that his clansmen were also unwilling to send anyone to fetch him, so he just stayed in Jing Le. I thought he was dead. I never expected that he would actually survive the winter."

The merchant squinted and nodded slowly.

"I see."

Zheng Jingang limped along the road, his hair was messy, and his clothes smelled terrible.

People along the way avoided him when they saw him. Zheng Jingang's face was numb, and he only moved his body little by little.

But his heart was far from at peace. He had followed Li Jiancheng for many years and done so much for him, yet Li Jiancheng treated him like this because of a blacksmith. He had nowhere to go now. Even the clansmen in Guanzhong were unwilling to take him back. He had very little money left, and no one was willing to accept him.
Zheng Jingang grew increasingly desperate the more he thought about it.

He limped back to his house, which he had bought when he first arrived in Loufan with Li Jiancheng. Now, this was the only place he had left to live.

Returning to the dilapidated courtyard, he found that he had sold almost everything, a sight that only intensified his anguish.

"Boom, boom, boom."

Suddenly someone knocked on the door.

Zheng Jingang turned around, hesitated for a moment, but still went over and opened the door.

Outside the door stood a stranger, smiling broadly at him. "Brother Zheng! Long time no see!"

Zheng Jingang didn't recognize him and was just watching him warily.

"who are you?"

"He's the one who came to rescue you."

A moment later, the two sat in the equally dilapidated guest room. Zheng Jingang looked at the box in front of him, and then at the unfamiliar guest.

"Who are you?"

"I have nothing to hide from you, Zheng Jun. To be honest, I am here on the orders of a nobleman to investigate the affairs of the Duke of Tang. I learned that you once worked in the Duke of Tang's mansion, so I would like to ask you some questions. This money is nothing. If you can provide some useful information, I can take you back to Guanzhong. In fact, I can introduce you to a real nobleman."

"Even the Duke of Tang is nothing compared to that nobleman."

The man looked at Zheng Jingang with a smile, "What do you think, Mr. Zheng?"

Zheng Jingang pursed his lips. "What kind of news is considered important?"

"Unfavorable news, unfavorable news for the Duke of Tang."

Zheng Jingang pondered for a moment, "Li Jiancheng is making friends with heroes and thieves all over Hedong, trying to win them over to his side. I know the specific locations and the number of people involved."

There was a hint of disappointment in the man's eyes.

Clearly, this is not a major issue.

Zheng Jingang noticed his expression and then firmly stated, "Is it true that they are colluding with thieves, or are they the kind of thieves who rule the mountains and have previously attacked government officials?"

"Ok?"

"Back in Xingyang, there was a place called Qingzao Village. At that time, Li Jiancheng said not to pay attention to these people and to let them go. I still can't understand it, but this winter, I heard people say that a new Qingzao Village has appeared outside. What a coincidence! This must be related to that village."

(End of this chapter)