In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

If... if each of them wore armor made of this steel and carried weapons forged from this steel...

What a terrifying force that would be!

Not to mention the dozen or so yamen runners he brought, even the hundred or so garrison soldiers in the county town probably wouldn't be enough for them to kill!

At that moment, he finally understood.

He finally understood where Qin Shaolang's fearless confidence came from!

Tiger skin? Tiger bone? Six hundred taels of silver as a reward?

Compared to mass-producible steel, these things are simply a joke!

Qin Shaolang didn't care about the reward money at all; he was testing him! He was revealing his true colors!

He was telling the Lantian County government and Magistrate Li Jian'an in an almost humiliating way: I, Qin Shaolang, have the power to overturn your table!

"Master, do you still think that the lives of my thirty-odd brothers are only worth this piece of paper?"

Qin Shaolang's voice rang out again, calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"thump!"

Zhang Wenyuan's legs went weak, and he could no longer support himself, collapsing to the ground.

The dagger and steel ingot in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp clang.

The two constables he brought were terrified. They wanted to help him up, but dared not approach. Their faces were ashen.

"No... I dare not... Master Qin... I was blind to your greatness! I was so arrogant!" Zhang Wenyuan's voice trembled as he crawled on his hands and feet to Qin Shaolang. He had lost all semblance of the demeanor of a scholar and the dignity of a government official.

He raised his hand and slapped himself twice hard.

"Slap! Slap!"

It was crisp and clear.

"I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Please, Master Qin, have mercy on me this time!"

He's scared now.

I'm genuinely scared.

This is no longer a simple case of reaping the benefits and extortion.

If this matter is not handled properly, he has no doubt that this smiling young man in front of him will not hesitate to make sure that none of them can leave this valley!

When the time comes, bury them in the mountains, and who will know how they died?

Are the authorities coming to investigate?

With this guy's ability to get the whole village to speak for him, the authorities can't find out anything!

The surrounding guards were dumbfounded.

They all gaped, their faces filled with disbelief.

How come the county clerk, who was just swaggering and arrogant a moment ago, suddenly knelt down and even slapped himself?

Just because of that dark, lumpy iron that Brother Qin took out?

What exactly is that thing?

Chu Wu was also completely bewildered, but what filled him more was ecstasy and admiration!

Cattle!

Brother Qin is absolutely amazing!

Even the officials knelt down!

Su Jin stood at a distance, taking in all of this.

Her heart was pounding.

If before, she was only shocked by Qin Shaolang's strategies and cunning.

Now, she felt a tremor that came from the depths of her soul.

This man wields power that transcends the realm of political maneuvering.

This is a powerful force capable of changing the landscape of the times!

He wasn't rebelling, but everything he did was more terrifying than rebellion!

Qin Shaolang bent down, picked up the steel ingot, and then picked up the IOU.

He didn't even glance at Zhang Wenyuan kneeling on the ground; he simply held up the IOU to his eyes.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, he gently tore it open.

"Sizzle!"

That "certificate," stamped with the county government's official seal and personally signed by County Magistrate Li Jian'an, was split in two, then into four, and finally reduced to a pile of useless fragments, which he casually tossed into the wind.

"!"

Zhang Wenyuan's heart skipped a beat!

He tore up the magistrate's IOU right in front of me!

How arrogant! How presumptuous!

But he didn't dare utter a single word.

Because he knew that from the moment Qin Shaolang took out that steel ingot, the balance of power between the two sides had been completely reversed.

Now, it's not Qin Shaolang begging the county government for money.

Instead, the county government begged Qin Shaolang not to escalate the situation!

"Master, please stand up and speak," Qin Shaolang said calmly. "The ground is cold."

"Yes...yes! Thank you, Master Qin!" Zhang Wenyuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet and stood respectfully to the side, not daring to raise his head.

Qin Shaolang toyed with the steel ingot in his hand and slowly spoke.

"I, Qin Shaolang, am neither a ruthless bandit nor a troublemaker. I am just a doctor who wants to provide for my brothers and ensure they have enough to eat."

"We don't want to cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either."

"Go back and tell Magistrate Li." Qin Shaolang's gaze finally landed on Zhang Wenyuan's face. "The old debts are wiped clean. Now, let's discuss a new business deal."

Zhang Wenyuan trembled and quickly bowed, "Please speak, Master Qin! I will convey your message word for word!"

"First," Qin Shaolang held up one finger, "I need grain. One thousand shi of fine rice. Deliver it to me within three days."

hiss--!

A thousand stones!

Zhang Wenyuan gasped!

The annual tax revenue of Lantian County is only three thousand shi (a unit of dry measure). He asked for a third of that amount!

This isn't a doctor; he's going to bankrupt the entire county government!

"Second," Qin Shaolang held up a second finger, completely ignoring Zhang Wenyuan's shock, "I need iron ore. As much as you have. I'll buy it at market price, and the money will come from the profits I make selling tiger skins and bones. All the county government needs to do is give me a break and prevent anyone from causing me trouble."

"Third." Qin Shaolang held up a third finger, his voice turning cold. "I don't care what methods you use, get me a legal identity document. Not for me, but for these thirty-six brothers under my command. I don't care what their previous status was. From now on, they are legal villagers of Qin Family Village, protected by the laws of the Great Wei Dynasty, and no one may arbitrarily search or arrest them."

Upon hearing these three conditions, Zhang Wenyuan felt dizzy and disoriented.

The first thing we need is money and supplies!

Secondly, we need resources!

The third thing is to have a formal title!

He's trying to completely whitewash his private army and turn it into a legitimate private armed force!

His ambition is obvious!

"Master Qin...the first two are fine, but the third one...is registering thirty-six people of unknown origin. If this gets found out by the higher-ups, the county magistrate...will lose his job!" Zhang Wenyuan said with a mournful face.

Qin Shaolang smiled.

He gently tossed the steel ingot into Zhang Wenyuan's arms.

Zhang Wenyuan caught it in a fluster, feeling as if the piece of iron was so hot that his very soul was trembling.

"This is the deposit."

Qin Shaolang looked at him and said, word by word.

"Tell Li Jian'an that if he takes this deal, I guarantee he'll have the best political record in the entire prefecture for three years, and the treasury will be overflowing! I can give him anything he wants."

"If he doesn't do it..."