Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

The mountains in Guangxin are low, with lush wild grass and verdant vegetation. The mist in the evening adds a bit of warmth to the two seldom-visited hills.

Zhong Ping held a short sickle in his hand and walked down the mountain, chopping the thorns and branches around him as he went. Although he and Li Meng and others walked this road every day and had trampled out a path, the weeds and shrubs on the mountain were too dense and often got caught on people's clothes, shoes and socks, causing a lot of damage.

"I have been observing the stars these past few nights and it seems that there will be no rain for some time to come. I have already hired a craftsman to select the stones. Can they be cleared in the next few days?"

After confirming that both mountains were suitable for quarrying, although Zhong Ping was busy measuring the water level and drawing sketches, he did not forget to organize craftsmen to cut surfaces on the selected stones. With such a flat surface, it would be convenient to subsequently drill into the stones, that is, to create certain grooves or holes inside the stones for subsequent processing work.

He put the sickle back on his waist and asked Li Meng, who was following him with a basket on his back, "I remember Gongyou said he had recruited young men from nearby villages? The last time he told me, I remember it was about fifty people. Although this is my first time to participate in the stone mining, I think fifty people are not enough to build the sluice according to my idea."

"Didn't Mr. Gongyou and Mr. Zini recompile the household registration for hidden households?"

Li Meng frowned slightly, and a thoughtful look appeared on his tanned face: "I have also read the county annals. There are also noble families in Guangxin County. I think there are hundreds of tenant farmers and slaves in one family. Moreover, repairing the sluice gate and controlling the water is not just for Guangxin County. Why don't you recruit able-bodied men from the surrounding counties?"

Zhong Ping lowered his head and glanced at the grass leaves around him. He pulled out a leaf covered with white fluff, crushed it between his fingertips and sniffed it: "This smells like mugwort or something like that. It should have some effect in repelling insects." As he spoke, he motioned Li Meng to lower his head and smeared the grass juice on his hand on the red rash on Li Meng's face caused by insect bites.

"Let's use these fifty people to try mining for a day and see how much stone we can mine."

Zhong Ping picked another blade of the same grass and asked Li Meng to pass it to Wang San: "Pick some, crush it and apply it on your body so that you won't be bitten by insects."

"If that doesn't work," he turned the topic back to quarrying, "we can recruit strong men from Mengling and Duanxi. I'll talk to Zini about this when the time comes. I remember that the county magistrates of these two places were newly appointed by Lord Xuande."

Zhong Ping regretted reading novels every day when he traveled through time. If he had known that he really needed to do something practical here, he should have learned how to make gunpowder. If he could directly blow up the mountains and mine stones, fifty people would be enough.

and many more……

He touched his smooth chin and recalled a series of mnemonics: one sulfur, two nitrate, three charcoal, add a little sugar and you get Big Ivan.

I just made a mineral distribution map of Jiaozhou a few days ago, and it seems that there are indeed metal sulfide mines somewhere. Why don’t I go back and look for them?
This thought flashed through his mind. When he thought about going to look for mines and doing experiments to study the proportions, Zhong Ping felt his head start to hurt again.

Zhong Ping originally planned to grow a beard, but he thought it was too troublesome to maintain. Before, when he was in Xudu, he had a lot of free time and could still patiently repair it. Since he came to Guangxin, not to mention the major task of repairing the sluice, Zhong Ping was busy growing coriander and raising ducks. How could he have the leisure time? So he simply shaved it off.

"Sometimes I really want Zini to create dozens of clones."

He suddenly sighed, "It would be great if there were a few more nuns to help me do these things, and I could just sit there and offer advice."

Li Meng inexplicably thought of Guo Yuan growing a dozen pairs of hands and feet, but he restrained himself from showing any strangeness on his face. Only after a while did he suggest: "Why not let Wu Zhi and Huo Qiu help? I think these two people are both useful."

Zhong Ping was silent for a moment after hearing this: "Hu... Huoqiu is a talented general. I originally wanted him to follow General Guan, but General Guan is in Jiaozhi and has not returned yet, so I sent him to Shuzhi."

"He seems to be used to being a soldier. Practicing martial arts and archery every day is certainly a good thing, but I want him to learn the training methods from Shuzhi... Maybe I am too impatient."

As he spoke further, his tone became more uncertain. In the past, Zhong Ping could still be considered to have some decisiveness, but as time went on, the more it involved people close to him, the more hesitant he became.

"As for Ji Chong," Zhong Ping actually wrote to Wu Zhi when he was still in Jingzhou, telling him that he was a commoner and would be working in Jiaozhou for a few years. If Wu Zhi was interested in becoming an official, he could recommend him to Liu Biao. Wu Zhi did receive Zhong Ping's letter. He had indeed considered Zhong Ping as a stepping stone to advancement. After the matter of Tu County was settled, the helpless knight was excited and really thought about serving Zhong Ping for the rest of his life.

But he was not an upright person. When he was in Xudu, he was a retainer of Zhong Ping. The father and son of the Zhong family always talked about etiquette and morality, but they acted casually and unrestrainedly. Whether they were so-called retainers or servants, they got along with each other more like tenants.

They were called servants, but most of them were elderly people. They just went out to run errands and deliver some items in the mansion. Wu Zhi only saw them a few times a day. Most of the time, the servants lived in the house in the front yard and lived their own lives.

Seeing such leisure, Wu Zhi always felt that if the Zhong Mansion announced that it wanted to buy servants one day, the people who came to visit would probably be able to break down the threshold of the Zhong Mansion.

Logically speaking, staying in the Zhong Mansion like this every day was something Wu Zhi had never dared to think about before. Unfortunately, the more Wu Zhi felt that he should be satisfied, the more dissatisfied he became.

When Zhong Ping finished teaching the two young masters at Cao Cao's mansion and left, Wu Zhi would often stand by his carriage and wait. Occasionally, he would see Cao Cao off, and at this time he would always think of the people and things in Tu County.

Power is too tempting. Just by witnessing its power once, all the hatred and resentment from the past can be turned into a longed-for poisonous wine. Even though I know it will make my stomach ache, I still want to sip a full cup.

For a period of time, Wu Zhi slept next to Zhong Ping's room, tossing and turning, thinking about how to become an official, but for some reason he could not ask Zhong Ping for help.

Before Dong Cheng caused chaos in Xudu, Zhong Ping stopped teaching the two sons of Cao and instead pushed Xi Lu to the top in a roundabout way.

If Wu Zhi had never met Xi Lu, it would have been fine if he had just read his articles, but he had talked with him. And it just so happened that since he entered Xudu, he had been studying the articles of the father and son of the Zhong family and Cai Yong.

He prided himself on his outstanding literary talent and had a sense of chivalry in his heart. When he was successful, he always felt that he was superior to others. When he heard such news, although he had no basis for blame, he was always depressed.

Do you insist on calling it resentment? That shouldn't be the case. At least Wu Zhi is sure that he has never held any resentment towards Zhong Ping in his life.

Maybe it was jealousy, or some other inexplicable feeling that had always been lingering in his heart.

When Wu Zhi received Zhong Ping's letter in Jingzhou, he saw the words of recommendation and should have accepted Zhong Ping's kindness. He was also tempted, but for some reason, he just folded the letter and plunged into the desolate and hopeless place of Jiaozhou.

"Ji Chong is sensitive but worried, arrogant and humble. Although he has talent, he is only good at literature and is not fit for office."

Zhong Ping didn't know how to describe Wu Zhi's temperament. He could feel Wu Zhi's arrogance, but he also had a slight sense of inferiority deep in his bones. Sometimes Zhong Ping didn't know what Wu Zhi was thinking.

"But if you want Ji Zhong to assist in the quarrying... I'll ask Lord Xuande to let Mr. Xianhe take charge of this matter, and there shouldn't be any mistakes."

Zhong Ping thought that Jian Yong had been free recently and had no important official business on hand, so he could borrow it for use. He immediately felt the burden on his shoulders was much lighter, and he walked back faster.

At that time he did not know that Liu Bei had already brought Fan A and others to his home, otherwise he would have probably found a way to escape and would not have returned all night.

(End of this chapter)