Chapter Thirty: Crafting the Hand Crossbow

The people began to stir with renewed interest. After much deliberation, no better methods for economic development had been found. For now, the plan remained limited to farming, reclaiming wasteland, and distributing land to attract settlers. They would also focus on growing medicinal herbs, developing aquaculture, and carving terraces into the mountains.

Xiyun County had now become Xiyun Province, and the county magistrate had been elevated to the rank of Provincial Governor. At this moment, the Governor was reviewing a letter from Zhao Hu. The bandits of Black Cloud Stronghold had been wiped out, and Fang Han had rewarded all the seized gold, silver, and jewelry to Zhao Hu and his soldiers.

"This Protector-General is certainly going to great lengths to win over the people of my Xiyun Province," the Governor chuckled.

Another official laughed heartily. "Indeed! The provincial capital is filled with nothing but incompetent fools; it is understandable he would want to bolster his own power. But he has miscalculated."

"Zhao Hu says he intends to transport these spoils here. What do you think?" the Governor asked.

An official pondered for a moment before suggesting, "My lord, it would be best to let Commander Zhao keep them. Firstly, they can serve as military pay, and secondly, it would demonstrate your trust in him."

"Quite right, my lord. As the saying goes, a general in the field is not bound by the orders of the sovereign. With Commander Zhao stationed in the capital, if this continues for long..."

The Governor looked displeased. "Are you implying that Zhao Hu would betray me?" He scoffed, "Those in the capital are nothing but bags of wine and rice. If he dared to betray me, he would only be left without anyone to use when war inevitably breaks out. Send my orders: have someone go to meet him and escort the goods."

Just then, the magistrate who had been sent to the provincial capital to negotiate returned. "My lord! My lord! Great news, truly wonderful news!"

"What is all this panic about?" The Governor felt a surge of excitement, though he maintained a calm expression. Anything deemed "good news" could only mean that Fang Han had made another foolish decision.

"My lord, that boy is utterly muddled! He actually wants to expand the capital, planning to build a city twenty miles wide!"

Expand the city? Was that considered good news? The group looked at the magistrate, waiting for him to continue. After a long while, they realized that the new Protector-General was merely vain and ambitious, hoping to build a city to cement his own legacy. However, when they heard that he had been forced to abandon the idea after being obstructed by his own officials, the Governor felt a sense of pity. Yet, at the same time, he felt completely at ease regarding Zhao Hu.

"Well? With such an incapable child in charge, do you still think Zhao Hu would betray me?"

The officials shook their heads. If Fang Han was truly such a person, he was hardly worth dying for. One official even suggested, "My lord, why not have Commander Zhao secretly win over the commanders in the capital?"

"Indeed! With a Protector-General like that, they are bound to face disaster sooner or later."

The Governor was in high spirits, calculating the feasibility of the plan. Currently, there were four external factions in the capital, and the Xiyun Province held the largest force, giving them the upper hand. In the future, when Fang Han was goaded into tearing down the city walls, every faction would seize the excuse to station their troops inside. By then, winning people over would become a competition of financial resources. This needed to be done as soon as possible.

"In that case, cancel the escort. Let Zhao Hu use those riches to win people over."

A magistrate frowned and stepped forward. "My lord, I have heard that some of Fang Han's soldiers have been granted the surname 'Fang.' The commander is named Fang Da, the scout is Fang Yuan, and there are various minor commanders as well."

The Governor’s brow furrowed at the mention of the surname. Fang Han was not royalty; for others to accept such a title, there could only be one explanation: these men were fiercely loyal to him. If that were the case, things would be complicated—especially since these soldiers were those he had brought with him; they were likely "death soldiers" he had cultivated for a long time.

Thinking of this, and considering that these people did not seem particularly strong, the Governor decided against trying to win them over. Fang Han’s soldiers were surely as incompetent as he was. In particular, that commander Fang Da was said to have occupied a mansion and seized a beautiful woman the moment he entered the city. During their last martial arts contest, he had been unstable on his feet and was defeated by Zhao Hu in just a few rounds. Such people would likely see their entire force wiped out in battle; there was no point in recruiting them.

"Hmph, a bunch of useless gluttons. I have no interest in them. Tell Zhao Hu to send the seized gold and silver immediately."

It was not just Xiyun Province. The agents sent by other provinces were also speechless with excitement when they heard of Fang Han's plan to expand the city. To dare such a thing—he was truly tired of living. They could never have imagined that Fang Han dared to do this precisely because he was confident. Once he improved his strength, the city walls would only be an obstacle to his development. He intended not only to dismantle the capital but to tear down the walls throughout the entire region, holding all the power of the Southern Frontier firmly in his own hands.

Half a month later, the weather grew increasingly cold. During this time, Fang Han had dispatched Fang Yuan’s scout battalion to survey the terrain and plan the construction of new roads. He also ordered his men to search for any mineable mineral deposits in the vicinity, hoping, above all, to find saltpeter for the development of gunpowder. Beyond that, the work on the terraced fields had not stopped; another three thousand acres had been cleared, waiting only for the herbs to be cultivated so they could be planted on a massive scale.

Unfortunately, no one understood how to cultivate these herbs. Even the ones planted by Lin Qingwei were not growing well as the weather turned cold, and some were even showing signs of withering. Fortunately, Liu San mentioned that there were people in the Southern Frontier who understood the cultivation of medicinal herbs. Since the wars began, many had hidden deep in the mountains or had sought refuge elsewhere in the South. If those people could be found, there was still hope.

At nightfall, Fang Yuan arrived at the Protectorate. "My lord, there are thirteen bandit groups within a hundred and fifty miles."

"So many? How many people in total?" Fang Han was astonished. When his scouts were surveying the land, they had discovered bandits nearby. Fang Han had ordered them to focus on the terrain and record the locations and numbers of the bandits, to be reported all at once. He had not expected thirteen separate groups within a hundred-mile radius. How many more must there be in the further reaches?

Fang Yuan pulled out the records and handed them to Fang Han. "Six hundred and thirty-six people in total, including six groups with over fifty members. They hold over three hundred acres of land."

Fang Han took the papers and looked them over. They contained detailed records of the bandits' combat strength, even noting the number of men, women, and children. These people did not seem like bandits at all, but rather refugees forced into the mountains, now living in isolation from the world.

Fang Han pondered for a moment. "Notify them: surrender and descend from the mountains, and inform them that the new Protector-General has arrived. If they refuse, they shall be suppressed without mercy."

"Understood." Fang Yuan took his orders and left.

By noon the next day, the rhythmic pounding of the forge had ceased. Old Wu the blacksmith stopped his work and plunged the finished iron implement into the water. With a hiss, the item Fang Han had ordered was complete.

"My lord! My lord!" Old Wu brought a pile of components to Fang Han in great anticipation. Fang Han was also thrilled; he would finally have a personal weapon. What he had ordered Old Wu to craft was a hand crossbow. The wooden frame had already been prepared, and it only needed the internal components.

Fang Han told Old Wu to set them down and handed him another blueprint—a simple bearing. This was a difficult piece to manufacture, but fortunately, he had enough time; as long as it was finished before the harvest, it would suffice.

After Old Wu left, Fang Han began to assemble the hand crossbow. It was finished quickly, leaving only the twenty small arrows to be completed.