176: Chapter 176 Rapid Development

He first glared viciously at the blind steward, then walked quickly to the front of Li Qingzhao, bowing deeply to her, his attitude extremely humble.

"Princess Consort, what are you saying? My Chen Clan Grain Firm has been in business for generations, always abiding by the law and keeping to our own affairs. These four words, 'tax evasion,' are something we absolutely cannot bear!"

"Whether you can bear it or not is not for you to decide, but for me," Li Qingzhao said coldly; she couldn't even be bothered to look at this fat man reeking of money again.

"Someone! Investigate for me!"

"Yes!"

Hundreds of auditors, who had long been prepared, surged into every corner of the grain firm like a tide, beginning an unprecedented and thorough investigation!

Seeing this, a trace of imperceptible coldness flashed in Chen Tong's triangular eyes hidden beneath his fat.

He knew that the visitors were not coming with good intentions.

Without changing his expression, he took out a heavy brocade box from his bosom, then quietly stuffed it into the hand of a trusted maid beside Li Qingzhao, lowering his voice and speaking with a fawning Face:

"Young lady, just a small token, not worth much. I hope you can put in a good word for me before the Princess Consort. If this is done, there will be a heavy reward!"

Inside that brocade box were ten huge gold notes, enough to exchange for ten thousand taels of gold at the Four Seas Bank!

However, the maid seemed not to see it at all; she just glanced coldly at Chen Tong, then pushed the brocade box back, completely untouched.

"Manager Chen, you had better keep that to buy yourself a coffin."

Chen Tong's expression instantly became incredibly ugly!

He never dreamed that his "money offensive," which had always been successful, would actually hit a wall here!

He knew that the Princess Consort before him, who looked young and unbelievably beautiful, was a hard bone that couldn't be chewed!

He rolled his eyes and immediately changed his expression again.

He leaned close to Li Qingzhao, lowered his voice, and said slowly in a tone full of threats and hints:

"Princess Consort, leave a line for people to act, so we can meet again in the future. My Chen Clan Grain Firm, although only a small business, has several big figures standing behind it that you might... not be able to offend."

"I advise you, Princess, not to take things too far. Otherwise, if you alarm those noble people in the Divine Capital, I fear it will be of no benefit to you or Prince Ying."

He was openly using his connections in the Divine Capital to threaten Li Qingzhao!

However, after hearing these words, Li Qingzhao not only had no fear, but a cold smile full of endless mockery and disdain appeared on her cold, pretty Face.

She slowly turned her head, her eyes as bright as cold stars, looking quietly at Chen Tong, and said word by word:

"This Princess Consort will wait."

The next day, at noon.

In Yan King City, the public court was already packed with people, and every seat was taken.

All the gentry representatives who received the "invitation" arrived as promised.

They all sat upright, with expressions of schadenfreude on their Faces, ready to watch the show.

They wanted to see how this newly appeared, ignorant, and arrogant Princess Consort would end this.

As for Chen Tong, he knelt calmly below the court, his Face showing no tension or fear, but rather a hint of smugness, relying on his backing.

He believed that as long as he refused to admit it, relying on his flawless fake accounts and his powerful backing far away in the Divine Capital, even if Gao Feng, the Prince of Yan, arrived in person, he could not do anything to him!

"Clap!"

A crisp sound of the gavel!

Dressed in a deep blue official robe, with a temperament as cold as the moon, Li Qingzhao slowly walked up to the main seat of the court, which symbolized supreme power.

She didn't say any nonsense, just looked coldly at Chen Tong kneeling below the hall, then threw a prepared summary of the accounts in front of him.

"Chen Tong, do you know your crime?"

"Reporting to the Princess Consort, this commoner does not know," Chen Tong kowtowed with an innocent Face. "This commoner has always abided by the law; what crime have I committed?"

"A fine 'abiding by the law'!" Li Qingzhao sneered. "Then let me ask you, last autumn, your Chen Clan Grain Firm purchased three million shi of grain from Jiangnan. When entering the warehouse, why did you only report one and a half million shi? Where did the remaining one and a half million shi go?"

"Reporting to the Princess, this is a misunderstanding," Chen Tong replied calmly. "That batch of grain encountered a once-in-a-century super rainstorm during transport; the fleet capsized, causing half of the grain to sink to the bottom of the river. This matter has the inspection documents from the waterway offices along the way as proof."

"Oh? Is that so?" The corners of Li Qingzhao's mouth curled into a cold arc.

She slowly stood up, walked to the huge evidence rack, and took down two other unremarkable-looking account books from it.

"Then let me ask you again, since half of your grain sank to the bottom of the river, why did you pay the full shipping fee to the 'Four Seas Escort Agency' that transported this batch of grain for you?"

"Moreover, according to the shipment records I retrieved from the 'Jiangnan Rice Firm,' your so-called 'three million shi' of grain was actually only two point eight million shi. Where did the extra two hundred thousand shi come from out of thin air?"

"Most importantly," Li Qingzhao's voice suddenly became incredibly sharp, like two invisible sharp swords, stabbing fiercely into Chen Tong's heart!

"According to the calculation and comparison of all the accounts of your Chen Clan Grain Firm over the past ten years by my Department of Finance!"

"We discovered that every year, you have a huge sum of 'losses' with an unknown destination!"

"And the amount of these 'losses' matches exactly, not more and not less, the 'tribute' you secretly send to Prince Ying's Residence in the Divine Capital every year!"

"Chen Tong! Do you still dare to say that you don't know your crime?!"

Every word of Li Qingzhao was like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, striking fiercely on top of Chen Tong's head!

Every one of her questions was like the sharpest knife, ruthlessly peeling away his seemingly seamless lies layer by layer!

All the color on Chen Tong's usually calm fat Face instantly faded at this moment!

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead!

His body trembled violently and uncontrollably!

He couldn't understand why his fake accounts, which he had done so secretly and flawlessly, were seen so clearly and transparently by the other party!

"No... impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

He let out a shrill scream that didn't sound human, like a madman, pointing at Li Qingzhao, roaring hoarsely:

"You... you are slandering! This is framing! I want to see the Prince! I want to see Your Highness, the Prince of Yan! I am a royal merchant! You cannot touch me!"

However, just as his desperate and crazy roar was still echoing in the court.

A voice full of supreme majesty and cold killing intent, like the judgment of the god of death, slowly came from outside the court.

"No need."

"This Prince has already arrived."

Gao Feng was seen wearing a black royal robe, surrounded by those two terrifying guards who looked like gods and demons, slowly walking into the court.

He didn't even take an extra look at Chen Tong, who had already collapsed on the ground like a dead dog.

He just slowly swept his gaze over those gentry representatives who were already scared pale and silent as cicadas in winter, then, in a tone that allowed no doubt, as if announcing the truth, he slowly spoke:

"The Chen Clan Grain Firm has evaded taxes, aided the enemy, and committed treason; their crimes are heinous."

"According to the panshi code of law, they should be executed, and their nine generations of kin implicated!"

"All of their family property shall be confiscated to provide compensation for the families of the soldiers who sacrificed in this battle against the Heavenly Wolf!"

"This case is hereby closed."

"Who has any objections?"

No one dared to respond!

The whole court was deathly silent!

Those gentry representatives who were previously gloating and preparing to watch Li Qingzhao make a fool of herself, when they came into contact with Gao Feng's cold gaze, which looked down on all living things like a god, were all so scared that their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, their livers and gallbladders cracked!

They were all like ducks with their necks choked, not even daring to breathe loudly!

They knew that from today on, the sky of this northern border was truly going to change!

That night, Yan Kings Residence, Department of Finance.

Li Qingzhao was still under the lamp, concentrating on checking the mountain of accounts confiscated from the Chen Clan Grain Firm.

Her Face carried a trace of fatigue after the great battle, but her bright eyes were full of endless excitement and satisfaction.

Through this iron-fisted investigation of the Chen Clan Grain Firm, she not only recovered a huge tax amount of up to several million taels of silver for the Panshi Land, but also completely established the supreme authority of the Department of Finance!

She knew that from today on, the brand-new financial and tax reforms of "account standardization" and "tax and silver integration" that she promoted would never encounter any resistance again!

Just at this moment, a slight sound of footsteps came.

Li Qingzhao looked up and saw Gao Feng's handsome Face with a trace of a gentle smile.

In his hand, he was still holding a bowl of steaming, fragrant soothing soup.

"Still busy?" Gao Feng walked to her side and gently placed the bowl of soothing soup in front of her.

"Husband." Two moving red clouds flew onto Li Qingzhao's Face, and she hurriedly stood up, wanting to salute.

But she was stopped by Gao Feng with a gentle look.

"Sit down." Gao Feng gently draped a warm fox fur cloak over her slightly thin shoulders, his voice full of endless doting and heartache.

"Although state affairs are important, your body is more important."

Looking at the man in front of her, who was the king of the northern border, decisive and unparalleled in dominance outside, but gentle, considerate, and caring in front of her, Li Qingzhao's heart, which had always been as hard as iron, completely melted at this moment.

Her eyes were slightly moist.

She didn't say any words of thanks, just picked up the bowl of soothing soup full of love and drank it slowly, one small sip at a time.

That warm current flowed from her throat all the way to the depths of her heart, completely melting away all her exhaustion and grievances.

Gao Feng looked at her quietly, his deep eyes filled with endless determination and resolve.

Li Qingzhao, remember this.

The Bloodline of the nation cannot tolerate parasites.

Let go and do it, do it boldly.

Even if the sky were to truly collapse, I would be there to hold it up for you.

While Li Qingzhao's fiscal and tax reform was in full swing, another industrial revolution, one capable of overturning the entire era, had quietly begun within the massive workshop of the Hundred Crafts Institute, which was shrouded in thick smoke and raging fire day and night.

Hundred Crafts Institute, core testing ground.

Here, it had long been surrounded by the Panshi Army's most elite Tiger Guard Battalion, layer upon layer, watertight.

Anyone who approaches this place without permission, regardless of their status, will be executed on the spot!

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the testing ground was so stifling that it was hard to breathe.

Gongshu Ban, the Minister of Works who was seen as a god in the eyes of all craftsmen, was shirtless, and his usually calm Face was filled with unprecedented fanaticism and excitement!

Standing before him was a giant humanoid war golem, three zhang high, cast entirely from the thickest Panshi refined steel, filled with endless violence and the aesthetics of destruction!

It was none other than the terrifying war weapon that had shone brilliantly at the World Heroes Assembly, single-handedly resisting the combined attack of several Sixth-Rank Grandmasters without suffering a single scratch—the war golem prototype!

My Lord! Look!

Gongshu Ban's voice became hoarse and trembling due to extreme excitement!

He pointed at the steel beast, which stood as majestic as a demon god, and introduced it fanatically to Gao Feng, who was also looking on in shock:

Based on the revolutionary theories of 'energy circuits' and 'multi-core linkage' you provided! We exhausted all the rare Materials brought back from the Tongtian Pagoda, and after experiencing hundreds of failures and explosions, we finally fully upgraded and modified the power core of this war golem!

Now, its energy output is not only ten times stronger than before! Its defensive power has reached an unfathomable and terrifying level! Even a Seventh-Rank Martial Saint would not be able to leave even a scratch on it!

Furthermore, a glimmer of near-maniacal, cruel light flashed in Gongshu Ban's eyes, we also installed the 'six-barreled rotary Vulcan cannon' you designed on its arms, which can fire Explosive Shells! Once it opens fire, it can pour out hundreds of terrifying shells in just ten breaths, enough to tear a heavy cavalry unit into shreds!

This... this is no longer a weapon of the mortal world! This is a true, walking god of war in the human realm!

However, just when Gongshu Ban and all the craftsmen of the Hundred Crafts Institute were immersed in the endless shock and ecstasy brought by this war golem.

A harsh voice full of disdain and skepticism came from the side without any warning.

Hmph! Flashy but impractical! Good to look at, but useless!

I saw the Descendant of the Mohist school, Mo Zhai, who had also been specially recruited into the Hundred Crafts Institute as vice president, crossing his arms and looking at the giant steel beast with a look of disdain, saying coldly:

Although this thing has astonishing power, its size is too massive, its movements are sluggish, and it simply cannot adapt to the rapidly changing and complex battlefield!

Moreover, the resources consumed in its manufacture are astronomical! Even if we exhausted the financial resources of the entire northern border, I'm afraid we couldn't produce three or five of them! How much effect can this have on a massive battlefield with hundreds of thousands of troops?

In my opinion, true mechanism arts should pursue ultimate precision and efficiency! We should invest all our resources into the research and development of small-scale mechanical battle puppets that can be mass-produced! Use that endless flood of steel to drown all our enemies!

Mo Zhai's words were like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing the fanaticism of everyone present.

Upon hearing this, Gongshu Ban frowned and fell into deep thought.

He knew that what Mo Zhai said was not unreasonable.

Just as the two were arguing endlessly and stuck in a stalemate over the two completely different development paths of 'golem supremacy' and 'human wave tactics'.

Gao Feng, however, slowly began to laugh.

He walked up to the huge strategic sand table, picked up the command stick, and pointed it at the two models representing the war golem and the small mechanical battle puppet.

Mr. Gongshu, Mr. Mo Zhai, what you both say is correct.

His voice was full of confidence and composure.

However, you have both only seen the surface of the problem.

Let me ask you, for a towering tree, what is most important: the lush branches and leaves that can shield it from wind and rain, or the massive root system buried deep underground that provides it with a constant supply of nutrients?

Gongshu Ban and Mo Zhai were both taken aback upon hearing this.

They did not understand why Gao Feng would suddenly ask such a question.

Gao Feng did not wait for them to answer, and he continued:

The war golem is like the most top-tier peerless divine weapon; it can suppress the national destiny, deter petty villains, and deliver the final word at the most critical moment! It is the Face of our Panshi Land!

And those standard-issue equipments that can be mass-produced are like the countless gears and screws that support the operation of our entire war machine! Although they are inconspicuous, they are the 'foundation' that allows us to sweep across the world and be invincible!

What I need is not to make a choice between one Divine Artifact and thousands of sharp blades.

Gao Feng's eyes erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant divine light!

What I need is a massive and complete industrial system that can support both Divine Artifacts and sharp blades simultaneously!

What I need is a tree of technology that has both lush branches and leaves, and deep roots!

From today on, Gao Feng's voice became incomparably solemn and grave, I will split the Hundred Crafts Institute into two. Mr. Gongshu Ban will head the 'Tian Gong Institute', specifically responsible for the research and development and manufacturing of all cutting-edge strategic weapons such as war golems and Divine Might cannons!

Mr. Mo Zhai will head the 'Shenji Institute', specifically responsible for the standardized production and technical improvement of all basic military equipment such as standardized swords, divine arm crossbows, and assembly lines!

The two of you, one as the spear and one as the shield, will complement each other, and neither is dispensable!

I don't care what methods you use, I only have one requirement!

Within half a year, I want to see our basic military equipment lead this era by at least one hundred years!

I want to see our strategic weapons be enough to make any enemy who dares to provoke us tremble in fear under that earth-shattering artillery fire!

Gao Feng's words were like bolts of thunder from the Nine Heavens, striking hard at the hearts of Gongshu Ban and Mo Zhai!

They looked at that young Face full of endless confidence and great talent, and those two hearts, which had always been full of disagreement and contention, were at this moment completely filled with unprecedented shock and admiration!

They knew that the person they were following was a supreme and enlightened ruler who truly possessed wisdom and vision that transcended this era by nearly a thousand years!

We will obey your command!

Gongshu Ban and Mo Zhai both bowed deeply to Gao Feng, their voices filled with heartfelt fanaticism and submission!

Under Gao Feng's personal promotion, an unprecedented industrial revolution was fully launched on this land of the northern border, which was full of vitality, at a near-maniacal speed!

Mo Zhai was indeed a worthy Descendant of the Mohist school; after receiving Gao Feng's theoretical guidance on 'standardization' and 'assembly lines,' he burst forth with astonishing creativity!

He broke down the originally complex forging process of the Panshi Sword into hundreds of independent steps.

Smelting, forging, sharpening, quenching, polishing... every step was standardized, with specialized craftsmen using specialized molds!

In just one month, the first batch of Panshi Type II standard battle swords, produced entirely by the assembly line, successfully rolled off the production line!

When Mo Zhai used a battle sword that had just been taken off the assembly line to easily cut a hundred-refined steel sword, which an old master had spent days of hard work forging, in two, the entire Shenji Institute was in an uproar!

This new production model not only improved the quality of the battle swords astonishingly!

Its production efficiency was more than ten times higher than the previous manual workshops!

And its production cost was less than half of what it was before!

A miracle! This is simply a miracle!

Mo Zhai stroked the cold blade, his usually arrogant Face filled with endless shock and fanaticism!

He knew that a brand new era, dominated by steel and fire, was about to be born in his hands!

On the other side, Gongshu Ban's Tian Gong Institute also achieved Breakthrough progress!

After consuming countless rare Materials and Gao Feng's pouring of resources without regard for cost, the first true muzzle-loading smoothbore bronze cannon driven by a 'Earth Fire Dragon' core—the Divine Might Type I—was finally successfully cast!

When the twenty-pound solid iron projectile, carrying a sharp whistle that tore through the air, spewed out from the black muzzle and easily smashed a three-foot-thick city wall three hundred paces away, causing it to collapse with a roar!

All the Panshi Army generals present, including battle-hardened veterans like Du Wei and Wulu who had long seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, were completely shocked by this earth-shattering and terrifying power!

They knew that from today on, the form of war would be completely rewritten by the birth of this steel beast!