The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

"Oh no!" Tao Sheng exclaimed in surprise, but it was too late to stop it.

With a crisp "clang," the earthenware bowl bounced on the ground and rolled to the side without breaking or even getting a chip.

Guo Jia was stunned. He walked over, picked up the earthenware bowl, examined it from all angles, and tapped it with his knuckles, producing a sound like metal or stone.

"Hey, this is really a weird thing."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Xun Hao's eyes. He took the ceramic bowl from Guo Jia, handed it back to Tao Sheng, and said gently, "This craftsmanship is excellent. It's just a pity that it's only for making bowls."

Tao Sheng looked at him, puzzled.

"Tell me, if this pottery jar were made the size of a fist, with thick walls and a small opening, would that be possible?" Xun Hao asked.

"Yes... I can do it."

"What would happen if you filled it with kerosene, plugged the opening with a cloth, lit it, and threw it out?"

Tao Sheng thought for a moment, then replied hesitantly, "The jar won't break, and the kerosene won't spill out, so I'm afraid... it won't burn."

"What if I asked you to mix iron filings and gravel into the clay? Would the fired pottery jar break if dropped from a height?"

Tao Sheng's eyes lit up; he understood Xun Hao's meaning. "Yes! If sand and gravel are mixed in, the pottery will be uneven, and the fired clay will be brittle and break easily!"

"Alright." Xun Hao nodded in satisfaction. "Go back first and try firing a batch of these small pottery jars that I mentioned. Just tell the steward what you need."

After Tao Sheng left, only the two of them remained in the courtyard.

"Ah Hao, what are you up to now?" Guo Jia asked curiously, fiddling with the unbreakable ceramic bowl. "First the hundred-refined steel, then the shatterproof pottery—are you trying to build up a power base?"

Xun Hao looked at Guo Jia's inquisitive expression, put the ceramic bowl back on the table, and said in a calm voice, "It's not about becoming a powerful force, but simply about increasing our own strength."

But he was plotting something else. In order to dominate the world in this chaotic era, the Xun family had no shortage of scholars and strategists, but military generals were extremely scarce.

Look at those future giants: Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian. Didn't they all first build a strong team of capable military generals before recruiting civil officials and ultimately achieving hegemony?

Although the Xun family was a top-tier clan, their strengths were ultimately too weak to contend for supremacy. Besides, if he intended to conquer the world, Xun Yu would be the first to stand up and oppose him.

"Just to increase your strength?" Guo Jia clearly didn't believe it. He leaned closer, his peach blossom eyes almost touching Xun Hao's face, and lowered his voice, carrying a teasing and seductive tone, "Ah Hao, tell me the truth, do you want to...?"

Xun Hao vehemently denied it.

As a modern man, he had little interest in the emperor's throne, where one had to get up earlier than the rooster and go to bed later than the dog.

What he needed to do was find the person most likely to end the chaos, and then firmly tie the Xun family and himself to this fastest ship.

As for the succession of Cao Cao's successor, he already had a preliminary candidate in mind.

It's just that the child, who is only a few years old, may not know whether little Cao Ang knows that he has already entered the list of future top strategists while he is still playing in the mud.

"What are you thinking about?" Xun Hao looked up, meeting Guo Jia's probing gaze, and calmly asked, "Brother Fengxiao, what do you think I should be thinking about?"

Guo Jia was taken aback by his question, then laughed, ruffled Xun Hao's hair, and said in a familiar and affectionate tone, "Alright, I won't ask if you don't want to. Anyway, whatever you want to do, I'll be there for you."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Early that morning, Pu Yuan sent someone to invite Xun Hao and Guo Jia, saying that the sword had been forged.

When Xun Hao and Guo Jia arrived, Pu Yuan was shirtless, retrieving a long, jet-black sword from the quenching water. The steam rising from it made a hissing sound, like the low growl of some ferocious beast.

The sword was about three feet long, with a straight blade. The edge gleamed with a cold, bluish light, contrasting sharply with the dark back of the blade. On the blade, one could vaguely see fine, flowing forging patterns, intricate and beautiful.

"Young master, I have not failed you." Pu Yuan presented the knife with both hands, his eyes filled with undisguised pride and fervor.

Guo Jia took the sword and immediately felt its weight, far exceeding that of an ordinary ring-pommel sword. He casually twirled the blade, and a slight whooshing sound filled the air.

"What a fine blade!" Guo Jia praised. "I just don't know if it can cut through the swords of the county soldiers, as you say."

"We'll know once we try," Pu Yuan said confidently.

The soldiers' swords, already prepared, were fixed to the wooden stakes. Guo Jia weighed the black sword in his hand, gathered his energy in his dantian, and swung it down fiercely.

With a crisp clang, to everyone's disbelief, the fairly fine county soldier's sword was cleaved in two like rotten wood! The cut was as smooth as a mirror.

The black knife in Guo Jia's hand remained intact, without even a slight curl.

Xun Hao's face also showed a satisfied expression. He walked up to Pu Yuan and said, "I believe in your skills. From today onwards, the 'Hundred Weapons Workshop' in Yingchuan City will be yours. You will be in charge of manpower, money, and provisions. I have only one request."

Pu Yuan, his face flushed with excitement, bowed and said, "Please speak, young master!"

"I need you to forge five hundred sets of these weapons and armor for my Xun family as quickly as possible. I will give you the blueprints."

"Five hundred sets?" Pu Yuan was taken aback. Forging such a sword had taken him three whole days and nights, almost exhausting his energy. Five hundred sets—what an enormous undertaking that must have been!

"Is there a problem?"

"No...no!" Pu Yuan gritted his teeth. "As long as we have enough manpower and materials, I will definitely get it done for you within six months!"

"Alright." Xun Hao nodded. "Also, your steel-forging method must not be known to anyone else but you. I will send people to protect you and your family."

This statement is both a promise and a warning.

Pu Yuan was a clever man and immediately understood the deeper meaning. He bowed deeply again: "This humble subject understands! Thank you, young master, for your great kindness!"

With the weapon issue resolved, Xun Hao's mood improved considerably.

On the way back to the mansion, Guo Jia seemed to be preoccupied.

"What's wrong?" Xun Hao asked.

Guo Jia glanced at him, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

"Speak your mind."

"Ah Hao," Guo Jia finally couldn't help but speak.

"You're recruiting artisans, forging weapons, and training a private army... What exactly are you trying to do? Don't tell me it's for self-defense. Self-defense doesn't require such a large-scale operation."

For the first time, the usual playfulness was gone from his peach blossom eyes, replaced by an unusual seriousness.

Xun Hao remained silent.

He knew Guo Jia was too clever. His actions might fool others, but they certainly wouldn't fool him. The carriage moved slowly through the streets of Yingchuan, its wheels making a monotonous sound as they rolled over the cobblestones.