The playboy county magistrate

The rock strata are exposed here, and the topsoil is dark brown. The soil is loose and fine, and the surrounding vegetation grows exceptionally lushly, a stark contrast to the barren and desolate landscape around it.

Small, dark-colored stones are faintly embedded in the crevices of the rock wall.

This is a typical shallow coal mine.

Li Xuanzhi bent down and picked up a piece of gravel, rubbing his fingers lightly on the rough surface. Soon, a layer of light black powder appeared on his fingertips.

"This area contains shallow coal deposits with considerable seam thickness. The coal has a high calorific value and very few impurities."

Li Xuanzhi muttered to himself, having already decided on his first resource point.

Coal is the core energy source for iron smelting, heating, and industrial production.

With sufficient coal reserves, all subsequent industrial developments have the most basic fuel support.

Afterwards, Li Xuanzhi ignored the stares and complex expressions on the faces of those people as they watched his every move. He turned around and walked quickly for half an hour before finally reaching the shady slope behind the mountain.

This place is completely different from the recently discovered coal mine. Here, the rock strata are hard and dark reddish-brown. The broken surfaces of the gravel have a delicate metallic luster, and the soil contains fine, rust-colored particles.

Upon seeing this, Li Xuanzhi's eyes flashed with even greater shock, and joy instantly filled his entire body.

iron ore!

It's iron ore!

Compared to coal, iron ore was the strategic hard currency of this era.

Farming requires iron farm tools, maintaining order requires iron weapons, and infrastructure construction requires iron machinery.

In every aspect, nothing can be done without iron ore.

At present, not to mention Fuyu County, even in all the prefectures and counties across the country, the amount of iron ore that can be mined is not large.

Ironware is expensive and of inconsistent quality.

Whether it was ordinary people farming or government-led offices of the Ministry of Works and various blacksmith shops, their resources were scarce and restricted at every turn.

This particular vein is not only of excellent quality but also shallowly buried. It can be said that the mining difficulty is extremely low, making it a true treasure bestowed by heaven.

After surveying the area on foot for half a day, Li Xuanzhi accurately identified two large mineral veins and three small mineral deposits.

Cao, the county magistrate, stood by and watched as his magistrate examined a pile of rocks and mud repeatedly, pacing and measuring it, and the more absurd and bizarre it became, the deeper his worries grew.

As for Diao Mao and his group of local gentry, they all shook their heads and turned away, preparing to go down the mountain to spread the news, mock the young magistrate's absurd behavior, and wait to see him make a fool of himself in the future.

"Please wait, everyone."

Just as everyone was about to leave, Li Xuanzhi's voice slowly rang out. Although his tone remained calm and composed, it possessed an extremely strong penetrating power, as if it could suppress the sound of the wind in the mountains.

Li Xuanzhi's sharp gaze swept over the group of gentry members with mocking expressions, and he spoke calmly:

"You all laugh at me today for neglecting my duties and indulging in wishful thinking."

"It's alright."

"Today I seek out barren mountains and scattered rocks, but tomorrow I will build the eternal foundation of Fuyu County."

"You may regard this place as wasteland now, but one day it will be a treasure trove that you can't even dream of."

His voice trailed off confidently and firmly, without a trace of pretension.

When Diao Mao and the other local gentry heard this, they simply thought it was a young man making threats to save face, and they sneered.

Although they all believed they had powerful backers, a local official is more powerful than a distant one, and Li Xuanzhi, no matter what, was a legitimate official appointed by the imperial court.

Their provocation was already a declaration of their resolve to the one in the capital. If they went any further and offended Li Xuanzhi too badly, they might not even be able to wait for the one in the capital to come to their rescue.

The laughter and footsteps of Diao Mao and his group of local gentry gradually faded away, and the mountains finally returned to their usual tranquility.

After the commotion subsided, only Magistrate Cao, looking worried, and two bewildered constables remained.

Magistrate Cao felt a heavy weight in his heart and couldn't help but speak again, his tone now tinged with anxiety:

"My lord, why did you utter such harsh words just now?"

Cao County Magistrate was afraid that Li Xuanzhi wouldn't understand the social dynamics of a small place, so he spoke a few steps faster.

"The local gentry led by Diao Mao have a deeply entrenched network of connections, with relatives and friends throughout the prefecture and county. You have humiliated them today, and they will surely hold a grudge. When they return, they will undoubtedly spread rumors that you have neglected your duties and are obsessed with unorthodox practices!"

In Cao County Magistrate's view, Li Xuanzhi's words just now were nothing but wild talk.

If nothing is accomplished in the future, these words will become a pretext for malicious individuals to attack and impeach all officials in Fuyu County, enough to drag the entire county into a quagmire.

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanzhi simply raised his hand and patted it to remove the dust from his hands, his expression remaining calm and composed.

"Magistrate Cao, please rest assured, everything I have said today will be fulfilled."

Magistrate Cao was so worried that he felt like he was getting blisters in his mouth.

Seeing Li Xuanzhi's resolute and composed demeanor, Magistrate Cao's anxiety only increased, assuming that the young magistrate was completely deaf to advice and deeply entrenched in his obsession.

He could only sigh inwardly, but in his heart he had already begun to plan how to distance himself from the situation should something happen in the future, so as to protect himself.

Li Xuanzhi saw through his thoughts, but did not point them out.

He knew that making empty excuses was pointless.

People in this era only believe what they see, not his predictions.

Only by presenting real mineral resources in exchange for a continuous stream of financial resources, and thoroughly developing Fuyu County, can we silence the public criticism.

Write it down.

Li Xuanzhi composed himself and pointed to the mountainside and back of the mountain that he had just surveyed.

"This mountainside area is designated as the No. 1 restricted area. The soil here is black, indicating a very high carbon content and abundant reserves. Mining can begin immediately at the shallowest level."

"The shady slope of the mountain is designated as the No. 2 restricted mountain area. The rock strata have a high iron content and the ore is of excellent quality, making it a rare high-quality iron ore deposit."

"Mark the locations of the other three mining sites and record them for future reference."

Although Magistrate Cao still felt that the magistrate was too hasty, he subconsciously picked up paper and pen and began to record Li Xuanzhi's dictation one by one.

There was no compass calculation, no ancient books for reference, and no geomancers to perform geomancy.

How can you directly delineate mining areas and determine reserves based solely on visual observation of mountains and touch of soil and rocks?

This is ridiculous!

Li Xuanzhi glanced at him indifferently, feeling that he still needed to say something. Otherwise, what if his subordinates said one thing to his face and another behind his back, trying to fool him?

So, Li Xuanzhi casually uttered a phrase that sounded very professional.

"Observe the soil color to discern the land's advantages, examine the rock strata to know its hidden treasures. The flow of mountains and rivers follows a pattern, and the withering and flourishing of vegetation all have their reasons. Ordinary stubborn rocks and clods of soil are worlds apart from places rich in minerals."

This explanation is half true and half false, avoiding the flaws of modern knowledge while appearing profound and unfathomable.

Magistrate Cao was too lazy to argue anymore; he knew he couldn't fight city hall. He could only hope that if problems arose in the future, Magistrate Li would take responsibility and not implicate others.

"The three of us present are not to utter a single word about today's mountain exploration."

"Mountains No. 1 and No. 2 are immediately closed off. Notices will be posted at the county government office prohibiting villagers from cutting firewood, digging soil, or entering the mountains. Anyone who trespasses will be treated as encroaching on public land and will be severely punished!"

The two constables tensed up and immediately bowed, accepting the order: "Yes, sir!"