Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 703 Jinling Never Sleeps, Boundless World (Part 2)
The pursuit of exploration is a lifelong aspiration for every generation of ambitious individuals. Xia Lin's gift to these three people, though seemingly saying nothing, actually said everything.

At least it let them know that there are worlds beyond worlds, and that the Persians are all bastards.

Why do I say this? Because things from Greater China have long since spread to places even further west, but those places remain largely unknown to most people, who can't even piece together a coherent narrative.

This is where the Persians are playing tricks. In order to act as those damned middlemen, they believe they are blocking news from the more distant parts of the world. These bastards have trapped Greater China in an information cocoon from the Han Dynasty to the present day.

Seriously speaking, if these guys could just know that there's such a vast world beyond Persia, they'd be willing to risk their lives.

Not to mention the abundant black soil and various scarce minerals there, so the gift Xia Lin presented was less about clearing away the fog of war in East Asia, and more about opening a door to hell for the Persians.

However, it's not time yet. This thing is just a wedge that Xia Lin has planted for them. There will definitely be a great battle in the Central Plains. Only after that battle will this wedge truly take effect.

Oh, but the premise is that the one from Northern Han must not be impatient, otherwise if he rashly goes out to make a move several thousand kilometers, the supply line will definitely collapse.

Of course, anyone would collapse in that situation, since it's clearly marked on the map that, apart from the Persian Gulf and the Silk Road, the rest of the country is practically indistinguishable from a barren wasteland.

However, as I said before, the groundwork must be laid for what needs to be done, after all, some things can't be finished in a lifetime, and there are always descendants to do them.

Now, some people are bound to ask, how can Xia Daosheng be so sure that there will be such people among his descendants? What if they can't endure this hardship?

Yes, it's true. As the saying goes, new talents emerge in every generation, replacing the old. Xia Lin may not know about other things, but he is familiar with this land. It is Asia's legal superpower, and for ninety percent of its history, it has been the world's leading power, occupying the largest area of ​​the Asian plains. It even had the ability to extend its cultural reach throughout Eurasia. Without this ability, it would have been long ago lost in the long river of history.

Even in the worst of times, there will always be people who push forward with all their might. Those who sacrifice themselves for righteousness are as numerous as the stars in the sky. He doesn't even need to worry about whether future generations will slack off, because that's almost impossible.

This isn't just brimming with confidence, but rather a reflection of inner strength.

Getting back to the point, all the bigwigs at all levels have arrived today, and the rehearsal for the opening ceremony has officially begun. Xia Lin originally planned to go see it in the morning, but he was too tired to get up. When he remembered to go, the rehearsal venue was already packed with onlookers, and he couldn't squeeze in. Even the trees around the venue were full of people watching the spectacle.

"I never thought I'd be wasted on wine and women one day." Xia Lin said to Dou'er beside him, "You remember this: from today onwards, quit drinking."

"Huh?" Dou'er tilted her head back: "Just abstain from alcohol, sir?"

"Otherwise what? Are you suggesting we abstain from sex?"

You can't see anything from the outside, but you can hear the hustle and bustle inside clearly. There are vendors all around selling various items from their carts. To make it easier to sell, these guys have even modified their own insulated carts that can be pushed around. One compartment is filled with chilled drinks, and the other compartment is filled with piping hot porridge and rice. They have brought the wisdom of the working people to the extreme.

Xia Lin squeezed inside for a while, but couldn't get in, so she could only pick up her cold drink from the outside. Dou'er walked over from not far away, carrying two bowls of porridge, with pickled vegetables piled in them and a large steamed bun on top.

The two sat there eating their porridge for breakfast. Xia Lin ate while cursing, "These people are really asking for it. I really want to beat them all to death. Why are they skipping work and coming here to watch the game so early in the morning?"

"Please calm down, sir. Jinling is on holiday during the celebrations, and everyone is free."

"Damn it, overtime! Everyone's making me work overtime from now on!"

As he was complaining, a man emerged from the front row. He was nearly nine feet tall and very strong, wearing a rather unflattering vest, but the scars all over his body showed that he must have been a soldier.

This man was none other than Liu Heita, who had been invited to the celebration. He was already delighted to receive the invitation from Marshal Xia, but upon arrival, the expected capture and killing did not occur. Instead, he was treated as an honored guest, which made him even happier. But what pleased him most was seeing the actual harvest festival. Just as Li Shimin had said, grain was the destiny of this era. Whether one was a royal noble or a commoner, seeing grain brought them joy, because grain carried hope.

Who wouldn't like hope? Let's not talk about aristocratic families now. They might create public opinion later saying that this is extravagant and decadent, even reminiscent of the decadent lifestyle of King Zhou of Shang, but at least for now, they won't come out and cause trouble. After all, this is a great joyous occasion, and going against the grain is not their style.

As for Liu Heita, he came from an ordinary family and disliked those restrictive environments. So today, instead of joining the other warlords to participate in the activities held in the palace, he wandered out alone to see how the rehearsal went.

He didn't prepare any performances, not because he didn't want to, but because he really didn't have many scholars under his command, and they weren't very knowledgeable either, so he couldn't present anything impressive.

Besides, everyone with eyes can tell who the main guests are this time. Isn't it just those three big families? What's the point of him singing and dancing at Qiuya's wedding? Anyway, just showing up to prove that he's been noticed by the big boss is enough.

After he left the crowd, he saw that most of the people on the outskirts were eating. Some were eating alone, some were eating with two or three friends, and some were eating with their families. They were eating wherever there was shade. The aroma of food filled the air, which made Liu Heita, who had come to join the fun before dawn, extremely hungry.

So he went to the stall next door and bought five fried meat patties and eight large white steamed buns, then sat down and started eating.

As luck would have it, he was sitting not far from Xia Lin. After seeing his appearance, Xia Lin kicked Dou'er and said, "Look at that bastard, he eats more than the pig next door in my hometown."

“Sir, look at his physique, he must have come from the military.”

"Who cares where he's from, he's eaten too much."

Dou'er didn't speak, but smiled helplessly and said, "Master, why don't we find a place to rest first, and come back earlier in the afternoon? I heard that the evening is the best time to watch it."

"Hmm, that makes sense. Let's go."

As the two left, they passed by Liu Heita. Xia Lin even glanced at Liu Heita with surprise, but General Liu was engrossed in the pleasure of his food and had no idea that the Xia Shuai he had been longing for had called him "Diao Mao" not long ago.

In the afternoon, Xia Lin and the others arrived early. There were quite a few people there, and some even slept on makeshift beds under the shade of trees until it got dark.

"We really shouldn't have let them eat so much," Xia Lin cursed viciously. "These bastards are completely unharmed."

Dou'er just smiled apologetically. After all, not to mention others, he saw several of his fellow palace servants here. People from the palace had come to watch the excitement, let alone these ordinary people who didn't know much.

However, because they arrived early, they actually managed to get a front-row seat for the evening show. But after watching for a while, Xia Lin suddenly slapped his forehead: "Damn it, what am I looking at outside?"

After saying that, he led Dou'er directly through the Imperial Guard's cordon and walked in without anyone stopping him when he flashed his waist badge. "Master, if you had taken it out earlier, we wouldn't have had to suffer like this."

"I forgot about that. Oh well, just consider it a life experience."

Xia Lin led Dou'er into the inner area and went directly to the Emperor's Viewing Platform. In principle, this place is not open to just anyone. There are only three seats on the platform, which are heavily guarded. The one in the middle is for Emperor Jingtai, and the two seats on either side are for the Emperor of Tang and the Emperor of Northern Han. Sitting in any of these seats would be considered an act of usurpation, and in serious cases, it would be a death sentence.

But there's nothing he can do; it's his principle.

Sitting here did indeed provide a clearer view than from other places, but Dou'er dared not sit. He stood behind Xia Lin and bowed to him, saying, "Master, this is not appropriate. What if someone sees us?"

"See? What do you mean, 'see'?"

Just then, the patrolling guards came over. When they saw Xia Lin sitting there, they all greeted him: "The commander-in-chief is here!"

"Commander!"

"Commander Xia!!!"

Their enthusiasm was far greater than the deathly expression they had when they saw the emperor, and Xia Lin responded with a smile, "Not bad, you've all made it into the Imperial Guards."

"Xia Shuai, please wait a moment. I'll go get you some snacks."

After a while, a small table was indeed set up in front of him, filled with all kinds of food. The patrolling soldiers stopped wandering around and began to set up defenses around him, their spirits high.

"Sir, you have quite the influence."

"The soldiers I trained are naturally excellent." Xia Lin began to peel pine nuts from the old forest in Northeast China, then sighed and said, "It's a pity that I couldn't be here to witness the ceremony on the day of the grand event."

"Why?"

"Are you out of your mind? How am I supposed to attend this ceremony? In what capacity would I be? I'm a commoner!"

As Xia Lin was speaking, a muffled thud ahead made him look over, and he saw a shooting star flying backwards soar into the sky from the very center of the venue, followed by the most spectacular firework in history exploding in the sky.

At that moment, even the deafening explosion of the fireworks couldn't drown out the gasps of amazement from the onlookers outside.

"Wow~~~"

However, this was only the beginning of the grand event. The rehearsal for the fireworks show officially began. As the saying goes, "fire trees and silver flowers merge, star bridges and iron locks open," and the sky was filled with dazzling lights, turning Jinling City into a city that never sleeps. Girls called to each other and came to the windows to admire this dazzling sight. Even the magnificent imperial palace seemed to pale in comparison at this moment.

The people watched the fireworks bloom in the sky with rapt attention, not even having time to blink. Just as the last firework went out, the sound of drums suddenly rang out, and then a fire dragon was lit in the middle of the field. Then came a second and a third. Hundreds of people danced with a giant dragon, dazzling in the darkness. The candles inside the dragon could not be extinguished even as they danced, which was undoubtedly a top-level test of the dragon dancers' skills.

After a performance, thunderous applause erupted around them. Just when everyone thought it was over, the fire dragons swam around again, igniting thousands of torch stands around the venue with their agile movements. The flames soared into the sky, making the place as bright as day.

Under the lights, the unique war dance of the grasslands began to move to the rhythm of the instruments and drums. The wild and masculine aura was overwhelming, and the murderous aura made people feel their blood boiling.

As their war dance reached its climax, the drumbeats suddenly stopped, and the shifting halo unexpectedly shone on a scholar in white. He had a bright, radiant face and a graceful figure, holding a scroll in one hand and with the other hand behind his back. He was clearly dressed as a Han Dynasty Confucian scholar. He took two steps forward and began to recite loudly: "Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return?"

As he chanted, the lights below came on again, and a group of elite Xuanjia soldiers, holding shields and swords, began to strike their shields with their swords, producing a unified sound, and began to sing the war song of the Northwest in rhythm.

Their imposing presence was as strong as a mountain, no less impressive than the war dances of the grasslands. As the rhythm quickened, their war dance began.

"This is Li Tang's show, right?" Xia Lin said with a smile. "It's pretty good."

"This isn't a program, it's clearly an attempt to establish authority." Dou'er pointed below: "Aren't the common people afraid?"

Xia Lin burst into laughter after hearing this, patted Dou'er's head and said, "Kid, times have changed."

After the war song segment ended, the people of Great Wei began to whisper among themselves. They were curious as to why the grasslands and the Tang Dynasty had such powerful and impressive programs, while their Great Wei's program had not.

However, their disappointment did not last long. Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the darkening sky, its tail flames like a phoenix spreading its wings. When it reached the airspace above the field, it suddenly exploded, bursting into countless shimmering white dots that slowly fell from the sky.

This time it was truly as bright as day, so bright that people couldn't even open their eyes.

At this moment, the Shenji Battalion, three miles away, began preparing for the second loading under the orders of Bai Tang Tianzun.

"Ready?" With a command from the White Sugar Celestial Venerable, he shouted, "Release!"

The second salvo began, and the explosions continued in the air, illuminating the entire city.

Only then did the surrounding people realize that the event had already begun in the field below. Countless people lit torches and began to move around, while a scene appeared on the huge screen wall next to them, though no one knew how.

"Master, master, what is this?! Could it possess some kind of divine power?"

Xia Lin just smiled lightly: "You've got to do it."

(End of this chapter)