Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 137 Li Guang: I was just joking! [Seeking monthly votes]

Huo Qubing and Zhang Qian did not lower their guard just because the enemy was flying the Han flag. Instead, they continued to urge their soldiers to fortify the camp and dug trenches and small pits the size of bowls outside the tents.

These small pits are less than a foot deep and seem insignificant, but if a horse's hoof steps into them, the inertia will break its leg, rendering the warhorse unable to fight.

In the various battles against the Xiongnu, these horse traps were already the most cost-effective means of resisting cavalry. When combined with iron caltrops, which appeared as early as the Warring States period, they were truly the nemesis of cavalry.

Of course, with the development of the times, cavalry duels during the Tang Dynasty could use caltrops on a large scale, which caused even greater damage to horses, almost rendering them useless if they stepped on them.

The Han Dynasty's iron production is now far inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty, so it cannot scatter its limited iron on the roads to make traps.

Huo Qubing's main force consisted of 500 men, 600 auxiliary soldiers, and several hundred prisoners. They quickly fortified the camp. By the time the enemy approached, the entire camp was already sealed off with earthen mounds to prevent an attack, and the area around the main gate was covered with numerous small pits.

Inside the camp, rows of solar panels are laid out on the ground, facing the sunlight and generating electricity as quickly as possible.

Zhao Ponu launched the drone, used telephoto mode to observe the approaching cavalry, and then picked up the walkie-talkie to report to Huo Qubing:
"The newcomer is carrying the banner of General Li, and is suspected to be Li Guang..."

Upon hearing this name, Huo Qubing was delighted:

"Why am I not surprised at all?"

Zhang Qian opened the recently drawn map and, combining it with the map of the Battle of Dingxiang North that Huo Qubing had brought from Hunyuan Palace, looked quite puzzled:
"He should be to our southeast, so why is he coming from the northeast?"

Huo Qubing took a piece of unleavened flatbread baked by the cook, sprinkled it with some individually packaged eight-treasure pickles, rolled it up, and took a big bite:

"Since it's Li Guang, I wouldn't be surprised if he descended from the sky... Eat something, don't go hungry, in case a fight breaks out later, there won't be time to eat."

Zhang Qian was stunned, finding it hard to believe:

Will Li Guang attack us?

Huo Qubing said:
“Normally, no, but now we have a Xiongnu prince and five Xiongnu minor kings in our hands, which is enough to make at least three marquises… My master once taught me that one should not have the heart to harm others, but one should not be without the heart to guard against others. With such great military achievements right in front of us, how many people can turn a blind eye to them?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qian silently picked up a large flatbread, rolled it up with pickled vegetables, and began to eat it.

On the other side, Li Guang and Sima Qian failed to find the Huanggan River, so they had to turn around and head southwest... Unable to find the main force of the Xiongnu, they planned to annihilate a few hundred-man squads to vent their anger.

Even a mosquito's leg is meat; as long as we can wipe out a dozen or twenty hundred-man squads, it will still be a considerable achievement.

As he walked, Sima Qian shaded his eyes with his hand and looked ahead, wondering:

"There seems to be an encampment ahead. We should send out scouts to investigate. If it's the Xiongnu..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Guang drew his sword from his waist:
"Men, charge!"

Sima Qian: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
No, you haven't even seen what flag the enemy is flying yet, and you've already started charging. Your command and control methods are way too crude.
Thinking of the rumors circulating in Chang'an that Li Guang was a brilliant strategist and one of the few truly brilliant generals in the Han Dynasty, and then looking at the current reckless behavior and chaotic military discipline, Sima Qian sighed deeply in his heart:
"Rumors have misled me!"

Before leaving Chang'an, he was obsessed with becoming a high-ranking official, but now, he just hoped he wouldn't be betrayed by Li Guang... If he could return to Chang'an safely, he would definitely give anyone who praised Li Guang a piece of his mind!

Li Guang's men were utterly undisciplined. At the mere mention of "assault," they would charge forward with a roar, like a band of Hunnic rebels. Sima Qian, not wanting to fall behind, had no choice but to follow on horseback.

After galloping forward for a while, the Han army's banners in the camp became clearly visible. Upon seeing this, Sima Qian quickly tightened the reins:

"The enemy ahead is our Han army. Do not charge, lest you cause a conflict with our friendly forces."

Li Guang, however, believed it was a Xiongnu in disguise:

"Regardless of whether they are Han soldiers or not, we must take this camp first. If they are indeed Han soldiers, I will release them myself, and you need not say more."

Sima Qian pointed to the character "霍" (Huo) on the Han army's banner and said:

"Are there any Xiongnu with the surname Huo? This is Huo Qubing's banner. He was ordered to go beyond the Great Wall to scout enemy positions; he is an ally!"

Sima Qian had just eaten white flour steamed buns and delicious dishes at Huo Qubing's camp a few days ago, and he was deeply impressed. As the military governor, he would never allow a situation where friendly forces would kill each other.

Upon hearing this, Li Guang ordered the army to advance slowly and sent a military officer to the forward camp to inform Huo Qubing to come and answer his questions.

When encountering friendly forces, instead of trying to build good relations, they put on airs first... Although it was Sima Qian's first time on the battlefield, he knew that doing so would easily offend people.

Huo Qubing is a heroic young man whom His Majesty raised from childhood, and now he has a divine background. Offending him will bring no benefit whatsoever.

Soon, the captain rode back from the direction of the camp, with Huo Qubing and Zhang Qian following half a mile behind him.

As soon as he returned, the captain said enviously:

"They raided this camp last night, captured several minor kings, and it seems there was even a Xiongnu prince. Huo Qubing is about to be ennobled!"

These words left the group of captains and lieutenants bewildered. They hadn't expected this man to be so lucky, while they themselves had been out on the frontier for five or six days and hadn't even seen a single Xiongnu. All their efforts had been in vain. Upon hearing the words "bestowing a title of nobility," Li Guang's interest was immediately piqued:
"Is this true? They really captured the Xiongnu prince and several minor kings?"

“It’s absolutely true. When I went there just now, I saw a lot of Xiongnu prisoners busy digging holes and working very hard.”

One of the lieutenants, his eyes darting around, immediately offered a plan:
"The camp is right next to a river. If Huo Qubing fell into the river and drowned, wouldn't that be quite normal?"

Li Guang didn't react immediately:
"What do you mean by that?"

The lieutenant looked around and said in a low voice:

"The merit of being enfeoffed as a marquis lies within the camp. If we launch a charge, Huo Qubing's few hundred men will surely be unable to withstand us. At that time, the credit for capturing the Xiongnu prince alive will be ours. What do you think, General?"

Li Guang remained silent, but the other deputy generals were eager to try. They even began to discuss how to encircle the camp and prevent a single soldier from escaping.

Just as they were plotting, the smug deputy general suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He raised his hand to touch it and found it was blood. Before he could see who had attacked him, a sharp sword pierced his chest.

Sima Qian, his face as cold as frost, shouted loudly:

“I am the military commander personally appointed by His Majesty. How dare you openly conspire to harm your own troops and steal the credit for your victory! After this battle, I will report this truthfully to His Majesty… I hope that each of you has enough money in your families to atone for your sins!”

After saying this, he withdrew his sword, and the lieutenant's body immediately fell from the horse, leaving everyone around speechless.

Li Guang was so angry that his beard trembled, but he had to rack his brains to smooth things over:

"Just now... just now it was just a joke! Zichang, although our two families are old friends, it is too impulsive to kill someone rashly."

From afar, Zhang Qian watched this scene and was so shocked that he immediately tightened the reins:
"Zichang's sudden murder must have some hidden story. Huo Biaoyao, should we wait here or go to see Li Guang?"

There were only two people on this side, while behind Li Guang stood at least five thousand Han cavalrymen. If a conflict broke out, even if the two of them grew wings, they would not be able to escape death.

Huo Qubing rode forward boldly:
“Ziwen Gong, I am a disciple of a celestial being, what is there to be afraid of? Come, let’s rescue Sima Qian first.”

He took out the stainless steel token of Hunyuan Palace that allowed him to walk among mortals from his pocket. If Li Qingzhao could trigger the protective divine lightning, then as the second disciple, he should be able to trigger it too, right?

Upon hearing the word "immortal," Zhang Qian felt reassured and immediately spurred his horse to follow. The two rode side by side to Li Guang's front lines.

The two sat upright on their horses, talking at a distance of about ten feet.

Huo Qubing seized the initiative the moment he opened his mouth:
"Sima Zichang is the military supervisor personally appointed by His Majesty. With such a major conflict occurring in your army, he is no longer able to perform his duties as military supervisor. From today onwards, he shall join my army to avoid an accidental death in your army."

Although it was Huo Qubing's first time leading an army, he had heard too many stories of people dying unexpectedly during marches, so he brought Sima Qian over in advance to prevent this scholar, whose values ​​were not yet distorted, from dying at the hands of his own people.

Li Guang also knew that regardless of right or wrong, Sima Qian could no longer stand in his army. As for the matter of stealing credit, it should be dealt with as little as possible, and it would be best to atone for his sins with merit.

He nodded, tacitly agreeing to Huo Qubing's suggestion, and then asked:
"You were ordered to go beyond the Great Wall to scout out the enemy's situation. Did you spot the main force of the Xiongnu?"

"We haven't seen them. You can go to the due west or northwest direction and take a look. You might find something there. We've scouted the area within a hundred miles. There are only a few groups of a hundred Xiongnu men."

After the exchange, Li Guang ordered his men to collect the deputy general's body and led his troops westward, leaving Sima Qian to Huo Qubing.

And so, the cavalry special forces gained another deputy chief of staff.

When the three rode back to the camp, Zhou Yi also led Li Bai to the city and met the owner, Fang Hongyan, in the office area on the fifth floor of the Golden Sun building.

Fang Hongyan is in his early fifties. He is wearing a light green shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He doesn't look like someone who runs a real business. Instead, he looks like a successful internet entrepreneur who is good at telling stories.

"Hello Master Zhou, Mr. Han has already spoken with me. He'll give you 300,000 yuan a year for feng shui consultations. You can help me ensure good feng shui, is that alright?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"no problem."

At this moment, the secretary brought tea, and Fang Hongyan personally poured a cup of tea for Zhou Yi:

"Business in shopping malls has been getting worse and worse in the past two years, and the occupancy rate of apartment buildings is also declining. I wonder if Master Zhou has any good solutions."

The Book of Changes does indeed offer some advice in this regard:
"The name 'Golden Sun' is too masculine and needs to be changed, otherwise your business will continue to decline."

This is actually an excuse; with such a blessed place, no name can stop good fortune from coming.

However, Fang Hongyan was genuinely tempted. He consulted several masters, and their advice was always to change his name. Now, the I Ching had also given him this suggestion, so he decided to initiate the name-changing process:
"Xuchang has Pang Donglai, and our Yiyang City also needs a well-known brand. Master Zhou, please wait a moment. I'll go get the names recently proposed by the marketing department. Please take a look and see which name is the most suitable."

After Fang Hongyan left, Zhou Yi took a sip of tea, took out his phone and casually scrolled through short videos. Then he saw a couple who had been searching for their son for many years wiping away tears in front of the camera:
“Last night, my baby appeared in our dream. The three of us were jumping and skipping in the courtyard of our old home, the happiest we’ve been in decades. He said he hadn’t found peace all these years, and a kind Taoist priest helped him pass on to the afterlife, which is how he found his way home… Towards the end, my baby said he had to leave. He hugged me with one arm and his dad with the other, crying and saying he wanted to be our child again in the next life…”

(End of this chapter)