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

Chapter 166 Huo Qubing: For the sake of China, I am willing to slaughter all foreign races! [Seeking monthly votes]

Back at the table, Zhou Yi picked up a beer and took a sip. It was indeed strong enough, and the aroma of malt was quite rich enough, making it suitable for sipping and savoring slowly.

Chen Tang downed his beer in one gulp and remarked:

"It doesn't taste like baijiu, Your Majesty. How does the white wine you're drinking taste?"

Wu Zetian didn't like beer, so she opened a bottle of white wine, gave Gongsun Da Niang a small glass each, and then handed the rest to Chen Tang, saying:
"It's sweet and delicious, General Zigong, please have a taste."

Chen Tang took the bottle, poured half a glass of beer into it, took a sip, and said:
"It's too sweet. I still prefer beer and baijiu. Let's save the rest for the Osmanthus Fairy. History books say she can't live without alcohol. Her alcohol tolerance needs improvement."

As a prominent figure in cultural circles, Li Bai deeply empathized with Li Qingzhao:
"She wasn't drinking wine, she was drinking sorrow. After a rainy night, she couldn't even bear to look at the crabapple blossoms, yet she was wandering in the chaos of the world, witnessing one tragedy after another, saying goodbye to one loved one after another, the country was broken, her family was destroyed and people died... What sorrow this was, so she could only drown her sorrows in alcohol and numb herself with wine."

Li Qingzhao's suffering in her later years was not only due to life and worldly affairs, but more importantly, she fell into self-doubt.

Lu You's cousin, surnamed Sun, was quite talented as a child. She was a neighbor of Li Qingzhao in her later years, and Li Qingzhao hoped to pass on her talents to this young girl. However, Sun resolutely refused.
"Talent and literary skills are not a woman's concern!"

For a girl of about ten years old to say such a thing was a huge blow to the aging Li Qingzhao, because it fundamentally negated the life of this talented woman. Yet, Lu You proudly wrote this on Sun's epitaph, praising her for being sensible and of high character.

In just a few decades, from the renowned poem "Like a Dream: Last Night the Rain Was Sparse and the Wind Was Strong" in Bianjing to women voluntarily giving up their studies, the social atmosphere of the Song Dynasty underwent a dramatic change. The Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism began to rise, ushering in an era where a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent.

The most common opinion of Li Qingzhao among Song Dynasty people was that she was talented but lacked virtue. Women recited her poems and scolded her for not being a virtuous wife; men praised her talent but secretly mocked her for remarrying twice.

Faced with a barrage of rumors, Li Qingzhao could only desperately drink wine, finding bitterness everywhere she looked, but finding kindred spirits in her cup.

Chen Tang sighed:

"The factional strife in the Song Dynasty is really something... Next time I see Zhao Xu, I have to have a word with him and tell him to use his military achievements to cultivate a group of nobles and teach the new and old parties a lesson."

Zhou Yi felt that Zhao Xu should make some plans after learning about history, but he did need to organize a small team building activity for everyone to meet soon.

I'll buy an outdoor grill and roast a whole lamb for everyone to try.

In this sweltering summer, enjoying beer and roast lamb sounds incredibly pleasant.

Grandma Gongsun took a sip of white wine and really liked the taste:
"Master, could you buy two more bottles? I plan to take them over so that Little Taiping can try them too. We're enjoying the good food and drinks, but we can't forget Little Taiping!"

Zhou Yi pointed to the storage room:

“There’s a box inside; you can take it all with you when you leave.”

After saying that, he opened a can of Pangdonglai beer, which was highly praised online, and poured it into a glass. Strong beer is too strong, while wheat beer is relatively smoother.

After finishing his meal, Chen Tang was in a hurry to get back on his way. He quickly slaughtered the two sheep he had brought, and then, carrying the leftovers and a case of chilled strong beer, he excitedly returned to the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty.

At Hunyuan Palace, Wu Meiniang went back to her room to check on the sleeping Li Qingzhao, but did not disturb her. She then began to prepare dinner.
"Master, how about we have barbecue tonight?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

“Okay, we happen to have some fresh mutton… Come on, I’ll drive you down the mountain to buy a grill, a baking pan, skewers, and charcoal. Next time we’ll buy a roasting oven, and then we can make whole roasted lamb.”

Wu Zetian had never ridden in a new car before, so it was a good opportunity to let her experience it.

The two drove down the mountain, and Wu Zetian was very satisfied with the new car:
"It's more comfortable now, and the seats are much wider. I can't feel any bumps at all."

Arriving at the supermarket at the foot of the mountain, Zhou Yi selected a bunch of barbecue supplies, and also bought some vegetables and gluten suitable for barbecuing. Then he rushed back up the mountain to start cutting and marinating the lamb.

In the evening, we'll skewer them and start grilling; it's very convenient.

Li Qingzhao didn't wake up until after four o'clock in the afternoon. The first thing she said when she opened her eyes was that she wanted to eat something.

She was knocked out by half a glass of strong beer before she could even eat a bite of food, making the talented woman feel utterly ashamed. Fortunately, Granny Gongsun offered up her treasure chest:
"Take whatever you want to eat, but I advise you to eat fewer snacks, because we're going to have a barbecue in the yard soon. The Taoist priest said that given your alcohol tolerance, you're not allowed to drink strong beer tonight. You can have a small glass of sweet white wine, just like me and Sister Meiniang."

Li Qingzhao sat on the edge of the bed, tore open a package of hand-torn bread, and took a bite:
"Did I say anything offensive while I was drunk?"

"No, neither my sister nor I saw you hugging the Taoist priest's neck and talking nonsense."

Li Qingzhao: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
I have such good drinking manners, I would never do such a thing!
Just as Li Qingzhao finished eating the torn bread and was about to go back to sleep, Zhou Yi called from outside:
"Everyone's out getting skewers!"

All the skewers were cleaned thoroughly, and Li Bai even took a cloth and wiped them one by one. Everyone chatted and laughed as they put on their skewers, teasing a certain female drunkard who would pass out after only half a cup of wine. Meanwhile, in the world of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing sent someone to deliver intelligence to Wei Qing, and the army immediately set off for the source of the Huanggan River.

Huo Qubing captured about a thousand Xiongnu people, and those who committed heinous crimes were executed on the spot. The rest were all taken away by the governor of Yunzhong, who began to build a road from Yunzhong to Dingxiang to facilitate communication with the imperial court.

"Master said that coal can be used to make bricks. Next time I go to Hunyuan Palace, I have to ask Master for a map of coal mine distribution to see if there are any coal mines nearby. If there are, we can have the Xiongnu people mine coal and make bricks, and build cities in the border areas to defend against the northern steppe people moving south."

After reading history, Huo Qubing discovered that the grassland people were like weeds that could not be eradicated.

After driving away the Xiongnu, the Xianbei people came; after driving away the Xianbei, the Turks appeared, followed by the Mongols and the Khitans, while in the northeast there were the Jurchen tribes.

Zhang Qian asked for advice:
"Huo Piaoyao, could you bring one or two Ming generals to Hunyuan Palace? If so, I hope you can issue them an edict to destroy the Jurchens and prevent the Manchu Tartars from marching south again and defiling our China."

Huo Qubing said:
"Don't worry, Ziwen Gong. I don't quite understand Master's plan, but my sister has a notebook with a plan to stop the Tartars from entering the pass, such as selling salt and tea adulterated with lead, etc... Genocide is cruel, but for the sake of China, I am willing to slaughter all foreign races in the world!"

The passionate young Sima Qian quickly expressed his stance:
"I'm willing too. If it requires bearing divine retribution, count me, Sima Qian, in!"

Zhao Ponu said with dissatisfaction:

"Even if we're going to take turns, we should start with the military officers. You officials should wait your turn."

Sima Qian objected, patting his armor and saying:
"Now that I am a soldier, I naturally have to shoulder the responsibilities of a soldier. Zhao Sima, don't underestimate me!"

Zhang Qian asked:

"Could our Han Dynasty sell salt adulterated with lead to the Xiongnu people?"

Huo Qubing stroked the horse spear in his hand and said confidently:

"Too slow! Before they even get lead poisoning, we can drive the Huns to the far west!"

Meanwhile, in the central army camp, Wei Qing had just received the intelligence when he began assigning combat tasks:
"Li Ju led his army across the Huanggan River to encircle the Xiongnu from the northwest, while Su Jian encircled them from the northeast. Be careful not to get too close to the main force of the Xiongnu; maintain a distance of at least sixty li to avoid being discovered by them."

He then ordered General Gongsun Ao and General Gongsun He to lead their troops diagonally into the encirclement from the southwest and southeast.

After assigning combat missions, General Zhao Xin was dissatisfied:

"They all have combat missions, so why am I left alone in the central command? Isn't the General showing too much favoritism?"

Wei Qing stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:
“Keeping you alive will be of great use. If you are dissatisfied, you can write to His Majesty, and only if he issues an edict can the battle plan be changed.”

The main force of the Xiongnu was immediately surrounded. What good would it do to submit a memorial now? It would take at least a month for the imperial edict to arrive... By then, the Xiongnu corpses would be infested with maggots.

As a Xiongnu, Zhao Xin was already sensitive and suspicious, and now that he was being targeted, his dissatisfaction intensified.

While they were sharpening their knives, preparing to hunt down the Xiongnu, in the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, Su Dingfang led his army to Yingzhou, crossed the Shanhaiguan Pass (later known as Shanhaiguan), and entered the northeastern region.

The vanguard led by Su Dingfang was a pure cavalry force, with each man on three horses and fully equipped.

After the war against the Turks, this first general in the expansion of China's territory went into seclusion. Nominally, he was punished for his army looting the wealth of Khan Jieli, but in reality, he was a general being prepared for the next emperor.

But Su Dingfang was unaware of these things; he only felt that he hadn't fought a war for many years and that his bones were rusting to death.

Now, upon suddenly receiving the military order to launch an eastern expedition against Goguryeo, he was so overjoyed that he packed his bags overnight, sharpened his armor and weapons, and set off as soon as he received the tiger tally, fearing that His Majesty might change his mind.

After this arduous journey, Su Dingfang finally arrived in the northeastern region, where he could finally confront the Goguryeo people.

The vanguard consisted of three thousand men, not many, but they were the elite of the elite. While the main army was resting by the Bailang River, they suddenly received intelligence of a harassment by the Goguryeo people and immediately mounted their horses.

The scouts hung their binoculars around their necks and went ahead to scout out the enemy's situation, while the others silently took out their horse bows, ready to teach the Goguryeo cavalry a lesson.

Finally, under the setting sun, they found the group of Goguryeo cavalry. There weren't many of them, only about three or four hundred. Su Dingfang was slightly disappointed when he heard this number, but even a mosquito's leg is meat, so he decided to enjoy it first.

The cavalry began to flank the enemy from both sides. Once they were all in position, Su Dingfang gave the order to attack:

"Attack! Anyone who dares to let a Goguryeo person escape will be punished by cleaning horse manure for a month!"

(End of this chapter)