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

Chapter 266 Zhao Kuangyin, are you loyal to me? [Seeking monthly votes]

Soon, a tall, burly man in armor, standing eight feet tall, stepped forward and knelt on one knee to greet Guo Rong.

"Zhao Kuangyin, the Military Governor of Zhongwu Army and Commander-in-Chief of both Land and Water Forces, has come to receive the imperial edict!"

Guo Rong resisted the urge to kick the guy over and said loudly:

"Just now, during the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, I was transported to a sacred place called Hunyuan Palace. There I saw General Huo Qubing, the Champion General who sealed the wolf's lair, Chen Tang, the Chanyu who slew Zhizhi, and the poet Li Bai. We were all gathered together, and it was a very joyous occasion..."

His voice was loud, as if he were talking to Zhao Kuangyin, or more like he was telling the ministers who had just disappeared to the officials who were participating in the sacrificial ceremony.

As they were talking, Guo Rong suddenly pulled out the brass token that Zhou Yi had given him, tossed it in his hand, and said:
"This was given to me by Immortal Master Yiyuan. He said that if I carry the token with me, I will be protected by immortals, and any evil spirits and villains will be exposed for what they are... Zhao Kuangyin, are you loyal to me?"

Zhao Kuangyin was kneeling and listening to the emperor's stories, even fantasizing about the abode of immortals. Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly called his name, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He knelt down tremblingly and began to swear an oath to Guo Rong:
"Your subject Zhao Kuangyin has been loyal to the Great Zhou Dynasty all his life and will obey Your Majesty's orders without question. If I break this oath, I will be struck by lightning and die without a burial place!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud clap of thunder rang out from the sky, startling the surrounding warhorses and chilling the soldiers to the bone.

Zhao Kuangyin was also stunned by the lightning:

"Your Majesty, this..."

Guo Rong shook the token and said:
"Your oath has been recorded by the gods. If you break it, divine retribution will descend upon you in an instant."

They thought that after making the oath, lightning would strike down, but surprisingly it didn't... This shows that Zhao Kuangyin had no ulterior motives at this time.

Historically, Zhao was indeed extremely loyal in his early years. During Chai Rong's lifetime, he dutifully served as the emperor's henchman and general, a rising star with relatively little seniority but who was highly valued and trusted.

However, Guo Wei's nephew Li Chongjin and son-in-law Zhang Yongde were dissatisfied with Guo Rong's ascension to the throne and would occasionally use their seniority to cause trouble.

Now that Zhao Kuangyin had sworn an oath, Guo Rong handed him the telescope he had brought from Hunyuan Palace:

"This is a divine object bestowed upon you by the Grand Steward of Hunyuan Palace, Empress Wu Zetian, on behalf of the immortals. It can see clearly every move ten miles away and is of great use to the army. Today I bestow it upon you, Zhao Qing. I hope you can make new contributions to our Great Zhou and take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun occupied by the foreign tribes as soon as possible."

Zhao Kuangyin was extremely excited. There were so many officials and generals of higher rank than him present that he couldn't count them on two hands. He never expected that His Majesty would give him such a divine gift. He was deeply moved.

He kowtowed to Guo Rong, said a lot of words of thanks, and then carefully took the binoculars.

Guo Rong said:

"Try it and see if it works."

After getting his hands on this thing, he only tried it out under Huo Qubing's guidance. It could indeed see very far, but unfortunately, time was short and he couldn't enjoy a drink with everyone.

Zhao Kuangyin held up a telescope and tried to put it in front of his eyes, but he couldn't see anything.

Guo Rong, carrying the bag of snacks given to him by Gongsun Da Niang, distributed them to the court officials while saying:

"There's a cover in front of the lens. Open it and you'll see... The immortals' abode holds many treasures, even extending lifespan. My beloved subjects, you must perform many meritorious deeds. Next time we go, I'll ask the immortals for all sorts of exquisite items on your behalf."

Zhao Kuangyin tried opening the lens cap and holding the telescope up to his eyes again to observe the distance. This time he could see clearly.

The city of Xiongzhou was at least ten miles away from the main camp. At this time, with a telescope, one could even see the flags and guards on the city wall.

For this reason alone, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a war machine.

Zhao Kuangyin was as excited as a child who had found a firecracker:
"Your Majesty, this item... this item could become the national treasure of our Great Zhou Dynasty. If I were to damage it..."

Guo Rong laughed heartily, pulled a bag of Sachima (a type of Chinese pastry) from his bag, and threw it into Zhao Kuangyin's arms.
"If it gets bad, I'll just ask the gods for it again. What's so difficult about that? But before that, you have to use this to do a lot of good deeds, otherwise I won't be able to ask for it when I get to Hunyuan Palace."

Everyone looked at each other, noticing that His Majesty had become witty.

But thinking about it, it's normal for things to change after suddenly going to a fairy cave and seeing so many new and interesting things.

After the courtiers had finished enjoying the various snacks, Guo Rong stood before the altar, carefully lit an incense stick, and solemnly announced:

"Today, a deity told me that now is the best time to attack the Liao Kingdom. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have been under Khitan rule for many years. It is time to return to the embrace of the Chinese land. If we succeed, the deity will reward us handsomely. Are you all willing to join me in recovering our lost homeland?"

If the announcement were made directly, the court officials would most likely offer earnest advice and remonstrance.

But by this time, the atmosphere had already been stirred up. Zhao Kuangyin had also received a treasure bestowed by the gods. If he could take it back, there would be even more good things waiting for him. Without a doubt, the Northern Expedition was a must!

While the prospect of ruling a region and becoming a local tyrant is certainly appealing, the prospect of divine gifts bestowed by the gods as bait has immediately ignited a fierce fighting spirit among the people.

The young and strong, led by Zhao Kuangyin, were eager to fight and hoped to lead their army north the next day!
Now, the army of the Great Zhou has recovered the three prefectures of Ningzhou, Mozhou, and Yingzhou, and has also captured Yizhou, taking the governor of Yizhou, Li Zaiqin, prisoner. They are now only one step away from Youzhou.

However, as the saying goes, risk and opportunity coexist. The areas that were recovered were originally inhabited by Han Chinese in the Liao Kingdom and served as a buffer zone for the Khitans. The conquest of several prefectures did not cause much damage to the Khitans; it was all Han Chinese fighting each other.

Beyond Yizhou lies Youzhou, the capital of the Khitan, where a large number of Khitan cavalry gathered. Khitan troops from Datong and beyond the Great Wall continued to pour into Youzhou.

Clearly, the Liao Kingdom intended to wage a decisive battle outside Youzhou City. If they lost, they would retreat to the northeast; if they won, they would seize the opportunity to reclaim all the lost territory in one fell swoop.

This "all-in" style of play is very much in line with the characteristics of the Khitan people.

For both sides, this was a battle for national destiny, and neither side could afford to lose. The only good news was that the current ruler of Liao was Yelü Jing, known as the Sleeping Emperor of Liao, one of the worst emperors in Liao history. He was incompetent and tyrannical, and the entire Liao Dynasty was in chaos under his leadership, with one rebellion after another by members of the royal family.

Guo Rong personally led an expedition and conquered three prefectures, causing the Liao court officials to be extremely anxious, like ants on a hot pan. However, Yelü Jing stated:

"That's their territory anyway, so let them take it."

After saying this, he plunged into the Yanshan Mountains to hunt and play, completely ignoring the affairs of the court.

Such a divinely ordained opponent is truly rare. Once missed, the opportunity will be slim, especially once Xiao Yanyan grows up, a ruler who will restore the Liao Dynasty will emerge, making it extremely difficult to launch another northern expedition.

After issuing the military order for the northern expedition, Guo Rong said to Zhang Zhao, the Minister of War:
"Order Li Jun, the military governor of Zhaoyi, to intensify the attack on the puppet Han state of Liaozhou and try to open up a passage for troops to Jinyang!"

Li Jun was a veteran minister who followed Guo Wei in raising an army. He was a famous general during the Five Dynasties period. After Guo Rong's death, Zhao Kuangyin usurped the throne. Li Jun hung up Guo Wei's portrait in Luzhou and made an agreement with Li Chongjin, who was stationed in Yangzhou, to raise an army to resist Zhao Kuangyin. After the army was defeated, he burned himself to death.

Such loyal ministers should not be allowed to waste their time; they must be given important positions!

As for Li Chongjin, he can continue to garrison Yangzhou and threaten the Southern Tang. As long as he is there, the Southern Tang court will never dare to take a step north.

Inside Hunyuan Palace, after lunch, everyone continued working.

After nailing the rafters, the rest of the work is simple and doesn't need to be rushed.

Zhou Yi contacted the blind man and said that he would be holding a Dharma assembly at Xishan Cemetery in Yiyang City the next day. All the staff from Hunyuan Palace would be there, and he hoped that the cemetery could cooperate.

The blind man said:

“No problem. Just tell Jiang Wenming what arrangements are needed, and he will be in charge of the venue setup.”

Uncle Ming is not blessed with good fortune, and he is now desperately participating in these kinds of activities in the hope of sharing some of his good fortune. He is even willing to spend his own money for this.

Zhou Yi agreed, then sent a message to Uncle Ming on WeChat explaining the requirements for the Dharma assembly. He then stood on the rooftop and asked everyone:
"Tomorrow morning, we're going to hold a Buddhist ritual at Xishan Cemetery in the city. Can you finish the ritual before going back?"

Huo Qubing had been staying in Hunyuan Palace for two or three days. Now, perched lazily on the purlin, he said:
“I can stay for five days without any problems. I won’t get any military merits in Chang’an, so I might as well stay here.”

Everyone looked at Zhao Xu, who was usually so busy he was practically running around, but to everyone's surprise, the Song Dynasty emperor had a rare moment of leisure.

"Before I came, I told everyone that the raising of the roof beam might take two days, and I also gave the token bestowed by my master to Minister Cai... I've been here for so long, but I haven't seen any tall buildings yet. Tomorrow will be a good day to see them."

The daredevil had actually stopped working so hard, and everyone looked at Xin Qiji again. Xin Qiji had already made arrangements in advance:

“We have already entered Taizhou territory. Everyone has split into small groups and started heading into the mountains. It won’t hurt for me to stay for a day or two longer.”

The Book of Changes looks at Xi Shi:

"Will Zigong wait for you by the Huai River?"

Xi Shi nodded:

“I told him that this would take anywhere from three to five days to one day, and I would hire a ferry and wait patiently.”

Chen Tang, needless to say, had no intention of going back today.

Everyone had a plan, so Zhou Yi said:

"I'll go buy a few more beds later and make room for everyone...Mei Niang, will the four of you share a room or stay separately?"

Wu Zetian glanced at Gongsun Da Niang, Li Qingzhao, and Xi Shi, and said to Zhou Yi:
"Let's share a room, with two beds pushed together. We sisters can eat and sleep together. When you buy the beds, please remember to also buy a wardrobe. We have too many clothes, and the wardrobe won't have enough room."

Zhou Yi planned to go to their room later to take measurements, and then buy a large wardrobe to use the remaining space so they could stuff as many clothes as they wanted into it.

After the decision was made, everyone chatted while working enthusiastically.

Huo Qubing asked Xin Qiji about the entire process of killing the monk Yiduan with his spear:
"Didn't he resist?"

"No, right in the heart, stabbed to death... Immortal Master, did the monk Yiduan have much merit?"

The Book of Changes says:

“That’s quite a lot. I received five coins of merit, and you received two ounces of merit… So much merit means you’ve harmed the common people quite a bit. You really deserve to be killed.”

In the evening, Zhou Yi started cooking early so that everyone could eat and rest early, so they could be in good spirits for the ritual at the cemetery the next day.

Meanwhile, in the Later Zhou Dynasty, Guo Rong sat in his tent, taking advantage of the break before dinner to chat with a few court officials.

In the imperial kitchen, two furtive figures are plotting:
"Do you really want to do this?"

“This must be done, otherwise once the world is pacified, they will discard us like used tools after we've served our purpose… This medicine was bought from a Western Region monk at great expense. It is colorless and odorless, and no one will be able to detect its true nature.”

Hearing this assurance, the leader finally made up his mind, slowly opened the box containing the imperial meal, and poured the poison inside...

(End of this chapter)