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

Chapter 304 The Common Flaw of Tang Dynasty Emperors—A Obsession with Face! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Chen Tang, holding a small stainless steel bowl, shoveled rice into his mouth while recounting the findings of his investigation along the Yellow River:
"There are quite a few places suitable for building bridges. Several sections of the river are only a little over 100 meters wide. If steel cable suspension bridges can be built, it will be much more convenient to travel to the Western Regions, and the connection between Chang'an, Liangzhou, and the Western Regions will be closer."

During the Han Dynasty, the area around the Yellow River was still relatively desolate. Chen Tang used a modern map to mark several places suitable for building bridges.

The most suitable location is Zhongwei. The Yellow River flows from the valley into the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Basin. Building a bridge at the end of the valley would facilitate construction, and the vast plains of Zhongwei are also suitable for development. With the addition of a few water diversion projects and the planting of wheat and potatoes, there will definitely be a good harvest.

The road to Zhongwei is relatively smooth. Just head north after leaving Xiaoguan Pass; the entire route is a flat road.

However, the disadvantage of this place is also obvious: it is a bit of a detour. After crossing the Yellow River, you have to walk one or two hundred miles due west before you can reach the official road to Liangzhou.

Simply put, it's easy to travel, but it's a long detour, and you need to find supply points or rest stops along the way.

Another location is Santan Town in Baiyin District. It is relatively close, although the roads are a bit rugged, but within acceptable limits, horse-drawn carriages can pass smoothly.

There are three other alternative locations: Wufu Township and Shimen Township in Jingtai County, and Hongliutan near the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area. These are all crossing points on the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty, with narrow spans, making bridge construction relatively convenient.

Huo Qubing asked:
"Is it feasible to build a bridge across the Yellow River?"

Zhou Yi showed him a picture of the paper bridge in Chongqing:
"This is a temporary bridge built for ease of construction. The entire bridge has only four steel cables, but its passability is extremely high. Engineering vehicles weighing less than 45 tons can pass through... As long as the materials are available, bridges over the Yellow River can be built in all sorts of ways."

Upon seeing the photo of the paper bridge, Huo Qubing even forgot to eat.

“It is indeed very suitable for our great Han Dynasty, Master. Can we build a similar bridge?”

The Book of Changes says:

"Once the bridge in the Yuan Emperor's world is completed, I will give you a one-to-one replica. In the future, several bridges will need to be built across the Yellow River. The project is huge, and we will need to capture many Xiongnu people as laborers."

This was one of Huo Qubing's strengths. He planned to deal with Liu An, the King of Huainan, and then launch the Hexi campaign to take over the Hexi region ahead of schedule in order to prepare for the construction of the bridge.

After the meal, Zhao Xu left Hunyuan Palace with the statue of Houtu Niangniang and equipment such as a sextant. Li Qingzhao planned to stay another day until the seamless steel pipes she bought arrived before leaving, and also to take a welding machine with her so that Zhao Ji could make cannons.

Huo Qubing still had a long way to go, so he left right after finishing his meal. He planned to reach Pingyu or Gushi within five days to mobilize the local garrison. With an army, he would have more confidence to enter Huainan.

During the Han Dynasty, the fighting strength of the county troops was generally weak, but they were capable of suppressing rebellions, especially since Liu An and his family were all frail and weak, and most of their so-called three thousand retainers were just boastful talkers.

Before leaving, Zhou Yi gave Huo Qubing a task:
"After you arrive in Huainan, remember to bring the original copy of Huainanzi with you. Then make an electronic version and distribute it to all the worlds."

After Huo Qubing left, Xi Shi asked:

"Master, what is the Huainanzi?"

"Liu An, the King of Huainan during the Han Dynasty, gathered his retainers to compile a collection of writings covering astronomy and geography. Liu An also built the first Confucian temple, so he made some contributions in the cultural field, but not in other aspects."

In order to gather information on the movements of the officials in Chang'an, Liu An did not hesitate to have his daughter use her body to extract information. He also indulged his daughter and son in their illicit affair. Fearing that his daughter-in-law would affect his ambition to become emperor, he forced his son to divorce his wife. In short, in terms of private morality, this guy was completely in the negative, and there was nothing to praise about him.

Xi Shi asked:

"Once I get my hands on the books, will I be able to read them?"

Zhou Yi nodded:
"You can look at it freely, or even type it on a tablet. This not only improves your memory and helps you practice typing, but also allows you to view it anytime, anywhere, which is quite convenient."

Xi Shi thought this was indeed a good idea. She thanked him and started packing the spicy chicken. She would be traveling alone from now on, so she needed to bring plenty of food.

Zhou Yi handed her several mirrors, each slightly larger than the palm of her hand:
"Give this to the city lord of Tancheng. You and Zigong have been eating and lodging together, so you should give him a mirror as a souvenir. For the rest of the journey, you can give the remaining mirrors to kind people or use them to exchange for supplies... Don't rush on your way, safety first."

Tancheng was originally the State of Tan. After Fuchai went north, the State of Tan was annexed by the State of Wu, along with several surrounding small states.

Unfortunately, the ruler of Lu lacked ambition; otherwise, Zigong would have encouraged him to occupy territories like Tancheng to expand Lu's influence and thus suppress Qi.

It's quite interesting that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the states of Qi and Lu were constantly at odds, and these two states eventually became synonymous with the Shandong region.

However, relatively speaking, the State of Lu had the last laugh, because the abbreviation for Shandong is Lu, not Qi. If the ruler of Lu knew this, he would probably be so happy that he would eat two more bowls of millet rice.

After Xi Shi's clothes, which she had hung out to dry in the morning, were dry, she packed her bags and set off for Linzi after bidding farewell to Zigong.

After seeing the beautiful woman off, Zhou Yi handed Xin Qiji a set of drawings for building a rudimentary blast furnace and a diagram of a rudimentary coking process:

"Once we find iron and coal mines, we can get started. Also, don't stop buying grain. Mobilize the surrounding areas to stockpile large quantities of food. The Yimeng Mountains may experience a population boom in the future, and we can't survive without food," Xin Qiji said.
"Don't worry, Master. We've already started doing these things. The glass beads we took last time were all sold to the Jin people at a high price. We also got some armor and weapons... The Jin people are willing to sell anything. They perfectly fit the description of sudden wealth after a long period of poverty in ancient books."

It's quite normal to think about it. People who have developed from cold regions with temperatures of minus forty or fifty degrees Celsius, who have never tasted or seen anything like this, would be instantly lost in the dazzling world when they come to the Central Plains.
Furthermore, since Yue Fei's death at Fengbo Pavilion, there have been no major wars between the Jin and Song dynasties. The most feared thing for a nation that combines military and political power is to stop. Once it stops, it wants to enjoy itself, and once it enjoys itself, its ambition will be destroyed.

When Xin Qiji left, he took a bunch of solar panels and two wind turbines with him, and the crane also left, intending to take this opportunity to prepare the timber and stone materials.

To prevent running out of fuel, the tanker truck was also brought there. Zhou Yi instructed him to keep the car keys safe so that no one would drive it around and cause an accident.

Soon, Li Bai and Chen Tang left one after the other. Chen Tang took some seasonings with him, while Li Bai put his scholar's pen into his pocket, intending to use it for self-defense.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, the three people were once again Zhou Yi, Wu Meiniang, and Li Qingzhao.

The logistics information shows that the seamless steel pipe will arrive tomorrow, and Li Qingzhao has already begun preparing what to bring.

Various hair clips and plastic products can be sold at high prices there.

There are also various colors of pigments and soap molds; they'll definitely be able to make a fortune in Bianliang.

Wu Meiniang originally wanted to return to the Zhenguan world to tell Li Shimin about the Six-Part Instrument and Li Longji's implementation of conscription, so that he could make plans in advance. However, she was worried about the Kaiyuan world. After much deliberation, she decided to wait for Gongsun Da Niang to come before leaving. Once she knew the outcome, she wouldn't have to worry about it there.

Kaiyuan World, One-Dimensional View.

After Li Bai returned, he put ice cream, popsicles, and other snacks into the freezer. He also told Gao Lishi, who had come to inquire about the news, about Zhou Yi's promise. Gao Lishi was so excited that he immediately wrote it down in his notebook.

Princess Taiping felt that 10,000 qing was a bit too little, as she originally owned more land than that. She felt that the Immortal Master had underestimated the strength of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, so she voluntarily added another 10,000 qing.

"Twenty thousand hectares, I'm worried my mother will lose face if it's less."

When these words reached Li Longji's ears, this emperor, who was single-mindedly pursuing the title of "Emperor of a Thousand Ages," immediately doubled his opinion:
"Forty thousand hectares. If you don't have forty thousand hectares, don't even bother asking the Immortal Master. I can't afford to lose face like that!"

The Li family's descendants are all concerned with appearances; they act as if they can't afford to play with small prices, raising the price with each transaction, perfectly illustrating what reverse bargaining is.

At the Shenwang Mansion in Daozhengfang, Li Chengyi, dressed in oversized armor and carrying a horse spear, said to Duan Lizhi:

"No matter what happens tomorrow, you must take your daughter and hide in the main hall of Yiyuan Temple and not come out. If I die, remember to have your aunt take my photo to the immortal and have him Photoshop me to look more handsome."

Duan Lizhi raised her hand and pinched his waist, tears streaming down her face.

"If anything happens to you, I won't live either... We've only had two days of peace, and now tensions are high again. How can these noble families be so wicked?"

Li Chengyi chuckled:
“Your Duan family is also a prominent family. Perhaps my brother-in-law was involved this time as well.”

Duan Lizhi immediately transformed into a fiercely protective husband:
"If he brings his troops, I'll risk my life to stab him... By the way, my lord, how much land does the Prince Shen's mansion own?"

"There should be several hundred acres directly under your control, and several thousand fiefs. What's wrong, my lady?"

"Just donate it, don't bother with it. You've already sworn not to seize the throne anyway, and donating land to gain prestige won't arouse suspicion. Take this opportunity to donate it all and give the aristocratic families a good slap in the face!"

Li Chengyi did not hesitate at all:

"Okay, then donate it to the imperial court. If we ever go hungry, I'll take you to the palace to freeload."

While the couple discussed it at home, the bald man, carrying a backpack, walked all the way from Xingshan Temple to Yiyuan Temple.

He first bowed at the door, then carried his bag into the courtyard and, as if no one else was around, began to make a bed on the porch, leaving Granny Gongsun dumbfounded.
"Little monk, what are you doing? Are you trying to maliciously demand unpaid wages?"

A group of people put their hands together and said:
"The abbot of Xingshan Temple asserted today that Yiyuan Temple will soon be caught in the vortex of Chang'an City. This humble monk is willing to live and die with your temple!"

Upon hearing this, Granny Gongsun thought that this little bald boy was quite loyal, and waved to him, saying:

"There are empty rooms in the backyard. Find one to stay in. Don't sleep on the porch. People who don't know better will think that our Yiyuan Temple owes you money and hasn't paid it back."

After saying that, the girl rode her electric scooter away from Yiyuan Temple to inform the steward of Prince Shen's mansion to add an extra vegetarian meal for dinner that evening.

While tensions were high here, in the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin sat cross-legged on his couch, smiling as he looked at Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng and asked:
"After so many days of deduction, have you made any progress? Just who exactly is Immortal Master Yiyuan?"

(End of this chapter)