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

Chapter 316 Ban Chao: Thunder, Come! [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

As soon as Ban Chao finished speaking, a gust of east wind blew, causing yellow sand to rise all around.

The disparity in numbers between the two sides was enormous. Ban Chao's side had gathered troops from neighboring small states, totaling only about 20,000 men, and they were all ragtag troops.

These people were poorly dressed and lacked proper weapons; the arrowheads used by the archers were even made from ground bone.

On the other hand, the King of Shache had a full army of 100,000, of which 50,000 were the allies gathered by the King of Kucha to come and support him, and the remaining 50,000 were the people of Shache and the small countries that were fighting alongside him.

Ever since Ban Chao arrived in the Western Regions, these small countries have lost their freedom. Now that they hear that the Han envoy is to be driven away, they are all eager to help, bringing their own provisions.

King Guangde of Khotan frowned, feeling that the Han envoy was being somewhat presumptuous, so he spurred his horse forward, intending to offer some advice.

Guangde was the first kingdom conquered by Ban Chao after he arrived in the Western Regions.

At that time, the Kingdom of Khotan was controlled by the Northern Xiongnu. The shaman was worried that Guangde would defect to the Han envoy, so he used the excuse of the gods' anger to make Guangde demand Ban Chao's steed.

In places like the Western Regions, not having horses is tantamount to death. The shaman thought that this method would definitely sow discord between Guangde and Ban Chao, but to his surprise, Ban Chao readily agreed.

When the shaman came to lead the horse, Ban Chao suddenly drew his sword and chopped off the shaman's head. He then tied up the prime minister of Khotan and whipped him hundreds of times.

Guangde was terrified. He quickly led his men to kill the Northern Xiongnu envoy and then steadfastly followed Ban Chao.

At the beginning of Emperor Zhang of Han's reign, Chen Mu, the Protector-General of the Western Regions, was killed by the King of Yanqi. The court was worried about Ban Chao's safety and summoned him back to the capital. When this news reached the Western Regions, Guangde was so anxious that he hugged Ban Chao's leg and cried.

He knew very well that once Ban Chao left, the Northern Xiongnu would definitely bring up old grievances, and even if he had eight heads, it wouldn't be enough to cut them off. In order to keep Ban Chao here, this guy even said something as nauseating as "We rely on the Han envoy as children rely on their parents".

Ban Chao couldn't bear to leave and ultimately decided to stay. Guangde was extremely grateful and became a complete sycophant of the Han Dynasty.

In this attack on Shache, Guangde brought almost all of Yutian's people with him. However, due to the weakness of his country, even if he tried his best, he could not see any hope of victory.

With a smug look of certainty on his face, Shache Wang stroked his beard, which was covered in small braids, and shouted loudly at Ban Chao:
"The Han envoy is quite the boaster. I have 100,000 warriors under my command. Today, I will tell you plainly that our Shache Kingdom swears to be an enemy of the Han Dynasty. You Han dogs, if you have the guts, come and kill me!"

As he spoke, he shrugged his shoulders, revealing his smug and petty nature.

Tian Lu was so anxious that he slapped his thigh repeatedly:

"If this boy takes another ten steps forward, I am confident that I can kill him with one arrow. Chief Scribe, please give the order!"

Ban Chao calmly spurred his horse forward and said loudly:
“Yesterday I went to a divine abode, and a deity bestowed upon me a token that can command the heavens to unleash thunder... King of Shache, are you truly not afraid of death?”

Shache Wang threw his head back and laughed heartily:
"A god? Even a god would have to kneel before me. Could he possibly stop my 100,000 warriors?"

Hearing this, Ban Chao knew that further words were pointless, so he raised his token and shouted:
"Thunder comes!"

As soon as the sound faded, the swirling yellow sand around them settled down, and a rare tranquility descended upon the world. But soon, a dark cloud appeared overhead, with flashes of lightning flickering within it, and bursts of thunder echoing from the depths of the thick clouds.

In an instant, a bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and struck the King of Shache squarely on the head. The king, with his mustache and braid, didn't even have time to utter a last word before he was reduced to charred remains.

After the thunderclap, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the yellow sand began to swirl again. Everyone on both sides stood there, stunned, staring blankly at the charred human figures in the sandstorm.

Facing the 100,000 enemy troops before him, Ban Chao once again raised the token in his hand:

"Anyone who disobeys the orders of the Great Han shall be killed without mercy!"

Only then did the people on the other side realize what was happening. Some dismounted and knelt to surrender, while others turned their horses and fled. The 100,000 people were thrown into complete chaos.

However, Ban Chao did not immediately pursue, because his men were also in disarray.

The troops of Khotan knelt on one knee to show their loyalty, while those from Jingjue and Qule, who had only sent a token number of troops, kowtowed repeatedly, as if afraid that Ban Chao would also do the same to their own rulers.

Military Advisor Xu Gan was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. When Ban Chao returned yesterday, he simply said that he had seen a deity, and no one knew about the token.

In retrospect, this was no token; it was the Han Dynasty's cornerstone in the Western Regions.

With the token in hand, if any small country rebels, just throw a lightning bolt at them; dealing with it couldn't be easier.

Guangde knelt on one knee before Ban Chao's mount and respectfully asked:

"Respected Han envoy, may I worship this deity in my own country?"

He had believed in gods for half his life, but the gods never gave him any warnings or guidance. He suffered every hardship he was supposed to endure and was beaten every time he was supposed to be beaten. Now, seeing how powerful the Chinese gods are, he decided to change his faith and convert to the Chinese gods.

This request put Ban Chao in a difficult position:

"This matter needs to be consulted with the gods. Only if they agree can the teachings be brought for you to believe in."

The more this happened, the stronger Guangde's belief in him became:

"Could you tell me the name of the sect? So I'll have something to look forward to?" Ban Chao said.

"The sect that deity belonged to was called Taoism, which borrowed some Taoist classics from the Spring and Autumn Period and revered Laozi as its master..."

Zhang Daoling hasn't founded Taoism yet, and Ban Chao doesn't know much about it either. He plans to catch up on his knowledge when he goes to Hunyuan Palace next time. If he can promote the faith while stabilizing the Western Regions, it should be beneficial to the immortals.

Guangde listened intently, constantly praying in his heart that the gods would grant his request, and that he would mobilize all the people of Khotan to build a temple for the gods.

With the death of the King of Shache, things became much easier. Ban Chao ordered his men to take possession of the prisoners and escort them to Shache City, where he then took control of the area.

In the past, he would have chosen someone from the royal family who was close to the Han Dynasty to be the new King of Shache, but now, Ban Chao was thinking much further ahead.

He was constantly caught in a cycle of supporting, rebelling, suppressing, and supporting again, and he felt exhausted and needed to find a better way.

Ban Chao decided not to rush into establishing a king, but to wait until he visited Hunyuan Palace and consulted the Book of Changes before making a decision.

After finishing his work, he assembled the solar cooker, had his son Ban Yong fill a kettle with water, and placed it on the solar cooker. Soon, the water boiled.

Ban Yong was astonished, and Xu Gan and the others could not believe their eyes either.

Ban Chao said:

"This is the solar cooker. There are many other things bestowed by the gods, and I will teach you about them one by one... Oh, by the way, the gods said that you have made great contributions by following me in exploring the Western Regions, and they hope that a stone tablet can be made to engrave all your names on it. After it is engraved, take it to the Hunyuan Palace, where you can receive offerings..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tian Lü volunteered to go outside the city to find stone; Xu Gan, whose calligraphy skills were quite good, planned to write the inscription himself; and a follower who was a stonemason quietly took out a hammer and chisel.

To have one's name recorded in history is already a lifelong dream; to have one's name recorded among the immortals—what an honor that would be!
While they were busy, Ban Chao took out bamboo slips and began to write a memorial, briefly reporting the events of the lightning striking the King of Shache, with a focus on his journey to the immortal's cave.

Once it's written, have someone deliver it along the southern route to Yumen Pass, where there are post stations. You can then use the post stations to send it to Luoyang by fast horse.

The next day, all the surrounding small states came to pay their respects to Ban Chao, and even offered to send hostages to Luoyang. They had all heard about the story of the lightning strike that struck the King of Shache, and everyone acted extremely devoutly and humbled themselves, fearing that Ban Chao might take his anger out on them.

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi had just started cooking pumpkin and millet porridge when he saw Xi Shi, soaked to the bone like a drowned rat, pushing her bicycle into the courtyard.

He quickly stepped forward and stuck a drying talisman on the beautiful woman's back.

"what happened?"

Xi Shi felt her clothes drying quickly and found it amazing:
"When I reached the border between the states of Ju and Tan, a sudden downpour started, and the area was flooded. I took shelter on a hill with my bicycle for the night. This morning, the water level was almost up to the top of the hill. I don't know when it will recede."

Zhou Yi was surprised that there was such a heavy rain in southern Shandong, and said to Xi Shi:
"The water won't recede anytime soon, and even if it does, the roads will be difficult to travel. We might as well stay here for a few more days and leave after the next gathering."

Xi Shi was very clever; upon hearing the word "gathering," she immediately asked:

"A new person is coming?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"Ban Chao, the Marquis of Dingyuan, who has been guarding the Western Regions for thirty years, has arrived."

Just then, Chen Tang's exclamation came from outside the courtyard:

"What? Ban Chao is here?"

The man walked into the courtyard, carrying a golden carp that weighed at least seven or eight pounds. Seeing Zhou Yi looking him over, he held up the fish and said:
"I accidentally caught one while doing exploration on the banks of the Yellow River. I must say, wild Yellow River carp are really strong. How about we have braised carp noodles for lunch? It's a pity we're not in Yanjin, it won't taste the same."

Zhou Yi thinks Tom Cruise must have watched a lot of downloaded movies lately, since he even knows the references to "1942":

"How's your training going? Have the Imperial Guards suffered heavy losses?"

Chen Tang tossed the carp into the large basin, filling it with water as he spoke:
"Not much, but quite a few were injured. These Imperial Guards have no survival skills in the wild, but with this training, they have been tempered again, which is a good thing."

The Imperial Guards were equipped with top-of-the-line gear; with just a little training, they could make the Xiongnu flee at the mere sight of them.

Chen Tang's plan was simple: hone the Imperial Guards through the bandits and rebels, then head north to meet Huhanye, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, and send him to see his brother, Zhizhi Chanyu of the Northern Xiongnu.

In this way, his plan to marry Wang Zhaojun and become a Han Chinese son-in-law fell through. Now that there is a rare opportunity to sacrifice himself to the Xiongnu to save the Han Dynasty, he cannot miss it.

As they were talking, Guo Rong led two young lambs, each a little over a year old, into the courtyard:
"I've heard that all of you heroes enjoy eating exotic sheep. This was taken by Wang Yansheng from the Khitans in Mizhou. It should taste quite good."

After saying that, he took out a golden crown from his bag and presented it to Zhou Yi with both hands:

"This is Yelü Jing's crown, which was found in the Youzhou Palace. I brought it here specifically to present to the immortal!"

(End of this chapter)