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

Chapter 344 The Leaf of War? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Gouchen Emperor, whose full title is Gouchen Shanggong Tianhuang Emperor, is one of the Four Emperors in Taoism. In addition, in the sequence of the Six Emperors, he is respectfully called the Western Taiji Tianhuang Emperor.

Zhou Yi held the blood-red leaf in his hand, looking up at the statue of Gouchen in the palace, not quite understanding why this powerful figure had given him the leaf.

Zhao Yan looked up and asked:

"Master, who is he?"

Zhou Yi rubbed the little girl's head and said:

"He is Emperor Gouchen, who controls the North and South Poles and the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, commands all the stars, and presides over human warfare. He is the God of War and God of War of China... Could it be that wars broke out in various worlds, activating Emperor Gouchen?"

Zhou Yi couldn't figure it out, but since he had been given leaves, they should be able to do something.

He planned to check the black notebook first to see if there were any hints. If not, he would wait until everyone came tomorrow to ask them what they had done.

The sudden activation of the Chinese War God, a deity who advocates military reforms, must mean something extraordinary has happened.

Zhou Yi offered incense to the Great Emperor Gouchen, then strolled towards the small courtyard, saying to the little tail following him as he walked:

"I've told you two sisters many times to call him Immortal Master, why don't you keep changing it?"

Zhao Yan lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes.

“This servant feels that a subordinate relationship will lead to abandonment, while only a master-servant relationship is more stable… My sister and I are afraid that you will drive us away, I’m sorry.”

These words deeply saddened Zhou Yi:

"Don't worry, you'll all be members of Hunyuan Palace for life. I won't let you leave... From now on, don't call me master anymore. Just call me Immortal Master like everyone else."

Zhao Yan hesitated for a moment, then finally extended her right little finger and said:
"You must keep your word and not abandon Yan'er."

Zhou Yi extended his little finger and hooked it with Zhao Yan's finger:
"Pinky promise, it will never change, for a hundred... a thousand years!"

He originally wanted to say one hundred, but considering that the time span of the people in Hunyuan Palace was far more than one hundred, swearing an oath in one hundred years would be like tickling the gods and making them laugh, so he changed it to ten thousand years.

After making a pinky promise, Zhao Yan happily went back to her room to study, while Zhou Yi returned to his room, flipped through his black notebook, and carefully looked at his notes.

He soon discovered the clues:
[Zhao Xu convened a rally to urge his troops to a campaign, beheading over fifty Tangut prisoners to raise as a sacrifice to the battle flag. The morale of the Song people soared, and his merit increased by 100.]

So many people were killed at a rally? Wasn't Zhao Xu afraid that those weak and feeble scholars would faint at the sight of blood?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. To correct a wrong, one must go to extremes. How can one arouse the blood and killing intent of the scholar-officials without killing so many people?
Then he saw another note:
Cheng Zhijie led the Northern Capital Dragon Guard to Shuozhou to quell the rebellion, killing thousands of Turks. Merit +78

The rebellion in Shuozhou was quelled?

Did this really happen in history?
Zhou Yi never expected that Cheng Zhijie, who was guarding the home, would actually run to Shuozhou to quell the rebellion. He hadn't earned any military merit in the Goguryeo War in history, but now he had succeeded.

Then, Zhou Yi saw a third note:

[Ban Chao issued a proclamation calling for the destruction of Kucha and Yanqi, and various states in the Western Regions responded by sending troops. Merit +50]

Throughout history, it has been rare to see foreign tribes closely united around the Han Dynasty, but the Western Regions under Ban Chao's control were an exception. All those small countries followed Ban Chao's lead and attacked whomever he commanded.

Now, it's finally time to take action against Kucha and Yanqi at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains... Unlike previous wars, Kucha and Yanqi have a blood feud with the Han people. After this battle, even if the people of both countries survive, they will most likely become slaves, demonstrating in their actions that the dignity of the Han Dynasty cannot be violated.

After reading the three notes, Zhou Yi discovered that wars were raging in every world. Perhaps this is why the Great Emperor Gouchen sent down the leaves?
Holding a leaf in one hand and a black notebook in the other, he arrived at the entrance of the main hall. Finding no clues in the notebook, he guessed that it must have a new use.

Now, the red leaves given by Wang Lingguan, the golden leaves given by the Ziwei Emperor, and the earth leaves given by the Houtu Goddess have all found their uses. The purple leaves of Buddha, the green leaves of the Changsheng Emperor, and the blood-red leaves of the Gouchen Emperor are still unknown. It is estimated that they will be triggered under specific conditions.

Emperor Gouchen is associated with war, and there are almost no temples in the country dedicated to him. He is usually enshrined in the Lingxiao Hall of various Taoist temples. Hunyuan Palace is one of the few Taoist temples that has built a hall for this emperor.

"War... does it mean taking it to the ancient world and turning everyone into Han Xin?"

The Book of Changes is unfathomable, so I've temporarily tucked the leaf into the Modern Chinese Dictionary, hoping to find the trick to using it soon. Otherwise, what's the difference between collecting leaves without using them and those who collect specimens?
At noon, Zhou Yi made minced meat sauce and hand-pulled noodles, letting the two little girls try real fried sauce noodles. Zhao Rui ate more than Li Qingzhao, she was a miniature version of a big glutton.

Li Qingzhao grabbed a piece of cucumber, dipped it in sauce, and crunched away.

"My family's cook has also made fried sauce, but why doesn't it taste as good as the immortal's?"

Zhou Yi said, "First, use Shaoxing wine to dilute the dry soybean paste, then fry the diced pork belly until golden brown. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry until the wine flavor completely dissipates and the sauce and oil are fully mixed. Later, download some food videos and show them to the chef; he should be inspired."

After the meal, Li Qingzhao, who never lifted a finger in the kitchen, took the initiative to clean up the kitchen, with two young maids helping out. Zhou Yi, who rarely had a moment of leisure, continued to decorate the Sanqing Hall.

Meanwhile, in the world of Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty, in the western training ground of Kaifeng, the stench of blood had not yet dissipated, and the headless corpses of more than fifty Tangut prisoners had not yet been dragged away, yet the newly recruited soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty were leaving the camp in droves to head to the northwest battlefield.

Zhang Shuye, who had just returned from his mission to the Liao Dynasty, served as the vanguard commander and led three thousand vanguard troops to open up the road from Kaifeng to the Western Xia front.

The attack route was simple: first enter the pass to Chang'an, then exit Xiaoguan and advance northward, crossing the Yellow River when reaching the Zhongwei area, and directly attacking the Tangut people's stronghold.

The entire route highly overlapped with Chen Tang's bandit suppression route, but the two sides were not on the same starting line in their war.

The Han dynasty could defeat foreign tribes with ease, but the Tangut people during the Song dynasty had the same armor, weapons, and even tactics as the Song dynasty.

After Zhang Shuye left, Zhao Xu did not set off immediately. Instead, he chatted warmly with the soldiers of all ranks in the military camp and ate a big pot of stew with slices of meat and steamed buns with everyone.

He had no airs of an emperor, holding a bowl and squeezing into the crowd of ordinary soldiers, asking about this family's harvest one moment and when that family was getting married the next. Occasionally, he would even call unmarried young men "virgin chickens," which drew bursts of laughter.

After the meal, Zhao Xu personally taught everyone how to use the solar cooker correctly, and brewed a lot of tea for the soldiers, as well as the grooms and cooks.

Throughout the entire process, he did not do anything intentionally, but after this experience, all the soldiers in the camp were prepared to give their lives for His Majesty.

"I've eaten from the same pot as the government officials, so my life has been worthwhile!"

"This bowl of tea was served to me by the officials, so it's even more worthwhile!"

"The Emperor said that after we destroy Western Xia, he will reward me with a Western Xia princess and let her come back to Jia County with me to farm. I wonder what the Western Xia princess looks like."

"It must be hideous, brother. You should give it to me. I don't care if it's male or female. I just want to see if the Western Xia people know how to farm."

"The Western Xia royal family has over a hundred princesses. We'll give you the ugliest one, is that alright?"

"Brother, I don't have any other hobbies, I just like older women. Could you bestow upon me the mothers of the Western Xia princesses?"

"Really? You don't want the guy who married the princess to call you 'Dad,' do you?"

"..."

While everyone was laughing and joking, Zhao Xu had already summoned officers of all ranks to the main tent in the training ground and spent the whole afternoon emphasizing discipline to them... Both Wei Qing and Li Jing had stressed that in large-scale military operations, military discipline was the most important thing, so it had to be emphasized again before the expedition to prevent anyone from disobeying orders.

During the meeting, Zhao Xu also introduced the use of walkie-talkies and binoculars. As for drones, that was a high-end skill that only Zhao Xu's personal guards could master, and ordinary officers were not qualified to learn it for the time being.

Two days ago, Emperor Huizong fired mortars several times near the military camp. Everyone was familiar with the sound of the mortars, but they had not yet seen their power in actual combat. Zhao Xu planned to use mortars to attack the front line and directly inspire the soldiers' courage.

In the evening, he did not leave, but stayed at the military camp... For the next few months, he would fight alongside these soldiers, and he wanted to take advantage of the time before going to the battlefield to build up his relationship with them.

As night fell, Zhao Xu placed some sliced ​​steamed buns on a charcoal fire to toast them until golden brown on both sides, then handed them to Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, and other court officials who had personally led the expedition.

"I will be going to see the Immortal Master tomorrow. All of you, please stay in the camp and wait for my return. Then the army will set off."

Zhao Xu was quite excited as they were about to deduce the location of the new capital. Once the location was confirmed, they could have people vacate the area in advance. The farmland and villages that had been occupied would be compensated, and those that needed to be relocated would be relocated.

The construction of this capital was undertaken by the Western Xia people in terms of labor and the Liao people in terms of money. Zhao Xu intended to reclaim all the annual tribute paid to the Liao Dynasty since the Treaty of Chanyuan.

When Zhao Xu was assigning tasks, there were more than a dozen specially made carriages parked in a corner of the training ground. They were full of cannonballs made by the Military Equipment Bureau, all of which were covered with straw. The carriages carrying the cannonballs also had talismans bestowed by Zhou Yi on them. The carriage in the middle had a talisman for the dormancy of all things on it, to prevent the risk of cannonballs exploding in all directions.

The subsequent shells will be transported with Li Qingzhao's help. Once they are brought to Hunyuan Palace, Zhao Xu can take them back to the front line, which will definitely give the Western Xia people psychological trauma.

After finishing his steamed buns, Zhao Xu, flashlight in hand, inspected the barracks again before returning to his tent to rest.

The next morning, as soon as the sky began to lighten, Zhao Xu dressed himself properly. However, he did not wear a ceremonial robe or armor, but rather a Taoist robe.

Today I must go to Hunyuan Palace to observe the deduction process and cannot be absent. In addition, Zhou Yi promised to strengthen his body again to achieve the physical qualities of an unparalleled martial general.

A Song emperor of Zhao Zilong caliber, hopefully the Western Xia people won't have nightmares at night...

(End of this chapter)