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

Chapter 350 The First Battle of the Kaiyuan World! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In the evening, just as dinner was being prepared at Hunyuan Palace, Wu Aiguo suddenly rushed over in a hurry:

"Xiao Yi, the yard design is done for you. The manufacturer has ready-made modules. If you have no objections, construction can begin after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Zhou Yi looked at the blueprints and saw that the courtyard had been expanded considerably, but it had not encroached on the area of ​​Hunyuan Palace; instead, it had been expanded outwards.

The entire courtyard was over an acre in size, surrounded by a ring of houses, with about a dozen rooms. In addition to standard-style rooms, there were also a study, a dining room, a media room, a billiards room, and so on, making it much larger than the small courtyard we have now.

After Zhou Yi finished reading it, Wu Meiniang and Xi Shi also took a look and both felt there was nothing wrong with it.

With the current number of people, Hunyuan Palace is more than enough. Once all forty-nine pilgrims have arrived, we can build a few more rooms.

In any case, the entire Yunwu Mountain belongs to Hunyuan Palace, so there is no issue of dispute over the homestead.

Wu Aiguo asked:
How tall are you planning to build the house?

After some thought, Zhou Yi set a standard:
"After the renovation is complete, the interior ceiling height will be 3.3 meters, which is equivalent to one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters). At that time, all the plumbing and electrical work will be handled by you. We'll install underfloor heating, central air conditioning, and electric water heaters, and cover the roof with solar panels so that we can generate our own electricity as much as possible in the future."

Wu Aiguo took notes and said with a smile:

"Ever since the price of solar panels dropped, many people have been building bungalows and covering the roofs with solar panels. They can provide sun protection and generate electricity. Moreover, the price of solar panels is cheaper than roof tiles. The competition in the industrial sector is really too severe. I'm glad I don't work in this industry."

The Book of Changes asks:

How flame-retardant is the foam used in building materials?

"Don't worry, Xiao Yi. I will definitely not cheat you when I repair your house. The foam is a B1 grade fire retardant material, and there will be netting inside and out, followed by paint and wall paint. With several layers of protection, the house will definitely not catch fire."

After confirming the design, Wu Aiguo took out a contract, Zhou Yi signed it, and paid the deposit. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the village's demolition team would demolish the courtyard and then start building the house.

After Wu Aiguo left, Zhou Yi looked at the small courtyard, feeling somewhat reluctant to leave.
“When my grandfather built Hunyuan Palace, he built a courtyard next to it for himself to live in. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye. Now the courtyard is to be demolished. I wonder if my grandfather would blame me if he knew this in the afterlife.”

Wu Zetian held his hand and comforted him:

"This is a new approach, and Grandpa won't blame you. He'll only praise you for growing up."

Zhou Yi nodded, feeling a bit better, and said to the Zhao sisters, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui, who were riding their bicycles wobblingly not far away:

"Dinner's ready! The last one to finish eating has to wash the dishes!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui put down her bicycle and ran into the restaurant. Xi Shi, who was setting the table, saw her dirty appearance and said with a smile:

"Go wash your hands and change your coat first. I'll do the laundry later, and I'll wash your clothes too."

"Thank you, Sister Xi Shi, you are truly beautiful inside and out."

Listening to the girl's flattery, Xi Shi chuckled. Whether she was beautiful or not was another matter, but she had killed two kings, which had nothing to do with kindness, right?

I hope this trip to Linzi goes smoothly and I won't need to summon divine thunder again.

As they began eating here, the same meal was also being eaten inside the Yiyuan Temple of the Tang Dynasty Kaiyuan World.

Ever since Yuan Danqiu arrived in Chang'an, Cen Xun has been like an unofficial member of the Yiyuan Temple, not only eating and living here, but also planning to buy a house in Daozhengfang at a high price.

In the past, Daozheng Ward belonged to the third category of wards. Apart from being adjacent to the East Market, it had almost no other advantages. Although the houses were more expensive than those in the south of the city, they were very common compared to those popular wards.

Now that Yiyuan Temple has been established, the housing prices in Daozhengfang have soared, reaching the price of Changlefang in just two months.

There was no other way; several princes bought properties here, and the retired emperor resided at Yiyuan Temple. Everyone knew that living in this neighborhood was definitely beneficial.

The old residents of Daozheng Ward sold their houses and became rich overnight, while the newcomers were all wealthy and powerful. The entire Daozheng Ward became very prestigious, and the prices in Changle Ward to the south and Xingqing Ward to the north also rose. Not to mention the East Market, many shops saw their rents increase.

Gongsun Da Niang said:

"Don't leave after dinner, okay? We'll hand out mooncakes to everyone. The immortal is celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, so let's celebrate together. We'll also let you try some of the different kinds of mooncakes that modern people eat."

When she arrived, this girl bought Yunnan ham mooncakes, Yunnan ham and flower mooncakes, double yolk lotus seed paste mooncakes, custard lava mooncakes, Suzhou-style mooncakes, five-nut mooncakes, Shanxi brown sugar and sesame mooncakes... basically everything you can buy on the market, a very rich selection.

Li Chengqi asked:
"Can the imperial kitchen make those kinds of cakes?"

Princess Taiping had already tasted the mooncakes and nodded, saying:

"We can make most of them. Many of the techniques are derived from the pastries of the Tang Dynasty... If you two brothers have time, you can take a drone and explore the Guanzhong Plain to find the lands that the aristocratic families have deliberately abandoned. If you do a good job, there will be a reward."

Upon hearing about the reward, Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi, the two barrier beasts, immediately perked up:
"We'll get to work on this tomorrow... Drones are really great. Once we take the photos, let's see how those powerful families can still deny it."

While we were eating, Gao Lishi's voice suddenly came through the walkie-talkie next to us:
"News has arrived from Longyou that the Tibetans are causing trouble, and troops need to be dispatched to suppress them. We request that Fairy Pomegranate and True Person Green Lotus come to the palace to discuss the expedition plan." Princess Taiping frowned.

"This Sanlang is really slow. If the Tibetans are rebelling, just attack them. What's there to study?"

She stood up, picked up the walkie-talkie, and called out Li Longji's name directly:
"Sanlang, what do you want to discuss? Just say it over the walkie-talkie."

Li Longji said:
"General Xue Ne has volunteered for the campaign, but he is quite old. I am worried that something might happen to him, so I would like to choose a younger general, but I fear that the ministers will object..."

This guy wanted to ask Gongsun Da Niang and Li Bai to see who led the expedition in history, hoping to steal a shortcut.

Princess Taiping explicitly opposed this speculative behavior:

"The timeline has changed, so we can't blindly refer to history... Saburo, matters of state and military affairs require a single voice. Your determination is so that those going to war will have something to rely on. This is completely opposite to handling political affairs."

Dealing with court affairs requires compromise and balance to achieve a result that satisfies all parties. But military affairs are different. Once war breaks out, there are only two outcomes: win or lose. Even if we categorize them, they are just minor losses and major losses, and minor wins and major wins.

If a general tries to balance things out by using a strategy of appeasement, he will inevitably be hesitant and indecisive, fearing both missing opportunities and incurring too great losses. In such a dilemma, it is very difficult to win a battle.

These few words greatly boosted Li Longji's confidence:
"Thank you, Aunt. I will have someone send some snacks to Yiyuan Temple later."

Princess Taiping said:

"Let's skip the snacks and deliver the news of your great victory instead... The Immortal Master supports you in the hope that you will completely suppress the alien races. If you fail to do so, Mother may have other ideas."

"Don't worry, Auntie, Sanlang knows what to do!"

After ending the call, Li Longji took the walkie-talkie back to the Wude Hall, took down a sword hanging on the wall, and handed it to Xue Ne, who had volunteered for battle.

"General, your father pacified the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows, ending years of conflict in the Western Regions. Now that the Tibetans are causing trouble, I have nothing else to give you. This sword was given to me when I ascended the throne. I hope that you can slay generals and seize flags, demonstrating the might of our Great Tang!"

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Xue Ne knelt down and accepted the sword with both hands.

"May I ask Your Majesty, who is supervising the army in this battle?"

Li Longji waved his hand magnanimously:

"Without a military supervisor, everything is up to the old general. I have only one request: thoroughly punish those ungrateful dogs on the plateau. No prisoners should be taken in this battle; all Tibetans should be beheaded on the spot and their heads should be built into a mound of heads!"

Xue Ne was at a loss for words, but out of caution, he still asked:

"If the Tibetans send someone to the Tang Dynasty to sue for peace..."

“Slay their envoy, and kill any Tibetans you see within a year. If we don’t frighten them, these ingrates will not give up.”

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Tibetans repeatedly invaded the border. When they lost, they would quickly seek peace, and when they won, they would flaunt their power.

Now, provoked by Princess Taiping, Li Longji no longer intends to give the Tibetans another chance. He will massacre them and send newly recruited good men from Guanzhong to the front line in Longxi in order to defeat the Tibetans by risking the fate of the nation!

After Xue Ne left, Li Longji issued another military order to Chen Xuanli:
"The Tibetans have invaded the border of our Great Tang. We have captured all the Tibetans in Chang'an and escorted them to the border with the old general... They will either be beheaded as a sacrifice to the flag or join the soldiers of the Great Tang in killing the Tibetans... Killing one person will save their life; killing ten people will return all the property in Chang'an; killing a hundred people will grant them a Han surname and an official position; if they die in battle, the court will raise their children!"

Gao Lishi asked in a low voice:
“Would it be too much?”

Li Longji sighed and pointed upwards:
"Grandma is watching. If I don't do well, she will definitely be very displeased."

Inside the Yiyuan Temple, after everyone had finished dinner, they began to sample mooncakes of various flavors. Li Bai, holding a mooncake, looked up at the moon in the sky and said to everyone:
"I want to go to war with the army."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Danqiu immediately objected:
"You're so young, how can you join the army?"

Li Bai said:

“My token can turn the tide of battle, the Confucian pen can summon all kinds of natural disasters, and the army’s supplies can also be transferred through the Hunyuan Palace… My master has always regarded Tibet as a major threat to China. As the eldest disciple of the Hunyuan Palace, I must set an example.”

Upon hearing this, Hu Ziyang immediately grabbed his sword.
"I will accompany you. This battle concerns the fate of the nation. If we win, we will not need so many troops to guard the border, and the Tang Dynasty will have more resources to develop the people's livelihood."

With him taking the lead, Cen Xun and Yuan Danqiu also wanted to go. Wang Zhihuan, who had come to Hunyuan Palace for a free meal, was infected by this atmosphere, and his scholarly spirit immediately surged up:
"Tomorrow I will resign my post and join you all on the western expedition. If I die in battle, I ask that you all pour a few cups of fine wine at my grave. This is my only wish in life, and I will be eternally grateful!"

Li Bai tossed the token in his hand:

"With me here, you won't die easily... Next time, I'll bring you some fine wine from my master. For every Tibetan you kill, I'll give you a bottle of wine. How about it?"

Wang Zhihuan drew his sword with a clang:

"Those Tibetans are really in for a world of trouble!"

(End of this chapter)