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

Chapter 364 Liu Che: An Emperor Cannot Be Soft-Hearted! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In the world of Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in a small town northeast of Shule in the Western Regions, Ban Chao was deploying his troops.

They stayed in Shule for a few days. Both Shache and Shule were peaceful. Troops and supplies from various places were delivered one after another. Ban Chao felt that the morale of the army was good, so he set off to conquer Kucha.

While resting in the town, Ban Chao called Gan Ying to his side and handed him a flashlight and a laser pointer:

"Chigu City is now occupied by the remnants of the Wusun forces. I hope you can go and take it back, and gather troops to repair the city walls. Before Yili City is repaired, it will be the bridgehead for our Han Dynasty to control the Central Asian countries."

After arriving at Hunyuan Palace, Ban Chao's ambitions were ignited. He planned to take advantage of the lull in the expedition to Kucha to have Gan Ying reclaim Chigu City and then lead his army to occupy it.

After destroying Kucha and Yanqi, a portion of the troops could be sent to Chigu City to carry out preliminary work for the development of the Ili River Valley, such as gathering refugees and recruiting artisans, and transferring a large number of laborers from Wusun and Kangju on a "voluntary" basis.

Gan Ying never expected to have the opportunity to take on a leadership role, and she rubbed her hands together excitedly:
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Ban Chao, fearing that Gan Ying might abandon his mission halfway through, as had happened in history, solemnly instructed him:
"Don't listen to one side or believe one side. When suppressing other races, remember to win over another faction first and make good use of the power of other races to attack other races. This is what is called using barbarians to control barbarians."

Gan Ying cupped her hands and said:

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Excellency. I will think carefully before making any decision and will not act rashly."

After giving a few more instructions, Gan Ying changed into bright Tang-style silver armor, led fifteen armored followers, and with three horses, left the group and headed for Chigu City.

Next, Ban Chao arranged for the vanguard and scouts, and military commander Xu Gan to be in charge of the supply of provisions. If any country's army was delayed due to lack of provisions, the king would be beheaded as a warning to the public!

After all the arrangements were completed, Ban Chao ordered the central army to rest for two hours. He then took advantage of this break to go to Hunyuan Palace to report on the progress of the work in the Western Regions.

Before setting off, Ban Chao changed into a Taoist robe, trying to keep a low profile. Then, amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, he led two sheep and disappeared from the spot.

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Ban Chao had just appeared at the main gate when he heard the roar of an excavator.

Worried that there might be people from the town, he slowly walked towards the Sanqing Hall, holding a whisk. He found Chen Tang, Guo Rong, Huo Qubing, Li Bai, Gongsun Da Niang, Li Qingzhao, Wu Meiniang, Zhou Yi, Zhao Yan, Zhao Rui... all watching Xin Qiji operate the excavator.

After watching for a while, Huo Qubing squeezed into the cockpit, ready to learn from it up close.

When Chen Tang saw Ban Chao arrive, he walked over with a smile, put his arm around Ban Chao's shoulder, and asked:

"So, isn't this thing more efficient than pure manpower?"

Ban Chao nodded and said seriously:
"If used properly, this item can do the work of more than a hundred people... Where has General Zigong led the Imperial Guards?"

"We're almost at Helan Mountain. I plan to modify Marshal Yue Fei's 'Man Jiang Hong' and carve it on Helan Mountain to serve as a warning to future generations, indicating that Helan Mountain is the ancient land of the Han people, and if any foreign tribes occupy it, the whole world will fight against them."

After a brief exchange of ideas, Chen Tang, upon hearing that they were going to attack Kucha, felt that when they passed through Kucha last time, they should have escorted the King of Kucha to Chang'an to prevent this small country from becoming too powerful.

Ban Chao brought over a sheep, and Chen Tang immediately began slaughtering it to prepare hand-pulled mutton. He asked everyone to check the quality of the mutton from Shule at noon.

Zhou Yi cooked dishes that everyone loved, and when Xi Shi returned from her journey, they had a sumptuous lunch together.

During the meal, Zhou Yi recounted the battle of the previous night and introduced the leaves bestowed by Emperor Gouchen. He said that everyone could apply to use them if needed, and if no one needed them, then Xi Shi or Wu Meiniang could take them for the time being.

Huo Qubing raised his hand and said:
"Master, when I go to conquer the Hexi region, I may stop at the Hunyuan Palace to transfer supplies. Is that alright?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"No problem. Maybe we can even transfer food directly from other worlds to you. Chang'an has a shortage of food, so let's prioritize feeding the people first."

The Han Dynasty was powerful and its people were known for their fierce spirit. Its only weakness was low grain production, which became a stumbling block to the Han's territorial expansion. Now, this weakness is about to be addressed, and it remains to be seen how Liu Che will perform.

Huo Qubing left after finishing his meal, as he still had to escort Liu An back to Chang'an to report back... Liu Che was waiting to demonstrate his lightning strike technique to Liu An, and two groups of messengers had already arrived to urge him to hurry up.

Li Bai left with ten small bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), intending to give the liquor to Wang Zhihuan in advance. However, the price he paid was that he had to repay the debt with double the number of Tibetan heads on the battlefield.

Gongsun Da Niang was extremely annoyed that she hadn't participated in the battle to defend Hunyuan Palace last night. She was always present in every battle in the past, but this time she completely missed it. The girl suspected that the Jingjiao and Zoroastrian people had cursed her, and planned to sweep through the entire Guanzhong region after returning home... Fighting against cults is everyone's responsibility!
Once everyone had mostly left, Zhou Yi transferred all the teleportation area to Chen Tang. Chen Tang, carrying the weapon given to him by Guo Rong, excitedly returned, intending to distribute it to the Imperial Guards to increase their combat strength.

As for the discarded weapons, they can be distributed to auxiliary soldiers later; they won't be wasted.

In the following days, Zhou Yi bought a new energy excavator and had Xin Qiji drive it back. Since they were unable to refine diesel, electricity became the first choice for the Yimeng Mountain base area.

The Lushan County Lifting Equipment Factory also delivered a multi-functional pile driver. It uses the same tracked chassis as the spider crane, which can move freely and can drive various common pile foundations. It can even drill wells, making it a very versatile machine.

Zhou Yi thought that he could take the tools from different worlds to build roads or dig wells to solve the practical needs of the people. The construction of the Hunyuan Palace was in full swing, and the construction of the land temple in Lijia Ferry was also proceeding in an orderly manner. During this time, Fang Hongyan introduced Zhou Yi to a business of requesting statues of gods, and Master Zhou was so busy that he didn't have time to rest.

However, the income is also considerable. Since the construction of the house began, new business has been constantly emerging, and the money received now exceeds the cost of the house.

Soon, the house was built to the planned height, and it was time to put on the roof.

Zhou Yi was worried that the C30 concrete wouldn't be strong enough for the roof, so he paid extra to upgrade to C35. Wu Aiguo clicked his tongue and said:
"Your house is so big that you could easily shoot it with a light machine gun; it's practically a bunker."

Zhou Yi has always had a fear of insecurity and felt that spending a little money to buy peace of mind was appropriate... In fact, if it weren't for everyone's unanimous opposition, he would have even wanted to use concrete with a higher grade.

As is customary, a banquet is held to repair the roof. Zhou Yi started working early in the morning, with Xi Shi and Wu Meiniang helping him in aprons.

Li Qingzhao walked over from the Wenxuanwang Hall and said with a smile:

"Five days have gone by so fast, it's time to come back and eat delicious food again."

Zhou Yi was frying meatballs when he saw the girl come over, so he served her some on a plate.
"Go eat with Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui. Don't run around in the yard, or you'll affect the construction."

"Yes, Immortal Master, I promise I won't run around... By the way, have we bought our flour mill yet?"

Zhou Yi pointed in the direction of the main entrance and said:
"I bought it. It's right in front of the main hall, next to the wind turbine. When you're not busy later, you can take a look at the instruction manual and bring it with you to install when you leave."

Li Qingzhao was about to leave with the plate when she turned around and saw Wu Meiniang give Zhou Yi a quick kiss on the cheek. Suddenly, the meatballs on her plate didn't taste so good anymore.
"No way, you've already kissed after just a few days?"

She carried the plate to the room where the two little girls were studying, quietly closed the door, and whispered:
"I just saw Sister Meiniang kiss the Immortal Master, have you seen it before?"

Zhao Rui said with a smug smile:

"Sorry, I've kissed before too."

Li Qingzhao: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

What's going on? I only wandered around Kaifeng for a few days, and Hunyuan Palace has undergone such a big change!
Zhao Rui was still gloating:

"My sister and Xi Shi also kissed. On Mid-Autumn Festival night, the four of us took turns kissing the immortal. It's a pity that Zhao'er wasn't there. What a shame!"

Li Qingzhao: "!!! ...

Doesn't the history book say that I dare to love and hate?

How come I'm ranked last in Hunyuan Palace?
Luckily, there was Granny Gongsun at the bottom, otherwise, if I had bravely taken the photo, I would have been at the very bottom of the rankings!

Meanwhile, in the world of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, red flags fluttered and drums resounded in Chang'an. Countless people came to the city to welcome the triumphant Han warriors. Even Emperor Wu of Han sat on the city wall to watch the excitement.

Liu Ju raised his binoculars and saw the army approaching from afar. He asked with concern:

"Father, the troops that have come are those of Li Guang, who have yet to achieve any merit. Why don't you explain this to the people and tell them not to welcome them here?"

Liu Che said:

"The enthusiasm of the people is like that of war; it rises with the first burst of energy, then declines, and finally exhausts itself. Now, the people of the entire Guanzhong region know that our Han Dynasty has won several great victories in succession. If we don't let them line up to welcome us, it will dampen their enthusiasm. If we organize it again later, they will not be willing to come... It can only be blamed on Li Guang's own lack of foresight. He didn't find a place to hide before he made any contributions and waited for Wei Qing to return before entering the city. Instead, he insisted on being a conspicuous figure. Then he can't blame the people for scorning him."

Many respectable young men from Han Dynasty families who joined the army did not seek rewards, but only wanted to bring honor to their ancestors and obtain an official position.

Now, those welcoming us at the city gate are mostly the families of the respectable men under Wei Qing's command. They are dressed in new clothes, waiting to find their familiar figures among the triumphant army.

If the people learned that it wasn't the victorious Wei Qing who was coming, but Li Guang who had gotten lost once again, their enthusiasm would instantly turn into anger.

Liu Ju felt this was unethical, but Liu Che remained unmoved and continued to watch the spectacle.
“My son, if you want to be a good emperor, you must not let your subjective emotions affect your treatment of your court officials. Do not consider their personal interests, but consider the interests of the entire nation. For the sake of the Han Dynasty, every individual and every social class can be sacrificed. This is what I have always done all these years.”

Liu Ju pointed to Li Guang's army, which was very close by, and asked:

"After this ordeal, how will Li Guang lead troops in the future?"

Liu Che laughed and said:

“Every year we go on expeditions and get lost. There was nothing we could do in the past. Now your cousin has discovered several talented generals. Those who have no merit should naturally step aside... Child, using the right people at the right time is a compulsory course for an emperor. You must study it carefully and not just be sentimental. Our Liu family doesn't do that!”

(End of this chapter)