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

Chapter 395 The Confucian Sage's First Vlog Short Film! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Li Qingzhao happily put away her calligraphy, planning to return after dinner to show it off in Bianliang City, and perhaps catch a few pedantic scholars to chop up for the old master's amusement.

Tonight's dinner is pan-fried buns. Zhou Yi made several kinds of fillings, such as pork and shepherd's purse, braised pork and vermicelli, mutton and scallions, etc., all of which are flavors that everyone likes.

Place the wrapped buns into a frying pan, pour in flour and water, simmer over high heat for a while, then after eight minutes, lift the lid, pour in a layer of oil, and simmer for a few more minutes. The pan-fried buns with a crispy crust are ready to be served.

The Zhao sisters, Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui, carefully placed several steamed buns onto a plate, carried it to the offering table in the Sanqing Hall, and obediently bowed.
"Please, Three Pure Ones, enjoy!"

The chubby girl didn't forget to add a disclaimer:
"The filling was personally prepared by the immortal master. If it's not delicious, please don't blame my sister and me, the Three Pure Ones."

Wang Qiang asked with a smile:

"Can the Dao Ancestor hear your prayers?"

Zhao Rui answered in a very serious tone:
"Of course! Sister Gongsun once wished that she could eat as much as she wanted without gaining weight, and she really did! On the contrary, I'm getting fatter and fatter... I think it's because I haven't been paying enough respects to the Three Pure Ones, Sister Wang Qiang. What do you think?"

"I think you just ate too much..." Wang Qiang said with a smile, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"If only we had met sooner, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much."

Zhao Rui nuzzled against her obediently:

"Thank you sister!"

After paying their respects to the Taoist ancestor, the three of them carried the pan-fried buns back to the back hall and began to eat dinner.

Zhou Yi made a creamy corn soup, which, when paired with crispy pan-fried buns, made for a perfect meal.

After taking their seats, Wu Zetian began assigning tasks:
"Later, Sister Wang Qiang should take the leaves of Emperor Gouchen back first, and bring the horses and carriages back. If you can't bring them all at once, then bring them in several trips."

Anyway, since the old master and his men aren't leaving tonight, there's no difference between transporting the horses there now and tomorrow morning.

Zhou Yi said to Xi Shi:
"Remember to bring the electric tricycle over and fully charge it later, so we don't have to push it halfway through tomorrow's journey. Also, bring a solar panel so we can charge it when we rest along the way, and charge it whenever we need it."

Confucius and his companions were not like an army on a march; they didn't rush forward relentlessly. Instead, they walked and stopped, resting whenever they needed to, so that neither they nor their mounts would get tired.

After the meal, Wang Qiang packed up the remaining boiled vegetables, took the leaves of Emperor Gouchen with her, and went back to fetch her horse. Li Qingzhao also took Confucius's calligraphy back to the world of Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty, intending to show off.

Wu Zetian brewed a pot of hot tea for Zhou Yi and inquired about Xin Qiji:

"Will he be in danger on his trip to Kaifeng?"

Zhou Yi poured himself a cup of tea and said with a smile:

"Don't worry, I did a divination at the Sanqing Hall when he left this afternoon. He will have unexpected gains on his trip to Kaifeng. Let's just wait for the good news."

Upon hearing that there was no danger, Wu Meiniang was relieved and began to recount the events of the Zhenguan era:

"The caravan is about to arrive in Youzhou. What do you think? Should I go to Fanyang to meet with the head of the Lu family? If they are disloyal to the court, should we execute them on sight?"

Zhou Yi felt this was too direct:

“You can make their families swear an oath, and if they pass the test of the oath, you can let them go. On the other hand, pay attention to the Khitans in Fanyang City. These people should be killed. The Turks treated them like dogs. The Tang Dynasty saved them, but they took advantage of us. After we destroy Goguryeo, we can have Li Jing attack the Khitans and capture them to serve as slaves for the Tang Dynasty.”

With Goguryeo gone, Li Ji and his men can easily sweep through the remaining Baekje and Silla on the peninsula. As for Japan across the peninsula, let Cheng Mingzhen take Liu Rengui there for practice.

With so many mines in Japan, they were exploited as a side project. When there wasn't enough manpower, people from the peninsula were transported there... As long as the mineral resources were abundant, it would naturally force the Tang Dynasty to build ships with larger displacements, and the shipping industry would flourish.

We must tell Li Shimin that we cannot only focus on the land-based emperor; the ocean must also be developed. We should sail around the world in advance and leave the footprints of the Tang Dynasty. Even if it is just erecting a monument, it will be of great benefit to future generations.

Unfortunately, Hunyuan Palace was not able to transfer large ships at the moment; otherwise, having Li Zhaozhao or Xin Qiji bring some large ships to Li Shimin would have been a great inspiration to the shipbuilding industry of the Tang Dynasty.

However, the shipbuilding industry in the Song Dynasty was somewhat inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty's treasure ships were far superior in size and construction. If they had sailed to the Tang or Han Dynasties, they would have been invincible aircraft carriers.

At the same time, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Ao took a bite of a pan-fried bun, shared a few with Liu Xin and Yang Xiong beside him, and then handed the bag to Consort Xu:

"These buns are delicious. Take them to your mother. She said she wanted to give you a hairpin a couple of days ago. Take advantage of this good food and make your presence known to her as soon as possible so you can trick her into giving it to you."

Consort Xu's eyes lit up. Holding the bag in both hands, she quickly walked towards the palace where Empress Wang Zhengjun resided, led by several palace maids.

After she left, Liu Ao stuffed the remaining half of the bun into his mouth and said to Liu Xin and Yang Xiong, who were watching the commotion:

"That's how you manage a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship. You two should learn from this. Although I'm not very well-educated, I do have some experience in dealing with people and situations."

Liu Xin took a bite of her steamed bun and said:
"So, you're using the strategies for governing the country that Master taught you to deal with your mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?" Liu Ao chuckled.
"The family is a small country, and the country is a large family. Managing a family is just like managing a country; checks and balances and alliances are both essential... Yang Ziyun, why are you silent? Do you think what I said is fallacious?"

Yang Xiong shook his head:

"No, on the contrary, it was a revelation to me. For the first time, someone has clearly explained the relationship between the country and the family. The family is a small country, and the country is a large family. The two are interdependent... Thank you, Your Highness. I have gained a lot from this experience. I will include you in my book when I write it in the future."

Upon hearing that he still had a chance to go down in history, Liu Ao racked his brains to recall the famous quotes Chen Tang had once said, intending to unleash them all at once to give Yang Xiong another little shock.

While the three were chatting, the people from the Eastern Palace were tending to the horses. They extended the reins and tied them to a main rope so that Wang Qiang could lead all the horses away with just one rope.

With everything prepared, Wang Qiang bid farewell to everyone, led her horse away from the Yuan Emperor's World, and appeared at the Hunyuan Palace.

Zhou Yi, Wu Meiniang, Xi Shi, and others came and drove the horses to the vicinity of Xiao Penglai. Wang Qiang went back and brought more than ten carriages, so that Confucius and his group could transport more supplies.

By the time the mounts and carriages had all been transported to the Spring and Autumn period, it was already dark. Confucius, shining a flashlight, looked left and right, filled with excitement:
"I never imagined that the saddles of later generations would be shaped like this, with a place to rest one's feet. This must be the legendary stirrup. Tomorrow I will try riding a horse. If I gain any insights, I will add cavalry tactics to my military books."

Zilu still preferred the chariot warfare of the Spring and Autumn Period:
"Can cavalry charge through infantry lines? If they encounter heavy shields, they will be stopped. But chariots will not be like that. Even if the horses are stopped, the momentum of the chariot can easily break through the shield formation, making it impossible to defend against."

Zigong asked Xi Shi for advice:

"May I ask, Fairy, does the Hunyuan Palace have any experts in cavalry tactics?"

Xi Shi nodded:

"The immortal's second disciple, Huo Qubing, was skilled in cavalry warfare. He expanded the territory of China from Guanzhong to the Western Regions, broke the backbone of the Xiongnu, seized the Xiongnu's sacrificial objects, and built a mound at the Xiongnu's sacrificial site to worship heaven, which is known in history as Fenglangjuxu... The immortal said that this is the highest pursuit of Chinese military generals and the ultimate romance for men."

Confucius became interested upon hearing this:

Did he compile any military treatises?

Xi Shi shook her head:

"Let alone military treatises, he himself can't even describe the corresponding tactics. He relies entirely on his talent. The Immortal Master said his tactics are... blitzkrieg!"

Confucius's interest grew even stronger:

Do you have any information on him?

Xi Shi opened her tablet, found Huo Qubing's information, and handed it to Confucius:
"The headphone icon above means it can read aloud. If you can't understand the text, you can listen to it."

Confucius was overjoyed. He thanked Xi Shi, then held the tablet in both hands and went into the tent to study.

When Xi Shi returned the next day, Confucius gave her back the tablet computer and handed her several sheets of paper:
"Last night I reviewed General Huo's battle and roughly summarized a few points of experience. Please forgive any shortcomings, Fairy."

Xi Shi never expected that the old master was so capable, having thoroughly studied Huo Qubing's tactics overnight... You know, even Huo Qubing himself couldn't explain these intricacies.

Confucius stroked his beard and said:

"General Huo never sets out with supplies, never builds camps, and never takes prisoners... These are the three principles of blitzkrieg."

Xi Shi's heart skipped a beat. She took out her phone and started taking pictures of Confucius.

“Please say it from the beginning, and I will record it so that all the generals under the Hunyuan Palace can learn it.”

Confucius was a little nervous facing the camera for the first time, but as expected of a teacher for all ages, he quickly got into the swing of things and began to speak eloquently:

"Besides the three no's principle, I have also summarized the three quick principles and the three strikes principle... The so-called three quicks refer to quick decision-making, quick maneuvering, and quick strikes; while the three strikes are to strike at the heart of the enemy, strike at their sacrificial site, and strike at their herd."

Yan Hui, standing to the side, added:
"The teacher's explanation is too general. The three strikes should be to strike the command center, strike the spiritual totem, and strike the economic lifeline... The three principles are progressive. Only by adhering to the three 'no's' can cavalry generals have the foundation for the three 'quicks'; only by achieving the three 'quicks' can they race against time and complete the strategic objectives of the three strikes."

The master and apprentice, like comedians, succinctly summarized the most essential and thrilling tactics in human history in just a few words, leaving Xi Shi deeply moved.

"As expected, the most capable warriors in history have all been civil officials. The great Confucian scholars who studied benevolence, righteousness, and propriety actually possessed such a keen sense and talent for warfare... truly a blessing for China!"

After recording the video, Zixia and I decided to play rock-paper-scissors to determine the winner. Zixia was in charge of driving the electric tricycle, while Zixia followed on horseback.

After everyone set off, Xi Shi couldn't wait to return to Hunyuan Palace and took out her phone from afar:

"Master, Confucius just summarized Huo Qubing's cavalry tactics. I recorded it on my phone. Could you save it to your computer so that the generals can take a look?"

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The Confucian sage has a vlog now? I have to watch it!
(End of this chapter)