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

Chapter 417 Taking Confucius to Play Red Alert! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

After paying the tuition, the countdown to Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui's schooling began. Wu Meiniang was afraid that the two little girls would suffer, so she bought them a lot of clothes, shoes, and several sets of flannel sheets and duvet covers, which moved the two sisters to tears.

Zhou Yi printed out a picture of Mopan Mountain and placed it on a Bagua abacus. The resulting hexagram was neither auspicious nor inauspicious; when broken down, it formed the character "等" (děng).

"Is this asking me to wait a bit?"

He felt a little more at ease. After putting away the abacus, he placed the Qingfeng and Mingyue amulets of the two sisters on the offering table in the Sanqing Hall. Then he recited the protective incantations of Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing, and added the marks of the Three Pure Ones to the two amulets to prevent any accidents.

We're from Hunyuan Palace, how can we not have the highest level of security?

The next two days became Zhao Rui's happy time. She could eat whatever she wanted, and even desserts that were usually limited could be eaten to her heart's content.

After a brief period of indulgence, it was Sunday afternoon, and Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang sent the two sisters to New Century School, where they became two third-grade elementary school students.

After settling the two sisters in, Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang drove to the nearby Mopan Mountain. They took a look around and then used a compass to perform a geomantic survey. They discovered that there was a problem in the mountain, but they were not sure what it was.

The divination results were ambiguous, and even the compass needle showed a omens that were neither auspicious nor inauspicious.

Zhou Yi secretly marked this place, planning to come and check it out whenever he wasn't busy. No matter what was in the mountains, he would wait patiently and kill it as soon as it appeared!

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Confucius emerged from the Hall of King Wenxuan, glanced at his own statue, then went to the adjacent Hall of King Wucheng and earnestly paid homage to Jiang Ziya.
"If I, Confucius, can come, I believe that Taigong Wang can too. If we can receive Taigong Wang's teachings, the foundation of Yiyuan Academy will surely be even more profound."

He sighed, then walked out of the Wu Cheng King's Palace. He saw Xi Shi busy pickling cabbage alone and asked curiously:

"Lotus Fairy, where is the Immortal Master?"

"I've gone to take Zhao Yan and Zhao Rui to school. I'll be back in a bit."

Confucius looked down at the cabbage and asked again:
"What is this?"

Xi Shi explained:
"This is cabbage, but it is quite different from the cabbage of the Spring and Autumn Period. After being pickled with salt, it can be stored for a long time without spoiling. The immortal has some seeds. You can take them back and plant them while it is still the right season."

The construction of the Yiyuan Academy was far from over. To prevent the resources from being depleted, Confucius had already begun to arrange for people to cultivate the land. With modern plows and horses, the efficiency of plowing the land was very high.

However, clearing land on the mountaintop is still quite troublesome. First, the land is plowed, then the stones in the ground are removed, then the land is leveled, and finally, ridges are made to facilitate irrigation.

Near the spring behind the mountain, Zilu and his men dug and excavated a small lake covering more than one acre and about two meters deep, which can serve as a water storage area on the mountain.

Yan Hui erected a monument beside the lake and wrote the famous Confucian saying, "Running water does not stagnate, and a door hinge does not rust."

Ziyou and Ziwo, being playful, planned to dig a winding waterway in the courtyard so that they could sit there with their fellow disciples and enjoy a game of "floating wine cups on a winding stream." However, Confucius stopped them.

There are so many things to do right now, everyone is working non-stop, we can't put all our energy into playing!
Confucius observed the pickling process for a while and gradually understood the specific steps:
"Does our Spring and Autumn period world have refined salt?"

Xi Shi said:

"Ye County, which is not far from Yunwu Mountain, is rich in rock salt. The Immortal said that we should look for a map of salt mine distribution. If we can find it in the shallow layer, we should let the people of Yiyuan Academy dig it out. It will be enough to cover our daily expenses."

Rock salt is relatively uncommon, but if it is easy to mine, it is more convenient than well salt, lake salt, and sea salt. It is especially suitable for making various pickled foods, and the unique flavor of rock salt can enhance the taste of the ingredients.

Confucius carefully wrote it down... If pure white salt could be mined, it would be a huge improvement for the entire Spring and Autumn period world.

As for the Yuncheng Salt Lake, we can leave it for Fan Li to mine. It will be the economic lifeline of the country. Whoever controls it will have the capital to conquer the world. The Yiyuan Academy is just starting out now, so there is no need to develop the salt lake for the time being.

Xi Shi pickled a jar of cabbage, placed a wooden board over the jar's opening, and then weighed it down with a stone. After some time, the pickled cabbage was ready to eat.

Just as they finished doing all that, Zhu Yuanzhang arrived, bringing a pile of weapons and gifts such as silk. Each gift was tied with a red silk cloth, making him look just like a small landlord visiting relatives in the countryside.

Upon meeting Confucius, he respectfully bowed and began to recount the changes that had occurred over the past five days.

No one in the entire Ming court dared to plead for the Northern Yuan and other foreign tribes anymore. Everyone began to plan the specific implementation process based on the ten countries listed by Confucius.

Apart from Japan, Zhu Yuanzhang did not rush into other countries. Instead, he devised a twenty-year plan to gradually advance based on the strength of the Ming Dynasty, without being impatient.

At present, the entire Ming Dynasty is in dire need of reconstruction. Many places in Hebei and Shandong have become barren lands and require relocation. The primary task is to restore people's livelihoods.

However, the silver mines in Japan have already been listed by the court officials as something that must be acquired. Only with silver can the Ming Dynasty's monetary policy have room for maneuver.

After Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang returned, Zhu Yuanzhang presented the Hongwu Sword to them.

"Immortal Master, this sword is the one I used to ascend the throne. It was made under the supervision of all my officials. The gold and silver jewels inlaid on it were donated by the gentry of Jiangnan. Today, I present it to you, Immortal Master, hoping that you will have mercy on my Great Ming!"

Zhou Yi took the sword into his hands. The sword immediately showed signs of age, but it wasn't rusty; in particular, the blade remained gleaming, its cold light gleaming. He looked it over from left to right and said to Zhu Yuanzhang:

"This sword is even more magnificent than Zhu Di's Yongle sword. Thank you. The Hunyuan Palace now has another precious sword in its collection."

The Chun Jun sword of Yue Kingdom, the snake-slaying sword of the Han Dynasty, the Hongwu sword of the Ming Dynasty... there are more and more options for performing rituals, which is a good thing.

Upon hearing Zhou Yi mention the fourth prince's name again, Zhu Yuanzhang asked:
"Have you seen Xiao Si'er's sword?"

Zhou Yi took out his phone, searched for a picture of the Yongle Sword, and showed it to him:
"This sword is now overseas and in the collection of the British Museum. Once your fleet is ready, remember to go and snatch back the British King's crown."

Confucius chimed in from the side:

"To repay kindness with kindness and to repay injustice with justice—this is the greatest virtue!"

The immortal had given the order, and Confucius had also set the tone for this behavior. What could Old Zhu say? He could only comply.

However, considering the great distance between England and the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang asked:
Will our fleet be able to find England?

Zhou Yi nodded:

"I will provide you with maritime positioning equipment and list out the directions of global monsoons and ocean currents. Even if the Ming Dynasty's navy were to sail in small sampans, it would be able to reach Europe."

To broaden Zhu Yuanzhang's horizons and enhance his worldview, Zhou Yi led Confucius and Zhu Yuanzhang to the room, opened the Red Alert game on the computer, first explained the basic rules of the game to the two of them, and then randomly selected a map, clicked on it, and started playing.

Confucius and Zhu sat on either side of him and quickly understood: mine to produce money, use the money to build soldiers or tanks, and then wipe out the invading enemy.

One of them was a paragon of virtue, and the other was an emperor whose military talent was second only to Li Shimin. They had a very good understanding of the game. As they watched, they realized that the economy was the primary factor that constrained the army.

In addition, the number of barracks and heavy factories directly affects the construction speed of soldiers or tanks; if you want to build faster, you need to increase the number.

Zhou Yi was playing against the AI, and his opponent was rather dull. He quickly withstood the initial onslaught and began to develop steadily, building a bunch of barracks and heavy factories, and acquiring more than eight mining carts.

To demonstrate the importance of a strategic vision, he did not build spy satellites, keeping the enemy in the dark.

After Zhu Yuanzhang had finished looking at it, Zhou Yi asked:
"We have five enemies. What do you think of their level of development?"

Zhu Yuanzhang guessed:

"Those who dare to invade must be better than us, right?"

Zhou Yi set up a spy satellite, and the entire map instantly brightened up. Then, he dragged the mouse to show Lao Zhu the development status of several computer opponents. They all had a barracks and a heavy industry, with no defenses at home. In terms of scale and strength, they were much worse than Zhou Yi's side.

Confucius suddenly understood:
“When enemies invade, it’s not necessarily because they are strong, but because they dare to expand outwards with just one soldier… Those foreign tribes that harass the borders of China must all be such wolfish and ambitious people, right?”

The Book of Changes says:

"Although we have a vast ocean, we have always been a continental country. The development and utilization of the ocean is far less than that of the land... I hope you can look at the world. Many foreign tribes that have crossed the ocean to reach the territory of China are not because they are strong, but simply because they have few resources and can only risk their lives abroad."

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed:

"The launch of that spy satellite gave me a feeling of seeing the sun after the clouds had parted... Not long ago, I was thinking that since the Japanese pirates have been constantly invading the coastal areas, we should implement a maritime ban to make them nowhere to hide. Now it seems that I was completely wrong!"

Zhou Yi felt that the game, which served as an educational tool for Red Alert, was worth playing, since Old Zhu could say such a thing.

Just as he was about to quit the game, Confucius said:

"How about I experience the rest of the situation?"

Zhou Yi has created a bunch of tanks of all kinds and a huge number of soldiers. His economic situation is also relatively good, making him very suitable to be sent out to sweep away the opponent. So, the old master plans to have some fun and experience the joy of commanding thousands of troops.

Old Zhu was also eager to try, but it was his first time using a computer, and he didn't even know how to operate a mouse, so he could only stand next to Confucius as a strategist.

After the game ended, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized:
"Are those soldiers using muskets? Why can they fire so loudly? Although we in the Ming Dynasty also have muskets, they can only fire one bullet at a time, and they need to load gunpowder, which takes a long time..."

Zhou Yi handed him a copy of "The History of Firearms Evolution":

"This is for you. Have the court officials in charge of military equipment study it carefully. I'm still waiting for you to manufacture breech-loading percussion muskets to support Liu Che and Li Shimin. Don't let everyone down!"

(End of this chapter)