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

Chapter 80 Chairman Xie: Cloud Mist Mountain and I are destined to meet! [Seeking monthly votes]

In the world of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, in Jiang County of Hedong Commandery, at the confluence of the Hui River and the Fen River, countless large camps were set up.

Today was supposed to be the day to continue the march, but no order to set off came from the direction of the command tent. General Su Jian, who was in charge of the vanguard of the army, personally rode to the central camp to find out what had happened.

After passing through the camp gate, he found that neither General Wei Qing nor the deputy generals of the central army were in their tents. Instead, they were in a courtyard behind the tents, shouting and arguing about something.

Su Jian was Wei Qing's old subordinate and had three sons. His most famous son was Su Wu, the Han envoy who remained loyal to the Xiongnu even after being imprisoned in the North Sea for nineteen years.

Su Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Su Ze of the Three Kingdoms period, Su Weidao of the Tang Dynasty, Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe of the Song Dynasty were all descendants of Su Jian. It can be said that the Su family has continued for more than a thousand years in China since Su Jian.

Knowing that military discipline was paramount, Su Jian didn't rashly barge into the cloth-enclosed courtyard. Instead, he chatted with Zhang Qian, the colonel in charge of the central army.

"Ziwen, why hasn't the General set out with the troops?"

Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions not only brought the latest information about the region but also helped to discover routes, making him a great contributor.

However, at this time, the Han Dynasty still adhered to the principle that "no one could be enfeoffed as a marquis without military merit." Therefore, when Wei Qing went on an expedition, Liu Che specially transferred Zhang Qian into the army, just to give Zhang Qian a gilded reputation and enfeoff him as a marquis.

Zhang Qian, 42 years old this year, was still somewhat unaccustomed to life in the camp, and politely replied:
"The General's nephew brought some treasures from the immortals, and the General and others are studying them."

Upon hearing the word "treasure," Su Jian perked up:
"Please inform them that I would also like to see what treasures Qubing has brought."

Zhang Qian waved his hand, and the junior officer beside him hurriedly went in to relay the order, returning shortly afterward:

"The General ordered General Su to go in."

Knowing that Wei Qing had many rules and was strict in governing his army, Su Jian quickly straightened his armor, bowed to Zhang Qian, and then stepped into the enclosed courtyard behind the camp.

As soon as I entered, I saw Huo Qubing riding a white horse, holding a long spear in both hands, galloping around the courtyard.

Wei Qing, leading a group of his subordinates, stood in a corner, watching this scene with delighted expressions.

"It's just riding a horse, what's so surprising about that..." Su Jian was a little puzzled. Just as he was about to ask why the army was not setting off for a long time, he saw Huo Qubing galloping towards him at lightning speed. With a sweep of his spear, a dummy made of straw was instantly knocked over by the spear blade.

This scene stunned Su Jian. He was not surprised by Huo Qubing's speed, but by the fact that Huo Qubing could completely let go of the reins and wield the spear with both hands. This was simply unexpected.

During the Western Han Dynasty, flat-bridge saddles and single-sided stirrups were popular. The so-called stirrups were actually just rope loops to make it easier to get on and off horses, and they did not have any fixed function.

For cavalry to be effective in battle, they must first learn to maintain their balance on horseback. Once they charge, it is easy to fall off their horses, so many cavalrymen have developed a fighting style of holding the reins in one hand and their weapon in the other.

While there were cavalry generals like Huo Qubing who could completely unleash their full potential, they were rare in the army.

Su Jian came to Wei Qing's side and was about to congratulate his nephew on his improved riding skills when he suddenly noticed that Huo Qubing's saddle was different from the ones he usually saw. The two sides were raised high, as if they were wedging a person in.

On both sides of the saddle, there were also stirrups hanging down. Huo Qubing stepped on one with each foot, which not only helped him maintain his balance but also allowed him to control the horse's speed by squeezing his legs together.

This is the treasure that Huo Qubing brought from the immortals.
Soon, Huo Qubing returned in high spirits, leaping off his horse with a broad smile on his face:
"Uncle, what do you think of the Takahashi saddle that my eldest brother gave me?"

Wei Qing was no longer in the mood to emphasize military discipline. He stroked the saddle on his horse, turned to a lieutenant general, and said:
"Take two sets of saddles and rush to Chang'an. Personally deliver the saddles to His Majesty in Weiyang Palace and have the craftsmen of the Imperial Household Department make replicas. Within a month, they must produce over a thousand sets."

The manufacturing process of Takahashi saddles is quite complicated, but if you don't care about appearance and only consider practicality, it is easy to imitate. In particular, the Imperial Household Department has tens of thousands of skilled craftsmen, so it is not a problem to imitate saddles with wood.

Besides saddles, light cavalry armor and Tang-style swords should also be taken away as samples for the artisans to study.

Upon seeing the style of the armor and the sword, Su Jian asked with a look of delight:
"Are these all gifts from the gods?"

Huo Qubing said:
"These were given to us by Master's other disciples. They were from the Tang Dynasty of later generations, which had a more expansive territory than the Han Dynasty. These weapons were all their standard-issue weapons."

Su Jian was immediately captivated by the straight-bladed knife:
"Huo Biaoyao, could I have one of these knives?"

Huo Qubing shook his head:
"My uncle plans to form a cavalry unit with two horses per person. This sword will be given to the main vanguard. If General Su has a suitable candidate, he can recommend him to join our army."

Before arriving, Huo Qubing had already read all the materials on the Battle of Dingxiang North.

The main force of the Xiongnu army was unable to find the main force of the Xiongnu after marching beyond the Great Wall. However, Su Jian and Zhao Xin, who were on the flanks, ran right into the army personally led by the Xiongnu Chanyu. After a day of fierce fighting, Zhao Xin, a Xiongnu general who had surrendered, finally betrayed the Xiongnu and rejoined them, leaving Su Jian to hold out alone. In the end, the entire army was wiped out, and Su Jian escaped alone to Wei Qing's camp.

According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, Su Jian should have been beheaded, but his family paid a ransom and he was demoted to a commoner.

Last night, Huo Qubing showed these materials to Wei Qing. Wei Qing ordered Zhao Xin to accompany the central army early this morning. As for Su Jian's partner, he was replaced by Li Ju, the general of the crossbowmen. The number of troops under their command was also increased.

Su Jian regretted not bringing his son to join the army. If his eldest son, Su Jia, were here, he would definitely have earned a lot of military merits under Huo Biaoyao.

He had already decided that after returning from this battle, he would make sure his three sons developed a good relationship with Huo Qubing, so that when they went on the next expedition, even if they were just soldiers, they would follow Huo Qubing's army and make contributions!

The fate of Su Jian and Su Wu's family was changed unexpectedly.

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi held a bowl and ate heartily the freshly cooked tomato and egg noodles.

After hearing about the recent events, Wu Zetian asked in confusion:
"The Immortal Master once said that fate would push those behind the scenes to the forefront... Now that the highway project headquarters is located in Yunwu Town, could this be a concrete manifestation of fate's influence?"

Zhou Yi shoveled a mouthful of noodles and said:
"I'm not too sure about that either. We can only wait and see. But that Stone Fairy from Sanlizhuang is a terrible person. She's morally corrupt. I'll make sure she gets the punishment she deserves when I get the chance."

Wu Zetian immediately became interested upon hearing this:

"Kill her?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

“Death is a relief for this kind of person, so let her experience some pain first.”

Whenever Zhou Yi thinks of this strangely dressed woman with a piece of jade peeled off a dead person on her forehead, he seems to see the embodiment of evil, ignorance, foolishness, and half-baked skill.

Not only is she incompetent, but she also has such a malicious mind. If we let her continue down this path, who knows how many families she will ruin.

After discussing that, Zhou Yi brought up the matter of paying taxes.

After thinking for a moment, Wu Zetian offered her suggestion:
"Next time we encounter merchants, we can ask them to pay with goods. This will eliminate the middleman in our procurement process and reduce their financial burden."

This suggestion gave Zhou Yi a bright idea. When Zhao Dengke's pickle factory opened, he could use this as a reason to request a batch of pickles to be transported to the ancient world.

Those pickled vegetables, brimming with technology and ingenious craftsmanship, would definitely have astonished people in ancient times.

After lunch, Zhou Yi took a nap, while Wu Meiniang sat in front of the computer to continue studying modern knowledge, not daring to relax at all.

An Audi A8 slowly drove up to Yunwu Town at the foot of the mountain.

In the back seat, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked to be in his early fifties, looked out the car window at the misty mountains and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"In such a remote and impoverished place, there is such a spiritually vibrant mountain. I should have come here sooner."

A man in his thirties in the passenger seat turned his head, a fawning smile on his face:

"Chairman Xie, you've taken a fancy to this place? How about I take it from the town government under the guise of contracting the scenic area? Anyway, there's only one dilapidated Taoist temple on the mountain. As long as you give the order, he'll definitely move away obediently."

Chairman Xie was clearly tempted. He pushed up his glasses, took out a tarot deck from his handbag, and began to divine his fate and fortune.

The man in the passenger seat asked curiously:
"Aren't you the president of the Feng Shui and Folk Customs Association? How come you're playing with foreign stuff?"

Chairman Xie said with a smile:
"It's the 21st century already, Feng Shui has to keep up with the times... Hmm, the divination results show that this mountain will be of great help to my career. It seems that this mountain is very destined for me, Xie Yukun!"

----------

First update delivered, please vote with monthly tickets, brothers!

(End of this chapter)