My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

As soon as Li Shimin issued his decree, the entire city of Chang'an instantly erupted in excitement!

"Divine Iron from the Celestial Realm", "His Majesty's Generous Reward", "A Thousand Pieces of Gold for a Single Broken Sword"...

These words spread like wildfire, instantly reaching every corner of Chang'an.

Before long, Zhuque Avenue was completely blocked by crowds.

The dark, heavy steel bar with its strange spiral pattern was placed on a specially made high platform.

Reflecting a cold, hard luster in the sunlight, it became the focus of the entire Chang'an.

"It's just an iron rod, right? I'll break it for you!"

A loud shout, like the sound of a bell, rang out, and the crowd parted to make way.

A burly man, eight feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with muscles bulging like lumps of iron, strode forward, shirtless and wearing only a pair of short trousers.

His chest was covered in black hair, and his arms were thicker than a normal person's thighs.

"It's Hu Da, the butcher from the West Market!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"He could topple a bull with one hand!"

Hu Dachao spat into his palm, rubbed his hands together, and stared intently at the rebar.

"Bah! It's just an iron rod! Why make such a fuss! Watch me bend it, collect His Majesty's reward, and marry my third wife!"

He steadied himself in a horse stance, focused his energy in his dantian, and with a roar, his two giant hands gripped the middle section of the rebar!

"rise--!"

Veins bulged on his forehead, his face turned red, and all his strength surged into his arms.

The muscles in his thick arms bulged as if they were about to burst.

The surrounding crowd held their breath and stared wide-eyed, as if they could hear the sound of the celestial iron yielding at any moment.

however……

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Hu Da made a strained "hoarse" sound in his throat, and his whole body was trembling violently.

But that rebar still stood there straight and motionless!

"Ugh—!"

Unwilling to give up, Hu Da erupted again, attempting to twist and break it.

The rebar is perfectly fine.

Finally, he was exhausted. He staggered back a few steps and sat down on the ground, panting heavily. Looking at his red palms and then at the heavy, dark iron rod, his eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief as he murmured.

"This is weird... This thing is harder than... harder than the chopping board I use to chop bones..."

The crowd, which had been expecting cheers, fell silent instantly, followed by an even louder murmur of discussion.

"Even Hu Da can't do anything about it?"

"My God, this is truly a divine treasure!"

"Looks like this reward money won't be so easy to get..."

"Tch! You're no good enough!!! Let our family give it a try!"

After he finished speaking, another burly man stepped forward.

It must be said that the Tang Dynasty was indeed full of martial spirit.

In just a short while, quite a few burly men came up to try it.

The sounds of knives chopping, axes hacking, hammering, and spear thrusting filled the air, and sparks flew everywhere.

Without exception, the weapons became chipped, chipped, or even broken.

The rebar, however, only developed numerous white marks and remained unmoved.

Later, renowned craftsmen and master blacksmiths rushed to the scene, bringing with them their meticulously crafted, exquisitely sharp swords.

The sword broke, but the rebar was completely unharmed.

Later, some clever people even used huge iron clamps and winches, with several people working together.

The rebar rattled as it was pulled, yet it stubbornly remained straight.

Finally, one by one, we tried.

The name of the threaded steel, Xian Tie, spread throughout the entire Tang Dynasty.

People from all over the Tang Dynasty and even from foreign countries came to try it.

But the rebar stood there quietly, and no one was able to shake its foundation until the very end.

Ultimately, this divine iron was recorded in history.

"In the ninth year of the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong obtained a divine iron from the celestial realm and placed it before the Vermilion Bird Gate. He decreed: 'Whoever can break it will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and granted an official position.' Thereupon, heroes from all corners of the land and extraordinary talents from all directions rushed to it, their axes and chisels clashing, their hammers and forging never ceasing, the sound carrying for miles. Yet the iron remained unmoved, only leaving mottled white marks. For ten days and a month, not a single person could damage it even a fraction. The iron remained steadfast, its luster as cold as ever."

Of course, that's all in the future.

At this moment, Li Shimin had no such thoughts at all.

Just as Li Shimin had the rebar placed in front of Zhuque Street, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the palace.

A palace attendant, looking flustered, rushed into the hall with an urgent military report in his hand and knelt down with a "plop" a few steps away from Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty! Urgent military report from Longyou Circuit: King Fuyun of Tuyuhun has broken the alliance and rebelled! His cavalry has already raided the border of Liangzhou, and the prefectures and counties are in dire need of assistance!"

"What?!"

The smile on Li Shimin's face was instantly replaced by solemnity.

"What are the details? Report back immediately on the size of the rebel army, their advance, and the situation of the border troops!"

The eunuch hurriedly recounted the details one by one.

As Li Shimin listened, his eyes grew colder and colder.

He strolled to the huge map hanging on the palace wall, his eyes blazing as he scanned Liangzhou and Shanzhou, finally settling on the area around Qinghai Lake, where the Tuyuhun were entrenched.

"I had already dispatched Duan Zhixuan to lead an army to counterattack, but Fu Yun fled with his troops at that time. I didn't expect him to dare to invade again..."

After a moment of silence, Li Shimin suddenly turned around and waved his sleeve.

"Li Jing, Hou Junji, heed my command!"

"Your subject is here!"

Li Jing and Hou Junji were greatly encouraged and stepped forward.

"Li Jing is appointed Grand Commander of the Western Route Army, and Hou Junji is appointed Deputy Grand Commander, to command..."

After a moment's thought, Li Shimin quickly considered various factors such as the frontier terrain, the enemy's combat strength, and the supply of provisions before making his final decision.

"...leading the troops of Li Daozong, Li Daliang, Xue Wanjun, Qibi Heli, and others, they divided their forces into multiple routes to attack Tuyuhun!"

Li Shimin looked down at the assembled officials below the stage, recalling Chen Mo's words: "Peace will prevail if we seek it through struggle."

"What I want is not to repel them, but to completely wipe them out! I want to erase the name of Tuyuhun from this land! I want all the barbarians who dare to covet the Tang Dynasty to know—"

Li Shimin stood up, and his imperial majesty spread out as if it were a tangible presence.

"Those who offend our Great Tang, though far away, shall be punished!"

"Your Majesty, we obey! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze to Li Jing and the others.

"My lords, proceed with the plan to prepare the army and gather provisions. Before that..."

He paused slightly and smiled faintly.

"I must make another trip to the Immortal Realm to see if I can obtain some resources there for my army to bolster its morale and reduce casualties!"

"The Immortal Realm?!"

Although the news of the grain yield of dozens of bushels per mu had already spread, the ministers in the hall were still greatly shocked when they heard His Majesty say that he would return to the celestial realm. They were filled with both boundless anticipation and disbelief.

Li Jing and the other military generals exchanged glances and bowed.

"Your Majesty possesses profound affinity with the immortals. If we can gain the assistance of the celestial realm, it will be a great blessing for our army! We will certainly make thorough preparations and await Your Majesty's return!"