My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Smoke and dust trailed behind it like a yellow dragon, and a massive shadow, accompanied by a roar, rapidly approached, as if to crush everything in its path!

Upon seeing this, Liu Ju was startled and quickly honked his horn.

But Wei Qing was unaware of this.

In his eyes, a colossal creature with two dim yellow "giant eyes" and a body made of steel was charging toward him.

"Beep—!!! Beep—!!!"

At the same time, two sharp, high-pitched, and extremely penetrating screechs suddenly rang out from the "head" of the steel monster!

Wei Qing: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Even with his extensive experience and unwavering composure, his pupils contracted sharply at this moment, and the usual calm on his face was shattered by extreme astonishment and instinctive vigilance.

My mind went blank. All my experience in military strategy, tactics, and dealing with surprise attacks seemed to be temporarily rendered useless in the face of this completely incomprehensible and shocking scene.

What the hell is this thing?!

Just as Wei Qing's muscles were tensed to the limit, almost drawing his sword.

The steel behemoth ahead continued to emit a maddening sound.

Then he clearly saw that the steel monster's speed... seemed to be slowing down?

Its enormous, despair-inducing body began to slide, eventually stopping just a few feet away from him.

The white steam billowing from the exhaust pipe, like the heavy panting of a giant beast after a catastrophe, slammed onto the ground.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Aside from the monster's still-lingering, low "thump-thump" breathing, and the illusion that the two sharp screechs from before still seemed to echo between the palace walls.

Wei Qing remained motionless, his body half-turned, one hand protectively behind him as he shielded Huo Qubing. Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead in the afternoon sunlight.

He turned his head, only to find that Huo Qubing showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he seemed like a leopard that had discovered a rare treasure, leaning forward slightly with his eyes shining brightly.

This kid?

Not scared, but excited?

Has he lost his mind?

Wei Qing was puzzled.

His gaze followed Huo Qubing's gaze.

A familiar figure, his upper body darting out from an opening in a somewhat flustered manner, his face pale, was none other than Crown Prince Liu Ju.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

Wei Qing was completely dumbfounded when he heard the words.

Liu Ju was clearly quite frightened as well.

He gripped the edge of the car door, took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart, and managed a forced smile, but it looked stiff no matter how you looked at it.

"Uncle... Uncle, you've been startled. I... I was test driving this thing when you suddenly arrived, and I almost crashed into it."

"Test drive...?"

Wei Qing was even more bewildered, his face full of question marks.

"Is this thing driven by a person?"

Liu Ju chuckled.

"Of course! This is my first time driving one too! Why don't you give it a try, Uncle?"

Wei Qing stared at Liu Ju's smile, then looked down at the deep rut made by the wheels not far away.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his mind, which had been stunned by the shock, finally began to come back to its senses.

Wei Qing stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the cold shell of the steel behemoth, and his fingertips tentatively touched the car body.

The touch was hard and cold like never before, neither rough like cast iron nor warm like carved wood or stone. The heavy texture gave him an intuition that "this thing is indestructible".

"This thing...!"

Wei Qing suddenly gasped.

Thinking back to the sense of intimidation I felt when I saw it just now.

"If this item were used on the battlefield, it would be invincible and unstoppable!!!"

"Of course!!! Uncle went through a lot of trouble to get this!"

Huo Qubing smiled and started to climb onto the truck.

"Cousin, please open the door for me."

Wei Qing: ? ? ?

Wei Qing looked at Huo Qubing, his face filled with even more questions.

How do you know things that even he doesn't know?

Not only do they know, but they seem to know quite a lot!

Is this appropriate?

He's the real general, isn't he?

Wei Qing raised an eyebrow as he watched Huo Qubing climb into the car and sit in the driver's seat.

"You little brat! Why didn't you tell me about this good thing sooner?! And all the time I've been so good to you!!!"

Huo Qubing paused, then gave an awkward smile.

"Um... wasn't I just about to call you, Uncle, to come and see?"

"How about... Uncle, you go first?"

"That's more like it."

Wei Qing snorted, the tense lines on his face relaxing a little, but a hint of barely suppressed curiosity lurked in his eyes.

He strode to the car door, and Liu Ju quickly moved aside from the passenger seat to make way for him.

Wei Qing plopped into the driver's seat, instantly enveloped by an unfamiliar metallic coolness, and a faint smell of gasoline lingered in his nostrils, completely different from the gunpowder smoke and hay smell in the military camp.

He looked down at the pedals beneath his feet, then looked up at the steering wheel in front of him, his fingertips hovering over it, seemingly at a loss for what to do.

This thing had neither reins nor shafts, and it was from a completely different world from the warhorses and chariots he had ridden.

"Uncle, press the clutch with your left foot, shift into first gear, and gently press the accelerator!"

Liu Ju, standing nearby, hurriedly whispered a reminder, afraid that he might break the treasure.

Huo Qubing sat on the bed behind him, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Uncle, you're an invincible general, you'll definitely learn how to use this iron thing in no time!"

Wei Qing took a deep breath and slowly stepped down with his left foot as instructed.

The resistance he felt under his feet was somewhat unfamiliar. He tentatively shifted the gear lever, and with a soft "click," it actually engaged.

Immediately afterwards, he gently pressed down on the accelerator with the ball of his foot.

"boom--!"

The engine roared again, deeper and more stable than when Liu Ju had driven it earlier.

The car body shuddered slightly and slowly glided forward.

Wei Qing's body stiffened abruptly, and he instinctively gripped the steering wheel tightly, his palms instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.

He had fought for half his life, riding wild horses and driving chariots, but he had never experienced this feeling—no need to whip or shout, just the force of his feet to drive this behemoth forward!

The steel behemoth slowly drove across the open space of the palace garden, its wheels rolling over the tracks left behind, making a slight "creaking" sound.

The wind rushed in through the car window, making his sideburns fly, and a rare look of surprise appeared on his usually composed face.

At the same time, several important officials who were rushing towards this place saw this.

"It's moving! The Great General has also moved!"

"Divine might! This is the divine might of the Han Dynasty!"

Huo Qubing slapped the carriage door and laughed loudly.

"Uncle! Step on the gas! Go faster!"

Wei Qing gritted his teeth and put a little more pressure on his feet.

The truck suddenly accelerated.

He gripped the steering wheel, feeling the power of this steel behemoth, and a sense of clarity dawned on him.

If these things can be arranged in formation, what need is there to worry about the Xiongnu cavalry?

If this item can transport grain, why worry about supplies for a long expedition?

He turned the steering wheel, and the truck made a smooth turn, tracing an even smoother arc than Liu Ju had just made.

Cool!

That was fucking awesome!!!

This is the kind of thing a man should drive!!!