Sky Curtain: A Review of Historical Foes and the Secrets of Ministers

Wang Xi sat blankly in the computer chair, the uproar caused by He Chi's live broadcast still echoing in his mind.

This thing is real, and it's so real it couldn't be more real. It's a priceless imperial treasure from the Tang Dynasty, classified as a national top-level cultural relic.

He forced himself to look away from the agate cup and return his gaze to the computer screen.

On the screen, the backend of WanJie Video Network was still running quietly when an official system notification suddenly popped up in the private message inbox.

[Dear creator, we have detected that you have received a high-value item as a fan donation. Our platform offers a resale assistance service, connecting you with top global auction houses to provide a compliant, secure, and anonymous way to monetize your account. Would you like to activate the resale service?]

Wang Xi stared at those lines of text in shock. "The platform... can help me sell?"

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

But he quickly calmed down. This was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a springboard for him to cross social classes.

However, he glanced at the agate cup with the animal head on the table and closed his eyes in anguish.

"No, this cup absolutely cannot be sold."

Although Wang Xi was greedy, he was very clear-headed.

This agate cup with the animal head design has just been completely exposed in Tingchi's live stream room, which has hundreds of thousands of online viewers.

The internet has a memory; those screenshots and screen recordings are probably already flying around in various antique groups and forums.

These characteristics are extremely obvious, and they belong to national treasure-level unearthed cultural relics. Once they circulate on the market, no matter how secretive the channels are, they will eventually attract the attention of the police.

"This thing is too hot to handle. Keeping it in your hand is like holding a time bomb. Whoever touches it will die," Wang Xi muttered to himself.

He had made up his mind to wrap the cup in newspaper first thing tomorrow morning and take it directly to the city museum to hand it over.

It would be best to get five hundred yuan and a banner. Even if I get nothing, at least I can keep my life and not have to go back to work on the sewing machine.

"But it's not a big problem..." Wang Xi suddenly turned his head and looked at the large cardboard box full of tattered items. "I have other treasures."

If he wasn't mistaken, that scroll was the authentic copy of the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" by Wang Xizhi, the legendary master of calligraphy.

This is a truly priceless treasure, a unique masterpiece that would attract a frenzy of bidding from the world's wealthiest individuals at any top auction house.

Those scraps of paper are very likely the first edition of the Ming Dynasty's "Da Ming Bao Chao" (Great Ming Treasure Notes) issued during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, and have extremely high historical research and collection value.

Without any further hesitation, Wang Xi gripped the mouse and decisively clicked the "Agree to sell on consignment" button.

As Wang Xi clicked the mouse, her phone vibrated. She picked it up; it was a text message.

Dear customer, your dedicated pickup service has been successfully scheduled. Our special courier will arrive at your address in ten minutes. Please prepare the items you wish to sell. This shipment is handled by a platform-contracted security company.

"Ten minutes? That fast?" Wang Xi was somewhat taken aback.

He didn't dare delay and immediately found a clean file bag, carefully putting the scroll that resembled the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" into it.

Then, he stuffed the thick stack of Ming Dynasty banknotes into another waterproof bag.

To prevent damage, he even wore two of his thickest down jackets over his clothes.

After doing all this, he took out the hot, scalding agate cup with the animal head on it and locked it in his most worn-out drawer.

Nine minutes later.

"Knock knock knock".

A knock sounded on the door right on time.

Wang Xi opened the door, and standing outside was not the ordinary deliveryman he had imagined, but a man in a dark black custom-made suit with a cold and stern face.

The man was carrying a sturdy-looking silver briefcase.

"Hello Mr. Wang, I am the pickup specialist assigned by the platform." The man's voice was flat and monotone, as robotic as a robot.

Wang Xi was stunned for a moment, and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

What exactly is this WanJie Video Network platform? Even someone who just picks up a package acts like a secret agent?

"Oh, hello, hello, I've prepared everything, it's all in this bag." Wang Xi quickly handed over the package containing the down jacket.

The man in the suit took the package but did not open it for inspection on the spot. Instead, he very professionally placed it into the silver briefcase and locked it with a complicated combination.

"We have received your item safely. The platform will keep you updated on the progress of the subsequent appraisal, valuation, and auction house coordination via private messages. Thank you for your trust."

After finishing his sentence, the man in the suit bowed slightly, turned around and left, his movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Wang Xi leaned against the door frame, watching the man in the suit disappear around the corner of the stairwell, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Now, all we can do is wait quietly." Wang Xi glanced at the empty cardboard box, and couldn't help but grin wildly. "If I really become a billionaire, the first thing I'll do is book out that braised chicken rice restaurant and add a hundred braised eggs to my plate."

……

Outside Xianyang City, at the Lantian military camp.

Under the vast sky, a fierce wind whipped up a cloud of yellow sand, and the huge Qin-character battle flag fluttered in the wind.

Ying Zheng, dressed in a black casual robe, stood with his hands behind his back on the high platform where he was commanding the troops.

Beside him were only Wang Jian, the greatest war god of Qin, and Meng Tian, ​​the commander of the Jiuyuan army.

The three men, all dressed in plain clothes, hid behind a curtain on one side of the command platform, their eyes fixed intently on the training ground below.

Today, they have come to check on the effectiveness of Zhang Han's military training.

Ever since the secret was revealed in the heavens that Zhang Han would become the last Great Wall of Qin in the future, and that he had the terrifying feat of beheading Xiang Liang in battle.

Ignoring the criticism from the court, Ying Zheng promoted this civil official who was originally only in charge of royal logistics and manufacturing, and threw him into the Lantian Camp, the most elite and battle-hardened veterans of Qin.

Ying Zheng's gaze swept across the training ground ahead.

A chilling atmosphere filled the vast Lantian training ground.

During battle drills, the rules for advancing and retreating were extremely strict.

"Hahahaha!" Ying Zheng laughed, his eyes flashing with heroic spirit.

But soon, his gaze fell upon the figure imbued with high hopes by the heavens: Zhang Han.

At this moment, Zhang Han was standing on a command platform in the center of the training ground, his face calm and composed, but his hands behind his back were trembling slightly, and his palms were already soaked with cold sweat.

Let's go back a few days.

When Zhang Han arrived alone at the Lantian camp with the First Emperor's tiger tally and edict, he did not immediately go to the central command tent to take his place, nor did he rush to summon the generals.

He knows his own limitations very well.

Zhang Han spent the first half of his life dealing with bamboo slips, accounts, and craftsmen.

Although he was well-versed in military strategy and had his own ideas on troop deployment, he had never actually been on the battlefield or rolled in piles of corpses.

The Qin army was the most pragmatic and proud army in the world.

Since Shang Yang's reforms, promotions in the Qin army have been based entirely on military merit and the heads of enemies—earned through bloodshed and the destruction of enemy heads.

Every centurion, commander, and even lieutenant among them had more than a dozen deep, bone-revealing knife scars on their bodies.

Will the soldiers be convinced by a civilian official who has been parachuted in and has no military achievements?

The answer is obvious.

Zhang Han held back.

He changed into a set of ordinary soldier's leather armor, smeared mud and ash on his face, and quietly blended into the training ranks like a lowly recruit.

And so he silently observed for the entire day.

He watched the soldiers practice fighting, watched the centurions direct the changes in formation, and watched the veterans use the angle of their shields to deflect the force of the long spears.

As night fell, Zhang Han finally understood, and he suddenly realized the truth.

He saw that the invincible Qin army had a subtle weakness hidden within it.

The soldiers of the Qin Dynasty were indeed brave and disciplined.

They ingrained Qin laws and tactical movements into their very bones, forming muscle memory.

But precisely because of this, Zhang Han felt that the army was somewhat sluggish.