In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Wan Jun lowered his head, remained silent, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists, as if this glimmer of hope had rekindled his long-dead belief.

He suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Li Yuanchang.

"Then I want to be a great general admired by all."

A ray of light began to shine in his heart.

Li Yuanchang grinned. Many times, desperate people are just one step away from reaching the shore; it can be a stone's throw away yet an eternity away, or it can be a very short distance.

"That's right. Being melancholy is not the behavior of a strong person, but the coward's way of escaping."

"You fell asleep in court today, so you're punished with a month of training to get rid of this stench of wine and meat. A month from now, I want to see a real soldier!" Li Yuanchang's tone was extremely infectious.

Wan Jun gritted his teeth and made a painful decision.

"yes!"

"Your Highness's instructions will be heeded, and I will certainly strive to improve!"

"I'll go right now!"

As he spoke, he prepared to leave, unable to bear seeing himself like that in the mirror.

"etc."

Li Yuanchang stopped him, saying, "I have important business to attend to."

Wan Jun paused for a moment, then remembered that Li Yuanchang must have come for some reason.

"Your Highness, what is it?"

"How much armor, supplies, and warhorses are still stored in the military corps?" Li Yuanchang asked.

Wan Jun's face instantly turned awkward.

"Your Highness, these are all rusty and damaged old goods. At most, we can gather two hundred sets, and the supplies are incomplete."

"As for warhorses, there are basically none."

"The horse farms in Liangzhou have long been defunct, and most of the horses in the military corps are substandard. If Your Highness needs them, three hundred can be moved out."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang felt ashamed; this was an entire prefecture, yet it was so poor.

"What about the craftsmen?" He thought to himself that there weren't any readily available, so he used the 8,000 kan recovered from Dahong Temple to create a batch.

But Wan Jun still shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Your Highness, the public funds are too little. There isn't even enough money to repair weapons and government offices. Liangzhou has long been unable to support artisans."

"The last craftsman who could make armor left last year."

"Including the natural disasters and man-made calamities this year, and the lack of war, the sergeant is almost the most miserable sergeant."

Li Yuanchang frowned.

Ultimately, it all comes down to not having enough money!

Hopefully, distilled spirits will quickly enter the market and generate some revenue.

"Very well, I understand."

"Go to the Prince of Han's residence later and ask the Princess for eighty strings of cash. Just say that I told you to. When you come back, find someone to repair the government office. Use the remaining money to treat the brothers to a meat feast."

"However, starting today, the entire Ministry of War must see changes, or I will hold you accountable!" Li Yuanchang warned sternly.

Wan Jun was flattered and overwhelmed: "This, Your Highness, how can I accept this... You..."

He knew that Li Yuanchang was also in a bad situation, having been demoted to Liangzhou and receiving no salary for three years.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Just remember what I just said," Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will definitely turn over a new leaf and repay Your Highness's kindness!" Wan Jun clasped his hands tightly, his expression extremely solemn.

Li Yuanchang smiled and thought, "After making this trip, it seems like I've managed to recruit the sergeant."

"Work hard and cheer up." He simply offered a word of comfort, asking for nothing in return, before leaving. But this, in turn, demonstrated his magnanimity.

Wan Jun watched his retreating figure, his eyes filled with deep gratitude.

"..."

After leaving the military post, Li Yuanchang immediately went to the largest market in Liangzhou.

He had hoped to gain something, but was once again greatly disappointed!

The markets in Liangzhou were on completely different levels from the East and West Markets in Chang'an. Chang'an was teeming with merchants from all over the world, and you could buy anything as long as you had money.

You can get your hands on top-quality Akhal-Teke horses.

But Liangzhou was too poor, poor in every way. The market was just a group of old tenants selling vegetables and melons, exchanging ordinary things like cloth.

He couldn't find what he needed at all. Not only could he not find the goods, but he also couldn't find anyone. There were almost no craftsmen or foreign merchants.

"Your Highness, what should we do?"

"We've tried every possible solution."

"How about we petition Chang'an to approve some of them?" Guo Chao suggested.

Li Yuanchang hesitated slightly. This was actually the simplest solution, but considering many issues, he ultimately shook his head.

Even if you apply, there's no guarantee it will be approved.

Even if it's approved, it doesn't mean there won't be people trying to sabotage it.

Most importantly, he didn't want to reveal too much about the Han Prince's mansion's true nature beforehand.

Li Shimin's success back then was actually due to his surprise attack.

"Forget it, let's just handle it ourselves."

"But now..." Guo Chao's voice trailed off, his face showing a hint of bitterness.

Li Yuanchang pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something: "Hey!"

"Isn't the Qin family involved in the tea-horse trade?"

Guo Chao's eyes lit up, but he immediately frowned: "Your Highness, it seems that most of the horses made by the Qin family are commercial horses, with poor leg strength, and are mostly used by ordinary people."

"I'm afraid we can't meet your requirements for warhorses."

Li Yuanchang glanced at the bustling market.

"I know, let's go and try our luck first. They've been in the tea-horse trade for so many years, they must have some friends."

"Perhaps we can ask them for help with the craftsmen's matter."

On his way, he also wanted to apologize to Qin Keyu.

"yes!"

And so, Li Yuanchang went from being a soldier to working for the Qin family.

The Qin family was unaware of Li Yuanchang's arrival beforehand, so when he arrived, they found no one there.

"Not here?"

"Where did you go?"

At the main gate of the Qin residence, the servants were polite and did not act like unruly slaves.

"Gentlemen, the master has gone outside the city and is estimated to be back in three days."

Li Yuanchang frowned, guessing that Qin Zun was probably busy with the distillation of spirits, since a lot of materials needed to be prepared in the early stages.

"And what about Miss Qin?"

"Miss is here."

"Could you please inform them for me?"

"Very well, may I ask your name, sir, so that I may inform you?"

"Just say you're from Princess Situ's household." Li Yuanchang didn't dare reveal his own name.

Upon hearing this, the servants of the Qin household were shocked and bowed repeatedly, saying, "So you are a high-ranking official from the Prince of Han's residence! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

"It's alright, go ahead."

Li Yuanchang laughed, feeling even more trusting of the Qin family. The gatekeeper was the best judge of a family's core values ​​and traditions.

In just a short while, the servant went and returned, running all the way.

"Sir, my young lady said that you may come in."

Li Yuanchang grinned: "Okay."

He was soon led to a hall, which was tastefully furnished and rich in style, with many calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls.

Li Yuanchang even saw an authentic work by Chu Suiliang here!

Who was Chu Suiliang? He was one of the four great calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty, rose to the position of prime minister, and later became one of the trusted ministers entrusted by Emperor Taizong of Tang. He was eventually killed by Empress Wu Zetian.

The Qin family certainly has a higher level of appreciation than ordinary businessmen; they cannot be compared to ordinary money-grubbing merchants.

Just as he was admiring the calligraphy, a slender figure approached with several servants.

Getting closer!