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

After successfully recruiting several blacksmiths for the sergeant, Li Yuanchang dispatched his trusted confidants to assist him in openly repairing the pile of scrap metal in the sergeant's quarters and forging five hundred sets of armor.

Of course, these five hundred sets were very different from those of Li Shimin's elite troops, so they could only be made according to the standards of the military officers.

If you cross that line, you might be accused of treason.

Basically, it's just upper body armor and leg guards; it's not a complete set of armor.

In terms of weapons, they could only have knives, guns, and bows and arrows. They dared not manufacture crossbows, which had a greater killing power, not even the Liangzhou government.

Caught between overstepping boundaries and expanding his power, Li Yuanchang sought survival in the cracks.

After just two days of preparation, the sergeant's furnace was lit, and the forging officially began.

This also depleted Li Yuanchang's last sum of money. The little money left in the Prince of Han's mansion, plus the three large boxes of copper coins bestowed by Li Shimin, were all put into it.

Next, all they could do was wait for Chang'an's new year's funding to come through, but Li Yuanchang knew that the money would be far from enough.

At most, it would only be enough to maintain the normal operation of Liangzhou Prefecture. Even if Li Shimin wanted to give more, the powerful figures in Chang'an would not allow Li Yuanchang to obtain so much money and develop his own power.

Politics is extremely complex, and you can only rely on yourself for everything.

Therefore, Li Yuanchang began to shift his focus to the business of "distilled spirits," and he personally supervised the use of stills in the Han Prince's Palace.

Meanwhile, they were also corresponding with Qin Zun, inquiring about the progress.

Another half month of such quiet days passed.

On January 20th, frost covered many mountains in Liangzhou, the wind was biting cold, and people shivered. The temperature dropped to its lowest point of the year.

On this day, Li Yuanchang flew into a rage in Liangzhou Prefecture!

"Du Jian, what the hell are you good for?!"

"More than thirty lives lost just like that, what were you sergeants doing?!"

boom!

A large number of files were directly overturned by Li Yuanchang and scattered all over the ground.

boom!

An old man with white hair knelt on the ground, trembling, and said, "Your Highness, this has nothing to do with me!"

"The news from Luoma Post Station is that a landslide has buried the station. This is a natural disaster and a man-made calamity, not caused by me!"

Li Yuanchang roared, "Then why did the post station you built collapse in a single storm? Why was the sheep farm you were in charge of left unattended, burying over seven hundred lambs underground?!"

"Why did it take a full six days for the news to reach Liangzhou Prefecture!"

His angry three questions resounded through his voice!

The Shi Cao, one of the Six Cao, was responsible for engineering construction and transportation.

The sheep farm, on the other hand, was a livestock farm belonging to Liangzhou Prefecture.

During the Tang Dynasty, copper coins were scarce. When officials were paid their monthly wages, they were not always given cash directly. Sometimes, they were given silk cloth or meat and grain in addition.

Sheep were the most important meat in the Tang Dynasty.

There is a grassland near Luoma Post Station that is suitable for grazing sheep. It is one of the few assets of Liangzhou Prefecture. Because it is close to the post station, it has always been managed by the clerks.

But because of a landslide a few days ago, it's all gone.

The fact that many people had died further enraged Li Yuanchang.

It should be noted that this was considered a major event during the peaceful reign of Emperor Zhenguan.

Gao Shen, Li Zhi, and the others were all watching. It wasn't their business, so naturally they wouldn't provoke them.

Du Jian cried out, "Your Highness, this... this humble servant doesn't know what happened either. The post station collapsed; it's probably due to a severe landslide."

"As for the slow transmission of messages and the lack of supervision, well... in the government office, it was Registrar Qiu who was in charge of the situation there."

"This subordinate doesn't know what's going on either."

Li Yuanchang said coldly, "You'd better not let me know what kind of shady money you took at the post station, or what kind of shoddy construction you did!"

"Or perhaps they've planted some cronies who have abandoned their posts."

"If there's even the slightest problem, your life is over. Get out!" he yelled.

Du Jian, pale-faced, stumbled and crawled, stammering, "Yes, yes..."

Even after the people left, Li Yuanchang was still furious. He thought that those in charge of things in Liangzhou Prefecture were either corrupt officials or a bunch of good-for-nothings who were just wasting their lives.

He'll never get back on his feet if he relies on these people.

But since the problem had already occurred in his own territory, he could only try to find a solution.

"Wang Hongzhi".

"Your humble servant is here."

"Take some men and go there right now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Guo Chao rushed in, his expression serious. He quickly walked up to Li Yuanchang and handed him a letter.

He whispered, "Master Qin sent it from Luoma Post Station."

Li Yuanchang took it, tore it open, and his face immediately turned completely ugly!

"Your Highness, what's wrong?" Wang Hongzhi had a bad feeling.

"The landslide at Luoma Post Station has a wide impact, completely submerging the post road, making it impossible for people, horses, and goods to pass through."

"Ah?" The officials of Liangzhou Prefecture exclaimed in surprise, their expressions flustered.

Li Yuanchang sat down and silently touched his forehead.

It's one thing for the people of Liangzhou Prefecture to be incompetent, but then Heaven seems to be deliberately working against them, suddenly causing this massive landslide.

This not only affected the normal passage of people and merchants throughout Liangzhou, but also directly led to a very thorny problem, namely the mass production of distilled spirits!

Within half a month, Qin Zun had purchased the first batch of raw materials and was transporting them back. Mass production would begin immediately upon their arrival.

Once produced, it will undoubtedly become a sensation in the Tang Dynasty and become Li Yuanchang's primary source of income.

But now, it has been cut off midway.

Based on the severity of the situation as Qin Zun described in his mind, this was no longer something that could be resolved with just a little manpower and resources.

After much deliberation, Li Yuanchang decided to make the trip himself. His reasons were twofold: first, to resolve the landslide and clear the post road; and second, to severely punish the officials who had failed in their duties, neglected their posts, and caused further losses.

"I need to go to Luoma Post Station."

"While I am away, Wang Hongzhi, you shall temporarily manage the affairs of Liangzhou Prefecture, and also find a way to squeeze out at least four hundred people's ten days' worth of dry rations from the granary."

"Guo Pin, go and inform Yuan Tong to lead his men to prepare and wait for me outside the city early tomorrow morning."

"Only fifty men were left in the inner palace to guard the royal residence."

Recruiting laborers to clear the channels was clearly not an option, as Liangzhou Prefecture had no money and their efficiency was far inferior to that of the soldiers in the Imperial Guard.

"yes!"

"Your Highness, let me go too. There are still hundreds of capable men in the Ministry of War!" At this moment, Wan Jun took the initiative to volunteer.

In just half a month, he has changed a lot. He is noticeably less bloated than before, and he looks more like a soldier.

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "The soldiers under the command of the Military Commissioner are responsible for protecting the city defenses of various places in Liangzhou."

"You stay here and cooperate with Wang Hongzhi to protect the home."

Upon hearing this, Wan Jun had no choice but to cup his hands and say, "Yes!"

Beside them, Gao Shen and Li Zhi exchanged a glance, their expressions unpleasant, and their hearts sank.

How did Wan Jun become one of the Han King's people?