Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 419 Heading south to raid? Dream on! [Requesting monthly votes]

Wednesday arrived quickly.

Early in the morning, Zhou Yi drove down the mountain, took Gongsun Da Niang, turned onto the Zhengzhou-Yaoshan Expressway, and headed straight for Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.

In the past two days, Gongsun Da Niang transferred several thousand tons of grain to Hunyuan Palace, which Li Bai then brought to Lintan City, the capital of Taozhou. The entire city's people and soldiers were all speechless at this miracle.

Taking advantage of this momentum, Li Bai, in the name of the chief disciple of Hunyuan Palace, bestowed upon some of the brave soldiers who died in battle the titles of local mountain gods and earth gods.

This completely ignited the morale of the Tang Dynasty side.

With gods helping to transport supplies while alive, the army wouldn't go hungry; and even after death, they could be posthumously honored as gods to enjoy incense offerings, and the court would help take care of their descendants. What more could they ask for? They could just go all out against the Tibetans!
As for the Tibetans in the army, they used to habitually chant sutras and pray for divine protection, but upon witnessing this scene, they immediately converted to the faith of Chinese deities:
"Screw the gods, they're useless! I'm a devout Taoist disciple now!"

Some eager Tibetans even sought Han surnames and names from figures like Xue Ne, Li Bai, and Hu Ziyang, striving to truly become part of the Chinese nation.

This kind of behavior was naturally welcomed by everyone. In just a few days, Hu Ziyang had helped hundreds of people to be given surnames and names, and to register them. He was busier than when he was fighting alongside the cavalry.

On the bus, Aunt Gongsun adjusted her seat, tore open a bag of potato chips, and started crunching away.

"Master, if there are no more battles to fight, will the large army we support bankrupt the Tang Dynasty's finances?"

The Book of Changes says:

"No, we can learn from the Ming Dynasty and implement the garrison system, or let the army continue to occupy the territory, including Burma and the Mekong River Plain, and grow three seasons of rice there. That way, the Tang Dynasty will no longer have to worry about food."

Gongsun Da Niang was speechless:
"No matter how much grain there is, it's not easy to transport it to Chang'an... By the way, could I use a carving knife to modify the section of the Yellow River at Sanmenxia so that boats can sail on it? That way, the large transport ships can sail directly to Chang'an without having to transfer the grain from Luoyang."

The most dangerous part of the Yellow River is the hidden reefs in the Sanmenxia Gorge. During the prosperous Kaiyuan era, Zhang Yue had a huge water-powered turntable built on the side of the Sanmenxia Gorge using specially made ropes. The turntable was used to pull the grain transport ships downstream through the gorge bit by bit.

Even with such precautions, there are still instances of ships being destroyed and grain being overturned.

If the undercurrents around Sanmenxia were changed, it wouldn't be so troublesome. The boatmen could simply pull the grain transport ships upstream with the help of sails.

After all, the costs of canal transport and land transport are vastly different. Take the Tang Dynasty for example: grain was transported from Lianghuai to Luoyang with almost no loss. A hundred-ton grain ship and a few dozen people could transport grain to Luoyang.

The land transport of grain from Luoyang to Chang'an, a distance of several hundred miles, required at least several hundred people to transport a hundred tons of grain to Chang'an. If you add the guards along the way and the post stations responsible for food, drink and sanitation, the cost would be even higher. The proportion of food consumed by people and horses along the way was also astonishing.

Developing water transport was imperative. Chang'an was not suitable to serve as the capital in the late Tang Dynasty, partly due to the water transport system.

Without the ability to transport supplies in large quantities at low cost, it is impossible to maintain the stability of the capital.

If Lady Gongsun could remove the hidden reefs in the Yellow River, allowing ships to sail unimpeded to Chang'an, then it would truly be a blessing from heaven for the Tang Dynasty... With the only weakness addressed, Chang'an would no longer be just a pipe dream.

Zhou Yi said as he drove:
“Your merits are too few now, so don’t try this for now. You can try it when you have more merits in the future… If it really works, then Li Longji will have to build a temple for you and have people worship you for generations.”

She solved a major problem that had existed since the founding of the Tang Dynasty but could not be solved. Not to mention that she was worshipped for generations, it would not be an exaggeration for the entire imperial family to kowtow to Lady Gongsun every day.

Upon hearing that it might not be possible to do so for the time being, Granny Gongsun began to think about how to increase her merit. She planned to continue to eradicate various foreign sects and religions native to the Tang Dynasty, such as the Maitreya sect, which she would resolutely ban.

The people will never have peace unless this religious organization, which spends all its time rebelling, is eradicated.

The girl was looking up information about the Maitreya sect of the Tang Dynasty on her phone, but as she looked, her attention was drawn to the various food recommendations pushed by big data.
"Master, how about we go out for braised noodles for lunch?"

"No problem, we'll go if you want to eat. We just need to get to the arboretum before dark, there's plenty of time."

"Netizens also recommended braised flatbread and roast duck. Is this delicious?"

"You can try it. At worst, it'll help you digest after your meal."

After searching around, Aunt Gongsun finally decided to eat at the Zhengzhou Roast Duck Main Store, because this store offers a variety of classic Zhengzhou delicacies, including steamed buns, roast duck, braised noodles, Yi noodles, and braised pancakes.

Meanwhile, in the world of the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu era, Zhu Biao was using a wrench to help Zhu Yuanzhang assemble and fix the triangular iron for solar panels.

The father and son didn't ask anyone for help. They studied the blueprints step by step, even checking the screws repeatedly, for fear of making a mistake.

Zhu Biao was fifteen years old this year, already quite a young boy. After fiddling with it for a while, he suddenly discovered with surprise:

“Father, the screws and nuts bestowed by the immortal are actually interchangeable, and it’s no problem to switch them over and tighten them.”

For modern people, it is common sense that screws and nuts of the same specification can be used interchangeably. However, in ancient society, production was mainly carried out in small workshops, and all parts were forged by hand. There were no unified standards at all. Even the armor and weapons that the Ming Dynasty was proud of had considerable differences in size and weight.

Zhu Yuanzhang held the screw and nut in his hand and fiddled with them for a while, then exclaimed in admiration:
"If our Ming Dynasty's weapons could also be produced using this method, they would surely be even more sophisticated... Last time, the Immortal Master mentioned industrialized production, but I estimate that we won't see that day. Biao'er, you must work hard. No matter how our Ming Dynasty develops, we cannot allow foreign tribes to invade. China cannot be ruined by our Zhu family again."

Zhu Biao noticed that his father was noticeably less cheerful after returning from Hunyuan Palace; instead, he looked worried and distressed.

"Father, did the immortal reprimand you?"

Old Zhu rubbed his face and sighed:
“If the Immortal Master had really scolded me, I would have felt better. But he kept saying comforting words, which made me feel uneasy. If it weren’t for the fact that the last emperor still had some backbone, the reputation of my Great Ming Dynasty would not be much better than that of Zhao Ji and Zhao Gou.”

At noon, the winter sun shone on the palace, and the installed solar panels began to generate electricity. The charging indicator lights on the outdoor power supply became bright, and the charging progress was displayed on a small screen.

Seeing this, Old Zhu felt much better:
"With electricity, we can use a lot of machinery. The Immortal said that our Great Ming Dynasty already has the foundation to manufacture breech-loading percussion guns. He also said that Emperor Zhezong of the Great Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji, has already made mercury fulminate, and the biggest problem of percussion guns has been solved... But I still don't know what a percussion gun is."

The firearms of the early Ming Dynasty were advanced in the world, but since there were no enemies, the Ming Dynasty's military equipment did not keep up with the pace of modernization.

When the West began using breech-loading percussion muskets, the Ming Dynasty still primarily used matchlock muskets. The Qing Dynasty was even worse off than the Ming Dynasty, making a significant step backward in terms of weaponry. As a result, while the West was using breech-loading percussion muskets and bolt-action rifles, Senggelinqin was still employing the cavalry charges of the Genghis Khan era.

As a result, at Baliqiao, once they clashed, this top Mongol general was beaten into a state of post-traumatic stress disorder by the British... How could he possibly come out unscathed when he launched a deadly charge with a cold weapon against a firearm with a range of more than 500 meters?

Fortunately, the West hadn't yet developed Maxim at that time. If it had been a few years later, the exchange ratio between Senggelinqin and the British would have been even worse.

Next to the solar panels, as Old Zhu ate mutton soup noodles, Zhu Biao stood on the roof of the palace, looking at the layout of Nanjing through binoculars.

After a while, he came down and said:
"Father, are we really going to move the capital in the future?"

Old Zhu nodded:

"Nanjing is isolated in a corner and is not suitable for controlling the north. Confucius listed ten countries that must be destroyed, but we can't just move our buttocks when pushed. If we want people to think highly of our Zhu family, we have to take the initiative to double our efforts. If he tells us to destroy ten, we should destroy twenty... Only war can promote the innovation of military equipment. Otherwise, our Ming Dynasty will fall far behind the West."

Zhu Biao lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked curiously:
"The book says that even a large country will perish if it loves war. Isn't your desire to kill a bit too strong?"

Old Zhu rubbed his precious son's head and said:
"This is not warlike; at most, it's striking first. Besides, warlike behavior doesn't necessarily lead to the downfall of a nation, but complacency will inevitably result in falling behind others."

At the same time, near Zijingshan Department Store in Zhengzhou, Grandma Gongsun was enjoying a delicious meal at the Zhengzhou Roast Duck Main Store.

"Master, was roast duck really invented by people in the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"According to the introduction, the Ming Dynasty royal family liked to eat duck. After Zhu Di established the capital in Yanjing, roast duck followed. At the same time, the way of eating it changed from a street snack in Nanjing to a high-class dish."

On the way here, Aunt Gongsun had already watched several short videos of people eating Peking duck. She skillfully spread out the pancakes, dipped them in sauce, wrapped them up, and ate them in one bite, feeling completely blissful.
"Next time I'll have Zhu Yuanzhang bring a few ducks over for a competition to see which duck tastes better."

While the two were having dinner, a flight from Inner Mongolia landed smoothly at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport. Not long after, an elderly man dressed in a traditional Mongolian robe slowly walked out of the airport with a suitcase and came to the roadside.

Having just steadied himself, he suddenly looked in the direction of the arboretum, his eyes filled with confusion:
"Could this be the appearance of a rare treasure? No wonder the gods reminded me to come to the Central Plains; it turns out there's such a wonderful thing..."

As he was lost in thought, a Land Rover Range Rover with an Inner Mongolian license plate pulled up beside him. The driver, a man in his forties, waited for the elderly man to get in and said:

"The hotel is booked, a five-star presidential suite. Master, how many days do you plan to stay here?"

The old man fastened his seatbelt and pointed in the direction of the arboretum, saying:

"Take me to the southwest of Zhengzhou first. It seems a treasure has been discovered there. We can't let anyone else get there first... Zhengzhou is truly my lucky place. I must come here often to raid it, just like my ancestors did when they went south to gather resources!"

(End of this chapter)