Chapter 208: Teaching Ying Zheng the

The brilliant radiance of the Strategist List,

finally settled on Zhuge Liang's tragic yet glorious figure and his blessing.

A platinum column of light bore the phantom of grain seeds, iron tools, and gunpowder,

as if to forcibly overturn the millennial regret of the Star‑Fall Five‑Zhang Plain, sinking into a particular point of the river of history.

Observers of all realms,

especially the rulers, officials, and common folk of Shu Han (Three Kingdoms), at the moment the light fell,

bursting into cheers, tears, and rekindled hope—hard to fully recount.

The Golden List hovering over Xianyang,

completed its final mission, slowly retracting the light that pierced heaven and earth.

Finally it turned into specks of fireflies, dissipating in the waning afternoon sun.

The massive training arena, emerging from utter silence, was gradually drowned by a tide of discussion, sighs, and awe.

People debated every legend on the list, arguing over the rankings,

and filled with endless speculation about the generous Dao rewards and the possibility of defying fate.

On the high platform, Gu Shanhe stood silently.

His moon‑white robe was spotless, and the special aura of "immortal bearing" around him had quietly faded,

yet his presence there seemed to become the source and terminus of all that wonder, drawing every eye in the hall.

There was awe, fervor, curiosity, and also the searing intensity in Ying Zheng's eyes that seemed almost tangible.

"National Teacher!"

Ying Zheng's voice cut through the clamor; he hurried down the imperial steps, stood beneath the platform, looked up at Gu Shanhe, his tone unusually solemn and… tinged with a barely perceptible earnestness.

"Today, the two lists broaden the vision of the realm… no, broaden the eyes of all under heaven!"

"The Strategist List's blessing further illuminates the splendor of Dao, making cause and effect mutable! I… feel my heart surge, hard to restrain!"

Gu Shanhe gave a slight nod, his gaze calmly meeting the timeless emperor.

He could clearly sense how the Strategist List, especially Zhuge Liang's final story and blessing, impacted Ying Zheng.

It was not merely a shock of wisdom and loyalty, but a strong hint that "destiny may be contested, regrets may be remedied."

"Your Majesty harbors depth; no need for thanks."

Gu Shanhe's voice remained clear and tranquil,

"Dao manifests, intending both warning and encouragement. Your Majesty is where destiny returns, and should act accordingly."

Ying Zheng inhaled deeply; the last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished, turning into a resolve as firm as metal.

"National Teacher, you are absolutely right; I… have already decided!"

In the month that followed,

the entire Great Qin Empire, like a war machine filled with fuel, began to thunder into motion with unprecedented efficiency.

Militarily:

The blueprints of the Three-Piece Horse Gear (Gaoqiao Saddle, Double‑Sided Stirrups, Horse Shoe) previously rewarded by the Immortal Emperor List had long been mastered by the Ministry of the Treasury's craftsmen.

Within a month, complete sets enough for thirty‑thousand elite cavalry streamed out of the official workshops in Liyang and Yongcheng.

Simultaneously, thirty‑thousand skilled riders selected from the Northern Lands and Longxi frontier troops underwent intensive adaptive training under Meng Tian's direct supervision.

When the riders first steadied on the stirrups, maneuvered freely atop the Gaoqiao Saddle, and felt their mounts become steadier and faster with the horse shoes, shouts and ecstatic cheers rang across the training ground.

This new cavalry would become the spearhead of the northern campaign.

Regarding provisions:

The potatoes, corn, and sweet‑potato seeds granted by Dao to Ying Zheng, under the "Favorable Weather" buff, displayed astonishing growth speed and yield in the Royal Garden and several test fields in Guanzhong.

Especially the potatoes and sweet potatoes, adaptable to any soil, yielded astonishingly.

During harvest, mountains of tubers and golden corn filled one granary after another.

The Grain Registrar, trembling, reported to Ying Zheng:

This season's harvest, combined with existing stores, could sustain a two‑hundred‑thousand‑strong army abroad for a year without depleting the treasury!

Ying Zheng looked at the overflowing granaries, the new grain exuding earth and vitality, and laughed heartily to the heavens.

On mobilization: the two‑hundred‑thousand troops assembled swiftly.

With Meng Tian and Wang Jian as commanders, veterans Li Xin, Yang Duanhe, Xin Sheng and others as generals, elite Qin forces—including the newly trained thirty‑thousand cavalry—were dispatched.

Ying Zheng made a decision that shocked the court—he would lead the expedition himself!

The reasons were grandiose:

The northern campaign against the Xiongnu would eradicate a future scourge; I shall personally be at the front to boost morale.

A deeper motive, perhaps known only to him and Gu Shanhe:

He wishes to see with his own eyes how Great Qin's iron cavalry, aided by the "immortal," crushes border threats.

He wants to partake personally in this conquest destined for the annals, drawing the hidden "destiny" and power from it.

He left Prince Fu Su as regent, with Prime Minister Li Si and Senior Minister Meng Yi assisting, overseeing logistics and state affairs.

The imperial core continued to operate efficiently after Ying Zheng's departure.

The night before departure, at Zhangtai Palace.

Ying Zheng and Gu Shanhe sat opposite each other.

"National Teacher, this northern expedition has been a great effort,"

Ying Zheng personally poured a cup of wine for Gu Shanhe.

Gu Shanhe took it, did not drink, and said lightly:

"It is within my duties. Your Majesty's ambition can engulf the world; Gu Shanhe shall exert all his strength."

Ying Zheng's eyes flashed, and he lowered his voice: "I, the lonely one… have an improper request."

"Observing the National Teacher's bearing, entering and exiting the azure void, feasting on clouds and drinking dew—could that be… the legendary Immortal Path?"

Gu Shanhe glanced at him and knew the moment had arrived.

He nodded: "It can be said so."

Ying Zheng's breathing suddenly quickened, his body leaning forward: "I, the lonely one… may have glimpsed the path?"

Having asked that, the Emperor who sweeps the six directions felt a faint bead of sweat on his palm.

Cultivation! This is more enticing than any land he has conquered, and nearer to his ultimate dream!

Gu Shanhe fell silent for a moment, as if weighing his words.

In fact, his consciousness had already sunk into the system mall.

A quick search yielded a cultivation method titled "Human Emperor's World-Stabilizing Scripture."

This scripture is not an ordinary cultivation sect, but was created specifically for an Emperor bearing great cosmic destiny and wielding earthly authority,

Its practice requires the aid of national fortune's dragon qi; early progress may be slower than some individual‑focused methods, but its foundation is solid, matching the Emperor's status, and at higher levels it holds myriad subtleties.

The price was steep—five hundred thousand emotion points. Gu Shanhe did not hesitate and bought it outright.

He extended his right hand, his index finger lightly tapping Ying Zheng's forehead.

Ying Zheng shuddered all over, feeling a vast, majestic flow of information imbued with endless vicissitudes and imperial Dao surge into his mind.

The opening reads: "The Human Emperor, bearing the Mandate of Heaven, governing ten thousand peoples, stabilizing the eight wildernesses… gathering national fortune to forge the body, condensing dragon qi to cultivate the spirit…"

In a moment, the transmission completed.

Gu Shanhe withdrew his finger and produced a small cloth pouch containing ten dragon‑eye‑sized, mist‑shrouded premium spirit stones radiating dense spiritual energy.

"Your Majesty may use this scripture to draw qi into your body."

"These are spirit stones, containing the qi of heaven and earth, which can aid Your Majesty's cultivation."

"For a first cultivation, you may hold one in your hand and meditate to comprehend."

Ying Zheng took the cloth pouch, feeling the warm, gentle aura emitted by the spirit stones, his heart stirred beyond words.

He faced Gu Shanhe, bowing solemnly to the end: "The National Teacher's grace in transmitting the Dao, I, Zheng, shall never forget!"