Chapter 222: Invite Ying Zheng to go to Great Han

The second day after returning to modern times.

Gu Shanhe said to the system interface: "System, can I bring stuff to the Han dynasty?"

"I'm not talking about the little bits in a storage bag, but large quantities of modern gadgets."

【The host possesses a system space (expanded to 1000 cubic meters at Golden Core Stage), capable of carrying non-living supplies.】

One thousand cubic meters is plenty big.

Gu Shanhe stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and began making a list.

First, salt.

This stuff is always hard currency in ancient times, more useful than money.

In the Han dynasty, salt and iron were monopolies, and salt wasn't cheap.

Moreover, modern pure white salt is far superior to the impure salt of ancient times.

Bringing several tens of tons of refined salt over could be used as money, win people's hearts, and improve the possibly salt-deficient diet of Han commoners.

Gu Shanhe contacted several suburban salt wholesale warehouses, placed orders in batches, requesting the ordinary large sacks, using the excuse "raw material for food processing plants."

Second, energy.

Without electricity, many things are difficult.

Get a hundred diesel generators, stock them with diesel, and store them in large iron drums.

Also get a hundred sets of solar panels, complete with matching batteries and inverters.

This equipment is quiet, suitable for concealed outposts or nighttime use.

He contacted several new-energy companies, made separate purchases, claiming it was a "poverty-relief project in remote areas."

Third, food.

Instant noodles, this thing is practically a divine artifact for time travelers.

They store well, taste decent (possibly a fairy food to ancient folk), and just need boiling water to eat.

Gu Shanhe steeled himself, directly contacted several large food OEM factories, and ordered a million boxes, with assorted flavors.

Worried it might not be enough, he added several hundred thousand boxes of compressed biscuits, meat cans, and fruit cans.

He also stocked water purification tablets and simple filters, useful in the wild.

Antibiotics, common medicines, and first-aid kits are also essential.

These were obtained through a friend at a pharmaceutical company via the "medical aid supplies" channel; the quantity was huge, and the friend warned him not to cause trouble, so Gu Shanhe laughed it off.

Fourth, communications.

Walkie-talkies must be military or police grade, high power, rugged.

He bought 2000 of them, with plenty of spare batteries and chargers (to be charged by generator or solar).

With these, battlefield command and intelligence transmission could see efficiency jump several eras.

Fifth, books.

Knowledge is the ultimate cheat.

Gu Shanhe made several trips to Xinhua Bookstores and shops near universities, sweeping up junior-high to high-school math, physics, chemistry textbooks and exercise books.

He also bought practical books such as fundamentals of engineering machinery, agronomy basics, basic military tactics, simple gunpowder formulas, and barefoot doctor manuals.

All in simplified characters, but Gu Shanhe believes that smart folks like Xiao He and Zhang Liang could figure out most of it by guessing; if they couldn't… he'd teach them.

He also mischievously bought a few copies of the condensed classical Chinese version of "On Protracted War," intending to give them to Han Xin to read.

Money is no problem.

His total net worth is now close to breaking ten billion.

Everything ordered, he requested batch delivery to several different large warehouses he'd temporarily rented in the suburbs.

When the goods arrived and passed inspection, he waved them into the system space.

The one-thousand-cubic-meter space was visibly filled to the brim.

The third day.

The last warehouse, also the largest.

Gu Shanhe looked at the piles of instant noodle boxes, salt bags, neatly stacked generators and solar panels, boxes of walkie-talkies and medical books, and nodded in satisfaction.

His consciousness sank into the system space to "check," where everything was sorted by category, packed tight but still fairly neat.

He idly flipped open a junior-high physics textbook, glanced at the buoyancy law and lever principle, and smiled.

To Han people, these are no less than heavenly scriptures.

The seventh day.

That evening, Gu Shanhe visited his parents, saying his company had landed an overseas big project, requiring him to stay abroad for a long time, possibly with poor signal, so they shouldn't worry.

His parents nagged for half an hour, telling him to stay safe and eat more.

Gu Shanhe felt a bit uneasy, but thinking of the vast turmoil of the other world, he suppressed it.

He didn't know how long this trip would take (the system said the time ratio is adjustable), but he was sure he had to get things done splendidly.

Late at night, Gu Shanhe returned to his villa.

The system prompt sounded on time:

【Crossing countdown: 12 hours.】

【Target world anchored: Great Qin Empire (the timeline already unified; the seventh day after the host leaves).

【Please host, make preparations.】

Gu Shanhe also stashed his commonly used, sentimentally meaningful little items from the villa into a corner of the space.

Finally, he glanced one last time at this familiar world, took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and waited quietly for the crossing.

A white light flashed.

Great Qin, Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng is reviewing memorials.

Although it is night, he is accustomed to finishing state affairs before resting each day.

The bamboo slips piled on the desk have long been replaced by lighter paper (the papermaking technique left by Gu Shanhe has become widespread), yet the content has not diminished at all.

Reports on gold mine output in South America, governance of the European Province, and the latest discoveries of the Antarctic Expedition (they have found another cold‑tolerant fat bird)…

The realm is too vast; even with so many commanderies and counties and so many officials dispatched, there are still many matters that require his final decision each day.

He rubbed the bridge of his eyebrows, lifted a cup of tea, and took a sip.

The National Teacher has been away for seven days, and the palace feels considerably quieter all of a sudden.

Fu Su governs as regent with great diligence, and Meng Tian and Li Si are also capable, but… it still feels like something is missing.

It is the lack of someone who can discuss the "future" with him, someone to talk about the stars and the sea.

At that moment, a soft white column of light suddenly illuminated the hall without warning; it was not glaring, yet it instantly captured everyone's attention.

The on‑duty court officials were startled and immediately gripped their sword hilts.

Ying Zheng also jerked his head upward.

Within the light column, a human silhouette solidified from nothing, slowly materializing.

Dressed in white, short‑haired, with a calm expression, it was Gu Shanhe.

"National Teacher?!"

Ying Zheng lost his voice; the brush in his hand fell onto the desk, splattering a few drops of ink.

He sprang up abruptly, no longer minding imperial decorum, and rushed down the imperial steps in a few strides.

Gu Shanhe materialized fully, his feet firmly on the ground, and smiled at Ying Zheng:

"Your Majesty, seven days without seeing you—are you still well?"

Ying Zheng seized Gu Shanhe's arm, examined him from head to toe, confirmed it was not an illusion, and then laughed heartily.

"Hahaha! All well! All well! National Teacher, you finally returned! I thought… I thought after you left, it would be even harder to see you again!"

The delight in his tone was entirely sincere.

The court officials and inner attendants in the hall recovered, kneeling one after another: "We salute the National Teacher!"

Gu Shanhe steadied Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, I have returned."

"Moreover, this return is to request something, and also… there is an interesting destination I wish to invite Your Majesty to accompany me to."

"Oh?"

Ying Zheng's eyes brightened, "National Teacher, feel free to speak! As long as I can accomplish it, there will be nothing I won't permit!"

"Where shall we go next? We've been to the Antarctic and the Arctic; could there be worlds beyond the heavens?" He let his imagination run wild.

Gu Shanhe chuckled: "We cannot go beyond the heavens for now… but another mortal realm, we could… go take a look."

He paused, "Your Majesty, do you still recall the Han Dynasty I once mentioned?"

Ying Zheng's smile narrowed slightly, "Of course I remember. The dynasty founded by that Liu Ji fellow."

"Why bring it up, National Teacher?"

"I would like to invite Your Majesty to travel with me to the Han Dynasty, around three years after Liu Bang's enthronement," Gu Shanhe said directly.

"Go to the Han Dynasty? Meet Liu Bang?"

Ying Zheng frowned, then relaxed again, showing a playful expression.

"National Teacher wishes… for me to see with my own eyes what this world has become after Great Qin?"

"Or perhaps you wish to go… to give guidance to the later generations?"