Chapter 361

Over the next three months, Liu Bang, Liu Che, and Liu Xiu successively broke through to Foundation Establishment.

The day Liu Bang broke through, half the leaves of an old locust tree in the courtyard were shaken off by the spiritual energy he leaked.

When Liu Che broke through, two cracks appeared in the courtyard wall next door.

Liu Xiu was the quietest; the carp in the pond just floated on their sides again.

Gu Shanhe equipped each of them with a mid-grade spiritual sword.

The first thing Liu Bang did after getting the sword was to fly into the sky—

He flew three zhang high, wobbled twice, nearly fell off, and was steadied by Liu Che from behind.

"High Ancestor, can you be steady?"

"It's normal for me not to be steady the first time I fly!"

Liu Xiu flew a circle silently on the side and landed steadily.

Li Shimin's cultivation was slower, at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

He spent more time processing court affairs and less time cultivating.

But Empress Zhangsun had talent, at the fifth level of Qi Refining; although she couldn't fight, her lightness technique was faster than a horse.

Zhao Kuangyin also entered the Dao; Gu Shanhe passed him an introductory cultivation technique, reaching the third level of Qi Refining in three months.

He processed court affairs, watched firearm production, and supervised the steam engine during the day, and meditated at night.

The progress wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow either.

About half a month later, the first batch of corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes ripened.

Zhao Kuangyin went to the field himself to watch people dig up potatoes.

One hoe down, and a string came up.

He counted, seven or eight grew under one seedling.

Weighed it, the yield was 1,200 catties per mu.

Zhao Kuangyin squatted on the ridge of the field, holding a potato in his hand, looking at it for a long time.

Then he turned to the officials behind him and said:

"Issue an edict, continue to reclaim all wasteland, and promote it nationwide."

"Next year, I want the people of the world not to go hungry."

The officials went to carry out the edict.

Everything ready, Zhao Kuangyin stood on the city wall of Bianliang, looking north.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the heart disease of several generations of Great Song emperors.

He, Zhao Kuangyin, didn't take it back while he was alive, it was lost by his brother, and forgotten by his descendants.

Now was the time.

"Immortal Master Gu, I want to fight for Yanyun." Zhao Kuangyin said.

Gu Shanhe stood beside him: "Then fight."

"I want to lead the expedition personally."

"Then lead the expedition."

"I want to bring several emperors along."

Gu Shanhe glanced at him: "Do you want to fight a war, or show off?"

Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but laugh: "Both."

The lineup for the personal expedition was outrageous.

Six emperors, five flying swords, one plain-clothed Immortal Master, plus Empress Zhangsun sitting in the rear, responsible for... drinking tea.

At the north gate of Bianliang City, the Imperial Guard had finished assembling.

Three thousand firearm soldiers, fifty Red-Coated Cannons, followed by twenty thousand cavalry and infantry.

Zhao Kuangyin stood at the city gate, wearing armor, wearing a sword, and mounted his horse.

Liu Bang flew down from the city tower on his sword.

"Old Zhao, I'll go on the ground with you."

Zhao Kuangyin looked up at him: "High Ancestor, aren't you able to fly?"

"I don't want to fly; flying is boring."

Liu Bang led a horse from the side, mounted it, and rode parallel to Zhao Kuangyin.

Ying Zheng hovered above the team on his sword, saying nothing.

Liu Che and Liu Xiu also followed on both sides on their swords.

Li Shimin stood on the city tower, carrying a small cloth bag on his back, containing dry rations prepared by Empress Zhangsun, although he knew cultivators didn't need to eat.

Empress Zhangsun stood beside Li Shimin, wearing neat traveling clothes.

The team set off, heading north.

On the evening of the third day, they arrived at the front line of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

The Liao army had already formed a formation, with more than twenty thousand cavalry, covering the entire plain.

The Great Song's firearm soldiers began to form a formation, and the Red-Coated Cannons were pushed to the front line, their muzzles aimed at the Liao army camp.

The Liao commander stood in front of the formation, looking at the dark iron tubes opposite, feeling a bit panicked, but didn't retreat.

Zhao Kuangyin rode out of the formation, just about to shout, when Ying Zheng made a move.

He stood on the flying sword, raised his hand, and a ball of crimson light condensed in his palm.

The light ball gathered larger and larger, from the size of a fist to the size of a pot lid, from the size of a pot lid to the size of a millstone.

The red light surged with heat waves, the air was distorted by the heat, and people on the ground could feel the heat from a hundred zhang away.

Ying Zheng pushed his hand forward.

The fireball left his hand, dragging a crimson tail flame, and smashed into the center of the Liao army formation.

BOOM!!!

Mud flew, fire soared, horses neighed and people shouted, all mixed together.

The place where the fireball landed exploded into a pit a zhang deep, and the soldiers and horses at the edge of the pit were blown away by the heat, their armor half-melted.

The Liao cavalry on the periphery began to retreat, took two steps back, and on the third step, someone threw down their knife.

Clang! A sound.

Then a clanging sound all over.

The Liao commander's face turned white.

He looked at the person stepping on the sword in the sky, looked at the big pit still smoking on the ground, something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

Then he dismounted and knelt down.

The whole army surrendered.

Liu Bang rode forward two steps, looking at the battlefield still smoking.

After a while, he turned back and shouted to Ying Zheng in the sky:

"Brother Zheng! You're too fast! I haven't even made a move yet!"

Ying Zheng stood on the flying sword and glanced at him: "Let you go first next time."

Liu Bang muttered: "Next time? Where will there be a next time? The enemy army is already scared to death."

Zhao Kuangyin rode on his horse, looking at the Liao army kneeling all over the ground, silent for a moment.

He had fought wars for half his life, what scene hadn't he seen?

But this scene, he really hadn't seen.

Twenty thousand enemy troops, one fireball spell, surrendered.

He glanced at the firearm soldiers and Red-Coated Cannons behind him—they hadn't even fired yet.

"Withdraw the troops."

Zhao Kuangyin said, "Enter the city."

The news of the recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun reached Bianliang, and the whole city boiled over.

Commoners took to the streets beating gongs and drums, restaurants provided free meals, and schools took a three-day holiday.

The long-cherished wish of the Great Song dynasty was realized overnight.

For the next five months, the Great Song army didn't stop.

First, the grasslands.

The Mongol tribes were still nomadic, tents pitched deep in the grasslands, cavalry coming and going like the wind.

But this time, it wasn't the Song army's cavalry that came, but those flying in the sky.

Ying Zheng flew over alone and hovered above the Mongol royal tent for a quarter of an hour.

The Mongol Khan looked up at the person stepping on the sword in the sky, considered it for three seconds, and then led people out of the tent to kneel and welcome them.

The remnants of the Jin people were in Liaodong, where Liu Che and Liu Xiu went.

Liu Che circled the city wall of Liaodong on his sword twice, and the defenders in the city opened the city gates directly.

When Liu Xiu entered the city, commoners knelt all over the street; no one knew who this person was, but the sword was real.

The Xiongnu were no longer the Xiongnu of the past, and the remnants had fled to the Western Regions.

Liu Che chased all the way, chasing four thousand li, and blocked the last Xiongnu Chanyu at the edge of the desert.

The Chanyu looked at the person in the dragon robe in the sky and accepted his fate.

The countries of the Western Regions watched for three days, and then successively sent envoys to Bianliang, submitting state letters and offering tribute.

Then the Japanese pirates.

Zhao Kuangyin didn't have much emotion about the Japanese pirates, but Gu Shanhe said, "The people on that island won't be honest in the future, take it early!"

Zhao Kuangyin sent three thousand firearm soldiers and ten steam warships across the sea.

A month later, the island nation of the Japanese pirates was officially incorporated into the territory of the Great Song.

The natives on the island were assigned to various mines to serve as laborers.

Gu Shanhe called this "labor force allocation," and Zhao Kuangyin nodded without asking in detail.

At this time, how big was the Great Song's territory?

North to the end of the grasslands, west to the countries of the Western Regions, east to the sea, south to Jiaozhi.

Plus the new overseas colonies—

Zhao Kuangyin sent Zhao Guangyi and several vassal kings out, each dividing a continent.

Zhao Guangyi went to a place called "North America," and the vassal kings went to South America, Australia, and Africa.

Zhao Kuangyin's order to them was very simple: "Whatever you conquer is yours."

When Zhao Guangyi left, he looked back at the direction of Bianliang City.

He knew this might be the last time he saw the capital of the Great Song.