Chapter 94: The Whack-a-Mole Competition

The carriage traveled slowly through the neighborhood, heading toward the Sang Mansion. As the autumn wind blew, Liu Li rested her chin on her hand, watching the scenery of Chang'an City outside the carriage and the sparkling riverbank in the distance, reflecting the sunlight.

"The autumn wind blows over the Wei River, fallen leaves fill Chang'an." The Chang'an City described in the poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Jia Dao was likely a scene just like this.

No, the Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty and the Chang'an City of the present Western Han were not the same place. The Western Han Chang'an City was located near Xianyang of the Qin Dynasty, and it was only through the construction of successive emperors that the current Chang'an gradually took shape.

The Tang Dynasty Chang'an City was located to the southeast of the present site.

In the Tang Dynasty Chang'an City, the palaces and residential wards were separated, whereas in the Western Han Chang'an City, the palaces and streets were distributed unevenly. The numerous palaces made the entire Chang'an City luxurious and prosperous, boasting: six palaces, one treasury, twelve city gates, eight main streets, nine markets, sixteen bridges, and over one hundred and sixty residential wards.

Of course, at this time, Chang'an City only had the two major palaces: Weiyang Palace and Changle Palace. But that did not matter; the infrastructure maniac Liu Xiaozhu would soon get to work.

By the middle and late reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the Jianzhang Palace, North Palace, Gui Palace, and Guangming Palace would all exist. Currently, the residences near the North Palace were where the noble officials lived. As for officials of lower rank, there were special government quarters provided for them.

Like Cao Xiang, the Emperor's own nephew, his mansion in Chang'an City was built in the Beique Jiadi, separated from Weiyang Palace by a single thoroughfare.

Sang Hongyang's family was a well-known merchant family in Luoyang City. After he became an official in the imperial court, he purchased property in the commercial district of the market for his wife and children to live in.

As for Huo Qubing, he currently lived in Wei Qing's home, and Wei Qing's residence was in the residential area near the East Market.

Cao Xiang, who was riding his pony alongside the carriage, turned his head from time to time to glance at Liu Li, who was leaning against the carriage frame. The soft sunset glow illuminated her delicate face; with the swaying shadows and flickering light, the brilliance in her eyes seemed to rival the sun and moon. Cao Xiang felt as if he were looking at a little fairy.

He couldn't help but steal a few more glances.

*Hmm, A Li is truly beautiful. *

The carriage arrived in front of the Sang Mansion and stopped. Liu Li protected her schoolbag and jumped off the carriage. Cao Xiang also handed the reins of his pony to the servants in front of the mansion and stood beside Liu Li, looking up to appraise the Sang Mansion.

"Young Master Sang, your home is quite large," Cao Xiang remarked after observing for a while.

Sang Qian stood lazily on Liu Li's other side and replied, "How could it compare to the Pingyang Marquis Mansion?"

Cao Xiang nodded solemnly, "Indeed."

Sang Qian: "..." *I kind of don't want to invite him inside. *

The steward of the Sang Mansion had seen the three young boys standing in front of the gate from afar, one of whom was his own young master. He hurried out to greet them, "Young Master."

Sang Qian handed the bamboo slips he was holding directly to the steward and then asked on Liu Li's behalf, "Has my father returned?"

The steward replied hurriedly, "What a coincidence, the Master has just returned."

Better to arrive early than to arrive late. Liu Li's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "Then I shall go find him." Saying this, she stepped into the Sang Mansion. As she crossed the threshold, she nearly tripped over herself due to her overly elaborate skirt.

Liu Li had visited the Sang Mansion once before, and many servants in the mansion recognized her. A quick-witted servant had already run to the inner quarters to notify his master.

Sang Hongyang heard the servant's notification and hurried out to welcome her, "Princess Jianling."

"Uncle Sang," Liu Li said with a smile, "I have come to discuss something with you." The jade at the end of her hair ribbon jingled as she ran.

Sang Hongyang hurriedly said, "If the Princess has business, you could have just sent someone to summon me to the government office in the palace. Why did you have to come in person?"

Liu Li pointed to her schoolbag, "Because I wanted to see if this could be preserved well."

Seeing that Sang Qian and Cao Xiang were also behind her, Sang Hongyang was surprised, "Why has the Little Marquis of Pingyang come as well?"

Cao Xiang bowed, "Grand Minister of Agriculture, I am here accompanying A Li."

Sang Hongyang hurriedly invited the two young guests inside and ordered the maids in the mansion to prepare some refreshments.

Liu Li took out the two instant noodle cakes she had packed in a cloth bag that morning from her schoolbag. When the bag was opened, the instant noodles inside had already shattered quite a bit.

This was the result even after she had carefully protected them.

Seeing this, Liu Li felt distressed. Because the handmade noodle cakes became extremely brittle after being roasted, they would shatter with the slightest force. If this were the case, these noodle cakes didn't seem very convenient to carry.

"What is this?" Cao Xiang, who had never seen instant noodles, was the first to ask.

Liu Li did not answer Cao Xiang's question, signaling him to be patient. She then asked Sang Hongyang for a bowl and hot water.

Soaking the instant noodles in the bowl and covering them for a few minutes, Liu Li then introduced this item to the group and proposed her desire to promote the way of eating noodles in the Han Dynasty.

As she spoke, Liu Li removed the lid, showing the soaked noodles to the others, "Look, this is instant noodles."

Sang Hongyang clicked his tongue, picked up his chopsticks, and tasted a mouthful of the noodles.

Cao Xiang swallowed his saliva and asked, "Is it delicious?"

Sang Qian, who had brought his own chopsticks, also picked up a mouthful of noodles from the bowl and ate it, "The taste seems a bit bland, but it's quite delicious, with a hint of saltiness."

Sang Hongyang: "It has a *biangbiang* texture."

Cao Xiang was anxious, "Let me have a taste too."

Sang Qian handed his chopsticks to him, "If you don't mind, go ahead and use them."

Cao Xiang did not stand on ceremony and began to eat the noodles in the bowl.

Liu Li smiled, "The taste is bland because I didn't add any other seasonings. I just wanted to show you how convenient this way of eating is; you only need to soak it in hot water to eat it."

"Looking at it this way, it really is convenient," Sang Hongyang praised, "Especially in the winter, if you want to eat something hot, you only need to boil water and soak it to eat."

Liu Li had indeed thought so at first, but at this moment, she looked troubled, "I had originally suggested to the Emperor that these instant noodles be included in the daily supplies for the marching troops, but today I realized it seems a bit unfeasible."

Sang Qian asked, "Why?"

Liu Li opened the cloth bag to show them, "Although instant noodles are convenient, they are also very easy to shatter. I'm afraid that by the time the noodle cakes are made and transported to the soldiers, they will all be shattered."

Cao Xiang asked, "Can these shattered ones be eaten?"

Liu Li nodded, "They can be eaten; these noodle cakes have already been roasted."

Hearing Liu Li say they could be eaten, Cao Xiang directly picked up a piece of the shattered noodle cake and put it in his mouth to chew; the noodle cake was crispy.

Cao Xiang asked while eating, "A Li, you don't think that military rations are one portion per person, carried by each individual, do you?"

Liu Li was stunned for a moment, "Isn't it?"

Sang Hongyang laughed upon hearing this.

Cao Xiang explained, "Of course not. In the army, food and grain have people specifically responsible for them, and ten people share cooking utensils and grain. You can completely make these noodle cakes into ten-person portions; with the added thickness, they won't break easily."

Hearing Cao Xiang's words, Liu Li looked at the thin noodle cake in front of her and was surprised, "Is it really ten people eating together?"

If that were the case, she could indeed make the noodle cakes thicker, and even use molds to press the noodles together to save space.

"The Princess is usually so sharp, how could she not know the common sense of the Han army?" Sang Hongyang laughed.

Liu Li: "..." *Normal people wouldn't know this kind of common sense! *

Afterward, Liu Li and Sang Hongyang discussed the process of making instant noodles, the ingredients needed, and the manpower required.

After brushing the noodles with oil and roasting them until they became crispy, they were instant noodles that could be directly soaked in hot water.

Those that were not brushed with oil, and were either air-dried naturally or not dried at all and directly boiled in water, were called longevity noodles.

"Longevity noodles" was a name Liu Li had given them casually, but it sounded very auspicious. If she opened a noodle shop in Chang'an City in the future, she believed many people would come to eat longevity noodles.

Because weaving instant noodles was too cumbersome, Liu Li specifically drew a special mold. After the prepared noodles were brushed with animal oil, they were stuffed into the mold, pressed tightly, and then roasted over a fire to set their shape.

In this way, a noodle cake sufficient for ten people was made, which was substantial and very filling.

When Liu Li and Cao Xiang left the Sang Mansion, it was already past dusk, and the market next door had long since closed.

In ancient times, there were no high-rise buildings. Liu Li sat in the carriage and looked into the distance, where she could even see the horizon where the earth met the sky, leaving only patches of brilliant sunset clouds.

The Weiyang Palace was right before her eyes, towering into the clouds, recording the glory of this era.

When they reached the vicinity of Beique Jiadi, Liu Li wanted to say goodbye to Cao Xiang, who was riding his pony, and tell him to go home first, but he insisted on escorting her to the gate of Weiyang Palace.

Liu Li: "Weiyang Palace is right ahead, what else is there for the cousin to worry about?"

Cao Xiang's pony made a "clippity-clop" sound as it stepped on the ground. He said, "What if we encounter the same situation as last time?"

Liu Li leaned against the carriage frame and asked with a smile, "If we encounter bandits again, can you beat them away like Young Master Huo did?"

Cao Xiang gripped the small whip in his hand, "Naturally, I can."

Liu Li's eyes deepened with a smile, "Then cousin is very brave." Appropriately praising a child helped their physical and mental health.

Cao Xiang: "..."

Although he was praised by A Li, why did he feel something was strange?

Liu Li pointed to the distant horizon, "If you escort me to the gate of Weiyang Palace and then go home, it will be completely dark. Aren't you afraid of going back alone?"

There were no electric lights in ancient times, so it would truly be pitch black by then.

The two Sang Mansion guards who were escorting Liu Li back to the palace also said, "Little Marquis, please rest assured, we will definitely escort the Princess back to the palace safely."

Cao Xiang felt a bit of fear in his heart upon hearing Liu Li's description, but he still plucked up his courage and said, "What is there to be afraid of in the dark? I'm not afraid."

Seeing his stubbornness, Liu Li said helplessly, "Fine, suit yourself."

Fortunately, Weiyang Palace was very close to Beique.

Cao Xiang watched the carriage escorting Liu Li enter the palace gate of Weiyang Palace before he whipped his horse and galloped home.

Nowadays, his mother, Princess Pingyang, had married the Marquis of Ruyin and no longer lived in the Pingyang Marquis Mansion. The once bustling mansion was now left with only him, which felt quite lonely.

However, just as Cao Xiang returned to the Pingyang Marquis Mansion today, a young servant in the mansion greeted him, "Marquis, the Mistress is back." Even though Princess Pingyang had become the mistress of another family, the servants of the Pingyang Marquis Mansion were still accustomed to calling her "Mistress."

Cao Xiang's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "Mother is back?" He threw the reins to the young servant and ran toward the mansion impatiently.

Princess Pingyang came out from the inner quarters. Seeing her son running toward her, she stopped what she was doing and looked at her only son with a smile in her eyes.

Cao Xiang ran to Princess Pingyang, stopped just in time, and bowed, "Son pays respects to Mother."

Princess Pingyang reached out to help her son up. Seeing that his nose and forehead were covered in sweat, she took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, "Where have you been? Why are you back so late?"

Cao Xiang smiled honestly, "Today I accompanied A Li to the Sang Mansion, and then I escorted A Li back to Weiyang Palace before coming back."

Princess Pingyang's hand, which was wiping her son's sweat, paused for a moment. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Since when did you become so close to Liu Li?"

Cao Xiang scratched his nose, "A Li is my cousin, why can't I be close to her?"

"Mother remembers, isn't it that Liu Yue girl you like?" Princess Pingyang took her son's hand and led him into the room, seemingly recalling the past, and said with a smile, "When you were young, you were always holding Liu Yue and wouldn't let go."

Being reminded of his embarrassing childhood by his mother, Cao Xiang suddenly blushed, "Mother, that was all in the past."

"Oh?" Princess Pingyang raised her eyebrows, "Does that mean A Xiang doesn't like Liu Yue anymore?"

"I do like her," Cao Xiang replied subconsciously; he had always liked his cousin Yue.

"Then what about Liu Li?" Princess Pingyang asked again, "Do you like her?"

Hearing his mother ask this, Cao Xiang suddenly became nervous. His heart began to beat like a little deer, and he stammered, "I, I like her..."

Facing her son who was in such a state, Princess Pingyang curled her lips without showing it, seeing through him without saying it, "My son has good taste."

Cao Xiang scratched his head, not understanding why his mother suddenly praised him.

Princess Pingyang patted the top of his head, "Alright, go bathe and change, then come over to accompany me for dinner."

Cao Xiang had already had dinner at the Sang Mansion, but thinking about accompanying his mother, he nodded, "Understood."

Liu Li returned to the Jiaofang Hall and only then discovered that the path was lit with lamps all the way. Zhuqing and Qiao were still waiting not far away. Looking closely, there was also little Erya squatting by their feet, resting her chin on her hands.

The feeling of being waited for made Liu Li feel a warmth in her heart. The Jiaofang Hall was no longer a cold palace, but her home.

Because she did not understand the specific situation of the Han army, Liu Li had made a fool of herself at the Sang Mansion. When the Imperial Academy was on break, she specifically went to the Shiqu Pavilion to look through relevant classics and only then learned that there were already military medical officers at this time.

Military medical officers generally used *Rehmannia* to treat wounds for the wounded. Although it could not compare to modern medicine, it was already quite effective in this era.

Moreover, Liu Li accidentally found a remnant scroll of the *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Simple Questions* in the Shiqu Pavilion. She could not recognize the characters on it at all, but fortunately, with the system's translation, she identified it as the *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon*, the earliest medical classic in Chinese history.

Liu Li guessed that the reason this remnant scroll was left here was, on one hand, because the characters were not Small Seal Script, so few people could recognize them; on the other hand, because the *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon* was a pathological theory based on Huang-Lao Daoism.

Some of the pathological knowledge on it was profound and difficult to understand even after she translated it. Liu Li thought for a moment and finally decided to take this book away first.

After returning to the Jiaofang Hall, Liu Li first put this book together with the previous *Huainanzi*, and then inexplicably thought of the matter of King Liu De of Hejian offering books.

Most of the books Liu De offered were related to Confucianism, but after seeing this remnant scroll of the *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon*, she suddenly realized that medical books should be even more precious than Confucian books.

Nowadays, the Han Dynasty did not actually have a proper medical system. If there were enough classics, and some people interested in Huang-Lao medicine were recruited to study, could more healers be trained?

If there were more people who knew medical skills, hospitals or clinics could be built to save more people.

Liu Li let out a long sigh, took out her future plan notebook from the cabinet, and added another item: 16. Train doctors and establish hospitals.

In terms of medical care, Liu Li also knew deeply that she could not help for a while, but she thought that Chu Fu might really know a little medical skill.

She thought for a moment and decided to send the scrolls related to medical skills in the *Huainanzi* and this remnant scroll of the *Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon* to Chu Fu, letting her study them carefully first; perhaps she would become an old Chinese medicine practitioner in the future.

After Liu Che promised to let Chu Fu go last time, he temporarily kept Chu Fu in the Ganquan Palace. Later, Liu Li took advantage of the guilty conscience of King Liu An of Huainan and let Princess Ajiao send envoys to Huainan again, using the excuse of wanting to execute Chu Fu's entire clan to successfully trick Chu Fu's family members out.

Nowadays, Chu Fu's family members were all arranged in Baling County, which could be considered a good ending.

Chu Fu was extremely grateful for this and swore to work like a cow or horse to repay the Princess of Jianling.

Liu Li naturally did not need Chu Fu to work like a cow or horse for her; she now needed a medical practitioner who truly understood medical skills, and she hoped Chu Fu could be up to the task.

After organizing the books in the wooden box, Liu Li patted her little hands, let out a long breath, and looked at the sky outside, which was already at sunset.

Little Liu Li stretched lazily, stepped out of the sleeping palace, and stood on the pavilion, looking at the scenery in the distance.

The Han Chang'an City was built near the Qinling Mountains, and the angle she was standing at allowed her to see the towering mountains and forests in the distance. If it were after the rain, she could even smell the scent of pine and cypress trees coming from the mountains and forests.

"Princess, it's a bit cold now, put on another piece of clothing." Zhuqing carefully took out a long robe from Liu Li's wardrobe and knelt halfway to tie it for Liu Li.

"Thank you," Liu Li said subconsciously.

Zhuqing seemed to have become accustomed to such a polite little master, but still said, "Princess, there is no need to thank this servant; taking care of the Princess is what this servant should do."

Liu Li blinked her eyes and did not say anything more.

The Emperor and Empress returned from the Xuanshi Hall, and Fuqu hurriedly ran to notify the kitchen that they could start cooking the noodles.

After Liu Li gave Liu Che instant noodles to eat last time, she made another meal of longevity noodles for him, and he seemed to have fallen in love with noodles; it had been the dinner for three consecutive nights.

Sitting at the dining table with her parents waiting for the kitchen to bring the noodles, Liu Li played with the hair ribbon on her head boredly, thinking absentmindedly that people in Xi'an, Shaanxi in the future also liked to eat noodles; could it be that they inherited the genes of Emperor Wu of Han?

Thinking of this, Liu Li found it funny, but as a result, she used too much force on her hand and pulled the hair ribbon off her head. Her two little horns on her head scattered one.

Liu Li held the hair ribbon in her little hand and was stunned: "..."

Liu Che saw this, and a smile appeared in his phoenix eyes, and then he couldn't hold it back and laughed out loud: "Hahaha, A Li, why are you so cute?"

Liu Li, who felt she was being mocked: "..."

Even Princess Ajiao couldn't help but laugh when she saw this, and then asked Fuqu to take the comb.

Fuqu quickly took the comb, and Princess Ajiao greeted, "A Li, come over, I'll comb your hair."

Liu Li pouted, glared at Liu Che who was still mocking her, and obediently walked to Princess Ajiao's side, letting her help comb her hair.

Liu Che looked at them, and on a whim, said, "I'll comb A Li's hair."

Princess Ajiao turned to look at him when she heard this: "Do you know how to comb hair?"

Liu Che raised his eyebrows, inexplicably confident: "What's difficult about this? Have you forgotten that when we were just married, I combed your hair every day?"

Princess Ajiao sneered when she heard this, and then handed the comb in her hand to Liu Che: "You do it."

Liu Che took the comb, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "A Li, come here."

Liu Li hesitated for a while, but still walked to Liu Che, and asked somewhat uncertainly: "Mother, do you really know how to comb hair?"

"Of course," Liu Che said, and then started on little Liu Li's hair.

If there was one thing Liu Li was most satisfied with about this little body after time-traveling, it was this head of black, thick hair. Even when her points were at their lowest, she did not begrudge exchanging points for shampoo to wash her hair.

Liu Che touched his daughter's shoulder-length black hair and couldn't help but sigh: "A Li's hair is truly beautiful."

*Eww. *

Liu Li couldn't help but think that Emperor Wu of Han in history seemed to be a hair-obsessed person, who had praised Wei Zifu's hair for being beautiful.

Liu Che successfully helped his daughter pull her hair up to the top of her head and then tied it again with a hair ribbon. He looked at his masterpiece with great satisfaction and did not forget to let Princess Ajiao see it.

"How is it?"

Princess Ajiao stared at her daughter's hair with a strange expression, then nodded, and praised reluctantly: "Not bad."

Liu Che, who was praised, was in a great mood and said complacently: "I said it, I know how to comb hair."

Liu Li reached out and touched the bun combed by Liu Che, but currently couldn't feel anything. Just then, the kitchen brought the longevity noodles, and her attention shifted to the food.

Tonight's longevity noodles were made with chicken soup, and there was a big chicken leg in Liu Li's bowl.

She was at the age of growing up, so she didn't hesitate to gnaw on this chicken leg first, and then slowly eat the noodles.

However, eating noodles for three consecutive days, Liu Li still felt a bit tired of it, so she said: "Father, Mother, can we not eat noodles tomorrow?"

She still preferred to eat rice.

Princess Ajiao nodded: "Of course."

But Liu Che was focused on the noodles in his bowl, as if he hadn't heard Liu Li's words.

"Father?" Liu Li called again.

Liu Che still ignored her and focused on eating noodles.

Princess Ajiao spoke on his behalf: "Didn't you say that day that you can't bite off these longevity noodles? So let him finish this one."

Liu Li: "..."

She suddenly thought that Liu Che eating longevity noodles for three consecutive days might not be because he liked eating noodles, but because the name of these noodles was longevity.

*As expected of you, the wild boar Emperor who hopes for immortality! *

Finally, Liu Che finished eating a noodle in his mouth, let out a long sigh, and said: "Finally, I finished eating a noodle without breaking it once!"

Liu Li: "..." *I knew it was like this! *

"Whatever A Li wants to eat tomorrow, just let the kitchen make it." He was in a good mood because he finished eating a complete longevity noodle and said: "Your mother and I are going to the Shanglin Park tomorrow. Li Guang has already arrived at the Shanglin Park from Yanmen Commandery."

Liu Li was stunned. Li Guang actually came back?

"Then Father going to the Shanglin Park tomorrow is to arrange deployment for them?"

Liu Che nodded: "Naturally."

"Father, I want to go too," Liu Li hurriedly said: "Take me with you."

Liu Che thought of A Li's formation deployment that day, and his heart moved slightly, thinking that maybe A Li could have other ideas tomorrow, so he nodded: "That's fine. Why don't we take A Li with us tomorrow."

"Yay." Liu Li cheered childishly.

*Great, I can meet Li Guang tomorrow. *

After dinner, Liu Li said goodbye to her parents and arranged for an attendant to ask for leave from the Imperial Academy for her tomorrow.

After returning to the sleeping palace, she was preparing to pack her luggage, but accidentally caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and Liu Li was stunned.

"..."

Why were the two horns on her head asymmetrical? And the hair ribbon was tied in a mess, and the ends of her hair were all frizzy.

She actually walked from the side hall where they had dinner back to her sleeping palace with this hairstyle, and she didn't know how many people had seen it along the way!

*Damn it! *

Liu Li clenched her hands, her fists were hard!

In order to soothe the young, injured heart of the little Princess caused by the Empress, early the next morning when Qiao combed Liu Li's hair, she specially combed two beautiful crescent buns for her, one on the left and one on the right, very symmetrical.

Liu Li looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction and secretly decided never to let Liu Che touch her hair again.

After breakfast, the Emperor and Empress's party set off for the Shanglin Park. The carriage did not travel fast, and it was not until the afternoon that they arrived at the Shanglin Park.

Princess Ajiao received Li Guang, who had rushed from Yanmen Commandery at the border, in the palace, and Liu Che held his daughter Liu Li and accompanied them on the side.

With the attendant's announcement, Li Guang walked into the hall with big strides.

Liu Li leaned obediently in Liu Che's arms, actually keeping her eyes on the figure walking in from the door. According to historical records, Li Guang was tall and had long arms like an ape.

When the person outside the door walked completely into the hall, Liu Li also looked Li Guang up and down carefully. Although the General Li Guang in front of her had a beard, because he was tall, he looked very imposing, which was very similar to the description in the data.

Liu Li suddenly thought of a wild history she had read before, one saying that Emperor Li Gao of Xiliang was the sixteenth-generation grandson of Li Guang. The second said that Emperor Li Yuan of the Great Tang was the twenty-second-generation grandson of Li Guang.

"Subject Li Guang, pays respects to the Emperor." Li Guang performed the military salute to the Emperor on the throne.

Princess Ajiao stood up, walked to Li Guang in two or three steps, and reached out to help him up: "General, no need for formalities."

Liu Li had measured Princess Ajiao's height before. Liu Che's body height was 1.88 meters, and Li Guang stood in front of Liu Che, but he was actually a little taller than Liu Che. Visually, he was at least over 1.9 meters.

Princess Ajiao gave Li Guang a seat, and then asked him about the situation in Yanmen at the border, and Li Guang answered them one by one.

Finally, they also talked about the matter of the Xiongnu invading Shanggu Commandery this time. Li Guang swung his long arms, slapped the table hard, and said angrily: "Who would have thought that the Xiongnu thieves would invade at this time? By the time I led the troops to support, this group of animals had already run away!"

He slapped it so hard that Liu Li felt the entire palace was shaken. If she were really a seven-year-old child, she would probably have been scared to tears by his shout.

Li Guang was also blaming himself: "If I could have supported Shanggu Commandery earlier, there wouldn't have been such a tragedy."

Princess Ajiao said: "This matter is not the General's fault. Calling the General back today is to discuss with you the strategy of counterattacking the Xiongnu."

Li Guang: "As long as the Emperor gives an order, this subject will not hesitate to die!"

"The General has the heart." Princess Ajiao said according to what Liu Che told her to say before: "I originally intended to let the General lead the troops to attack, but considering that the Xiongnu are numerous and powerful, I decided to divide the troops into five routes and advance together toward the border markets."

"Divide into five routes?" Li Guang was surprised: "Emperor, dividing the troops so scattered is a taboo in military strategy. Furthermore, who will command the other four routes?"

Princess Ajiao smiled slightly, her expression calm: "General, please rest assured. Since I have such an idea, I have naturally arranged the candidates for the generals."

Li Guang's expression was somewhat unhappy, but since the Emperor had said so, he couldn't say anything at this time. He wanted to see who the four people were.

Outside, the four people who were appointed by Liu Che to be the generals leading the troops had already arrived. The attendant ran into the hall to report, and Princess Ajiao nodded: "Let them all come in."

Immediately afterward, Wei Qing, Gongsun Ao, Gongsun He, and Chen Fei walked in one after another and saluted the Emperor together.

Princess Ajiao signaled them to stand up and also gave them seats.

Li Guang stared with tiger eyes at the four young people in front of him, somewhat incredulously looking at the Emperor: "Emperor, they are so young, how can they lead the army? They probably haven't even seen the Xiongnu!"

Li Guang was an old general after all. Now that four young people suddenly came to lead the army at the same level as him, he was naturally unconvinced in his heart.

Even if the Emperor let Cheng Bushi lead the army at the same level as him, Li Guang could accept it, but it happened to be four wet-behind-the-ears boys.

"They are all my personal guards, and their riding and shooting skills are all excellent," Princess Ajiao said indifferently: "This counterattack is not only my reuse of General Li, but also a training for the four of them. If this battle is won, I will definitely reward them according to their military merits."

As she spoke, she stood up and said: "Li Guang, listen to the order."

Li Guang hesitated for a moment, but finally stood up, walked to the front of the hall, and knelt on one knee: "Subject Li Guang, listens to the order."

"I appoint you as the General of Cavalry, leading 20,000 elite cavalry, departing from Yanmen Commandery, to expel and counterattack the Xiongnu."

"Subject accepts the decree!"

Princess Ajiao: "Wei Qing, listen to the order."

Wei Qing, who was named, stood up suddenly, walked to the front of the hall, and knelt on one knee: "Subject Wei Qing, listens to the order."

"I appoint you as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, leading 10,000 troops, departing from Shanggu Commandery, to expel and counterattack the Xiongnu."

Wei Qing: "Subject accepts the decree!"

"Chen Fei, listen to the order. I appoint you as the General of Light Chariots, leading 10,000 troops, departing from Yunzhong County, to expel and counterattack the Xiongnu."

Chen Fei: "Subject accepts the decree!"

Next were Gongsun He and Gongsun Ao, who were also appointed as generals and arranged with 10,000 cavalry each.

Li Guang's imbalance in his heart was slightly reduced after hearing the Emperor's arrangement. The Emperor really valued him, actually granting him 20,000 elite cavalry.

And the other four were given ordinary cavalry and mixed infantry and cavalry units. Thinking of this, Li Guang's expression also changed.

Generals of the Han Dynasty could generally be divided into two categories. One category was those appointed temporarily when fighting, and when the war ended, the title of general would no longer exist, and the soldiers they led would return to their original establishment and garrison.

The General of Cavalry, as the name suggests, was elite cavalry. There were also General of Cavalry, General of Guerrilla, General of Ershi, General of Tower Ships, etc.

The other category of generals was quite powerful, such as Wei Qing in history, who was appointed as the Grand Marshal and General-in-Chief. He had his own troops to command and a fixed government office, which was an official position in the imperial court.

Now that Li Guang was given 20,000 elite cavalry, on one hand, it was indeed because Liu Che thought highly of him, and on the other hand, it gave enough face to this old general, Li Guang.

After Li Guang stood up, the other four also stood up one after another. He looked at the four young people standing beside him and suddenly said: "Just now the Emperor praised the riding and shooting skills of the four of you. Why don't we take this opportunity to go to the drill ground and have a competition?"

Wei Qing's eyebrows sank, the two Gongsun generals looked at each other, but Chen Fei, as if a newborn calf was not afraid of a tiger, clasped his fists and said: "I will respectfully obey."

Chen Fei had followed Wei Qing for two years and seemed to have gained a sharpness he didn't have before.

Liu Che was interested when he heard that they were going to compete: "Good, I also want to see, compared with the four new generals appointed by the Emperor and General Li, who is better."

Liu Li pursed her lips, her voice crisp: "Father, Mother, why don't I formulate the competition plan?"

Everyone turned to look at the little Princess who was leaning in the Empress's arms, petite and cute.

Liu Che nodded with interest: "Good, let A Li formulate the competition plan. Both the Emperor and I are a bit tired today, so why don't we see the competition between the five of you on the drill ground tomorrow."

The five people agreed one after another, and then retired.

Liu Li got Liu Che's order and excitedly directed the eunuchs to take her to arrange the competition field.

After doing this, it was already dark, and Liu Li returned only then. Her little face was all gray.

Liu Che was curious about what she had arranged and wanted to go to the competition field to see, but was stopped by Liu Li: "No, no, no one can go to see, keep it a little mysterious." She raised her little face and said seriously: "I hate spoilers the most."

Liu Che looked into her watery big eyes and doted: "Fine, everything is up to you."

The next day.

The observation deck of the drill ground was very spacious, and looking out, it seemed that there were many more things on the drill ground. The eunuchs brought fine wine and fruit, waiting for the arrival of the Emperor and Empress.

Not long after, the Emperor and Empress came with the little Princess.

Liu Li had carefully prepared three levels for the five people, and she really wanted to see the level of the five of them.

Honestly speaking, after observing yesterday, she always felt that Li Guang seemed a bit arrogant. She felt uneasy in her heart. Maybe it was just her overthinking, Liu Li comforted herself like this.

Following her parents to the table on the observation deck and sitting down, Liu Che looked at the watermelon on the table and reached out to pick up a slice to feed his daughter.

Liu Li obediently opened her mouth and took a bite, and suddenly found that this watermelon was sweet.

Liu Che also ate a piece of watermelon himself and said: "A Li, who do you think will win the first place among the five of them?"

Liu Li spat out a watermelon seed while saying vaguely: "Mother, why don't we bet on one person each?"

Liu Che hummed and said: "Fine, I'll bet on Wei Qing." After all, he was the person he brought out himself, and Liu Che had great confidence in Wei Qing.

Liu Li pouted, finished eating the watermelon in her hand, and then said: "If Mother bets on Wei Qing, then I can only bet on General Li Guang."

"Why doesn't A Li bet on others?"

Liu Li pouted: "I haven't witnessed the strength of others, so I dare not bet easily."

Liu Che was curious: "Isn't that Chen Fei your former attendant? Why don't you choose him?"

"Uh..." Liu Li was speechless for a moment. She just subconsciously felt that Wei Qing's opponent was Li Guang. Since she wanted to bet, she naturally had to choose the opponent, so she just forgot about Chen Fei.

Princess Ajiao heard their conversation and smiled: "Since that's the case, I'll bet that Chen Fei can win."

Liu Che smiled noncommittally and said: "If I remember correctly, this Chen Fei is not even twenty years old this year."

*Isn't that so! *

As they spoke, the five people who were about to compete were already prepared, appearing in the middle of the drill ground riding their respective horses. Liu Li looked at Chen Fei, the youngest of the five, from afar, and her mood suddenly became complicated.

She had always wanted Chen Fei to make contributions, but she forgot that Chen Fei was only nineteen years old now. He had just reached the age of adulthood, did he really have to go to the battlefield? If it weren't for her selfishness, Chen Fei wouldn't actually have to fight the Xiongnu.

The eunuch acting as the referee held the level card written by Liu Li and stood in front of the five people to announce the competition rules and competition items.

First competition item: Whack-a-Mole.

The so-called Whack-a-Mole was that a straw man target would appear randomly on the entire drill ground. When the straw man appeared, they needed to shoot arrows at the straw man, and the person who hit the most would win.

The arrows assigned to each person were different, so it was easy to distinguish who shot them.

This item was simply a freebie for Li Guang, after all, his strength was archery.

The five people stood scattered on the drill ground. As the first straw man appeared in the northeast direction, the first to react was Wei Qing, who shot an arrow *whoosh*. Following him was Chen Fei, who also hit the straw man.

Li Guang reacted a bit slowly here. The arrow was shot, but the straw man was already gone...