usatvline Chapter 239 World of Famous Works 28
Chapter 239 World of Famous Works 28
Chapter 239 The World of Classics 28
The restaurant was warm, and even after finishing their wontons, everyone stayed. The diners huddled together, chatting and boasting, including a few traveling merchants who recounted their experiences with great enthusiasm, leaving everyone else in awe.
Lin Xiaoqian and the others were quite pleased to see so many ancient people chatting and talking in the restaurant, as it gave them a sense of time travel, so they didn't rush them away.
It wasn't until almost curfew that everyone left the restaurant, and the lively atmosphere of the afternoon finally subsided.
Liao Zhuang couldn't help but sigh, "The Tang Dynasty had an open atmosphere; it would have been even more lively without the curfew."
Lin Xiaoqian said slowly, "The curfew system is beneficial for rulers to manage the people, but it is not conducive to the development of commerce. By the mid-Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City was densely populated and commercially prosperous, which would create a conflict with the curfew system. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, although the rulers repeatedly emphasized the curfew, they no longer had the power to interfere with the people's nightlife, so they had to acquiesce to the decline of the curfew system and no longer prohibit it."
At this point, Lin Xiaoqian suddenly thought of Zhuang Damao and wondered how his plan to strengthen the Tang Dynasty was progressing. So he said, "We haven't seen Brother Zhuang for quite some time. Why don't we go and take a look at his firearms battalion?"
With nothing else to do, the group followed the address given by Zhuang Damao and arrived at an extremely remote place on the outskirts of the city.
Upon arrival, all that could be seen was a large, lush forest, but there was no sign of any houses.
Mo Ying examined it carefully, then raised an eyebrow. "So that's why you asked me for so many concealment formations. You used them all here."
He waved his hand, and suddenly a large mansion appeared in the woods in front of him. Calling it a mansion was an exaggeration; it should be called a estate, with a dozen or so very ordinary houses inside.
Zhuang Damao learned from his communicator that Lin Xiaoqian and his group had come looking for him, so he quickly ran out.
He still looked a little tired, but he was happy to see his friends. "Why did you all come all of a sudden?"
Lin Xiaoqian tossed him a small wooden box, saying, "I've brought you something nice."
Zhuang Damao took it, opened it casually, and a refreshing fragrance wafted out, instantly sweeping away his fatigue.
"What is this?" Zhuang Damao asked the others with his eyes.
"I brought back ginseng fruit especially for you."
Zhuang Damao's eyes held a hint of envy. "You actually managed to get your hands on ginseng fruit. It seems you've had quite an experience these past few days. How's it going? Have you already helped the Great Sage complete his journey to the West?"
Lin Xiaoqian waved his hand, "It's not that easy. I bet Tang Sanzang has only just left Gao Village. This is a long story, we'll talk about it later. Tell me about you, Brother Zhuang, how are you doing here? I heard from Liao Village that you're planning to set up some kind of firearms battalion?"
Mentioning this matter gave Zhuang Damao a headache. "Don't mention it. It gives me a headache."
It turned out that after Zhuang Damao parted ways with them that day, he returned to Chang'an and went to the palace to see the Tang Emperor that very day.
To avoid making too much of a commotion, he thoughtfully went to the Tang King's palace in the middle of the night to look for him, which startled the Tang King so much that he fell off the bed, thinking it was an assassin attack.
Zhuang Damao said that he was lucky to have used magic to block out the sound from the Tang King's bedchamber. No matter how the Tang King called for help, no one paid any attention to him. Otherwise, if the Tang King had called for help, he would have waited for nothing until midnight.
Only after the Tang king calmed down and was willing to listen to him did Zhuang Damao begin to introduce himself.
Instead of portraying himself as a deity, he directly told the Tang emperor that he was from the future, living more than a thousand years in the future, and had come to the Tang Dynasty using some technological means.
At first, the Tang King was not quite convinced, but Zhuang Damao took out various technological products from his storage bag and showed them to the Tang King, who then believed him.
Zhuang Damao told the Tang king that he must believe in science and vigorously develop technology to benefit the people. He had come to the past to help the Tang dynasty become a technologically advanced nation and build a powerful army, so that the lands of the surrounding small countries could be incorporated into the Tang dynasty.
Lin Xiaoqian and the others listened in a daze. Seeing Zhuang Damao speaking with great enthusiasm, they asked, "And then?"
Zhuang Damao raised his eyebrows and said, "Then the Tang Emperor said to me, 'Whatever you want, I can give you.' At that time, I thought, the Tang Emperor is really a good emperor. No wonder he was able to create the Zhenguan Era of Prosperity. Since he trusts me so much, how could I let him down? So I bluntly said that I wanted to help him build an advanced, technologically armed Tang army. Then he arranged a house for me and some people for me. Let me tell you, the house he gave me at first was very luxurious, with artificial hills and gardens. I didn't think it was a place for physical training, so I asked him to change it to this place. You see, it's not bad, is it!"
Lin Xiaoqian and the others looked at the manor, which was set up in a way that resembled a modern military training ground, and nodded. Zhuang Damao was quite professional in this respect.
“However, running this firearms battalion is not easy…” Zhuang Damao sighed.
Lin Xiaoqian quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhuang Damao sighed: "Sigh, making firearms requires mining, so a few days ago I asked you for instruments to detect ore. But the terrain in the ancient mountains and forests is complex and completely different from modern times, so it's not easy to find ore veins with the instruments. Moreover, even if we find a place that might have ore, mining is not easy. Ancient mining technology was backward, the tools were rudimentary, and the efficiency was very low. So I took out a mining robot, but before it was even officially put into use, the people here saw the robot and said it was a monster. The timid ones knelt down and begged for mercy, while the bold ones took weapons and went up to fight it."
"I explained it to them, and they were trembling, looking quite frightened. So I had to quickly put the robot away. Sigh, and..." Zhuang Damao said helplessly, "I don't know why, but the people here seem quite afraid of me. They kneel down at the drop of a hat. Although they all listen to me, it's really awkward. No matter how many times I tell them, they won't listen. Also, the soldiers sent by the Tang King are no good either. They can't withstand training at all. After only a short time of training, their bodies started shaking, and they don't look like they can march and fight at all. Sigh, it's been so long, and I haven't made any progress on what I want to do."
Lin Xiaoqian and the others exchanged glances, feeling that something was off about Zhuang Damao's description.
Lin Xiaoqian considered his words carefully before asking, "Brother Zhuang, did the King of Tang really say that he would grant you whatever you want to do?"
Zhuang Damao nodded firmly and said, "Yes, the Tang King's eyes were so sincere at the time. I could feel that he was so excited that he was almost crying."
Lin Xiaoqian couldn't help but think to herself: Are you sure you're not so scared that you're about to cry?
Listening to this account, Lin Xiaoqian thought that the Tang King probably mistook Zhuang Damao for a monster.
Perhaps the Tang Emperor is currently searching in secret for a master who can subdue demons, so that he can capture Brother Zhuang.
Moreover, not to mention that the ancients had never seen any technological products, so panic was inevitable. But, brother, you used magic to make the Tang emperor and the people of the Tang Dynasty believe in science. Is that even scientific?
Lin Xiaoqian mentally complained for a long time before asking, "Brother Zhuang, you've been here for so many days, hasn't anyone come looking for you?"
Zhuang Damao, bewildered, stared with his bull-like eyes and asked, "Who's looking for me? What do they want? This is a military stronghold; no one can get in. Besides, I've also placed a concealment array made by Mo Ying outside; ordinary people can't find this place at all."
Mo Ying casually spoke up from the side: "The concealment formation I created is generally undetectable by those with cultivation levels lower than mine."
Lin Xiaoqian fell silent. So, only those with a cultivation level of Golden Immortal or higher could see through the formation.
Those who can cultivate to become Golden Immortals are all renowned immortals, and the Tang King should not be able to contact them, at least not now.