During the first morning court session of the eighth year of Emperor Xuan's reign, the temperature in Chang'an was unseasonably low. The doors of the Xuan Shi Hall were wide open and the cold wind that blew through them made the officials' court robes flutter loudly. Liu Bingyi sat upright on the dragon throne. His snow-white hair was unbound and draped freely over his dark gold dragon robe, making his double pupils appear even more profound. Before him, a Western Regions Holographic Sand Table (Real-time Fog Version) appeared, visible only to him. It was quietly rotating. A secondary window shimmering with a faint purple light had opened on the side of the sand table:
System 4.0 Plugin: Eye of Insight (Max Version) Enabled. Detection range: Xuan Shi Hall and all levels of government offices in Chang'an.
Monitoring indicators: Loyalty, Corruption Value, Hostility, Causality and Potential Rebellion.
Current status: Defeat aftermath, pressure +500%.
Liu Bingyi lightly tapped the armrest with her fingers, the crisp sound echoing in the deathly silent hall as if tapping... deep in everyone's heart. 'My beloved ministers,' began Liu Bingyi slowly, his voice low yet chillingly cold, 'when I was fighting in the northern deserts, I always thought about one question.' His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness. 'I risked my life for the Han dynasty in battle against the evil Xiongnu gods, so why are there always people behind me whose hearts are not with the Han dynasty, but with the ghosts of the dead?' The temperature in the hall seemed to plummet to freezing. 'Lord Zhang,' Liu Bingyi suddenly called out. 'Is this court clean?' Zhang Anshi, sitting at the head of the table, trembled and stepped forward with bated breath. His forehead... 'Your Majesty's divine might is unparalleled; the wicked have nowhere to hide. I, your subject, will do my utmost to rectify them.' 'Rectify?
. "I find it too slow." Liu Bingyi's lips curled into a cruel smile. In the holographic view before him, all the officials were marked: the loyal in emerald green, the wavering in waxy yellow and those lurking deepest, still colluding with the remnants of the Huo family or profiting from the national crisis, in glaring blood red.
'Wang Changqing, bring me my "roster".' Wang Changqing led a squad of elite Imperial Guards dressed in black brocade robes with spring knives embroidered onto them at their waists. Exuding a murderous aura, Rui strode into the main hall and unfurled a dark scroll. Rather than text, it bore red dots imprinted by Liu Bingyi's spiritual power and transmitted in real time by the system. 'First place.' Wang Changqing sneered, his gaze sweeping coldly across the ranks of civil officials. 'Grand Master of the Imperial Stud, Zhao Li.' A middle-aged official sitting upright in the queue instantly turned deathly pale. He forced himself to step forward and loudly protested, 'Your Majesty, I have been diligent and conscientious ever since the late Emperor. The accounts of the Imperial Stud are clear and transparent. I do not know what crime I have committed." Liu Bingyi raised his eyes slightly, and the data from his Eye of Insight appeared instantly: Zhao Li: On the surface, he appeared incorruptible, but in reality, he provided financial support to the remnants of Huo Yu's faction.
Corruption value: 30 million coins.
Spy Mark: A secret meeting with the leader of Huo's assassins took place last night at midnight. 'Qingming?' Liu Bingyi scoffed, casually waving his hand. A purple projection landed directly in front of Zhao Li. The scene had been captured and projected by the system from a secret chamber in Zhao Li's residence. The chamber was piled high with gold, and there was a still-intact letter plotting the assassination of the emperor at the investiture ceremony. 'Evidence is something I can obtain at will.
"If you want it, I'll send you to hell to find it." Before he could finish speaking, two Imperial Guards approached. Before Zhao Li could scream, they swiftly removed his official hat and dragged him away. 'Next.' Liu Bingyi's voice remained calm. The next hour saw the most brutal 'clean-up' since the founding of the Han dynasty.
Unlike traditional emperors, who relied on evidence, interrogation and debate, Liu Bingyi used his 'Eye of Insight' to directly name names. From border generals embezzling military funds and powerful clan heads hoarding grain in Guanzhong to manipulate prices, to several scribes in the Imperial Secretariat attempting to forge imperial edicts, none escaped their fate.
'Minister of the Imperial Guard, Zhang De.' 'Director of the Imperial Treasury, Sun Mao.' 'General of the Central Army, Li Yuan...' Each name signified the collapse of a family. In the afterglow of victory, Liu Bingyi, aided by military might and the nation's fortune, appeared almost divine. Each time he announced a name, the corresponding official... The air around them seemed to be sucked out — a direct rejection of the 'rebel' by the nation's destiny. An elderly censor attempted to protest with 'ancestral rules': 'Your Majesty, to convict someone arbitrarily without court deliberation or review by the Court of Justice will surely chill the hearts of scholars throughout the land!' Liu Bingyi tossed his white hair, his double pupils staring directly at the censor. Through his 'eyes of insight', this man was revealed to be not a corrupt official, but a stubborn, brainwashed Confucian scholar. 'Choked?' Liu Bingyi descended the steps one by one, each step... Each one felt like he was treading on the other's soul. 'I fought the enemy in the northern deserts. Three thousand imperial guards died in battle — weren't they heartbroken? My people hanged themselves because of these corrupt officials seizing land — weren't they heartbroken?
"I gave you laws and regulations so you could govern the country, not so you could shield maggots!"
He abruptly drew his old sword from his sheath, emitting a flash of crimson light. A thick pillar of vermilion on one side of the hall was severed, yet it remained standing, the break as clean as a mirror.
'After today...' 'The Han Dynasty has only one form of etiquette: my decree, the law of the Han Dynasty. Anyone who uses 'ancestral rules' to disregard 'national law' will be sent to meet their ancestors.' As the last official marked with a blood-red symbol was dragged out of the hall, the previously gloomy, musty atmosphere of the Xuan Shi Hall was swept away. Liu Bingyi sat back down on the dragon throne. On the holographic sand table in his mind's eye, 95% of the red markings representing Chang'an City had disappeared, replaced by a display showing extremely high loyalty and administrative efficiency. Emerald green.
[System 4.0 notification: 99% clearance rate for internal affairs problems.]
"Reward: Clean Governance Buff permanently applied — 80% reduction in administrative losses for the Han Dynasty and doubled public morale consolidation speed."
'All right, all the eyesores have been dealt with.' Liu Bingyi looked at the remaining group of trembling officials, most of whom were either truly innocent or terrified, and softened his tone. 'I don't need you to be saints, but I do need you to be "Han ministers". I have conquered this empire and established these rules. From tomorrow onwards, I will establish an 'Examination and Assessment Office' in the Han Dynasty. I will be able to clearly see the implementation of every decree on the sand table.' He stood up, his white hair glowing in the slanting rays of the morning sun.
'Now that internal affairs have been settled, I will go to Duling to pick someone up.' Ignoring the overwhelming shouts of 'Long live the Emperor!' behind him, Liu Bingyi strode out of the hall. The great purge had merely been a means of solidifying the foundation; the real reversal of fate had only just begun.Three days after the great purge of the court, the stench of blood still lingered in the Xuan Shi Hall. Liu Bingyi sat on his high throne, his white hair flowing down his shoulders. He stroked the Western Regions Holographic Sand Table terminal, a device representing a 'God's-eye view', and posed a proposition that left all the traditional Confucian officials and veteran generals dumbfounded: 'I wish to establish an additional department beyond the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.' He raised his head, his double pupils flashing with an almost frenzied rationality. 'It shall be named the Great Han Commerce Department. All trade within the Great Han territory, including gold, stone, cloth, grain and trade with the Western Regions, the Xiongnu remnants and the Baiyue, will be brought under the unified control of this department.' As soon as he had finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence, followed by a low murmur of protest. 'Your Majesty, you mustn't!' The Imperial Censor, Wei Xiang, was the first to step forward. His weathered face was filled with astonishment and anger. 'Since ancient times, emphasising agriculture and suppressing commerce has been the cornerstone of a nation. Merchants pursue profit, disregarding country and home. You rose to power in the northern deserts, Your Majesty, so you should be encouraging agriculture and allowing the people to recuperate. Why, then, are you associating with such lowly people? This is putting the cart before the horse and undermining the nation's foundations!" Several noble generals also frowned. In their view, the Han army was built on the backs of the honest sons of farming families. If everyone went into commerce, who would be willing to risk their lives fighting on the border? Zhang Anshi also stepped forward with a troubled expression. 'Your Majesty, the disruption of the law by merchants has existed since ancient times. "If the court establishes departments to engage in commerce, wouldn't that be 'competing with the people for profit'? "I fear the spittle of scholars throughout the land would flood the Weiyang Palace!" Faced with the court's unanimous opposition, Liu Bingyi did not erupt in fury as he had on the day of the Great Purge. Instead, he slowly stood up. His previously cold and imposing aura suddenly vanished, and deep sorrow appeared in his eyes. Even his snow-white hair seemed to tremble slightly with each sigh. 'My dear ministers, do you think I did this for money?' Liu Bingyi stepped away from his desk and walked heavily down the steps, each one filled with utter desolation. 'In the northern deserts, I saw the blades of my Imperial Guardsmen chipped and worn. In the Western Regions, I saw my Han soldiers being forced to eat bloody warhorse meat just to survive." He turned around, his voice choked with emotion. 'I won, but the Han Dynasty's granaries are empty. You say we need to recuperate, but where will the provisions come from? Are we to plunder the people who have just enjoyed a few days of peace? I simply cannot bear it!' This 'Oscar-worthy' performance, coupled with his grey hair from overwork, instantly brought tears to the eyes of many veteran ministers. 'I established the Ministry of Commerce not to pursue profit, but to "stop war through commerce".' Liu Bingyi suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharpening again. 'I want the wealth of the barbarians to flow into the treasury of the Han Dynasty like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. I want those barbarians who dare to challenge the Han Dynasty to surrender without a fight, simply by my word! Isn't this the epitome of benevolence and righteousness?' Seeing that the ministers were still hesitating, Liu Bingyi knew that emotional appeals alone were not enough.
He needed to show these 'frogs in a well', who had only experienced the vastness of the land, what a higher-dimensional civilisation was like.
'System, activate holographic mapping mode covering the entire hall.'
'Command confirmed: Han Dynasty Commerce Module — Global Wealth Distribution Map, projecting.' Instantly, the dome of the Xuan Shi Hall transformed into a vast starry sky, and the floor beneath the officials' feet transformed into an enormous spherical map, emitting a ghostly blue glow. 'What is this?' Prime Minister Wei was so shocked that he stumbled backwards, almost falling to the ground. 'These are my eyes; this is the true face of this world.' Liu Bingyi stood in the centre of the map and, with a light tap of his toe, the map of the Western Regions instantly magnified. 'Look, everyone. Beneath the deserts of the Western Regions lie veins of minerals sufficient to forge millions of divine weapons. Further west, in the lands of Great Yuezhi and Kangju, spices are worth a thousand gold pieces a tael in Chang'an. Yet the people there have an enormous demand for Han Dynasty silk. And look at the southern seas..." Liu Bingyi's fingertip traced southward and an endless sea appeared, dotted with countless golden-lit islands. 'There, there is evergreen rice and mountains of jewels. In the past, this wealth was scattered across the land and squandered by barbarians. Now, I will establish the Great Han Ministry of Commerce, dispatch official ships and open trade routes. We will exchange Great Han porcelain for their warhorses and Great Han tea for their gold!' The officials stared in rapt attention at the shimmering golden light beneath their feet. It was a vast world they had never imagined. Under Liu Bingyi's 'pie in the sky', they no longer saw humble transactions, but rather a colossal machine centred on the Great Han and absorbing global resources to sustain it.
'This is the true purpose of the "Ministry of Commerce".' With his hands behind his back, Liu Bingyi stood, his white hair shining like a galaxy under the holographic light. 'I will establish the "Great Han Credit Certificates". Anyone who trades with my Great Han must use the currency that I issue. If I am displeased, I will cut off their trade so that, no matter how much gold they possess, they will be unable to buy a single grain of iron. This is a bloodless butcher's knife.' Turning to Zhang Anshi, he asked in a majestic tone, "Lord Zhang, is this still 'competing with the people for profit'?" Zhang Anshi was completely stunned. He knelt down, trembling, his eyes flashing with almost insane greed and worship. 'Your Majesty's talent is beyond our reach for eternity. If the map is correct, how could the Great Han not prosper? I am willing to assist Your Majesty with all my might!" 'We are willing to expand your territory and facilitate trade throughout the world!' All the civil and military officials bowed their heads in unison. At that moment, their thoughts turned from "emphasising agriculture and suppressing commerce" to the endless gems and rice shimmering on the spherical map. [System 4.0 notification: Ministry of Commerce officially established.]
[Reward: The fog along the entire Silk Road has been dispelled and automated logistics management is now available.
[Current national fortune increase: Due to the opening of new sources of revenue, the Han Dynasty's national fortune has moved from 'prosperity' to 'peak'.' Liu Bingyi looked at the kneeling officials and a faint smile appeared on his face. He had finally led these 'tools' down the path of no return, 'global hegemony'.
'Issue an imperial decree: Wang Changqing will concurrently serve as the secret inspector of the Ministry of Commerce. Anyone who dares to embezzle on the trade routes will have their hand left to feed the desert wolves."
Before the wealthy merchants of Chang'an had even recovered from the awe of the 'global wealth map', the sign for the Han Dynasty's Ministry of Commerce had been hung up and Liu Bingyi had already set his sights on the depths of the Western Regions, marked as 'fog' on the holographic sand table. To open trade routes, the sharpest blades must pave the way. This time, Liu Bingyi did not intend to use the cumbersome strategy of a massive army. 'What I need are not envoys who only know how to read the Spring and Autumn Annals, nor brutes who only know how to charge into battle,' said Liu Bingyi coldly to Wang Changqing in a side hall behind the Xuan Shi Hall, pointing to the flashing red dots on the sand table. 'What I need are people who can storm enemy camps single-handedly, sow discord between enemy rulers and ministers with their words and overthrow dynasties with a single dagger. Such people cannot be produced in the Han Dynasty's bureaucratic system. You must help me find them among low-ranking officials, impoverished scholars and death row inmates on the border.' Wang Changqing acknowledged the order and departed. Within three days, a thick stack of files was delivered to Liu Bingyi's desk. After filtering with System 4.0: Eye of Insight, three names stood out. One was Chen Tang, a lowly clerk in charge of food preparation who was ostracized by his colleagues due to his poverty and impetuous nature. The other was Feng Fengshi; although he came from a prestigious family, he preferred miscellaneous studies of military strategy to classical texts.
'They are the ones,' said Liu Bingyi, pausing heavily on Chen Tang's name. 'Issue an edict. Bring them to see me.' Late at night, in a dark room of Weiyang Palace...
Chen Tang and Feng Fengshi knelt on the cold, hard floor beneath the flickering lamplight. The emperor stood before them, his hands clasped behind his back and his white hair flowing down his shoulders. They had never imagined that someone of their lowly status would be summoned in person by the 'God of War' of the Han dynasty. 'Did you think the envoy's task was merely to deliver gifts and read the imperial edict?' Liu Bingyi slowly turned around, the purple light emanating from his double pupils sending shivers down their spines. Chen Tang replied boldly, "In my humble opinion, it is to promote national prestige and win the hearts of all nations." His tone carried a hint of restless wildness. 'Wrong.' Liu Bingyi sneered and casually conjured a holographic image — a real-time street view of Loulan City in the Western Regions. 'That's how mediocre people do things. What I'm going to teach you is 'special diplomacy'." He walked up to the two men, his voice low and seductive. 'The first lesson is intelligence infiltration. You will travel with the caravan. When you reach an oasis, don't go and see the king straight away. Go to the casinos, brothels and markets instead. Bribe the guards, find out which minister the queen is having an affair with and discover which of the eldest and second princes wants the old king dead more. In my hands, a single piece of gossip is worth ten thousand elite soldiers.' Chen Tang's eyes lit up. This ruthless, targeted approach to teaching perfectly matched his innate ruthlessness. 'Lesson Two: Decapitation and Sowing Discord.' Liu Bingyi retrieved several tiny mechanical devices from his system space: 'Quicksand Tracking Powder' and a 'Silent Assassination Crossbow', obtained using the first batch of 'National Fortune Points' from the Ministry of Commerce.
"If a country's king is indecisive, replace him with someone more obedient. If their ministers are close to the remnants of the Xiongnu, stage an accident and let them die without anyone noticing."
Liu Bingyi pointed to a node on the sand table. 'Chen Tang, I'll give you thirty men, but they must be elite warriors, each capable of taking on a hundred men. I won't give you a single grain of rice. You must use the enemy's money to support the Han army and their blood to build the Han city. This is 'using barbarians to control barbarians.'" "[System 4.0 Notification: [Special Diplomacy] Skill Pack Transferring—] Transferring content: Modern Psychological Tactics, Special Rescue and Evacuation, Cold Weapon Assassination Techniques, Basic Economic Infiltration.
Current progress: 100% (Chen Tang and Feng Fengshi's comprehension triggered a critical hit). The two felt knowledge exploding in their minds, their breathing becoming rapid and their gaze shifting from awe to near-religious fanaticism towards Liu Bingyi. 'This isn't about being an official; it's about playing a game of gods and demons, controlling the fate of other nations.' Remember: wherever the Han caravans go, your spies must be there. I want the kings of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions to think of my happiness every night before they go to sleep. Whoever displeases me, you will make their entire family unhappy.' He waved his hand and Wang Changqing brought out two cups of blood-red farewell wine. 'Chen Tang,' he said, 'you once said, "Those who offend the mighty Han, though far away, shall be punished." Today, I give you another saying: 'Wherever the will of the Han leads, all is Han land.'
'The Ministry of Commerce will provide you with unlimited financial support, and the holographic sand table will clear the fog for you.' Raising his wine cup, Liu Bingyi's white hair burned like silver fire in the lamplight. "Go!" he said. "Become the darkness of the Western Regions! Become the inescapable nightmare of those barbarians!' 'Your subjects will die ten thousand times over!' The two men tilted their heads back and drank the blood wine to the last drop, then kowtowed heavily.
[System 4.0 Task Update: [Western Regions Dark Web] Established.]
[Current status: The first batch of 'Ban Chao-style' characters has been deployed and the Western Regions Mist has begun autonomous expansion.
Seven nights after the Western Regions Special Forces team left, silence fell over the Xuan Shi Hall. Liu Bingyi had dismissed all the guards and sent Wang Changqing to deal with the Embroidered Uniform Guard files. Alone on the dragon throne, his eyes slightly closed, he sank into the depths of the Han Dynasty's destiny.
At that moment, the core interface of 'System 4.0' transformed from cold text into a towering golden tree reaching to the heavens — the 'Powerful Han Technology Tree'. 'The Xiongnu have been destroyed, the people are united, and trade is beginning to flourish. System, calculate the current national fortune points.'
[System Announcement: Current National Fortune Points: 1,500,000.]
[Evaluation: The Han Dynasty's national strength has reached the peak of the feudal era and the prerequisite node permission for 'Primary Industrialisation' has been unlocked.' Liu Bingyi's double pupils swept over the grey branches, where gunpowder, steam engines and ocean liners could be seen. However, he knew that the Han Dynasty's foundation was weak at this time. If he took too big a step, it would tear the empire apart at the seams. 'What I want is something that can quickly transform into hegemony; something that controls the lifeline of the Western Regions completely.'
He pressed heavily on two nodes of the technology tree:
1. [High-Yield Long-Staple Cotton Seeds (Improved)]: Exchangeable for 500,000 National Fortune Points.2. Basic Coke Steelmaking Furnace Design Blueprint (including Blowering System): 800,000 points. "High-yield cotton?" Liu Bingyi looked at the plump, jade-like seeds that had appeared in his palm out of thin air, a deep smile spreading across his face. In this era, ordinary people in the Han Dynasty wore coarse hemp, while nobles wore silk. Silk was precious but difficult to mass-produce, while hemp was cheap but rough and cold. However, once this improved cotton was cultivated on a large scale in the sun-drenched lands of the Western Regions, it would trigger a revolution in clothing. [System 4.0 Tactical Analysis: [Cotton Hegemony]
Methods: Use the Ministry of Commerce to promote the cultivation of cotton in various countries in the Western Regions instead of grain crops.
Objectives: 1. Cause the countries in the Western Regions to lose their ability to be self-sufficient in food, making them completely dependent on the Han Dynasty's granaries.
2. The Han Dynasty will master the only cotton processing technology (the spinning machine), turning the Western Regions into a raw material production area. Cheap cotton cloth will impact the primitive fur trade of the surrounding barbarians, establishing financial hegemony. 'This is not just clothing.' Liu Bingyi placed the seeds in the gold box and said, 'This is a white noose around the necks of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions. I want them to hand over the land deeds left by their ancestors in exchange for a few pieces of cotton cloth.' 'If cotton is a subtle trap, then the steel furnace is a domineering hammer.' Most of the ironware currently used by the Han dynasty is fragile and contains many impurities, rendering it somewhat ineffective against the Xiongnu's heavy armour. However, the 'coke steelmaking method' and 'hydraulic blower' recorded in this design can transform pig iron into tough steel.
Liu Bingyi unfolded the blueprints, which glowed blue, and the complex structure of gears and pressure chambers was instantly visualised in his mind. 'With this steel, my Imperial Guards can be equipped with full-body plate armour, my warships can be fitted with rams and my city walls can be reinforced with steel bars.' Crucially, this technology required vast quantities of coal, and the deep-seated black coal veins were mostly located in the newly conquered northern deserts and the still unstable western borders. 'I'll give them the technology and they'll mine for me. Once their mines are depleted, their backbone will give way.' To maintain secrecy, he secretly established a forbidden zone called the 'Divine Crafts Institute' deep within the Shanglin Garden, where he personally selected loyal Embroidered Uniform Guard blacksmiths and farmers for training. That night, Liu Bingyi donned a coarse cloth shirt and pulled the first experimental blower in front of the furnace in the Divine Crafts Institute himself. Empowered by the purple system's energy, the furnace emitted a bright white light capable of melting stars. The first batch of pure molten steel slowly flowed out. At that moment, the fate of the Great Han Empire was sealed with a deafening roar. [System notification: The Han Empire has entered a 'semi-industrial embryonic' state.
[Current technological gap: 1,200 years ahead of other civilisations worldwide.] Liu Bingyi stared at the red-hot steel bar, his white hair soaked with sweat and reflecting an unprecedented madness.
'What makes those barbarians from the Western Regions, who only know how to ride horses and shoot arrows, think they can fight me?' He grabbed a newly forged steel sword and casually swung it. The Hunnic golden sword, which had been used as a test subject, snapped in two with a cut as smooth as a mirror. Meanwhile, the power of technology was quietly taking root in the Han Empire. In the direction of Duling, the purple mist had condensed to its extreme. Liu Bingyi stood on the highest point of the Divine Crafts Institute. His left hand gripped a newly forged steel blade and his right hand rested on the holographic sand table. 'The nation's strength is stable; the foundation is solid.' The spies that Chen Tang and his men planted in the Western Regions have borne fruit. Now, I finally have the confidence to discuss the return of the Prince of Ping with this damned Heavenly Dao.' Thunder rumbled faintly over Chang'an. He knew that the Heavenly Dao sensed the threat posed by this 'illegal technology' and was attempting to destroy this defiant individual with its final divine punishment. 'Come on,' sneered Liu Bingyi, his white hair whipping wildly in the wind like a silver dragon.
'I have steel for bones and the blood of the people for flesh. I will endure this heavenly thunder!"