In the early spring of the tenth year of Emperor Xuan's reign, the furnace fire in the underground laboratory of the Chang'an Divine Crafts Institute illuminated Liu Bingyi's cold, stern face. His snow-white hair fluttered slightly in the heat. Within his double pupils, the system interface was undergoing a dramatic transformation.
[System 4.0 notification: Western Regions' national fortune absorption saturated; industrial module forced update!" [Unlocked technology node: Primary Silicate Process – Transparent Glass Manufacturing Technology'. Additional rewards: glass blowing process, silver mirror reaction formula.
Liu Bingyi gazed at the complex chemical equations dancing in his mind, a playful smile playing on his lips. In this era, the Western Regions had "glass", but it was murky, impure and dark-coloured. 'Since they crave miracles, I'll give them a pure shock.' Liu Bingyi personally pulled the lever of the specially made high-temperature furnace. Under the enhanced firepower of the system-enhanced coke, the finely crushed quartz sand and soda ash melted and reformed at a temperature of 1400°C.
As the tip of the first blowpipe was dipped into the molten metal, an old craftsman from the Divine Crafts Institute breathed out tremulously and a transparent, water-like sphere slowly bloomed in the air.
"Is this water? Or ice?' The old craftsman knelt in terror, believing that he had touched some forbidden divine power.
It was a completely transparent glass sphere, free of impurities. Under the refraction of sunlight, it showed no turbidity; instead, it emitted a captivating, almost divine light."No, this is the 'premium of civilisation.'" Liu Bingyi picked up the crystal-clear glass; his white hair was reflected in its layered surface. 'Issue an order to the Ministry of Commerce: This batch of goods must not be sold within the Great Wall; it is to be transported to the Western Regions concession.' Half a month later, at the Wulei City auction house in the Protectorate of the Western Regions, the previous clamour of envoys from various countries ceased abruptly and the room fell deathly silent. Zheng Ji stood on the high platform and slowly lifted a piece of red silk. 'This is the "Heavenly Dew Cup", which His Majesty received as a token of gratitude for the sincerity of the Western Regions during the sacrificial ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This object cannot be made by human fire; it is formed from the essence of ten-thousand-year-old black ice from Kunlun Mountain." 'I offer three jade mines!' The King of Dayuan gasped, nearly collapsing onto the platform. 'I offer five years of priority breeding rights for warhorses in Wusun!' 'This king is willing to exchange the lease rights to a hundred-mile oil field outside the city for this sacred object to be offered to the temple!' Madness! To these nobles, this completely transparent cup, through which the liquid inside could be seen, was the embodiment of a god. They had no idea that this object had cost merely a handful of sand and a few pounds of coke outside Chang'an. If this glass was a sacred object, then the nobles of the Western Regions were utterly captivated when Liu Bingyi presented his second grand gift: a silver mirror. In this era, bronze mirrors were usually dim and blurry. However, when the Queen of Kangju saw the silver mirror at the 'Concession Department Store', which was so clear that even eyelashes could be seen, she screamed in terror and immediately became a fanatical worshipper.
'In this mirror, there is another me.' Liu Bingyi observed everything coldly through the holographic sand table as wealth poured madly into Chang'an along this transparent trade route, like a floodgate opening. [System 4.0 Real-time Statistics: [Glass Hegemony] Profits Settling—]
The Han Dynasty's foreign exchange reserves: Gold increased by 1.2 million taels; fertile land deeds for 30,000 hectares; mineral development rights +15. In the Xuan Shi Hall, Liu Bingyi stood on a mound of diamonds, rubies and gold ingots — the fruits of the Western Regions nobles' extravagant spending on glass.
'When wealth reaches a certain level, it can pry open rifts in spacetime.' He stretched out his hand and a surge of purple system energy instantly crushed and absorbed the treasures, transforming them into an extremely pure causal fluctuation.
[System 4.0 notification: Causal offset value achieved! Resurrection Array Main Node: Duling Underground Palace – Coffin Returns to Position!" 'The blood and sweat of the Western Regions, I accept.'
The mighty Han army swept across the Western Regions with its steel might. The most crucial resource wasn't steel, but the warhorses that carried the soldiers. 'Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Dayuan has changed hands.'
Zhang Anshi rushed into the Xuan Shi Hall, clutching a secret letter covered in yellow sand. 'After ascending the throne, the new king of Dayuan was bewitched by the shamans of the remnants of the Xiongnu forces. He ordered the blockade of the horse farms outside Ershi City, claiming that the Akhal-Teke horses were divine gifts and that only the people of Dayuan could approach them. Even the three thousand horses ordered by the Ministry of Commerce were withheld by force.' Liu Bingyi sat on the dragon throne, his white hair falling onto the golden dragon head on the armrest. A faint purple light flashed in his double pupils. System 4.0 notification: Dayuan's hostility level has risen to 80%.
[Key Resource: Akhal-Teke Horse – Essential for upgrading the 'Swiftness' attribute of Han Dynasty cavalry".
'Trying to strangle me?' Liu Bingyi scoffed, lightly tracing the sand table with his fingertip. The basin in which the Kingdom of Dayuan was located was instantly enveloped in red light. 'The dignity that General Li Guangli couldn't reclaim back then, I will make the King of Dayuan hand back to me within a day.'
However, Liu Bingyi did not immediately send troops because the Dayuan cities were fortified and located on the edge of the Pamir Plateau. A direct assault would incur enormous losses. 'Changqing, draft an edict to inform the King of Dayuan of my gratitude to Heaven and my desire to avoid force.' The Han dynasty was willing to pay three times the price for the batch of Ferghana horses, exchanging its newly produced 'Transparent Heavenly Dew Cups' and 'Snowflake Salt' for them, and had personally dispatched a 'Horse-Seeking Mission' with the imperial sword as collateral.
Upon receiving the decree, the Western Regions were shaken. 'Is the Han Emperor old? Is he actually bowing to Dayuan?'
'It seems that, after the battle in the northern deserts, the Han dynasty's treasury is truly empty. They can't even afford Ferghana horses.' Upon receiving the letter, the King of Dayuan looked at the chest full of shimmering glassware, his beard trembling with laughter. He thought he had found the Han Dynasty's Achilles heel. However, he failed to notice that each of the 500 members of the 'Horse-Seeking Mission' had concealed a specially made 'High-Explosive City-Breaking Mine' from the Divine Crafts Institute in their riding boots.
Late at night in Ershi City in Dayuan, Huo Shan, the commander of the undercover instructors and leader of the Horse-Seeking Mission, sat in the post station. In his mind's eye, he heard Liu Bingyi's icy voice: 'Coordinates locked. Activate 'God's Perspective – Full-Band Jamming'."
[Command confirmed: System energy covers Ershi City, blocking all carrier pigeons and beacon signals.'
As his fingertip swept across Chang'an, five hundred 'Horse-Seeking Envoys' instantly shed their heavy ceremonial robes to reveal dark plate armour beneath. 'His Majesty decrees: We want horses; we want cities; we want the head of the King of Dayuan too!'
While the King of Dayuan was still dreaming of becoming the new overlord of the Western Regions, his palace was reduced to dust in three muffled explosions — the result of the Divine Crafts Institute's directional demolition technology.
Huo Shan led the fifty Netherworld Guards straight into the palace of the King of Dayuan. The three thousand guards stationed there could not locate the enemy in the darkness; they could only see flashes of purple afterimages, followed by the sound of their comrades falling to the ground. "Have you forgotten An Gui's fate?" Huo Shan held his steel blade to the Dayuan King's neck. Meanwhile, above Ershi City, Liu Bingyi's enormous white-haired projection reappeared. 'I came to buy horses, yet you want to keep my men?' That godlike voice shattered the last shred of courage the Dayuan King had left. Looking at the projection towering over him and the Han army that had already stormed his palace, he was so terrified that he soiled himself and collapsed to the ground.
By dawn, the black Han Dynasty banner with a golden dragon was flying atop Ershi City. The trembling Dayuan King signed the document later known as the 'Ershi City Unequal Treaty', which included: Permanent tribute: One thousand superior Ferghana horses to be provided to the Han Dynasty free of charge each year;
- Joint management of horse farms: All horse farms in Dayuan would be managed by 'instructors' dispatched by the Han Dynasty's Ministry of Commerce, and the Han Dynasty would have the right of first refusal.
Garrison access: The Great Han Patrol Battalion established a branch office in Ershi City to maintain 'trade security'.
'Horse source blockade? There's no lock in this world I can't open.' In the Xuan Shi Hall in Chang'an, Liu Bingyi cut off the projection.
He looked at the massive Akhal-Teke cavalry caravan marching towards Chang'an on the sand table, the light in his double pupils growing deeper still. [System 4.0 notification: Great Han Cavalry 'Divine Speed' buff activated! Evaluation: Subduing the enemy without fighting — the final piece of the Western Regions puzzle is in place.'
In the tenth year of Emperor Xuan's reign, the Protectorate of the Western Regions had been established and the Dayuan horse farms had begun paying tribute. Nevertheless, Liu Bingyi felt that a thick fog shrouded this vast empire. Even travelling day and night with the fastest horses, an urgent official document from Wulei City would take more than half a month to reach Chang'an, and his secret orders would take just as long to travel back from Chang'an to the Western Regions.
'A month is enough for rebels to capture a city and for loyal ministers to die unjustly in prison.'
Liu Bingyi stood before the Western Regions Holographic Sand Table, watching the flickering green dots. Although he had a 'god's-eye view' for real-time monitoring, he was, after all, only one person. If the bureaucratic system of the Han Dynasty could not achieve synchronisation of information, this empire would ultimately be nothing more than a fortress on the beach.
'I will make the sneeze of Chang'an reach the Pamir Mountains within three days, and the dust of the Western Regions will fall into my inkstone within three days.' Liu Bingyi closed his eyes, the immense national fortune accumulating in his consciousness transforming into specks of golden light and flowing into the vast map of the Han Dynasty.
[System 4.0 notification: Special Function Activated — Great Han Postal Service (Full-Link Optimisation).'
[Unlocked items: Special Type A Postal Station, Swift Horseshoe Recipe, Directional Curing Liquid for Letter Tubes.
[Special reward: Frequency Synchronised Carrier Pigeon (System Interference Protection).
'Zhang Anshi, convey my decree.' Liu Bingyi suddenly opened his eyes, his white hair moving despite the lack of wind. 'Allocate 30% of the Ministry of Commerce's profits this year to establish a "Class A Postal Station" every fifty li along the Silk Road and a "Governor's Office" every hundred li. Replace all post horses with 'Swift Horseshoes', which were developed by the Divine Crafts Institute.' The Great Han Postal Station system was not just about increasing the number of horses; it was a revolutionary logistics breakthrough.
The 'Swift Horseshoe' is made of a lightweight, high-strength alloy that significantly reduces hoof damage. When a horse runs, the horseshoe generates subtle vibrations that stimulate blood circulation, increasing the horse's physical limits by 50%.
Each 'Directional Solidification Messenger' is coated with a special substance produced by the system. Without specific authorisation to open it, the inside of the messenger will spontaneously combust and turn to ash. Furthermore, the messenger is waterproof, fireproof and theft-proof.
Frequency Synchronisation: Each relay station has a special signal wind chime on its roof that can sense the arrival of a messenger from miles away. This allows hot fodder and replacement horses to be prepared in advance.
To demonstrate the power of the system, Liu Bingyi deliberately held a 'Royal Polo Match' in Chang'an.
At the start of the competition, he wrote a note and handed it to a black-clad courier: 'Send this to Wulei City and instruct Zheng Ji to bring me a package of fresh raisins from Kuqa. I want it at the banquet after the competition in three days." The nobles of Chang'an all thought the emperor was joking. 'Thirty thousand li of clouds and moon,' they thought. 'Three days? Only a god could do that.'
On the first day, the courier set off from Kaiyuan Gate in Chang'an. His figure quickly disappeared across the Guanzhong Plain. Every fifty li, without stopping the horse, the courier would use its momentum to leap onto another warhorse, ready and waiting.
On the second day, the messenger passed through Yumen Pass. Thanks to "wave frequency synchronisation", the passes had already been cleared of caravans, leaving a clear route for him. The thunderous sound of hooves startled the wolves in the Gobi Desert, causing them to flee.
On the third day, a red figure appeared on the horizon above Wulei City. Zheng Ji was stunned when he received the secret order. Looking at the date on the letter, his hands trembled: 'This is... His Majesty's handwriting from three days ago! The ink still smells fresh!' At the closing banquet of the polo match, Liu Bingyi publicly accepted a bag of Kucha raisins, which still carried the fresh scent of the Western Regions' soil and dew. The hostages from the various Western Regions countries seated below were terrified and fell to the ground. 'Three days... From the Western Regions to Chang'an in only three days?' The Crown Prince of Wusun turned deathly pale. He realised that, from now on, any thought of betraying the Han Dynasty would likely be met with the Emperor's blade falling from Chang'an before it could be acted upon. This postal system was the most intricate network that the Han Dynasty had established in the Western Regions. Each post station was a logistics centre, an intelligence outpost and a source of deterrence. With the postal system in place, the will of the Han Dynasty flowed unimpeded through the region like blood through the body.
Standing at the highest point of the Xuan Shi Hall, Liu Bingyi sensed that, due to the rapid flow of information, the Han Dynasty's fate had reached a level of 'space-time distortion'.
System 4.0 notification: [Great Han Courier Service] Achievement completed! National Fate Resonance Frequency: Peak Value'.