Chapter Nineteen: The Visit of the Shu Han Monarch and Ministers

Liu Che’s breath came heavy now, and he could even hear the pounding of his own heart.

To be honest, it had been a long time since he had felt such excitement.

No, to be precise, he had never before experienced such a passionate and stirring feeling as he did today.

As the Emperor of the Great Han, Liu Che understood that after twelve years of warfare against the Xiongnu, the current situation of the Han dynasty was somewhat grim.

Not only was the treasury depleted, but with the young and able-bodied men all conscripted into the army, the fields were left untended, causing a significant drop in grain production.

However, if they could obtain crops yielding thousands of jin per mu, none of these issues would matter.

The Han could then quickly recover and prosper without wasting decades as during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing.

Liu Che’s plan was to completely annihilate the Xiongnu within his generation.

Though the cost would be great, he believed it was all worth it.

He did not want the Han to endure another seventy years of hardship like before.

Even if the blame fell on the present, the merit would last through the ages.

He had to acquire these crops.

“Shopkeeper, may I ask where you said these crops could be obtained, and what their value is?”

A smile immediately appeared on Zhang Bo’s face.

So the deal was coming together.

But after some thought, Zhang Bo quoted a moderate price.

“Your Majesty, how about one gold ingot for fifty mu?”

After all, if the price was too high, Liu Che could easily refuse and instead rely on quantity for victory.

Sure enough, after a moment’s consideration, Liu Che agreed to Zhang Bo’s price.

“Let’s try a small amount of each first. If the results are good, I will purchase generously.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Zhang Bo’s face lit up with joy.

Next, he needed to procure the seeds.

Early the next morning, Zhang Bo left the farmhouse restaurant and headed toward the county seat to purchase seeds.

When he returned, driving his old electric cart, he saw from afar two figures standing at the entrance.

Could it be another group of time travelers?

Thinking this, Zhang Bo increased the speed of his cart and swiftly drove toward the farmhouse.

Upon arriving, he realized these were not new arrivals but familiar guests.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.

Pity they hadn’t come earlier to see Liu Che.

Though Zhang Bo thought this, his hands and feet were quick as he leapt down from the cart.

“Greetings, Lord Xuande, Master Kongming.”

The Shu Han lord and his strategist were quite surprised to see Zhang Bo jump down from a cart that required no horses to move on its own.

This was truly astonishing.

Zhuge Liang could not help but glance at the old electric cart several times.

Of course, they returned Zhang Bo’s warm greeting politely.

“Greetings, shopkeeper.”

After a brief conversation with the Shu Han duo, Zhang Bo led them to the stone table in the courtyard.

He parked the cart in the garage and then joined the two at the table.

“I suppose you, Lord Xuande, and Master Kongming have important matters to discuss here today.”

Liu Bei nodded slightly.

“Indeed, as the shopkeeper said, we have three matters to attend to.”

My, how dramatic.

Zhang Bo was quite surprised.

He had assumed Liu Bei and company came to gather news about Emperor Wu of Han, but he did not expect there to be three issues.

He promptly gestured for Liu Bei to begin.

“The first matter is best explained by the strategist.”

Zhang Bo turned his gaze to Zhuge Liang, who, despite being only twenty-seven, was the pillar of Shu Han.

Though young, Zhang Bo did not dare underestimate him.

This was a towering figure in history, one of the Ten Wise Men of the Martial Temple!

“Master Kongming, please speak.”

“Shopkeeper, the issue is this: I have found that if I come here alone, I can never find this inn, but with my lord’s assistance, it only takes about the time for a cup of tea.”

Hmph.

This was yet another problem entirely different from that faced by Emperor Wu’s side.

Zhuge Liang could not come alone; he required Liu Bei’s accompaniment.

Could it be because Liu Bei was the first from the Eastern Han to enter this farmhouse, thus holding access privileges?

If so, then Liu Ju should also have this right.

Indeed, whether Huo Qubing, Liu Ju, or the other four travelers, Liu Ju’s presence was apparent.

Zhang Bo shared his speculation with the Shu Han pair.

Their faces immediately brightened with understanding.

“I see. Thank you for your insight, shopkeeper.”

“The second matter is that the Champion Marquis and His Highness the Crown Prince have been gone for many days without word, so we have come to investigate.”

“The Champion Marquis and company have already been here, and they brought His Majesty Emperor Wu with them.”

His Majesty Emperor Wu.

Hope and anticipation lit the faces of the Shu Han lord and strategist.

No one in the Han dynasty did not revere Emperor Wu.

“Then why not go to the Eastern Han? Could it be that His Majesty thinks his descendants unworthy and refuses to meet them?”

“Lord Xuande, that is not so. His Majesty wishes to go but is powerless to do so.”

Now Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were somewhat puzzled.

“Why is that?”

“First, I must inform you that the flow of time here differs from your Jian’an twelfth year. Roughly, one day here equals ten days there.”

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang showed little surprise, evidently they had suspected as much.

“Second, to travel to other eras requires cooperation from someone native to that era. From what I see, the collaborators are Lord Xuande and young Ju. In other words, if Lord Xuande wishes to go to the Western Han, he needs young Ju; if His Majesty Emperor Wu wishes to go to the Eastern Han, he needs Lord Xuande.”

The two’s faces brightened with sudden understanding.

Everything now made sense.

“Moreover, His Majesty left you a message, arranging to meet one day later—oh, there remains half a day now. If you are not in a hurry, you could wait here a little longer.”

According to previous conclusions, half a day here equated to about four or five days in their time.

For Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, this was insignificant, yet thinking about soon meeting the legendary Emperor Wu Liu Che, their excitement was impossible to restrain.

“Very well, shopkeeper, we shall wait a while longer.”

“By the way, what is the third matter Lord Xuande mentioned?”

“That matter, I confess, slipped my mind for the moment as I anticipate meeting His Majesty Emperor Wu.”

“As for the third matter, shopkeeper, since you come from a thousand years in the future, you must surely know what we are about to do. Pray tell...”

Liu Bei’s meaning was simple: did he ultimately succeed in restoring the Han dynasty?

Zhang Bo shook his head helplessly.

“In the end, your Shu Han and the Cao Wei and Eastern Wu kingdoms divided the realm for decades, but ultimately could not reverse fate. The Three Kingdoms were unified under the Jin.”

“Cao Wei must have been founded by Cao Cao, and Eastern Wu, I suppose, by Sun Quan.”

“Yes, Master Kongming.”

“But I do not know who established this so-called Jin that ultimately united the realm.”