The death of King Angui of Loulan was like a massive boulder crashing into the already turbulent waters of the Western Regions. News of his death plunged the rulers of the thirty-six Western Regions kingdoms into unprecedented panic. The 'anti-Han front', initially formed at the instigation of the Xiongnu remnants, crumbled within days. The King of Dayuan burned his secret correspondence with the Xiongnu overnight, while the Great Kunmi of Wusun dispatched an envoy bearing the finest Ferghana horses to Chang'an in an attempt to sever ties with the Xiongnu. All of this was within Liu Bingyi's calculations. In the Xuan Shi Hall of Chang'an, Liu Bingyi dismissed everyone. He stood before the enormous 'Western Regions holographic sand table', gently tracing patterns on the screen with his fingertips. On the sand table, icons representing dozens of kingdoms flashed different colours: deep red for the die-hards, bright yellow for the wavering and emerald green for the surrendered. 'Slaughter alone can gain territory; to gain the world, one must "act".' Liu Bingyi's lips curled slightly and his purple pupils gleamed. He wanted not only to conquer these countries' territories, but also to manipulate their souls. He selected a small country called 'Qiemo' on the sand table. It had once been subordinate to Loulan, but had secretly continued to provide water and guides to the remnants of the Xiongnu.
'System, activate remote will guidance.' [Command confirmed: lock onto the Qiemo Palace.]
Rather than sending troops, Liu Bingyi used the one hundred 'Netherworld Guards' stationed in Loulan to infiltrate Qiemo's territory at night. The orders given were, however, extremely strange: do not kill soldiers or plunder treasure; instead, nail a list of the Han Dynasty's crimes to every pillar of the Qiemo Palace with a fine steel spear.
The next morning, when the King of Qiemo saw the court filled with densely packed official documents, he was so terrified that he suffered a stroke on the spot. This silent intimidation — this 'I can kill you with ease, but I'll make you tremble' — was more terrifying to the Western Regions than a massacre.
'This is "fighting",' Liu Bingyi coldly crossed out the red dot on Qiemo. 'Strike their guts. Let them know that, in the eyes of the Han, borders are merely a formality.' After defeating Qiemo, Liu Bingyi immediately switched to his 'Best Actor' mode, summoning the Jingjue envoy, who was trembling with fear as he awaited the imperial decree in Chang'an. Jingjue was a small country, always caught between powerful nations. The envoy had prepared himself for wrath, but in a side hall of the Weiyang Palace, he encountered an emperor with a gentle face and white hair that radiated compassion.'I've heard that Jingjue has suffered a severe drought this year and that the people have had no harvest,' said Liu Bingyi, helping the kneeling envoy to his feet and wiping away a tear. 'Your Majesty...' The envoy was overwhelmed with gratitude, his mind going blank. 'Alas! My campaigns in the northern deserts were truly out of necessity,' said Liu Bingyi earnestly, taking the envoy's hand. 'My heart yearns for peace, yet there are always treacherous individuals inciting me. Jingjue is a friend of the Han dynasty, and I cannot bear to see you suffer. Issue an edict that the Ministry of Commerce shall allocate 30,000 shi of aged grain and send another batch of high-yield cotton seeds to Jingjue free of charge.' Moved to tears, the envoy knelt and kowtowed frantically. What he did not know was that, once these cotton seeds were planted, the Han Dynasty's Ministry of Commerce would completely control Jingjue's agricultural lifeline. 'Changqing, has the letter been sent?' 'According to your secret decree, Your Majesty, I have sent people to spread rumours that the King of Dayuan is preparing to annex several small surrounding states. At the same time, I have sent invitations to those states to form a "Han Dynasty Defence Alliance".' This was Liu Bingyi's ruthlessness.
Using the information gathered from the holographic sand table, he accurately analysed the historical grievances and conflicts of interest among the various states of the Western Regions. He didn't need to lift a finger; simply offering the weak a little benefit to win them over and intimidating the powerful to strike them down would plunge the entire Western Regions into a state of 'involvement'.
Eager to curry favour with the Han Dynasty, some countries proactively attacked the Xiongnu remnants, who were still hesitant. [System 4.0 notification: alliance progress 40%.] [The Western Regions' fortune is being forcibly stripped away and concentrated on the Han Dynasty's national destiny.] Liu Bingyi stood in the centre of the sand table. In his eyes, the Western Regions were no longer a chaotic wasteland, but rather a finely tuned gear train. With each turn of his paddle, smoke would rise from distant oases or flames would ignite.
'Zhang Anshi and the others are still arguing about what titles to give these countries,' said Liu Bingyi, looking at the moonlight outside the window. His eyes turned cold again. 'They don't understand that power isn't given; it's borrowed. I lend them titles, and they must sell their lives to me.' He turned to look at the secret chamber behind the palace. The thunderclouds over Duling were drawing ever closer. He had to transform the Western Regions completely into a stable iron net before the resurrection ceremony began.
'There are still two "die-hards", and I will make them bow out in fear.'
Following the fall of Loulan and the surrender of Jingjue, only two tough nuts remained to be cracked on the chessboard of the Western Regions: the Wusun Kingdom and the Dayuan Kingdom. The Wusun kingdom was a powerful force to be reckoned with, boasting 100,000 elite troops and considering itself the overlord of the Western Regions. Despite its marriage alliance with the Han Dynasty, the Wusun harboured ulterior motives. Dayuan, renowned for its wealth and the production of Ferghana horses, relied on its fortified cities to evade the "cotton contract" imposed by the Han Dynasty. 'Do they think that by uniting, they can negotiate with me?' Inside the Xuan Shi Hall, Liu Bingyi sat before the holographic sand table, tracing two red dots with his fingertip and wearing a mocking smile. 'I don't want to kill people; I want to see them kill their own allies.' He activated the [System 4.0: Causal Forgery] function.
He ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Azure Eagle Division) to forge two letters. The first was written in the name of the Great Kunmi of Wusun to the King of Dayuan and stated that Wusun was willing to join forces with Dayuan to intercept and kill Han envoys on the day the Protectorate of the Western Regions was established and to divide the Han merchant caravan equally. The second was a 'secret letter' written in the name of the King of Dayuan to the Emperor of Han and reported that Wusun intended to rebel and requested Han military assistance. Dayuan offered to act as guides and, upon success, requested only half of Wusun's grasslands. Liu Bingyi 'accidentally' delivered these two letters to spies planted by both countries within the other's ranks. [System notification: [Divisive Strategy]: causal chain locked; suspicion increased to 85%. Liu Bingyi sat on the dragon throne in Chang'an, remotely controlling the hundred 'Netherworld Guards' stationed in the Western Regions via a 'God's-eye view'. In the dead of night, a Netherworld Guard member, disguised as a Dayuan assassin, infiltrated the Wusun royal tent and wounded the beloved son of the Wusun Grand Kunmi. The Netherworld Guard member also "inadvertently" left behind a distinctive gold-inlaid knife belonging to the Dayuan royal family. Almost simultaneously, another group of Netherworld Guards burned down the most crucial granary on the Dayuan border and left behind a signal arrow commonly used by the Wusun cavalry. 'I've set the stage for you,' Liu Bingyi observed, watching the red dot on the sand table begin to fluctuate violently. 'Now, let the show begin.' The Wusun Grand Kunmi was enraged. He had already suspected Dayuan of betraying him in exchange for rewards from the Han Dynasty. Now, with his son assassinated, he could no longer suppress his ambition and fury. 'Dayuan traitors, you've broken your promise! Follow me and kill them!'
Fifty thousand Wusun cavalry poured out like a black torrent, rushing towards the Dayuan border. Seeing the granary destroyed, the Dayuan king was about to question the Wusun when they launched a frenzied attack. He was forced to engage in battle hastily.
The two strongest armies from the Western Regions clashed in a brutal and devastating battle on the banks of the Chishui River.
It was a true carnage. The Wusun's scimitars tore through the Dayuan's leather armour, while the Dayuan's spears pierced the Wusun's warhorses. Former allies fell every second in pools of blood, cursing each other's betrayal as they died. They were unaware that, thousands of miles away, Liu Bingyi was observing the casualty data of each hundred-man squad on a holographic sand table like a spectator. Both sides were exhausted and blood flowed like rivers. Liu Bingyi knew it was his turn. He unleashed Mythical Pressure – Will Projection once again. Thick clouds gathered above the Chishui battlefield, thunder roared and Liu Bingyi's enormous, godlike projection reappeared. 'Enough.' These two words, like thunder, shook the soldiers within a ten-mile radius to their core. 'I intended to keep the peace in the Western Regions, but you have turned on each other and stained the yellow sands with blood. Since you do not love this land, I will take over!' The exhausted Wusun and Dayuan soldiers looked at the projection of the Han emperor, which resembled a god, and then at their fallen comrades. What welled up in their hearts was not hatred, but extreme regret and fear. They all knelt in pools of blood, kowtowing and begging for mercy. After this battle, the Wusun lost 30% of their elite troops and the Dayuan's strength was halved.
Two days later, peace treaties from both countries arrived in Chang'an almost simultaneously. Not only did they accept the 'cotton contract', they also proactively requested that the Han Dynasty send 'instructors' to manage their armies and prevent further attacks from their 'allies'. Liu Bingyi slowly opened his eyes, his white hair gleaming in the dim light of the hall. [System 4.0 notification: the alliance progress bar has reached 90%.]
Evaluation: A perfect performance by a master of acting; the hegemony in the Western Regions is now secure. 'Changqing, draft the decree: Wusun's Great Kunmi has failed to educate his son, so he is demoted to Marquis of Guiyi. The King of Dayuan has neglected military discipline, so he is fined 5,000 Ferghana horses and sent to the Han horse farm. We're tired of killing all the troublemakers.' Liu Bingyi stood up and looked at Duling.
In early autumn of the ninth year of Emperor Xuan's reign, the air in Chang'an was filled with the gentle scent of willow catkins and the chilling, imposing smell of rust. Zhuque Avenue, in front of Weiyang Palace and known as the 'Heavenly Street', had been swept clean. Every ten steps along both sides of the street stood an elite Imperial Guard, clad in heavy armour and wielding a long sabre. These were not the same timid recruits as three years ago, but cold-blooded warriors forged in the blood-soaked mountains of the northern deserts. Today, this street was not carrying Han soldiers, but a 'King'.
More than sixty royal leaders and regent princes from the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, the eighteen tribes of the northern deserts, the southwestern barbarians and the Buyeo envoys from the Far East were lined up in two rows, heads bowed and moving cautiously towards the Xuan Shi Hall of Weiyang Palace, under the terrifying pressure of the military formation. These figures, who once held sway over their respective territories, dared not breathe loudly. Their eyes darted to the massive black steel crossbows gleaming on the city walls; only one thought occupied their minds: that white-haired man had truly become a god. Liu Bingyi sat on the terrace outside the Xuan Shi Hall, leaning against the lacquered gold dragon throne that symbolised the Han Dynasty's supreme power. He wore no crown today; his white hair fluttered in the mountain wind and his long, gold-embroidered robe seemed to move slowly with his breath.
'The tribute from all nations has begun.' With Wang Changqing's sharp announcement, the once noisy square fell silent instantly. The Great Kunmi of Wusun (now the Marquis of Guiyi) was the first to ascend the steps. The former steppe overlord, who had once commanded 100,000 iron cavalry, now felt his legs grow weak beneath him. He knelt abruptly thirty paces from Liu Bingyi, slamming his forehead heavily against the white marble floor tiles.
'Your Majesty, the sinful Marquis of Guiyi of Wusun kowtows to Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Han! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years!' Liu Bingyi remained silent and did not even glance down at him. Instead, he simply picked up the glass cup beside him and took a small sip of the newly tributed wine from the Western Regions.
One second, five seconds, ten seconds… This deathly silence was heavier than thunder. Large beads of sweat splattered onto the ground as the King of Wusun trembled violently, awaiting divine judgement. 'The horses of Wusun are fine,' said Liu Bingyi, his voice clear and magnetic as it echoed throughout the Weiyang Palace via the 'National Fortune Amplification System'. 'But I've heard that some in your territory still yearn for the war songs of the Xiongnu.' "Bang! Bang! Bang! The King of Wusun kowtowed frantically, his voice trembling with sobs. 'Your Majesty, I dare not!' You have already decreed that anyone who sings Xiongnu songs will have their tongue pulled out and that anyone who worships the Xiongnu gods will have their entire clan exterminated. From this day forward, the people of Wusun will only worship the Han Dynasty's war god!" Liu Bingyi nodded slightly and waved his hand. 'Step back. Remember, I can enfeoff you as a marquess and grant you a tomb.' Immediately afterwards, the King of Dayuan, the Governor of Loulan, the King of Jingjue and other renowned rulers of the Western Regions stepped forward and presented their most precious treasures.
Ferghana horses, deep-sea pearls and ten thousand taels of gold — not to mention the all-important [Decree of Land Transfer].
System 4.0 notification: 'All Kings Kneel in Worship' achieved.
[Evaluation: Mythical Achievement – "Father of All Nations"]
"National Fortune Points Exploded: +5,000,000!" As the tribute reached its climax, Liu Bingyi stood up and slowly walked to the edge of the terrace. He looked down at the dark mass of foreign monarchs below. 'I know some of you are waiting for me to grow old and for my white hair to burn out.' Liu Bingyi suddenly chuckled. He abruptly flicked his sleeve and the Western Regions Holographic Sand Table instantly appeared in the sky in a semi-transparent form.
A huge, three-dimensional map covered the entire sky above Chang'an; every river, city and moving caravan was clearly visible. 'These are my eyes.'
Liu Bingyi pointed to the divine miracle in the sky, his tone chilling. 'I can hear your every move, even your whispers in your palaces. This world is now my chessboard.' The kings looked up at the miraculous, real-time map, their last shred of resistance utterly shattered. They realised that the power wielded by the Han emperor was beyond mortal comprehension. After the tribute ceremony, Liu Bingyi watched the kings depart, the gentleness in his eyes vanishing instantly. 'Changqing, remember those who didn't kneel quickly enough.'
He ordered coldly, 'The Ministry of Commerce will cut off their salt routes. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will depart tomorrow. I don't want to see their kingdom's name on next year's map.' 'Yes, sir!' Wang Changqing's eyes were filled with fanatical devotion. Liu Bingyi turned to look at Duling, which was now completely enveloped in purple lightning. 'The kings of the Western Regions have paid homage; the world's fortune has gathered.
In the winter of the ninth year of Emperor Xuan's reign, before the first snowfall in Chang'an, banners had already blocked out the sun over Wulei City in the Gobi Desert (present-day Luntai County, Xinjiang). Although Liu Bingyi did not personally oversee Wulei, he projected his will across thousands of miles to the heart of the Western Regions through a 'God's-eye view': 'Today, this Protectorate is established not for the benefit of a single nation, but for the sake of the world.'
As the first Protector-General, Zheng Ji, unveiled the red silk covering the stone tablet, the seven bold characters 'Great Han Protectorate of the Western Regions' gleamed in the sunlight. This was not merely the establishment of a military institution, but a symbol that, from that day forward, the Western Regions had officially become an integral part of the Han dynasty.
[Ding! Historical coordinates established: The Protectorate of the Western Regions has officially entered the annals of history.'
[System 4.0 report: The stability of the Han Dynasty's territory has reached 100%.'
Evaluation: A reversal of fortune. Due to the simultaneous use of domineering and benevolent methods by the host, the assimilation process of the Western Regions was accelerated by five years. The instant the plaque was hung, a melodious buzzing sound rang in Liu Bingyi's mind. 'Congratulations, host, on obtaining a strategic-level reward: The All-Language Instant Translation Plugin (Limited to the Western Regions)!' Plug-in description: 'Within the jurisdiction of the Great Han Western Regions Protectorate, the consciousness of Han people communicating with other ethnic groups will automatically perform two-way translation.'
Affected areas: Government offices, military camps, markets and official trading posts.
Tactical value: The complete elimination of the language barrier accelerates the Sinicisation process by 300%.
Liu Bingyi suddenly opened his eyes in the Xuan Shi Hall. He realised the terrifying aspect of this reward: it had eradicated the greatest barrier between conquerors and the conquered — the cultural barrier.
'From now on, Chinese is the truth on this land,' he sneered.
Through the real-time translation plugin, he could hear a Han merchant haggling with a Kangju merchant at the market outside Wulei City. A process that would normally have required physical effort and taken half a day was now as fluent as a village conversation. No administrative means could match this efficiency improvement. The translation plugin could be used not only for business, but also for intelligence gathering.
Liu Bingyi switched the perspective of the sand table. He could hear the remnants of Loulan, hiding in a corner, plotting in their native dialect. To the Han army commander on patrol, however, these furtive dialects instantly transformed into standard Guanzhong accents. 'Sir, they say they're going to set fire to the granary tomorrow.' Before the remnants could move, the Imperial Guards' swords were at their necks — this was the 'dimensional reduction attack'. When one civilisation can understand all the secrets of another while the other knows nothing about them, the war is unequal from the start. 'Kings of the Western Regions, I have accepted your final secrets.' Liu Bingyi ran his fingertip across the sand table and the red dot representing the beginnings of the Loulan rebellion disappeared immediately. Under Liu Bingyi's covert instructions, Zheng Ji issued the Protectorate's first decree: 'All nobles of the Western Regions must send their sons to study at the "Han Academy" in Wulei. Those who cannot speak Chinese will not inherit titles, and those who do not learn Han etiquette will be refused participation in the cotton trade by the Ministry of Commerce.'
With the help of an 'instant translation plugin', these noble sons were astonished to find that the Han classics were so easy to read. This high level of civilisation, along with the convenience of instant communication, gave them cultural confidence and led them to develop a fervent worship of Liu Bingyi. They started wearing Han clothing, learning Han etiquette and taking pride in acquiring a Han surname.
[System 4.0 Monitoring: Cultural Invasion Progress Soars to 60%]
National Fortune Feedback: The Western Regions are no longer merely conquered territory; they are gradually transforming into Han's outer prefectures. The cheers of Wulei echoed through time and space in Liu Bingyi's ears. He stood up and walked to the terrace of the Xuan Shi Hall. With the Western Regions now under control, their fortune surged along the Silk Road like a roaring golden dragon, ultimately converging above Duling. At that very moment, the purple thunderclouds above Duling had completely transformed into a noble dark gold — the colour born from the collision of ultimate national destiny and divine retribution.
'Full-language translation... so it was all for this moment.' Liu Bingyi felt the surging power within him. His white hair, illuminated by the dark gold lightning, appeared both sacred and unrestrained.
'I will make even the Heavenly Dao understand my will.' He drew his ancient sword and pointed its tip towards the centre of the swirling cloud vortex above Duling.From the moment the Protectorate of the Western Regions plaque was hung up, camel bells on the Silk Road became ten times more frequent. Porcelain, fine steel and newly developed cotton cloth from the Han dynasty flowed through Wulei City to the far west, and returned in exchange for mountains of gold coins and spices. However, a dark shadow still loomed over this trade route, which Liu Bingyi considered to be the 'artery of the empire'. The 'Sand Scorpions', bandits entrenched at the border of Bailongdui and Lop Nur, were the cause of this shadow. They were no ordinary bandits, but rather a desperate group of outlaws composed of Xiongnu remnants, Loulan fugitives, and vicious death row inmates from various countries. Familiar with every stretch of quicksand, they evaded the main Han army patrols and targeted poorly defended civilian caravans. They even dared to covet the Protectorate's tax revenue. 'Your Majesty,' said Wang Changqing, kneeling on one knee and presenting a blood-stained letter of appeal. 'Last month, three more caravans disappeared at Hongliutan. When they were found, only shards of porcelain and the tongues of their drivers remained.' Liu Bingyi sat in the shadows of the Xuan Shi Hall, his white hair looking especially cold in the candlelight. Through the 'Western Regions Holographic Sand Table', he could see the grey mist representing the bandits writhing wildly along the golden trade route. 'I've cleaned up this land, but the cobwebs in the corners still need to be torn apart by hand.' He didn't order the mobilisation of the border troops because a large-scale march would only alert the elusive bandits. 'What I want is not encirclement, but evaporation.' He lightly tapped the sand table, activating System 4.0: High-Dimensional Vision. In his mind's eye, he selected fifty men from the hundred 'Netherworld Guards' stationed in the Western Regions and three hundred of the most skilled long-distance cavalrymen from the Guanzhong Imperial Guard.
'I'll provide you with the best equipment, the fastest horses and a pair of "Heavenly Eyes".' Liu Bingyi issued a secret decree and named this hastily formed force "The Cleaners".
Three days later, in the Bailongdui Desert... Lone Wolf, the leader of the Sand Scorpion Bandits, led five hundred elite cavalrymen in an ambush behind a crescent-shaped sand dune. They were awaiting a licensed caravan carrying 'refined steel ingots'.
'After this heist, we'll retreat west of the Pamir Mountains. Even the Han Emperor won't be able to reach us!' Lone Wolf grinned maliciously as he sharpened his scimitar, unaware that Liu Bingyi was watching him coldly from above. 'Three miles to the left, two sentries. Take them out.' A thousand miles away in Chang'an, Liu Bingyi issued the order via the Hundred Cavalry Link. Two barbed steel crossbow bolts shot silently from the sand, accurately piercing the throats of the bandit sentries. 'All troops, advance! Leave no survivors!' With this command from Liu Bingyi, the Scavenger Force swooped down from the other side of the dune like a black lightning bolt. The bandits' proud ambush turned into a one-sided massacre. The Scavengers used the newly developed 'Armour-Piercing Crossbow' from the Divine Crafts Institute. These bolts could pierce two layers of tanned leather armour from a thousand paces away. After a volley, the front ranks of the bandits were instantly minced. Lone Wolf was horrified to discover that these Han soldiers didn't shout or try to persuade the bandits to surrender; they couldn't even hear their breathing. They moved almost instantaneously, using the shadows of the sand dunes to their advantage, like a group of silent harvesters. Whenever the bandits tried to retaliate, they were always suppressed by flanking fire that appeared out of nowhere. 'This is impossible! How did they know my ambush position?'
The lone wolf howled, trying to break through, but a white-haired cavalry commander, a mirror image of Liu Bingyi, had already charged in front of him. His finely crafted steel sabre drew a perfect arc in the moonlight and, with a flash of light, severed several heads. The Sand Scorpion bandits, who had dominated the Western Regions for ten years, were wiped out completely in less than an hour.
At dawn, the first light illuminated Red Willow Beach. The bandits had disappeared, leaving only neatly arranged corpses and small black flags bearing the Chinese character 'Han' fluttering in the breeze. The purple light in Liu Bingyi's eyes faded, replaced by an intense desire for control.
'The bandits are gone, but the trade routes need lasting order.' He stood up, walked to the map and marked several key points on the Silk Road with circles. 'Issue the decree: Establish the 'Western Regions Patrol Camp,' with the Cleaners as its backbone. I want to ensure that not a single Han coin dropped on this road is picked up by anyone.'
Following the annihilation of the 'Sand Scorpions', the trade routes of the Western Regions remained stable for the most part, although remnants of the group, known as the 'Ghost Shadows', continued to roam deep into the Taklamakan Desert. They were extremely cunning, using special potions to mask the scent of their horses and exploiting the altered landscape after sandstorms to evade pursuit. 'Your Majesty,' said Wang Changqing, his face full of shame, 'this group stole a copy of the "Western Regions Mineral Vein Map" from the Ministry of Commerce. If it falls into the hands of the remaining forces of the Western Regions, it will cause endless trouble.' Liu Bingyi snorted coldly, his pale fingers lightly tapping the dragon table. 'Since conventional methods cannot catch the "Ghosts", we will use the methods of "divine beings". I hereby decree the official establishment of the 'Western Regions Patrol Camp' and grant them 'the first batch of special patrol attire of the Great Han.'" At the patrol camp headquarters in Wulei City, three hundred rigorously selected elite Han soldiers looked on in astonishment at the new equipment delivered by the Divine Crafts Institute.
[System Reward: Beginner Desert Tracking Set]
[Glass Goggles – Thermal Sensing Version]: The lenses, tempered by system energy, can detect subtle residual heat in the air. Even if an enemy passed by an hour ago, their hoofprints in the sand will appear faintly fluorescent red through the lenses.
[Magnetic Compass (Pressurised Type)]: When used with a specially designed map, it enables precise positioning in the magnetically chaotic quicksand zone, so you will never get lost.
[Sand Camel Beast – Mechanically Improved Horseshoes]: Fitting your warhorse with wide, high-quality steel horseshoes made specially for this purpose allows it to traverse soft sand like a camel, significantly reducing noise.
'With these things, there are no blind spots in this desert in my eyes.' Liu Bingyi inputted the combat commands directly into the patrol commander's mind via remote control.
It was late at night on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. The leader of the 'Ghost Shadow' bandits was hiding in a dry cave, smugly examining a stolen map. 'The Han cavalry are too heavy. In this sandstorm, they won't be able to find their way. How could they possibly have caught up here?' Meanwhile, three miles away on a sand dune, a Han cavalry officer slowly pulled down his helmet's goggles.
The once pitch-black desert had turned a deep blue in his vision. Beneath an inconspicuous, barren rock in the distance, several dark red humanoid silhouettes radiated an alluring heat, as conspicuous as red lanterns at night. 'Target locked. Five heat sources, ten horses, 1,200 paces away,' the officer reported in a low voice via 'system resonance'.
'All troops, switch to silent crossbows and encircle in a T formation.' The bandits didn't hear the sound of hooves until the first crossbow bolt, enhanced by the basic system with thermal-sensing automatic guidance, pierced the sentry at the cave entrance. They were horrified to discover that the Han army had seemingly emerged from the ground, blocking all escape routes.
'How... how did you find this place?' The bandit leader looked at the Han army soldiers, who were wearing strange goggles and exuding a chilling aura, and completely broke down.
'Under the laws of the Great Han, there is nowhere to hide.' The cavalry commander's voice was icy and merciless. He swung his sword and the last bandit who was still resisting fell to the ground.
[System 4.0 notification: [Western Region Patrol Camp] Prestige Value Full.
[Reward: Western Region Security Index increased to 99%; Trade Route fully opened. Following the recapture of the mine map and the execution of the last bandit, there was no longer a single discordant note within the Great Han territory that could threaten the nation's fate.
In Chang'an, at the Xuan Shi Hall, Liu Bingyi slowly removed his heavy dragon robe to reveal the old garment that had accompanied him through countless battles and was now stained with Xu Pingjun's blood.
[System 4.0 Final Notification: The Golden Dragon of National Fortune has taken shape; the Duling Grand Array has cooled down.
'The Western Regions are pacified, the Silk Road is secure, and my people live in peace and prosperity on this land.'
Looking out of the window, he saw that the golden thunderclouds above Duling had transformed into a colossal, bell-shaped cauldron — the final challenge from heaven and earth.
Liu Bingyi drew his sword and left the hall, his white hair flying in the wind. That night, millions of citizens of Chang'an saw a beam of white light shoot straight from the palace to Duling.