Chapter 5

For those famous figures in history, we often only know them from books, which are just two-dimensional images. All the feelings we have about them are also two-dimensional. But once these two-dimensional images turn into three-dimensional objects, the impression suddenly becomes abstract, and many people find it hard to adapt, let alone a dragon soaring in the sky?

Suning felt a bit uncomfortable, then habitually lay down on the blanket by the fire, which was probably a special favor from Li Jing! With his hands in his pockets, this was his favorite gesture. The fire emitted warmth, making the tent cozy and warm, not at all cold. Hmm? The zipper on the right side won't open? Oh, right, the smart device is inside. It was just bought not long ago. Sigh!

He didn't expect that before he could even use it, it would end up traveling through time with him. Losing its biggest function—internet access—this once powerful smartphone had regressed to a mere MP4. Of course, the Nokia still had one function—being a brick.

Taking out the smart device, he unlocked the screen and stared blankly at the dynamic display. This screen, this smart device, how different they were from this era, how out of place! And this smart device must absolutely not be discovered by anyone, no matter who they are, especially Emperor Taizong. If this emperor of a thousand years discovered it, it would be the end. Encountering something beyond his understanding, any intelligent ruler would do the same thing—demand his head, unless the emperor really enjoyed playing around...

Although he couldn't go online, Suning really wanted to see how amazing it would be if he could use QQ. Taking a photo with Li Jing and posting it on QQ Space, saying it was a photo with the military god Li Jing, how cool would that be? Then taking a photo of himself on a white horse with a silver spear, wouldn't his parents be surprised? Wouldn't those young girls and boys admire him? Thinking about it, Suning suddenly shed tears. This was a kind of loneliness, the loneliness and sorrow of a wanderer in a foreign land. Isn't this the same feeling as walking in fine clothes at night?

Opening the photo album, he looked at the photos of himself with so many people—his father, his mother, his grandmother, his grandfather, Er Gouzi, Hu Niu, and the only photo with the old man, which he secretly took while the old man was drunk. The old man was strangely unwilling to take photos; he must have thought he was too ugly!

Looking at these photos, Suning's eyes became moist.

** (Douyin), Kuaishou, and Momo, known as the three great tools for otaku, were all on his phone. Although he wasn't an otaku, Suning still loved these things. Seeing these familiar icons, Suning suddenly felt a sense of unreality. Should these things exist in this era? Should someone like him exist in this era? Why did he come here? What was the reason?

In this era, he was a complete stranger, knowing nothing and being able to do nothing. He had learned many survival skills in the wild from the old man and was a good cook, but would these skills be useful in this era? The ancient society was a strictly hierarchical class society, where a higher rank could crush a lower one, the best interpretation of this era. Could he accept it? Could he, who was used to a free and wild life, endure such a naked sense of hierarchy?

Suning wiped away the tears on his face, closed the unresponsive Momo, and stared at the phone screen, lost in thought. His finger accidentally tapped the browser icon, opening the browser. Suning couldn't help but feel helpless. Without the internet, what was the point of this browser? With a bitter smile, Suning was about to close the browser, but the next scene almost scared him to death!

Bai, Bai, Bai, Baidu?

Suning's eyes instantly widened. What was going on?

Looking at the familiar Baidu logo, although he often felt extremely frustrated by the "According to relevant laws and regulations, some search results are temporarily not displayed," which meant a lot of first-hand information from Japan was unavailable, and many seeders of adult content were extremely frustrated, he had to admit that in this situation, Baidu felt as cute as a long-lost sister. Why, why couldn't he use QQ, why was there no 3G network, but Baidu still appeared stubbornly? No matter how powerful the smart device was, it shouldn't be like this!

Suning suddenly felt his heart pounding violently. This feeling was like when he received his exam papers, his hands slightly spasming, his breathing rapid, his heart rate exceeding 200 beats per minute, his face flushed, just like the first time he and his girlfriend sneaked to a secluded hotel behind the school. This feeling hadn't appeared for a long time...

Suning typed in "Li Jing" and clicked "Baidu it." Immediately, a green progress bar appeared! A little, a little, and a little more, Suning's heart also beat once, once, and once more! Finally, the green progress bar reached the end, the page turned, Baidu Baike! Baidu Baike! So many search results!

Suning couldn't control his joy, sitting up crazily. He never thought! He never thought! He could actually go online! He couldn't use QQ! He couldn't use **! He couldn't use Momo, but he could actually go online! He could use Baidu to search for things! Heaven! Is there a more powerful cheat device than this?

Nokia, Nokia, smart device! When it had power, it was a cheat device, and when it ran out of power, it could still be used as a brick to hit people. Is there anything more powerful than this? My dear Nokia, did you really come with me through time?!

Suning, full of surprise, opened the Baidu Baike entry for Li Jing and read it carefully. Yes, indeed, it was the ambush at Dingxiang, capturing Yang Zhengdao, then setting up a false formation with inferior forces to force Jiali Khan to retreat north, and finally joining forces with Li Ji to raid Yanshan with 10,000 elite troops, capturing Jiali, and ending the **! This opened the military chapter of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era! Cheat device, cheat device! God! You really take good care of me! You explained it so clearly!

In his wild joy, Suning didn't lose his clear mind. To understand a historical figure, he needed to know his character, his future, and his way of dealing with people. So, Suning also opened the Wikipedia entry.

For the evaluation of historical figures, Suning trusted Wikipedia more, and the reason was clear to those who understood. Fortunately, the Baidu Baike and Wikipedia entries for Li Jing were not much different; Li Jing had always been a positive national hero. Then, Suning began to look up information on Li Ji.

Li Ji was the old Taoist Xu Maogong in the "Romance of Sui and Tang," who was granted the surname Li by Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Shiji. Later, to avoid the taboo of Emperor Taizong's name, he changed his name to Li Ji. Li Ji served through the reigns of Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Gaozong, and even had a shadowy presence in the Wu Zetian regency. He was a double success in politics and the military, living a life of wealth and honor, relied on by the court, and bestowed the title of Duke of Britain.

He was very good at recognizing talent and was both emotional and strategic. If it weren't for his grandson Li Yejing's foolish opposition to Wu Zetian, the Li family's legacy would have continued.

At this time, Li Ji was a big leg to cling to! The only one who could compare was Cheng Yaojin. Even if he couldn't cling to Emperor Taizong's leg, he had to cling to Li Jing and Li Ji's big legs. Li Jing would definitely take care of him, as long as he showed his talent. And since Li Ji was also good at recognizing talent, after Li Jing's death, which was probably in the same year as Emperor Taizong's, Li Ji would be his big support. Relying on him, there would be no problems.

There was just one thing. Suning entered a specific entry evaluating Li Ji, read the comprehensive evaluation by later generations, and discovered something. Li Ji liked to execute his sons-in-law to enforce military discipline. He always took his sons-in-law on campaigns and would immediately execute any who showed the slightest flaw to demonstrate his strict military discipline. One son-in-law survived and became a legend, hiding in the mountains. This was a blemish, not good for the family, especially for the sons-in-law, and he didn't care if his daughters were widowed. Hmm, no matter how beautiful Li Ji's daughters were, he absolutely couldn't touch them, even if they were as beautiful as celestial beings!

After fully understanding everything, Suning silently said, "I love you, Baidu," and lay down, happily thinking about the happy life he would have in the Tang Dynasty after achieving success. After a while, a soldier brought a set of black clothes to Suning's tent: "The general wants you to change into this military uniform and take off those colorful clothes. Once you join the military, you need to look like a soldier." Suning was stunned and immediately felt depressed. When did he say he wanted to join the military? The Tang Dynasty was at war every year, and if he accidentally died, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

However, the Tang Dynasty valued military achievements the most. The status of those who achieved military success was unimaginable. So, if he could earn some military credit, he might even be granted a title, and then he could live a life of ease. Suning didn't have great ambitions. Since he was here, he just needed to cling to the big leg, and that would be enough. Emperor Taizong's grand plans and the Zhenguan era's prosperity were inevitable.

Shaking his head, Suning took off his down jacket and pants, leaving only his inner clothes. He wore a vest over his thermal underwear, which had a pocket. Suning put the smart device in the pocket and started to put on the Tang Dynasty military uniform... An hour later, Suning struggled to tie the last rope and sighed, "Ancient people really had complicated clothing. Modern clothes are much more comfortable. If I have the chance, I might as well open a clothing store. After all, the Tang Dynasty doesn't restrict this. Hmm? What's this? A diaper?"

He checked with the smart device. Okay, there were no underpants at this time, only this kind of diaper-like loincloth! No wonder the Japanese wear this; they learned it from the Tang Dynasty and have kept it to this day. Sigh! This loincloth is not breathable and restricts growth. At Suning's age, he estimated his "little brother" could still grow. Hmm, the length and diameter were both good, something he was proud of. But would he have the chance to use it?

On the other hand, it seemed that if he opened a clothing store, there might be a market! He could first get Li Jing's family to wear his clothes as an advertisement, or directly convince Emperor Taizong to wear them, and then all the ministers would follow, followed by the nobles, the rich merchants, and finally the common people. Although the Tang Dynasty had a population of less than ten million, it was still a huge market! He absolutely couldn't let others snatch it! Hmm! Even if he couldn't become a high-ranking official, he could still be a wealthy man, hehe...

"What are you thinking about, pervert?" A cold snort came from behind, and Suning was startled. He quickly wiped the drool from his mouth and looked at the person in front of him. Okay, he was so engrossed that he didn't notice Li Jing entering his tent, looking at him with disdain...

He was being looked down upon!

Secretly putting the smart device under the bed, Suning said softly, "Well, I was just thinking about how I could contribute to the Tang Dynasty and earn a lot of credit, and then I could be remembered in history! And then..." "And then you could live a good life on the rewards from the court and do nothing for the rest of your life, right?" Before Suning could finish, Li Jing sneered and said what Suning wanted to say but didn't dare to.

Suning couldn't help but sigh. Talking to a nearly sixty-year-old man was dangerous. Sixty years, a full cycle, in ancient times, that was a long life. What hadn't he seen? His little thoughts were seen through, and he was given no face, directly exposed. Besides, he did have some ideas, like making all the Han people wear his powerful brand of underwear!

Li Jing snorted, "At your young age, you are lazy and aimless, stagnant and self-destructive, a disgrace to your master's teachings, a disgrace to my brother's trust, a disgrace to my trust, a disgrace to your master's last words, a disgrace to the emperor's cultivation..."

Li Jing listed about seventy or eighty of Suning's faults, speaking fluently and continuously for half an incense stick's time, making Suning deeply feel the harmony of the feudal family and the brilliance of feudalism shining on him. It was also good for lung capacity, accumulating official vocabulary, and practicing rhetoric.

Actually, the older a person gets, the more they become like a child. Living a lifetime, they return to their original state. Sigh! Li Jing was showing this trend, scolding and cursing, not much different from the old women in Nanjing who cursed in the streets, except for the righteous name. He was just lazy, what did it have to do with Li Taizong? When had Li Taizong ever cultivated him?

But clearly, Suning had no ability, confidence, or courage to fight Li Jing. This was similar to how he often listened to his teacher's "earnest advice" and his parents' very "painful" love...

Finally, Li Jing said, "As long as I am alive, you won't be able to be lazy! I won't stop until I squeeze out every last bit of your knowledge! Hmph! Get some rest and prepare for the campaign tomorrow!"

This made Suning feel both depressed and moved. He was depressed because, as Li Jing said, they wouldn't stop until they squeezed out every last bit of his knowledge. Then, could he still have a good life? How could he fool someone like Emperor Taizong? To be precise, almost all the ministers of the Zhenguan era were not easy to fool! He was moved because Li Jing's last words were clearly a sign of care, a care for someone important. Did this mean Li Jing already considered him one of his own? He had become one of the military god Li Jing's people?

Hmm, that's it, then, go to sleep!

When he woke up, Suning opened his eyes and habitually reached out to knock on his upper bunk brother's bed board. On the morning before leaving school, this was his daily routine. His upper bunk brother always needed to be woken up, so Suning's first action every morning was to knock on the bed board, and if that didn't work, kick him!

But no matter how he knocked, he felt nothing. Where was the bed board? Suning opened his eyes and saw the white tent, his mind racing. First, he was shocked, then puzzled, then understanding. He finally remembered that he had already arrived in the Tang Dynasty and was in Li Jing's army, somewhere on a vast grassland.

Suning felt a deep sense of loneliness and sorrow, feeling very uncomfortable. He lay there for a while before getting up, habitually reaching for a basin to brush his teeth and wash his face. But when he reached out, he realized he was sleeping on the ground, on a mat, and he no longer had a toothbrush, basin, or towel. It took twenty-one days to form a habit, but who knew how long it would take to break one? Suning felt another wave of loneliness, shook his head, and touched the smart device in his pocket. Only it could prove that he wasn't a native of this era but an accidental intruder...

Although he was in pain, Suning quickly stood up, tidied his clothes, and sighed. These clothes were really uncomfortable to wear, although they looked fierce in black, they were clearly too big, and there was no one in the army with his small build! He looked at his down jacket and pants, which he might not be able to wear for a long time. Since he was here, he had to adapt to the local customs. But in such cold weather, Suning felt that wearing just the cotton military uniform wasn't enough. Since the uniform was big, hmm! He would wear the down jacket and pants underneath and the military uniform and pants on top! Yes, that's what he would do!

After tidying everything up and putting his backpack on, he felt warm. Suning excitedly lifted the tent flap and was immediately stunned...