The Sixteen Kingdoms Unite Under Li Shi Min

  It feels terrible to be interrupted while speaking, it's like being cut off while playing mahjong, ah! That feeling! I really want to kill someone!

  So Suning was very unhappy at once! For the guy who cut off his own Hu, Suning never had a good face!

  "Who are you?!" Su Ning was in a bad mood, and had no good feelings towards this person who interrupted his own speech. Especially this guy who looked to be around the same age as himself: "Whose kid has nothing better to do than run here to play? Niu Ge, get him out of here! Is this a place where kids can just come and go as they please?"

  Suning was extremely depressed and didn't hear clearly what Changsun Cheon said about his name and position. So, Changsun Cheon widened his eyes in surprise, wondering how Suning could be like this?

  Niu Ge was taken aback for a moment, then reacted and thought: Zhang Sun? Military advisor? This young man who is almost the same age as his own family's history? Ah, whose young master is this?!

  "Chang Shi, this is the newly appointed military advisor, Chang Sun-chong!" Niu Ge deliberately repeated his position and name again. Niu Ge didn't know who Chang Sun-chong was either, but he could tell that he was also a young master from a wealthy family!

  "Field Marshal? This little kid?! What is Old Li doing?! Hey, Long, Long, Long Sun-chong or something? It's very dangerous here, hurry back home before it gets late, your mom will be calling you for dinner soon." Su Ning had no idea who Long Sun-chong was, and if he had directly reported his father's name, Su Ning would have been shocked...

  It's no wonder that Changsun Chong didn't have much of a reputation in history. If it weren't for his awesome father and princess wife, he wouldn't have left any records behind. According to historical accounts, although Changsun Chong was the eldest son of the famous minister Changsun Wuji, he wasn't particularly outstanding in terms of talent or learning. He didn't have much ability or ambition when it came to politics, but rather enjoyed traveling, painting, and getting drunk. However, for some unknown reason, he received special favor from Emperor Gaozong of Tang; of course, this kind of personality was also very much to the liking of Empress Wu Zetian. He was a good person without political ambition.

  Su Ning still didn't know about Zhang Sun's identity, and just thought of him as a little kid. He also forgot that he himself was only 14 years old, and naturally thought of himself as a 22-year-old adult; Zhang Sun was so depressed, what's with "your mom is calling you home for dinner"? What does my mom have to do with anything? Flying planes? Old Man Li? Calling General Li Jing "Old Man Li"? This Su Ning really has some personality... but what about himself?

  "Director Su, I am Sun Chong, the Chief of Staff appointed by the Grand Marshal himself to assist you in your work!" Sun Chong used his loudest voice, although it sounded like a duck's quack due to his changing voice during puberty. However, it was loud enough to catch Su Ning's attention on several key words: Grand Marshal? Isn't that old man Li Jing? Personally appointed? Chief of Staff? Sun Chong? Sun... why does it sound so familiar...

  The mood was bad, and Su Ning didn't delve deeper, but looking at Zhangsun Long, he understood one thing - this Zhangsun Long was a genuine military strategist and official. He was also too young... Ah, Su Ning finally remembered that he himself was only 14 years old... Never mind, wasn't he worried about handling government affairs being too exhausting? Just as a strong labor force had arrived, upholding the principle of not wasting labor, Su Ning made an extremely great decision!

  "Ah, Long Sun, ah, very good, this is a big responsibility assigned by the Grand Marshal. As his subordinate, I'll take you in. However, don't get too excited too soon. You've seen how busy the Grand Historian is, we need people with real abilities, not those who just eat idle rice. Understand? So if you want to be a military advisor, you must meet the Grand Historian's goals, otherwise, no matter who you are or where you come from, you'll be sent back!"

  Sui Ning glanced at the mountainous pile of documents on his seat, put his hands behind his back and assumed a leader-like demeanor.

  Niu Ge suddenly understood Su Ning's intention and quietly turned his body around, secretly thinking I don't know him, I don't know him, I don't know him...

  Chang Sun didn't have any thoughts, he understood that Chang Sun Wuji often taught him that people with abilities would have a proud demeanor, while those without abilities would only fawn and flatter. Knowing his surname was Chang Sun yet still being neither arrogant nor humble, with an air of pride, indeed, indeed a capable person! No wonder he could gain the appreciation of General Li Jing and Father, this attitude is simply identical to that of General Li Jing!

  Chang Sun suddenly felt a surge of heroic emotions and a slight sense of admiration, secretly deciding that he must show off his skills in front of the superior person, not letting him look down on himself! Being of the same age, how could he fall behind?

  Chang Sun Chong didn't know that Su Ning had no idea who he was, she just wanted to find some cheap labor to help her share the heavy workload so she could slack off...

  "Although I am young, I am not uneducated or untalented! Please test me, Senior Historian!" Longsun Chong said confidently. Although his writing skills were not great, following Longsun Wuji had allowed him to pick up on various administrative matters, and he felt he had a good grasp of them. This was the perfect opportunity to hone his skills and test his knowledge.

  Su Ning didn't know what kind of luck he had, and in his heart, he was shouting "Long live Xiao Bai!" He could finally reduce his burden! "Hmph, very good. Then you can handle these official duties! At sunset, Ben Chang Shi will come to inspect, and only if you do well will Ben Chang Shi acknowledge you! Do you understand?!" Su Ning said in a very overbearing manner. Long Sun Chong's heart was stirred: "This humble officer understands!"

  Suning walked away with his hands behind his back and his head held high, under the gaze of Changsun Chong's worshipful eyes. Changsun Chong watched Suning leave, then looked at Niu Ge and shook his head, sighing before leaving as well. Changsun Chong was left looking confused, but it didn't matter. He arrived in front of a desk piled high with documents, knelt down, picked up a brush, and began to review the documents, occasionally nodding his head and carefully writing down each character, diligently handling each document.

  Dealing with it, Zhang Sun Chong encountered a difficult problem and was hesitant about how to deal with it. Just as his eyes scanned over the pile of documents that Su Ning had already reviewed, he thought to himself that the documents reviewed by his superior must have something that could inspire him, and this would also be an opportunity for him to learn from his superior's knowledge and see where he fell short compared to his superior.

  Chang Sun Chong carefully picked up a document reviewed by Su Ning with reverence, and opened it cautiously. After seeing Su Ning's review on it, he was stunned, his mouth wide open...

  Su Ning threw everything to Zhangsun Chong, that happy guy. He muttered to himself, "We ordinary people are really happy today!" and returned to his residence. Salivating, he took out a large piece of beef and a large piece of mutton that he had been treasuring from under the bed. Then, he took out the secret order-made pot stove that Niu Ge had helped him find an ironworker to make. He lit a fire, set up the pot, poured in the thick broth made with big bones, and although at this time he couldn't find any other seasonings, he could only use salt sparingly.

  Actually, at the beginning, the husband gave Su Ning a large block of salt crystal. Seeing that the husband cracked open a piece of salt and directly threw it into the pot to cook, Su Ning finally understood why every time she ate, there was always a strange taste. If this kind of salt wasn't refined, it would be weird if you didn't get sick from eating it! It's not just unpalatable, it's also deadly! Grandma's, no wonder the salt iron is resold, the technology is not up to par, clean salt is an absolute luxury, and there's no huge profit in it!

  Good heavens! Suning furiously scolded the cook, teaching him how to properly use salt and refine it. But little did he know, when the cook saw the clean salt that had been boiled out, he burst into tears, leaving Suning perplexed.

  Su Ning adjusted the hot pot broth, then took out a knife and started cutting the beef and mutton into thin slices, filling a large plate. She also installed her homemade simple chimney to prevent the room from being filled with smoke. With drooling mouth, she put the lamb and beef into the pot to cook, taking a bite of a cooked piece of beef... Ah, it's so blissful! The food in the Tang Dynasty is just boiled, after boiling, sprinkle some salt on it, too monotonous!

  This is the happiest moment of the day! Eating hot pot, without Li Jing's presence, this is Su Ning's most enjoyable moment; unfortunately, there is no wine, he had suggested it before, but was strictly rejected by Li Jing, "No drinking in the army!" Li Jing said...

  Just as he was enjoying his food, a loud noise suddenly came from behind him, followed by an angry roar: "You stinky little brat! You're eating alone again!"

  Li Jing has arrived...

  Li Jing picked up Su Ning like a cat and dog, threw him to the side, occupied Su Ning's seat, picked up his chopsticks and started eating voraciously. Su Ning was furious but didn't dare to fight Li Jing, knowing he would end up dead if he did. The previous two incidents had already proven this point, and even if he could remember everything, what could he do against Li Jing?

  Rather than losing the hot pot and fracturing a bone, it's better to just go with the flow. Su Ning let out a sigh, moved over a chair, picked up another pair of chopsticks, and sat down beside Li Jing, very calmly starting to eat together.

  "You stinky kid, the food you eat is even better than the imperial cuisine! I've been eating pig feed for most of my life, and this is what real people eat! Remember that, kid! Next time you have a meal like this, be sure to invite me, don't think I won't notice those smoke fumes! By the way, this really is a great thing, from now on we can eat indoors without worrying about the smoke bothering us. And your method of making salt is definitely a move that benefits the country and its people, I've already reported it to the Emperor, you'll definitely be rewarded, so don't worry about it. As for this hot pot, I've also reported it to the Emperor." Li Jing said with a slanted glance at Su Ning's calm expression.

  Su Ning was taken aback: "Isn't it just boiling some salt in an iron pot? Is it necessary to report it to the Emperor?"

  Li Jing slapped a palm on Su Ning's head: "Do you know the suffering of lacking salt? The salt you produced is the refined salt that only the emperor has the qualifications to eat! Ordinary people can only use vinegar to assist in eating, and more are still using those salt blocks to eat, always feeling a strange taste. You also said that it was a trick to cheat people's lives, your method of making salt is absolutely a move to benefit the country and the people. Don't worry, the emperor has always been clear about rewards and punishments. With such a divine skill, you will be rewarded heavily by the court if you present it to the imperial court."

  "As for that hot pot, Your Majesty must have liked it very much and gave it to you as a gift. I'll definitely give you more rewards! I won't harm you, old man! By the way, what did you learn from your master? Tell me everything!"

  Su Ning smiled wryly: "Nothing, nothing, little nephew doesn't know anything." Su Ning suddenly regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. Grandma, the feelings and old man's teachings were all priceless treasures! If he used this salt-making method himself, selling a bit of private salt would make him rich in no time!

  Li Jing glanced at Su Ning, then continued eating: "Forget it, there's plenty of time in the future. I have all the time in the world, no need to rush this moment. By the way, how is Zhangsun doing?"

  Su Ning laughed and said, "The young master said he wanted to test his ability, so I'm over there handling government affairs for the young master. Otherwise, where would the young master have time to eat hot pot? Hehe! This is called making reasonable use of labor, if this silly boy isn't used properly it's really a waste!"

  Li Jing was taken aback, and the lamb chop he was holding with his chopsticks fell to the ground. Su Ning looked at him in surprise: "What's wrong?" Li Jing blinked, then suddenly revealed a meaningful smile: "Nothing, Your Majesty's officials and supplies have arrived, so we can deploy our troops now. His Majesty has ordered us to go and accept their surrender. Tomorrow morning, we'll set out on the White Road and meet with Li Shiming to prepare for the surrender ceremony. However, this thing is probably 80-90% unlikely to happen, so let's still prepare for battle!"

  In the imperial palace of Chang'an, Emperor Li II sat at a table with Empress Longsun, Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Princess Changle, enjoying a new and novel dish called hot pot. They were eating with great joy, savoring a rare moment of family bliss...