My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 34 Let's see the weight of the nine tripods!

In the following days, the caravan traveled eastward, traversing the towering Taihang Mountains. The mountain roads were rugged and full of jagged rocks, making the carriages bounce as if sailing on waves.

Yuan Zhonghua was weak and had been vomiting incessantly for days. His face was as pale as paper, and he relied entirely on his maids for support.

Even Zheng Dache suffered greatly.

When it came to Gao Cheng, although he could still look around, he was also cursing inwardly.

The transportation conditions 1,500 years ago were truly appalling and outrageous, so I secretly made a vow in my heart.

When he finally assumes power, he will first build post roads to connect the four seas and traverse the nine provinces.

Rebuild a stable, large vehicle for driving...

Thus, after several days of arduous work, the convoy finally emerged from the most treacherous section of the mountain road, and the view suddenly opened up before them.

"Your Highness, the Fukou Pass is just ahead."

That afternoon, Liu Taozhi's voice came from outside the carriage, still in that cold and hard tone: "Once you leave Xing, you will be in Hebei."

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng's spirits lifted, and he reached out to lift the carriage curtain.

In the distance, two mountains stand facing each other, sheer cliffs rising thousands of feet, with a narrow passage running through them, resembling a giant cauldron hanging upside down. The Fu River rushes out from between them, its waves crashing against the shore with a thunderous roar.

This is the fourth of the eight passes of Taihang Mountains—Fukou Pass.

At the same time, it is also a vital passage connecting Jinyang and Yecheng.

Once they passed this pass, the group would have left Bingzhou, where the Bafu (a powerful local government) was based, and officially entered the heart of Hebei.

Looking at the magnificent scenery of the pass before him, Gao Cheng was immediately intrigued.

He immediately ordered, "Peach Branch, stop."

Upon receiving the order, Liu Taozhi slowly brought the carriage to a stop, turned around, and asked, "What does the young master intend to do?"

Gao Cheng did not answer, but simply held onto the carriage shaft and got off the carriage.

Seeing this, Yuan Zhonghua, who was riding in the same carriage as Gao Cheng, and Zheng Dache, who was in the carriage behind, also got off their carriages and moved closer to Gao Cheng.

The two stood beside Gao Cheng, their eyes fixed on the pass ahead.

Yuan Zhonghua couldn't help but ask curiously, "Young Master, why do you stop and not move forward?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng did not look to the side, but simply waved his hand and said, "Nothing more than a desire to climb high and look far."

"To climb to a high place and enjoy the view?"

The two women were taken aback, and were puzzled.

Before he could ask any further questions, Gao Cheng continued, "Come, follow me up this hill and see the weight of the Nine Tripods."

After saying this, without waiting for the two women to respond, he took the lead and started climbing up the mountain along a side path.

Upon seeing this, Liu Taozhi and Wang Hong's expressions changed instantly, and they hurriedly followed Gao Cheng, their faces full of vigilance and alertness.

Although Zheng Dache and Yuan Zhonghua were puzzled, seeing that Gao Cheng had already gone far away, they had no choice but to follow closely behind.

The mountain was not high, but it was extremely steep. The group walked along the winding mountain path and climbed for about half an hour before finally reaching the top.

Upon reaching the summit, the two women were already panting heavily and were about to ask Gao Cheng what the point of climbing the mountain was.

Gao Cheng, however, had already followed his heart and climbed to the top of the mountain to look around.

Looking back, one sees the majestic Taihang Mountains behind them, winding like a giant dragon, with layer upon layer of peaks, vast and boundless.

The Hebei Plain stretches out as far as the eye can see, seemingly extending to the ends of the earth.

Looking down from the foot of the mountain, one sees the Zhang River like a ribbon and the Fu River like a silken thread, winding eastward in a vast and surging torrent.

"How magnificent!"

"How beautiful!"

Standing atop the Taihang Mountains, Gao Cheng gazed upon this vast and boundless land, feeling a surge of heroic spirit within him, and all his fatigue and discomfort vanished.

This land is the empire he will rule in the future.

At this moment, he felt as if he were standing at a historical crossroads.

Behind him lay Jinyang, the Bafu government, and the old era founded by his father, Gao Huan; before him lay Yecheng, the imperial court, and the new chapter that he was about to begin with his own hands.

This is what it means to conquer the Central Plains, isn't it?

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a strong urge to compose a poem, a poem worthy of this moment.

Therefore, without further hesitation, he immediately took a deep breath and recited aloud:

"The northern mountains rise to the sea, the imperial road stretches to the sky. Following the movement of the three luminaries, one ascends to a view of the myriad phenomena. Looking down upon the cities of Henan, one points to the plains of Luoyang. The imperial procession passes through perilous passes, banners flutter across the wells and springs..."

"..."

After reciting the poem, Gao Cheng felt his passionate heart gradually calm down.

Only the sound of chanting echoed through the valley, lingering for a long time.

This poem is "Responding to the Emperor's Poem on Climbing Mount Taihang and Expressing My Aspirations," written by Su Ting of the Tang Dynasty.

Although it was just a poem written on official orders, it aptly depicted Gao Cheng's imposing presence as he looked down upon the world.

Zheng Dache was completely mesmerized, gazing at Gao Cheng's tall and straight back with eyes full of admiration.

After a long pause, he praised, "Your Highness speaks eloquently, truly a literary genius descended to earth. The spirit and power of this poem are unmatched even by seasoned scholars."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhonghua nodded repeatedly, her small face full of admiration: "Your Highness's poem seems to contain an ambition to encompass the heavens and the earth. Although I am not clever, I can still feel it. It is truly my good fortune to be able to accompany Your Highness in this life."

Hearing the two women's words, Gao Cheng felt even more refreshed.

He feigned modesty, saying, "I was just making this up; I don't deserve such praise from you two ladies."

After speaking, he paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, if we only consider the spirit of mountain climbing poems, the line 'I will climb to the summit and look down on all the mountains below' is even more impressive."

"But today, upon seeing the Hebei Plain, I suddenly recalled this poem and spontaneously composed a poem to suit the occasion."

To everyone's surprise, the two women blinked in confusion upon hearing this.

After a moment, Zheng Dache couldn't help but ask curiously, "Was the line 'I will climb to the summit and look down upon all the mountains' also written by the Crown Prince? Why have I never heard of it before?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng, considering that Du Fu would not be born for another two hundred years, immediately and confidently admitted, "It is indeed my composition; many others are unaware of it."

After all, a time traveler shouldn't be bound by time. I'll borrow this fine poem for use.

Zheng Dache didn't notice anything amiss, but the admiration in her eyes deepened even more. She nodded and said, "I see. I admire you."

Gao Cheng nodded and then dropped the subject.

After a short while, he looked again at the distant Hebei Plain, his gaze gradually becoming firm.

Upon seeing this, the two women also came closer and followed Gao Cheng's gaze. After they clearly saw the scene before them, they were also filled with amazement.

Zheng Dache couldn't help but murmur, "This scene truly lives up to the line 'The northern mountains reach the sea, and the imperial road stretches to the sky.' The young master is indeed a man of great talent."

Yuan Zhonghua nodded slightly, his eyes filled with admiration.

Upon seeing the two women's demeanor, Gao Cheng couldn't help but chuckle.

Immediately, he said with a face full of emotion, "Look at this place, you will see that it is the very foundation of our Great Wei. Not only does it have a million households and tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, but it also has inexhaustible wealth and a continuous stream of soldiers. By controlling this place, we can resist the Rouran in the north, fight against the Yuwen in the west, and attack the Xiao Liang in the south..."

At this point, he couldn't help but take another deep breath.

In a short while, I felt a surge of heroic spirit.

He immediately declared loudly, "In the past, Qin conquered the six states by occupying Guanzhong, and Han seized the world by possessing Shu. Now, I possess Hebei and Shandong, along with a million soldiers and tens of millions of civilians. With this power, what is there to fear in achieving my great cause?"

As soon as Gao Cheng said this, Liu Taozhi and Wang Hong on the side were immediately excited.

They were all trusted retainers of the Gao family, and they certainly hoped that their lord could achieve great things.

Gao Cheng's words impressed them greatly, and they all bowed deeply, declaring resolutely, "We are willing to die for the Crown Prince!"

Zheng Dache and Yuan Zhonghua listened quietly, their eyes also filled with pride.

They firmly believed that this young man was no ordinary person and would one day ascend to the throne and rule the world.

Seeing that everyone was impressed, Gao Cheng said no more.

He stood on the mountaintop for a long time, until the sun set, before slowly saying, "It's getting late. Let's go down the mountain and set off tomorrow morning, heading straight for Ye City."