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The crew was filming on the back mountain of Feng Yi Mountain, where several ancient-style buildings had been constructed, but they were privately owned. Shen Chuiyang had used his connections to rent all the buildings in the area for a small fee.
When Hanno and the others arrived, the crew was busy shooting a scene where the protagonist battled two helpers against a Zombie. One of the protagonist's helpers was the actress Hanno admired.
The three of them did not disturb the filming and stood quietly to the side. Since the crew was not well-known and neither were the actors, no one in D City knew that a film was being shot on the back mountain of Feng Yi Mountain, so there were no onlookers. The crew worked diligently without any interruptions, allowing them to progress a quarter ahead of Jia Qianjun's schedule.
To be honest, watching the actors perform fantastical fight scenes without post-editing or special effects was quite amusing. Chang Miao could hardly contain herself but couldn’t make a sound to disrupt the filming, so she had to cover her mouth with her hands to stifle her laughter. Hanno watched more seriously; being someone with a vivid imagination, she could visualize a complete picture in her mind from the actors' performances. She couldn't help but feel more at ease with Jia Qianjun, who was directing for the first time.
“Cut! Good, that’s a wrap,” Jia Qianjun called out with satisfaction, turning to greet Hanno and Chang Miao. “You’re here? What do you think?”
Chang Miao lowered her hands. “When watching on TV or in theaters, everything looks so good, but I didn’t expect it to look like this on set.”
Jia Qianjun asked, “Does it seem funny?”
Chang Miao smiled sheepishly.
Jia Qianjun chuckled. “It does look quite ridiculous from an outsider's perspective. Hanno, what do you think?”
Hanno replied, “I think it’s great; you’re doing well with your directing. For your first time, it seems you have quite a talent for it.”
Hearing praise from the biggest boss made Jia Qianjun very happy; he rubbed his hands together in excitement and didn’t know how to respond other than chuckling awkwardly.
Hanno ignored him and turned to find her favorite actress to take a photo together. Other actors came forward to greet Hanno and take pictures as well; they had already learned from Jia Qianjun and Zhu Wenrui that today’s visitors were investors and one investor's wife. Hanno was friendly and chatted with these actors; perhaps they weren’t famous now, but who knew what would happen in the future? Someone might suddenly become popular!
Chang Miao joined in on the fun, and Hanno handed all the actors over to her before walking over to Jia Qianjun and Zhu Wenrui to listen to their discussion.
“This scene is very important; we can’t cut it,” Jia Qianjun emphasized.
Zhu Wenrui frowned in distress. “But this scene requires too many people, plus costumes and props—it’s going to be too expensive. The script doesn’t even include this scene; why must we add it?”
"Only by adding this scene can we highlight the identity of General Zombie, creating a contrast that will leave you in shock," Jia Qianjun insisted. "This scene must be filmed."
"You’re making it difficult for me. Where am I supposed to find that many people?" Zhu Wenrui scratched his head. "This isn't just a matter of dozens; it's hundreds."
Jia Qianjun replied, "Can't we do what we did last time and find people at the school?"
Zhu Wenrui rolled his eyes. "The students at the Film Academy want to play roles with lines to hone their acting skills; they won't want to play minor characters who appear for just a moment."
Chang Miao walked over. "There are plenty of people in the military; perhaps we can borrow some from them."
Jia Qianjun's eyes lit up. "Is that possible?"
Chang Miao said, "Our Foundation serves the military and has a good relationship with them. If we ask to borrow some personnel, they shouldn't refuse."
Zhu Wenrui added, "But what about horses? The military is fully equipped with modern gear and doesn't have horses. How do we solve that?"
Hanno asked, "Are you planning to shoot an ancient battle scene?"
Jia Qianjun confirmed, "That's right."
Hanno then inquired, "Do you have a script? Let me see it."
Jia Qianjun quickly pulled out the revised script and handed it to Hanno. Hanno opened the script and examined it closely before asking, "Does the actor playing General Zombie need to appear in the battle scenes?"
Jia Qianjun shook his head. "No, we can just give a close-up shot later."
"Then leave this shot to me," Hanno said as he placed the script into his backpack.
The other four people exclaimed, "Huh?"
Hanno said, "By the way, can we use a high-definition digital camera to capture the scenes of war instead of a professional one?"
Jia Qianjun nodded foolishly and replied, "Sure, as long as it's clear, we can edit it in during post-production."
"That's great," Hanno smiled. "Don't worry, I will definitely provide you with some truly shocking footage of ancient battles."
Chang Miao, supporting his waist, asked in astonishment, "Nono, where are you going to shoot this truly shocking footage of ancient battles?"
Hanno replied, "You don't need to worry about that; I have my ways. Just be ready to receive the footage when the time comes."
...
"You want me to help you shoot battle footage?" Elder Brother Li was surprised.
Hanno nodded. "Yes! Aren't you in charge of thousands of troops now? Don't those troops need training? You can divide them into two groups to spar; that would look just like an ancient battlefield!"
Elder Brother Li chuckled. "That's indeed a good idea. But allow me to remind you, my soldiers all wear standardized armor, and their banners are uniform as well. Even if we split them into two sides for combat, it will look more like practice than an actual battle."
Hanno puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "How can it be like that? I promised Chang Miao and Jia Qianjun that we would definitely capture some shocking ancient battle scenes. Now it feels embarrassing."
Elder Brother Li reached through the time portal and pinched his girlfriend's chubby cheek. "You won't be embarrassed. Leave this matter to me; I will make sure it gets done."
Hanno's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Elder Brother Li replied, "Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I believe it. You are the hero in my heart; whatever you say can be realized," Hanno quickly praised, enthusiastically flattering him.
Elder Brother Li felt invigorated by the compliments.
The next day, Elder Brother Li entered the palace to see the Emperor.
"Military exercises?" the Emperor asked, surprised.
"Yes," Elder Brother Li replied. "Although the war has calmed down now, our soldiers cannot let their guard down. They should always maintain their best condition. Military exercises will prevent them from becoming rusty in their skills and losing their fighting spirit due to a stable life, so that when they suddenly find themselves on the battlefield, they won't be unable to wield their weapons."
The Emperor nodded repeatedly. "This idea of yours is excellent. I will entrust you with full responsibility for the military exercises, and I will personally attend to watch when the time comes."
"Yes," Elder Brother Li answered respectfully on the surface, but inside he was overjoyed; he could now perfectly complete the task entrusted to him by his beloved wife.
"By the way..." The Emperor recalled their first meeting when Elder Brother Li mentioned reforms within the army, one of which piqued his interest. "The military parade you mentioned before—I want to hold it in six months. You will also be responsible for this."
"A military parade?" Elder Brother Li was astonished. "Your Majesty wants to hold a military parade?"
Wasn't it too costly before? So even if he was tempted, he didn't proceed? Why did he suddenly want to do it now?
Li Xuan Zong said, "Indeed. The Northern Liang Kingdom has sent an official letter; they will send envoys to our Great Zhou in six months. I want those envoys from Northern Liang to see the strength of our Great Zhou army and dispel any covetous thoughts they may have."
Elder Brother Li straightened his expression and assured, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will organize a military parade that will instill fear in the hearts of the Northern Liang people, ensuring that they do not dare to entertain ambitions of attacking our Great Zhou for at least a hundred years."
The Emperor was pleased and patted Elder Brother Li on the shoulder. At that moment, a Eunuch reported that the Minister of Works had come with his subordinates to seek an audience. The Emperor did not ask Elder Brother Li to leave and called the Minister of Works and his group into the imperial study.
The Minister of Works and his team were there to discuss road repairs. Many roads from Northern Liang to Great Zhou had been damaged due to war and needed to be fixed before the envoys from Northern Liang arrived. The Ministry of Works was very worried; time was tight, and they needed to gather manpower, blast rocks, grind them into slabs, transport materials—five months simply wasn't enough!
Elder Brother Li listened attentively, feeling a deep sympathy for the worries of the Ministry of Works and others. Building roads in ancient times was far more troublesome than it was today. In modern times, a single road roller could flatten the ground, followed by layers of gravel, cement, and asphalt, making road construction a relatively quick task. In contrast, constructing a road from the capital to Aoyama Village could take an entire year, let alone the route to the Northern Liang Kingdom, which would nearly exhaust the entire Ministry of Works. However, cement... Elder Brother Li decided he would ask his dear wife to look up the cement formula when he got home.
"Cement?" Hanno chuckled. "First it was a glass formula, and now it's a cement formula. Are you planning to become like those time travelers in books who conquer everything?"
Elder Brother Li replied, "I don't want to attract the emperor's attention."
Hanno asked, "So you want the cement formula?"
Elder Brother Li said, "I'll secretly place it on the Minister of Works' desk. Who would suspect me of being involved with the cement formula?"
Hanno laughed softly, "So you're aiming to be a behind-the-scenes hero!"
Elder Brother Li responded, "What's wrong with being behind the scenes? Aren't you a fan of behind-the-scenes heroes? You love them more than anything."
Hanno huffed playfully, "That's because behind-the-scenes heroes are always so handsome."
Elder Brother Li grinned, "So now I've turned into a behind-the-scenes hero. How do I look? Do I seem more handsome?"
Hanno's eyes crinkled with laughter as she replied, "Yes, yes, you're the most handsome! With that pot lid on your head and seaweed around your waist, you're comparable to Marshal Peng and even more charming than Dongfang Bubai."
Elder Brother Li exclaimed, "What nonsense is this?"
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