Chapter 47: Li Er and Liu Che: Surpassing the Han and Tang Dynasties? We Are Unconvinced. Let's Clash Head-on If You Dare.

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Many emperors watching this section beneath the heavenly canopy sneered at it.
Dragon crossing a calamity and turning into a dragon at the first hint of wind and rain?
Who do you think you are, putting on such a grand facade?
We are all peers in the trade—what those commoners don't understand, how could they not?
They hadn't done little of this sort themselves... To consolidate imperial power and better rule the realm, who wouldn't conjure up a few anomalous phenomena of heaven and earth?
Though, to be fair, this monk was truly formidable, blessed with a silver tongue of iron and bronze.
At this moment, high above the heavenly canopy.
Zhu Di led his eight hundred garrison troops and began marching south to capture the dragon.
The army grew ever larger, and their military campaigns were fast, ruthless, and precise, proceeding unimpeded all the way to Nanjing.
"After four years of war, the Jingnan Campaign succeeded. Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunwen,'s whereabouts became unknown, and Zhu Di successfully seized the imperial throne, ascending as emperor to become Emperor Chengzu of Ming."
Li Jinglong: "Ha ha ha, the water I released is so much even the Pacific Ocean can't hold it (dog head)!"
...
The video came to a temporary close with this.
In the Hongwu era of the Great Ming!
Old Zhu wasn't quite as angry anymore. After all, whoever was pushed to the point of eating shit would probably rebel.
However, expecting him to admit his mistake was obviously impossible!
He turned around, looked at Zhu Di who was grimacing and lying on the ground, and said, "Fourth Son, don't feel aggrieved that I beat you. Just for this title of Emperor Chengzu of Ming alone, beating you today was entirely justified!"
Zhu Di: "Imperial Father... This son dares not!"
Zhu Di was also quite puzzled in his heart at this moment: Had all the great generals of the future Ming dynasty died off?
Even though he believed he had learned almost everything from his father-in-law, Xu Da, and his military leadership wasn't bad, he still didn't have the confidence to march unimpeded all the way!
If nothing else, he was scared to death of Lan Yu alone.
Unless... unless his own old man had killed them all to pave the way for Zhu Yunwen, otherwise there was no way he could have fought his way in!
Old Zhu had thought of this long ago, but he wouldn't say it aloud, and naturally, no one else dared to ask, right?
...
At this moment, the heavenly canopy above was elaborating on Zhu Di's achievements one by one.
"Established the Cabinet, strengthened imperial centralization, and effectively improved administrative efficiency!"
"Established the Eastern Depot to counterbalance the Censorate and the Brocade Guard, reinforcing the supervision of officials and society, and perfecting the monitoring system!"
"In the cultural sphere, he compiled the Yongle Encyclopedia, a comprehensive compendium gathering the pinnacle of ancient Chinese classical texts. It covered the classics, history, philosophy, collections, astronomy and geography, yin-yang and medicine, divination, Buddhist canons and Daoist scriptures, drama, craftsmanship, and agronomy, spanning a total of 370 million words—the first encyclopedia in history."
"In diplomacy, he commanded Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Oceans, ushering in the Age of Discovery!"
"In military affairs, he personally led five expeditions into the Mobei desert, relocated the capital to Beiping, and pioneered the concept of the Son of Heaven guarding the frontiers of the state."
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At this moment within the imagery!
Blinding, billowing yellow sands filled the skies, amidst which a figure could faintly be seen mounted on a tall steed, holding a blood-stained saber.
A low and husky voice echoed...
"Throughout my life as Yongle, I never dared to slack off even in the slightest, fearing that down below I would have no way to explain myself to the Old Man!"
"The Son of Heaven guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the altars of the state... Rather than dying within the imperial palace, I would rather die upon a horse!"
"Right and wrong, success and failure, let future generations judge them all..."
"Father... Was this life of mine... enough to redeem my crime of the Jingnan Campaign?"
The low voice seemed to voice endless grievance, yet also carried a trace of liberation.
The scenes kept shifting... every single frame depicted either valiant combat slaying enemies on the battlefield or reviewing memorials beneath a dim yellow oil lamp!
Until it reached the boundless rivers and mountains of the Great Ming...
"Such rivers and mountains... how could one not be reluctant to leave them~"
Accompanied by the falling of the final syllable, the video froze at this very moment.
It froze upon Zhu Di, head bowed upon horseback!
Old Zhu, beneath the heavenly canopy, felt an indescribably heavy heart.
Though he was angry that his fourth son had usurped the throne, seeing everything he had done for the rivers and mountains of the Great Ming, most of his anger melted away.
He had never expected that even on the verge of death, his son was still thinking of going down to redeem himself before him!
Nor had he expected that his son spent his entire life waiting for a word of affirmation from him... using his entire life to atone for his Jingnan rebellion!
"Redemption... enough is enough!" Old Zhu finished these words and wiped his somewhat reddened eyes.
In the Yongle era of the Great Ming.
Zhu Di saw that his final end was actually dying upon horseback, and a surge of heroic and tragic sentiment welled up within his heart.
He had always taxed his mind and body for the sake of the state and mountains of the Great Ming, and seeing this manner of death for himself now, he felt it was a fitting end.
He recalled his entire life—from seizing the throne through the Jingnan Campaign, to establishing the Cabinet, setting up the Eastern Depot, compiling the Yongle Encyclopedia, ordering Zheng He's voyages to the Western Oceans, launching five expeditions into the Mobei desert, and moving the capital to Beiping—every single deed was for the prosperity and flourishing of the Great Ming.
Though his methods might have been somewhat harsh and the process controversial, his conscience was clear.
Zhu Di looked out into the distance, as if beholding the boundless rivers and mountains of the Great Ming.
The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he whispered softly, "This life... was worth it!"
Simultaneously, the heavenly canopy above began its final tally!
[The Eternal Emperor, the Yongle Emperor, Ming Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di, the Son of Heaven on horseback, truly well-deserved!]
[Reason for making the list: Five expeditions to Mobei to stabilize the borders, seven voyages to the Western Oceans, dredging canals, the Son of Heaven guarding the national gates, creating the prosperous era of Yongle, the sole person with the body of an emperor to establish a monument at Mount Langjuxu. During his reign, all directions submitted to the Ming, and its strength far surpassed the Han and Tang dynasties!]
[Reward One: Cleansing Pill (Side-effect-free version, take with peace of mind!)]
[Reward Two: Longevity Pill (Genuine and authentic, ten years of lifespan!)]
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[Reward Three: Thirty minutes to cross through time and space to the Hongwu era!]
[Reward Four: Fifty thousand catties each of potatoes and sweet potatoes (Target: 5,000 kilograms, approximately equivalent to 54 dan)]
Beneath the heavenly canopy.
The Great Tang.
"My goodness, just this is considered far surpassing the Han and Tang? Are you serious?" Li Er was extremely displeased—truly extremely displeased!
Fighting a skirmish right at his front door and he gets to erect a monument at Langjuxu?
"If you've got the strength, let the two of us each lead ten thousand troops and have a showdown right outside the Xuanwu Gate... Let you witness what the Heavenly Strategy General is, what the Heavenly Qaghan is!"
Li Er cursed and grumbled as he looked at the evaluation on the heavenly canopy, feeling ten thousand points of disagreement in his heart.
All directions submit... My Great Tang has all directions submit... How dare you treat my Great Tang as a stepping stone, motherfucker?
...
The Great Han.
Emperor Wu of Han was also infuriated upon hearing these words, slamming the table and rising to his feet, "Such audacious words! Far surpassing the Han and Tang, you say? I am the first to refuse to accept this!"
"If you have the guts, let's have a showdown. My Champion Marquis is already starving and thirsting for battle!"
Erecting a monument at Langjuxu, is it? I'll launch a northern expedition against the Xiongnu tomorrow and take their sacred grounds directly!
...
The Eastern Han.
Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, also wore a cold expression at this moment.
"Far surpassing the Han and Tang? What a joke..."
"I shall execute a single move; if you can block it, I will acknowledge it!"
In the Hongwu era of the Great Ming.
Even though Old Zhu knew his fourth son was somewhat ferocious, "far surpassing the Han and Tang"... this... this he truly found a bit hard to believe.
After all, this evaluation was simply too high; he even half-suspected whether his fourth son had secretly doctored the history books.
Nearby, the prone Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, also had his mouth wide open at this very moment!
His backside didn't even seem to hurt as much anymore. "Far surpassing the Han and Tang"—doesn't that mean he had surpassed his idol?
If that was the case, then this beating was not suffered in vain!
...
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