Chapter 63: A Late-Life Swine Fever Outbreak, Treating Everyone Equally!

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"Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was the seventh emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and his lifelong achievements were truly extraordinary."

"His father, Emperor Jing of Han, was a cold-blooded political entity who left him a bountiful foundation, more than enough for him to implement new policies."

"Politically, Emperor Wu strengthened centralized authority, promoted measures such as the Edict of Grace, and effortlessly weakened the power of the vassal states without shedding a drop of blood."

"The Edict of Grace is also hailed by later generations as one of the strongest overt stratagems in history, on par with the legendary Nine-Turn Intestines of later eras!"

Emperor Wu of Han curled his lips in disdain upon seeing this.

"What kind of Nine-Turn Intestines could possibly be compared to my Edict of Grace? Why is it that I find this somewhat hard to believe?"

He was extremely confident in his Edict of Grace. Throughout the ages, whenever it came to trimming the power of vassals, he dared guarantee that absolutely nothing worked better than the Edict of Grace!

One thing stated here was not wrong, though: his father truly was a cold-blooded political creature through and through.

"Economically, he reformed the currency system, established state monopolies on salt and iron, and implemented the unified transportation and equitable marketing systems, thereby increasing the imperial court's financial revenues."

"Militarily, he dispatched generals such as Wei Qing and Huo Qubing on multiple expeditions against the Xiongnu, lifting the Xiongnu threat to the Han Dynasty while simultaneously expanding the borders, establishing the Four Commanderies of Hexi, and strengthening control over the Western Regions."

"As for Huo Qubing—the pioneer of blitz warfare—we shall discuss him another day, and the same goes for the commander Wei Qing."

"Meanwhile, during Emperor Wu's reign, he 'dismissed the hundred schools of thought and revered only Confucianism,' establishing Confucianism as the orthodox ideology while also promoting cultural prosperity and giving rise to a group of literary figures such as Sima Xiangru."

Spring and Autumn Period.

Laozi and Confucius looked up at the heavenly canopy proclaiming the sole reverence of Confucianism!

Their brows could not help but furrow.

Laozi turned to Confucius and asked, "What is this Confucianism? Do you know?"

Confucius shook his head in silence, though a fleeting thought crossed his mind.

"Since Confucianism has not yet emerged in the world, should I perhaps create a school of Confucianism myself?"

"Diplomatically, he dispatched Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions, opening up the Silk Road and strengthening exchanges and communications with various states in the Western Regions."

"This was none other than that greatest diplomat in history—the one who vowed, 'Unless I conquer Loulan, I shall never return,' and proceeded to lop off the king's head right inside his own domain."

Upon seeing this, Emperor Wu of Han could not help but curl the corners of his mouth upward by forty-five degrees, completely unable to press them down!

He wore the absolute expression of, 'Yes, I really am that badass.'

His childhood playmate was indeed fiercely impressive, actually managing to behead a foreign king right in his own home. Rather interesting, indeed.

"In terms of civil governance, he might not have matched his cold-blooded political father, but in terms of military conquests, he far surpassed him. He beat the Xiongnu until they trembled at the mere mention of his name, and many countries dared not provoke Han envoys for fear of dying on Han soil and giving the Great Han a legitimate casus belli."

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"The Great Han grew increasingly powerful in his hands, becoming the strongest dynasty of its time, without exception."

"What was most terrifyingly awesome was that he equally sheared the wool off every single social stratum—nobles, powerful magnates, imperial relatives by marriage, the royal clan, commoners, and even the Xiongnu and his own biological son. Yet he kept everything firmly under his control."

"However, no man is perfect, and Emperor Wu inevitably committed certain errors in his old age."

"For instance, launching large-scale wars after the passing of both Huo Qubing and Wei Qing, engaging in reckless militarism that depleted the strength of the populace and caused the common people to suffer bitterly!"

"At the very moment the iron cavalry of the Great Han stepped onto the battlefield, the imperial treasury was rapidly consumed at a rate of three hundred shi per second, leading to a decline in national power."

Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Taizong of Tang wholeheartedly agreed with what the heavenly canopy had to say upon seeing this!

"Well said! Historical records state that Emperor Wu of Han launched numerous military campaigns in his later years. In My view, many of them were completely unnecessary to fight, and his combat strategy involved attacking in all directions at once. It would be a wonder if he hadn't exhausted his country!"

Wei Zheng, standing nearby, offered a different perspective. "The issues Your Majesty mentions are indeed crucial. According to historical records, whether Emperor Wu chose to fight or not, it was virtually unavoidable."

"Besides, in a war between nations, it is either survive or perish!"

Emperor Taizong nodded. Despite the fact that this old rascal Wei Zheng sometimes spoke harshly, every single time he went straight to the heart of the matter!

...

"In his twilight years, much like Qin Shi Huang, he began to yearn for immortality, placing his faith in esoteric arts and witchcraft."

"This caused every charlatan in the Great Han who possessed even the slightest trickery to flock to the imperial court in hopes of securing an official post, filling the land with swindlers and impostors."

"Emperor Wu also gradually began to neglect state affairs, spending his days dreaming grand dreams of eternal life!"

Han Dynasty.

Liu Bang looked at the heavenly canopy with an expression full of frustration, lamenting metal that failed to become steel.

"Alas! To think that my descendants also learned from Emperor Qin! Where in this world is there any such thing as immortality? It's all nothing more than deceptive nonsense..."

"And this blockhead actually believed it..."

"Even if such a thing truly existed, would it ever be your turn?"

Liu Bang was someone who took life and death very lightly; he utterly disbelieved the deceptive tricks of sorcerers!

Right now, he was deeply worried: would this descendant of his really follow in the footsteps of Emperor Qin?

As he thought this in his heart, sure enough, it unfolded much as he had feared.

"Aside from that, Emperor Wu in his old age also began building the Great Wall, constructing palaces, and building imperial tombs. It is fair to say that every single thing Qin Shi Huang had played with, Emperor Wu replayed without missing a single one!"

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"The tomb he built was the largest in history, yet less than four years after his death, his burial treasures were already circulating freely in the marketplace!"

"Once all these undertakings were completed, the treasury of the Great Han was virtually exhausted, and the common people were left struggling to breathe under the crushing weight of taxes."

At this very moment, Liu Bang genuinely wanted to curse out loud...

"The man is already dead! Who are you building such a massive tomb for? You'd have been better off enjoying life more while you were still alive!"

He truly could not comprehend what use any of these things served...

...

"Coupled with the fact that Emperor Wu grew intensely paranoid in his later years, exhibiting classic persecutory delusions to the extent that he could not even trust his own biological son, this ultimately triggered the Witchcraft Persecution, driving Crown Prince Liu Ju and Empress Wei Zifu to their deaths!"

"Only then did he awaken to his senses with a sudden jolt of remorse, treating everyone equally—whether they were framers of the prince, onlookers, or accomplices to the prince—and executing them all. He slaughtered upwards of several hundred thousand people, an event we commonly refer to as the outbreak of 'pig plague'."

...

"He subsequently issued the Edict of Self-Reproach, confessing his wrongs to the entire realm! At the same time, Emperor Wu began adjusting his policies, shifting his focus toward recuperation and rest, restoring agricultural production, and enriching the people to foster their well-being."

"Yet, overall, his achievements far outweighed his errors, leaving a profound and lasting impact on the development of Chinese history."

Han Dynasty.

Emperor Wu of Han stared at this scene in absolute disbelief.

"Pig plague? So that's how it came about..."

"The Witchcraft Rebellion? Several hundred thousand—I slaughtered several hundred thousand people?"

"And this as well... Ju'er and the Empress were driven to their deaths by my own hands? Did I really do all this in my old age? Am I truly that foolish?"

Standing nearby, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were equally filled with shock. "Judging from the heavenly canopy, after the two of us passed away, His Majesty clearly suffered a complete meltdown..."

What Wei Qing found hardest to believe was that his own elder sister and nephew had also been driven to their deaths?

Liu Ju gazed up at the heavenly canopy, his heart filled with helpless sorrow...

"Imperial Father... can this son of yours ever reach the other shore?"

...

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