I Too Will Go to Fenglangjuxu

Chapter 52 I Too Will Go to Fenglangjuxu

Are Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizong of Ming really that similar?

So, shouldn't I, Emperor Taizong of Song, also be remembered by future generations? Why doesn't the sky screen mention my glorious deeds as Emperor Taizong of Song?

Zhao Guangyi was somewhat indignant. The entire dynasty had two leaders, one before him and one after him, yet they deliberately skipped over him, the one in the middle. Were they isolating me?!

Could it be because I have not yet achieved victory in the war against foreign tribes?

Zhao Guangyi felt he had discovered a blind spot. Li Shimin's conquest of the Turks and Zhu Di's campaign against the Mongols were both great achievements in foreign wars, but their descendants were incompetent and ruined the country that he had built for them. It seemed that he still had to take action to build a stable country for his descendants.

Now that the Northern Han has been destroyed, we should seize the momentum of this great victory, take advantage of the situation to attack Liaodong, recover Yan and Yun, and establish unparalleled achievements. This is the day!

During the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty, in Jiangdu, Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang, lay slumped on his couch, chugging wine cup after cup, his eyes glazed with drunkenness. The world was in such a state of chaos that uprisings were breaking out everywhere, and many people had directly joined his cousin Li Yuan. No one cared about him, the second emperor of Sui. Even among his subordinates who had come to Jiangdu with him, discontent was growing. "What a fine head! Who will take it?"

Intoxicated, Yang Guang saw a few words on the sky, threw down his wine cup, and burst into laughter, "The Grand Canal! Build the Grand Canal! Future generations will still be using the Grand Canal I built!!!"

In his final moments, the posthumous recognition of his contributions to the canal construction offered him a sliver of solace. Yang Guang's laughter grew increasingly mournful. He heard shouts of battle and pleas for mercy outside the palace. Squads of armored soldiers, led by their commander, rushed straight towards the palace. It was none other than Yuwen Huaji.

The moment had finally arrived. Yang Guang wiped the wine stains from his mouth, straightened his beard and clothes, and sat upright on the dragon throne. He was still the emperor of the Sui Dynasty, and how could he not show the majesty of an emperor when meeting his subjects?

Emperor Ying Zheng of Qin gazed thoughtfully at the two characters "Imperial Examination" on the sky. Imperial Examination? He knew about it; it was about recommending talent. Many people were recommended during the Qin Dynasty's unification of the six kingdoms. The fact that perfecting the imperial examination system was mentioned in the achievements of Emperor Taizong of Tang must have had a great influence on later generations.

Could this be a system related to talent selection?

Ying Zheng had long been dissatisfied with the current system of selecting officials in the Qin Dynasty. Under the existing system of military merit and nobility, and with no external wars, it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to rise in the ranks. Although no major disasters had occurred yet, Ying Zheng had long wanted to change the system of selecting officials in the Qin Dynasty.

It's unclear whether this system can be implemented in the Qin Dynasty.

The Qing Dynasty, as the last dynasty, was extremely knowledgeable about the events of previous dynasties as described on the celestial screen. They acknowledged Li Shimin's many achievements, but had a different opinion on Zhu Di's accomplishments.

People from other dynasties didn't know what the voyages to the Western Ocean were, but they did.

Emperor Qianlong scoffed, exclaiming that it was absurd, "Can Zhu Di sending Zheng He on voyages to the Western Ocean really be considered an achievement?"

He thought of the envoy named Macartney who had recently come from a small country called England. He was a barbarian from beyond the borders, ignorant of etiquette, and had even knelt on one knee, yet he still wanted to trade with his Great Qing Dynasty. His Celestial Empire was rich in resources and had everything, so why did it need to trade with foreign barbarians?

Furthermore, they even dared to demand the opening of ports and the cession of islands, showing utter disregard for the Qing Dynasty.

Emperor Qianlong naturally wouldn't give them a friendly look and refused to let them return.

What the Qianlong Emperor was unaware of was that the British mission also had the purpose of gathering intelligence on the Qing Dynasty's economic and military strength. After leaving Beijing, the mission collected intelligence along the way and discovered that the Qing Dynasty was weak, which led to the Qing Dynasty missing the opportunity of the First Industrial Revolution.

Decades later, one of the members of the mission advocated for war against the Qing Dynasty. That war changed Chinese history, and afterwards, any country, even a small European nation, could step in and interfere. [No matter what, Zhu Di was capable of both warfare on horseback and governing the country on foot. Take the Fenglangjuxu ceremony, for example; wasn't he the only emperor to have done something like that?]

Follow-up comment: That's true. Zhu Di spent his entire life proving to Zhu Yuanzhang that he was a better emperor than his nephew. Follow-up comment: The sealing of the wolf's lair and the inscription on Yanran Mountain are the two highest achievements of a military general. As an emperor, Zhu Di personally led an expedition against the Mongols and sealed the wolf's lair. Only one person could achieve this.

The emperor sealed the wolf's lair at Langjuxu?

Liu Che's heart warmed even more. If he too could achieve the Fenglangjuxu ceremony, wouldn't his record in later generations be better? Although he was envious, he pretended to be indifferent, saying, "It's just the Fenglangjuxu ceremony. My Marquis of Champion was the first to do so. I also have the golden statue for sacrificial rites to the Xiongnu, which Qu Bing personally delivered. Do you, Zhu Di, have that?"

Although he didn't seem to care about what he said, the ministers below felt a bit sour about his tone, just like their young child wanting something but pretending not to like it.

At this time, Dou Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty was at the peak of his life. His sister, Empress Dowager Dou, ruled as regent, and he himself was appointed as Grand General and Marquis of Champion. Everyone in the court knew that Grand General Dou Xian was the true ruler of the Han Dynasty.

Dou Xian was even more smug and self-satisfied. "The inscription on Yanran Mountain, could it be referring to my great victory over the Northern Xiongnu in the first year of Yongyuan, and the inscription of this achievement on Yanran Mountain?"

Dou Xian knew that Tianmu was referring to him, but he asked the question on purpose. This was the thing he was most proud of in his life, so he naturally wanted to hear the praise from others.

"The Great General was naturally a peerless warrior. Judging from the evaluations of later generations, his achievements were no less than those of Marquis Huo Qubing."

"It's just that Huo Qubing was born a hundred years too early. If the general had been born during Emperor Wu's reign, the title of Marquis of Champion would have been hard to say."

Listening to the praise from his subordinates, Dou Xian couldn't help but feel a little smug. He thought to himself, "It was I who stabilized the entire Han Dynasty. My nephew can just sit on the dragon throne and wait for me to build a stable empire for him."

If the young emperor is obedient, all will be well; if he is disobedient, it is possible that things will repeat the mistakes of Wang Mang.

During the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, the cry was: "Prepare the horses!! Prepare the army, I am going to war, I will also seal the wolf's lair!!"

Zhu Di's deeds aroused Li Shimin's long-dormant competitive spirit. He was Emperor Taizong, and I am also Emperor Taizong. How could I be inferior to him?

He joined the army at seventeen and was appointed General of the Heavenly Strategy at twenty-three. In five years, he swept across the world and was invincible. Why didn't he need any divine winds or meteorites to fight? It's because no one could force him into a corner. The time he was poisoned at the banquet was an exception, but he didn't die, did he?

"I will be the first emperor to seal the wolf's lair and visit the Xiongnu, I will drink from the vast sea, and I will inscribe my name on the Yanran Mountain!!"

In short, I want to have everything that Zhu Di has, and I also want to have what Zhu Di doesn't have.

Wei Zheng's face darkened immediately. If the emperor himself went to the battlefield, what use would military generals be? "Your Majesty, you must not have such a thought! Times have changed. Now you are of inestimable importance, and the battlefield is handled by seasoned generals. Such an important matter cannot be treated lightly!"

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, who were standing nearby, immediately stepped forward to advise, "Your Majesty now bears the weight of the entire Tang Dynasty on your shoulders. What good would it do for the country if you were to lose it?"

"If Your Majesty truly wishes to go to Langjuxu Mountain, you may simply send any general. After conquering Langjuxu Mountain, Your Majesty can personally go to offer sacrifices to Heaven."

How can they be the same? Li Shimin still wanted to try.

Zhu Di personally led the troops to fight there. If I don't go personally, I'll be left to pick up the leftovers.

Before Li Shimin could even speak, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and a group of other military generals stepped forward, cutting off Li Shimin's unspoken words. "Your Majesty, why do you need to personally lead the troops to conquer the small Langjuxu Mountain? Give me 20,000 soldiers, and I will surely be able to flatten it."

"Your Majesty, I only need ten thousand soldiers!"

The group of generals immediately exchanged angry glances, thinking to themselves: How dare they compete with me and play the game of infighting!

"Omit 8000!!"

"Five thousand!!"

At this moment, Li Jing quietly uttered a number, "three thousand." Immediately, Cheng Yaojin and the others fell silent. Three thousand men? We can't do that, but you, Li Jing, are really something.

Li Shimin was on the verge of tears. How could they be inflating prices like street vendors?