Chapter 5: Guan Yizhou Is Here!
Great Qin.
Ying Zheng's face fell at once.
"Great Qing? Jurchen?"
"Barbarian regimes actually ruled the Central Plains?"
"Later dynasties were truly this weak?"
"That Western Jin also dragged Huaxia into the abyss—the Five Barbarians' uprising."
"It seems my Great Qin truly must endure for a thousand, ten thousand generations!"
"When the Celestial Screen ranks Great Qin, I will examine closely the reasons for its fall."
"And then, forever eliminate any chance of Huaxia being invaded by foreign tribes!"
Ying Zheng had proclaimed he would make Great Qin last for all eternity.
But when the Celestial Screen appeared.
He understood.
Great Qin would inevitably fall.
He could accept Great Qin's fall.
What he could not accept was this.
The empires that replaced Great Qin.
Had actually lost to the barbarians, letting foreign tribes set foot on Huaxia's soil!
Understand this.
The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods lasted hundreds of years.
In such a chaotic age.
No foreign regime could ever break into Huaxia.
Later generations clearly all learned from his great unification and centralized power.
How did they instead end up trampled beneath foreign tribes' hooves?!
This made Ying Zheng, the founder.
How could he not be furious?
Equally furious.
Was Emperor Wu of the Great Han spacetime.
Liu Che was undoubtedly one of the emperors who hated foreign tribes the most.
He exhausted military force, all to drive the Xiongnu far away, to make the mighty Han stand firm in the world.
In the end, he never imagined.
First a Western Jin.
The War of the Eight Princes sparked the Five Barbarians' uprising.
Then came a Great Ming, which even let a foreign regime directly occupy the Central Plains!
No wonder the Celestial Screen ranked it as rotten among rotten!
"Truly useless descendants."
"But they're too far away—speaking of them is meaningless."
"In the end, it seems I was still too merciful!"
"Besides the Xiongnu, there are also the Jurchen and other tribes in the north!"
"I must exterminate them all!"
Emperor Wu of Han was murderous.
Just waiting for the empire's twin pillars to return from battle.
He would then mobilize troops.
To sweep clean all foreign tribes around the Great Han.
Absolutely no chance for foreign iron hooves to step into the Central Plains!
No!
Not step in!
Never let foreign tribes possess iron hooves at all!
Great Sui.
Yang Guang sneered.
"Jurchen."
"A small tribe next to Goguryeo."
"And they dare covet the Central Plains? Later dynasties are truly garbage."
"Better let me handle it."
"Someone!"
"Raise five hundred thousand troops!"
"I will personally lead the campaign against the Jurchen!"
"I will set a grand example for later Huaxia!"
Great Tang.
Li Shimin was silent.
He was different from the many emperors who reacted fiercely against the foreign tribes themselves.
As the Heavenly Khan, Li Shimin saw things from a different angle.
He noticed one point more clearly.
"Competing in rottenness?"
"At the root of it."
"It's not that foreign tribes were strong and stepped into the Central Plains."
"It's that the dynasties native to Huaxia were too garbage."
"That's what gave foreign tribes the chance to occupy the Central Plains."
"Great Tang was once besieged at its gates by the Turks—that was when Great Tang was at its weakest."
"Although I later counterattacked the Turks and destroyed their state, I still couldn't wipe them out completely."
"During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was the same situation."
"The Central Plains weakened itself, and foreign tribes seized the opportunity."
"It's just that."
"Compared to that Ming-Qing competition in rottenness."
"Foreign tribes in other periods were simply stronger."
"So."
"To prevent foreign tribes from harming Huaxia."
"At the root, we still need to strengthen Huaxia itself."
"Not simply slaughter foreign tribes—after all, foreign tribes can't be killed off completely."
"Foreign tribes admire strength. As long as my Huaxia remains eternally strong, foreign tribes will naturally be assimilated by Huaxia."
"But what method is there? To keep Huaxia itself strong forever? What can I do for this?"
Hearing Li Shimin's self-reflective question.
Empress Zhangsun comforted him.
"Erlang, which dynasty doesn't decline in its later years?"
"How could any single dynasty establish eternal rule over the world?"
"You needn't trouble yourself over such things."
Li Shimin then nodded, and said with emotion.
"Indeed, I've overthought it."
"There shouldn't be any dynasty that can achieve eternal strength, right?"
"Even a thousand or hundred years in the future, probably not possible."
Seeing Li Shimin's expression, Empress Zhangsun smiled and countered.
"Your Majesty, that's not right either."
"What if later generations have a chance?"
Li Shimin smiled.
In the mood for discussion.
"Then Guanyinbi, what kind of later dynasty do you think."
"Could achieve eternal strength? Even the mighty Han perished."
Empress Zhangsun smiled. Having achieved her goal of comforting Li Shimin, she didn't answer, only said.
"Your Majesty, that's not something this housewife could know."
"I think Your Majesty shouldn't think about it either. Matters of later generations, leave to later generations."
"Our Great Tang just needs to do what it can."
Li Shimin recovered his mood, smiled and nodded.
"Guanyinbi is right, that's the principle."
"Since that's the case, I too will help later Huaxia, do what I can."
"I recall, when we campaigned against Goguryeo before, there seemed to be some tribes in the north, called Jurchen."
"They don't have many people. Bring them to the Central Plains, assimilate them all into the Han people for me."
"Additionally, strengthen control over the northern forces."
Great Ming.
Zhu Yuanzhang shot to his feet.
His face full of furious killing intent.
"Manchu Qing."
"Jurchen."
"I remember these fellows—the wild boar skins from the north!"
"It was these bastards who destroyed my Great Ming."
"Damned wild boar skins!"
"Damned Chongzhen!"
"Zhu Biao! Get your ass over here!"
"Look at the descendants you raised!"
"Actually rotten to this extent!"
"Let the wild boar skins snatch the empire!"
"How did you serve as Crown Prince!"
Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's roar.
Zhu Biao's heart pounded.
And he wanted to cry but had no tears.
"Father, I don't even know who this Chongzhen is."
"Besides, descendants are so far removed—how could I educate him?"
Empress Ma was even more displeased.
"Zhu Chongba, what do you mean by that?"
"Why are you throwing a temper at the eldest?"
"If you've got the ability, go to the late Ming and chop up Chongzhen, wipe out the wild boar skins!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was momentarily choked.
He caught his breath and said.
"Sister, give me some face."
"Aren't I just angry?"
Empress Ma rolled her eyes.
"Then find the right target for your anger."
Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment.
"That makes sense."
"Eldest."
"Now I'll give you a chance to make up for your mistakes."
"Tell me what should be done?"
Zhu Biao bowed.
"Rest assured, Father!"
"I'll find someone to properly educate Xiong Ying right now."
"And establish rules for future descendants!"
"Under no circumstances can foreign tribes take over!"
"Additionally."
"I'll go north right now!"
"Sweep the wild boar skins once!"
Zhu Yuanzhang then nodded, quite satisfied.
"Good, that's my eldest."
"You don't need to go for the wild boar skins."
"The north is bitterly cold—I'll have others do the sweeping."
"You just focus on properly educating the descendants for me!"
"Tomorrow I'll issue an edict: whoever loses the Han people's empire to barbarians!"
"Is no descendant of my Great Ming! Everyone may kill them!"
"I drove out the Tartars and restored Huaxia, and descendants lose the empire to Tartars."
"Such descendants! Deserve to be killed!"
Northern Song.
Zhao Kuangyin's expression was grave.
"Liaodong Jurchen?"
"Right now what appears in the northeast are the Liao people."
"This region—could it threaten Huaxia more than once?"
"I must complete the Northern Expedition! Eliminate the crisis of foreign tribes threatening Huaxia!"
Southern Song.
Zhao Gou shuddered.
"Jurchen! It's the Jin state!"
"I knew it—the Jurchen are invincible!"
"Great Song choosing to befriend the Jin state was correct!"
"Otherwise, like that foolish Great Ming, letting foreign tribes take the empire!"
Zhao Gou paced back and forth, somewhat excited and somewhat wary.
His excitement was naturally because he felt his choice was right.
His wariness was worrying that the Jin state, after seeing the Celestial Screen, would ignite ambitions of unification.
Although Zhao Gou felt Southern Song under his rule.
Couldn't possibly fail to hold off the Jin like Southern Ming did.
But.
He didn't want war.
If there's war, how could he still enjoy himself?
"Someone, prepare fifty thousand years' tribute for me!"
"Send it to the Jin state again, to show both houses are forever friends!"
Zhao Gou thought of a solution, became happy again, and quickly arranged for people to go to the Jin state to show goodwill.
Great Qing.
Kangxi was somewhat dissatisfied.
"What do you mean Great Qing got the empire by competing in rottenness?"
"Later generations are simply too foolish, completely lacking insight."
"My Great Qing's horsemanship and archery are unmatched in the world—entering the Central Plains was the mandate of heaven!"
"However, this Celestial Screen is somewhat objective, knowing it was my achievements that let Great Qing truly secure the empire."
"What a pity—the previous emperor didn't do well, the ancestors didn't do enough either. If I were moved fifty years earlier, I would have long since established the empire in one stroke!"
"Never mind, wait for the Celestial Screen—when it ranks governance, when it ranks my Kangxi Prosperous Era, naturally those foolish Han people will know how powerful the Great Qing heavenly kingdom is!"
Kangxi was an extremely conceited person.
In his view.
The Celestial Screen should promote his achievements.
That way.
Naturally no one would say Great Qing is rotten.
Celestial Screen.
Across the various spacetimes, discussions were ongoing.
The Celestial Screen's scroll continued to evolve.
[Let us objectively evaluate the difficulty of founding Manchu Qing.]
[Actually, without a doubt, it was a hell-level start.]
[Meaning it could reach the "rammed earth" tier.]
[But this difficulty.]
[Actually only at the beginning.]
[That is, during the Jurchen period.]
[Nurhaci withstood Great Ming's heavy pressure, the Little Ice Age survival crisis.]
[Spent over thirty years, unifying the chaotic Jurchen tribes of the north, establishing the Later Jin regime.]
[Then Hong Taiji's sinicization, thoroughly consolidating centralized power, dominating the northern part of East Asia.]
[This was undoubtedly hell-level.]
[But.]
[As I said.]
[Hell is only at the beginning.]
[The rest is all enjoyment.]
Bullet comments.
[Old slave was indeed fierce—starting with thirteen sets of armor, forcibly unifying the north.]
[Great Ming's Dragon-Tiger General Nurhaci—thanks to Li Chengliang for nurturing the enemy for self-interest and giving the opportunity.]
[Actually the Later Jin could rise, essentially relying on Hong Taiji.]
[Yes, Hong Taiji is the true founder of Qing.]
[Dorgon in the early period also had great vision and ability.]
[Can't deny it—the three generations of Later Jin relay had real value.]
[But the value stops at Later Jin.]
[The later Manchu Qing entering the pass—damn, it was all picking up scraps and enjoying.]
Various spacetimes.
The Celestial Screen continued to evolve.
[Manchu Qing truly as a dynasty's founding.]
[Still must start from the Qing army entering the pass, formally contending for the world.]
[However, Manchu Qing's entry into the pass wasn't won by their own fighting at all.]
[Even though Great Ming had already been breached by peasant armies, Manchu Qing still didn't have the ability to directly enter the pass.]
[Because starting from this stage of entering the pass, even before this stage.]
[Manchu Qing had already begun rapidly rotting and degenerating—their degeneration speed was just a bit slower than Great Ming's.]
[Without Wu Sangui's surrender, Manchu Qing probably couldn't have entered the pass to seize the Central Plains even in another ten years.]
[If Wu Sangui had declared himself king, relying on Shanhai Pass he could have blocked the Qing at that time for a long time.]
[This is what we mean—Manchu Qing got the empire purely by competing in rottenness, and only being slightly slower to rot than others.]
[So now.]
[Let's look at how rotten the late Ming was.]
[First is Great Ming's last emperor Chongzhen.]
[Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian.]
[Ascended the throne at seventeen, hanged himself at Meishan at thirty-five.]
[His entire life, walked the road of saving Great Ming.]
[He was diligent, but incompetent.]
[He was frugal, but incompetent.]
[He wholeheartedly wanted to save Great Ming, but was incompetent.]
[He killed Yuan Chonghuan, forced Li Zicheng to rebel, caused Lu Xiangsheng's death, angered Sun Chuanting to death.]
[Of course, objectively speaking, this can't be entirely blamed on him—the late Ming was rotten from the roots—but this can't change the fact that he was incompetent.]
The scene unfolded.
Inside the Forbidden City.
Endless party strife.
The Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party attacked each other.
Chongzhen sat on the dragon throne, face haggard.
Memorials of various natural disasters and human calamities flew in like snowflakes.
He didn't know who to trust, how to act.
Could only flail around like a headless fly.
Then.
Border passes sent urgent alarms.
Peasant armies rose in swarms.
Manchu Qing knocked on the passes everywhere.
Chongzhen was overwhelmed.
Constantly appointing talent.
Constantly causing talent's death.
Ultimately.
Li Zicheng breached Beijing.
Chongzhen hanged himself at Meishan.
Died for the nation.
Left a final testament.
"I die with no face to meet my ancestors below. Remove my crown and robes, cover my face with hair. Let the rebels split my corpse, but harm not a single common person."
Finally.
Wu Sangui opened the pass and surrendered.
Manchu Qing, under the banner of avenging Emperor Chongzhen, killed their way into the pass.
Bullet comments.
[Chongzhen tried his best, but his ability really was lacking.]
[I feel if Chongzhen hadn't fussed around, Great Ming might have lived a bit longer.]
[That said, actually if Chongzhen did nothing, Great Ming might have collapsed even faster.]
[After all, the Little Ice Age disasters were very hard to withstand—Chongzhen at least was trying to patch holes.]
[A sovereign dies for the state, and before death still thought of the people—Chongzhen counts as Great Ming's last dignity.]
[This broken ship of late Ming—when Chongzhen took over it was already leaking.]
[Wanli neglected governance for thirty years, Tianqi favored the eunuch party.]
[Great Ming had party strife everywhere, court politics was long rotten to the core.]
[Not to mention Little Ice Age disasters—skeletons everywhere.]
[Chongzhen wanted to patch it, but the more he patched the more it leaked, and in the end, even he sank with it.]
[Great Ming perished from party strife, from natural disasters, from refugees, from incompetence—but uniquely did not perish from Manchu Qing.]