According to Zhang Jiadi, the current emperor is the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
After Emperor Taizu died, his incompetent son also ambitiously led the army on a personal expedition.
Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain; their 500,000-strong army was routed by 40,000 enemy cavalry.
He himself was captured and became an international student.
In order to save him, the Ming Dynasty was forced to cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and the Central Plains lost its greatest shield.
Not long after being switched back, he died.
The position was passed to his son, who became the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
I never imagined that each generation would be worse than the last.
He's not even as good as his father.
At least his father had the courage to personally lead the army into battle, while the third generation was cowardly and weak, fearing the enemy like a tiger.
When the enemy attacked, he didn't even have the courage to send troops to fight; he just kept begging for peace.
They even tied up several generals and ministers who advocated war and sent them to the Liao people as an apology.
They ceded a lot of land, paid indemnities for many years, and even bowed down to the Liao and the Tartars, paying tribute to them every year in the hope that they would withdraw their troops.
The main theme is to value harmony.
The emperor handed over all his power to treacherous officials and eunuchs, while he hid in the inner palace indulging in pleasure and carousing, ignoring worldly affairs.
Unfortunately, he lived a long life, reigning for a full twenty years. The once prosperous Ming Dynasty was almost ruined by these two, father and son.
Although the current emperor is determined to turn the tide and has lofty ambitions.
However, the mess left by the late emperor was too messy. Twelve years of diligence and frugality, despite all the hard work and effort, could not change the decadent state of the Ming Dynasty.
Li Chang'an was stunned after hearing these words; this was a combination of the Song and Ming dynasties!
It's hopeless, let it be destroyed.
In his heart, Li Chang'an silently crossed out the name of the imperial court, thinking it was utter garbage, not even as good as his own Ming Dynasty.
At least they did not engage in marriage alliances, pay reparations, cede territory, or pay tribute. They upheld the principle of "the emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state."
Seeing the growing disdain in Li Chang'an's eyes, Wang Zhongxian coughed, interrupting Zhang Jiadi's complaints: "Ahem, although the late emperor and Taizong did not govern the Ming Dynasty well, the current emperor is still very wise and powerful."
“Yes,” Zhang Jiadi sighed. “Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has overcome all opposition and abolished all treaties on reparations. He is also diligent and frugal, patching his court robes again and again, and he is reluctant to repair the palaces even when they are broken.”
Hearing the two of them singing in harmony, Li Chang'an gained a general impression of the Ming Dynasty.
It was roughly like the late Ming Dynasty, and the emperor was similar to Chongzhen, but it's unknown how he compared to Chongzhen.
Li Chang'an sighed, "The rise and fall of the nation brings suffering to the common people."
"Brother Haoran is absolutely right. It's a pity that I have the heart to save the Ming Dynasty from its suffering, but I lack the ability to save its people," Zhang Jiadi said indignantly, slamming his fist on the low table.
"To quell external threats and address internal problems, the Ming Dynasty's long-standing ailments cannot be cured in a day or two. The top scholar need not be impatient."
Wang Zhongxian looked at Zhang Jiadi and comforted him, saying, "Moreover, the current emperor is wise and powerful. As long as we are loyal to His Majesty, we will surely be able to revitalize the Ming Dynasty."
Li Chang'an, while eating a peach, said, "Actually, saving the Ming Dynasty isn't that difficult."
"Hmm~"
Both Eunuch Wang and Zhang Jiadi looked at Li Chang'an at the same time. Usually, when the scholars heard this, they would all complain and lament about the state of the world.
Only Li Chang'an spoke up, saying that saving the Ming Dynasty was not difficult.
"Have you two heard of 'hitting rock bottom and then rebounding'?" Li Chang'an said.
After hearing this, Zhang Jiadi and Wang Zhongxian exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison, indicating that they had never heard of it.
Li Chang'an took out a pot of rice wine from his pocket, and Zhang Yun, with his keen eye, took out several sets of bowls and chopsticks from the box.
He really likes guests who bring their own drinks like this.
Li Chang'an poured four cups and gave one to Zhang Yun, who was somewhat flattered, wondering when a servant like himself had ever received such treatment.
She looked at her husband nervously, and only after he nodded did she sit down and take a sip.
Sweet and delicious, with a rich and mellow aroma, the taste of peach lingers in your mouth.
Even he, who knew nothing about wine, thought it tasted good. Wang Zhongxian and Zhang Jiadi shook their heads and smacked their lips, savoring the taste of the wine.
"Good wine, good wine." Zhang Jiadi laughed, "Brother Haoran has gone to great lengths, gifting me both a fan and fine wine. I am truly unworthy of such kindness."
"I'm glad you don't mind, Brother Yujie. Please don't say that." Li Chang'an cleared his throat. "Brother said that we hit it off immediately, but haven't I, Li Haoran, also hit it off immediately with you?"
Wang Zhongxian wasn't a drinker, but seeing them exchanging pleasantries, he said, "You two shouldn't get along so well right away. I'd like to hear what 'hitting rock bottom and bouncing back' really means."
"Hehe," Li Chang'an said without mincing words. Although he hadn't studied much of the more than five thousand years of Chinese history, he still had some knowledge of it.
"The meaning of 'hitting rock bottom and rebounding' is that since the Ming Dynasty is already so bad, we might as well overturn the table, take the remaining assets, and go out of the pass to fight the barbarians."
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhongxian became interested: "What you mean by destruction before construction?"
“No,” Li Chang’an replied, “We stand on the side of righteousness, and we cannot lose that. What we need now is a victory, a resounding victory.”
As long as we don't suffer a major defeat, we can write extensively about it and change the people's perception of the court.
Then they sent people to persuade the Liao people to blame whatever trouble they had.
We couldn't get enough to eat because the Liao people were going to bully us.
We can't get clothes on because the Liao people are coming to bully us.
The fields are barren, and it's all because the Liao people are coming to bully us.
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