latelenovela Chapter 246 When have I ever been a local ruffian? Where the hell did you hear this anecdote?
Chapter 246 When have I ever been a local ruffian? Where the hell did you hear this anecdote?
Of course, this statement is not intended to whitewash Liu Che.
Or perhaps, in his later years, he realized that he had done too many wrong things, and no one could clear his name.
He knew that he was too willful and reckless in his old age compared to his younger self.
After the death of the original crown prince Liu Ju, he began to turn his attention to the common people and the suffering masses.
When he saw countless civilians looking pale and sickly, and many meritorious soldiers who had retired from the front lines unable to even get a full meal, he was deeply moved.
Looking at the glory of those veterans, and their miserable lives that were completely unworthy of that glory.
This was the first time he began to reflect on his mistakes.
Not long after, he issued an edict in Luntai acknowledging his mistakes, toned down his sharp edge, and refocused his attention on the people.
"He has the courage to issue an edict of self-reproach and to speak out when necessary."
"It was this edict of self-reproach that made me realize that, regardless of whether he was a good emperor or not, at least he dared to take responsibility for his actions!"
"Unlike one of my uncles, who never thinks he did anything wrong, and even shamelessly believes that he is guilty in his time but has done good for future generations."
While acknowledging Emperor Wu's achievements, Li Er (Emperor Taizong of Tang) also took the opportunity to criticize Emperor Yang Guang.
Both were described by many as tyrants and warmongers, but the difference between them is indeed like heaven and earth!
"Li Er, that's enough. If it weren't for your Li clan..."
Yang Guang's tone was full of resentment.
Unfortunately, Li Er did not wait for him to finish speaking.
“Even without our Li clan, there are other powerful families. At the very least, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and Liu Wuzhou could easily destroy your Sui Dynasty.”
"Yang Guang, you thought you could rival Emperor Wu of Han, so you repeatedly led your troops into battle. Little did you know that you were foolish without realizing it, and that was your biggest mistake."
"What makes you think you're qualified to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Wu of Han?"
Li Er was extremely sarcastic towards his uncle.
The Sui Dynasty was ruined by Chun Chun himself.
He appeared to be diligent and hardworking, but in reality he was ambitious and eager for quick success. After several failed expeditions, he simply went south to deceive himself.
It was as if the widespread rebellions ceased to exist as long as he could not hear news from the outside world.
"Yang Guang, you should save your breath. The phrase 'crimes in this era, merits for all ages' is not something that just any cat or dog is qualified to say."
"In my opinion, throughout history, there are no more than a handful of people who can truly be worthy of these eight words, and you are definitely not among them."
Zhao Kuangyin also did not give Yang Guang a chance to defend himself.
He probably already guessed what Yang Guang wanted to say.
The imperial examination system for selecting officials?
This method originated with Emperor Wen of Sui and was perfected during the Tang Dynasty.
Opening a canal?
Don't be ridiculous. The canal that Yang Guang built was mostly blocked up by the time it reached the Tang Dynasty, and it was never used at all.
A personal expedition?
That's utter nonsense. This isn't an achievement at all, it's a mistake!
To think that you can glorify yourself is simply an insult to others.
“What’s the point of denouncing this bastard? He’s capable of burying his head in the sand, so don’t expect him to reflect on his mistakes.”
"Let's look forward to what kind of reward Emperor Wu of Han will receive."
"After all, we've made it into the top five, so the rewards should be much more generous than those for the top few, right?"
The topic returned to normal, and everyone's attention returned to the sky itself.
This review is now coming to an end.
Liu Che's life was marked by both merits and demerits.
He achieved unification since the Qin Dynasty, and in a true sense, made later generations recognize this trend.
Since the Han Dynasty, those who did not want to achieve unification have been recorded in history as mediocre rulers who only cared about a corner of the country!
He eliminated the century-long threat of invasion from the Xiongnu beyond the Great Wall, leaving countless small neighboring countries with no choice but to submit obediently.
With the strength of one generation, they fought a battle that would have taken three generations.
Even if the claim that he was a warmonger is true, he deserves to be credited with crimes in his time but meritorious for future generations!
If he could stop in time, recuperate and give the people time to recover, then he would be worthy of being called a great emperor of all time!
Unfortunately, human desires are sometimes insatiable, and emperors were no exception.
While the continuous wars were exhausting and costly for the people, Emperor Wu himself indulged in extravagance and debauchery, and the imperial sacrifices and suburban altars also consumed a great deal of money.
By the time they finally realized what had happened, the population of the Han Dynasty had already been reduced by more than half.
In his later years, a witchcraft scandal implicated over 100,000 people, starting with Crown Prince Liu Ju. In any dynasty's history, this would be considered an unprecedented case!
Seeing this, Zhu suddenly felt a little guilty and glanced at Empress Ma beside him and Zhu Biao behind him.
The case that the immortal spoke of was a colossal one, and it seems he handled more than one...
Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused on the sky, and no one had noticed him yet.
The writing on the sky had not stopped.
However, history does not allow for the offsetting of merits and demerits.
Merit is merit, and fault is fault.
Admittedly, Liu Che's foolish actions in his later years will affect his standing in the hearts of later generations.
But no matter what the impact, his achievements are undeniable!
Based on his achievements alone, he deserves a place on the list of wise rulers throughout thousands of years of history!
"It's a pity. The immortal's meaning was so clear. If he hadn't been so muddle-headed in his later years, hadn't been so extravagant, and hadn't been involved in that witchcraft incident, his ranking on the list of wise rulers might have been even higher."
Liu Bang looked utterly wistful.
The anger has subsided; now it's time for regret.
"Grandfather, aren't you afraid that he'll advance two more and surpass you?"
Li Er asked with a smile.
"If he surpasses me, that's his skill. I won't feel ashamed at all; on the contrary, I'll be happy. It's only right that he comes from behind!"
Liu Bang didn't care at all.
Those who come after should learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and do even better!
Just as he learned from the lessons of the Qin Dynasty, he did not rush to achieve unification, but instead distributed a large amount of territory to others.
Is it because he doesn't want unification?
Just kidding, he's not a salted fish!
But it was because of the lessons learned from the Qin Dynasty that he slowed down his pace.
In his view, later generations should do better than their predecessors!
"For ordinary people, it is normal for someone to surpass someone else, but for someone like you, Emperor Gaozu, even for someone who comes later, it is as difficult as climbing to heaven to surpass you."
Li Er chuckled.
Some people's experiences are so fantastical that even if they were to do it all over again, they might not be able to replicate them.
The Grand Magus was like this, and Liu Bang was even more so.
"Yes, to rise from a local thug to the throne, that's no easier than it is for us."
"Stop!"
"Thugs and hooligans?"
"When have I ever been a local ruffian? Where the hell did you hear this anecdote?"