Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 726 The Never-Ending Battlefield

[Of course, Queen Buruhan did not go crazy for no reason. What was more important was that she had the support of Anxi King Ananda, who had 150,000 troops under his command at the time.

However, before the two could carry out their plan, Yuan Chengzong's nephew Haishan, who commanded a large number of troops, led his troops south to Dadu and launched a coup d'état with lightning speed, killing Queen Bulughan and King Anxi Ananda. This man was later known as Yuan Wuzong.

We will not discuss whether the coup d'état of Emperor Wuzong of Yuan was legal or not, but the impact of the coup d'état he launched is definitely one of the most influential in Chinese history.

Because Ananda, the King of Anxi who was executed by Emperor Wuzong of Yuan, was a very devout Muslim. Not only did he build Islamic temples whenever he set up camp during his march, he also made all the 150,000 troops he led convert to Islam.

The prerequisite for Queen Buruhan to temporarily take power at that time was that she promised to help Ananda gain the throne. If Haishan had not intervened, it is reasonable to speculate that Buruhan would ultimately not be Ananda's opponent.

If Ananda had become the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, from the perspective of world history, an Islamic emperor would almost certainly have gone all out to promote the Islamization of the entire country. Once a region has completed Islamization, it is basically unlikely to change back later.

If Haishan had not intervened, when UP talked about Chinese history with everyone today, he would probably have to start with the story of Muhammad's enlightenment in the cave.

However, Emperor Wuzong of Yuan was similar to Emperor Chengzong of Yuan. Whether he was a good emperor or not is another matter to be discussed, but he was definitely one of the emperors who lived the most comfortable life.

When Emperor Chengzong of Yuan was in power, he spent money lavishly, and then Emperor Wuzong of Yuan began to spend lavishly.

The "official promotion" system we mentioned earlier reached its peak during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Yuan Dynasty. In the second year after taking office, the central government was overcrowded:
14 Zhongshu Ling were in office at the same time, and 32 Privy Councilors were working at the same time, which is a rare sight in ancient and modern times.

As for the next-level central agencies, the Executive Secretariat and the Executive Censorate, Emperor Wuzong of Yuan promoted 1,100 people in one year.

From ancient times to the present, when talking about Li Zhi's Yonghui Reign, historians generally have a consensus: he was basking in the legacy of Zhenguan, or simply speaking, he was reaping the benefits of Zhenguan.

The reason why Emperor Wuzong of Yuan was so willful was similar: another legacy left by Kublai Khan began to show its power: the Grand Canal.

Many people often confuse it with the Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which is represented by Guangshen, the head of the Ten Sages of Wangmiao. It is worth mentioning this here.

The Grand Canal of Sui and Tang Dynasties is not called the Grand Sui Canal. The contribution of the Tang Dynasty in it is indispensable. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty relied on this canal to gather materials from the north and the south to supply Guanzhong. Connecting the north and the south was only a side effect. However, its original intention was still much higher than Guangshen's intention of just building it for pleasure.

The Grand Canal rebuilt by Kublai Khan was much simpler. Without the need to supply Guanzhong, it was simply straightened, and its function of transporting goods from north to south became more clear.

The Mongols who founded the Yuan Dynasty and the Semites under their rule already had a tradition of doing business. Trade in the southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions had flourished since the Tang Dynasty. The Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou became the last piece of the puzzle for the revitalization of commerce at the time, and Emperor Wuzong of Yuan was a direct beneficiary.

However, whether it is the Grand Canal of Sui and Tang Dynasties or the Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou, it is inappropriate to attribute its fame to Guangshen or Kublai Khan.

Only the working people can create miracle projects. 】

For Li Chengqian, the shock he received today was indeed too much.

Although there were still many things he didn't understand, he could clearly see A-niang's feelings for him, and the feelings between A-ye and A-niang.

His mother's early death, his younger brother being called Emperor Tang by later generations, his father's unwillingness to elaborate on his own affairs, etc., also gradually impacted his heart.

But until this moment, when he saw with his own eyes a magnificent river running from north to south, and then saw the river gradually turn yellow and eventually the water disappear, and millions of laborers working to dig the riverbed, he suddenly felt that the things he had been entangled with before were not so important.

At this moment he suddenly remembered what Aye often said:

“The people are like water and the ruler is like a boat. Water can carry the boat but it can also capsize it.”

After all, wasn’t Yang Guang, who was quite closely related to him, overturned by this river?
Patting his son on the shoulder, Li Shimin was very pleased: "Just remember it."

"So, Father asked me to leave the capital so that I could see the water in the world?"

This time, Li Shimin was silent for a long time, so long that Li Chengqian even suspected that his father did not hear his question.

"Cheng Qian, we are in this world, just like being in a battlefield that never stops."

The voice was a little hoarse and, unusually, a little vague. Li Chengqian watched as Aye raised his hand and pointed at the world map:

"Mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, and deserts are all the support of the battlefield, but the longer the time goes, the less reliable these supports are."

"When that time comes, nations will fight against nations, tribes against tribes, and even those misleading religions. There will be no room for maneuver."

"You must remember that the emperor is the general and the people are the soldiers. A general must love and cherish his soldiers, but he must never fail to use them. And a general must lead by example."

Li Chengqian didn't quite understand, but still bowed and said:

"My son, please remember this."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "You must keep it in mind and never forget it. When you come back from your trip to Hebei, I will tell you what the window period mentioned by Wu Hou is."

Seeing his son nodding in confusion, Li Shimin sighed quietly.

Just now, when he looked at the overview of the Grand Canal, he suddenly felt that this was the real sword of the emperor, and he also suddenly had more ideas about the window period.

According to the eunuchs' secret observation over the past year, Fuyun Khan, whom Li Jing brought back from the conquest of Tuyuhun, must have been really crazy.

As an emperor who was well versed in war, Li Shimin had in-depth discussions with Li Jing, and both believed that the significance of conquering Tuyuhun with gunpowder and defeating it with light cavalry attacks were completely different.

After all, horses can be tamed, knights can be trained, swords can be purchased, and money can be plundered.

But nowadays, the preparation of gunpowder requires knowledge of alchemy and minerals, and the casting of cannons requires master craftsmen and large workshops. The details of these two military industries, from mining to mathematics training and the proportion of gold and iron mixed in the gun body, etc., the investment required cannot be said to be unaffordable for Tuyuhun, and it can even be said that it is simply incomprehensible.

And once the fleet at Zhuya is built and the preparation of cement has made further progress and become surplus, Tuyuhun will never have a chance to turn things around. This is a reflection of the big picture from the small, and all world conflicts are like this.

Use agriculture to support the people, use the people to study, put knowledge into practice, and then use it to improve farming, strengthen the military, and protect the terrain. In the end, it will be like the Zhenguan period now, where the strong will become stronger and the weak will become weaker. Once the window period is over, the difference between the strong and the weak will be difficult to reverse.

When thinking about the battlefields of future generations where hundreds of countries and thousands of tribes would compete, Li Shimin was genuinely fascinated.

In the Huagai Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was temporarily subdued by Empress Ma, was a little puzzled:
"What is the meaning of this Net Temple? Why was Emperor Yang of Sui included in it?"

　When I visited the Grand Canal Museum before, I saw a shocking painting called "Record of the Opening of the Canal" in the collection, but unfortunately I couldn't find the original painting on the Internet.

　　In addition, this issue will directly discuss the Yuan Dynasty, and then we can start a new volume in the next issue.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)