Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 526 Extra: When Li Shimin came to Wu Zhou [Part ] (from a certain NC TV series world line)

Li Shimin's voice was cold, and his expression was serious with a hint of disdain.

In fact, a piece of memory suddenly appeared in his mind just now. It was transmitted to him by "Chen Ye". It said that due to some reasons, he came to a fictional world based on the real world, and most things in this world were the same as in the real world.

Except for the fact that there is no Chen family.

And precisely because of the absence of Chen, many things have changed. For example, the old woman lying limp on the ground in front of you - in the period of history without Chen, this old woman first used her charm to make Li Zhi trust her, and gave her part of the power, thus making her the queen. In the end, Li Zhi's health was poor, and after he died, he let this woman govern the country.

In fact, Li Shimin didn't know who to blame for this.

After all, no one could have imagined that a 67-year-old woman would depose her own son, or even kill her own son, to take the throne - who could have imagined this?
Unexpected.

So there is nothing that can be done about it.

Li Zhi suppressed Wu Zetian when he was alive, but there was nothing he could do after his death - he left behind a large number of court officials, but these officials were not very competitive and had to watch the Li Tang dynasty being stolen by someone like Wu Zetian.

After sneering, Li Shimin stopped looking at Wu Zetian who was lying on the ground. He just sneered and looked into the distance. Then, his face showed a little peace. "How dare the Turks invade our Tang Dynasty? It seems that I didn't defeat them when I was alive."

He shook his neck and then pressed his body gently.

This body is young and full of vitality, and it makes people feel very refreshed. If you feel it carefully, you will find that the strength of this body is almost the same as when he was in his prime!
"Pass on my edict!"

Li Shimin stood there, looking very majestic, with a look of high spirits on his face. He looked at Di Renjie and others and said, "Order the army to assemble! I will lead the army in person!"

He grinned with a slightly cruel smile on his face. He felt that the humiliation of the past was still lingering in his heart, but the Khan of the Turks had surrendered and was even captured by him to dance in the Tang Dynasty. He could not continue to do anything to vent his anger.

And now?
Every move of the Turks gave him an excuse! An excuse to take up arms again!

No one paid any attention to the old woman lying on the ground. At this moment, everyone could only see that one person! That person seemed to be glowing!
He is the real Emperor!
Emperor Taizong Li Shimin!
The same year, autumn.

The Tang army assembled, and all the soldiers looked at the man standing in the front, riding on horseback, with almost fanatical expressions on their faces. It was simply an exciting thing!

Many soldiers present had grown up listening to stories about Emperor Taizong. Now that they could see Emperor Taizong with their own eyes, how could they not be excited?
So everyone raised their heads and looked up to His Majesty the Emperor!

"Boom-"

"Boom-"

"Boom-"

Countless voices rang out, and those voices that seemed to come from the distant past instantly stirred between heaven and earth.

The Qin King breaks the formation!
The music created by Li Shimin back then played its real role at this moment, instead of being played for his enemies during the marriage ceremony!
That's the Qin King's music of breaking the formation!

The impassioned voice echoed under the sky.

The army sets off!
The north wind blew yellow sand across the Helan Mountain ridge. Li Shimin stroked the long sword at his waist, his eyes piercing through the layers of wind and snow, looking into the distance.

Thirty miles away, the wolf flags of the Turkic cavalry fluttered under the sky, and the dust created by their iron hooves obscured the entire starry sky.

"Order all camps to take off their armor."

This seemingly abnormal order made the deputy generals look at each other in bewilderment.

The deputy commander was about to open his mouth to advise, when he saw the emperor dismount from his horse, take off his black armor robe and throw it to the guards: "Let the soldiers also feel the chill of the desert."

Li Shimin walked in the yellow desert with a look of disappointment on his face.

How long?
How long has it been since the last war?
When the Tang Dynasty's railways ran through the whole country, no one dared to invade the Tang Dynasty anymore.

And now.
He smiled.

The soldiers behind him looked at the rolling yellow sand in the distance and were also watching the same scene.

When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, Li Shimin was already standing on the top of a sand dune a hundred miles away from the Turkic royal city.

He looked at the tower standing in the distance under the yellow sand, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "The Turks are willing to spend money to move the entire Golden Tribe here."

“It’s just a pity”

"This city is about to fall!"

Before he finished speaking, a long horn sounded in the distance.

The Turkic vanguard cavalry was seen galloping on their horses, and the dust raised by their horses' hooves covered the sky. The leading general suddenly reined in his horse, and a whisper like the friction of metal came from under the bone mask: "The Khan has ordered that whoever captures the Emperor Li Tang alive will be granted the title of Danyang County with ten thousand households!"

Li Shimin drew out the sword from his waist with his backhand, and pointed the tip of the sword towards the sky: "Send a message to the Modao Camp!"

As the shrill sound of ox horns resounded across the battlefield, three hundred Modao soldiers rushed out from the flank.

These soldiers in silver armor held three-foot-long Mo Daos, with tiger emblems engraved on the handles. Chen Yunhui, who was leading the way, suddenly reined in his horse, and his Mo Dao drew a semicircular arc, accurately cutting off the three oncoming spears.

“Break the formation!”

Chen Yunhui's roar shook the sky full of yellow sand.

The Mo Dao Battalion suddenly changed its formation, and twelve Mo Daos stabbed into the ground at the same time, forming twelve silver barriers. The charge of the Turkic cavalry was abruptly cut off, and the screams and the sound of metal collisions intertwined into a hellish movement.

In the eighth year of Wu Zhou, the spirit of Emperor Taizong descended from heaven into the body of the prince.

Defeated the Huns.

The same year, winter.

When the heavy snow covered everything, the city of Chang'an was still so prosperous and lively. At this moment, there was singing and dancing in the Taiji Hall, and all the ministers had a hint of celebration on their faces.

But the master of this world is not in this hall at this time.

Jail
The damp blue brick floor was emitting a cold light, and Li Shimin walked into the dark room, stepping on the fragments of the bronze box.

This is the most secret prison cell in Chang'an City. The walls are soaked in the bloody smell of years, and even the candlelight is stained with an eerie blue.

"Emperor Taizong was able to survive for a hundred years. The Li Tang Dynasty was truly destined by heaven."

Wu Zetian was reclining on a couch covered with bright yellow brocade, her hairpin with nine phoenixes holding pearls swaying slightly in the darkness. Her ankles were locked with black iron shackles, but her embroidered gold skirt spread out like a peacock spreading its tail.

She looked old and tired now, and she looked nothing like she did half a year ago or even a few months ago.

Li Shimin threw the broken copper box at her feet, and the sound of metal collision resounded in the stone chamber. The tell-tale patterns on the gilded surface were already blurred, and dark brown blood scabs were still congealed in the cracks.

Li Shimin lowered his eyes slightly and whispered: "I set up the drum to listen to people's opinions in the past, in order to understand people's feelings. But you turned this tool for receiving advice into a torture device for fabricating charges."

He drew his sword and picked up the broken pieces of the bronze box.

"Is Lai Junchen's "Luozhi Jing" more comprehensive than "Tang Law Commentary"? "

"My prosperous Zhenguan era was completely destroyed in your hands!"

Wu Zetian looked at Li Shimin, her fingertips brushed across the jade belt around her waist, and raised her head, her hair disheveled: "Destroy it?"

"Your Majesty, do you know how much permanent farmland was occupied by the Guanlong clans during the Yonghui period?
"If we don't use the hands of the poor and cruel officials, how can we cut off those complicated and entangled aristocratic families?"

She suddenly grabbed the shackles and slammed them against the wall, the chains rattling: "Just like your majesty did at Xuanwu Gate back then."

"presumptuous!"

The sword's tip brushed past the empress's ear and pierced into the stone wall, cutting off a few strands of her white hair.

There was a bloodshot in Li Shimin's eyes, as if he saw the winding river of blood in front of the Xuanwu Gate again.

He closed his eyes and pulled out a yellowed memorial from his sleeve: "This is a secret note. It records that when Xu Jingye rebelled, you executed 27 officials above the fifth rank in order to shock the court."

The dark room suddenly fell into silence, with only the sound of the clock reminding people of the time.

Wu Zetian stood up slowly, the faded rouge could not hide the fine lines at the corners of her eyes: "Your Majesty, have you ever read the "Ministerial Rules" written by me? Back then, you taught Zhinu that 'water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it', and I asked every official above the fifth rank to have a copy -"

"So you used Zhou Xing's mace to teach them loyalty to the emperor?"

Li Shimin interrupted with a sneer, and the tip of his sword lifted up the goldfish charm on the empress's waist belt: "I set up twelve guards to protect the country and the people. But you allowed Xue Huaiyi to openly kill the scholars who discussed the Mingtang in the West Market of Luoyang, and used the monks of the White Horse Temple to monitor the officials!"

Suddenly, a ray of sunlight came in through the secret door, and the commander of the Yulin Army presented a report that was covered with morning dew.

Li Shimin unfolded the silk and threw it in front of Wu Zetian: "Yesterday, when we searched Shangyang Palace, we found 300 infant skeletons in the wall. According to the records of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they were all boys and girls who were offered to make the elixir of immortality."

Wu Zetian finally changed her expression.

She staggered and tried to stand up, but was pulled down to the ground by the chains.

"Those are the descendants of the palace maids who died suddenly in the palace."

Her voice suddenly became sharp. "Didn't Your Majesty order people to search for alchemists all over the world in order to obtain the elixir?"

"So I stopped taking the elixir and drove those evil Taoists out of Chang'an!"

Li Shimin suddenly grabbed the book "The Origin of the People" on the table and threw it down heavily. The pages of the book were scattered and densely covered with red comments, "You did encourage people to study agriculture, but you built the Tongtian Pagoda in the west of Luoyang City, wasting the people's energy; you created the palace examination to recruit talents, but you poisoned your own son because of a prophecy of 'a parrot with broken wings'!"

The sound of water leaking from the copper leak in the dark room suddenly became deafening.

Wu Zetian slowly stood up, holding onto the stone wall. Her faded Zhaiyi glowed an eerie purple in the dim light. She argued, "Your Majesty, do you know how many bones are needed to pave the way for a woman to become emperor? You have eighteen scholars in the Qin Palace, but I only have a scholar from the North Gate. You can bring Yuchi Jingde to break into the Xuanwu Gate, but I have to strangle my own daughter first."

"So you want to turn all women into snakes?"

Li Shimin suddenly approached, and the hilt of the dragon-patterned sword pressed against the empress's throat: "Do you think I care about men and women sitting on the dragon throne? I am angry that you trampled on the most basic principles of the emperor!"

He pointed to his heart and said, "When Jie Li Khan was approaching the Wei River, I rode alone to meet him. What I was thinking about was not the throne, but the millions of people behind me!"

Li Shimin's eyes were filled with disappointment.

In fact, Li Shimin didn't care who sat on the throne. In this world, didn't his Li Tang royal family seize the country from Emperor Yang of Sui?
He was angry about Wu Zetian's actions.

It can be said that if Wu Zetian was not a woman but a man, her performance as an emperor would be comparable to the famous tyrants in history, or even worse than some of them.

Why do history books always say that the period governed by Wu Zetian was a link between the previous and the next, or to put it more nicely as "the reign began in Kaiyuan and continued in Zhenguan"?
The answer is simple, because Wu Zetian really didn't do a good job.

He almost completely destroyed the prosperous Zhenguan era left by Li Shimin, and in the end he just whitewashed the situation. When she ascended the throne, China's territory had shrunk much compared to the Li Shimin period.

Whether it was during the reign of Li Shimin or Li Zhi, the Turks did not dare to invade the Central Plains so rampantly. Even the Turks during the reign of Li Shimin felt that they were people of the Tang Dynasty!

What happened after Wu Zetian ascended the throne?
The Turks were invading, and Tibet was even eyeing the country covetously. The cruel officials in the court almost destroyed the entire government.

Moreover, she also made use of her "male favorites" and let them become officials - this was simply ridiculous. She was just a spoiled and foolish woman who relied on her seductive husband, the emperor, and on killing her own son to gain power.

It’s just ridiculous that most people actually think that the Kaiyuan Prosperity actually has anything to do with her.

The weakest time during the Tang Dynasty was probably the Wu Zhou period ruled by Wu Zetian.

Li Shimin looked at the old woman sitting on the bed and shook his head. He looked at Wu Zetian and said, "You have done countless evil things, but you have indeed made some contributions, so I will not kill you."

He sneered: "Just stay in this prison and be a prisoner who will never see the light of day!"

In the eighth year of Wu Zhou, winter.

On the last day of this year, the prince Li Longji, or rather, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin who came to Li Longji, ascended the throne - he once again changed the country's name from Zhou to Tang, and then moved the capital to Guandu.

Yes, Guandu.

No one understood why the capital should be moved to Guandu. Di Renjie, Zhang Jianzhi and others even wrote petitions to the emperor for several consecutive days, but were unable to change his mind.

But they were shocked by what the emperor threw out.

Taiji Hall
Li Shimin smiled and looked at Di Renjie, Zhang Jianzhi and others in front of him: "How is it?"

"With these things, do we still need to be afraid of those bugs hiding in the dark?"

He stood in the hall with his hands behind his back, looking into the distance.

In this world line, he can live for more than ten years.

These ten years.
It was enough for him to transform the Tang Dynasty into a truly prosperous one!

Peach Blossom Spring
Li Shimin slowly opened his eyes, smacked his lips, looked at the emperors surrounding him in the distance, and said with emotion: "The power of the emperor is really another world!"

"I just don't know, who will be the next one?"

(End of this chapter)