Diqin Designer

Chapter 354 The Strongest Carbon-Based Organism in the Seventh Century

"Come to think of it, Li Tang and Sui Dynasty are relatives!"

After hearing this, Qin Shi Huang and others became interested. Are the Tang Dynasty and Sui Dynasty related?

Li Nian smiled and said, "Li Yuan's father was named Li Bing. He married the fourth daughter of Dugu Xin, one of the Eight Pillars of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. This woman gave birth to four sons and one daughter for Li Bing, and Li Yuan was one of them."

Hearing the surname "Dugu", the First Emperor understood: "Is this Dugu Xin related to Yang Guang's mother, Empress Dugu?"

Li Nian nodded: "They are father and daughter. Yang Guang's mother is Dugu Xin's seventh daughter and is a sister of Li Yuan's mother, so Li Yuan and Yang Guang are cousins!"

"Dugu Xin is also a famous god in history. His godliness lies mainly in the fact that he had three daughters who all became queens. He is known as 'the most powerful father-in-law in history' and 'the father-in-law of three dynasties'."

"Dugu Xin's eldest daughter married Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yu, as his empress; his third daughter married Li Bing; and his seventh daughter married Yang Jian as his empress."

"Although the third daughter was not an empress when she married Li Bing, all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, starting from Li Yuan, were her descendants, so she was posthumously named Empress Yuanzhen by the Tang Dynasty."

Wow, his daughters were queens in three dynasties. His level of raising daughters is truly amazing.

With his daughters marrying so well, I guess Dugu Xin must be living a good life, right?
But in fact, Dugu Xin did not enjoy any benefits from his daughters' good marriages.

Although his eldest daughter married Yuwen Yu as his queen, he was killed by Yuwen Hu in the second year after he became emperor. Dugu Xin was forced to commit suicide by Yuwen Hu two years before Yuwen Yu became emperor because he planned a coup d'état.

If Dugu Xin could live to the Sui or Tang Dynasty, he would have the blessing of having his daughter marry well.

Unfortunately, this is not realistic. If he could live to see Yang Jian establish the Sui Dynasty, he would have to be 78 years old.

Not to mention living until the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, that would require over a hundred years!
Therefore, although his three daughters were queens of three dynasties, Dugu Xin himself did not enjoy this blessing much during his lifetime.

The First Emperor said, "Li Yuan and Yang Guang are so closely related. Isn't it true that Li Yuan has seized the throne from his cousin?"

Li Nian shook his head and said, "I don't think so."

"At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty had already lost control of the world. Uprisings broke out everywhere, and princes were everywhere. Even if the Li Tang Dynasty did not seize the world, it would have been seized by other heroes and would never return to the hands of the Sui Dynasty."

When the Sui Dynasty lost its deer, many heroes started to chase it, but it was only Li Tang who finally caught the deer.

"Moreover, it was not Li Tang who caused the empire to fall into chaos, nor was it Li Tang who caused the fall of the Sui Dynasty, nor did Li Tang directly seize the empire from the Sui Dynasty."

"It was after the collapse of the Sui Dynasty that Li Tang defeated all the other heroes and reunified the country with his own strength. It can even be said that Li Tang cleaned up the mess left by Yang Guang."

"In later generations, there were often people who advocated and shouted for Yang Guang, trying to whitewash him. 'Whitewashing' means to refute the mistakes and atrocities that Yang Guang had committed as innocent, or even meritorious. This is how the saying 'the sins are in this generation, but the merits will be passed down through the ages' came about!"

"Those who want to whitewash Yang Guang have held an argument: they believe that the historical facts about Yang Guang in the Sui Dynasty were fabricated by the Tang Dynasty, and they are deliberately trying to discredit Yang Guang. Because the Tang Dynasty replaced the Sui Dynasty, they naturally had to fabricate old stories about the previous dynasty in order to prove to the world that they were legitimate."

"But if you ask them to look at the records about Yang Guang in various historical books, they will find that the Book of Sui is very friendly to Yang Guang. For example, some historical books record that Yang Guang killed his father to seize the throne, but the Book of Sui does not record this."

Guangshen not only doesn't seem like a human being in the official historical records, he doesn't seem like a human being in the unofficial histories!

Generally speaking, if a person may be slandered and fabricated in official historical records, there will often be a reversal record in unofficial history, but how can Guangshen be treated in general terms?

Guangshen achieved an achievement. Both official and unofficial histories recorded that he was not like a human being. The unofficial histories recorded that Guangshen's actions were even more wild, such as committing adultery in Yang Jian's harem, killing his father to seize the throne, and raping his own sister.

"Perhaps because of his relationship with Yang Guang, the Tang Dynasty gave Yang Guang some face when compiling history. After all, he is still a relative. Moreover, if the Tang Dynasty was not established after the Sui Dynasty, but was invaded by foreign tribes such as the Turks and Goguryeo, Yang Guang's reputation would be even worse!"

In fact, the Tang Dynasty cleaned up a lot of messes for the Sui Dynasty, and Guangshen should kowtow to his cousin Li Shimin who cleaned up the mess for him.

"When the Tang Dynasty was established, there were many heroes vying for supremacy, including Li Mi, Liu Wuzhou, Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong, Xue Ju, Li Zitong, Xiao Xian, Liang Shidu... If the Tang Dynasty relied only on Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng and others, it might not have become the final winner."

"But there was an extremely powerful man in the Li Tang Dynasty, who was nicknamed by later generations as the 'strongest carbon-based creature in the seventh century' - Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin!"

I didn’t quite understand what carbon-based life was, but I understood it immediately after hearing “the strongest in the seventh century”.

This means that Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was the most powerful person in the seventh century!
The first person in the seventh century!
Although he did not say it explicitly, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who was always very competitive, had already said in his heart: "I also want to be the strongest carbon-based organism in this century!"

If Emperor Taizong of Tang could do it, why couldn't the first emperor in Chinese history do it?
"Historical records say: 'Emperor Taizong was intelligent since childhood, had profound insights, was decisive in dealing with situations, and was not fussy about trivial matters. No one at the time could predict his abilities.' This is indeed true."

"In the eleventh year of Daye, Yang Guang was besieged by the Turks at Yanmen. Taizong was seventeen that year and volunteered to rescue him. He was assigned to the camp of Yun Dingxing, a general of the Garrison Guard. Before setting out, Taizong thought that the enemy was numerous and we were few, and that we would not be able to defeat the Turks head-on, so he proposed a strategy of deceiving the enemy to Yun Dingxing."

"The strategy proposed by Emperor Taizong to provoke an invasion was a great success. The Turks had no idea how many Sui troops had come and gave up the siege, allowing Yang Guang to escape!"

"But Yang Guang probably never dreamed that this young man who came with the army to rescue him would become the Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty!"

"At that time, Yang Guang was besieged by the Turkic Shibi Khan. The Turkic arrows shot in front of the emperor, frightening Yang Guang so much that he hugged his son Yang Gao and cried uncontrollably, even his eyes were swollen."

The First Emperor shook his head and commented: "He is so out of control, is he worthy of being the ruler of a country? With Yang Guang's character, how can the Sui Dynasty not fall?"

If he were surrounded by enemies, he wouldn't even frown.

If you have to die, then just die. As a king, you should have dignity and integrity!

Li Nian smiled and said, "Taizong must have seen the misconduct of his uncle, the emperor, so he probably swore silently here: I will never be a person like my uncle. Throughout his life, Taizong often took Yang Guang as a warning!"

"Initially, Li Yuan hesitated when deciding whether to start a rebellion against the Sui Dynasty. It was Taizong's persuasion that made him decide to start the rebellion in Jinyang. Without Taizong's persuasion, even if Li Yuan would have started the rebellion in the end, it would have been a little later. In troubled times, being one step behind others can change many things."

"After the uprising, it was Emperor Taizong who fought wars in the south and north, and pacified other warlords. It is not to say that the entire Tang Dynasty was conquered by Emperor Taizong, but it can also be said that most of the Tang Dynasty was conquered by Emperor Taizong."

"The one who once commented on Taizong's military ability: 'Since ancient times, no one has surpassed Li Shimin in military ability, and the second best is Zhu Yuanzhang.'"

Hearing the word "that person", the First Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. The person who founded the country in later generations actually had such a high evaluation of the Great Tang Taizong, and believed that no one could compare with the Great Tang Taizong. In addition, who was Zhu Yuanzhang?
He was evaluated as second only to Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty!

Meng Tian heard Li Nian mention "that person" again, but he still didn't know who Li Nian was talking about. Just from Li Nian's tone, he knew that it must be a person with a very high status in later history.

But which dynasty did this hero belong to?
Meng Tian was very curious, while Wang Jian, Wang Ben and others were surprised and dissatisfied. They actually said that the Emperor Taizong of Tang was "the best military officer since ancient times, no one could match Li Shimin". Where did this put them?

What surprised Wang Jian, Wang Ben and others even more was the attitude of the First Emperor, who seemed to agree with the evaluation made by the person mentioned by Li Nian.

Who is this person? Does Your Majesty agree with him so much?
But Li Nian did not give them an explanation, but instead answered who Zhu Yuanzhang was.

"Zhu Yuanzhang is the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!"

After listening to Li Nian's explanation, the First Emperor nodded. It turned out that this was the Hongwu Emperor who founded the Ming Dynasty. He had long known that this person was very powerful, but he did not expect that he would be so powerful, second only to the Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Nian continued, "Taizong participated in many battles. In the Battle of Hulao Pass, he led 3,500 elite soldiers to defeat Dou Jiande's 100,000-man army at Hulao Pass, forcing Wang Shichong to surrender. This battle is also known as 'Capturing Two Kings in One Battle'."

How many people fight against how many people?
Three thousand five hundred elite soldiers defeated an army of one hundred thousand?
Even if there are 100,000 pigs, it will take a long time for 3,500 elite soldiers to catch them, right?

Were the enemies that the Great Emperor Taizong of Tang fought against not strong?

Li Nian said: "Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong were both relatively strong among the heroes at the end of the Sui Dynasty. Although Wang Shichong was already injured at that time, Dou Jiande still had strength, but was defeated by Emperor Taizong in one battle."

"This has become a classic battle where a smaller force defeated a larger one, but this battle is difficult to replicate because it requires too much from the commander."

Wang Jian then suggested, "Sir, could you demonstrate the course of this battle for us so that we can observe and deduce it?"

There will inevitably be many battles with every change of dynasty. If these battles can be reproduced, they can also see how future generations fought, and the Qin Dynasty can also learn lessons from them.

Li Nian said: "Although Taizong's victory was brilliant, it does not have much learning significance for Daqin, because the army under Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was still a cold weapon army, while the army of Daqin will now use hot weapons."

"There is a huge difference between hot weapon warfare and cold weapon warfare. Although the battles in the cold weapon era can be used as a reference, they are not that meaningful!"

In fact, not only is it meaningless, it is impossible for Li Nian to do this, and the First Emperor would not allow it.

It would be fine if he could briefly talk about later history, but if he wanted to reproduce every classic battle in history for everyone to watch and deduce, how much time and energy would it take?
Does Daqin need to reform? Does Daqin need to develop its technology?
Li Nian's time and energy should be used where they are more needed.

After listening to Li Nian's words, Wang Jian also reacted. For the transformed Qin Dynasty, what it urgently needed to learn and deduce were the tactics of the hot weapon era, or the tactics of the transition period from cold weapons to hot weapons.

It is not to say that the battles in the cold weapon era are not worth learning. Even though there are differences between cold weapons and hot weapons, there are also desirable aspects in terms of tactical thinking. However, these are not what the Qin Dynasty urgently needs now.

Wang Jian apologized to Li Nian: "It was my fault!"

Li Nian smiled and said, "General, as a general, it is natural for you to want to see how Emperor Taizong won this battle. I understand."

"On the battlefield, Taizong always led his troops, so the morale of his soldiers was always high, and he was able to win even when the enemy outnumbered us."

"However, this practice is also extremely dangerous. Emperor Taizong built six stone sculptures of war horses in his imperial mausoleum. These six horses had accompanied him in his conquests. They were known as the 'Six Horses of Zhaoling Mausoleum'. They are 'Telu', 'Qingzhu', 'Shifachi', 'Saluzi', 'Quanmao' and 'Baitiwu'."

"'Tele Piao' was the horse that Taizong rode when he was with Song Jingang. In this battle, 'Tele Piao' carried Taizong to fight eight tough battles in one day and dozens of battles. Later, it pursued Song Jingang for more than 200 miles in one day and one night. Taizong did not eat or drink for two days, and did not take off his armor or his horse for three days. In the end, he eliminated Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang."

"Saluzi, Shifachi and Qingzhui were all horses that Emperor Taizong rode during the Battle of Wulao Pass. Historical records show that during a battle between Emperor Taizong and Wang Shichong at Mangshan in Luoyang, Saluzi was shot in the chest. After returning to the camp and removing the arrow from his chest, he died of excessive bleeding."

"'Shifachi' was the warhorse that Taizong rode after 'Saluzi' died. He rode this horse and led the charge into the enemy's formation. 'Shifachi' was shot by five arrows and died."

"Qingzhui was the warhorse that came after Shifachi. Emperor Taizong rode it and led 3,500 elite cavalrymen to attack Dou Jiande's army and defeated Dou Jiande's army of 100,000. Qingzhui was also hit by five arrows in this battle."

"'Quanmao' was the horse ridden by Liu Heita, a former subordinate of Dou Jiande, when Emperor Taizong was ordered to lead troops to Hebei in the fourth year of Wude. He was shot by nine arrows and died in battle."

"'White Hoofed Crow' was the horse that Emperor Taizong rode when he fought against Xue Ju's son Xue Rengao at Qianshuiyuan in the first year of Wude. When Xue's army was retreating, Emperor Taizong rode it in pursuit, galloping over 200 miles in one day and one night."

Everyone understood that although Li Nian seemed to be talking about horses, he was actually telling the story of Emperor Taizong of Tang's war experiences through the experiences of the six war horses he rode.

If the war horses have experienced such dangers, what will happen to their masters who ride them?
The First Emperor suddenly thought of something, and with a look of doubt in his eyes, he asked, "How old was Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty when he pacified the world?"

After hearing what the First Emperor said, others also reacted.

In the 11th year of Daye, Emperor Taizong of Tang was 17 years old, and Li Yuan started his army in the 13th year of Daye, which means that Emperor Taizong of Tang began to conquer the world when he was 19 years old.

The reign title Wude obviously belongs to the Tang Dynasty and should not be too far away from the 13th year of Daye. The first year of Wude may very well be in the 14th year of Daye, the year when Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was killed!
This led everyone to come to a very surprising guess: Wouldn't the Great Emperor Taizong of Tang have defeated all the heroes at the end of the Sui Dynasty and wiped out the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty in just a few years?

If this is true, how old was Emperor Taizong of Tang when he conquered the world? How young was he?

Everyone seemed to see a young emperor looking at them from across the years in history.

He is so young and so outstanding, and he has made great achievements at a young age.

No wonder the comment on him was "Since ancient times, no one has been as capable of military affairs as Li Shimin", and this comment was not an exaggeration at all!

Young and full of vigor and heroic spirit.

Qin Shi Huang recalled what he was doing and what achievements he had made when he was the same age.
The final conclusion is...

He seems not as good as this one!
Although the First Emperor didn't want to admit it in his heart!

(End of this chapter)