Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Throughout Chinese history, since Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms and established the prefecture-county system, every dynasty seems to have been subject to a cycle of three hundred years, with dynastic changes occurring one after another.

The reasons for this are varied and numerous.

The conclusions are generally drawn from the corruption and deterioration of the government, or the historical cycle is explained by the four words "historical process".

In fact, none of these are the main reasons.

If we set aside these idealistic views of history and examine the issues from the perspective of materialist world history, we will find that the reasons for the dynastic changes in the Central Plains are extremely complex.

In short, it mainly involves two aspects: the consequences of geographical and climate change and the solidification of ideas.

The Qin dynasty perished because its rigid mindset made it difficult to change.

Shang Yang's reforms strengthened the state, and his laws helped Qin unify the six states, thus fulfilling its mission. However, without reasonable adjustments to the laws, the destruction of the state was foreseeable.

The fall of the Han dynasty and its replacement by the Wei and Jin dynasties illustrates the same principle: without considering change, chaos ensues.

Of course, the fall of the Wei and Jin dynasties was entirely self-inflicted, a truly bizarre situation. The same was true for the subsequent Northern and Southern Dynasties, much like the Warring States and Spring and Autumn periods, so it's not worth considering.

The fall of the Tang Dynasty was due to a combination of factors: climate change and the solidification of its ideological system.

The Tibetan Empire on the plateau consumed far too much of the Tang Dynasty's energy, leading to the later formation of regional warlordism and the inability to bear further consequences.

The fall of the Song Dynasty was also due to the solidification of thought and changes in climate and geography. The prevailing trend of emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs continued from the founding of the dynasty until the eve of the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty.

As for geographical and climate change, the most crucial factor was the establishment of the Western Xia dynasty.

Q: Why did the Song Dynasty abandon the Hexi Corridor?

A: Because the Silk Road had been abandoned since the late Tang Dynasty, the Song army would not have any economic benefit even if they took it, but would only greatly increase their economic burden. Therefore, they supported the Tanguts to guard Hexi. However, they did not expect to make a mistake and raise a vicious dog.

Policies proposed in any era are driven by objective circumstances.

Seeing the confusion in Yue Pengju's eyes, Shen Lang calmly explained, "No country's policies, no matter how perfect, will last more than a century."

Effective adjustments must be made quickly before it solidifies in order for the dynasty to continue functioning. The dynastic drawbacks you mentioned...

It's not just your Song state; even within my Chu state, there are similar issues, but those aren't the main reasons.

The real reason that led to the downfall of the Song Dynasty was that those in power were unwilling to change the status quo, and the working class at the bottom of society had no desire for change either.

Once time passes and the old laws become entrenched, changing them will be as difficult as climbing to heaven. Pengju, that's all I wanted to tell you today.

I just want you to understand that many things must be viewed from a long-term perspective to see them more clearly. Why was the Song army inferior to the Jin army?

Ultimately, the problem lies in the flawed thinking of your ruler and his ministers. They instinctively believed that the Jurchens were invincible and that peace was the only option.

Or, like the pro-war faction, they might disregard objective reasons and needlessly send soldiers to fight the Jurchens head-on.

These are all extremely unwise. To change this situation, we must change the ingrained ideas in our minds.

The soldiers' thoughts are bound to differ from those of their commanders; everyone will have a different perspective on the same matter. It's not a matter of who is right or wrong.

Rather, it's caused by our own environment. Only by breaking free from these shackles can we truly see the direction of the situation. Do you understand?

Yue Pengju was extremely intelligent, and he understood the meaning behind Shen Lang's words immediately.

These words not only told him the main reason for the current predicament of the State of Song, but also encouraged him to look at the problem from a different perspective.

That's a double whammy.

He immediately bowed to Shen Lang and said, "Thank you for your explanation, Principal. I understand now."

Shen Lang nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the naval officers and soldiers who were cleaning the deck and took a deep breath.

"Prepare well. In three days, we will set sail for the South Seas. You will be very fortunate to witness a naval battle that will surpass your own understanding!"

"Yes!"

Yue Pengju and twenty other Song soldiers stood at attention and responded forcefully.

Shen Lang's eyes shone brightly, his divine sense already drifting to the unseen South China Sea...

Three days later, at Jinling Harbor.

Shen Lang held Jiang Mengxuan's hand and stood on the top floor of the Po Jun ship, waving goodbye to the officials gathered at the port.

"Woo——"

The moment the roar of the ship's horn sounded, the two battleships, Po Jun and Kai Yang, each carrying 1,200 officers and soldiers, slowly sailed away from the port.

"Ah Lang, this is the first time in my life that I have left the borders of the Great Chu Kingdom. I am a little nervous."

"No rush, soon the countries of Southeast Asia will be your backyard, just like coming home."

Upon hearing Shen Lang's words, Jiang Mengxuan smiled faintly.

But she still had some concerns: "Ah Lang, is it really reliable? Although I have a lot of confidence in this battleship, the Li Kingdom has several thousand warships."

Shen Lang chuckled: "Xuan'er, don't worry. Those broken wooden planks are easy to knock over with one shot. This trip to Southeast Asia will definitely leave a deep impression on the people of Le Country."

"Ah."

Seeing Shen Lang's unwavering confidence, Jiang Mengxuan felt completely at ease and began to appreciate the sea view with great interest.

……

Nanyang, the Royal Palace of Lebanon.

"Your Majesty, this is the tax revenue collected from the merchants of Chu this year, totaling 10,000 taels of gold, 1.5 million taels of silver, 60,000 catties of spices, and 5,000 bolts of cloth. Please take a look."

On the throne, King Nguyen Ha Lai of Le Kingdom, wearing only open-crotch pants, was having a great time with two disheveled women on either side of him.

Looking at the kneeling tax collector, the official replied impatiently, "Alright, I'm not looking anymore. Put it all into the treasury. Tell those Chu expatriates..."

"If they want to live comfortably in Southeast Asia, they must treat me as a god. As long as they pay more taxes, I will allow them to live in peace."

As he spoke, the deity reached out his lewd hand and grabbed the woman's ample thigh on the left.

"Oh, Your Majesty!"

The young woman gave a coquettish smile, which immediately made Ruan Xialai laugh uncontrollably.

Just then, a minister came to report: "Your Majesty, the ship of the envoy from Wuzhao Kingdom has landed at Golden Horn Harbor in our Great Li Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xialai immediately shook off the two voluptuous women clinging to him, got up, put on his trousers, and ordered, "Immediately notify all the inns and post stations along the way to ensure that the envoys from the Celestial Empire are well received."

"The food and supplies should be provided to the standards of a royal palace. Send plenty of female slaves over; make sure the envoys from the Celestial Empire are thoroughly entertained."

The Kingdom of Wuzhao was the largest and strongest dynasty in the world.

Although Nguyen Ha Lai had never seen or knew the exact geographical location of this great power, it did not diminish his awe of it.

Next month is his mother's birthday banquet, and he went to great lengths to invite the Wu Zhao envoy from Siam to the Li Kingdom for the banquet, which is a matter of great prestige.

If we could obtain an official position from Wu Zhao Kingdom and become a tributary state, that would be a very prestigious thing to talk about.

"Yes, I'll go and arrange it right away."

After the servants obediently withdrew, Nguyen Ha Lai excitedly rubbed her hands back and forth.

A moment later, as if he had thought of something, he immediately shouted loudly to the outside of the palace gate: "Someone, quickly go and summon Bidoro. I have important matters to discuss with him!"