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Li Ertie once gathered thirteen underlings, almost all of whom were reduced to starvation. Yet, all thirteen of them grew into pillars of the Great Ning Dynasty.

Li Ertie himself, both before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, was one of Li Mu's irreplaceable right-hand men.

He was not like Zhao Cuo, who had killed countless enemies and was known as the butcher of men; nor was he like Sima Xiangyue, who was exceptionally talented; nor was he like Shi Jingqian, who was so intelligent that he was almost demonic.

Since the White Horse Army rose up, Li Ertie's greatest title has been the leader of the White Horse Army.

It was precisely because he was in charge of the White Horse Army's logistics that the White Horse Army was able to maintain its composure in several major battles.

After the founding of the Great Ning, Li Ertie did not have the same opportunities as Ma Rulong and Xiong Wenjing to display their talents and show amazing abilities in their respective fields.

He seemed ordinary and unremarkable.

However, more than half of the internal affairs of the entire Da Ning Dynasty were handled in an orderly manner through his hands.

At the age of thirty-eight, he was appointed Minister of Revenue and later entered the cabinet, becoming the prime minister with supreme power.

The second emperor of Da Ning ascended the throne and appointed Li Ertie as his prime minister.

He served as Minister of Revenue for 42 years. Even when Li Ertie was too old to walk, he still had his descendants carry him into the palace to handle government affairs.

Later, when he was too old to walk any further, the Emperor of Daming granted Li Ertie special permission to handle state affairs at home.

During this period, the emperor repeatedly ordered Li Ertie to retire and live out his remaining years at home.

But even on the night he closed his eyes, there were still documents placed in front of his bed.

Li Ertie closed his eyes and passed away only after finishing the last document.

Li Ertie died peacefully at the age of eighty.

Li Ertie was posthumously honored with the title of Wenzheng and was posthumously granted the title of Prince Yongning.

He was conscientious and meticulous, handling every matter personally.

He served two emperors of the Daming Dynasty, creating two golden ages and laying a solid foundation for the long-term stability of the Daming Dynasty. His contributions were indispensable.

During his lifetime, he never displayed any remarkable talent.

However, later generations have held him in extremely high regard.

Because of his wisdom, it was only gradually discovered by generations of scholars in later generations.

His spirit of selfless dedication will be remembered for all time.

Some scholars have called Li Ertie a symbol of wisdom and a model of loyalty.

He was hailed as the first chief minister of the Da Ning Dynasty, the first meritorious official of the Da Ning Dynasty, the first virtuous minister of the Da Ning Dynasty, and the first good minister of the Da Ning Dynasty.

unprecedented.

Every chapter of the history of the Da Ning Dynasty is full of legendary stories.

The Yongning era, in particular, is what later generations talk about with great interest.

During the Yongning era, many wise men gathered here.

Every founding hero is a figure worthy of discussion.

Li Mu never killed any of the founding heroes, which earned him the reputation of being the greatest wise ruler in history.

Of course, there are also some controversies surrounding Li Mu.

For example, the Four Horses Case, which he personally planned and launched during his tenure, left Li Mu with a point of criticism.

However, as time has passed, more and more scholars have tried to clear Li Mu's name, saying that Li Mu's actions at the time were out of necessity.

Of course, some people insist on the view that Li Mu clearly had the time and ability to handle the problems in Hexi Road with gentle means, but he insisted on massacring 200,000 people.

There are many topics surrounding Li Mu. During his reign, he launched more than two hundred foreign wars, both large and small.

The reasons for each conquest were clearly recorded in writing.

Every reason given is laughable.

For example, if a certain country's congratulations were not properly given, Li Mu might mistakenly believe that the country was cursing him and wishing him a short life, thus launching an invasion.

For example, a merchant from the Da Ning Dynasty was traveling to a certain country when a passerby accidentally stepped on his foot, which triggered a crisis that almost led to the destruction of the country.

However, every war of aggression launched by Li Mu brought back substantial benefits for the Da Ning Dynasty.

However, there are still many things that scholars cannot understand.

For example, by the middle and later stages of the Yongning era, the population of the Yongning dynasty had exceeded 100 million.

Although agriculture was advanced at that time and could produce a lot of food, it was still impossible to provide three meals a day for everyone in the world.

However, Li Mu managed to ensure that everyone had enough to eat.

For example, many of the new policies implemented by Li Mu were groundbreaking.

Many scholars have reasonable suspicions that Li Mu is a time traveler.

However, centuries later, Li Mu was unable to provide a definitive answer to future generations.

This too can only be buried in the long river of history with the passing of Li Mu, becoming an unknown secret.

Zhao Cuo, the Minister of Rites, was also a figure who was the subject of much discussion.

He was the first Minister of Rites of the Great Ning Dynasty, but he never acted in accordance with the principles of propriety throughout his life.

Anyone who tries to be polite to him will be met with his fists.

Zhao Cuo's life spanned seventy years of trials and tribulations.

At the age of sixty-five, due to years of fighting, he suffered from numerous injuries and illnesses, and spent two years recuperating at home.

Later, Zhao Cuo volunteered for the mission, but His Majesty the Emperor suspected that Zhao Cuo was too old and frail to fight.

So Zhao Cuo set up a chopping board outside the Taiji Hall and had the imperial chef bring five catties of meat and five catties of wine, which he devoured in front of the court officials and the emperor at the grand court assembly.

Emperor Da Ning then allowed Zhao Cuo to put on his armor and go back into battle.

Later, Zhao Cuo fought for another three years, showing the world what it means to be an old horse in its stall still aspiring to gallop a thousand miles.

Zhao Cuo passed away suddenly at the age of seventy, on his way back from a victorious campaign in another country.

Historical records indicate that when Zhao Cuo died, he was still riding a tall horse, drinking wine and laughing loudly.

He used one last resounding victory to bring his illustrious life to a perfect close.

That year, the Emperor of Daming personally traveled 300 li outside the city, leading civil and military officials to welcome Zhao Cuo's coffin back to the capital.

When Zhao Cuo died, Li Ertie had already passed away four years earlier.

If he had been willing to stay home and enjoy his old age, his lifespan might have been extended by three to five years.

But he didn't want to die a miserable death. He had lived for war and should die for war.

To die on the way to victory, to die a worthy death, how delightful!

Zhao Cuo fought for fifty years, participating in more than three hundred battles, large and small, without ever suffering a defeat.

Zhao Cuo lived to the age of seventy and served as an advisor to two emperors of the Daming Dynasty. He made great contributions to the expansion of the Daming Dynasty's territory, sweeping across the vast lands.

He was posthumously honored with the title of Wuyong and was posthumously granted the title of King Xiang.

Zhao Cuo was hailed by later generations as the fiercest general of the Great Ning Dynasty, the God of War of Great Ning, and an ever-victorious general.

Some scholars have said that after Zhao Cuo, there was no more God of War in the world.

Scholars who studied Zhao Cuo's life trajectory discovered that he only respected two people in his life.

One was Li Mu, the founding emperor of the Great Ning Dynasty, and the other was Li Ertie, the first Grand Secretary of the Great Ning Dynasty.

As for the reasons, there are many different opinions.

The consensus among them is that Zhao Cuo obeyed Li Mu because Li Mu was a rare monarch with great talent and ambition, which enabled him to gain Zhao Cuo's obedience.

But Zhao Cuo's reasons for obeying Li Ertie were quite different.

Some say that Li Ertie controlled logistics and thus had control of Zhao Cuo's finances. Even more extreme claims include that Zhao Cuo was Li Ertie's illegitimate son.