The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

"How many more monster-like beings are ahead..."

Old Zhu was stunned.

In his subjective opinion, there were not many good emperors, and the one he recommended most was Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang.

If we must count, then Li Er should be included.

As for the others, such as the First Emperor and Emperor Wu, he did not particularly like them.

"Don't just rank them based on your own preferences; you have to look at how much they have accomplished."

Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat helpless.

Although Lao Zhu unusually refrained from criticizing him, such remarks were still something he couldn't understand.

What kind of environment shaped him into such an emperor?

Where exactly does he rank on this list of wise rulers?

As long as Zhu Yuanzhang (the founding emperor) obtained the throne by expelling the Tartars and restoring the Central Plains, Zhao Kuangyin was certain that he would have a place on the list of wise rulers among the immortals!

Even if we only consider the legitimacy of their position, their ranking will definitely not be low!

"Achievements? Isn't it just unification? There are plenty of founding emperors here, who isn't one?"

Old Zhu didn't care at all.

However, many people disagreed with his statement.

"There have indeed been many emperors who unified the country. I don't know how many people became the founding emperors by your time, but no matter what, the person who initiates the creation is always the one with the greatest achievements and is the easiest to be remembered."

"For example, in the previous review, Yang Jian, who created the imperial examination system and the Five Departments and Six Ministries system, even though these systems were gradually perfected in our Tang Dynasty, in your impression, weren't they all created by him?"

"You, Old Zhu, remember things like the imperial examination system and the Five Provinces and Six Ministries system so clearly, but you don't acknowledge the one who established the unified empire?"

Li Er retorted irritably.

He also recalled that when Yang Jian was being assessed, many people said that his Tang Dynasty inherited the system of the Sui Dynasty!

Old Zhu: “…”

That makes a lot of sense, actually!

"There's no point in arguing about this now. Let's wait and see; the immortal will provide an explanation."

"If creating the concept of a unified empire is truly an achievement, then perhaps none of us can compare to that person."

Seeing the people arguing, Liu Bang stepped forward again.

It's pointless to argue about things that haven't happened yet.

In his view, since the immortal ranked Zhao Kuangyin seventh, there must be a reason for it.

Ying Zheng remained indifferent, quietly observing the words on the sky.

It's as if how outsiders evaluate him has nothing to do with him.

He only cared about the immortal's evaluation of him and the rewards he received.

"Let's see. I also want to see how the immortals will evaluate what I have done in my life."

The life of Zhao Kuangyin is viewed with mixed opinions by later generations.

Some say he ended the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, while others say he bullied orphans and widows, and seized power in the Chenqiao Mutiny.

Some say that he prioritized civil affairs over military matters, twice relinquishing military power over a cup of wine, thus adjusting the relationship between civil and military officials, ultimately leading to the Song Dynasty's extreme weakness.

Some say that because of his decision, there has never been a situation of regional warlordism and separatism since the Song Dynasty.

Some argue that he failed to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and was unable to destroy the Northern Han during his reign, thus he cannot be considered a founding emperor who unified the country.

Some also say that all he lacks is time.

His strategy was to start from the south and then move to the north, and from the easy to the difficult.

First, send capable generals to guard the border and resist the Liao and Northern Han, while at the same time sending the main force to the south.

After successively destroying the separatist forces in the south, such as Jingnan and Wuping, they were only one step away from unification!

These are his achievements, achievements that cannot be erased no matter how later generations judge him!

Upon seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin's eyes reddened slightly.

He certainly knows what he has done and what he will do in the future.

But Lao Zhu's repeated belittling made him uneasy.

Even though he always retorted without hesitation, he took Lao Zhu's words to heart.

He almost truly believed that the Song Dynasty he founded was a mistake!

Fortunately, the immortal acknowledged him and his achievements!

Furthermore, in the evaluations of later generations, even if his reputation is mixed, those people, even if they do not respect him, should still give him some respect because he ended the chaotic era!

"The phrase 'mixed praise and criticism' is quite apt, but no matter how much Zhao Heizi is denigrated, his achievements cannot be erased."

Old Zhu agreed with this term.

Throughout his life, Zhao Kuangyin's actions had both advantages and disadvantages.

This includes his policy of emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs.

Even though it led to the Song Dynasty bowing down to various powers outside the Great Wall in turn, it also truly prevented the separatist rule of regional warlords at the end of the dynasty.

Before the Song Dynasty, there were the Chu-Han Contention during the Qin Dynasty, the warlord era at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

Every dynasty inevitably faces the phenomenon of regional warlordism at its end.

The Song Dynasty was the only one without it.

Even in the late Southern Song Dynasty, which had been weak for a long time, the imperial court still wielded unparalleled power over local areas.

"Many dynasties perished in their final years due to internal strife, but the Song Dynasty perished due to foreign enemies..."

Well……

At this point, Old Zhu's expression became a little strange again. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Zhao Kuangyin: "..."

If you can't speak properly, can you at least shut up?

Are you speaking up for me, or are you helping them to belittle me?

What do you mean by saying that other dynasties perished due to internal strife, but only our Great Song Dynasty perished due to foreign enemies?

This would have been better off ending in internal strife!

Li Er, standing to the side, was almost laughing himself to death.

Although he could understand what Lao Zhu was trying to say.

The policy of emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs effectively eliminated the possibility of regional warlordism.

The problem was that the monarchs who came out in the later period of the Song Dynasty were too weak, and could only be bullied by foreign enemies one after another, and even had their country destroyed.

It's difficult to judge Zhao Kuangyin's actions as meritorious or demeritful, but the final outcome for the Song Dynasty is truly poignant.

It would have been better to perish at the hands of warlords!

During Zhao Kuangyin's reign, he strengthened centralized power several times. Because of his decisions, the imperial power remained supreme until the end of the Song Dynasty.

Whether it was administrative power, military power, or financial power, all of it was concentrated in the hands of the emperor.

Perhaps due to the limitations of his time, he saw the harmfulness of regional separatism in the reasons for the fall of previous dynasties.

At the same time, it's also because I don't want others to follow in my footsteps.

In conclusion, in Zhao Kuangyin's mind, military generals were far more dangerous than civil officials.

Therefore, he adjusted the status of civil and military officials several times.

For him, emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs was not a sign of weakness or fear of war with the outside world, but simply because he felt that scholars were less harmful and would not threaten the very foundation of the Song Dynasty.

Furthermore, using scholars to suppress warriors is the lowest-cost approach!

Seeing this, Old Zhu couldn't help but sigh.

It is indeed a limitation of the times.

Once you get to him, you'll understand.

The harm caused by scholars is no less than that of military generals, and may even be greater!

A military general's misrule might lead to rebellion, but a scholar's misrule can directly strip away the backbone of the entire dynasty!