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

Zhao Heng: “…”

"What have I done wrong?"

"Sending only 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 taels of silk as annual tribute is enough to secure peace. Why can't this be considered an achievement of mine?"

"Does it have to be a fight to the death to be considered an achievement?"

"Do you know that if we are defeated, the price we will pay—ceding territory, paying reparations, paying tribute, and becoming vassals—will be at least ten times that of the Treaty of Chanyuan!"

"I did nothing wrong, I was just not as brutal as you all, and that is my achievement!"

Old Zhu had already brought up the Treaty of Chanyuan, which he had signed, as a joke before.

But this time, he didn't want to be a laughing stock!

"If the Treaty of Chanyuan was a disgrace, then the Treaty of Wei River was also a disgrace to Li Shimin!"

Are you suggesting that Emperor Taizong of Tang was also a foolish and incompetent ruler?

Zhao Heng was already gritting his teeth as he spoke.

After a moment of silence, Li Er spoke slowly.

"Whether I am a fool or not is for the immortals to judge, and for future generations to judge. But if we only consider the Treaty of Wei River, it is indeed the greatest shame of my life!"

what……

Zhao Heng was stunned.

He thought the immortal's summary in the subtitles was an attempt to be modest on Li Er's behalf!

"But this treaty at the Wei River, which was a humiliating surrender, did not involve ceding territory or paying reparations, nor did it require vassalage or tribute. The treaty was almost entirely equal!"

"It's like paying a small amount of money to buy a long period of peace and allow the people to recuperate!"

"You didn't even pay any money, after all, Khan Jieli also wanted to give you thousands of warhorses and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep as compensation, but you refused!"

"Why has such a fair treaty become a disgrace?"

He couldn't understand.

Isn't it an achievement to use this method to gain peace and time to recuperate?

"For you, being able to exchange peace for humiliation is an achievement, but for Li Er, it is unacceptable."

"His proud nature makes him intolerant of even the slightest imperfection."

Old Zhu smiled dismissively.

"Besides, you only remember the Treaty of Wei River, how come you selectively ignore what happened afterward?"

"After ordering Jieli to withdraw his troops, Li Er had already begun to instigate internal strife within the Turkic Khaganate."

For Li Er, there was no such thing as a gentleman taking revenge even after ten years.

What Zhao Heng considered an achievement worthy of the imperial sacrifice was a thorn in Li Er's side.

He can't even sleep well until this nail is pulled out!

After signing the Wei River Alliance, Jieli withdrew his troops.

This should have been a cause for celebration, but Li Er felt no joy whatsoever.

For him, having just ascended the throne, it was time to make some achievements to prove his abilities!

The result was a swift and painful slap in the face, forcing them to sign the Wei River Treaty, a truly humiliating disgrace!

So after Jieli withdrew his troops, he set about sending capable ministers to the Turks to sow discord between Jieli and Tuli Khan.

From this moment on, the Tang Dynasty began to actively prepare for war, to the point that Li Shimin personally led hundreds of soldiers to practice martial arts and archery in the palace every day.

Everyone, from the government to the public, knew the purpose of his move.

Most of the ministers had gone through thick and thin with Li Shimin, so they naturally knew his temperament and were not willing to swallow their anger.

Everyone was quietly waiting for the moment when the opportunity would arrive.

In the fourth year after the signing of the Treaty of Wei River, the Tang Dynasty was militarily strong and well-equipped, while the Turks were embroiled in internal strife.

Zhang Gongjin submitted a memorial requesting permission to launch a campaign against the Eastern Turks.

Li Shimin immediately agreed and appointed Li Jing and Xu Shiyi as commanders, leading a total of 100,000 troops in six routes straight to the heart of the Turkic territory.

In one battle, tens of thousands of enemy soldiers were killed and more than 100,000 were captured.

Along with Jieli Khan, who once enjoyed unparalleled glory on the banks of the Wei River and signed an alliance with Li Shimin, he was also captured alive and brought back.

Despite being the enemy who caused him to swallow the bitter pill the moment he ascended the throne, Li Shimin showed great magnanimity.

Not only did they not kill Jieli, they also bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Guiyi, appointed him as the Right Guard General, and occasionally gave him the role of Chang'an's Dancing King, where he would dance to entertain the guests in his spare time.

"Zhao Heng, did you see that?"

"This is the true majesty of our great Central Plains!"

"Just like your Zhao Song dynasty, after acknowledging Liao as a vassal state, you turned around and knelt before Jin, and you also knelt before smaller states like Western Xia."

"In the end, the Mongol Yuan dynasty didn't give you the chance to kneel, so you were all gone."

Old Zhu sneered.

He never hid his mockery of the Song Dynasty's weak behavior.

Even when the Mongol Yuan dynasty was at its peak and its iron hooves were truly unstoppable, dying standing up at least offered more dignity and earned more respect from others.

But someone like you, kneeling to this person and then to that person, and still dying in the end, is really hard to bear!

"It was after this battle that Li Er truly demonstrated his ruthless methods."

"However, it was unexpected that he didn't kill Jieli."

Zhu Di estimated that if he were in Jieli's position, Jieli would most likely not survive.

Forget about not surviving; I reckon even dying won't be a pleasant experience.

Consider it a warning.

Originally, Li Er also intended to grind Jieli to dust.

However, after capturing him and bringing him to Chang'an, they abandoned the idea.

"From now on, every time I see him, I will be reminded of that feeling of humiliation, and no matter what the situation, I will never be careless again!"

In the same year that the Eastern Turks were destroyed, the surrounding small countries all witnessed the Tang Dynasty and Li Shimin's swift and decisive methods.

In that year, countless small countries spontaneously offered tribute and bestowed upon Li Shimin the honorific title of "Heavenly Khan"!

Five years later, when Li Shimin was thirty-seven years old, the Tang Dynasty sent troops to destroy Tuyuhun.

At the age of forty, he led an army to defeat the Tibetans. Songtsen Gampo was terrified and withdrew directly from Tuyuhun and other places, and sent his prime minister with a large sum of money to apologize.

At the age of forty-one, he personally rebuilt the Eastern Turkic Khaganate as a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty to counterbalance other khanates.

At the age of forty-two, he conquered Gaochang and captured its king alive.

At the age of forty-three, he decisively defeated the Xueyantuo and annihilated an army of two hundred thousand.

At the age of forty-four, he defeated the Western Turkic Khaganate, deposed the old king, and installed a new one.

He abolished the Eastern Turkic Khaganate at the age of forty-six.

At the age of forty-seven, he personally led an expedition against Goguryeo. Due to Goguryeo's tenacious resistance, it took five months to capture only ten cities, which Li Shimin regarded as another disgrace during his reign.

Later, he sent troops again to sweep away Goguryeo, forcing its king to bow his head in apology and beg for forgiveness.

Later, the Xueyantuo Khanate was destroyed, Central India was destroyed, the Kingdom of Kucha was destroyed, and the Northern Turks were destroyed. Prefectures and states were established in various regions, and the private armies of the major tribes were transformed into the imperial army.

Liu Bang: “…”

He said he was already numb from watching it.

The destruction of countless nations is happening!

No, people have given you an honorific title, honoring you as the Heavenly Khan, and they've even paid tribute to you. How could you possibly do this?

"What's so amazing about that? At first they honored me as the Heavenly Khan, but as time went on, there were always some rebellious troublemakers."

"A troublemaker has emerged. If we don't send troops to suppress him, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the prestige of our Great Tang?"

Li Er explained with a smile.

He was revered as the Heavenly Khan by them, but only for a short time.

He knew one thing very well: if he couldn't keep them in a state of fear, then the title of Khan was nothing but an empty name!

And what he did was to let them know.

No matter how many years pass, Li Shimin will always be the Heavenly Khan!