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

"I can understand the salt smugglers. After all, no matter what era it is, those who can sell salt smuggled must have some family wealth."

"Apart from them, I would never have believed the other two unless I had seen it with my own eyes."

"Who could have imagined that things would turn out like this at the end of the Yuan Dynasty?"

Although Li Er already knew about Lao Zhu's background, he still couldn't help but sigh.

The fact that the country is divided into three parts is not surprising, but the backgrounds of these three individuals are truly hard to accept.

"Even salt smugglers wouldn't understand, okay? Those who smuggle salt might have some family wealth, but compared to established families, saying they're worlds apart is an understatement!"

"To be honest, the more I look at it, the more confused I get. Surely all the aristocratic families died out at the end of the Yuan Dynasty? Otherwise, how could three people from such backgrounds have come to this point?"

The more Zhao Kuangyin thought about it, the harder it became to accept.

If it were just Old Zhu, it wouldn't be so bad, but all three of them are like this.

Unless someone tells him that all the aristocratic families are dead!

"If we really have to talk about it, only my father got to this point through his own abilities."

"Chen Youliang first killed Ni Wenjun, using his troops to control military power, and then killed Xu Shouhui, bringing his Tianwan Red Turban Army completely under his command. This can be seen as using the efforts of others to realize his own ambitions."

"If we really rely on his own abilities, I reckon he might not even be able to show his face by the time my father is about to recover the Central Plains."

"As for Zhang Shicheng, he was two-faced. When he saw that the Yuan Dynasty was powerful, he surrendered to it. When he saw that he was no match for Han Song, he betrayed the Yuan and joined the righteous army."

Zhu Di admitted that the people who had competed with him for the throne in the past were all top-notch ruthless heroes.

But when you think about it carefully, only Lao Zhu got to that point through his own abilities.

After all, even after joining Guo Zixing, Zhu De never took a single soldier from him; instead, he gave him all the troops he had recruited himself.

"That shouldn't be the case. Noble families aren't fools."

Zhao Kuangyin still frowned.

The simplest example is the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban army had the power to sweep across the land, but he was a Taoist and only wanted to help the people rise up.

This matter conflicted with the interests of prominent families, so the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled.

Afterwards, they learned about the weakness and flaws of the Han Dynasty through the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and from Dong Zhuo onwards, most people developed the idea of ​​overthrowing the Han Dynasty and replacing it.

The former failed to overthrow the Han Dynasty and was even quelled in a very short time.

The latter brought an end to that centuries-old dynasty.

The only difference between the two is that the former had no powerful families involved, while the latter was almost entirely driven by powerful families.

This shows that for someone truly from humble beginnings to reach this level, it would be impossible unless all the prestigious families were wiped out.

"You're absolutely right. The powerful families were indeed severely weakened by the fall of the Song Dynasty. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty did not share power with the scholar-officials. After a century of the Yuan Dynasty, most of the once prominent families have become nothing but bones in graves."

Zhu Di smiled dismissively.

A prominent family?

It can only be said that Zhao Kuangyin is still living in his era.

After the Mongol Yuan dynasty, powerful families and scholar-officials lost all their former strength.

"A prominent family..."

Did it cease to exist by the end of the Yuan Dynasty?

Zhao Kuangyin was stunned.

"So it's not surprising that Emperor Taizu of Song is like this. It can be said that the late Ming Dynasty was the fairest competition. The so-called aristocratic families no longer existed, and the landlords and gentry did not have much influence. They could only compete purely on their own strength, and naturally the most capable would rise to the top."

This can also be considered one of the factors of favorable timing.

“If this had happened at the end of the Han Dynasty or the end of the Tang Dynasty, my father might not have been able to turn things around.”

Only at the end of the Yuan Dynasty...

"Who are you looking down on?"

"I won't say too much or too little. First, take a look at your father's performance in this challenge against the First Emperor, and then tell me, is he really incapable of turning the tide?"

Liu Bang curled his lip.

In the sky before us, Old Zhu has already lived through most of Ying Zheng's life.

This includes, but is not limited to, those who returned to Qin as hostages, secretly supported their own people, and when the time was right, wiped out Lü Buwei and his cronies.

As for the one in the Empress Dowager's palace, no sooner had Lü Buwei been captured than Lao Ai was torn apart by six horses, giving him no chance whatsoever.

Even if Liu Bang only caught a glimpse of such skill during a moment of leisure while taking stock, he couldn't help but give it a thumbs up.

Even outside of military formations, Zhu De's talent was still astonishing.

So far, he has done an impeccable job in this challenge, leaving no room for error!

"Indeed, although I didn't look closely, with this kind of progress, Lao Zhu's ability is indeed commendable."

Li Er agreed.

Ignoring the details and focusing on the progress, Zhu Yuanzhang's abilities were enough to crush almost all other emperors!

After all, Lü Buwei was no ordinary person.

Even the Empress Dowager in the palace was controlled by Lao Ai. It can be said that from top to bottom, even the inner palace was filled with Lü Buwei's people.

If he hadn't encountered Ying Zheng, most other people sitting on that throne would have become puppets controlled by him!

"However, it wasn't shown on the sky. I'm quite curious whether Lao Ai is really as magical as the legends say."

Li Er planned to ask Old Zhu a good question after Old Zhu successfully completed the challenge.

Clearly, he wasn't the only one interested in this.

"You mean that rumor about it running on wheels? I think it's definitely false!"

"How could there be such a person in this world!"

That's what they say, but it's not hard to tell from Liu Bang's expression that he was also quite curious.

"If not, then why is he so favored by Zhao Ji?"

"I believe there should be!"

"I also think that perhaps it exists, but it is certainly not that exaggerated."

"After all, being able to hang wheels on things sounds like something a human wouldn't even be able to do!"

Many people have expressed their opinions on this matter.

Some people looked down at themselves, like Liu Bang.

After reading it, he was filled with resentment.

But just as everyone was discussing it enthusiastically, the images on the screen suddenly changed.

Not long after Chen Youliang declared himself emperor, he joined forces with Zhang Shicheng to launch a pincer attack on Yingtian, intending to divide Zhu Yuanzhang among themselves.

When the news arrived, panic gripped the entire city of Yingtian.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang now possessed a certain level of resources, it was still far from enough for him to face two formidable enemies simultaneously.

For a time, the civil and military officials under his command had different opinions. Some advocated for peace talks, some advocated for a defensive posture, and some radicals expressed their desire to defeat Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng in one battle.

But clearly, these people's suggestions did not suit Zhu Yuanzhang's wishes.

After consulting most people, only Liu Ji's suggestion aligned with his own thoughts.

It appears to be a pincer attack, but the real threat is Chen Youliang!

More importantly, Chen Youliang's weaknesses are quite obvious!