The Tang Dynasty Rises Again

I have a filial son, Lü Bu; Crown Prince, Liu Shan; Empress Wu Zetian; Consort Lü Zhi; and my beloved daughter, Princess Anle. I also have General An Lushan, trusted general Zhao Kuangyin, Grand Tutor Sima Yi, the city-defending general Wu Sangui, Minister of Revenue Heshen, Grand Commandant Yang Guozhong, Left Chancellor Dong Zhuo, Right Chancellor Qin Hui, Chief Steward Zhao Gao, and bodyguards Fan Jiang and Zhang Da. With these, why should I fear for the stability of the realm?

Undoubtedly, Chai Rong was Guo Wei's nephew and adopted son. According to China's patriarchal system, he had already changed his surname to Guo, which is why he could legally inherit the throne. Calling him Chai Rong would be a questioning of the legitimacy of his succession.

Seeing the author make ordinary soldiers memorize poems really made me lose my temper. At the very least, learning punctuation and literacy is enough for the lower ranks. At a higher level, it's like learning Sun Tzu's Art of War or the Spring and Autumn Annals—training high-level personnel in advance. Anyway, what's the big deal about memorizing poems? At best, it cultivates literary literacy.

We need to address the ethnic issues. I remember that from the Tang Dynasty onwards, many Middle Eastern merchants settled in China and even held official positions. Huang Chao massacred a wave of them, and later, during the Song Dynasty, Pu Shougeng caused chaos in Fujian... If I remember correctly, the protagonist also seems to have cultivated Arab merchants... Isn't that just asking for trouble? We need to deal with that religion as soon as possible to avoid future problems.

To restore the former Tang Dynasty's territory, the protagonist must at least fight westward to Afghanistan, eastward to the Korean Peninsula, northward to the Mongolian steppe and Lake Baikal, and southward to reclaim northern Vietnam's territory. Only in this way can the greatest extent of the Tang Empire's territory be restored. 😅

The early parts were alright, but the middle and later parts fell apart, completely losing its original direction. The war descriptions were utterly absurd, and the politics were a complete mess. A mere battalion commander dared to exploit public opinion to seize a city, and the emperor even protected him. I won't go into the rest.

Map of the Rise of the Tang Dynasty

The story begins with the author adopting an abandoned baby as her daughter. Even though I've subscribed, I still want to curse this author for being such a saint.

They're all secondhand, worn-out women. Wouldn't new ones be better? And you're taking over someone else's son as a cuckold? You're an emperor, you don't even have your own son, yet you dare to take in a widow's son?

They're still talking about the Kangxi and Qianlong era's golden age? The Qing Dynasty, you son of a bitch, what a golden age!