Late Tang: I, the Emperor

Oh no, Your Majesty! The military governor of Shuofang, Shao Shude, has come to the aid of the emperor!

The wars of the Tang Dynasty cannot be applied to other historical periods. The idea that casualties in the era of cold weapons would lead to collapse is ridiculous. Look up the Battle of Xiangji Temple, where 150,000 fought against 100,000, resulting in 130,000 casualties in one day. The Tang Dynasty was a time when soldiers were recruited from local militias to become professional mercenaries.

In 890, the area included Jiannan in the Guanzhong Plain and various towns in Hebei and Henan.

Well, how should I put it? I think many people have mythologized the Mandarin Duck Formation. Here's some background: it was most suitable for fighting Japanese pirates. Later, Qi Jiguang didn't use it in Youzhou; he primarily used artillery and chariots. The important thing is the training method described in *Jixiao Xinshu* (New Book of Military Tactics).

That's beautifully written! It's touching to see people still willing to write books seriously these days. This is the authentic historical text!

I hope you can write more rationally, and stop with all the rifles and cannons. It's disgusting! Be realistic, stop with the grandiose claims, just keep the small ones. Focus on stabilizing the economy and making minor political adjustments first! Otherwise, the later parts won't be watchable. I'm rooting for you, but don't go too far astray!

How could an emperor manage the situation in the late Tang Dynasty? He couldn't outmaneuver the eunuchs within the palace, and the numerous regional military governors (jiedushi) across the land were impossible to control. This was a situation that couldn't be resolved through political means alone.

Having read up to Chapter Sixteen, I find the Mandarin Duck Formation of Qi Family Army a bit hard to describe. The opponents are all different. One is fighting against Japanese pirates, and the other is dealing with the warlords at the end of the Tang Dynasty. Also, Qi Family Army's infantry, cavalry, and chariot battalions are equipped with cannons and muskets, right? Will they develop firearms later?

The protagonist shouldn't constantly wage war to pacify the feudal lords. Once he has successively subdued the powerful feudal lords and restored his authority, he can naturally achieve victory without a fight.

This emperor wasn't ruthless enough. In the late Tang Dynasty, it was a world dominated by military men. They only knew how to use knives. If you were more ruthless, fiercer, and stronger than them, they would follow you. That meant rebuilding the empire. Everything was based on military affairs. The army could only have one voice.