In the Great Qin Plane, Qin Shi Huang stood on a stone platform, staring at the Sky Screen before him, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"A regime established by a minority ethnic group, the Mongol empire’s existence was fleeting, yet its territory was the greatest! These later generations truly produced many heroes, but in my view, this Zhu Yuanzhang, born a beggar, is the most remarkable!"
Li Si took a sharp breath as he watched the video on the Sky Screen. "Indeed, Your Majesty speaks the truth! Were it not for this Zhu Yuanzhang, I fear our Huaxia lands would have known no end to the fires of war! This Zhu Yuanzhang has the merit of refounding Huaxia!"
At this moment, several lines of text appeared on the Sky Screen:
"Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang! A man chosen by the heavens! Once a beggar, once a monk! In the end, he became Emperor!"
"The Son of Heaven guards the borders; the monarch dies for the state!"
Qin Shi Huang gazed at the words appearing in the sky, his eyes full of admiration. "This Ming Dynasty truly has a sturdy backbone! It seems the people of later generations hold this dynasty in high regard!"
Zhao Gao nodded and said, "Who could fail to admire it? After all, its emergence was a miracle in history!"
***
In the Great Han Plane, Liu Bang stroked his greying beard, his eyes locked on the image in the sky.
"The Ming Dynasty! This Zhu Yuanzhang’s starting point was even lower than mine! At the very least, I was a village head in Sishui! He was a beggar, a peasant, a monk! To become Emperor despite having no clothes to cover his body and no food to fill his belly—this is incredible! The sturdiest of dynasties: no marriage alliances, no paying tribute, no indemnities, no ceding territory! Such a style surpasses that of so many dynasties! No wonder the later generations prize it so highly!"
Zhang Liang nodded. "Your Majesty, I believe these ancestral instructions are excellent. You could write them into our own Great Han ancestral code, so that our descendants follow them as well!"
Liu Bang nodded and took up a bamboo slip from the side. "Yes, Minister Zhang is right! I shall write these words into the Great Han’s ancestral instructions this very moment, so our descendants will do the same!"
***
In the Great Tang Plane, Li Shimin watched the text and video on the Sky Screen, exclaiming in praise.
"The Ming Dynasty, a magnificent era! The Great Yuan was also impressive; even I, the Heavenly Khan, am humbled by their military prowess! Truly worthy of a minority people!"
Zhangsun Wuji, seeing the images above, remarked, "A cowherd boy actually becoming Emperor! What a legendary life that must have been!"
***
In the Great Song Plane, Zhao Kuangyin sat on the dragon throne, watching the Sky Screen in the distance, filled with admiration.
"Look at Zhu Yuanzhang’s descendants, then look at mine! I am ashamed of my own kin. His Ming never produced a weakling; they were all men of iron! 'The Son of Heaven guards the borders, the monarch dies for the state!' That is the backbone our Han people should have! Unlike my Great Song, which produced spineless cowards like Emperors Huizong and Qinzong, becoming the laughingstock of history for thousands of years! And that Zhao Gou, actually allowing Qin Hui to do away with Yue Fei! Alas!"
Thinking of this, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but shake his head. He was determined to change history; the Great Song would never again produce such cowards.
***
In the Great Ming Plane, Zhu Biao bowed respectfully, his face full of adoration.
"Congratulations, Father! Your glory! You have the merit of refounding Huaxia! You expanded our borders and recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun!"
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and stood up from the dragon throne. "Haha, only Biao'er truly understands me!"
Zhu Di also stepped forward and said respectfully, "Father, you had the lowest starting point of all emperors, beginning with nothing but a bowl, yet you came to rule the world! You reshaped Huaxia and made it stand tall once again!"
Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the Sky Screen, asking in confusion, "Hm, the Yongle Emperor? Who is this? How could he share equal fame with me? Could he be a descendant of Biao'er?"
The video on the Sky Screen continued to play:
"Over 200 years later, the rebel leader Li Zicheng destroyed the Ming Dynasty! However, Wu Sangui, driven by rage over a beauty, opened the gates of Shanhai Pass in 1644, inviting the Qing army into the interior!"
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang jumped up in a fury, his face twisted with rage.
"What? My Great Ming perished after only two hundred years! A fine Li Zicheng, a fine Wu Sangui!"
Zhu Yuanzhang drew his sword and slashed it across the table, splitting it in two.
"Where is the Embroidered Uniform Guard? I want you to find those men named Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui at any cost!"
Zhu Biao hurriedly hugged his father’s legs, trying to persuade him. "Father, calm your anger! These are people from two hundred years in the future; where would you even look for them?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shoved Zhu Biao’s hands away.
"Biao'er, do not stop me! I must kill these two little bastards! I will not let them live. Even if I cannot find them, I shall simply slaughter their ancestors!"
A flicker of ruthlessness flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes.
A barrage of comments appeared on the Sky Screen:
"Began with a bowl, ended with a rope!"
"The Ming Dynasty, the last great unification dynasty established by the Han people!"
Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the throne, his hands trembling slightly, his face full of anger.
"The Emperor of my Great Ming actually hung himself from a tree!"
Immediately thinking of the Great Song emperors, he closed his eyes. "However, compared to the emperors of the Great Song, he was much tougher! He simply lacked the talent, and was plagued by endless natural disasters!"
***
In the Great Qing Plane, Emperor Qianlong sat on the dragon throne, stroking his greying beard, his expression calm.
"The Ming Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, is indeed impressive. To have such achievements coming from a beggar’s background, he can be considered a man chosen by the heavens! I wonder who is more capable, he or I? If he could see the prosperity of my Great Qing today, I fear he would lower his head in shame! Haha!"
Heshen hurriedly echoed him, "Your Majesty, you have created this glorious age; you are surely an emperor for the ages. Your achievements are rare even among the emperors of history!"
Emperor Qianlong nodded, looking up at the Sky Screen in the distance. "Hm, the next segment should be my Great Qing! I wonder how the Sky Screen will describe my Great Qing Empire?"
The video on the Sky Screen continued:
"The Qing unified the country. Kangxi opened the borders to trade with the world! Yongzheng pushed through vigorous reforms to confront various factions! Yet, even as Qianlong knew the outside world was changing, he chose to close the country off! In 1840, the British used steam-powered warships and heavy artillery to break open the Qing Dynasty’s gates. In 1842, the Qing signed the Treaty of Nanjing, marking a total defeat, with countless cultural relics flowing overseas! This was followed by the Treaty of Tianjin, the Treaty of Shimonoseki..."