xymnovel Chapter 585 Martial Emperor
Chapter 585 Martial Emperor
Of course, there are also quite a few outstanding individuals among them that Su Ye finds somewhat enviable.
He established and trained the elite "Beifu Army"; in the Battle of Fei River, he first defeated Luojian, and then pursued the enemy and defeated Xie Xuan, the Xie family's treasure tree, of the Former Qin army.
There is also the protagonist of "rising to dance at the crowing of the rooster".
He led his troops on a northern expedition, which was met with support from people all over the country. Within a few years, he recovered a large area of territory south of the Yellow River. He died in grief and indignation, and the land he recovered was eventually captured by the Later Zhao. He was a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Liu Kun resisted the invasion of the Hu bandits in Jinyang City, creating the legendary story of using a Hu Jia (a type of reed pipe) to repel the enemy, but ultimately failed to reverse the defeat of the Western Jin Dynasty due to his weak forces.
Of course, there is one last heavyweight figure: Liu Yu, whose "ambition was as fierce as a tiger that could swallow ten thousand miles"!
"Back then, with swords and horses, his spirit was as fierce as a tiger swallowing up ten thousand miles," the poet Xin Qiji described in his poem the awe-inspiring scene of Liu Yu's invincibility against the barbarians.
He is also known as the most powerful monarch during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Many people believe that history would have been rewritten if Liu Yu had not died suddenly from illness.
There would have been no chaotic situation during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty would not have existed.
Liu Yu's background is somewhat controversial in history. Some say he was born into a noble family, while others say he came from a poor family and started from scratch.
As the saying goes, heroes are not judged by their origins. Just like Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang in history, they fought their way up from the bottom to the top of power through their own efforts.
They say Liu Yu belonged to the aristocratic class and that he had the blood of the "Liu imperial family" flowing through his veins.
The main reason was the chaos caused by the Five Barbarian Invasions at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which plunged the Central Plains into being trampled and ravaged by the barbarians, leading to the disintegration of the Han Dynasty.
Even descendants of royalty are no exception; their fates are inextricably linked to the entire Central Plains.
The historically famous "Yixi Great Reform" was launched by Liu Yu and his strategist Liu Muzhi after Liu Yu ascended the throne.
In response to the tax and land-based reforms of the time, Liu Yu, who came from a poor background, never forgot his past hardships and deeply understood the importance of land to the people.
Liu Yu revitalized imperial power, ending the aristocratic politics that had begun in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Of course, many people's first impression of Liu Yu is his military achievements, especially his training of troops and tactics. He always sought victory through stability and was able to turn danger into safety even when he was at a disadvantage.
In that turbulent and war-torn era, Liu Yu created one miracle and myth after another, striking fear into the hearts of the nomadic peoples.
On the battlefield, it is always the cavalry that chases after the infantry, while Liu Yu's naval infantry is invincible.
In his battles against the Hu people, Liu Yu did not engage in direct confrontation, but instead responded flexibly and achieved technological innovation.
Liu Yu combined four types of troops—water, chariots, cavalry, and infantry—with archers to fight together, defeating the once-powerful forces of the Northern Wei and leaving only piles of bones.
The military strategy created by Liu Yu is the famous "Crescent Moon Formation"!
Unfortunately, the Eastern Jin Dynasty was one of the periods when powerful aristocratic families were at their strongest, and for people living in this era, changing their fate was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Unfortunately, Liu Yu lived in such an era. Even though he overcame numerous obstacles and won many battles, Liu Yu didn't truly stand out until he was 36 years old.
He was truly born at the wrong time, and the departure of his chief strategist Liu Muzhi when Liu Yu needed him most was undoubtedly another heavy blow!
"Ding! Fifth set of Era Summoning Cards: Northern and Southern Dynasties!"
Members include: Yuwen Tai, Yuwen Zhi, Yuwen Yu, Yuwen Jue, Yuwen Yong, Yuwen Hu, Yuwen Shenju, Yuwen Zhen, Yuchi Jiong, Dugu Banruo, Dugu Mantuo, Dugu Xin, Dugu Shun, Li Bing, Yang Zhong, Zhao Gui, Ashina Tumen...
The Northern and Southern Dynasties was an era of chaos, division, and integration.
Unlike the prosperous Kaiyuan and Kangxi-Qianlong eras, this period was filled with bloodshed, intrigue, and war.
However, times create heroes. By cultivating internal strength and conquering external forces, he unified the north and, with a long spear in hand, could bind the azure dragon.
After decades of chaotic rule by Yuwen Hu, the Northern Zhou Dynasty was impoverished and weak, with a population of only ten million, while the Northern Qi Dynasty at the same time had a population of twenty million.
It is important to understand that in ancient times, people were the source of productivity, the source of soldiers, and the foundation of a country.
Therefore, Yuwen Yong expanded upon the reforms of his father, Yuwen Tai, ultimately transforming the Northern Zhou from a weak state into a strong one and unifying the north.
In the third year of the Jiande era, Yuwen Yong issued an edict to "ban Buddhism and Taoism, destroy all scriptures and Buddhist statues, and order monks and Taoist priests to return to secular life. At the same time, Confucianism was to be established as the state religion, and all licentious worship was to be banned. All worship not recorded in the rites and regulations was to be eliminated."
This was the infamous "Emperor Wu's Suppression of Buddhism" incident, in which temples in the Northern Zhou Dynasty were demolished and all monks returned to secular life.
At that time, the number of people actually controlled by temples in the Northern Zhou Dynasty accounted for 10 percent of the population. Many laborers worked in the temples, which loosened the relationship between these people and the state, making it difficult for the state to control them.
Therefore, under the pretext of suppressing Buddhism, Yuwen Yong directly issued an edict to confiscate Buddhist temples, and monks were forced to return to secular life. This liberated productive forces, expanded the army's manpower, and strengthened the foundation of the state, laying a solid foundation for the Northern Zhou's later conquest of the Northern Qi.
After a series of reforms by Yuwen Yong, the Northern Zhou gradually became stronger, while the Northern Qi, on the other hand, opposed Sinicization and promoted Buddhist art, which aroused the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people.
This also gave the war political legitimacy and justice.
In the fourth year of the Jiande era, Yuwen Yong led his troops to attack the Northern Qi.
Unfortunately, the commander Yuwen Yong fell ill midway through the campaign, forcing the Northern Zhou to withdraw their troops.
Although this campaign against Northern Qi did not yield significant results, it gave Yuwen Yong a profound understanding of the political and military chaos within Northern Qi, which strengthened his resolve to continue the campaign.
After his campaign failed, Yuwen Yong couldn't sleep at night, spending the entire night thinking about his grand plan to rule the world.
The following year, the Northern Zhou launched its second campaign against the Northern Qi, and Yuwen Yong once again personally led the expedition.
After a year of effort, the Northern Qi dynasty was destroyed, and the Northern Zhou dynasty completed the unification of the north.
At the same time, the Northern Zhou also launched a military campaign against the Chen dynasty, reclaiming the territory that had been annexed by the Southern Chen during the war, and taking control of the area north of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop!
Although he had unified the north, Yuwen Yong was still ambitious.
He wanted to unify the country and unify China!
The Southern Chen dynasty is now in our grasp, and our greatest enemy is the Turks in the north.
Therefore, in the first year of Xuanzheng, Yuwen Yong personally led his army to launch a northern expedition against the Turks.
It is because of regrets that history becomes more fascinating.
During his northern expedition against the Turks, Yuwen Yong suddenly felt unwell.
Not long after returning to Beijing to recuperate, he passed away, ending his short life at the age of thirty-six.
He left this brilliant era with regrets, and before he could cultivate a successor, a great ruler fell from grace.
Yuwen Yong was the most capable emperor during the chaotic period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He was outstanding in terms of temperament and methods, and was able to go from being a puppet emperor to almost completing the unification of China.
Few emperors throughout history have been able to accomplish such a feat.
Unfortunately, he died young, ultimately becoming a stepping stone for Yang Jian.
If he had lived another ten years, there might not have been a future Sui and Tang dynasty.