bookrebus Chapter 907: Kublai Khan's Achievements and Faults
Chapter 907: Kublai Khan's Achievements and Faults
He also started eating in silence. Li Wu saw Kublai Khan's expression and said, "Senior Kublai Khan, please eat, eat." She was afraid that a fight would break out if she continued.
Kublai Khan was just too boastful. Although he did live a long life and could boast about it, what would Wanyan Aguda and Yongzheng think? They lived more than 20 years longer than others.
"Okay," Kublai Khan was a little happy to see that he had dealt a heavy blow to Wanyan Aguda, and he didn't want to embarrass the little immortal anymore.
Wanyan Aguda had a bad temper. If you said too much, he would jump up and hit you. Although he was not afraid of the other party, he did not want to embarrass the little immortal.
So the three of them started eating.
"Then let me tell you about your achievements and faults, Senior Kublai Khan," Li Wu asked.
"Please speak, little immortal," Kublai Khan had to listen carefully, especially regarding mistakes, he had to do better and more outstandingly.
He couldn't let other emperors surpass him, so he was envious of the title of the greatest emperor of all time.
Other emperors said that they were also envious. Who doesn’t want to be the greatest emperor of all time? It is true that if you don’t want to be an emperor, you are not a good emperor!
Wanyan Aguda and Yongzheng both pricked up their ears to listen. They only wanted to know about Kublai Khan's faults, but were not very interested in hearing about his achievements.
But we still have to listen to him. However, Kublai Khan did a very good job.
"As the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, your first achievement was naturally the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the unification of China, institutional innovation, economic development, border governance, and cultural integration.
Let's talk about the unification first. My lord Kublai Khan, you captured Lin'an in 1276 AD, and completely wiped out the remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty in the Battle of Yashan in 1279. For the first time, you achieved the unification of the country by nomadic peoples and ended the division that had lasted for more than years since the end of the Tang Dynasty.
You also established orthodoxy and adopted Han law, basically following the suggestions of Liu Bingzhong, Xu Heng and others, and gradually implemented "Han law", basically following the old system of Jin and Song, but at the same time reforming the old Mongolian customs.
You build up administration and strengthen centralization.
The Administrative Secretariat system was implemented, and 10 provinces were established across the country, which was the first provincial system in China.
The privileges of the princes were stripped away, and the central government's control over the military, judiciary and taxation was strengthened through the "Zhiyuan New Code".
He put down the rebellion of Li Tan and the rebellions of Nai Yan and Hai Du, and consolidated his regime.
In terms of economy, Mr. Kublai Khan encouraged agricultural development and attached importance to water conservancy construction.
The Ministry of Agriculture was established to specifically manage agriculture, and the "Essentials of Agriculture and Sangmire" was promulgated to promote technology. Compared with the Southern Song Dynasty, the area of cultivated land in the country increased by three-tenths.
Moreover, Mr. Kublai Khan, you also issued the "Zhongtong Yuanbao Jiaochao" and established a financial system with paper money as the core.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was dredged and more than 1,400 post stations were built to promote commercial circulation.
In terms of border governance, your Excellency Kublai Khan set up the Penghu Inspection Office to govern Taiwan, stationed troops in Yunnan, and brought Tibet under the direct management of the Xuanzhengyuan.
The Liaoyang Province was also established in the northeast, and the Lingbei Province governed the Mongolian Plateau to establish administrative control over the border.
Senior Kublai Khan, I have finished talking about your achievements. Of course, I may not have said it in full, and there are many things I have not mentioned, so I will just give a brief summary," said Li Wu.
"Okay, little immortal," Kublai Khan nodded. They all knew all of this, including the merits and whatnot. They wanted to know the faults more so that they could correct them.
“Now let me talk about your mistakes, Senior Kublai Khan.
Your mistakes, Mr. Kublai Khan, mainly include: first, underestimating Xiaori. After unification, you, Mr. Kublai Khan, launched two expeditions to Xiaori. However, as I just said, the expeditions were destroyed by the damn typhoon, and Xiaori was not destroyed.
Not only did this fail to conquer the Japanese, it also allowed the Japanese pirates to run rampant along the southeast coast.
During the Ming Dynasty, they became even more rampant.”
Speaking of this, Li Wu still feels a little uncomfortable. If Kublai Khan could have destroyed Xiao Rizi at that time, would all the things that happened later have not happened? However, no matter what he thinks, history has already happened.
“Also, Senior Kublai Khan, you have overestimated your own abilities. You have overestimated your abilities in both governing a country and in military affairs.
Your continuous failures in financial management and your failure to effectively control the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire led to its division into four major khanates.
And you, Mr. Kublai Khan, have suffered repeated failures in your foreign wars, including the unsuccessful expeditions to Annan, Champa, Burma and Java.
There are also limitations to political reform, even though you, Mr. Kublai Khan, have implemented a series of reform measures.
Such as establishing provinces, setting up official posts, building water conservancy projects, etc. However, these reforms encountered opposition from conservative forces in the Mongolian upper class, which led to the obstruction of the sinicization process.
Mr. Kublai Khan, you faced many internal challenges during your reign.
The death of your wife Chabi and eldest son Crown Prince Zhenjin was a great blow to you.
In your later years, you indulged in alcoholism and overeating, and your health deteriorated rapidly," Li Wu looked at Kublai Khan. Most emperors were not so clear-headed in their later years and did some inexplicable things.
Maybe I'm just getting old and confused.
Kublai Khan felt sad when he heard that his wife and son died earlier than him, but then he thought about how long he had lived, over eighty years old, which was considered a very long life.
"Little immortal, how did the prince die?" Kublai Khan asked.
"Prince Zhenjin was terrified by the so-called abdication crisis, thought too much, and worried about all kinds of things, so he died young," said Li Wu, who couldn't help but feel a little sympathy.
Kublai Khan fell silent. This time, it would definitely not be like this.
“And Senior Kublai Khan, after you captured the Southern Song capital Lin’an, you chose to give up the thorough pursuit of the remaining Southern Song forces, which resulted in the remaining Southern Song forces continuing to resist and failing to completely unify the Southern Song.
Due to the early death of Prince Zhenjin, the Yuan Dynasty's imperial succession system collapsed. There were fundamental contradictions in the implementation of policies in your later years, Kublai Khan, which led to the rapid corruption of the state apparatus.
Senior Kublai Khan, I have finished talking about your mistakes. As for how you will change things when you go down, it is up to you. Let us toast you, Senior Kublai Khan," Li Wu raised his glass. "In short, Senior Kublai Khan, your contributions are quite great, and you have done better than many emperors."
Being an emperor is not an easy thing.
Several people raised their glasses and drank together.
"I understand, little immortal. Thank you very much," Kublai Khan bowed and thanked.
The rain outside has gradually subsided.
"Senior Kublai Khan, you don't have to be polite," Li Wu made a gesture of invitation, indicating that they should eat.
Li Wu also ate something and listened to the three seniors discussing something from time to time.
Li Wu didn't understand and glanced at the comments secretly. He was almost dying of laughter at the comments.
Our ancestors have been digging up each other's past. If they continue to do so, they will lose all face.
As the three of them were talking, they started toasting each other. Li Wu looked at them but didn't stop them. He thought, "Well, seniors, just drink if you want. Such a small amount of wine shouldn't make you drunk."