Chapter Six, The Great Trends of the World

Ancient tribes, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Qin state unified the six states but fell within two generations, while Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, akin to a web novel protagonist, made a remarkable rise from humble beginnings to unify the realm and establish the legendary foundation of the Han Dynasty

This creates a subtle distinction between scenery and Song

The military strength of the Jing Dynasty remains inadequate. Twenty years ago, in an effort to reclaim the lost northern territories, tens of thousands of troops marched north with great determination, only to be defeated by the Liao people. Ultimately, the reason lies in the fact that the three offices raise troops without leading them, and the officials lead troops without training them. The soldiers do not know their generals, and the generals do not understand their soldiers. While this may prevent rebellion, it significantly diminishes combat effectiveness

Two girls, one named Yue'er and the other named Qiu'er, both began serving the young prince as personal maids at a very young age, holding a relatively high status within the residence

After that, he mostly stayed in the study, flipping through the collection of books belonging to the Prince of Xiao, which was essentially the only form of entertainment in this era. Yan Yi had seen him spend entire days in the study several times, rejecting visits from his so-called friends. With tears streaming down his face and a mix of emotions, he turned to the spirit of the Prince of Xiao to pay his respects, recounting the recent changes in the young prince.

Li Yeze, while staying indoors, quietly organized information about this world. Books were the best means for this purpose. In the Xiao Wangfu, there were academic works such as the "Book of Rites," "Mencius," and "Analects," as well as historical records like the "Records of the Grand Historian" and "Spring and Autumn Annals." Among these, there was exactly what Li Ye needed; he sought to understand this world

In terms of local administrative divisions, there are two levels: provinces and counties. The military divisions, like during the Song Dynasty, are categorized into fifteen routes.

The lower-ranking individuals gradually began to sense this change, whispering in astonishment. News of the young prince's transformation circulated within the royal residence, and while most were taken aback, it was merely astonishment; the ice of three feet does not freeze in a single day.

During the Song Dynasty, the highest-ranking official in charge of the imperial guards, known as the "Three Yards," was a civil official. This inherently placed civil officials above military generals, allowing them to easily eliminate military leaders at will

The scenery resembles that of the Song Dynasty, with a strong literary atmosphere, poetry and prose, scholars and literati, talented women and beauties

With the grand plan in place, in the following days he immersed himself in reading, seeking to understand the world through books and the insights of Yan Yi, while turning down visits from his wayward friends, hardly stepping out of the royal palace.

He quickly adapted to the rhythm and routine of life in the royal residence, also getting used to the two thirteen or fourteen-year-old children serving him tea, washing his face, and washing his feet. Oh, the evils of the old society... However, it is somewhat comfortable

Yan Yan probably did not know why he suddenly had an epiphany. The usually reckless young prince, who only extended his hand for money and engaged in wrongdoing, one day declared that he wanted to read books. His heart was likely filled with mixed emotions, both joy and worry. The joy was that the young prince had finally awakened, which could bring comfort to the spirit of King Xiao in the heavens. The worry was that he could not be certain whether the young prince had truly awakened, and he did not dare to ask.

However, the Wei dynasty was merely a transitional dynasty. Over two hundred years later, the gentry class gradually rose to prominence, leading to the Sui dynasty replacing the Wei. The Sui dynasty was not short-lived; it lasted for over three hundred years, experiencing both periods of prosperity and decline. Ultimately, it entered an era of warlord chaos known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and was later unified by Emperor Taizong Li Shi, who changed the state name to "Jing"

Li Xingzhou's arrogance and misdeeds may have gone unchecked during the reign of the old emperor, but once the new emperor ascends the throne, the situation may change significantly

The difference lies in the heads of the two offices. The position of "Chancellor of the Central Secretariat" and "Chief of the Privy Council," which is second only to one person and above ten thousand, is not exclusively held by civil officials as it was during the Song Dynasty

The Jingchao period is the era in which Li Ye lived, and it is currently the fourth year of the Yuanfeng era of Jingchao, more than one hundred years have passed since the founding of Jingchao

Li Ye could not find any memory in his mind to speculate on the relationship between Prince Xiao and the current Crown Prince, but the inability to recall anything indicated a sense of unfamiliarity. This is generally how human relationships work; the degree of closeness or distance is often determined by the amount of interaction. In any case, he and the Crown Prince were unlikely to be close.

During the Jing Dynasty, the Privy Council was still established, but the Privy Councillor was indeed a military general. This means that the highest-ranking civil official, the "Chancellor of the Central Secretariat," was on the same level as the military general, the "Privy Councillor." The status of military personnel was not inferior to that of civil officials.

Let them get up an hour later every day in the future, but the next day the two little girls came early to wait outside the door. When asked why, they surprisingly said they were used to it and couldn't sleep

The current crown prince is the late Prince Xiao's third brother. The old emperor is advanced in age, and in the near future, this crown prince will ascend to the throne

Regardless of the circumstances, Li Ye only wishes to cultivate himself, live a peaceful life, and do good to help others

The Executive Council, the Privy Council, the Salt and Iron Office, the Board of Revenue, and the Ministry of Finance; the two offices hold a higher status than the three departments

However, the overall situation is not entirely the same; for instance, in terms of political structure, both have the dual government and three departments jointly managing state affairs

In the late Han Dynasty, during the Three Kingdoms struggle, Wei was considered the legitimate authority. Cao Cao, the formidable leader of Wei, displayed exceptional talent and strategy, firmly establishing his power in the north. In the east, Sun Quan of Jiangdong was wise beyond his years, while Zhuge Liang in Shu was diligent and meticulous in his efforts. However, at this moment, Schrödinger's cat appeared, bringing about a transformation in Cao Pi.

Yan Yan hastily set aside her current tasks and rushed to take him to find books. Naturally, the Prince Xiao's residence had books; during the lifetime of Prince Xiao, there was a dedicated study, which Yan Yan personally cleaned meticulously every day. However, the young prince had never glanced at it. Today, though... Perhaps it was merely a fleeting whim, she thought to herself.

... ...

Upon the death of Zhuge Liang, the prominent families of Shu welcomed the Wei army into Shu, and with the fall of Shu, Wu found it difficult to stand alone, leading to its subsequent demise

If a general is disobedient, eliminate them; if a general's contributions are too significant and there is fear of competition for credit, eliminate them; if a general is displeasing, ... eliminate them ...

The more Li Ye understands, the more he discovers that this world is similar to his previous life

That feeling is both strange and familiar, like a dream or an illusion, is it a parallel universe

Li Ye was at a loss for words; seeing their pitiful and sorrowful eyes, he felt no desire to blame them

From time to time, Li Ye would summon Yan Yan to inquire about matters concerning the state system, and gradually he began to understand this era

Thus, the Song Dynasty was extremely prosperous, with abundant material wealth. The soldiers of the Song wore heavy armor weighing sixty to seventy pounds, and their warhorses were equipped with fine gear. However, their combat effectiveness was low and their training was lax, and this is not without reason. To borrow a modern saying, if one does not grant status in peacetime, how can one expect people to go to their deaths in battle? It is impossible.

The world returned to Wei, where Cao Pi possessed capability, talent, and broad-mindedness. The Wei Empire enjoyed a period of recuperation and prosperity. Although there were subsequent upheavals and wars, they were far better than the "Five Barbarians Chaos in the Hua" of another world.

Every day, before dawn, they would wait early outside Li Ye's door, probably for one or two hours. Only then would Li Ye get up. When he finally rose and saw the two children waiting outside, shivering in the cold with their little faces flushed, trying hard to stand straight, it immediately made him feel a pang of heartache

The two children are approximately of middle school age in later generations, yet they are both clever and capable, excelling in every aspect.

Now he can only try to avoid attracting attention, shutting the door to guests, the more low-key the better, it would be best if everyone forgot about his existence, and then when he reaches adulthood, he can be sent to a place far from the capital, where he can live a stable life without worries about food and drink.

Through books, memories, and strict discipline, Li Ye has been staying at home these days, gradually organizing information about this world. The old emperor has been eager to reclaim the lost territories in the north in recent years, yet feels powerless to do so

Cao Pi compromised with the prominent families by implementing the Nine Ranks System for officials, thereby gaining their support. The state of Wei had truly conformed to the trends of the times, establishing a solid foundation, and the contradictions among the upper class had been largely resolved

Once he became slightly familiar, Li Ye's life began to settle down. He had never been a stable person, but at this moment, instability would lead to great disaster.

The history was different from before, and after that, he did not have a short life