My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Zhu Yuanzhang's chest heaved violently, and he slammed his fist on the table next to him with a dull thud.

He was panting heavily, his eyes blazing with fury.

Li Shimin closed his eyes, his face filled with regret.

How could a mere country like Japan... push them to this point?

Zhu Biao and the other teenagers reacted even more strongly than the others.

"Three hundred thousand?! In just a few weeks?! In Yingtian?!"

"Thirty-five million casualties?!"

These figures and descriptions, like a red-hot branding iron, burned deeply into the hearts of several young people.

They may come from different dynasties, or they may have different personalities.

But the patriotism and passion cultivated by the Chinese people since childhood through studying classics and history were completely ignited at this moment.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, Huo Qubing slammed his palm on the wooden table beside him.

He stood up abruptly, his young face flushed red with extreme anger.

"Where is Japan?! Point it out to me!"

Chen Mo raised his head and saw that the sharp eyes that had once struck fear into the hearts of the Xiongnu were now burning with raging fire, almost bursting forth.

He pointed to Japan.

Huo Qubing looked at the Japanese, then turned to look at Liu Che, and immediately knelt on one knee.

"Your Majesty! Please grant my request..."

"Please allow me to lead a detachment of elite cavalry—no, give me a naval fleet!"

"We must raze this den of scoundrels to the ground, sweep it clean, and wipe this inhuman land of beasts from the face of the earth!"

"To comfort the spirits of the 300,000 to 35 million wronged souls in heaven!"

The young champion's murderous aura was as sharp as a Han sword drawn from its sheath, causing the temperature in the entire hall to drop several degrees.

Zhu Biao was known for his kindness and composure.

His face was ashen, his fingers gripping his sleeves tightly, and for the first time, his gentle eyes flashed with such profound anger and heartache.

"Outrageous! Such atrocities are beyond description! Utterly devoid of conscience, they arouse the wrath of both gods and men!"

He turned to Zhu Yuanzhang, his voice heavy with sorrow.

"Father, if our Great Ming had such neighboring states, your son... your son would also be willing to be the vanguard!"

Li Chengqian, whose leg injury had not yet healed, leaned on his crutches, trembling with anger, and gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"Father! These are our mortal enemies, utterly irreconcilable! If given the chance, the iron cavalry of our Great Tang will make them pay for their blood debts!"

Fusu and Liu Ju also looked at their respective fathers and volunteered for battle.

In an instant, a murderous aura filled the side hall.

The youthful vigor was intertwined with hatred for his country and his family.

Liu Che looked at Liu Ju and Huo Qubing kneeling on the ground.

"What's the rush?! Do you think I'll let that Japanese country off the hook?"

He walked up to the world map and looked at it.

"But the problem is... with the current ships of our Great Han, it will probably be very difficult to reach that place."

"To destroy Japan, we must first sweep away the Xiongnu!"

The others also went to the world map.

Li Shimin looked at the world map, and at the Japanese country that looked like an earthworm, when a question suddenly came to mind.

He looked up at Chen Mo.

"Japan is just a tiny country; how could it possibly have the ability to invade China?"

Chen Mo took a deep breath

"The main reason was the Qing Dynasty's policy of isolationism."

Chen Mo's gaze swept over Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Because the rulers of the Qing Dynasty were of a different race, the Tartars."

"In order to prevent us Han people from acquiring advanced technology and threatening their rule, they adopted a long-term policy of isolation from the outside world."

"And at that time, the world was undergoing tremendous changes!"

"When Europe experienced the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution, its productivity and social system advanced by leaps and bounds."

"We are still using firearms passed down from the Ming Dynasty, reading the Four Books and Five Classics, and dreaming of the old dream of all nations paying tribute."

"During that period, we almost completely severed our in-depth exchanges and interactions with other countries overseas."

They viewed foreign technologies as mere tricks and disdainful of them. At the same time, their internal systems became increasingly rigid, their thinking became stifled, and they were intoxicated by the illusion of being a superior nation.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned extremely ugly.

He could not imagine that the Ming Dynasty he founded would be invaded by foreign tribes in later generations.

Let the Ming Dynasty perish!

But how can you let a foreign race seize the throne?

The Qing Dynasty's actions only fueled his anger.

Damn it, how could such a vast country like China be ridden on by that tiny country?!

The Qing Dynasty was a complete waste!

Indeed, those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts!

From now on, we must deal a fatal blow to the Northern Yuan!

"Besides that, there's a second reason..."

Chen Mo's gaze fell upon Li Shimin.

Li Shimin was taken aback by the gaze and frowned slightly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

"Because it's related to you too."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Li Shimin.

"What does it have to do with me? What does it have to do with me?"

Li Shimin suddenly became anxious.

"Send an envoy to the Tang Dynasty."

Chen Mo uttered the word and began to speak.

"From the 7th to the 9th century, over a period of more than two hundred years, Japan sent more than a dozen groups of envoys to Tang China to study in Chang'an."

"What did you study?"

"It's not just about Buddhism, literature, and art, but also about legal systems, bureaucratic structures, urban planning, handicraft techniques, and even lifestyle customs."

"They almost entirely imitated and absorbed the achievements of civilization during the most prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty."

"It can be said that the foundation of Japan's ancient state system and social culture was laid with the help of the Tang Dynasty."

After he finished speaking, everyone looked at Li Shimin with a strange expression.

Including Li Chengqian...

The hall was completely silent.

Li Shimin was like someone who had eaten a piece of old, stale excrement.

"How can you blame me? It's because the later generations, that Qing Dynasty you mentioned before, were too incompetent. What does it have to do with me?!"

"How could I have imagined that my vast China would ultimately be suppressed by such a tiny, insignificant country?"

Chen Mo looked at Li Shimin, sighed, and continued.

"That's not wrong. When faced with the impact of Western powers in modern times, they made completely different choices than we did."

"After their country's doors were forced open by gunfire, they carried out the Meiji Restoration and abandoned their stagnant imitation of their Eastern teachers."

"Instead, we devoted ourselves entirely to learning from, imitating, and even fanatically chasing after the Western teacher who had once defeated us."

"Politics, military, industry, and education were all Westernized. The thoroughness and speed of the reforms were astonishing."

"Thus, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when we, who were complacent and beset by internal and external troubles, encountered them, who were undergoing comprehensive reforms and were ambitious, the balance of power had been completely reversed."

"Haven't we ever thought about changing things?"

Ying Zheng couldn't help but ask a question.

"I've thought about it, but as I said before, we're ruled by alien races, and they're afraid we'll gain power and rebel, so..."

Chen Mo concluded, his voice filled with a deep sigh.

"So, you're asking why an island nation can be stronger than us?"

"Not because they are inherently smarter or more capable than us."

"It's just because the other races have closed their doors, clinging to their ancestral traditions, and fearing change."

"With such advances and retreats, expansions and contractions, over a hundred years, the balance of power shifted, and tragedy ensued."

Everyone fell silent.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence once again.