Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

In the autumn of the 320th year of the Han calendar.

Luoyang No.1 Middle School, Grade 1 (7)

The first class in the afternoon was history.

The September sun was still quite strong, and the warmth of it shining through the window felt pleasant on our skin. Plus, we had just finished our lunch break, and all the students in the class were so sleepy that they were slumped over, looking like wilted cabbages.

The top students in the front row were still holding on, but the students in the back row had already started pecking at each other like chickens pecking at rice, nodding their heads like they'd flipped a switch.

History teacher Wang Jianguo walked in carrying his lesson plans. He was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with a slightly protruding belly, and looked quite ordinary.

But the moment he steps onto the podium and places his lesson plan on the table, his aura changes completely...

It was like he was a completely different person; his eyes were practically sparkling.

"Attend class!"

"stand up--"

"Hello, teacher!"

The students stood up sparsely, their voices weak and listless, as if they hadn't eaten.

Teacher Wang didn't seem to mind, adjusted his glasses, and got straight to the point:

"What are we going to talk about today? Turn to page seventeen of the textbook."

Today's lesson is about a person.

Someone you've definitely heard of, but may not truly know.

The students below turned the pages of their books, making a rustling sound.

Someone found it, looked down and...

Unit Two: Emperor Zhongzu of the Han Dynasty and the Foundation of a Prosperous Era

Wow, a unit!

An entire unit is dedicated to just one emperor?

The top student in the front row pushed up his glasses, perking up.

Half of the people who were dozing off in the back row woke up. One person taking up an entire unit? That's incredible.

Looking at the expressions on the students' faces, Teacher Wang smiled slightly, a smile that seemed to say, "You're about to be amazed."

He put down his textbook, put his hands behind his back, paced a couple of times on the podium, and his first words were:

"Classmates, I have a question for you."

How powerful do you think a person can be in their lifetime?

How powerful can it be?

The whole class was stunned.

How do I answer this question?

Someone muttered quietly, "Incredible... to be first in the grade?"

"So amazing... that you can reach the highest rank in a game?"

Teacher Wang smiled, shook his head, and held up one finger:

"I tell you."

There is such a person...

At seventeen, he joined the army as a commoner, quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion in one battle, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Champion.

At nineteen, he led an expedition to the northern frontier, sealed the wolf's lair, drank from the vast sea, and expanded the territory by thousands of miles.

At the age of twenty, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yan and given overall command of the military power of three prefectures in Hebei.

At the age of twenty-three, he went south to purge the court of corrupt officials, defeated Dong Zhuo, and pacified the Central Plains;

At the age of twenty-five, he swept away all rivals and unified the world.

At the age of twenty-six, he ascended the throne and changed the era name to Shenwu.

At the age of thirty, he dispatched troops to sweep away the remaining barbarians in the north, pacify the Western Regions in the west, conquer the southern barbarians in the south, and attack the Japanese islands in the east.

At the age of thirty-three, he propelled the First Industrial Revolution, ushering in an unprecedented era of change.

At the age of forty-three, he personally led an expedition to the west, conquering the three great empires of Kushan, Parthia, and Rome.

At forty-six years old, the Han Dynasty's territory spanned across Asia and Europe, and all nations within the four seas dared not disobey.

He took a step down with each sentence he spoke.

In the end, the whole class fell silent.

Even the most mischievous boy in the back row sat up straight, his eyes wide open.

He was ennobled at the age of seventeen?

At nineteen, he sealed the wolf's lair?

Unify the world at the age of twenty-five?

He destroyed three great empires at the age of forty-three?

This...is this something a human being could do?

Isn't this like having a cheat code?

"This is the person we're going to talk about today..."

Teacher Wang turned around and wrote five large characters on the blackboard with vigorous strokes:

Liu Ce, Liu Bolue.

"Emperor Shenwu, the founder of the Han Dynasty".

He was the most capable emperor in history, and even in world history, in terms of military prowess, construction skills, and overall ingenuity.

There is none other than this.

The whole class gasped.

Although I had heard of the greatness of Emperor Zhongzu before, no one had ever summarized it so bluntly.

This resume is terrifying to look at!

"Teacher," a girl in the front row raised her hand, "Really? Seventeen years old and already leading troops into battle? And becoming a legend in one battle?"

"We were still in high school when we were seventeen..."

"It can't be faked." Teacher Wang waved her hand, her tone resolute.

"The Annals of Emperor Zhongzu... are clearly written in the official history."

In the first year of the Zhongping era, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, with a million bandits sweeping across eight prefectures, and the government troops collapsed at the mere sight of them.

At that time, our Zhongzu Emperor was only seventeen years old, a commoner, just an ordinary member of the imperial family. He spent his ancestors' savings to buy an official position as the Prefect of Zhuo County. Later, he raised an army and went to fight the enemy.

The results of it?

In one battle, they decisively defeated the main force of the Yellow Turbans, routing a million Yellow Turban soldiers and wiping out the main force of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Seventeen years old, students!

What were you doing at seventeen? Taking monthly exams, memorizing classical poems, and struggling with math problems.

He was only seventeen, and he was already killing people on the battlefield, even earning the title of Marquis.

The whole class: "..."

Comparing yourself to others is just asking for trouble!

"That's nothing," Teacher Wang continued, becoming increasingly excited as she spoke.

At nineteen, he went on a northern expedition.

The Wuhuan, Goguryeo, and Xianbei tribes, with a combined force of hundreds of thousands of cavalry, had occupied the northern frontier for decades, and previous emperors had been unable to subdue them.

He was only nineteen when he went out with his troops.

They destroyed the Wuhuan, defeated Goguryeo, and pacified the Xianbei, advancing all the way to the Han Sea.

To seal the wolf's lair and drink from the vast sea.

What does that mean?

The highest achievement for ancient military generals was to seal the wolf's lair and reside in the Xiongnu territory.

Throughout history, the number of military generals who could do this can be counted on one hand.

But he did it at the age of nineteen.

and--"

He paused, then emphasized:

He is the emperor.

He is the only emperor in history to have sealed the wolf's lair.

Unprecedented and unparalleled.

The whole class was stunned.

Nineteen years old... sealed the wolf's lair... and became the emperor...

Is this a human being?

Is this a time traveler with cheat codes?

"Teacher," a boy in the back row raised his hand, his voice a little unsteady, "Then...then he's so good at fighting, but how about governing the country?"

"Is he just a brute who only knows how to fight?"

"A brute?" Teacher Wang smiled, a smile that held a deeper meaning.

"My friend, you are still too young."

If Emperor Zhongzu was a military man, then there would be no capable rulers in history.

He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-six and changed the era name to Shenwu.

The first thing he did upon taking office was to reform the official system, establishing the "two governments, three courts, and one department" to clearly define power and responsibility, thus eliminating the possibility of interference in politics by relatives of the empress and eunuchs.

And then what? The imperial examinations were held.

The imperial examination system, my fellow students!

Before him, what did officials rely on to become officials? They relied on recommendation, family background, and being born into the right family.

After he arrived, the imperial examination system was implemented, and people from poor families could become officials and earn a living based on their own abilities.

What is this? This is breaking down class barriers!

This alone is something I could brag about for a lifetime.

"And then there's the economy. We encouraged agriculture and commerce, reduced taxes and corvée labor, and implemented five-year plans."

You heard right, a five-year plan.

Five-year plans were already in place during the Shenwu era, one after another, as if they had opened their eyes to the heavens.

Within a few years, the devastation of the chaotic world was completely healed, granaries were full, and the people were prosperous.

The reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, and Emperors Ming and Zhang, all pale in comparison to the reign of Emperor Shenwu.

"That's not all. At thirty-three, the First Industrial Revolution began."

Steam engines, trains, and steamships were all invented during the Shenwu era.