Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

[At forty-seven, he watched dogs fight; at fifty-five, he established his dynasty: the legendary life of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty]

(Smoky waves, riverbank, fishing boats, lights twinkling~) (BGM: Green Silk)

As music begins, several dilapidated houses appear on screen.

Inside the courtyard, Liu Bang and his companions chuckled and tapped their chopsticks, watching the dance of two burly men in front of them. As the chopsticks tapped, the two men swayed from side to side, clapping along to the rhythm.

A line of text slowly appeared on the left: 38 years old, accomplished nothing, mediocre, just waiting to die.

I'm currently in this stage, just coasting along, waiting to die. Therefore, I'm essentially Liu Bang (the founder of the Han Dynasty).

[At 48, he watched dogs fight, and eventually unified the world. It's time for my dad to go out and make his own way in the world.]

Follow-up comment: So you want your father to become a dragon, right?

The scene changes.

Liu Bang addressed the group of ragged, exhausted laborers in a deep voice:

"Those who want to follow me, come with me."

At the age of 48, he launched a rebellion in Mangdang Mountain after slaying a white snake, captured Pei County, and proclaimed himself the Duke of Pei.

Before the city of Xianyang, the King of Qin, dressed in white robes and a white crown, with a rope around his neck, knelt on the ground, holding the Imperial Seal of the State in his hands.

As Liu Bang and his entourage walked along the Xianyang Palace Road, they gazed at the majestic palaces on both sides and saw smooth stone slabs beneath their feet, unlike Pei County, where the ground was covered in yellow dust.

Liu Bang stood before the Xianyang Palace and spoke to Xiao He beside him:

Those who commit murder shall be executed; those who injure or steal shall be punished.

At the age of 50, he captured Xianyang and established three rules.

The tent flap was opened, and Liu Bang slowly walked in, his majestic appearance fully revealed.

At the Feast at Hongmen, with the help of Xiang Bo, he escaped unscathed.

"Han Xin," Liu Bang, dressed in a red cloak, exuded confidence and triumph.

"From this day forward, you shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the three armies of my Han Camp."

A long sword, symbolizing the authority of the King of Han, was solemnly placed in the hands of Han Xin, who was kneeling on the ground with his hands outstretched.

At the age of 50, he was enfeoffed as the King of Han and appointed Han Xin as the commander-in-chief of the three armies.

Liu Bang was truly bold in his use of talent. At that time, Han Xin was not well-known and had not fought many battles, yet he dared to appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the three armies.

Without Xiao He's recommendation, Han Xin would not have risen to prominence; ultimately, Liu Bang trusted Xiao He.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, in Xiang Yu's camp, a soldier stood holding a halberd in front of the military tent.

As Xiang Yu's physician, it was his duty to guard the military tent and participate in strategic planning.

Unfortunately, despite his numerous suggestions and strategies, Xiang Yu rejected them all.

"Should we appoint Han Xin as Grand General?" Han Xin nodded, gazing thoughtfully at the sky.

A few days later, Xiang Yu's army lost a halberd-bearer named Han Xin, while Liu Bang's army gained a general named Han Xin.

On the sky, the allied forces of the Pengcheng lords, along with the various lords, were indulging in revelry and extravagance.

With over 500,000 allied troops here, and layers of defenses, what is there for Xiang Yu to fear given his insufficient forces?

On the west side of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu led 30,000 light cavalry, raising clouds of dust as they charged forward.

At the age of 51, Pengcheng suffered a crushing defeat.

The defeat at Pengcheng was Liu Bang's most devastating loss; his entire army was wiped out, and his father, wife, and children were all captured by Xiang Yu.

[30,000 against 560,000, and they still won? That's insane!]

[While fleeing on the road, he kicked his own child off the road three times. If it weren't for the legendary charioteer Xiahou Ying, Liu Ying and Liu Le would have died long ago.]

[It was fate that allowed Liu Bang to escape. They almost caught him, but a strong wind suddenly appeared, and Liu Bang took the opportunity to run away.]

[Grand Magister Liu Xiu has something to say: My cheat is an heirloom. Wang Mang, do you have one?]

Guangwu Mountain, both sides of the gully

On the west side, Liu Bang immediately drew his sword and cursed at the opposite bank, "Xiang Yu, you beast!"

On the eastern side of the Chu army's position, a large cauldron was propped up in front of the formation, with raging flames and boiling water.

A wooden platform was erected next to the cauldron, and Liu Taigong was firmly tied to a wooden stake.

"Liu Bang, if you don't surrender, I'll cook your father alive!"

Xiang Yu threatened Liu Bang across the Honggou Canal.

Liu Bang hesitated for a moment on horseback, then said, "Xiang Yu, we swore an oath to be brothers. Since we are brothers, then my father is your father."

He pointed with his finger, his tone resolute, "You want to cook it? Okay, remember this after you've cooked it."

Liu Bang paused, took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and shouted loudly:

"Give me a share!!"

At 53, facing a chasm, I'll share a piece of the pie.

As soon as the celestial spectacle appeared, all timelines were instantly thrown into an uproar, with discussions taking place both in the imperial court and among the common people.

"Nonsense! Liu Bang was truly the most unfilial of men."

"As a son, filial piety is the foundation of virtue. How can you disregard the life and death of your own father?"

Although Liu Bang's story is recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian, ordinary people were struggling to make ends meet, so how could they possibly know about the military exploits of previous rulers?

Spring and Autumn Period

Zeng Shen beat his feet and pounded his chest. As the disciple of Confucius who valued filial piety the most, he was furious at Liu Bang's actions.

"This Liu Bang is truly unfilial. His father was captured, yet he uttered such words. He is not a son at all, truly not a son."

Taiji Palace in Chang'an during the Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin watched as the civil officials and scholars in the hall beat their chests and cursed the behavior, saying it was outrageous and violated filial piety.

"A pedantic scholar," Li Shimin cursed inwardly.

As a top strategist and emperor, he understood Liu Bang's situation and choices all too well. Although his actions were somewhat unscrupulous, this was one of the reasons why he was able to conquer the world.

How can a monarch or commander-in-chief disregard the lives of all soldiers for personal reasons?

How could those pedantic literati understand that although these words were shameless, they were precisely the solution to the problem?

If they had truly surrendered, the favorable situation of besieging Xiang Yu would have collapsed overnight, and there would have been no subsequent Battle of Gaixia to encircle and kill Xiang Yu, thus establishing the Han Dynasty that lasted for four hundred years.

Many civil and military officials felt that Liu Bang's words sounded familiar and secretly glanced at Li Shimin on the throne.

If Liu Bang could say "Give me a share of the pie," Your Majesty seems to be no less so.

No wonder His Majesty admires Emperor Gaozu of Han the most, besides Emperor Wen of Han; it turns out they have a tacit understanding on this point.

Li Shimin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and looked around:

"I have a feeling that you are all thinking something unpleasant?"

"No, no, we are just impressed by Emperor Gaozu of Han's far-sightedness. He truly deserves the title of Emperor Gaozu of Han."

The courtiers immediately lowered their eyes and looked away, not daring to show the slightest sign of their unease.

Li Shimin touched his chin, feeling that something was amiss.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Yuchi Gong, and a memory suddenly exploded within him. He seemed to hear in his ears what Yuchi Gong had said to the retired Emperor Li Yuan not long ago.

"Your Majesty, please issue an edict that the entire army shall obey the orders of the King of Qin."

Oh no!!! This chasm in the sky, it's my name after my death!!!

Spicy!

The scene on the screen continued to shift, showing Xiang Yu with his face covered in blood, his armor tattered, surrounded by countless Han soldiers.

Looking at the desperate Hegemon, Liu Bang spoke coldly and resolutely.

"Kill him!"

Calm and confident, with the world at your fingertips.

At the age of 55, he defeated Xiang Yu at the Battle of Gaixia, thus establishing his rule over the world.

Pei County was brightly lit by torches.

Liu Bang, in his sixties, had completely white hair and beard, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles.

His cloak slipped off, and Liu Bang, dressed in plain silk robes, picked up a torch and ran towards his homeland and fellow villagers.

In the firelight, Liu Bang, arm in arm with the crowd, just as he had with Fan Kuai and Lu Wan years ago, danced the old dance of Pei County for the last time.

"The wind rises and the clouds fly, my might extends across the land, I return to my homeland, where can I find brave warriors to guard the four directions?"

At the age of 62, he returned to his hometown in glory, going back to Pei County.

The shots are interspersed.

Forty-seven-year-old Liu Ji, dressed in coarse linen and carrying a bundle, opened the old wooden gate of his courtyard and walked out. His elderly father's words of advice came from behind him:

Be careful on the road, and keep your eyes open.

The courtyard gate was pushed open again.

Liu Bang, sixty-two years old, wearing a cloak, his hair and beard completely white, pushed open the door and entered.

The light shone on my face, creating a play of light and shadow.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds and littered with fallen leaves.

The rice is ripe, and that scoundrel from the Liu family has returned.

A large number of attendants and armored soldiers followed behind, all bowing and shouting in unison:

"His Majesty"