Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

Emperor Qianlong gripped the armrests of his dragon throne tightly, recalling the things he had done.

Even if we take a step back and say that compiling the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) doesn't count as a civil achievement, then what does?

Why not mention Tianmu?

Just as Emperor Qianlong was puzzled, Tianmu calmly spoke.

The compilation of the Siku Quanshu, the largest collection of books in history, involved seven copies and preserved a large number of precious documents.

However, during the compilation process, a large number of banned books were destroyed; it is estimated that at least 60,000 to 70,000 titles were involved.

"Sixty...sixty or seventy thousand copies?"

Scholars from all dynasties were dumbfounded.

The entire collection of books in the Jixian Academy of the Tang Dynasty amounted to only tens of thousands of volumes.

The number of books that Emperor Qianlong destroyed was more than the total collection of books in several dynasties combined.

"What a waste! Absolutely a waste!"

In order to maintain Manchu rule, Emperor Qianlong kept a close watch on Han Chinese, and especially dared not give important positions to Han Chinese military generals.

This resulted in the Qing dynasty's mobilization capabilities being inferior even to those of the late Ming dynasty.

No matter how incompetent Emperor Chongzhen was, he could at least mobilize troops from all over the country to defend the emperor.

In the later period of the Qing Dynasty, the Eight Banners and the Green Standard Army were basically crippled, and it was impossible to find capable soldiers to mobilize.

In his later years, Emperor Qianlong heavily relied on Heshen, who maliciously used the "punishment silver" system to amass wealth.

Officials would even deliberately make mistakes and then bribe Emperor Qianlong with money.

This system severely damaged the atmosphere of officialdom, eventually leading to a situation where everyone was corrupt and greedy.

Do you remember what the atmosphere was like in officialdom when Emperor Yongzheng passed away?

Emperor Qianlong single-handedly created a corrupt bureaucracy, dragging the Qing Dynasty down to the level of its final years.

The key point is that he was very clear about it, and even wrote a poem specifically to express his feelings, but it was really just an expression of his feelings.

Emperor Kangxi's lips twitched; for a moment, he didn't know how to comment.

Emperor Qianlong was indeed very capable, but did he misuse his abilities?

He admitted that he had become lax in his governance in his later years, leaving a mess for Emperor Yongzheng.

But at least it's still within a controllable range, and it hasn't reached the point of national subjugation.

Emperor Qianlong, on the other hand, pushed the corruption of the bureaucracy to its absolute limit, leaving no opportunity for future generations to surpass it.

-

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Qianlong had fallen silent.

He sat on the dragon throne, his back hunched over, looking ten years older than before.

He knew the matter of the fines for crimes, but wars cost money, the southern tour cost money, and the garden renovation cost money.

I can't just end up like my late father, working myself to death at my desk.

The fines for crimes did not need to go through the Ministry of Revenue; they went directly to the Imperial Household Department, which was much more convenient and less troublesome.

As for the atmosphere in officialdom—that's a problem for those below, what does it have to do with him?

On the ideological level, Emperor Qianlong launched a major literary inquisition, banned and destroyed books, and suppressed all dissent.

The result was that the West was experiencing the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, while the Qing Dynasty was dreaming of being the Celestial Empire.

The population explosion during the Qianlong reign led to a decline in per capita grain possession, leaving people barely able to make ends meet.

Actually, the solution is very simple: just immigrate. There are large tracts of wasteland in Northeast China.

However, due to the separation of Manchu and Han populations, Emperor Qianlong preferred to let ordinary people become refugees rather than allow Han people to enter the Northeast.

Emperor Qianlong planted a series of seeds of disaster for his descendants, which ultimately led to the Taiping Rebellion.

Without the intervention and support of Western powers, the Qing Dynasty would have collapsed long ago.

With each word Tianmu spoke, Qianlong's face grew paler.

In the end, he collapsed completely, muttering to himself.

"What does it have to do with me... what does it have to do with me..."

"I'm almost eighty years old, can't I enjoy myself a bit?"

"Those ministers are so greedy, is it wrong of me to make them pay some money?"

Heshen tried to help Qianlong up: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance..."

"Get out of here!"

Emperor Qianlong pushed Heshen aside and stood at the door in silence for a long time.

He was aware of these issues.

He can start a company and go overseas, and he can confiscate the property and exterminate the families of corrupt officials, but there is a line he cannot cross.

The Qing Dynasty had its own unique circumstances; there were simply too many Han Chinese.

If all restrictions are lifted, the Manchu population will be completely diluted within three generations.

By then, who will even remember that the Manchus existed?

As Emperor Qianlong gazed at the sky, he suddenly felt somewhat bored.

What's the use of trying again if the Han people later regain control of the country?

It seems that nothing can be changed except to make the Qing Dynasty look more respectable.

Emperor Qianlong waved his hand, his voice weary.

"All of you, step back. Let me have some peace and quiet."

If Emperor Qianlong's reign had been consistent throughout, what changes would have occurred?

In the end, it did nothing except make Emperor Daoguang more comfortable.

Emperor Qianlong was not as incompetent as Emperor Li Longji; rather, he was simply too old to take any action and dared not make any changes.

Later, the White Lotus Rebellion broke out, which was clear evidence of the failure of his rule.

Overall, Li Longji saw the greatest improvement among the three, followed by Zhu Yuanzhang, while Qianlong experienced relatively little change.

"He was emperor for sixty years... he's damn good at living."

Zhao Kuangyin counted on his fingers, his face growing increasingly sour.

According to Tianmu's calculations, he lived to be fifty years old.

As it turns out, the other person reigned for longer than he died. Where can you find justice in that?

"Brother, longevity is a blessing for the imperial family..."

Seeing that his expression was off, Zhao Guangyi quickly stepped forward to flatter him.

"Get lost! How dare you say that?"

Zhao Kuangyin pointed at Zhao Guangyi and immediately began to curse, "The mess you made later has ruined my reputation."

"If only you were half as good a fighter as the others! Think carefully about how to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!"

Zhao Guangyi covered his buttocks, looking aggrieved, but dared not argue back.

In the Forbidden City, Emperor Kangxi let out a long sigh.

Tianmu has praised what deserves praise and criticized what deserves criticism; the reasons are all laid out on the table, and he has no way to refute them.

Even if Hongli remained clear-headed in his later years, he could not compare to the ordinary Zhu Yuanzhang, let alone the perfect version.

But Kangxi felt that the sky was somewhat unbalanced, and muttered to Zhang Tingyu, "He's over eighty years old, it's not like he can't relax a bit, it's not like he doesn't have sons."

"I chose the fourth prince to reform the bureaucracy back then, and he could have done it too."

……

In the dormitory, Lu Li clicked his tongue in amazement.

A perfect version of Li Longji would be unimaginably awesome.

At least the An Lushan Rebellion would not have occurred in the mid-Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty's fate would have been delayed by fifty years, and the entire East Asian landscape would have had to be rewritten.

If Zhu Yuanzhang had been consistent in his actions, he would have been another Li Shimin.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was conquering the country, he was truly flawless; it was only later...

"The old dog hasn't changed much, which is to be expected."

Lu Li casually swiped down the screen, and a new title popped up.

I almost couldn't hold back my laughter just from seeing the title.

[The first truly unyielding empress dowager of the late Qing Dynasty, she remained unfazed by the pressure from foreign powers and issued an edict declaring war on the world!]

"What the hell?"

"Declaring war on the whole world?!"

Beneath the sky, people from all time and space stood up in astonishment.

They had already witnessed how powerful those Western powers were.

It's not just the difference in weaponry; what's even more terrifying is the mobilization capability.

Germany could easily muster a million-strong army, a number that is even more outrageous than astronomical for an agricultural country.

How dare an empress dowager declare war on these monsters?

"This woman possesses extraordinary courage!"

Li Shimin clapped his hands in praise, "This spirit alone deserves to be recorded in history."

Empress Zhangsun stood to the side, seemingly wanting to speak but holding back, sensing that things were not so simple.

Tianmu has always loved using kind words to insult people; praising someone too much makes it seem suspicious.

Liu Che also perked up, "I believe women can fight, but how much confidence does an empress dowager have to declare war on foreign powers?"

"Did they master the firearms of later generations? Or did they train a million-strong army?"

"Maybe it's just talk?"

Wei Qing muttered to himself, thinking that Tianmu was deliberately concealing information.

He didn't believe that any dynasty, in its later stages, could possess the strength to defeat the great powers.

Upon seeing the title, Emperor Qianlong immediately shook off his dejected state and jumped up from his dragon throne.

"Excellent! Looks like there's someone to carry on the torch!"

He desperately needed this news.

He had been scolded by Tianmu for most of the day, and he was told that this was no good and that was no good, which made him feel very embarrassed.

The sudden emergence of an empress dowager who dares to declare war on the whole world shows that the Qing Dynasty still has its roots!

"Quickly! Keep playing, let me see clearly which imperial sister-in-law or empress possesses such unparalleled majesty!"

Emperor Qianlong was delighted and urged the curtain to continue.