Historical story

Once, they worked together in the fields, weeding a vegetable patch. Both labored diligently without stopping to rest, quickly clearing a large area.Guan Ning raised his hoe and, upon striking down, hit a hard object. Curious, he turned over a large clod of earth. Amidst the dark soil, something bright and yellow glittered.

Yao, Shun, and Yu are three famous emperors from China's remote antiquity. In reality, during that time they were more accurately leaders of tribal alliances. With no written language in ancient times, history was preserved solely through oral tradition. In folk legends and in the hearts of the people, Yao, Shun, and Yu are all regarded as wise and enlightened rulers. The grandfather of Yao was the Yellow Emperor. Yao ascended the throne at the age of 16. He was exceptionally skilled in governing the realm, ensuring peace and stability throughout the land and enabling the people to live and work in contentment. He ruled the nation for approximately 100 years and passed away at the age of over 110. Before his death, following recommendations from the people and after rigorous personal evaluation, he selected Shun—a man of humble origins but of great virtue and talent—as his successor, and even married his two daughters, Ehuang and Nüying, to Shun.

Long, long ago, the Mongols lived a nomadic life, "moving with water and grass." There, the sky was vast and blue, the wilderness endless, and the wind blowing low over the grass revealed herds of cattle and sheep. It was on this vast grassland that Genghis Khan, the "Genghis Khan" of a generation, was born. Genghis Khan's real name was Temujin. "Genghis Khan" was a title bestowed upon him later. "Genghis" means "ocean," and "Khan" is the emperor we commonly refer to; thus, Genghis Khan means "an emperor like the ocean."

In the later years of Emperor Kangxi's reign, a fierce struggle for the throne erupted among more than a dozen imperial princes, each scheming against the others. This triggered the most intense succession conflict in Qing Dynasty history, known as the "Nine Dragons Contention" (Nine Sons' Struggle for the Throne). While many princes were deeply embroiled in this turmoil, one prince remained remarkably calm and indifferent, focusing his energy instead on scholarly pursuits.

Around the middle of China's Yuan Dynasty, a warrior named Minamoto no Yoritomo established the shogunate in Kamakura. From then on, a situation of confrontation between the Imperial Court and the shogunate emerged in Japan. The Emperor's authority rapidly declined, and major state affairs were effectively decided by the shogunate. For nearly 700 years, the Emperor was almost merely a puppet of the shogunate. However, during this period, several Emperors made efforts to eliminate the shogunate's interference and attempted to restore imperial authority. The 96th Emperor, Emperor Go-Daigo, was one such figure. Born in 1288, Emperor Go-Daigo was named Crown Prince at the age of 21 and did not ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne until he was 31. For a long time, Japanese Emperors typically ascended around the age of 10 and abdicated around 20. Most Emperors, due to their youth during their reigns, found it difficult to achieve much. Before his ascension, Emperor Go-Daigo had served as a court official. During his ten years as Crown Prince, he gained extensive experience in state governance and gathered a group of learned and talented individuals around him, laying a solid foundation for his resistance against the shogunate. After assuming power, he promoted virtuous and capable individuals, abolished outdated and harmful policies and laws, implemented clean and upright governance, and often worked day and night to hear the grievances of common people, alleviating their difficulties. Both the court and the populace praised Emperor Go-Daigo highly.

On the evening of June 3, 1982, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom was assassinated in London. The assassin claimed to be a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). This was effectively a declaration of war. The next day, Friday, the Israeli cabinet held a secret meeting, which continued until June 5. The final decision reached was to approve Defense Minister Sharon's war plan. Israeli Prime Minister Begin asked Sharon, "How much time do you need to prepare?" Sharon smiled coldly. He didn't answer. Because he had already completed all preparations. Since the 1970s, the Palestine Liberation Organization had gradually established a solid base in Lebanon, organized a powerful army, and continuously launched attacks on Israel. Sharon had long planned to invade Lebanon and drive out the PLO. To this end, he conducted extensive and meticulous preparations for war. He even risked his life, disguising himself and infiltrating Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, for a full two days in January 1981. He almost walked through the entire city, carefully observing every street and every important building. This was unprecedented in the history of world warfare!

In the fifty-odd years following the Tang Dynasty of our country, dynastic changes occurred as swiftly as flipping pancakes, a speed unmatched by any other era in history, a period known as the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms." Now, in the summer of 959 AD, the sixth year of Xiande in the Later Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong, died young at the age of only 39. Thus, the throne passed to his son, Chai Zongxun. At just seven years old, Chai Zongxun was still a child who understood nothing, which sparked envy in many. Emperor Shizong had originally been a man of courage, foresight, and strategic vision. He not only conducted campaigns near and far, expanding the empire's territory, but also worked to weaken the military power of regional governors while strengthening the imperial guards—reducing the strength of forces stationed outside the capital while greatly enhancing the central army responsible for defending the capital and the emperor. This was a lesson learned from the Tang Dynasty, when regional military governors (jiedushi) had grown too powerful while the central army remained weak. During the time before Emperor Shizong's death, the highest commander of the imperial guards was the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard (Dianqian Du Dianjian), a position then held by Zhang Yongde. At that time, a rumor circulated in Bianjing (Kaifeng): "The Commander-in-Chief will become the Son of Heaven." This meant that the person holding the position of Commander-in-Chief would become emperor. Although Emperor Shizong could find no evidence of rebellion from Zhang Yongde, he still felt uneasy. He found an excuse to dismiss Zhang Yongde and instead appointed Zhao Kuangyin as the new commander of the imperial guards.

In 1682, the ten-year-old Peter ascended the Russian throne. However, it was not until August 1689, when the conspiracy by Princess Sophia to launch a palace coup was crushed, that Peter truly seized power. During his reign, Tsar Peter vigorously implemented numerous reforms in the political, economic, and cultural aspects of the Russian state, making significant contributions and guiding Russia onto a path of rapid development. Therefore, he became known as "Peter the Great," and Engels also referred to Peter as a "true great man."

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Shundi was incompetent and tyrannical. He spent all day indulging in pleasure and neglected all matters of state. He refused to heed the advice of his virtuous chancellor, Toqto'a, and instead had him killed. As a result, bandits and rebels surged like bees, uprisings followed one after another, and people across the land rose in revolt. At this time, a hero named Zhu Yuanzhang emerged in Haozhou (present-day Fengyang, Anhui). Zhu Yuanzhang came from a background as a shepherd boy and had served as a monk at Huangjue Temple at the age of 17. In the twelfth year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1352 AD), he joined the rebel army led by Guo Zixing in Haozhou.

In the afternoon of the twenty-third day of the eighth month, in the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1736 AD), Qing Emperor Yongzheng discussed state affairs with Zhuangqin Wang Yunlu, Guoqin Wang Yunli, Grand Secretaries Ertai and Zhang Tingyu, inside the imperial palace. The meeting lasted from noon until early evening, a full two hours. During the discussion, the Emperor sternly reprimanded Ertai over the unresolved Miao tribal unrest, setting a strict deadline for him to settle the matter properly. Back at home, Ertai, deeply unsettled by the Emperor's scolding, found himself chewing his food at dinner without tasting anything. After supper, he paced alone in the back garden, unable to devise a perfect strategy to pacify the Miao. Once in bed, he tossed and turned until finally falling into a deep sleep around midnight.