International film superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in Thal, a village near Graz, Austria. His father was a police chief and also Schwarzenegger's life mentor. On his 10th birthday, his father asked him to share his life aspirations. Standing before the candles on his birthday cake, young Schwarzenegger made three wishes: first, to become the strongest man in the world; second, to become a successful businessman; and third, to become an outstanding politician. The police chief father was deeply pleased upon hearing his son's ambitions. However, unlike many other fathers who might shower their children with praise, he chose instead to tell his son a story:

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 After assuming power, he promoted virtuous and capable individuals, abolished outdated and harmful policies and laws, implemented clean and upright governance, and often worked day and night to hear the grievances of common people, alleviating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.

Princess Leina fell ill. The royal physicians were helpless. When the king asked his daughter what she desired, Leina said she wanted the moon from the sky. The king immediately summoned his chief minister, Chamberlain Zhang, and ordered him to find a way to pluck the moon from the heavens. Chamberlain Zhang pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket, glanced at it, and said, "I can procure ivory, blue puppies, insects made of gold, and even find giants and dwarves..." The king grew impatient, waved his hand, and said, "I don't want any blue puppies! You must get me the moon immediately." Chamberlain Zhang looked distressed, spread his hands, and said, "The moon is made of molten copper, 6,000 kilometers from the earth, and larger than the princess's room. This humble servant is truly powerless." Enraged, the king ordered Chamberlain Zhang to leave. Then he summoned the court mathematician. This master mathematician, bald on top with a pencil always tucked behind his ear, had served the king for forty years, solving countless difficult problems with ease. But this time, upon hearing the king's request, he repeatedly declined, saying, "The moon is as large as the entire kingdom, fastened to the sky with giant nails. I really have no way to take it down." Disappointed, the king waved the mathematician away.

"Well," said his wife, "I knew it—another new folly. What can I expect from him? Nothing but foolishness. The head of the household has thrown away the cow we lived on, and now we have nothing. And you've brought us another mouth to feed! You'd have been better off staying out in the snow with the good things in your sack!" If the little gray man hadn't rebuked her three times, the good wife would probably have continued. He said regret and blame wouldn't fill the pot, and the wisest thing was to go hunting for something to eat. Though it was night, with wind and snow, he went out immediately and soon returned with a fat sheep. "Here," he said, "slaughter this animal; don't let us starve." The farmer and his wife looked at the little gray man and his prey with suspicion. They realized this sudden bounty had been stolen from nearby. But in their hunger, they didn't care. Lawful or not, the sheep was quickly devoured. From that day on, prosperity came to the farmer's house, and his flock grew larger and larger. The farmer grew more confident than ever, believing he had truly won this bargain. He thought to himself that instead of the hundred cows he'd hoped for, it was better that God had sent him this little gray man who could provide sheep.

Today was the little squirrel's birthday, and her mother gave her a red bead as a gift. The little squirrel loved this bead so much that she kept it tucked in her arms, unwilling to take it out, afraid that someone might snatch it or she might lose it. One day, the little squirrel took her "precious bead" to the park to play. She was very happy because she had such a beautiful red bead. Sometimes she tossed the bead into the air, sometimes she played with it in her hands. While playing, she came to a small bridge. Suddenly, she accidentally dropped the bead, and it fell into the river below the bridge. The little squirrel couldn't swim and started crying loudly in distress. A little turtle happened to pass by, saw the squirrel crying, and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" The little squirrel said sadly, "My bead fell into the river, but I can't swim!" After saying this, she cried even harder. Seeing how sad the squirrel was, the little turtle said, "Don't worry, I'll help you look for the bead in the river." Hearing this, the little squirrel stopped crying.

The fox failed to catch the white rabbit, and he never will. But once, the rabbit's situation was truly perilous. Here's how it happened: One day, the fox decided to use a trick he had once employed against a rattlesnake on the white rabbit. He gathered some tar, worked carefully, and soon fashioned a dummy figure. This dummy looked like a child, so the fox named it "Tar Baby." Then the fox took the Tar Baby and placed it by the roadside, hiding himself in the nearby bushes. Not long after, the white rabbit came along and saw the Tar Baby. The little figure sat alone by the path, wearing a hat. The rabbit wanted to speak to this shiny, comical little fellow. "Good morning!" the rabbit greeted first. "Lovely weather today, isn't it?" The Tar Baby said nothing, and the rabbit waited quietly. "How are you feeling today?" the rabbit asked. He waited a while longer, but the Tar Baby remained silent. "How are you, really? Are you deaf?!" the rabbit asked. "If you're deaf, I can speak louder." The Tar Baby still didn't answer, and the fox watched carefully from his hiding place. "You're terribly rude," said the rabbit. "If you don't take off your hat and say 'hello,' I'll give you a good punch as a lesson." The fox chuckled silently, but the Tar Baby stayed mute.

Once upon a time, there was a little pig named Guoguo. He was very ugly, with tiny eyes, big ears, and a snub nose. He went to play with a little squirrel, but the squirrel was so frightened upon seeing him that it jumped around in panic. He then went to play with a swan, but the swan mistook him for a monster and pecked him fiercely. Guoguo barely managed to escape. He returned home heartbroken and stayed indoors all day, refusing to go out. His mother asked him, "Why are you crying?" The little pig sobbed even louder: "Because I'm ugly, and no one wants to play with me." His mother said gently, "My dear, being ugly isn't a fault. As long as you热心ly help others, you will surely make friends."