In early autumn in Chang'an, fallen leaves begin to fall.

Imperial Temple, Smoke Birds.

Standing in the hall was a noble and elegant woman, wearing a floor-length phoenix skirt that could not hide her plump figure. Her face was extremely beautiful, her skin was white and delicate, but her eyebrows were particularly haggard.

It was Li Wan, the new king who had only been on the throne for three months.

The second female emperor in history and the second female protagonist of the Tang Dynasty.

Unlike the great sage Emperor Zetian, who founded the world, her rise to the throne did not cause a stir in public opinion and seemed to be a matter of course.

Fifty years ago, there was a huge change in the way of heaven, the revival of spiritual energy, the subversion of the world, the rise of major forces, and the complete collapse of the already fragmented Tang Dynasty.

As the member of the Li Tang clan with the most outstanding martial arts talent, after seven years and twelve emperors, she fearlessly mobilized the palace troops to take charge of the Jinluan Palace.

The first thing she did was to eradicate the eunuchs. The eunuchs who had dominated the government for twenty years completely disappeared, and the stubborn diseases since the Anshi Rebellion were eradicated.

But that's all.

No matter how powerful she is, she can't cope with the impending collapse.

Outside, there is a flourishing barbarian kingdom that fills the sky with arrogance. It seems that it is under the influence of heaven and occupies the territory with the strongest aura.

The land of Shenzhou was even more miserable. In just a few decades, in addition to Tang Dynasty Sheji, Xishu, Southern Chu, Beiliang, Youyan, Zhao, and Soochow Wu successively proclaimed themselves emperors.

The rivers and lakes are causing chaos and using force to break the law. Morality and ethics are not worth one or two in front of fists.

"Li Wan, turn the tide before it falls, and hold the building back from falling. I can't do it no matter how hard I try."

The empress's red lips parted slightly, feeling secretly sad.

Even if she has the will to turn the tide, and the will to revive the situation, even if she has all the courage that a savior of a dynasty should have.

But times have changed.

In fact, all the princes in the court were already extremely disheartened and had already begun to lay waste to wait for the winner of the Nine Provinces Cauldron.

Whoever wins helps whom.

During the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty was exhausted.

She is probably the king of subjugation.

Li Wan was not afraid of being criticized verbally or written by future generations, nor was she afraid of being nailed to the pillar of historical shame. She was only afraid that the prosperous Tang Dynasty would come to nothing.

The empress looked out of the window and saw that the sky above her head was always black and gray, as if someone had covered it with a dirty rag.

It can't be pulled off no matter how hard it is pulled.

In the Tang Dynasty, where all nations once came to the dynasty, people's livelihood was now in decline and they could only protect themselves.

The empress walked to the coffin, offered a few sticks of incense, and then quietly stared at the portrait.

The first was Emperor Taiwu, the great ancestor.

He overthrew the Sui Dynasty and established the Tang Dynasty.

The second one is Taizong.

Tian Khan, in the heart of the empress, was only inferior to Qin Shihuang, and was the only two eternal emperors in the history of the Central Plains.

The third one is Gaozong.

The real Shoucheng King, although his character was much discussed by the people, he initiated the rule of Yonghui and destroyed Goguryeo and Western Turks.

The empress paused for a long time in front of the fourth portrait.

Queen Zetian!

The only female emperor since the beginning of the world, she left an indelible mark on the history books with her lonesome courage.

She is destined to be a legend. During her reign, she killed indiscriminately and even lost territory. However, she also increased her troops to the four towns of Anxi and truly ruled the Western Regions.

"Anxi..." Li Wan murmured, his expression very bitter.

The former glory has long been gone. Even the Hexi Corridor is gone. How can there still be Anxi?

Those border guards were far away from their homeland in the Central Plains, and even their bones could not be transported back decades after their death.

"The Li family has failed you, and Jiangshan Sheji has failed you."

The empress ignored the portraits of Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong. The two ancestors lived in the shadow of Empress Zetian, and they were mediocre and incompetent no matter how they whitewashed them.

She looked at Xuanzong's portrait.

"Li Longji..." The empress sighed in her heart.

The current tragic situation is largely caused by this ancestor.

The Anshi Rebellion split the vassal towns, completely changed the prosperous Kaiyuan era, and brought the Tang Dynasty to its end.

Ancestor Xuanzong undoubtedly has a very gorgeous cover and splendid text. Unfortunately, the end is so sloppy that Li Wan cannot bear to read it, and the back cover is covered with dust and dirt.

Looking through the annals of history, it seems that few emperors had such a huge gap in their lives like Xuanzong——

The prosperous Kaiyuan era he created will definitely stand at the top of history and amaze future generations.

However, the Anshi Rebellion caused by him pushed the empire into an abyss of destruction.

"One point for merit, nine points for failure, this is the court's private evaluation of you..."

The empress paused for a long time and suddenly said loudly:

"I thought so too!"

Is it unfilial for later generations to criticize their ancestors in this way?

But it is really difficult for Li Wan to praise Xuanzong, because of the miserable situation of the people today, the land of Shenzhou now oppressed by barbarians, and the Central Plains where morality is corrupt and Gang Chang is absent.

A big part of the reason is him!

"Taizong, can you save the situation while you are still alive?"

Li Wan did not look at the other portraits, but stared at the portrait of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin.

No one gave her an answer.

Is it really possible?

She didn't know that the answer might be too cruel.

Today's Datang is like a chronically dying patient. He will definitely die. It's just a matter of time and how long it can last.

“Where is the glimmer of hope?”

"Who told me, is there still the spirit of the Tang Dynasty in the world? How many men are still willing to fight for the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Wan pursed his lips, calmed down the sadness in his heart, and slowly left the imperial temple.

…

The wind was howling and the thick clouds were rolling in.

In the vast desert, this disaster-stricken city of Kucha looks extremely small and lonely.

The only dignified government office in the city was now overcrowded, including skinny women and children, as well as a few crippled white-haired old people.

The atmosphere was very quiet, even depressing.

A map is placed on the table.

In the past sixty years, Kucha City has found many maps on the corpses of foreigners, but never such clear and detailed maps.

A bloody map was found on the blond leader.

The smile on the old woman's face gradually stiffened.

Can you imagine?

After sixty years of waiting, she was sure that the Tang Dynasty was still there. The word "Tang" on the map made her unable to take her eyes away.

But when she saw the territory of the Tang Dynasty, she felt a helpless and desolate feeling that penetrated her bones.

"Heaven, how could this happen..."

Countless women cried bitterly, unable to accept the downfall of the Tang Dynasty.

The glorious and prosperous Tang Dynasty, which used to be visited by all the nations, is now reduced to three states. On the map, there are "Northern Liang", "Southern Chu", "Youyan" and other countries.

The Barbarian Kingdom dominates the entire Western Region, and its territory extends to Mobei, fighting against the Shenzhou Continent on its own.

In the dead silence, the old woman moved her lips and spoke with difficulty:

"The Tang Dynasty is still there, so the sixty years of persistence are meaningful."

"But how pitiful he is now!" A woman blushed and said loudly:

"Is there anything in the world that is more difficult than holding on?"

"Sixty years, no reinforcements, growing food by myself, not eating a piece of cake, not wearing a piece of beautiful clothes!"

"Watch the child grow up, watch him die on the city wall, and bury him in the grave with your own hands!"

"In the past sixty years, there have been a total of 22,000 Anxi troops, but one of them surrendered and one of them was captured?"
To be continued...