Chapter 29

【Detected that the host has completed the sixth historical figure inventory.】

【Generating video data... Generation complete.】

【Uploading to the Heavens and Myriad Worlds sky screen... Upload complete.】

【This inventory figure: Fourth place on the Huaxia Hero List—Zheng Chenggong】

Inside a twenty-square-meter rental room.

Gu Shanhe stretched, stared at the "Published Successfully" prompt on the computer screen, and let out a long breath.

"Four and a half hours, finally done."

He rubbed his sore eyes, picked up the coffee that had gone cold, took a sip, and wondered what reward the system would give him this time.

This time, for the inventory of Zheng Chenggong, he had specifically added voice-over commentary; it should be more than last time, right?

Just as Gu Shanhe clicked publish, strange phenomena appeared simultaneously in the skies of countless dynasties across the Heavens and Myriad Worlds.

Qin Dynasty, Xianyang Palace.

The First Emperor Ying Zheng had just finished reviewing the last scroll of memorials and was preparing to get up and stretch his limbs.

A court attendant ran in in a panic.

"Your Majesty! The sky screen! The sky screen has appeared again!"

Ying Zheng frowned and strode out of the hall.

He saw that the originally clear sky had suddenly revealed a huge light screen, with golden light flowing and characters faintly appearing.

"That thing called the sky screen again?"

Ying Zheng asked in a deep voice.

Officials from the newly established "Sky Screen Department" hurried forward to report:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, exactly! We have followed Your Majesty's instructions to set up a special department responsible for recording everything the sky screen says and reporting to Your Majesty at any time!"

Ying Zheng nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the sky.

The last time the sky screen inventoried Wei Qing, it let him know that later generations actually had such military talent, and also let him know about the dynastic changes after his Great Qin.

This time, what would it be?

Han Dynasty, Weiyang Palace.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was discussing the northern expedition against the Xiongnu with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing.

Suddenly, golden light burst forth in the sky.

"Your Majesty, look!"

Liu Che looked up and squinted.

"The sky screen? That thing again?"

The last time the sky screen appeared, it let him know that after his Han Dynasty there were the Three Kingdoms, the two Jins, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and even more, it let him know about some of his mistakes in his later years.

To be honest, it was not very pleasant.

But he had to admit that what the sky screen said was indeed reasonable in every sentence.

"Someone, prepare to record."

Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was discussing the improvement of the imperial examination system with Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

The moment the sky screen appeared, the entire Chang'an City was in an uproar.

"Your Majesty, the sky screen!"

Li Shimin put down the memorial in his hand and walked out of the hall.

"Pass down the order, the Sky Screen Department is to record at all times, and report immediately after the sky screen ends."

Ming Dynasty, Yingtian Prefecture.

Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was furious.

Because of the sky screen, he learned that the Great Ming empire he had worked so hard to build had actually been destroyed by a foreign race.

"My Great Ming! It actually perished!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry his beard was curling up.

Empress Ma beside him hurriedly persuaded him:

"Chongba, calm down, hasn't that not happened yet?"

"It won't do even if it hasn't happened! Are my descendants all trash?!"

Just then, the sky screen appeared.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately looked up, staring fixedly at that patch of golden light.

Qing Dynasty.

Emperor Kangxi was reviewing memorials.

"Your Majesty, the sky screen!"

Kangxi put down his pen, walked out of the hall, and looked up at the sky screen.

【Today we will inventory the fourth place on the Huaxia Hero List: Zheng Chenggong.】

On the sky screen, a line of large golden characters slowly emerged.

At the same time, Gu Shanhe's voice-over also resounded through the Heavens and Myriad Worlds.

The voice was calm and powerful, as if telling a long-buried history.

【August 28, 1624, Zheng Chenggong was born in Hirado, Japan.】

【His father was the maritime merchant Zheng Zhilong, and his mother was the Japanese woman Tagawa Matsu.】

【His childhood name was Fulsong, and he returned to his ancestral home in Fujian at the age of 7.】

【1644, the Ming Dynasty perished, and the Qing army entered the pass.】

【The 20-year-old Zheng Chenggong witnessed the destruction of his country and family, went to the Nanjing Imperial Academy to study, and took the great Confucian Qian Qianyi as his teacher.】

【1645, the Qing army moved south, and Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing.】

【Zheng Chenggong broke with his father, burned his Confucian robes, put on military attire, and swore before the Nan'an Confucius Temple:】

【"Once a child, now a lonely subject. Whether to turn or stay, each follows their own path. Respectfully discarding these Confucian robes, may the Master be my witness!"】

【The Longwu Emperor bestowed upon him the imperial surname Zhu, and changed his name to Chenggong.】

【From then on, the world called him "Lord of the Imperial Surname."】

On the sky screen, the images flowed, and the scene changed.

A young man burned his Confucian robes in front of the Confucius Temple and changed into military attire, his gaze firm.

The image was too realistic, as if it were right before one's eyes.

Ming Dynasty.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression softened slightly.

"Good! A great 'Respectfully discarding these Confucian robes, may the Master be my witness'! This is the backbone of my Great Ming!"

He turned to look at the civil and military officials beside him.

"This Zheng Chenggong is a talent of my Great Ming!"

The officials echoed him one after another.

But Zhu Yuanzhang still felt a blockage in his heart.

The Great Ming had perished; this was a fact.

But this person named Zheng Chenggong was still fighting for the Great Ming.

Qing Dynasty.

Kangxi looked at the sky screen, lost in thought.

"Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing, yet Zheng Chenggong broke with his father and continued to resist the Qing..."

He sighed: "Loyalty and filial piety are hard to have both."

【From 1646 to 1659, Zheng Chenggong led his troops using Kinmen and Xiamen as bases to establish a powerful maritime anti-Qing armed force.】

【Possessing over 3,000 warships, it was the strongest maritime force in East Asia at the time.】

【Controlling trade along the southeast coast of China, reaching as far as Japan and Southeast Asia.】

【Military achievement: In 1659, he launched the Yangtze River Campaign, once surrounding Nanjing, shaking the Qing court.】

On the sky screen, images of a vast fleet appeared.

Three thousand warships, masts like a forest, blocking out the sun.

Zheng Chenggong stood on the flagship, his gaze like a torch.

Qin Dynasty.

Ying Zheng's eyes lit up.

"Three thousand warships?"

He looked at Li Si beside him.

"How many does my Great Qin navy have?"

Li Si was stunned for a moment.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, our Great Qin navy... has nowhere near that many."

Ying Zheng was silent for a moment.

"If this person were born in my Great Qin, he would surely be a general of great talent."

Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin nodded repeatedly: "With such powerful maritime strength, no wonder he could shake the Qing court."

He looked at Li Jing beside him.

"What do you think of this person?"

Li Jing said earnestly: "Reporting to Your Majesty, for this person to establish such a massive maritime force in just over a decade is truly extraordinary."

"What is even more rare is that he resisted an emerging dynasty with his own strength; this willpower is worthy of respect."

Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di was watching the sky screen and suddenly stood up.

"Pass down the order, three months from now, the second northern expedition!"

The official beside him was startled: "Your Majesty, didn't you just return from the northern expedition not long ago?"

Zhu Di said in a deep voice: "Didn't you hear? The Great Ming was later destroyed by a foreign race! I want to beat those foreign races until they are thoroughly afraid, so that my descendants will never suffer the bitterness of war!"

The officials looked at each other, not daring to persuade him further.