Therefore, speaking generally, for one great empire to destroy another, it often requires the effort of several generations. However, with the emperor system, a system full of both pitfalls and extraordinary feats, predicting what will happen over several generations is really unreliable.
After all, you can't ensure that your empire will have wise rulers every generation, nor can you guarantee that the other empire will have foolish rulers every generation. Honestly, imagining that one generation could cripple another empire is largely fantasy.
In truth, Emperor Wu of Han severely weakened the Huns, allowing Emperor Zhao to focus on internal developments and continue to divide and conquer the Huns primarily because Emperor Wu lived for a long time. Fifty-five years on the throne, in ancient times, is equivalent to three generations.
