"Raiders… coming from the sea?"
The Ming Emperor's expression shifted slightly. He turned to stare at the long coastline glowing across the screen and fell silent.
That alone was enough.
Empress Ma gave a small nod inwardly.
A man who could rise from commoner to the throne naturally possessed a resilience ordinary people could scarcely imagine. Yet that same resilience also bred a stubbornness just as extraordinary.
Fortunately, that stubbornness was not impossible to guide. At the very least, he always listened to her reasoning. And besides, she did not need to say much. The man before her was only obstinate, never foolish.
"Just like Khwarazm… just like those Rus princes," the emperor said slowly, as if speaking to others, yet also sorting through his own thoughts.
"They probably couldn't guess, even if they racked their brains, that the Mongols would cross ten thousand li to raid them."
"And right now, even if I break my head thinking, I still can't imagine which barbarian would sail ships to batter at Great Ming's gates."
"If raiders come by sea and try to imitate the Mongol campaigns, then they would surely strike straight at Yingtian Prefecture to seize my heartland."
"Guarding the realm by the river against sea-borne enemies… could that be what they mean by 'the Son of Heaven defending the state's gate'?"
Empress Ma froze for a moment.
Put that way… it almost made sense.
But if it were true…
Then where exactly would such raiders come from?
Following the Ming coastline outward in their minds, husband and wife almost instantly arrived at the same conclusion:
"Japanese pirates."
Empress Ma recalled an old incident.
"In the first year of Zhida under the Yuan, Japanese disguised themselves as merchants, raided Qingyuan Prefecture, and burned it to the ground. Yuan forces failed to stop them, and the foreigners grew arrogant."
Zhu Yuanzhang remembered even more clearly.
"Over twenty years ago, when my rebel army kept winning in Liaoyang Circuit, we were fighting Yuan troops in front… and behind us those Japanese struck Jinzhou and Fuzhou, killing countless people and looting wealth."
He shook his head. He still remembered that Liu Futong, who had risen in that region, marched under the banner 'Reopen the Heavens of the Great Song.' But Liu Futong's ending…
Thinking of that fierce river-fighting general, Zhu Yuanzhang let out a long sigh and skipped past the memory.
"I used to think those pirates only had the courage to steal money."
"Looks like I may have underestimated those dogs."
The route of Genghis Khan's western campaign had also left the ministers of Ganlu Hall speechless.
They had already watched the screen for a long time. They had even seen the globe itself. Yet precisely because of that, they understood all the more how vast the journey truly was.
Ten thousand li of distance. A thousand peoples with different customs. Hundreds of kingdoms standing side by side.
All trampled beneath iron hooves. All dyed in the color of the Mongols.
Li Shimin suddenly remembered how later generations praised the Former Han when it too had expanded its frontiers with astonishing speed:
"Watering horses in the northern sea, sealing victory at Wolf-Residence Mountain, pushing west to the great river, establishing commanderies in Qilian…"
He sighed lightly.
"Even this Genghis Khan, regrettably, never achieved the feat of watering his horses in the Mediterranean."
At once, Wei Zheng rose, clearly about to remonstrate.
Li Shimin burst out laughing and waved him down.
"Xuancheng, why the rush? I may admire the breadth of his lands, but I also remember how later generations judged him — 'he only knew how to draw his bow and shoot eagles.'"
Toward these ministers, whom he trusted as the very core of the state, the Tang ruler had always been frank. It would be false to claim he felt no envy toward an empire so vast. But he could also clearly see the dangers hidden within it.
Take that Muhammad of Khwarazm, for instance. In five years he seized immense lands in Central Asia, and people of the time believed a great power had suddenly arisen.
Yet even before the Mongols arrived, turmoil had already been brewing within, simply because of palace interference in succession.
In the end, it took Genghis Khan barely two years to crush the state into dust.
Ironically, it was the eldest son whom the empress dowager disliked who still possessed the will to resist. The fall of that realm was enough to stir a sigh.
And even the Mongols themselves… how long could they truly endure?
Wasn't Central Asia in later ages fragmented into a scatter of small "-stan" states?
Li Shimin therefore thought about it quite openly.
"That Rome lies ten thousand li away, and I cannot personally travel there."
"If only Tang envoys could reach it, and paint the scenery of the Mediterranean for me to see… that alone would suffice."
The Yan brothers, who had been sketching details from the glowing screen onto the vast map stretching from the Mediterranean to the Japanese islands, exchanged glances at his words. Both felt a faint stirring of excitement.
Li Shimin laughed and added casually,
"We should open the seas and lay foundations for a thousand-year enterprise — not grow complacent and lock ourselves behind passes like that Da Ming."
He was not quite sure what dialect that future speaker used to pronounce "Great" as "Da," but after repeating it twice, the Tang emperor decided…
…it was rather amusing.
This remark made Empress Zhangsun feel slightly regretful.
"We should have persuaded Master Xuanzang to remain in Chang'an a little longer back then."
"He might have taught Supervisor Yan some painting techniques, so that the scenery of India could have been recorded."
"Our descendant said later generations must consult Xuanzang's travelogue to understand India's history. That suggests their own records were lost — pitiful indeed."
That sigh suddenly sparked an idea in Li Shimin's mind.
He turned — and immediately met the anxious eyes of the Yan brothers. He quickly reassured them:
"How could I possibly send you west? And don't even think of volunteering. I would never allow it."
The brothers' earlier mixture of anxiety and excitement instantly turned into pure helpless laughter.
But Yan Liben, pondering the empress's words, felt a sudden surge of inspiration.
Was it only India whose future generations would fail to recognize its present appearance?
Looking at how later Han people revered Along the River During the Qingming Festival, how they studied Zhang Yichao's Procession…
…it was clear that the ordinary prefectures, cities, and military scenes of Tang — things common today — would all become unknowable to later ages.
If that was the case…
Why not train more painters skilled in fine brushwork, and compile an illustrated record of Tang civilization, just like Ming later compiled the Yongle Encyclopedia?
Such an idea…
…must surely be feasible.
[Lightscreen]
[After returning to the steppe from the western campaign, the first problem Genghis Khan faced was the rebellion of Western Xia.
At first glance this sounds strange. The strength gap between Mongolia and Western Xia wasn't just large — it was practically like Tang Taizong fighting the infant Emperor Shang of Han. How did Western Xia dare rebel?
But if one looks at the history of Liao, Song, and Jin, the answer becomes obvious: once the Mongols arrived, Western Xia's life became miserable.
Previously, during the Song–Liao or Song–Jin confrontations, Western Xia thrived by playing both sides.
As long as your knees were soft enough, your tribute sincere enough, and your rituals proper enough, you could live in peace.
Not only that — Song was a famously generous patron. Say a few flattering words and silk, grain, tea, and annual payments flowed in endlessly. Life was extremely comfortable. Truly a noble clan that knelt to Rome.
But after submitting to Mongolia, things changed.
Whether Mongolia was attacking Jin, campaigning against Western Liao, or conquering Khwarazm, they demanded both supplies and troops from Western Xia.
Yet once victory came, Western Xia got none of the spoils. It was almost like paying to go to work.
The noble kneeling clan of Rome became nothing more than a kneeling pack mule.
Western Xia finally snapped.
So while the Mongols were busy pursuing campaigns into India and the Caucasus…
Western Xia made its decision:
To ally with Jin against Mongolia.]