After many years of hard work, emperor Taizu has changed things in his empire to make it a unique one. Thanks to his hard work, his dynasty might be very successful.
The past five dynasties failed due to the fact that prior emperors became selfish and greedy, those dynasties got overthrown by the people. After a gap of no leader in China, Emperor Taizu got the Mandate of Heaven from the Gods and took over China to make it better.
For him to be able to make this empire successful he took five big steps to make it all work.
One of the most interesting things he did for his empire was the way he treated his enemies. Most people would fight them for the pride and honor of winning. Emperor Taizu wasn't like that. He is a Confucianist, which means he doesn't believe in wars. He followed a saying from an old Chinese general from around 400B.C.E. He said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." By following that, he decided to invite them over to a formal dinner. The emperor made a toast and offered them all rewards. He spent time with them to understand what kind of people they are. To keep them even closer, he kept them in the capital of China, which at the time was Kaifeng. There he could watch them and make sure that they weren't causing any trouble.
Emperor Taizu also constructed a new army, but not for the reason most people would think. He made it to keep everything in his empire running smoothly and safely. The members of the army were advised that they should not kill as a punishment because that was against their beliefs as Confucianists. He recruited young men for these jobs. He divided them into different divisions which do different jobs. He also was scared that the people with high power would be cocky and take their power for granted. In order for that not to happen, he decided that members of the army should switch jobs every three years. It sounds like a very strong new beginning for this new army.
Emperor Taizu felt that in order to rebuild this empire successfully he needed to set a few simple things to put himself in control. By being a Confucianist, Emperor Taizu made very few simple laws that must be followed by all. One of the most important ones was that everyone must understand the authority of the emperor. He also set a few new rules for his army. He also brought back all but two small states into his empire.
He reorganized the government system. He divided the high ministers into three groups, which were, the Chancellery, the Secretariat and the Department of State Affairs. They were the ones, who thought of ideas for new laws, but they didn't make the final decisions, the emperor did. The high ministers are lucky though, because Emperor Taizu usually sides with the majority. He also redid the civil service exams, he made the first test about Confucianism, pretty basic, but most people didn't pass, less than 10% were eligible to move on to the second and more difficult test. This test takes place in Kaifeng and the ones who pass are called "elevated men" which is a name of honor, but doesn't give you a government job, in order to get one you have to stay at the capital and take the next test, which tests you on history, government, moral ethics and skills of poetry. Only 10% passed this test, and for the ones who have come that far should be proud and should definitely try again. The ones who do pass become advanced scholars. They are separated by their excellency; the one who come in first becomes very famous around all of China. And under these scholars Emperor Taizu decided that he should have branches of officers in state that help keep the area safe and organized. So far this system has worked in order to get the people in the places they belong.
Last but not least, Emperor Taizu wanted to make the capital, Kaifeng more safe and organized. First, he put walls around the city, so no invaders could attack. He made the roads line up in a grid form. All of the important buildings face south. The most important building, which is where emperor Taizu lives, is in the center. He supplied the city with food and water. This design might actually keep invaders away especially if he chooses to guard all the gates.
Emperor Taizu was special because he does what he thinks is right in a different way than the way most other emperors would’ve approached their problems. However, we all know that there must be some flaws here and there because an empire can’t last forever.
If he continues this way, he’ll have a long and successful dynasty. He’s taking control and trying to help the empire to be as strong as possible. He is also trying to help the people stay safe, which is very important because it shows he is not a selfish emperor. Emperor Taizu is building up to a new empire that actually might last for a very long time.
Wow, this is extremely thorough. And, I think it works well as an editorial. You have tons of supporting facts to back up your opinion. The one thing that needs work is your writing style and conventions. You have a few typos (for example, "taht") that would be picked up by spellcheck on Word. Also, a few of your sentences need editing for clarity. (for example, "He has redone many things to try to make, the Northern Song dynasty, which might be one of the greatest Chinese empires." - never expresses a complete thought). So reread and carefully edit for these things.
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