LCD The Records of the Human Emperor

Amen to that. I absolutely despise MC's that create their own problems, even more so for brainless angst. That was not part of his character that has been developed over the last 450ish chapters. He's spent his time painstakingly building a foundation and pisses it away like this?! Even if this guy is the Big Bad, all the behavior he's shown to date, and all the world-changing plot armor bs information he's gotten all scream 'don't do something so mindless!' and he goes right ahead and causes all of the problems.

I ragequit at that point, and won't touch this again until this arc is over. If it extends through the rest of the novel, well tough shit. Not worth it, if the author will take such an otherwise smart story and dumb down the MC to 'Tranxending Vision' levels.

 

It's only a valid sacrifice if he actually managed to accomplish something by killing the guy. He didn't, did he? So he accomplished nothing positive, except making his Big Bad even more powerful. Oh, right - he also exposed a bunch of his hidden trumps to people who want him dead, exposed several of his plans to danger by calling off their protectors (of course something bad will happen because of it), and frankly beat a lot of his adversaries over the head with how dangerous he can get. And he got nothing in return.

In other news, when confronting the people who either killed or destroyed his family who he was closest to day in and day out, family who he personally watched sacrifice or starve themselves over the course of years for his sake even when he was a worthless uncaring bastard, family who still loved him unconditionally even in the worst days of his former life, he still remained calm, intelligent, and cunningly decisive - composedly taking steps to destroy them and protect his loved ones.

Apparently, he cares more about the future of The Great Tang then the people who love him. Asshole.

This was not the MC I spent 445 chapters reading about. : (

Any clues as to when this arc ends?

 

Well you have to consider it this way,

There were 2 things that triggered the entire fiasco, the defeat in southwest and the coalition of armies that destroys the entire country which in turn kills all of his friends in the war.

People failed, which in turn gives this novel a bit of excitement due to the strength of its antagonist. As for his so called sacrificing his friend, he pulled all the agro on him, including the fierce General, and Mc gave his friend his armor to make sure he survived.

BTW the story has shifted to southwest.

 

The last war arc went to total bullshit. Its one bad logic/misconcept after another. It's like author never read about real ancient battles from serious history books and rather only know about them from b-rated chinese movies, where people flying around with their swords and do utter noncence. What the hell...

From start there were some questions about characters actions, but there also were some hope that it's just author traits and it would became better later. Now there no point in any hope, it's just bad writing.

 

Well the world that this takes place in does actually have people who can pretty much fly around with their swords and do utter nonsense that works.

Now I am no historian or tactical expert with respect to Medievel Era Strategizing... but i felt the Strategy in the novel was above average as far a novels like these go. It's no Grandmaster Strategist but its pretty good.

As far as the complaint referencing the fact it is reminiscent to a B-Rated Chinese Movie... well ya... duh. This isn't set in a world like our own where the individual killing power of any one man is inconsequential. Even a Master Swordsman in our world if outnumbered would fall in a Military Exchange. But here one man can literally change the course of a battle based on his personal power alone. Look at Wang Chong, 10,000+ men killed all by himself in a short period of time.

To want the total logic brought from our history of ancient battles would invalidate the entire setting of this world. The fact that 1 man can literally kill thousands of soldiers when unchecked by a general of his same strength... ya of course it gonna feel more like a B-Rated Chinese movie than anything faithful to what these battles were like in our history.

There are plenty of valid complaints for a novel like this... but i don't think yours is one... at least not some 600 chapters in. You should have seen this coming from the first chapters.

Your complaints or grievances are probably more varied than what you presented but the point i covered... what did you expect lol.

 

No, it started pretty well. There were no flying people and cultivation revolved mostly about people inner strenght, rather than some magic stuff. It's only later when war arc arrived there started to show people which can do magic stuff like transmutate their enemy weapons and armor into tens and hundreds deadly metal golems. Just imagine star wars jedi would just start to teleport and do the same things as in this novel. How would it be? I doubt any fan would like it, because it would crush all world rules and knowledge. And that exactly what happened here. All this magic stuff was just utter nonsence and bad writing which came from nowhere.
Above average strategies? From where it comes? Almost all strategies in this novel are just face to face brainless battles which mc wins only because he knows vulnerabilities in enemy battle auras. And enemies do the same. The only normal strategy which I had seen was when MC tried to save tang army from tibetians and used hit and run tactics to move enemy commander from line of main attack. Its primitive, but ok. But in the end this novel nowhere close to other novels with good strategies where authors before making a novel learn about battles in RL. And it's totally author fault who doesn't feel or want or can to consume time and brainpower to create good strategies. And he even know it, else there would not be so much of utterly idiotic conditions in system quests.
Politics become trashy and simple. At first there were interesting movements between Hu and Han, between different political parties. But later it became mostly about how "wise and unfathomable" emperor. Court officials also lowered their IQ to match their emperor.

The only thing that intresting in novel now it's new bullshit which author makes at every turn and which comes from nowhere.

 

It started pretty well by your metric because they weren't at the levels of power where they could begin doing truly superhuman feats by our standards. We met very strong people but never in the context where we would see the true scope of their abilities, so again this remained pretty good by your metric because we didn't see any of the true superhuman stuff that a novel like this would obviously progress to.
After the first 10's of chapters i think the direction of progression in the novel became clear when we saw his little sister with enough physical ability to crush people a realm above her. Did that not set off the warning bells? Was that not too out there?

I'll totally get behind you on the Metal Magic Halo being weird. But I disagree on why. This is the seemingly natural progression of the novel. It was presented in a weird way but it was frankly inevitable. Did you skip over the parts of the Novel where Wang Chong interacted with the Stone of Destiny? That thing is pretty much the definition of Magical. What about the World Will preventing Wang Chong from killing that guy? Again, how much more magical can it get. The direction of this novel was clear from initial interactions with the Stone of Destiny. So again, why is this seemingly only an issue 600+ chapters in when the direction of the novel was clear from the first few 10's of chapters?

There is a very clear difference between Crushing all Rules and Knowledge and the Evolution of the story. It is hardly the stories fault if the direction of the story flew right over your head when i believe it was pretty obvious to see. Wang Chong just hadn't met the people who were capable of such feats in the past. With this new Arc, he is starting to truly interact with the more powerful people out there and thus starting to meet these unique individuals who have more magical abilities, especially with this new shadow organization that is after him. In this case it is an expanding of the Universe, not a contradiction or breaking of rules. Now if Wang Chong was the one using the magical ability, we would have to ask a question. Why didn't he use it before? If there is no answer then it really does break some rules because he could have used it to help in other conflicts... but it wasn't Wang Chong, it was a newly introduced character we had not yet met until the point in the story when he started using his magical halo.

Also, in the expanded universe of Star Wars, Force Teleport, while a very rare ability does exist. (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Teleport) If it were introduced into Canon it would only break rules and previously established knowledge if it weren't explained properly. This isn't like the Hyperspace Suicide Ship where such a use would obviously be tested in initial creation of the Hyper Space Drive, if it was shown to be so dangerous then it would inevitably be used as a weapon. No good way to explain why it hadn't been used before TLJ given common sense logic.
For Teleport you would have to explain why the person using it is able to use it while Mastered Force Users like Sidious, Vader and Yoda didn't. It is more than possible to bring the ability into Canon without it breaking Rules... it just has to be done properly. Which isn't something Rian Johnson could do. (Obligatory TLJ snipe when discussing Star Wars... just cause i have to)
Also would be an ability Rey cannot use. Too much of a Mary Sue already.

Yes, above average as far as Novels like these go.
My statement is entirely subjective and the rating i gave it, given the context of what i said is dependent on all the novels with a similar setting that i have read.

I never said the strategy was objectively good or objectively bad. I said it was Above average in comparison to everything I have read. I don't have nearly enough knowledge on the subject of Medieval Era War Strategy to make an objective statement of quality in the novel in comparison to our strategy. I'd be surprised if you did but who knows. That's why I made my statement to be subjective and my rating to be comparative to all that i have read.
Personally "above average" isn't a great rating for me. With how much stuff there is to read out there above average is the minimum required to keep reading any book. That being said, strategy is only one facet of this story, and on the whole i quite enjoy The Human Emperor.

End point. It was subjective. Even if every point you brought up is correct, so what? My rating was given based upon the pool of similar novels i have read.

Agree. Court officials are becoming more and more stupid in their actions. They are forgoing obvious routes to solve issues because of their backers or face or whatever other bullshit.
But then again, this is strikingly similar to reality in the West, so it isn't a big minus for me. I see it a lot already, pretty realistic actually. Not at all logical or reasonable... but realistic.

 

Agreed, that's the thing about web novels and light novels, is that the vast majority of them have giant problems alongside whatever the novel does well, so you've kinda got to read them with blinders on. Not so the case with this novel. Aside from some pacing issues, the author manages to do so many different things very, very well without overbalancing the story.

I have been very happy with the strategy in this series as I've been pleasantly surprised with each of the outcomes, and while I can sort of tell what's going to happen next, it's not like a lot of novels out there where the foreshadowing is so heavy handed that you know exactly where the story is going for the next 50 chapters.

I'm not looking for some Sun Tzu primer on the art of war when I read a fantasy novel. I don't need everything to be historically accurate. I want the protagonist to feel smarter than his foes and that's basically enough for me.

Honestly, I don't read this novel for the battles(most have been a bit too drawn out for my taste), I read it for the empire building. I love how Wang Chong branches out into so many aspects of the world and all of his moves and decision making have a singular purpose. He can forge weapons, train soldiers, make restaurants, recruit figures, start businesses, forge alliances, innovate agriculture, send out material hunting expeditions, all of these different things that could justify an entire novel themselves are perfectly blended together for the singular purpose of saving The Great Tang. This purpose, coupled with the fact that there are enemies on all sides and Wang Chong is constantly on the defensive makes it so much more satisfying when Wang Chong makes strides towards his goals. Versus some of the other empire building novels out there where the MC spreads out like a plague and seems to conquer the world in an afternoon through sheer martial prowess.

 

I couldn't agree more. I'd like to add that contrary to a lot of novel, while the MC has plot armor, the enemy also have plot armor. The most striking was when he tried to kill ,king sosurim I think it was him, and the stone of destiny made in sort that he couldn't, but there also in the war when the general enemy was grievously injured but some day later came back in the battlefields.

It might look like the MC has a smooth ride because most endeavor he does are successful but there is a price behind said endeavor, the most striking example is Lion City where he put an enormous amount of money (which would have bankrupted most of the clan), for in the end being useful for what ? Delaying the enemy 15 days I think it was. He also had to pay a thousand wootz steel sword for people who are NOT loyal to him, those 1000 sword could have been for an elite battalion raised from scratch but utterly loyal to him.

Also he made "enemy" of the Hu general while they are apparently quite important on the defense of the empire, it will with no doubt be problematic in future chapters, especially since he will need to gain the trust of one of said general in the near future.
Here was my little piece of wood to the table.
Edit: I'm drunk so my comments is all over the place, I hope I was able to pass the message I was hoping lol

 

Agreed man, as powerful as the MC is, he still manages to only barely scrape through some of the things he comes up against. At no point have I ever felt that Wang Chong has had an easy ride. I mean shit, in the most recent chapter it's confirmed that he's now become the enemy of a self-proclaimed God who can create monsters. A GOD.

 

Yes yes, this is very good example, especially just after him meeting the "unfathomable" emperor(can't help but laugh each time at this title) who is near the god level so we have an idea of what a god is, though it might just be a title in a cult, but I don't doubt one second that this guy is at least as powerful as the tang emperor.

 

@craBebe
@Lokumi

Just saying, +1 to all you two said. Make it a 3-way agreement.

 

I almost suspect that he's another stone of fate user, or someone else who's like.. the previous generation user or something. I dunno, maybe it's just a super secret organization cult thing.

I hope the MC solves the Great Tang's threats and then we see some westward expansion. I'd just be interested to see if Wang Chong has any plans for the west or if it's purely trade related. Or shit, maybe he can just conquer the United States before the pilgrims show up. I mean, given when this is supposed to be taking place, there's still thousands of years before the Vikings even head over. There's an entire other continent just waiting to be exploited. I also think Xianxia'd out Mayans would be pretty cool.

 

That would be pretty cool I agree, but I don't think it will happen, the empire is already stretched to his limit, I mean each border has a set of soldiers but they can't have reinforcement, their lines of supplies is too long for being useful, all in all, I think that empire is just too large

 

Oh for sure, but a man can dream

 

For a fanatical nacionalist and racist as well, Wang Chong sure likes to use other countries tecnology for the sake of his corrupted sh*thole.

 

You guys still bothering to read this crap? I dropped it once his IFF buff/debuff bullshit ability manifested rendering the espionage agencies pointless.

 

I'm not even sure where this is coming from. If you want to read real nationalist racist garbage, go check out God and Devil World. I have no idea who the groups the Great Tang is going against are supposed to represent, but please try and give it a little bit of historical context. Assume that this was just the mindset of the period and let shit go, it's a novel about empires at war, of course there's going to be nationalist and racist narratives. If you don't like it then don't read it.

Are you talking about the Bane of the Battlefield? What part of the novel did what you're talking about take place? I've been enjoying this novel for years, so I'm not sure where the hate's coming from.

 

Ugh. Chatper 683. Author really botched the concrete chemistry on this one. A simple google search would explain the positives and negatives of AAC vs. regular Concrete. When authors try and bring in modern day technologies to ancient societies, it really bothers me that they don't even bother to do the proper research for the job at hand.

The "secret" ingredient of added aluminum powder creates aerated concrete, and while allowing for a lighter weight material with good thermal insulation, it is weaker than regular concrete. You use it for building construction. So when he wants to use this shit for a road, he basically halved it's load bearing capacity by adding this "secret" ingredient.

Get your science right, because I know I'm not the only person to do a google search as soon as I saw the author starting to fuck around with chemistry.

 

Edit! Big Edit!

Turns out I thought I had read the chapter in which you referenced this.
But due to my own blunder I was only making this posts with knowledge gained from the previous chapter, not 683.

So apologies. I will make a post later revising all this and my thoughts will either remain the same or most likely change.

Not deleting or editing since I dont like doing that. Let this remain to show why a formal response is always best and my quick ones on mobile always make me unhappy in some way. It was just in a big way this time.

I really feel like I need to correct these blinders you are looking through in this situation and add some perspective to your reasoning.

First just as a basis I'd like to say that many people disregard processing and manufacturing techniques in favor of focusing only of component or chemical make up.
The way the thing processed and manufactured is not something that can be copied in a bronze age of technological creation.
Even if Wang Chong knew a perfect recipe he would frankly never get the same results because the process in its creation is unable to be match in his current world level of technology.
This doesn't have too much relation to my point I just need it as a base.

Now Wang Chong is originally someone from earth or a world that is very comparable. Cant remember specifically. But he then lived his 2nd life in the great tang then now has his 3rd life/2nd chance in The Great Tang.
Is it more or less reasonable to think that Wang Chong would know the perfect recipe for concrete?

Personally I would argue for the side where it would be unreasonable for Wang Chong to know the exact recipe for what he needs and the proper way to manufacture it to match quality with a society far more capable of such an undertaking.

You've turned this into an issue with the author and his capacity to do research for his novel. Telling him to get his science right because your not the only one to do a Google search on how this stuff really works.

But this isnt a question of the authors intelligence or ability to get the science right. This is a choice. To give the MC knowledge that he should not have given what we know of his past or to give him the knowledge.

I would think that the author had to look this up to write about it since even what was described in the novel isnt something that just anybody would know unless they work with it a lot. When I say that I mean in its creation. I've personally worked with concrete lots and I dont know shit about how to make it or the perfect balance of chemicals and materials for every certain situation. I know enough of the mixture to get by for my job. Like what consistency I need in a situation and what chemical I can order to increase cure time etc.. but not how to make it from scratch.
The author isnt writing a textbook or encyclopedia. He is writing a fantasy story. Not saying this to mean it is okay for him to write something that is wrong but we have to look at why it is wrong.
Is it due to the author not doing adequate research?
Is it due to the character he is writing not being able to be plausible explained having that level of knowledge.
The author has Google, we have Google, Wang Chong does not have Google, does not have anything to explain a expertise with the creation of concrete and therefore it would be unreasonable for him to have the wikipedia information phamplete that you got.

I think it more reasonable for this to be a thought out choice than the author not knowing to use Google to acquire necessary facts for writing on topics of science.



To give an example of what I think the author is trying to achieve, though not as well... or atleast as well yet. Release The Witch.
In it the MC had extensive experience in engineering. He knew how things worked better than nearly all people on earth. Not saying he was the world #1 but he was a very intelligent person with the background necessary to explain why he had such knowledge in so many areas. But even this didnt mean he knew it all. The author wrote him as only having part of the information and having to fill in the blanks with what he had. Memory loss even came into play.
Now RHE obviously hasn't reached such a level of explanation or covering its bases like RTW. I think this Is more attribute to their different main elements but it remains that i feel RHE is striving for this same quality RTW had in those moments. It just isnt landing aswell.

TLDR: Is it really poor research from the author or is it the author writing a plausible character who is stumbling in trying to find the answer as opposed to just giving him the perfect outcome?

Wrote this on Mobile. Not up to my Formal Response standards. More just a freeform response in the moment. Still, point out anything and I'll be happy to clarify or respond.