Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 235 Li Er: Thank you for remembering me

"What? I'm dead? How come I didn't know? Why didn't someone inform me?"

Li Ming scratched his head and looked at Youzhou Governor Cui Mingan innocently.

Cui Mingan looked at Li Ming speechlessly, then looked at the hundreds of riders behind him with different armor, flags, and insignias, but all as fierce as wolves and tigers. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

From Chang'an to Liaodong, across half of the Tang Dynasty, taking a straight line would pass through the sphere of influence of the eight princes.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Li Ming's gang took detours along the way.

By the time they finally fled to the relatively safe area of ​​Hebei, the rumors spreading from Chang'an had already reached them.

Therefore, when Cui Mingan, the official of Youzhou, went to work as usual, he found that his unit was surrounded by a ferocious and ragtag army, and the leader was none other than His Highness Li Ming.

He seemed to have seen a ghost.

In every sense.

After settling the extremely complicated entourage, Li Ming, Yang and their friends followed Cui Mingan into the governor's office to discuss important matters.

"that……"

Cui Min sat in the main seat, moving his buttocks awkwardly, as if there were stones under the cushion.

At this moment, his study was truly filled with distinguished guests and shining stars.

There is no need to mention His Highness the Regent himself and his mortal enemy, the eldest grandson Changsun Yan, and the God of War Li Jing is even more of a heavyweight.

Not only did the young nephew usurp power...he almost seized power by force, but he also even invited the retired old god of war to come out.

In one word, awesome.

Of course, the person who made Cui Minggan most nervous was not anyone else, but the beautiful Yang who was sitting quietly alone on the side.

Because my mother-in-law’s current status is not ordinary.

She is the queen who rules the country.

Although Lao Cui may not have much respect for Emperor Li Shimin, he still actively supported the Tang Dynasty and feudal ethics.

Her Royal Highness the Queen of the Tang Dynasty showed up in public so carefreely, without any regard for the presence of outsiders.

Is this... in accordance with Zhou Li?

Cui Mingan didn't know where to put his eyes.

It would certainly be inappropriate to stare at the Queen.

But whether he is the regent, the god of war, or the treacherous prime minister, is it appropriate to keep an eye on him?

Therefore, he could only turn his attention to Su Dingfang, who seemed to be the easiest to bully.

I'm sure this senior police officer won't mind.

"If I isolate myself from the world, how can I be called the mother of the world?"

Li Ming saw his concerns and issued a disclaimer on his behalf.

The queen lives and eats with a group of strong men, so an old man like you won't make a difference.

"Oh... indeed..." Cui Mingan tried to convince himself.

The greetings are over, let’s get back to business.

Li Ming frowned and asked Cui Mingan:

"Don't believe in rumors or spread them. Who is spreading rumors about my death? What exactly happened?"

As a relative of elder sister Li Ling's husband, he was the biggest local tyrant in Hebei and was severely insulted by Li Shimin in the "Clan Records".

Cui Mingan, who was loyal only to Li Ming and not to Li Shimin, could be considered half of Li Ming's family.

Cui Min took a sip of tea, suppressed his excited heart, and said slowly:

“Regent, it’s an official letter from the Regent.

"This is not a rumor, but an officially endorsed rumor."

Li Ming was stunned: "Regent?"

"That's Li Zhi, the Prince of Jin." Cui Mingan explained to Li Ming, who had just connected to the Internet:

"The King of Jin forced the King of Wei to retreat, occupied Chang'an, and took control of the government.
"He just recently announced to the world that the King of Wei was in rebellion and that Your Highness was caught off guard and sacrificed his life for the country."

"Oh oh oh~"

Li Ming raised his eyebrows playfully and looked at Yang calmly.

"Your Highness, what happened in the country recently? Li Shi... um, is His Majesty the Emperor really missing?"

Cui Mingan asked worriedly.

A duck is the first to know when the water in the river warms in spring. When Cui Renshi, his clansman and Secretary of the Central Secretariat, fled to Pingzhou first and passed by his Youzhou Prefecture.

He realized that something big had happened in the court.

Immediately afterwards, all kinds of rumors began to spread.

What about the rebellion of the King of Wei, the rebellion of the King of Jin, the disappearance of the emperor, and the death of the regent?

One is outrageous.

"Because of these strange rumors, Youzhou and even the entire Hebei region have begun to become unstable, and people's hearts are unsettled."

This is what Cui Minggan is really worried about.

Li Shimin didn't care whether he was dead or alive, but if the local ruling order collapsed, it would obviously be more disadvantageous for the Boling Cui family, the biggest local tyrant.

Worse order is better than no order.

"Some powerful families have already called for a change of dynasty, and there are quite a few of them.

"There are also some daring and reckless people who even try to split the land into states and establish themselves as kings."

In contrast, the Cui family of Boling, who only opposed Li Shimin but not the Tang Dynasty, seemed out of place because they were not extreme enough.

This made Cui Mingan very distressed.

Because of its moderate political stance, the Cui family's control over the local area and its appeal to other families are rapidly declining.

"A few days ago, the Tang army that was conquering the Xueyantuo sent a letter to Youzhou, requesting logistical supplies.

"This is the grain and grass that the imperial court collected from various places, but it is temporarily stored in the front-line warehouse in Youzhou. But..."

Cui Mingan couldn't help rubbing his aching head:
“But the bureaucrats controlled by other powerful families kept delaying the distribution of grain.

"With 80,000 elite soldiers, how can their logistics be cut off? Aren't you afraid that the starving soldiers will turn their guns against you?

"I overcame all difficulties and persuaded them, and finally distributed half of the quota. Even this caused great dissatisfaction among many families.

"There are even rumors that the Cui family has betrayed Hebei and wants to kill us all."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar.

They even dare to strike hard at the local tyrants. They are no longer just ordinary mobs.

"Hebei, has it become so corrupt?"

Even the knowledgeable Li Jing couldn't help but open his eyes wide.

"When a country is about to fall into chaos, evildoers will appear in large numbers."

Li Ming was shocked by the passion of the people of Hebei.

The bolder a person is, the more courageous he is.

Once the Guanzhong group was in chaos, these generous and tragic people in the Yanzhao region began to stir, wanting to set an example for An Lushan and Shi Siming in later generations.

"Alas, there is nothing we can do about it." Cui Minggan sighed:

"Recently, for some reason, miners, furnace workers, and blacksmiths have all lost their livelihoods. Even the wealthy families who own the mines are short of money. Everyone is furious."

Cough, cough, cough! ... A certain Liaodong governor who exported excess steel production capacity to Youzhou started coughing madly.

How could the workers in Youzhou suddenly lose their jobs? It's really puzzling...

"Let's get back to the point. All the chaos originated from the rumors in Chang'an." Old Cui coughed dryly:
"So, is the record in the court document about your Majesty's disappearance and the King of Wei's rebellion true or false?"

Cui Mingan asked anxiously.

No matter how much he disliked Li Shimin, he would be the first to suffer if Youzhou fell into chaos.

As a person who was caught in the crossfire when eating spectacles, he couldn't wait to know the truth of the matter.

"The rumors spread by Li Zhi are probably true." Li Ming nodded.

Cui Mingan stood in awe:
"Including your unfortunate sacrifice?"

Li Ming's mouth twitched, and he retorted unhappily:
"That's right!" Cui Mingan was shocked.

…………

That night, Li Ming and his party were placed at Cui's house to rest.

They had endured wind, frost, rain and snow all the way from Chang'an, and they planned to rest in Youzhou for a while before setting off to the northeast.

"This humble room is dilapidated. I am sorry to trouble your two highnesses."

Cui Mingan said embarrassedly.

"No, no." Li Ming and his mother thanked them repeatedly.

I'm not being polite. The local tyrant's mansion is much more comfortable than the tiny Lide Hall.

Although the Taiji Palace is grand, it does not belong to them, especially not to the Yang family.

After dinner, the mother and son returned to their bedroom, and then a guest came to visit.

"Mother! Tomorrow!"

Li Ling rushed over excitedly and hugged them tightly, refusing to let go.

The son-in-law Cui Yi was also filled with emotion and stammered:

"From rumors, we thought...you all..."

"It's okay, it's okay. It's just Brother Shan Ji's bad taste." Li Ming patted her back comfortingly.

"Brother Pheasant?"

"Ahem, it's okay..."

The family finally got together, and behind closed doors, they stopped talking to each other.

Yang asked calmly:

"Li Ming, what should we do next?"

Run to Liaodong is an established strategy. What she meant is, what should be done after Run arrives in Liaodong.

Li Ling looked worried:

“Is it really going to be a full-scale civil war?”

"Puff..." The son-in-law Cui Yi, who was making tea obediently in the corner, almost spit out a mouthful of tea.

"The King of Jin occupies Xijing, while the King of Wei is in Dongjing.

"Although the various rebel kings gathered by the two are a motley crowd, but when there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey becomes king. In the Tang Dynasty where the main force has been withdrawn, the army under each vassal king should not be underestimated."

Li Ling, the daughter-in-law of Youzhou, now speaks in a very authentic way:
"If we want to sweep across the world and clean up the wastelands, we must subdue all these forces."

There is basically nothing wrong with her analysis.

"This is the current situation." Yang took over the conversation:
"Although Li Tai and Li Zhi can use some tricks, they are both too young and lack political experience.

"We may not be able to suppress the restless parties and unify the kings."

Yang looked into her son's eyes:
"Do you want to join this fight, too?"

If it were before, Yang and Li Ling would not have felt so hesitant at all.

The princes compete for positions, and either become young models in the harem or go to the sea to feed the fish.

Once you follow this path, you don't have to think about it, just do it.

However, Li Zhi deliberately spread the news of Li Ming's death, which provided him with an unexpected path -

That is to fake death and escape.

Anyway, the vast Northeast region north of Yanshan Mountain is his territory.

There will be no problem at all for Li Ming and his family to live their lives in peace and happiness.

He has connections, money and territory. As long as he wants, it would not be a problem for him to set up a small court in the mountains outside the Great Wall and become a local emperor behind closed doors.

If you are so cold in Northeast China that your snot bubbles have frozen and you can't help but want to run back to the mainland, it is not a problem to hide your identity and go south to spend the winter vacation.

This condition is much better than what Li Ming has been muttering about for most of his life, such as "demoted to a commoner" and "father, can I resign?"

To put it more bluntly, Li Zhi used this wave of rumors to offer Li Ming a price to withdraw from the fight for the throne:

I will protect your life, wealth and prosperity, and the territory of Liaodong.

"If this civil war breaks out, it will be quite serious. Even Hebei is already in a state of panic..."

Cui Yi muttered something, and when he realized that the three people's eyes were on him, he immediately shut up and added pepper to the tea.

"My dear, you are right." Li Lingfu followed his wife's lead:
"This is a serious matter, Ming Er, I hope you can consider it carefully."

Li Ming smacked his lips, smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"Surround me on three sides and leave one side open. Are you trying to wear down my will to fight? Brother Shan Ji, Brother Shan Ji, is this your counterattack against me?"

The young man was quite methodical in his palace fighting, using both wits and courage, and he also remembered to leave a way out for the other person.

Before being corrupted and evilened by Wu Zetian, Li Zhi still had a bottom line.

However, this escape route made Li Ming hesitant.

Rebellion is like this. When you are at your wits' end, all you have to do is resist actively and fight to the death. But after you are recruited, there are many things to consider.

All in, is also a kind of wisdom.

"Li Ming, what do you mean?"

Queen Yang asked gently:

"Whatever decision you make, we stand firmly behind you."

Li Ming pursed his lips, and inexplicably thought of what Li Mingda said before they left -

Don't kill your brothers, don't kill your soldiers, don't kill your people...

Now that things have come to this, should we retreat while the going is good?
Is this the end of the celebration?
Li Ming tilted his head back and closed his eyes slightly.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at his flesh and blood relatives.

At this moment, his whole temperament was different.

His eyes were full of absolute authority, as if the whole world was prostrating at his feet.

Cui Yi's legs went weak and he almost knelt down and kowtowed to his brother-in-law.

Li Ling also involuntarily straightened his body and lowered his head.

Yang smiled knowingly:
"It seems that you have made up your mind, and no one can persuade you to change your mind."

Li Ming spoke slowly:
"I have lived in fear for most of my life, but fortunately my father recognized me and gave me the opportunity to serve the people of the world. I have worked diligently and conscientiously, and I don't think I have made any mistakes.

“My brothers thought they were better than me, so they drove me out of the palace like a stray dog, and even wanted to kill me on the roadside like a stray dog.

“I don’t like it.

"I'm not trying to prove how great I am. I just want to tell the world that I must get back what I lost!"

Li Ling took a deep breath, and Cui Yi almost buried his head in the teapot, not daring to look up.

Yang sighed lightly and said with a smile:
"It seems that you have made your decision."

"Yes, mother." Li Ming answered firmly: "After returning to Liaodong, we will prepare for the attack."

Yang nodded: "Go south to the Central Plains"

Li Ming: "Northern Expedition to Xueyantuo."

The two said it almost at the same time.

Yang was stunned:
"what?"

Li Ming curled his lips and his smile gradually widened:

"My father was kidnapped by my brother and the Tiele people. Shouldn't I get my lost father back first?"

…………

That night.

It was late at night and the lights in Cui's house were dim.

The distinguished guests who came from afar fell asleep peacefully.

In the shadows outside the wall, several furtive figures were ready to move.

(End of this chapter)