Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 346 I just exploded, why can't you do it?
"Mother... Mother, is it not good for us to leave the palace without permission?"

When they arrived outside the tavern, the younger of the two women - Li Ling, the elder sister of Emperor Li Ming - whispered in her mother's ear.

Queen Mother Yang walked in front carelessly, smiling gently:
"It is of course bad to leave the palace without permission - but we don't live in the palace, so how can we leave?"

His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and his family lived in a house somewhere in the urban area of ​​Pingzhou.

Although it is luxurious, its area is far smaller than that of the Taiji Palace, and there are no three layers of palace guards inside and outside. When you walk out of the gate, you will see a busy street.

Just from the living experience, it is a deep palace with veil and melancholy.

But strictly speaking, it can only be considered a "mansion" and certainly cannot be called a "palace".

"Oh, mother, that's not what I meant~"

Li Ling looked around furtively, nervously pulled his robe, and let the collar cover most of his face.

"We are two women, without anyone to accompany us. It's not safe for us to just go in and out of the tavern casually, right?"

Queen Mother Yang opened her innocent eyes wide:
"Ling'er, does the Ming Dynasty law prohibit women from going out to eat alone? The Tang Dynasty law isn't that strict, is it?"

"Oh no, I mean..."

Li Ling just felt exhausted after communicating with his mother who was pretending to be stupid.

Ever since leaving the cramped Lide Hall and entering the vast world of the Ming Dynasty, Li Ling suddenly discovered that his mother seemed to have changed.

Became sinister.

Or was this Yang's true nature? Was it just that her life in the harem was hard before, so she always presented herself as gentle and considerate?
To be able to rise from a concubine of a criminal in the palace to the position of empress, she really needs some skills...

"Ling'er, how could you feel dangerous walking alone on the streets of Daming? Look."

Empress Dowager Yang untied her thick robe and displayed her silk, satin, and gold and silver jewellery.

Passersby were walking in a hurry. Except for the young lady who thought this lady had good dressing taste and wanted to copy her homework, no one else was interested in taking a look at the glittering jewelry and jadeite on her body.

This is the public security of the Ming Dynasty, where people don’t pick up things on the streets and doors are not locked at night.

It's not because of surveillance.

It is true that when the granaries are full, people will know etiquette.

"What is safety? Menacing guards? Strict palace restrictions?"

Empress Dowager Yang strolled through the streets of Pingzhou with brisk steps.

"No matter how tight the external defenses are, they cannot defeat the support of the people, the prosperity of the country, and the well-fed and well-clothed people!"

Seeing his mother's excited and proud expression, Li Ling's eyes became moist.

Peaceful, harmonious and free, these were the days that I could never have imagined in the palace back then.

No wonder my mother likes to hang out so much...

"No, no, how come I was almost led into the pit again!"

Li Ling shook his head and held back his tears.

"What I'm saying is, why did the Queen Mother send away the attendants and guards again, and just take the two of us to sit in the tavern for the whole afternoon?"

Yes, although Pingzhou has good public security, it is a big city with a population of one million after all, so it is not impossible for a psychotic crossbowman to appear.

Although the Li royal family lived a simple life, they would not joke with their own lives.

"Alas...isn't it because of your troublesome brother?"

Seeing that playing dumb was no way to avoid this problem, Queen Mother Yang sighed helplessly, frowned and complained softly:
"He has always been worried that tightening the wartime economy will lead to public dissatisfaction, and he doesn't quite believe the reports from Minister Fang and Minister Jangsun, so he wrote to me to find out the real situation for him.

“How can the people tell me the truth if I have guards around me?
"Only by going incognito can we explore the true public opinion."

Li Ling was so upset that he couldn't help but hold his forehead:
"Ah... As expected. Anything that breaks the rules must be related to that guy.

"Even after he became the emperor, it was still the same..."

As the elder sister who has changed Li Ming's diapers since he was a child, she doesn't care whether "His Majesty" Li Ming sneezes behind her.

“But the result is good, and what the two prime ministers said is true.

"Not only are the people of the Ming Dynasty not dissatisfied with the decline in people's livelihood, on the contrary, they seem to blame Your Majesty for being too lenient and want to support the front more actively."

Empress Dowager Yang's brows relaxed and a sincere smile appeared on her lips.

"The ruler does not betray the people, and the people do not betray the ruler. This is a good story in history."

Li Ling, who participated in the whole process, could not help but feel a little puzzled about the details of this "close relationship between the emperor and the people":
"But what those drinkers said was not wrong. Why didn't Li Ming shift the country's focus more toward war?
"We are at war now, and our opponent is... the Tang Dynasty!
"Wouldn't it be better to win the war sooner? The country will be unified again, and people will suffer less."

Li Ling was completely unable to treat the Ming Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty as two separate national entities.

She couldn't bear to see the people of the Tang Dynasty suffer, so she hoped that the Ming chariot would run over them quickly so that she could die soon and be reborn.

In a sense, he is also an advocate of quick victory.

Therefore, the fanatical militarist Li Ling had long been dissatisfied with Li Ming's slow-moving national mobilization.

"Of course, this is because His Majesty Li Ming cares about people's livelihood and is reluctant to increase the burden on the people."

Empress Dowager Yang answered immediately.

This standard answer was too textbook-like. Li Ling glanced at his sinister mother, expressing deep suspicion.

"Although Li Ming is not very consistent in his work, he still knows the priorities of things. Doesn't he often talk about 'primary contradictions and secondary contradictions'?

"Isn't the main contradiction now this battle for supremacy?

"If we can't win on the battlefield, everything will be zero. He said that himself. Why is he concerned about people's livelihood now?"

Li Ling, an old Youzhou native, spoke faster and faster.

“In the final analysis, this fight was initiated by that guy.

"Why is it that when he should be exerting his strength, he is showing softness instead? -

"Or is it that, mother, there is another hidden reason behind this arrangement?"

Li Ling looked directly at his mother, his eyes full of questions.

Queen Mother Yang looked deeply at her clever daughter, and after a moment, she replied softly:
"That's why I took you out for a walk today."

"You want me to experience the peace and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty? But who can empathize with the soldiers on the front line? They are still suffering from the cold on the battlefield in Shanxi!" Li Ling was a little excited.

Yang opened her mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the guards who came rushing over.

"Your Highness, I have bought you the 'three-legged toad meat' you requested."

The captain of the guard panted and presented a portion of fried meat wrapped in paper.

Well, this was the specific reason why Yang sent the guards away. She wanted to eat the "three-legged toad which is much harder to find than the two-legged man".

One dares to make the request, the other dares to go and find out, and everyone sees through it but doesn't say anything.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Under Li Ling's endlessly complaining eyes, Queen Mother Yang solemnly took the fried toad, took a bite, turned around and threw it into the trash can.

The matter of "the guards were ordered to leave their posts" just passed like that.

The two royal women returned to the carriage and headed east.

Li Ling looked at the scenery outside the window and suddenly exclaimed in a low voice:

“This is not the way home!”

"Yes." Yang nodded without comment.

"Yes, this is the direction home" or "Yes, you are right"... Li Ling couldn't figure out his mother's intention.

When it comes to pretending to be confused, the Queen Mother is definitely a top expert.

Looking at her confused daughter, Yang took the initiative to add.

"Let's go to Pingzhou Port."

"Pingzhou Port?" Li Ling repeated his mother's words with some doubt.

Pingzhou, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, was also a seaport city, which is the Tangshan Port in later generations. The Luan River flows into the Bohai Sea here.

"But the port is dozens of miles outside the city. What are we going there for?" Li Ling was puzzled.

"Don't you want to know why your brother Xiao Ming seems to have a very contradictory attitude towards the war? On the one hand, he has not fully prepared for the war, but on the other hand, he has personally gone to the front line?"

There was always a mysterious smile on Yang's lips.

"I'll take you to see the answer."

The answer lies in Pingzhou Port?
Li Ling suddenly became nervous and confused.

It’s just a seaport. How can it hide the strategy of an entire country?

…………

Thanks to Li Ming, who dug the ground and built roads whenever he had time, the journey was smooth and the Queen Mother, the princess and her entourage soon arrived at Pingzhou Port.

The sun is shining, spring flowers are blooming, and the southeast wind brings a faint smell of the sea to the shore.

"This is...!" Li Ling looked out the window and was stunned by the scene in front of him.

There are numerous ships anchored in the harbor.

They are all super battleships that are dozens of feet long and wide. The decks are covered with a layer of iron sheets. The paint reflects a glossy color in the sun, and the flags flutter in the wind.

There were only four words in Li Ling's mind:

Mighty and majestic!

"This is……"

"This is the navy that has just been built and launched." Queen Mother Yang replied indifferently.

Shipbuilding... Is this what the knowledgeable sailor in the hotel just complained about? The large-scale construction that had started before the war and did not stop during the war?

It turned out to be a warship?!

What are those densely packed things under the warship, near the pier at the port?
Li Ling almost pushed his head out to get a clear view, but Empress Dowager Yang quickly closed the curtain.

"There are people outside, please be reserved." Yang said in a low voice.

No, why are you talking about etiquette at this time... Li Ling was too tired to complain.

After moving forward a distance towards the port, the carriage slowly stopped.

After a while, a voice came from outside the window.

"Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother."

The voice was old and respectful, it was Fang Xuanling.

Why is Fang Xiang here too? Isn't he busy looking after the house? ... Li Ling was about to speak.

Empress Dowager Yang gestured to her to be quiet, and asked Fang Xuanling through the curtain:

"Are the supplies and personnel ready?"

"We're ready and can go south at any time. Please look." Fang Xuanling answered respectfully and wisely stepped aside so as not to obstruct the Empress Dowager's sight.

Only then did Yang draw aside the curtain.

"Ah?!" Li Ling couldn't help but exclaimed and quickly covered his mouth.

What I didn’t see clearly from a distance just now was that what was densely “stacked” in the port were mountains of armor, weapons, food and other military supplies, as well as queues of soldiers that stretched as far as the eye could see!

The supplies were neatly stacked in wicker boxes.

The soldiers were lined up in neat rows, and from a distance they looked like cubes of tofu, which was very satisfying to those with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The four words "elite soldiers and sufficient food" have become concrete at this moment.

"Combat preparations cannot be achieved by simply adding money or talking. Shipbuilding and soldier training all take a lot of time."

Queen Mother Yang said softly:

“These ships were built during the expedition to Goguryeo, and the soldiers were the first batch of soldiers conscripted before the war.

"It was only recently that the training and preparation were completed and ready for combat.

"Before this, the main force of the Ming Dynasty was the 80,000 people under Li Jing. How much food could these 80,000 people eat? How much money could they get?

"What's the point of raising military spending and cutting into people's livelihood?"

Li Ling suddenly realized.

The reason why the Ming Dynasty was slow to enter war was not because it was indecisive, but because it had not yet arrived to fully prepare for war.

"After all, there are only so many soldiers fighting on the front lines, and you can't just spend more money to split them into two.

"Suppressing the domestic economy and raising taxes early on will only transfer grain from people's homes to government granaries, where it will rot."

Yang continued to explain gently:

"It has only slightly improved the war situation, but has greatly damaged our national strength. And national strength is the foundation for us to win this war."

Li Ling understood it completely.

Li Ming is naturally not a pedantic and weak fool like Duke Xiang of Song. He will take action when it is necessary.

The delay in mobilization is simply because the time has not yet come.

"Then when is the right time?" Li Ling asked curiously.

Yang curled her lips and lowered the car curtain.

"It's now."

…………

"Your Highness is here to see you off."

The royal carriage drove smoothly out of Pingzhou Port.

Li Ling's mind was in a mess, which was the aftereffect of too much knowledge bombarding his brain.

What the Queen Mother said might make sense, but it is unlikely that what the Queen Mother said makes sense.

After sorting out her thoughts for a long time, she finally found the source of the disharmony.

This question is exactly the same as that of the "knowledgeable" sailor.

"The battlefield is in Shanxi, why are we building so many ships?"

In response to her daughter's question, Yang just smiled and looked out the window at the vast ocean.

"Who said the battlefield was in Shanxi?"

…………

Chang'an bid farewell to the last winter of the Zhenguan era.

It's spring again.

But there are no flowers blooming in Chang'an this year.

Because the flowers, plants and trees on the streets were all dug up and burned as firewood.

Among the necessities of life, firewood is the most important. If ordinary people have no money to buy firewood, they can only make money in unconventional ways.

This was of course not allowed by Tang law.

But the law does not hold everyone responsible, and the Wuhou Guards in the capital city are simply unable to control anything.

After the Spring Festival, the court officially changed the era name to the first year of Yongqing.

The Tang Dynasty officially bid farewell to the reign title "Zhenguan" which had been used for sixteen years and entered a new era.

Just because something is new doesn't mean it's good.

During the reign of Emperor Yongqing, people's livelihood became worse, the economy became worse, and public security became worse.

Even the Wuhou Guards in the capital seemed to have become increasingly useless after the departure of a certain middle-aged senior police officer.

Less than a year after Emperor Zhenguan abdicated, a prosperous dynasty began to decline.

The turning point was the war with the Ming Dynasty.

Since the war began, the country has become increasingly impoverished, the economy has been depressed, people's livelihood has been bleak, and a large number of people have fled famine.

The Tang Dynasty was like a leaky sheep's bladder, deflated visibly to the naked eye.

To be honest, the responsibility for this situation does not lie with Emperor Yongqing.

This sissy new emperor is not a bad person, although his abilities are only mediocre compared to his perverted father and younger brother.

Under normal circumstances, it should be a good harvest.

It’s a pity that this is not a normal situation and it’s not his fault.

It was his extremely capable father who did the most foolish thing in his life before abdicating.

The failure to arrange the succession angered the fourteenth brother, Li Ming.

Is “that” prince—now “his majesty”—someone to be provoked?

Now, Li Ming has declared war on the Tang Dynasty.

Poor Emperor Yongqing, how could he be a match for that living devil!

They can only firmly bear the blame of the previous generation.

The emperor was humiliated and lost face, but the price paid by the people was much more expensive.

There were no pedestrians on Zhuque Street, the most prosperous street in Chang'an, and beggars were sitting on both sides of the road, like sparrows in the valley.

pat, pat.

Against the gloomy background, a lively girl broke through the dull air and walked quickly towards the Suzaku Gate of Taiji Palace.

(End of this chapter)