Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 777 Even fooling around is fooling around

If we were to choose the most pathetic emperor in the world today, it would undoubtedly be the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Her personal guards were the same women who had come out of the Women's Army with her. They should have been the most loyal troops, but instead they became the troops that opened the city gates for invaders.

She stood before the palace, looking at the generals kneeling in a row before her. Her expression was very subtle, but she clearly knew that this was not the time to lose her temper. In fact, she didn't even feel particularly angry. At that moment, she only had two questions in her mind: why and when.

"Tell me, when did you side with him?"

Her Majesty the Empress's question caused the generals present to look at each other, none of them willing to speak first. It wasn't until she emphasized it again that an old general who had served Third Majesty for twenty years finally spoke up: "Your Majesty, we have never sided with anyone, and our hearts have always belonged only to Your Majesty."

"Very well, when you open the city gates, will you be thinking of me?"

Faced with the Third Sister's interrogation, the generals present were somewhat speechless. At this moment, one of them suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, our opening of the city gates is not disloyalty, but rather a matter of fulfilling our duty."

"Very well, I'd like to see how eloquent you are, you who wields swords and spears. Tell me."

"Throughout history, a peasant uprising of a few hundred has been considered a natural disaster. A peasant uprising of a thousand has been considered a man-made calamity. A peasant uprising of tens of thousands has been considered a sign of impending doom. If..."

"Hmm!?" Third Sister frowned: "Go on."

"If the number of peasant uprisings approaches one hundred thousand, the country will be without a foundation. Currently, there are over three hundred thousand peasant uprisings around Chang'an, and the more they are fought, the more they increase. The six border regions are neglected, and communication is disrupted. Chang'an has become a trapped beast. In addition, the corruption and backwardness within Chang'an itself make it difficult for Your Majesty to solve the immediate crisis."

“And…” At this moment, another person added, “If we do not open the city gates, the fate of the Tang Dynasty will be sealed. The nobles will rise up as a rebellion, but the common people will rise up as a fault of the country. However, if we open these gates, the rebel army will become the army that comes to the aid of the emperor. His Majesty will still be His Majesty, and the Tang Dynasty will still be the Tang Dynasty.”

Hearing their conflicting explanations, Third Sister laughed in exasperation. She shook her head and said with a sense of helplessness, "Then why don't you fight to the death?"

Who? Me? A desperate gamble? Against whom? Xia Daosheng?

Your Majesty is quite the joker.

They all felt that His Majesty's words were somewhat absurd. If it were anyone else who attacked, they would definitely defend the city walls to the death and fight to the last man.

But let them fight Xia Daosheng to the death? On what grounds? You two are playing a strange game, expecting your brothers to risk their lives?

Grandma!

Don't think you're the emperor. If you keep making things difficult for me, I'll report you to Commander Xia.

Besides, you didn't intend to resist, did you? When the trouble started, you didn't talk about fighting the enemy, and when the enemy was at the gates, you didn't prepare for the city's defenses. At least you should have given an order to defend to the death. Instead, you drove the high-ranking officials and nobles out of the city, and then more than 40,000 of them were killed, many of them with their entire families wiped out. You didn't mention leaving the city once, and you didn't even leave the palace.

With your attitude already like this, are the brothers going to empty the latrines on the city walls or not? And what about the elite troops of the Xuan Tie Camp? Logically, shouldn't the Xuanjia elite cavalry have already come out? It's gotten to this point, but just two hours before the rebel army arrived in Chang'an, I saw General Li of the Xuan Tie Camp buy a roast chicken and hide it in his clothes as he walked back. When I met him, he said he was going out to check the enemy situation.

But the oil from the roasted chicken seeped out of his armor, and he smelled strongly of chicken oil. Was he there to inspect the enemy's situation?
Your Majesty, those are the Xuanjia Army, your Li family's true personal guard, your real trump card. From top to bottom, all the generals are surnamed Li. They're still eating roast chicken right now, so they certainly didn't go there for their last meal, did they?

"That's how it is. We've opened the door, what can they do? What did Xia Shuai do to you after he came? The people's lives go on as usual. The rebel army didn't even trample a single field outside the city. They even pay a penny to the people for a drink of water. What can they do now that they've come in? Is your Li family gone or the Tang Dynasty gone?!"

Just as the Tang emperor was sulking and his generals were also sulking, footsteps came from outside.

After a while, Xia Lin walked in from outside. The generals stood up and stood behind Xia Lin, saying softly, "Commander Xia."

"Alright, everyone, you've all worked hard. We'll go to the main camp drill ground at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow. I have something to say to you."

"You!" Third Sister pointed at the generals, "He told you to leave, and you just left? Do you even respect me, the emperor?!"

"Alright." Xia Lin waved quickly at them, and after the generals ran away in a swarm, he closed the door.

"She's quite temperamental."

"How am I supposed to govern the country if you treat me like this?"

Xia Lin laughed heartily, lifted the hem of his long robe, and sat down: "Why can't I govern a country?"

"Will they still listen to me in the future? Will I still have the authority to establish myself?"

Third Sister's anger was understandable, and Xia Lin did not refute it. She just smiled and waited for her to vent her anger. After a while, when her emotions had stabilized a little, Xia Lin raised her head and said, "Because from tomorrow onwards, all personnel of the Li Tang army will be transferred."

"You're challenging my military system?"

"You paid a fortune to come here, but if I don't change your military system, what did you send me here for? Are you asking for a son with a fortune?"

Third Sister took a deep breath: "Won't this cause unrest and mutiny?"

"The mutiny is based on the soldiers; the rest are nothing to fear. You should rest in the palace for a few days; I imagine you haven't had a good rest these past few days."

"Actually, it's alright." Third Sister suddenly laughed. "Do you think I'm worried you'll bring people here to kill your own children?"

"My team is civilized and righteous, and has no interest in slaughter."

Xia Lin stood up and said, "I want you to issue three orders now. The first is a curfew and martial law. The second is to hold those responsible accountable. The third is to recognize my son's status as the crown prince."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't let him become emperor?" "But I need a legitimate identity to reform the military system. Why should I reform the military system of your Li Tang dynasty?"

Third Sister glanced at Xia Lin and said in a calm tone, "Whose responsibility are we holding accountable? Whose crime are we questioning?"

"Whoever is responsible will be investigated; whoever is guilty will be questioned. Whoever instigates a popular uprising will be killed; whoever advocates resistance will be investigated. Have I made myself clear enough?"

Seeing that Xia Lin was about to leave, Third Sister said, "Aren't you going to see the child? He's asked me several times where his father is."

"That's exactly why I'm going."

Although Xia Lin was very busy, she still took an afternoon to spend with the children, and in the evening the whole family had dinner together.

But he didn't have much time afterwards, because he had to prepare for the big meeting early the next morning, so he had to make sure he was well-rested tonight.

Early the next morning, Xia Lin arrived at the military camp. He had been working on the plan and scheme for the reorganization of Chang'an for a long time, and had been preparing for it for several years.

Everyone says he's fast and efficient, but in reality, he's just always prepared. Everything is pre-prepared, and the revisions at night are simply targeted changes based on the current environment.

The content of the speech is omitted because it's too sensitive and would definitely get reported. I don't want my editor calling me in the middle of the night to tell me to quickly revise this section. But even so, I still need to write a few dozen words, and there must be at least one typo in it.

The new military system naturally brought joy to some and sorrow to others. Of course, some people took the lead in protesting. Putting aside the fact that the rotation system would greatly weaken the control over the army, and that it would probably be impossible to become a warlord and seize territory in the future, the separation of military and political power alone had already touched upon core interests.

However, the problem is that there is also a significant benefit to the promotion of lower-ranking soldiers and officers. Before this, it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to get promoted. Regardless of the outcome, they would be eliminated without a fight. But now that the promotion channels have been opened up, the overall incentive space is much larger. Ordinary people can get promotion opportunities as long as they meet the assessment standards and have enough years of service.

This not only further weakened the monopoly of aristocratic families in the military, but also further weakened the influence of generals at all levels. In other words, just like the Great Wei army, the promotion system was changed from a recommendation system to an assessment system, making the promotion channels as standardized as possible.

The concept was new, but people in ancient times weren't fools; they certainly understood the intricacies of it.

The next step was to replicate the system that Tian Wei had been implementing for many years, namely the support system and the retirement system. Soldiers would no longer have a lifelong career, but they would be taught a considerable amount of livelihood skills while in the military. In other words, after leaving the military, soldiers would not only receive a considerable amount of money but also be able to support themselves.

Of course, compared to the Tian Wei dynasty, the Li Tang army also carried out literacy campaigns.

The meeting couldn't have been finished in a day; it lasted for seven days straight. During those seven days, countless people came to Third Sister's side to complain, saying all sorts of good and bad things. But how could Third Sister not know that all their complaints were simply because what originally belonged to them had been taken away?

Policy reforms will inevitably lead to problems and resistance, but experience is no joke. This system has been tested throughout Fuliang and Tianwei. As they resisted, the other side also resisted. The entire military system has been transformed, and the political commissar system has been incorporated. The most loyal, enlightened, and intelligent group of people were personally selected by the Third Sister.

With double insurance and multiple supervisions, problems may still arise, but as long as the framework is maintained, they can be resolved gradually. That's what our teacher did back then. You know, the brave and fearless heroes on the Korean battlefield might have been cowardly soldiers on the allergy side just a year or two ago.

One must maintain a strong presence, a clear mind, and a disciplined approach; one must make people fully realize that there is still light in this world.

After finalizing the outline and establishing the framework, the entire action plan was spearheaded by "His Highness the Crown Prince," who planned to complete the reorganization and reform within five years.

In addition, since many people had been killed this time, they had to prepare for the enemy's counterattack. Now, they had finally determined who the enemy was, and the moment of reckoning for the Tang Dynasty had finally arrived.

The public and the military were in such high demand that even the Third Sister couldn't withstand the pressure and launched a year-long crackdown. Just like in Jinling, the revenge for wrongs in Chang'an had officially begun.

It was only then that San Niang realized how powerful Xia Lin was. Even though it was her own order and her subordinates' plan that were executed, all the hatred had been drawn away by Xia Lin. He had become the one feared by all the noble forces, yet helpless against him.

The only united front now consists of the aristocratic classes of the Tian Wei and Li Tang dynasties. They share a common enemy: a man who can control them but is utterly helpless against them, to the point that even discussing him at their gatherings is taboo.

However, they also realized that this guy was using forceful methods to pull the entire society's mindset further and further away from the mindset that they had spent hundreds or thousands of years solidifying.

That simple yet tenacious sense of conviction, like the boxwood rooted in Northwest China, was gradually planted in the hearts of everyone covered in dust.

Even the most incompetent old farmer, who has never even left the county town many times in his life, can now say a few words when chatting, "Hello, Commander Xia, I want to follow Commander Xia," and then send his grandson to join Xia Lin's army.

Only after reaching this point did they suddenly realize that the high wall they had built over the years, called arrogance, only enclosed themselves, while outside the wall was a colossal behemoth that they could hardly even look at directly.

What kind of noble families or aristocrats are they? They're nothing but pig bladders. If you're a little softer, they'll get bigger; if you use a little force, they'll burst.

Countless people used to tolerate things simply because they had no one to back them up, but now they have someone to back them up, and someone is speaking out for the humiliation they have suffered.

What are they afraid of!
The fierce winds of the Northwest cannot nurture delicate flowers. Soon, something even Xia Lin had not expected happened: in Hanzhong County, some people were angry about the bullying by local corrupt officials, landlords, and powerful clans. Hearing that riots had begun to break out outside, a group of over a thousand able-bodied men from thirty or forty surrounding villages gathered and overturned the entire Hanzhong County.

Hanzhong Commandery was a famous commandery with a considerable number of soldiers stationed there. So why was it overthrown by three thousand people? It was because the soldiers also mutinied. Then, those people from Hanzhong Commandery who had caused such a disturbance numbered over twenty thousand. They managed to cross the Qinling Mountains and arrive outside Chang'an City, demanding to see Xia Daosheng.

After this incident, things spiraled out of control. Hundreds of mutinies and unrest, large and small, occurred throughout the Li Tang territory around the autumn harvest, turning the entire northwest into a complete mess.

Xia Lin not only ignored it, but also secretly provided them with supplies, food, weapons, and operational strategies. In order to prevent the situation from getting out of control, he even secretly dispatched more than a dozen specialists to each region to assist them in their work.

It should be understood that the foundation of the northern gentry was much more solid than that of the south. The best way to eradicate them would be for someone to dig them up by the roots with a hoe.

Who in the world is the best at using a hoe?

(End of this chapter)