Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 353: Is there no one who wants such a big Central Plains? I'll take it away
"Oh, I was wrong. The Emperor Ming is mighty and majestic. Xu's admiration for him is like a surging river.

"However, Xu's heart is for the strong Ming, while he is in the weak Tang, so he has been wasting his time for many years.

"Today, I am honored to see your Majesty's heroic figure, just like seeing the sun after the clouds have cleared..."

An hour later.

Xu Jingzong was completely sober. He knelt in front of the gate of Zhengzhou provincial government, kowtowed and shed tears of regret.

He casually threw aside the seal of the governor of the Tang Dynasty, which had his big footprint printed on it to show his determination to abandon darkness and join the light.

He didn't know what was going on either.

A quarter of an hour after the earth trembled slightly, he was lying on the couch, drinking wine and humming a little tune.

Suddenly, a group of big men rushed into his room and without saying a word, threw the governor to the gate of the provincial government like a chicken.

Fortunately, Xu Jingzong is a cultured man with a sharp mind.

He immediately realized that the defense of Zhengzhou city was weak and the Ming army, who appeared out of nowhere, took advantage of the situation and broke in, creating a huge loophole!

His movements were also very smooth, and he completed the transformation from a rebel commander to a Ming Dynasty bootlicker in just one second.

"Oh~ abandon Tang and join Ming?"

In front of him, a child, surrounded by Ming army soldiers and Zhengzhou citizens, crossed his arms, looked up and down at the surrendered governor, and pouted his lips in disbelief.

It's so funny to see a little kid acting like an old cadre.

The people of Zhengzhou looked at this magical scene curiously, whispering to each other from time to time.

This arrogant little brat is naturally the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty Li Ming.

The new Ming Dynasty soldiers led by him easily broke through the tofu-like walls of Zhengzhou and marched straight into the city.

The almost non-existent defenders in the city laid down their weapons very readily after putting up an almost non-existent resistance.

Like Xu Jingzong, they have long admired the glory of the Ming Dynasty and would never bow down to them just because a force dozens of times more powerful than theirs held a knife to their necks.

As for the people of Zhengzhou, they naturally welcomed the royal army with food and drink, and acted as guides, bringing Emperor Li Ming's carriage all the way to the Zhengzhou Governor's Mansion.

Unexpectedly, the leader of the "Ming bandits" with green face and fangs, who looked like a man-eating monster in the urban ghost stories of the Tang Dynasty, was actually a very friendly little kid. He had the title of "emperor" but did not put on airs at all.

Ordinary people may not understand, but they can happily watch this adorable kid.

Only those who have truly had a vested interest in Li Ming - whether teammates or opponents - know how powerful this little Yama really is.

"I heard that under your administration, the tax burden in Zhengzhou is very high and the people are living in poverty? Is this true?" Li Minghe asked the governor of Zhengzhou with a sullen look.

Why didn't he ask about military deployment or the government treasury and household registration, but asked about such trivial matters... Xu Jingzong was puzzled and answered immediately:

"That's absolutely not the case!"

"Bullshit!" The people of Zhengzhou cursed and did not agree.

"Foolish people." Xu Jingzong remained calm, straightened his clothes, and bowed to His Majesty Li Ming with dignity:
"Xu has always been dedicated to his duties and strictly abided by Tang laws in paying taxes.

"If anyone wants to exploit the people, it's the Tang Dynasty... No, it's the fake court in Chang'an that's exploiting them. It has nothing to do with Xu."

His words really frightened the crowd and they lowered their voices.

After all, ordinary people cannot tell whether it is the imperial court or the local government that is committing crimes; in their eyes, they are all "governments."

"Oh." Li Ming nodded, with a smile on his face.
"In other words, the green seedling tax, early rice tax, autumn harvest tax, poultry and livestock tax, toilet tax, manure tax...are these all taxes formulated by the Chang'an court and implemented exclusively in Zhengzhou?"

Listening to His Majesty Li Ming reading out a series of exorbitant taxes and levies like reading out the names of dishes, Xu Jingzong's body slowly collapsed, his eyes filled with despair.

Even he himself had forgotten some of the minor taxes, but how come Li Ming knew them all so clearly?
Didn't he just come into town?!

"You must know that our Ming Dynasty has also taken in many refugees who escaped from Zhengzhou, right?

"The great name of Governor Xu Bapi is also often heard on the other side of the Yellow River—"

Li Ming sneered:
“Others fish out all the fish in the pond, and at most they share the profits with farmers 70:30 or 80:20, leaving a little for the farmers.

"You are good at making money. Not only do you take advantage of the farmers, but you also make them pay for farming for a year?
"With your cannibalistic attitude, you dare to call yourself a descendant of the Jiangnan Xu family? Your father, Xu Shanxin, was a man who was willing to die for the Sui Dynasty!
"Oh, that's right. When Yu Wenzhi killed your father, you cried bitterly and begged him to spare your life. You can't say you are exactly like your father. You can only say that the midwife took the wrong baby.

"Hiss... Hey? Isn't this exactly the same as the scene today?"

Xiao Li's sharp tongue made even Xu Jingzong, who was as thick-skinned as he was, blush and dare not raise his head.

But he still refused to give up resistance, muttering quietly:

"This has nothing to do with Xu. These are all decrees issued by the governor of Zhengzhou, and there are official documents and seals to prove it..."

Li Ming looked at Li Yuanyi who was waiting on the side.

King Zheng had no expression on his face:

"Do you believe him or do you believe that I am the King of Zhengzhou?"

Looking at the annoyed uncle of the Li family, Li Ming couldn't help but hold his forehead and waved at the kneeling Xu Jingzong.

"I have never seen such a shameless person. Take him away."

The guards rushed forward and dragged the stunned Xu Jingzong away.

"Long live your Majesty!"

The people of Zhengzhou cheered with excitement, and some even danced with joy.

The Ming Dynasty soldiers were so powerful that they easily sent away the plague god who was riding on their heads and acting tyrannically without any effort.

"Cough cough."

Li Ming pressed his hand down, signaling the onlookers to be quiet.

"The unreasonable taxes collected by Xu Jingzong will be abolished from today. Zhengzhou's tax rate will be aligned with that of the Ming Dynasty..."

He had barely opened his mouth when he was interrupted by thunderous cheers.

"Hail, Your Majesty! Hail, Your Majesty!"

"There is no two suns in the sky. Zhengzhou only has one sun, Majesty Li Ming!"

"Your Majesty's kindness is not over yet..."

The Zhengzhou siege battle turned into a fan meeting. In order to prevent the fanatical fans from trampling on him, the big star Li Ming was accompanied by bodyguards.

That is, Xue Wanche and Qibi Helihengha.

He was escorted to the Zhengzhou provincial capital.

Effortlessly, Li Ming sat on the couch where Xu Jingzong had just been lying.

Li Yuanyi sat downwind from his nephew, looking reserved, just like a younger member of the clan meeting his ancestor.

In a sense, Li Ming is really a "Taizu", but he is from the opposite Ming Dynasty.

"I will take over Zhengzhou."

Li Ming claimed sovereignty lightly.

"Everything is up to Your Majesty." Prince Zheng Li Yuanyi prostrated himself.

Both the people's hearts and military strength are now in Li Ming's hands.

King Zheng had no intention of trying to stop a chariot with his bare hands.

Just now, he left Zhengzhou Prefecture in a depressed mood and felt the ground shaking slightly.

There was a noisy sound coming from the north gate, close to the Yellow River.

He felt something was amiss and rode over to take a look.

Then they saw the huge Ming army crossing the Yellow River and violently attacking their own city.

Yes, these are real, well-equipped and well-trained Ming troops.

Instead of the previous civil engineer pretending to be him.

Damn it, isn’t the Ming army far away in Shanxi, fighting against the Tang army led by the retired emperor himself?

How did we suddenly move to Central Plains?
Give up the area north of the Yellow River and force your way across Henan to change your home, right?

He didn't know, and he didn't dare to ask.

After all, he was just a prince with a nominal title who was not loved by his father and mother. My nephew did not chop him off to sacrifice to the gods, but instead treated him as a guest of honor. He was already giving him a lot of face.

Don't pry into other people's military secrets. "Uncle, you don't have to be so reserved."

Li Ming smiled:

"Di Renjie and his family have been entrusted to you for a long time. I want to thank you on his behalf."

He bowed politely to his father's leader.

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it!" Li Yuanyi kowtowed repeatedly.

After the Eight Kings Rebellion was settled, he also tasted the iron fist and became cautious in his actions.

Even though the boy sitting opposite you is a junior in the family, in the power field, seniority does not matter, only superiors and subordinates matter.

And my nephew Li Ming has climbed to the pinnacle of power, and there is no superior above him.

"I'm sorry to have frightened my uncle today. Go and have a rest first."

Compared to the cautious uncle, Li Ming, as a superior, is much more at ease.

"My dynasty has just taken over Zhengzhou, and I still have many questions about civil affairs. I hope my uncle can give me some advice."

These were purely polite remarks. The officials who had crossed the Yellow River with Li Ming had already occupied various offices in the provincial government and started to reconcile accounts with the local clerks.

Compared with this abnormally efficient bureaucracy, he, the prince, is a complete layman when it comes to local governance.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"

Li Yuanyi retreated timidly.

"Huh..." After seeing his uncle off, Li Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

The Battle of Zhengzhou went smoothly and there were no setbacks during the takeover process.

That’s good. That’s good.

We also have to "thank" Xu Jingzong for his benevolent rule.

If he hadn't done evil things, he would have won the hearts of the people over to Li Ming.

Judging from the sophisticated character of the people in the Central Plains, they would not welcome the Ming army so enthusiastically.

As for where this royal army that suddenly appeared came from, it certainly did not come from Shanxi to change its home as Li Yuanyi guessed.

These are the newly emerged soldiers of the powerful Ming Empire.

In the real world, building up troops is not like playing a game. As long as you have enough resources, you can click "build" to send out troops continuously.

It takes time to recruit new soldiers, train them and organize them.

All the operations of the Ming army since the beginning of the war - including Li Jing's troops leading the main force of the Tang army into Shanxi to create the illusion of a strategic decisive battle -

All of this is to survive the vacuum period before the new recruits form combat effectiveness.

"Phew, we finally made it through safely. What should I do next to deal with my dear father and brother..."

Li Ming started to think happily.

Now, new combat power is ready, and the Ming Dynasty's war machine is running at full capacity.

The whole country is like one, working towards the same goal——

fight!

The attack here has just begun, but the Tang Dynasty is already showing signs of fatigue.

The main force of the Tang army was lured into the mountains by a part of the Ming army, which left the country empty and was penetrated by a wave of newly emerged Ming troops.

Large tracts of ownerless land were picked up by Li Ming for nothing.

There's no garrison or anything, so I guess no one wants it.

This is how it works when multiple mines fight against a single mine. As long as you are not killed by the opponent's show in the early stage, you can drag the game to the middle and late stages and drown the opponent on multiple lines.

"The time to unify the world is ripe..."

Li Ming murmured, putting on a serious expression as if doing business.

"Xue Wanche, Qibi Heli."

Crouching Dragon and Phoenix are always available:

"His Majesty."

"The taking over of Zhengzhou was smooth, but it also put forward higher requirements for our next work."

Li Ming's opening remarks immediately made the two people, who were originally smiling playfully, restrain themselves.

"You have all seen that Xu Jingzong has acted perversely and the people are complaining.

"How many Xu Jingzongs are there in the Tang Dynasty waiting for us to eradicate, and how many people are there in the world waiting for us to rescue!
"Time waits for no one, comrades!"

Li Ming's cry was so deafening that the Dragon and the Phoenix felt cruel for their own laziness.

"Your Majesty! Our army has occupied the entire Central Plains area east of Zhengzhou. Strategic locations such as Bianzhou and Huazhou are already in our hands, and our army has suffered almost no losses!
"We just need to rest for a while before we can go out to fight!"

Xue Wanche is full of fighting spirit.

This brother is not good at anything except fighting and playing dust, and the way this battle is fought is right in his comfort zone, so his fighting spirit is overwhelming.

In contrast, his old friend Qibi Heli was much more compassionate:
"To capture the thief, we must first capture the leader. Our army should first attack the Eastern Capital Luoyang, then attack the Guanzhong Chang'an, and quickly end this war."

Although he still retained his loyalty to the Li family, in order to restore peace to the war-torn Tang Dynasty as soon as possible, he could only make the emperors in Chang'an suffer.

The dramatic changes in the Central Plains and the disintegration of the Tang Dynasty sound so wonderful.

However, Emperor Li Ming, who preferred to seek the long way around rather than the near, still rejected this direct proposal as usual.

"No."

"Why?" Xue Wanche and Qibi Heli blurted out.

Li Ming wanted to knock open the heads of these two idiots to see what was inside:
"Luoyang is a fortified city with strict defenses, which is incomparable to other cities in the Central Plains, not to mention Guanzhong.

"Then the question is, if we waste time on the offensive, what about Li Jing's 80,000 men? They are starving in Shanxi!"

"That's right!" Lao Xue and Qibi suddenly realized.

Li Ming held his forehead with his hand, feeling a little tired.

"In short, leave some soldiers to strengthen the defense of the cities in the Central Plains. The Tang Dynasty is now empty and has no siege capability.

"The remaining large forces will immediately march towards Shanxi and join forces with Li Jing's troops to attack from both sides and annihilate the Tang army.

"Which one, the loss of Chang'an or the loss of the army, is more fatal to the Tang Dynasty?"

Crouching Dragon and Phoenix looked at each other and said in unison:

"It must be the latter."

Li Ming rubbed his eyes:
"You two are teachable children. If you lose your land, everyone loses their land. That's what it means."

This time the storm swept across the Central Plains, it was different from the last time.

Li Ming would not give away the things he had already put in his pocket to his father and brother.

After bloodlessly conquering the Central Plains, the war entered garbage time.

It's time for a real fight between father and son to put the final nail in the coffin of the Tang Dynasty.

"To attack Shanxi from the Central Plains, bypassing Luoyang, the river is the only way.

"We need naval support to cross the river. Should we call back Yuchi Xunyu and the Turkic merchant who are in the Jianghuai area?"

Xue Wanche was thinking.

When it comes to war, his IQ is still online.

Li Ming pondered for a moment and said:
"No need, we can go to Shanxi with the support of the Hebei Navy.

"As for Yuchi Xunyu and Zhishi Buzhen, let them continue to stay in the Jianghuai battlefield."

Yes, according to Li Ming’s strategy, the attack on the Tang Dynasty was multi-pronged.

But it didn’t say there are only two lines: Shanxi and Central Plains!

(End of this chapter)