Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 395 Life is like a play
"Tear it down quickly! Don't block His Majesty's way and delay the peace talks!"

On the cliffs on both sides of the Fen River, the Ming and Tang armies were "working together" to remove the iron chain piles.

These iron chains blocked the narrow surface of the Fen River tightly, and were so thick that it was difficult to cut them in the middle.

Time is running out. How long will it take to chisel away the chains one by one using a work boat?

It would be much faster to pull out the stakes, so that the enemy father and son of the Li family could be reunited soon, and a peace plan could be finalized as soon as possible, so that the world could return to peace and everyone could farm in peace.

"But... Damn it, construction on land is not easy at all!"

General contractor Xue Wanche let out a roar.

Each iron cable is not only thick, but also firmly wedged into the hard stone wall. The locations of the piles are all located in the middle of the cliff, which increases the difficulty of demolition.

Damn it, demolishing illegal buildings is no easier than building new ones!

The civil engineering colleagues in the Tang Dynasty were no less skilled than the craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty, and the quality of their projects was excellent!
Moreover, Tang Dynasty’s iron smelting was not bad, as they were able to lay such thick iron chains all over the river surface!

"This thing was never designed with dismantling in mind. If you can dismantle it at will, then wouldn't we just be eating for free?"

Contractor Tang Jun patted his chest proudly.

Apparently, he was also very satisfied with the quality of his construction.

"You are so proud! If we can't finish the demolition within half an hour and we can't reach a reconciliation, our two armies will continue to train!"

Xue Wanche was very irritable.

"Hmph, let's start training, who's afraid of who?" Tang Jun's colleagues retorted indignantly.

But even though he talked tough, he dared not stop the work in his hands.

Only by experiencing a storm yourself can you know how terrible it is.

Stop fighting, stop fighting, can't we just give in?

How exciting it was to fix the iron chain in the beginning, how much I want to cry when I take it down today.

The boomerang from a few months ago hit him right between the eyebrows.

The Tang army comrades who had lived and died together during the day began to blame each other tonight.

Person A: "What the hell, which bastard put a wedge in this damn place?"

B: "Who are you scolding? Didn't you ask me to do the construction here in the first place?"

A: "Then you don't have to drive the stake so deep!"

B: "What if I can't dig deep enough and those Hebei guys pull it out easily?"

C: "Ahem, I'm sorry for being born in Hebei. Can you two brothers please not drag me into your quarrel?"

Shouting and cursing continued incessantly, and in this way, the Ming and Tang armies completed their first team-building activity in unity and friendship.

…………

With half an hour's deadline approaching, the last iron chain was removed, and the blockade of the Fen River that had been blocking the river for months was finally completely lifted.

Surrounded by frigates, a dragon boat slowly sailed into Jinyang Port from south to north.

The warships that arrived at the waters near Jinyang first by "driving on land" were neatly lined up on both sides, waiting for His Majesty Li Ming's inspection.

"The dragon boat has arrived!"

Shouts rang out one after another, and the Jinyang Port was ablaze with torches, creating a solemn atmosphere.

The Ming army soldiers lined up in neat rows that satisfied their obsessive-compulsive disorder, excitedly but nervously welcoming the arrival of His Majesty.

Near the city wall, the people of Jinyang City also huddled together, looking over here from afar, eager to see with their own eyes the heroic figure of the legendary "that Majesty".

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, His Majesty Li Ming slowly walked down the gangway.

Under the light, the smile on the little Majesty's face was radiant and very... well, kind.

Although it is a bit strange to use this word to describe a child prodigy who is less than ten years old (crossed out).

But in the eyes of the vast majority of Jinyang people, apart from "kindness", they really can't think of any other more appropriate words to describe the expression of this young man.

The kind-hearted Emperor Li Ming quickly noticed the curious gazes of the people and waved to them kindly.

The citizens of Jinyang couldn't help but open their eyes wide.

Is your majesty waving at me? Is the "Ming Dynasty's most virtuous and holy" emperor, who is said to have transformed Liaodong into a divine kingdom on earth, waving at a commoner like me?

So weird, take another look...

But as soon as Li Ming got off the boat, a large group of people rushed up and surrounded this precious treasure tightly.

Among the crowd, in addition to personal secretaries, professional bodyguards and other functional personnel, there were also a large number of newspaper reporters, historians and other propaganda personnel who were responsible for recording this incident.

Ending the old dynasty and ushering in a new era is a groundbreaking event, and it will naturally leave a significant mark in history.

And this "stroke" was written by these pen holders stroke by stroke.

This concerns Your Majesty's glorious image in elementary school textbooks in the future, so it must be taken seriously.

"Hello, comrades. Thank you for your hard work."

Li Ming kept a friendly smile on his face throughout the whole process and shook hands cordially with the soldier standing guard nearby.

"His Majesty, His Majesty..." The soldier was so excited that he almost fainted.

Amid thunderous cheers of "Long live the emperor", His Majesty Li Ming waved kindly to the crowd for the last time and got on the carriage.

"Your Majesty, we love you!"

Everyone ran after the carriage, clapping enthusiastically and shedding tears of excitement\(ㄒoㄒ)/~~.

…………

"Ah... Yawn~ I'm so tired. Damn, why are we still up so late..."

Back in the carriage, little brother Li Ming relaxed the fake smile he had been wearing all the way and yawned tiredly.

It was already midnight, and his peers had already gotten up to urinate and were lying back down for their second sleep.

But he still has to stay up late and work overtime in other places.

The differences in life...

"Cough cough."

The little secretary - or rather the "big secretary" - Qibi Heli, who was riding in the same carriage with His Majesty, coughed lightly and winked to the side.

The attendant Chu Suiliang was holding a piece of paper in one hand and a pen in the other, staring at Li Ming with shining eyes.

Li Ming changed the subject and continued smoothly:

"My dear, as the emperor and father of the world, all the soldiers in the world, whether they are from the Ming army or the Tang army, are my sons.

"How can I feel at ease when my son works so hard all night? Duke Liang, anyone who participates in dredging the river tonight, regardless of their camp, will be rewarded with two pieces of silk."

Qibi Heli immediately agreed:

"I accept the decree."

Tch, so boring… The light in Chu Suiliang’s eyes dimmed, and he simply wrote down the three words “saintly and universally loving” in the historical document which was destined to be of great importance to future generations. Then he stopped writing and closed his eyes to rest.

Your gossipy nature doesn't make you suitable for being a secretary. You should go to the Pingzhou newspaper under Pei Xingjian and be in charge of the entire entertainment section...

With such a human-shaped camera standing next to them, Li Ming and Qibi Heli naturally couldn't conduct normal business exchanges. They could only make random remarks such as "We must stabilize the country as soon as possible and restore people's livelihood" and other absolutely correct nonsense to make themselves look good in history books.

In this way, the two performed all the way from Jinyang Port to Jinyang Prefecture.

Outside the city wall, a group of military generals were waiting to welcome them.

Seeing His Majesty's dragon chariot slowly approaching, led by Li Jing, everyone immediately knelt on one knee, clasped their fists and said in unison:
"Welcome to His Majesty!"

His Majesty Li Ming got off the car with a kind and benevolent expression, and helped Comrade Li Jing, nicknamed "Sheep Urine Bubble", up with both hands, and said distressedly:
"You have worked so hard, old general! In order to protect the peace of the world, the general has exhausted all his energy and has become so thin!
"I wish I could cut off my own flesh and give it to the old general!"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise..." Li Jing was so moved by His Majesty's "true confession" that he burst into tears and sobbed.

"You are thinner, but I am in pain!" Li Ming also burst into tears in a second, and the two new and old movie kings hugged each other and cried.

Several other supporting characters were also secretly crying nearby, playing background roles competently.

Chu Suiliang took a deep breath, his eyelids almost rolled up to the sky, and wrote down the four words "Deep Relationship between the Emperor and His Ministers" in the diary with great care.

The reporters worked much harder, drawing portraits and writing short essays. When the first draft was ready, after multiple checks by the editor-in-chief, the chief editor, the secretariat, and the anti-counterrevolutionary committee, a touching draft would appear on the front page of every newspaper in the Ming Dynasty.

They were "Li Ming's own people" brought up by Li Ming himself, and were different from the "independent third party" Shi Jia.

"As a military commander, I am ashamed that I cannot defeat the enemy and Your Majesty has to lead the army in person.

"Your Majesty was able to come up with a brilliant plan and wipe out the enemy in Jinyang in one fell swoop, making us look pale in comparison."

Li Jing was not just being polite or flattering.

As we all know, as a self-made rich man, His Majesty Li Ming was a rare hero who rose to prominence through civil governance rather than military prowess.

Unexpectedly, Your Majesty is a man who would either remain silent or make a stunning debut. His military talent is simply unbelievably strong.

Sailing on dry land and the like, even if they racked their brains, they still couldn't come up with such a big idea.

"No, no, no, no, it's all thanks to you guys for holding the north back. You are all my loyal subjects."

Li Ming spoke modestly as he helped the kneeling generals up one by one.

"Thank you all for your hard work, Jun Ji, King Jiangxia, Ding Fang, Ren Gui, Chang Qian, Shi Ji Yao Jin...

"Um???"

Why does it feel like there are two strange things mixed in?

Is it because of lack of sleep that I am hallucinating?

Why is the opposing coach at the same table with Li Jing and others?
"According to your majesty's orders, treat the surrendered Tang generals well." King Jiangxia Li Daozon explained.

You are a little too kind to us... Li Ming glanced at the reporters and historians who were writing notes, and his expression immediately changed. He shook hands with Li Shiji and Cheng Zhijie enthusiastically.

"I have long admired the bravery of the two generals. Today I see that they are worthy of their reputation!
"I wonder if you two can take up arms again for the people of the world and protect the safety of our Ming Dynasty?"

"Wuwuwu, Cheng is willing to serve until death, wuwuwu..." Cheng Zhijie, the first loyal general of the Tang Dynasty who was about to die for his country an hour ago, was moved to tears by these few words.

He was probably the only one in the audience who took it seriously.

Li Shiji coughed awkwardly beside him:
"Your Majesty, we still have a capable general, Ashina She'er, who is still in prison. That..."

Ashina, why is it another Ashina? Our Ming Dynasty is not short of capable generals, the army is almost full... Li Ming complained in his heart.

But on the surface, he still maintained a kind and cheerful look, pretending to be surprised:
"Is there such a thing? Please invite him out quickly, and I will apologize to him in person!"

Li Ming knew that Li Shiji was taking advantage of the situation and using the pressure from the historians to get his good brother out.

Li Shiji also knew that Li Ming knew his little tricks.

But they saw through it but didn't say it out loud, and both of them tacitly pretended not to know.

The war is over, and the first priority now is to bridge the rift between the two sides.

Some necessary shows must be done.

After all, it was such a big war. Although it did not last long, less than a year, its intensity was no small at all.

Not only did the couple quarrel, they had to go into a cold war for two weeks. The struggle between the Ming and Tang armies caused considerable conflicts between the two armies and the two places.

Since Li Ming is the emperor of the world, he must set an example and show his leniency to the greatest extent.

Even if this seems a bit contrived...

"Where is my father?"

Li Ming asked innocently.

Of course Li Ming knew exactly what Li Shimin's current condition was.

Li Jing replied with a worried look:

"After the war was stopped, His Majesty locked himself up on the top floor of Jinyang Mansion and did not allow anyone to approach..."

"Ah! Father!"

Li Ming immediately left everyone behind and rushed towards the city wall.

Just like the family members of a patient rushing to the emergency room.

Li Jing and others followed behind at a trot. After making sure that Chu Suiliang couldn't hear anything at this distance, they whispered in Li Ming's ear:
"The Emperor is unwilling to come out before he sees you."

Li Ming turned around and whispered:

"Did my father offer any negotiation conditions?"

Li Jing shook his head slightly:

"The Emperor refused to reveal it and insisted on having a face-to-face interview with Your Majesty."

Li Ming frowned and asked again:
"Did he eat it?"

"The personal eunuch went in and brought some fruits and food." Li Jing answered in detail.

Li Ming's eyebrows relaxed again.

Li Jing observed the little leader's micro-expressions and said:
"Does this mean that the Emperor can't communicate?"

"No, it means he's not hungry."

Li Ming smiled slightly, climbed up the stairs, came to the top floor of the tower, and stood in front of a tightly closed door.

Behind this door was originally the study of the Bingzhou governor.

After being requisitioned by His Majesty Li Shimin, this place became the decision-making core of the Tang army.

Now, the generals who originally discussed military affairs in this room have all become "guests of honor" of the Ming Dynasty across the street.

There was only one lonely person left behind the door.

The Supreme Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the last totem of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin.

Huh, everything is over - there is only a thin layer of door panel between him and his enemy father. Li Ming took a deep breath hesitantly, slowly raised his hand, and gently knocked on the door.

"Father, I beg to see you."

There was no sound from inside.

Li Ming looked behind him.

In addition to Li Jing and other military generals, the attendants, historians, reporters... a group of people were watching this historic moment with bated breath, with pens hanging in their hands like sharp blades about to be unsheathed.

Li Ming took a deep breath and knocked on the door again:
"Father, are you in there?"

There was still no movement, as if there was nothing inside.

Li Ming's breathing became rapid and the knocking on the door became louder and louder.

"Father, open the door! It's me, your fourteenth son, Li Ming!
"If you don't open the door, I'll break in!"

Still no response.

Now everyone began to feel uneasy.

"That would be rude!"

Li Ming waved to the guard.

The door was knocked open.

There was only one lamp on in the room, and it was very dark.

With the dim light of the fire, Li Ming could barely make out the dragon couch that Li Shimin often leaned on.

There was no one on the couch.

Where is Li Shimin?
As his eyes gradually adjusted to the dim environment in the room, Li Ming suddenly discovered that there was a majestic and old figure standing on the terrace outside the room.

It's Li Shimin!
"Father! What are you going to do?"

Li Ming was very nervous.

Li Shimin looked relaxed and smiled at his youngest son, his hemiplegic body leaning out awkwardly.

This is the top of the city wall. Outside the terrace is pitch black, and there is a bottomless abyss!

(End of this chapter)