Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 432 The Lost South

This so-called "edict of repentance" by Emperor Li Ming has basically nothing to do with himself except that there is a "self" in his name.

The content of the book is not about reflecting on feudal superstitions such as "not practicing moral governance and thus being punished by heaven".

The first sentence is -

"I failed to cultivate martial virtues and was unable to annihilate the Japanese islands, which led to the Japanese causing trouble and the destruction of China. This is my fault!"

This sets the tone for the entire edict.

The entire text is "reflecting" on the fact that the Ming Dynasty did not pursue militarism, spent too much money on national economy and people's livelihood, neglected the construction of the army, especially the navy, and did not make every effort to build large ships.

As a result, they were unable to organize forces in time to land on the Japanese island and destroy the Japanese nation.

This gave the Japanese chieftain a chance to escape, allowing them to take advantage of the situation and destroy the dike, leading to such a disaster.

If the Japanese had become extinct long ago, would this have happened?
Alas, it’s all my fault for being too weak and not eradicating the poisonous snake as soon as possible!
Here, I hereby issue a "self-blame edict", and I earnestly request the people to give me a chance to make up for my mistakes, punish the brutal Japanese, avenge my compatriots who died, and eliminate future troubles for China.

"Huh... Your Majesty really likes to give people surprises as always."

Fang Xuanling put away the edict, which was titled "Apologetic Edict" but was actually a "Proclamation to Punish the Bandits", and gently stroked his chest.

His old heart can't stand such torture.

To be honest, he was really worried and even afraid that Emperor Li Ming would take the responsibility for the natural disaster on himself.

Although Li Ming was born in the deep palace and raised by women, he inexplicably has the temperament of a leader.

To make an inappropriate analogy, he has a lot of the style of Emperor Gaozu, the one from the Han Dynasty.

But he is much more loyal than the captain Gaozu.

He would really take the blame for his subordinates' mistakes on himself.

"So, this is what you brought from the State Council Office?"

Fang Xuanling calmed himself down and asked his son.

Fang Yize naturally knew what his father meant and replied:

"The Changsun Regent has already reviewed it..."

Sure enough, the article has been approved by Changsun Wuji, so the content must be reliable.

Fang Yize can reflect this level, and his political awareness is quite good.

But how did this guy talk?
"Yi Ze, this is the document written by your majesty. Zhang Sun Wuji and I, the ministers, should say 'read it' instead of 'review it'."

Fang Xuanling promptly corrected his son's politically incorrect use of words.

"You will suffer a great loss in the future if you keep speaking without thinking."

People change. Just because His Majesty Li Ming does not care about hierarchy today does not mean it will be the same in the future.

Good brothers and good partners will sooner or later evolve into a normal relationship between ruler and subject.

Before being caught and held accountable, officials must be more careful.

"I understand, father." Fang Yize nodded sincerely.

Fang Xuanling's complexion returned to normal, and he said indifferently:

"When I learned that Your Majesty had not convicted Ma Zhou, Zhang Qian and others, I was still worried..."

Fang Yi tilted his head expressionlessly, expressing his doubts:

"Providing shelter for subordinates, isn't that what a good brother should have?"

Fang Xuanling raised the corner of his mouth without a smile and patted his eldest son's head:

"Governing a country is not about the chivalry of a filthy, downtrodden man.

"What the people need is a stable throne, not an indiscriminate rebel leader who can 'hide the sand and avoid the wind'."

Fang Yi suspected that his father was using puns to be sarcastic, but he had no evidence.

"Fortunately, I was worrying too much." Fang Xuanling put on his silk shirt and got up from the couch.

Faced with this kind of predicament, an ordinary emperor would choose to sacrifice officials, while the two-armed emperor would choose to sacrifice himself.

And Li Ming had to open a separate column.

He wants them all.

He would not sacrifice his men, and certainly not himself.

Instead, they chose to direct the beacon fire abroad, use Japan as a target, and attract firepower from all over the world.

This edict of apology not only provided an outlet for the accumulated anger of the whole country.

At the same time, it also blocked the mouths of all those who wanted to take advantage of the situation to criticize the imperial power.

If anyone is so blind as to use "natural disasters" to question the destiny of the Ming Dynasty.

The big hat of "collaborating with Japan" was directly put on him:

Everyone knows that the Japanese are the culprit. What is your purpose in making reactionary remarks? Who instructed you to do this? Did you accept benefits from the Japanese?

Your Majesty Li Ming is indeed a master at manipulating public opinion warfare.

Be the first to "confess your own faults" so that those with ulterior motives have no one to blame and can only join in the cause of criticizing Japan.

The Japanese became the target, and they deserved it.

Get ready to bear the wrath of China.

"The question is not whether to fight, but when to fight and how hard to fight."

Fang Xuanling stood still in the room.

Fang Yize knelt on the ground and looked up at his father.

The father looked at his son who was still in a state of shock and said:
"How this matter proceeds is up to you."

"at me?"

Fang Yize was truly surprised, and his calm eyes widened a little.

"The most important affairs of the country are sacrifice and war. Shouldn't the war against Japan be decided by Mingge... by Your Majesty?"

Xiaofang is now very politically correct and pushes all these brain-burning questions to his leaders.

"No, it's you." Lao Fang looked at him steadily.

"War means spending money. And now, as you know, the more places you spend money, the less money you earn."

This is the cold and harsh fact. Just looking at Fang Yizhe's increasingly cold head, one can see how great the financial pressure on the Ming Dynasty is.

After all, the country suffered a great disaster.

Even if all infrastructure spending in the country was stopped, cleaning up the mess left by the Yellow River's diversion would be enough to eat up a mountain of gold and silver.

"Things have come to this point, the expedition to Japan must be launched, and no one can dissuade Your Majesty.

"except you."

Fang Xuanling looked directly into his son's eyes:

"If you are unwilling, if you say that the domestic finances are tight and you cannot afford to start a war rashly, I believe His Majesty will listen to you.

"The only question is, what do you think?"

"I..." Fang Yize looked away guiltily.

The Ming Dynasty’s financial problems are not new.

Thanks to an emperor who believed in "deficit finance", Keynes's big hand has been exerted frequently, and the national treasury has basically been hovering on the line of "spending more than income".

This is still normal.

Those who understand the current situation will understand.

When a natural disaster strikes, there will be more expenses, and the speed at which money is spent will be no less than that of a flood.

If Fang Yize had not always enforced strict financial discipline, he would have kept a disaster reserve in the national treasury without using it.

The Ming Dynasty might not even be able to afford disaster relief grain.

"This battle should be..."

As Fang Yize opened his mouth, a group of numbers vaguely appeared in front of him.

550,000 people died directly from the flood. In Guangzhou alone, more than 300,000 people died.

Nearly one million hectares of fertile farmland were destroyed.

This is just a small portion of the loss.

The subsequent losses caused by epidemics and famines are probably ten times greater!

Although the numbers are cold, behind them are 550,000 human tragedies.

Although Fang Yize did not go to the disaster area to see it in person.

But the horrific scene has been conveyed through numbers.

And all this is thanks to the Japanese!
Just for a little bit of benefit!

Can Baekje and Silla combined have 550,000 people? !
I can’t say it!
The three light words "can't fight" touch upon the hatred between Huanghuai, Ming Dynasty, and the entire China. They are heavier than Mount Tai and are really hard to say!
"It should be...

"Money is like time. If you squeeze it, you should have it."

Fang Yi changed his tone.

Fang Xuanling looked at Haodaer quietly. After a while, he slowly said:

"Is this sensible?"

"No. We should take it slow and wait until the aftermath of the disaster is dealt with. Or, we should not send a large army to attack Japan, and let the spies bring the heads of the Japanese chieftains." Fang Yi shook his head decisively and changed the subject:
"But the world is in such a state of distress, how can we talk about reason?
"If we don't let the people of the world vent their anger, they will take it out on us."

Phew... Fang Xuanling almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Although you look like me, you are more like your 'Ming Ge' inside.

"He obviously acts on impulse, but he always finds a bunch of crooked reasons for himself."

Fang Yi scratched his head and hissed:
"Father, be careful what you say."

Haha, it's your turn to teach me a lesson... Fang Xuanling, who was hit by the boomerang, ignored it and asked:

"So how do you plan to make ends meet? Where do you plan to squeeze out the war funds?"

This is a very practical question.

Fang Yi quickly replied:
“Now is the summer harvest season, which is the tax collection season.

"As soon as the taxes from the South arrive, everything will be fine."

The son's answer reminded Fang Xuanling.

He looked up and recalled carefully for a while:

"The South... It seems like it's been a few days since I received any memorials from the governors of the southern states?"

Fang Yi was somewhat bewildered:
"Really? Father is really meticulous."

He was only in charge of finances, and he would mindlessly forward the official documents that were handed over to his father by ministers such as Changsun Wuji.

He already couldn't manage the finances, how could he manage whether the local governors submitted memorials on time? This was an overstepping of authority!

"This is not right. Huanghuai is in chaos right now, and we need assistance from the southern regions.

"How can they give up at this time?"

Fang Xuanling's expression became particularly serious.

"Could it be that they are still harboring evil intentions? Still unwilling to submit to the Ming Dynasty, and are adding insult to injury at the critical moment?"

Fang Yi shook his head:

"I don't think so."

The battle of Jinyang was fought by sailing on dry land, and the power of that battle was not to be underestimated.

Are the southern states crazy, causing trouble at this most hated time?

And why are they doing this?
The Tang Dynasty has already fallen, and several emperors were making dumplings together in Tangzhou. Who were the southern prefectures and counties doing this for?

You don't want to set up your own dynasty and repeat the Northern and Southern Dynasties, do you? No way, no way?

"Maybe something happened..."

Fang Xuanling was worried and looked out the window subconsciously.

Should I say that my father is too perceptive or too sensitive... Fang Yi secretly complained to himself.

But I heard the sound of hurried horse hooves outside the door.

Da da da……

"Is there anyone riding a horse in the mansion?"

Fang Xuanling frowned, a look of doubt appearing on his calm face.

Who is so bold as to ride a horse in the house of an important official who is second only to the emperor?
It is impossible for the servants in the mansion to be so bold, and even more impossible for the colleagues in the court.

As for Fang Yize's two unsuccessful brothers, Fang Yiai and Fang Yizhi...

These two people have been keeping a low profile ever since they came to Tangzhou, and they haven't been so arrogant for a long time.

Could it be that……

The father and son looked at each other and their faces changed suddenly.

In the blink of an eye, the door of the room was suddenly pushed open.

Standing outside the door was a man with an ordinary complexion, medium build, and an ordinary face that could hardly be found in a crowd.

An ordinary stranger appears in an extraordinary occasion, which means that his true identity is destined to be extraordinary.

Fang Yize's face turned pale.

Fang Xuanling remained calm and asked calmly:
"Who are you, daring to trespass into the Prime Minister's residence?"

The visitor bowed briefly and shouted in a voice neither too loud nor too low:

"Minister Fang, Minister Fang, Chief Steward Lai Junchen has something urgent to discuss with you two."

Lai Junchen... this name made the two of them gasp.

Who in the officialdom doesn't know the famous name of the most perverted (crossed out) and cruel official in the world?

Once targeted by that wretched young man and tortured, even a stubborn stone would have to speak obediently and confess whatever he wanted.

As Li Ming's black glove and the ruler of officialdom, Lai Junchen has been wandering between light and shadow, and is feared, terrified and hated by all officials.

However, now that the country is in crisis and His Majesty is on a southern tour, how did the dogs' claws reach into the Prime Minister's residence?
Is it because you just slandered His Majesty for making twisted arguments? Fang Yize questioned his father with his eyes.

How could retribution come so quickly in this life? And are you sure it’s not because you always call His Majesty “Brother Ming” that you have offended Him—Fang Xuanling retorted with his eyes.

Is this your Majesty's will, or is someone taking advantage of the opportunity to play the old trick of political purge?
In just a short moment, countless thoughts flashed through Lao Fang and Xiao Fang's minds.

Then, the old butler of the Xiangfu ran up breathlessly, panting and reporting incoherently:
"My lord, this messenger has a handwritten letter from General Lai Junchen to bring to you..."

Handwritten letter?
So it was a letter?

Fang Xuanling felt a little relieved, but he still did not let down his guard and asked:
"Since you are here to deliver a letter, you can just let the servants pass it on. Why are you running in the courtyard?"

The messenger replied:
"Because it is a confidential matter, I must hand it over to my husband personally.

"Because the situation is urgent and time is running out, and the Prime Minister's Mansion is more crowded than the Imperial Palace, I have no choice but to gallop on horseback. I hope you can forgive me."

This guy's answer was well-reasoned and he didn't forget to mention the Prime Minister of the Yin-Yang House. At the same time, he didn't slack off in his skills. With a flick of his finger, he accurately and somewhat rudely "flicked" the secret letter in his arms into Fang Xuanling's hand.

Efficient, ruthless and unruly, this is definitely the style of this group of spies.

"Why would the chief steward send a letter to me? If there is anything, shouldn't you report it to His Majesty..."

Fang Xuanling was puzzled and opened the envelope.

The letter paper is written on Xuancheng paper, which has a very unique texture and is very different from the paper in the north.

"Xuanzhou is located south of the Yangtze River.

"The chief steward is in the south?!"

Fang Xuanling realized something and anxiously unfolded the letter.

The pupils shrank.

(End of this chapter)