Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 461 The Division of the Realm (Final Chapter)

"Your Majesty! There is a severe drought in the north, and the people are eating grass!"

"Your Majesty! The south is suffering from severe flooding, and the people are starving!"

"Your Majesty! Local powerful clans and gentry are refusing to donate to disaster relief, and they're even refusing to pay taxes!"

"Your Majesty, it's terrible! The powerful clans of Guanzhong have rebelled!"

"There has been a popular uprising in the south and central plains!"

"The Turks have betrayed us!"

"The southern barbarians are invading..."

Ah!
Li Ming was suddenly awakened from his sleep, his back soaked with sweat.

It was just a dream... He lay back down on the bed, still breathing heavily, clearly shaken.

Sleep, sleep, it's just a dream.

He closed his eyes and began counting sheep in his mind.

When the count reached the nine thousand five hundred and twenty-seventh.

He opened his eyes again.

Damn it, how am I supposed to sleep...?

…………

"His Majesty……"

"Where is this rebellion?!"

Li Minghu's body trembled.

Fang Xuanling stared blankly at Li Ming for a long time before handing him a document.

"Uh... it's Baekje, no, Baekje didn't rebel either."

"King Uija of Baekje sent a memorial to offer New Year's greetings and requested Your Majesty to establish an era name so that he could implement it within the country."

Even the usually composed former prime minister couldn't help but stutter a little when he spoke.

"Oh, is that so?"

Li Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let them call it whatever they want."

"This..." Fang Xuanling hesitated, glancing at his old colleague discreetly.

Changsun Wuji shrugged.

Clearly, His Majesty was just speaking casually; taking it seriously could lead to a diplomatic incident.

"Then let Baekje continue the Yellow Emperor's chronology."

Fang Xuanling asked for instructions in a low voice.

“The Great Ming Pills…” Li Ming said absentmindedly.

The old house was stunned.

What's going on? Why is our Great Ming Dynasty about to fall again?

This is my word!
"Your Majesty, you...you should take a rest."

Fang Xuanling looked at Li Ming's dark circles and dazed expression with concern.

This is a typical case of sleep deprivation syndrome, something that Lao Fang and his colleagues are all too familiar with.

Around this time last year, they began what seemed to be an endless hell of working overtime and staying up all night.

However, this year, the days of government offices at all levels working overtime and staying up all night are over.

After dealing with the Japanese and the aftermath of the floods, the world was literally at peace.

The barbarians are gone. The land has been distributed. The harvest is plentiful. Infrastructure construction is underway. The people's pockets are full.

The Ming Dynasty is now a land of peace and prosperity, a nation rich and strong, a vibrant and flourishing place where all things thrive.

The wasteland was constantly being developed, and the productivity of the handicraft workshops was reaching new highs. All economic indicators were so good that they seemed fake. Construction was carried out every day, and the treasury still had a surplus.

The foundation of this prosperity lies in the bottom-up administrative organization pioneered by His Majesty Li Ming.

This entire set of ingenious machines is incredibly efficient.

Information is open and transparent between superiors and subordinates, instructions are conveyed concisely and effectively, and problems at the grassroots level are resolved before they escalate.

With a solid foundation laid, as long as no unexpected "Mars collides with Earth" event occurs, ruling the giant Ming Dynasty is not as difficult as it seems.

Even high-ranking employees like Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji could occasionally slack off and rule the country without lifting a finger.

So why is the Emperor staying up all night?

"Your Majesty, why are you so worried about the future of the country?" Changsun Wuji asked with concern.

"Could it be that bad news has come from our intelligence network?"

Li Ming shook his head:

"That's not true.

"I'm just thinking that no golden age lasts forever."

"If the court relaxes its vigilance even slightly, the bureaucracy will become rotten across the board, and the dynasty will not be far from its demise."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji subconsciously straightened his back and dared not sit as relaxed and casually as before.

Fang Xuanling nodded slightly, pleased that His Majesty had a sense of vigilance even in times of peace.

"From ancient times to the present, there has never been a country that did not perish, nor a tomb that was not dug up."

"Dynasties are like people; they too are born, grow old, get sick, and die."

"We cannot predict the future. All we can do is to be cautious and tread carefully, and do our best in the present moment."

"His Majesty hasn't been blinded by victory after victory; he truly has the makings of a wise ruler..." Changsun Wuji couldn't help but sigh inwardly, and quickly asked:

"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

Li Ming cleared his throat and said seriously:

"I want to divide the world among myself!"

Oh...ah?

The smiles on Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji's faces froze.

no……

How did the question of how long the Ming Dynasty could last suddenly jump to the topic of the feudal system?

I thought His Majesty the Divine Emperor was going to do something big, but it turned out to be a huge disaster.

Is this because they're worried their descendants will ruin the country, so they're simply ending the dynasty themselves?

"His Majesty……"

The two prime ministers were about to offer their advice.

But Li Ming didn't give the two old men a chance to interrupt, and immediately waved his hand:
"I'll go back to the palace right away and tell my father and brothers the good news about the enfeoffment!"

After saying that, he scurried out of the government office.

The two old men almost fainted before they could stop the brat.

"What...what should I do?"

Changsun Wuji looked at his old colleague with a puzzled expression.

Fang Xuanling's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, revealing the same relieved expression that Kong Yingda had worn years before, a bittersweet smile appearing on his lips:
"Heh, heh... I'm resigning!"

I'm done! Whoever wants to clean up that brat's mess can do it!

…………

"Prime Minister Fang, look on the bright side. When has His Majesty ever failed to achieve unexpected good results and solve all sorts of difficult problems with his brilliant ideas?"

"It is because we are too lowly to understand His Majesty's profound considerations."

While fanning Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji earnestly advised his old colleague.

Fang Xiang can't resign!

Without Fang Xiang, he himself becomes the scapegoat!
"Hmph, have you ever considered how many of the difficult problems we encounter in governing the country were directly or indirectly caused by His Majesty's bad ideas?"

Fang Xuanling's breathing calmed down a bit, but his face was still very ugly, and he smiled coldly without any expression.

Changsun Wuji fell silent when questioned.

Although Fang Xuanling's words were somewhat extreme in anger, they were not entirely without reason.

For example, the biggest problem in the entire government system is the fiscal deficit and the empty treasury.

Isn't this all something that Emperor Li Ming brought upon himself?

"Do you know? His Majesty not only intends to grant fiefdoms throughout the land..."

"Moreover, it would be one thing to enfeoff his own sons, but he doesn't even have any sons yet! Yet he wants to enfeoff the retired emperor, the deposed emperor of Tang, and the hidden crown prince..."

Fang Xuanling let out a long breath and stared directly at Changsun Wuji.

"Isn't this just creating chaos of our own making?"
"Even if His Majesty can cleverly resolve this problem later, the problem itself shouldn't exist in the first place!"

Changsun Wuji also understood this principle.

The question of whether to grant fiefdoms or centralize power was debated during the Tang Dynasty.

Back then, Emperor Li Shimin wanted to bestow hereditary titles upon his two elder brothers, Fang and Changsun, but they both sternly declined.

Everyone agreed that the "Split Land and Divide the Land" feature had been scrapped and relegated to the dustbin of history.

After thousands of years of wars of unification, the Chinese nation was finally brought together.

But why would His Majesty, so wise and mighty, want to turn back the clock of history?
Imagine if the Ming Dynasty were to revert to a previous version, returning to the era of independent feudal states.

If a devastating natural disaster like last year were to occur, could the entire nation unite as one to fight floods and provide disaster relief?

impossible!

They'll only harm their neighbors and let the disaster escalate!

And what kind of tigers and wolves have been enfeoffed this time!

Li Shimin, a man of both literary and military talent!

Li Chengqian, whose heart is twisted!

Li Zhi is cunning and ruthless!
With three schemers appearing at the same time, is Emperor Li Ming perhaps trying to stir up trouble?
"Could it be... that His Majesty intends to emulate the story of Zheng Bo defeating Duan?" Changsun Wuji guessed.

Zheng Boke Duan, simply put, is to condone the ambitions of conspirators, lure them out of their hole, and thus have a reason and excuse to eliminate them.

This is a very dark speculation.

To kill his own father and brothers, he was willing to incite chaos throughout the land.

"But what's the point of doing this? Besides, given His Majesty's achievements and prestige, even if he really wanted to do this, would it be necessary to go to such great lengths?" Fang Xuanling asked, puzzled.

The Tang Dynasty is a thing of the past, and the three "Li" figures pose no political threat to His Majesty Li Ming.

With just a glance from His Majesty, there are plenty of people willing to become Cheng Ji.

Changsun Wuji slapped his forehead:
"No matter what, let's go find the Empress Dowager first!"

…………

"Distribute the world, distribute the world!"

Li Ming hummed a lighthearted tune as he strolled all the way to the palace.

As soon as he entered Li Shimin's bedroom, he was surrounded by a group of children.

"My lord, my father! My lord, my father!"

The children, like a flock of sparrows, chirped and chattered around Li Ming.

Behind the child, the imperial concubines were each holding an infant in their arms.

Upon seeing Li Ming arrive, they immediately became flustered.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty! Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness..."

"No need, no need for formalities. Besides, I'm just your older brother, not your father..."

Li Ming offered a polite but wry smile, but the noise was driving him crazy.

Have you paid your respects to your sovereign and father?

Li Shimin, holding the hands of a group of little children, leisurely came out of the inner room to greet them.

Needless to say, this scumbag is the root of all evil.

After stepping down, Li the Scumbag had a second spring in his life, giving Li Mingxin many younger brothers and sisters.

Yes, he really does resemble his father.

"We've called out! We've called out!" the younger siblings chattered excitedly.

Among the group of young Lis, Li Chengqian and Li Zhi were particularly embarrassed.

Every morning, the two of them would come to pay their respects to their father, the Emperor, and that's when His Majesty would see them.

“Your...Your father.”

The two men, their faces flushed, spoke in barely audible voices.

Li Ming was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into a crack in the wall.

"You two, stop making things worse..."

…………

"Hahaha, what a rare guest! The Emperor is so busy with state affairs, yet he still finds time to personally visit his elderly father." Back in his study, Li Shimin laughed heartily.

Since he started to let loose, his words have often been barbed.

Li Chengqian's gaze remained vacant as always, but his complexion had improved considerably.

Li Zhi, on the other hand, remained as cautious as ever, as if an axe was hanging over his head, ready to chop off his little head at any moment.

Li Ming was used to the three brothers' condition and got straight to the point:

“I have encountered some problems in governing the country and need the help of my father and elder brothers.”

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically:
"I never imagined His Majesty the Divine Emperor would face such difficulties. Tell me, what do you need us to do?"

Li Ming glanced at his father, whom he had pulled off his horse, and then at his two older brothers, whom he had overthrown, and said:
"I want to divide the whole world among you."

"Pfft!" Li Chengqian, who had just been feeling utterly hopeless, almost spat out his tea the next second.

Li Zhi immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, I dare not accept! I only wish to serve Your Majesty for the rest of my life!"

Their will to survive was off the charts.

Li Shimin's expression immediately turned serious:

"What exactly do you want? The world has finally been unified, and now you want to divide it up again?"

Li Ming's lips twitched:
"It's not what you think, can you let me finish what I have to say..."

As he spoke, he unfolded the map inside the room.

The territory of the Ming Dynasty is like a giant bear, encompassing all the habitable land enclosed by the sea, mountains, deserts, and forests.

"Is this the world?" he asked.

The three replied, "Yes."

Li Ming shook his head:

"No, this is not the 'entire' world, this is just the Ming Dynasty."

He pointed to the southern corner of the Ming Dynasty:
"For example, Zhenla here is not part of the Ming Dynasty. But it is also part of the world."

"And here, the Pamir Mountains, the Western Regions, the Mohe people..."

"These do not belong to the Ming Dynasty, but they are all part of the world."

Li Ming said solemnly.

"And is this map the whole world?"
"no.

"Beyond the map, west of the Pamir Mountains lie Persia and India, and north of the Mohe people lies a vast wilderness—"

“Those places also exist in reality, but are not included in our Great Ming.”

Li Shimin came to his senses somewhat:

"what do you mean……"

Li Ming's lips curled into a smile, and he nodded emphatically.

"Yes, those lands outside of the Ming Dynasty are the promised lands that I, the Son of Heaven, have granted to you."

The three of them were stunned into silence.

"Generously" granting land beyond one's control to others—what a brilliant way to expand territory!
However, this is not the first time in history that such a card-making scheme has been created out of thin air.

The last dynasty to do this was the Zhou Dynasty.

Yes, it conforms to the Zhou Dynasty's rites.

Li Shimin frowned, and said with a forced smile:

"Why are you doing this? Are you worried that we will challenge your rule if we stay in the country, but you can't bear to kill us, so you're in a hurry to drive us out of the country?"

Li Ming shook his head vigorously:
"No, enfeoffing you is for the long-term stability of the dynasty."

"When the world is at peace and people can recuperate, the population will increase dramatically."

"With a large population and limited land, a crisis will inevitably erupt sooner or later."

"so."

Li Ming solemnly said to his father and elder brother:
"Use the sword of China to acquire land for the plow of China."

"I will provide you with the army, funds, and all support."

Li Chengqian chuckled:
"Aren't you afraid that after a few generations, the power of the vassal states abroad will grow stronger and overshadow the Ming Dynasty's homeland?"

"Like Qin and Jin, they turned around and destroyed the Zhou royal family?"

Li Zhi was sweating profusely as he listened.

Is it possible to say this?
Li Ming shrugged indifferently at this.

"If my descendants occupy the core feng shui treasure land of China and are still wiped out, then they deserve it, and I have no objection."

Then, he whispered another sentence:
"No dynasty lasts forever. The Ming Dynasty will eventually be replaced by another dynasty, and even China itself may be overwhelmed by foreign powers."

“If there are no external enemies or threats, the country will surely perish. Therefore, I would rather this force remain the descendants of the Ming Dynasty and the offspring of China.”

His uprightness and magnanimity left Li Chengqian speechless.

Li Ming then put on a smile.

"However, I'll say it again."

"If you want to reclaim the Central Plains, then come and take it yourselves."

The four of them looked at each other and smiled.

At this moment, they truly resembled father and son, true brothers.

At this touching moment between father and son, the eunuch's voice rang out untimely:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Empress Dowager requests an audience."

Before the person inside could answer, the door was pushed open.

Empress Dowager Yang forced a smile:

"Your Majesty, I've heard you intend to expand your fiefdoms significantly?"

Right behind her, Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji spoke in unison:
"Your Majesty! You must not grant fiefdoms! The Ming Dynasty is doomed!"

All eyes were focused on His Majesty, the supreme ruler.

Li Ming's lips twitched.

What are you doing?
…………

Southern border of the Ming Dynasty.

The Zhenla people are launching another attack on the Ming city.

These southern barbarians were gaining momentum and, taking advantage of the Ming Dynasty's internal turmoil and inability to attend to the south, were aggressively encroaching on the land of Lingnan Circuit.

Although they lacked the capability to wage urban warfare, they managed to occupy vast rural areas and uninhabited zones between cities by having more skulls than arrows.

The cities of the Ming Dynasty became isolated islands, unable to support each other.

If this continues, it will be only a matter of time before the land falls to the enemy.

Just as the Southern Barbarians were hatching their own schemes and launching a new wave of harassment against the cities of the Ming Dynasty.

A steel giant charged down from the north and beat them to a pulp.

"Huh? Did we step on something?"

Li Zhi, leading the Ming army south, muttered to himself.

"Your Highness, they were just bandits from Zhenla, and they have been wiped out," Pei Xingjian reported.

The state that Li Zhi was granted was called "Nanming," which means the southern lands, and the young and talented general Pei Xingjian served as his military commander.

This Southern Ming Dynasty encompassed more than just the Indochina Peninsula and the Malay Peninsula, including the southern border kingdoms such as Zhenla and Linyi.

It also includes a large string of islands in the South China Sea, including major islands such as Luzon (Philippines) and Java (Indonesia).

Moreover, further south, there is a "large island" that is several times larger than these islands.

"Aussong... His Majesty said to sail the ship south, where there is a giant island no less than the mainland, called Aussong."

"The resources of Ao Song are no less abundant than those of the Central Plains."

"But this island isn't on the map, how did he know? Could he be lying to me?"

Li Zhi muttered in confusion.

But what the hell.

"Let's set up camp here first. I'll write back to the capital and ask His Majesty to allocate a few ships so we can search for that continent called 'Ao Song' to the south."

After giving the order, he wiped a large amount of sweat from his brow.

It's so hot in the south...

…………

The southern barbarians of Zhenla were utterly defeated by the sudden arrival of the northern tigers and wolves, and returned to their country in a sorry state.

Then they discovered that their hometown was gone too.

It was razed to the ground by another group of tigers and wolves from the north.

"Father, why are there buildings here?" Li Chengqian, riding on horseback, looked much more heroic than his previous listless and dilapidated appearance.

As soon as he mounted the horse, his spirits lifted.

Riding in a retro-styled war chariot, Li Shimin replied:
"This is probably the capital of Zhenla Kingdom, or some other southern barbarian kingdom."

"It doesn't matter, burn it down. This place will serve as a temporary transit point for our westward journey."

Li Shimin and Li Chengqian were both enfeoffed as "Ximing," which encompassed the area from Tibet, India, to Persia.

However, the Pamir Mountains were not suitable for large-scale military marches, so they traveled through the Indochina Peninsula.

"Father, as the ruler of Ximing, I think it's still..."

"The emperor has appointed you as the ruler, so you should be a good ruler. I'm just helping you mount your horse and seeing you off."

Li Shimin interrupted Li Chengqian's idea of ​​abdicating and giving way to a more worthy successor, and chuckled.

"I have already been a king, and I don't want to suffer a second time."

Is being the leader a hardship...? Li Chengqian wondered to himself as he looked at the road ahead.

Although the terrain was rugged and bumpy, it gave him a sense of openness reminiscent of when he was galloping across the grasslands.

He realized for the first time that "all under heaven" was a very broad concept.

Why limit ourselves to one country or one place!
…………

Just as the three Lis were sweating profusely in the heat of the south and southwest.

North of the Ming Dynasty.

It's even further north than Heilongjiang.

Li Ming personally led an elite force, advancing westward along the coniferous forest belt.

"Your Majesty, are you sure we still want to expand in this direction?"

Li Shiji was wrapped in a thick fur coat, but he was still shivering from the cold, and felt that his hands holding the horse reins were almost frozen.

“That’s right, there’s a surprise if we keep going west through these woods.” Li Ming and Hou Junji rode together on one horse, bobbing up and down with the horse’s gait.

Question: Why was it so difficult for Chinese civilization to expand into the far north of Siberia, while Tsarist Russia was able to easily move eastward and conquer Outer Manchuria?
Because of this subarctic coniferous forest.

This vast forest stretches across the northern part of Eurasia, acting like a fast passage that provides basic supplies to people passing through.

For Chinese civilization to reach this forest, it had to traverse multiple terrain zones, including grasslands, deserts, and swamps. These areas differed greatly from Chinese agricultural customs and gave rise to numerous powerful barbarian tribes.

However, the Ming Dynasty utterly defeated all these ethnic groups.

In other words, for the first time in history, China gained the opportunity to access the "fast track" to subarctic coniferous forests.

Why not take this slide and slide all the way west to Europe!

“But Your Majesty, what will happen to the country if you are away for too long?” Li Shiji was still uneasy.

Li Daozong, who was accompanying them, said:
"The country has an empress dowager, two prime ministers, capable officials such as Fang Jixiang, Yuchi Da Zongguan, and Changsun Da Zongguan, and Li Jing, the Duke of Wei, is in charge of the army."

"What could go wrong?"

The domestic political landscape is quite good, the good thing is that it's not monolithic.

The Empress Dowager's faction, the civil service group, the primary school student faction, plus the military merit group represented by Li Jing...

The various forces involved are incredibly complex; everyone is powerful, and no one can truly defeat anyone else.

Under such circumstances, who would dare to betray imperial power?
Not to mention the three spy agencies that were ever-present, chilling, and independent of each other.

A delicate yet stable balance was achieved within the Ming Dynasty.

"Don't worry, I'm just going out to scout ahead and show you around the area before heading back."

"To truly expand the territory of 'Northern Ming,' we need the concerted efforts of all of you."

Li Ming comforted him.

"If that's the case, then that's good." Li Shiji was half-convinced.

Li Ming smiled:

"Manager Li, you're too fixated on tangible boundaries."

"This world is so big! Come on, I'll show you around!"

The horses galloped swiftly toward Europe.

(End of the article)

(End of this chapter)