Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 191: The streets are empty, the world is watching, the rain is coming! [Monthly Ticket Bonus]

The scorching sun was shining brightly in the sky, mercilessly burning the dry earth.

On the official road, a ragged team staggered forward. The old, weak, women and children supported each other. They were all pale and thin, and their eyes were full of confusion and despair.

They were disaster victims from several nearby counties and prefectures. For months, there had been no rain, their crops had failed, and they had no food at home. The government also sent officials to collect taxes by force. In order to survive, they had no choice but to leave their homes and head towards Chang'an, where it was rumored that there were mountains of food.

"My fellow villagers, we can't just starve to death on the road! The granaries in Chang'an are overflowing, but why can we only watch our loved ones die? The court doesn't care about our lives, so we have to find a way out ourselves!"

At the front of the team, a strong man was shouting loudly.

His voice was hoarse but powerful, sending ripples through the team.

When everyone heard this, a glimmer of hope, or perhaps a resolute madness, lit up in their eyes, and they all responded.

"Yes! We all have to live! Only by living can we seek justice from the prince! It was he who left us without disaster relief food! It was he who said he would pray for rain! He lied to us!"

"The deceitful prince shall not die a good death!"

"Fellow villagers! Stay alive! Demand justice from the prince!"

As more and more people were leading the crowd, the people, who had already lost their minds due to hunger, became increasingly angry.

His pace unconsciously quickened as he headed towards Chang'an.

Soon, they arrived at a county town closest to Chang'an.

On the city wall, the guarding officers and soldiers looked nervous. Looking at the victims pouring in like a tide from the city, they unconsciously clenched their weapons.

At this moment, a middle-aged man stood up among the victims.

"Fellow villagers, we have reached this critical juncture of life and death! Countless relatives have starved to death. There must be food in this county town, yet they watch us suffer. Today, we must force them to release the food, or we will die!"

The middle-aged man's voice was loud and firm, echoing among the group of disaster victims and arousing a sad and angry response.

"Open the granaries and release the food! We must survive!"

Shouts rang out one after another, and the victims began to rush towards the city gate, their footsteps chaotic but filled with a reckless determination.

At first, they simply gathered in front of the city gate, shouting and begging, but as time passed, there was no response from the city, and despair gradually turned into flames of anger.

Some people started picking up stones on the ground and throwing them at the city gate. The 'bang bang' sound was like the beating of a war drum, and more people joined in.

Suddenly, stones rained down on the city gates and walls.

The officers and soldiers on the city wall raised their shields to resist. Although the defending generals felt reluctant, they could only shout loudly as their duty required: "Fellow villagers, don't be impulsive! This is a mass attack on the city, which is tantamount to treason. Retreat immediately!"

However, his voice was drowned out by the noise and was of no use.

At this moment, the county magistrate in the city was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan in the county government office.

He knew very well the suffering of the victims, but the relief grain from the court had not arrived yet. Although there was grain in the county granary, the quantity was limited. If the granary was opened, he didn't know how to deal with the follow-up.

"Sir, how about putting some food there to appease them before the situation gets out of control?"

One of the subordinates said tentatively.

The county magistrate frowned and shook his head: "No, if this precedent is set, there will be endless trouble in the future. Moreover, if the court blames us, neither you nor I can bear the responsibility."

"But."

Just as the subordinate was about to speak again, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "County Magistrate Zhou, something terrible has happened! The victims have begun to forcibly attack the city!"

"What!?"

County Magistrate Zhou was shocked when he heard this.

Now that the disaster victims are surrounding the city, if he fails to handle the situation properly and a civil unrest breaks out, he might lose his official position and even his life.

At this time, the subordinate spoke again: "Sir, since the government warehouse cannot be opened, why don't we discuss with the wealthy families in the city and open their private warehouses to provide relief to the victims first. When the court's policy comes out, we can find a way to replenish them. What do you think?"

"good idea!"

County Magistrate Zhou's eyes lit up, and he quickly called out to his subordinates, "Quick, go and invite a few wealthy families in the city to come and discuss this matter. Ask them to provide food, and then mobilize the city's yamen runners to help defend the city. Don't let the victims in!"

"Yes!"

Not long after, the wealthy families in the city were invited to the county government office.

But they all looked unhappy.

But then County Magistrate Zhou said solemnly:
"Everyone, to cut a long story short, you should have heard about the current situation outside the city. I don't ask you to give me all the food, but if you can give me half and resolve this crisis, I will definitely seek benefits from the court on your behalf!"

"Sir, business is tough this year, and I don't have much food in my warehouse. I can't give much to the disaster victims."

"Yes, sir, the price of grain has skyrocketed, and I need to keep the grain to maintain the livelihood of the store."

"Sir, we don't have much food!"

When the rich families heard what County Magistrate Zhou said, they all cried out in poverty to him.

Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Zhou was immediately furious: "If you don't provide food, once the disaster victims enter the city and burn, kill, and loot, do you think you can stay out of this?"

"We heard that those victims came for the prince. It was the prince who deceived them. It has nothing to do with us." A rich man muttered cautiously.

The other wealthy families nodded in agreement, "Yes, it was the prince who said he would pray for rain, but it didn't rain, which angered the victims."

"I also heard that the court was going to distribute disaster relief grain, but the prince stopped it."

"Yes, yes, I heard that too. The prince needs food to fight the Turks, so he won't distribute food to the disaster victims."

"Nonsense!"

When County Magistrate Zhou heard what the wealthy families said, he was furious: "How dare you slander the prince!"

"We are not the ones slandering the prince. It's the victims who are saying it. If you don't believe me, you can go outside the city and listen. They will say all sorts of things!"

"It doesn't make sense! It doesn't make sense!"

County Magistrate Zhou was so angry that his face turned blue, but he did not dare to force these rich families to release the grain.

Because these wealthy families are from aristocratic families, they are equivalent to the white gloves of the aristocratic families.

To offend them is equivalent to offending a powerful family, and the consequences are more terrible than death.

However, just when County Magistrate Zhou was at his wit's end, another report came from outside the door: "Sir Zhou, news has come from Chang'an that the Crown Prince is praying for rain outside the city. I want you to open the granaries and release grain so that the victims can have enough food and water. Go to the city to watch the Crown Prince pray for rain!"

"What!?"

County Magistrate Zhou and the other wealthy families were all shocked when they heard this.

But soon, County Magistrate Zhou's face lit up with ecstasy. Without a second thought, he rushed out of the room, shouting, "Open the granaries and release the grain! Quick! Open the granaries and release the grain!"

The rich people's hearts trembled, and they had a bad premonition.

At the same time, outside the city of Chang'an.

While Li Chengqian asked the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works to prepare the hot air balloon, he also inquired about the monitoring situation of the Taichang Temple.

"Minister Taichang, how's the record of the cloud's direction and position coming along?"

"Your Highness, the records have been almost completed. Please take a look!" Fu Yi, the Minister of Rites, respectfully handed over a record book.

Li Chengqian took the record book, looked through it carefully, and then frowned and said, "Are there so few clouds in the disaster area?"

"Yes, sometimes there are even cloudless skies, but there are also dark clouds, but somehow it never rains, because the clouds disappear as soon as the wind blows!"

"There are usually several reasons why there aren't any dark clouds but no rain. One, the clouds aren't high enough to condense into rain. Two, there's not enough moisture in the air. Three, as you mentioned, the wind has blown the clouds away."

"what?"

Fu Yi was completely bewildered. He wondered why there were so many possibilities. Why had he never heard of this before? He thought it was God's punishment, deliberately not letting it rain!

"Well, let's pray for rain today. Do the clouds in the sky meet the conditions for rain?" Fu Yi asked hesitantly.

Although he also attended the court meeting and knew the situation Li Chengqian was facing, there didn't seem to be many clouds outside Chang'an City.

Moreover, the three situations mentioned by Li Chengqian also exist in the clouds outside Chang'an City.

But then Li Chengqian said solemnly, "I remember a wise man once said, 'If there are no conditions, we must create them. Solutions are invented by people, and man can conquer nature!'"

"This"

Fu Yi was speechless. He turned his head to look at the civil and military officials behind him, as well as Li Shimin sitting high in the stage. He swallowed subconsciously and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, as long as you have confidence, I will do my best to cooperate with you!"

Li Chengqian hummed, and without saying anything more, he took the record book and left.

the other side.

All the ministers in the audience were whispering to each other and discussing the prayer for rain in low voices.

Especially the officials from the Five Surnames and Seven Families, each of them stared at Li Chengqian who was busy on the altar with murderous eyes, as if they wanted to eat him.

If Li Chengqian really succeeded in praying for rain, all their previous plans would be ruined.

Moreover, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Because many of those disaster victims were gathered together by them by using their influence to cause trouble for the disaster area and local officials.

Even the disaster victims who were instigating the trouble were people they secretly sent.

Once this matter is exposed, their reputation will be greatly damaged.

What's worse, their entire families may be affected.

Just when they were at a loss and in panic, the official from the Cui family gave the official from the Wang family a look, who immediately understood and left the crowd calmly.

About a quarter of an hour later, the official from the Wang family returned to his original place and nodded to the official from the Cui family with a smile.

Soon after, a commotion broke out among the people of Chang'an. Some people shouted loudly, "I remember praying for rain before, and the sky would show signs of rain. Why is it that when the prince prayed for rain, there was no sign of rain at all, not even thunder or lightning!"

"Yes! It doesn't look like it's going to rain at all! Could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is lying to us? He doesn't even know how to pray for rain!" "Wow! Look everyone, that cloud is flying away! It's dispersing, it's about to be blown away by the wind!"

As more and more people echoed loudly, the people of Chang'an who were watching the rain-praying ceremony began to question Li Chengqian's prayer.

Gradually, the topic began to change direction.

"I think the prince is just being mysterious when he prays for rain. He's playing us for fools!"

"Oh, it's not just you. It's said that those court ministers were also played for fools by him!"

"No wonder some people say the Crown Prince is colluding with rebels to cause chaos. It turns out he's a Crown Prince with ulterior motives!"

"How can a prince with evil intentions pray for rain?"

"Your Majesty, please help us! Let someone else pray for rain!"

At this moment, someone shouted, "Look! The victims are coming! They are here to seek justice from the prince!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked over and saw densely packed victims, like a swarm of locusts passing through a land. Everyone present felt their scalps tingle.

"Everyone, run! The disaster victims are causing trouble!"

With this shout, the people of Chang'an who were originally watching fled in all directions.

Yunduan hurried to Li Shimin and said urgently: "Your Majesty, the situation has changed. I will escort you back to the palace immediately."

"What palace are you going back to!?"

Li Shimin shouted, interrupting Yunduan's next words. He said coldly, "Have you never experienced me fighting among thousands of soldiers? What does this mean?"

"Yes, Commander Yun! I am here with you, so what are you afraid of? They are just a group of disaster victims!" Yuchi Gong said, patting his chest.

The other generals also remained motionless, indicating that this small scene was nothing at all.

However, the civil officials looked worried, fearing that it would cause greater unrest.

As the number of victims continued to pour in, the people of Chang'an who wanted to escape had no way to retreat. They all returned to their original places, roaring to the sky and crying bitterly.

"Uuuuuu——"

Seeing this scene, Li Chengqian, who was standing on the high platform, glanced at them indifferently with an expressionless face.

As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune come from no door but are brought upon oneself.

These people should have just watched the fun, but they insisted on getting involved in things they shouldn't have, which ended up scaring themselves. They are truly pitiful people, and there must be something hateful about them.

It is no wonder that ancient regimes adopted the policy of keeping the people ignorant to govern them.

Because many people are blindly obedient, they do not have the ability to distinguish right from wrong, they just let things take their course, and eventually they are exploited by people with ulterior motives.

And it is they who often suffer.

"Ugh!"

Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh, then looked at the victims.

Although they came with great force, no victims dared to approach the rain-praying platform.

One reason was that they obtained some food from the county town, and the other was that Li Shimin mobilized the imperial guards near Chang'an City and guarded the altar fully armed.

Even though they were filled with resentment towards the prince, they had to wait until the prayer for rain had paid off.

At this moment, the Minister of Works, Duan Lun, approached Li Chengqian and said nervously, "Your Highness, the hot air balloon is ready, and the rocket for praying for rain is in the basket. When do you think we can start praying for rain?"

"Just now!"

Li Chengqian said this calmly, then glanced at Li Shimin in the audience. He found that Li Shimin was also looking at him, and couldn't help but smile knowingly: "The audience is all here. If I don't perform now, the show will be ruined!"

"Uh, this."

Duan Lun's face was filled with fear, and he said cautiously, "Your Highness, do you really want to pray for rain yourself? This hot air balloon is quite dangerous."

"What's wrong with Minister Duan? Do you not trust me, or do you not trust the craftsmen from your Ministry of Works?"

"This"

Duan Lun was speechless and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Li Chengqian walked up to the platform, picked up the simple loudspeaker, and shouted:
"Everyone, today I, Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, am commanded by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to pray for rain for the people. Heaven and earth can bear witness, the sun and moon can illuminate, and my clear heart is known to all, both humans and gods!"

When these words were spoken, the whole audience was shocked and the whole world paid attention.

Although they didn't know how Li Chengqian managed to transmit his voice so far, just this one sentence instantly shocked everyone present.

Including the crying people of Chang'an, the officials from aristocratic families with ulterior motives, and Li Shimin and others sitting in the audience.

"This kid's methods are really endless!" Li Shimin said with emotion.

Li Chengqian was seen holding a loudspeaker and climbing into the hanging basket in front of everyone.

Immediately afterwards, a scene that shocked the whole world appeared in everyone's eyes.

A huge hot air balloon slowly rose in full view of the crowd.

Li Chengqian, who was standing on it, and a pilot in charge of controlling the hot air balloon, looked at them expressionlessly.

This scene can be described as shocking.

"Oh my God! His Highness the Crown Prince can fly! His Highness the Crown Prince is flying!"

"Look! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is flying up to pray for rain!"

"What!? How is this possible? How is this possible?!"

Countless people saw this scene and exclaimed in surprise.

Even Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Du Ruhui and others were staring at Li Chengqian and the others in amazement.

Although they had known for a long time that hot air balloons could fly, and even Li You had flown one once, they still couldn't help but lose their composure when they saw someone flying in front of them.

"Damn it! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is truly amazing! He can actually fly!" Cheng Yaojin stared with surprise on his face.

The other ministers were equally stunned.

However, Changsun Wuji, who was used to seeing hot air balloons, seemed very calm. He even took out a telescope calmly and looked up.

It wasn't until the hot air balloon reached about two thousand meters that he couldn't help but show a hint of excitement and blurted out, "Clouds are coming! The prince is going to pray for rain!"

"Ok?"

When Li Shimin heard his voice, he was slightly startled, then turned his head and looked at him, with a puzzled look on his face, "Wuji, what are you holding in your hand?"

"Ah? This..."

Zhang Sun Wuji was startled when he heard Li Shimin's question. He quickly put away the telescope in his hand and shook his head, saying, "No, nothing, just a bamboo tube!"

"Bamboo tube?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly: "Bring it to me and let me see it!"

"Your Majesty, look at this, you shouldn't..."

“Bring it here quickly!”

"Yes Yes Yes"

Seeing that Li Shimin was about to get angry, Changsun Wuji quickly handed over the telescope in his hand.

Li Shimin took the telescope and looked at it carefully. He knew without thinking that it must be something made by Li Chengqian, so he imitated Changsun Wuji and brought the telescope close to his eyes.

"what!"

When Li Shimin saw the picture in the telescope, he was so shocked that he almost dropped the telescope on the ground.

Seeing this, Wushe hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty! What's wrong with you?!"

"No, it's okay."

Li Shimin waved his hand with lingering fear, then glared at Changsun Wuji fiercely, and once again mustered up courage to bring the telescope close to his eyes.

Li Chengqian was clearly seen in the telescope, standing next to the hanging basket, watching the clouds and taking out the rocket.

Then, with a loud 'boom', a beam of fire shot straight into the cloud, and in the depths of the cloud, a beam of fire erupted.

Suddenly, clouds rolled in.

When the people on the ground saw this scene, they were so shocked that they were speechless.

Only after Li Chengqian had released all the rockets in the basket and saw something falling from the clouds did he pull out a simple loudspeaker and shout, "Rain is coming!"

The sound spread in all directions, shocking everyone.

pat!

A drop of rain fell into the mouth of a disaster victim with chapped lips.

He subconsciously touched his lips and felt a hint of moisture. Just as he was about to stick out his tongue to taste it, he suddenly felt traces of raindrops on his eyes, forehead, and arms. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"It's raining! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's prayer for rain was successful!"

I don't know who shouted, but the whole audience exploded in excitement.

Those officials from the five surnames and seven noble families collapsed to the ground in grief.

In a moment, countless raindrops fell from the sky like a river.

　[Also, I’m writing now, please vote for me. It’s the last day, otherwise it will expire.]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)