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

Chapter 212 There is no eternal father and son, only eternal interests [ask for monthly ticket]

"Your Majesty! This natural disaster is a punishment from Heaven!"

The Kong family members, led by Kong Yingda, knelt in front of Li Shimin one after another.

The other Confucian officials also recited ancient books aloud behind Li Shimin.

"In general, things in heaven and earth are subject to unpredictable changes."

"Disasters are sent by Heaven, and anomalies are the power of Heaven."

Hearing these recitations, the people around who were swatting locusts, the imperial guards, and the Eastern Palace guards looked at each other in confusion.

Li Shimin and others were embarrassed, wondering what kind of people are these?
The facts are right in front of us, why are you still making a fuss?
I really read so much that I became stupid!
Then Kong Yingda, filled with grief and indignation, approached Wei Zheng and said, "Minister of the Right, why didn't you advise His Majesty to stop the locust extermination? This is defying Heaven!"

Wei Zheng frowned and glanced at Kong Yingda, then crushed a locust to death and said calmly and indifferently, "Not doing it doesn't mean I can't do it."

"you!"

Kong Yingda was so angry that he raised his finger and pointed at Wei Zheng, wanting to scold him, but knowing he couldn't win, he suppressed his anger and ran to Li Chengqian who was not far away and said, "Your Highness, you can't let them kill the locusts anymore. You will be punished by heaven!"

"Uh"

Li Chengqian was embarrassed for a moment, then looked around and nodded, "Master Kong is right. We really can't kill locusts artificially anymore!"

"His Royal Highness is wise!"

Kong Yingda was overjoyed.

But Li Chengqian changed the subject: "Since we can't kill locusts manually, let's try another method!"

"what?"

Kong Yingda looked confused.

Li Chengqian said to Sun Fujia without saying anything, "Master Sun, is everything ready over there?"

"Your Highness, we are ready!" Sun Fujia replied quickly.

Li Chengqian decisively ordered: "Release them all!"

"Yes!"

Sun Fujia responded and immediately ordered someone to blow the horn.

"Uuuuuu——"

After a horn blew, everyone was stunned.

I saw a group of people in uniform, driving a large group of countless ducks, walking out of the cage in a mighty manner.

Suddenly, the whole world was filled with the sound of "ga ga ga".

Not to mention the onlookers, even the soldiers and civilians who were catching and killing locusts were stunned by this scene.

what's the situation?
Did we read that correctly?

Why are there so many ducks?!

Although many of them knew that ducks were omnivores, relying on ducks to eliminate locusts was nothing but a pipe dream.

Especially Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng and others, when they saw this scene, they all looked at Li Shimin at the same time.

When Li Shimin saw this, his face was full of surprise.

It was obvious that he was also unaware of this matter.

However, the moment the duck army appeared, Sun Fujia ran up to him and explained, "Your Majesty, this idea was thought up by the Crown Prince!"

"I know it was the prince's idea, but where did all these ducks come from?"

Li Shimin asked as expected.

Sun Fujia smiled and said, "In fact, I only recently learned about the existence of so many ducks. However, according to Lord Ma, most of these ducks were transported from Jiangling, and some were from farmers near Chang'an!"

"Recently, the Eastern Palace Guards have been running all over Chang'an, bringing in all the available forces!"

"There are probably tens of thousands of ducks here. Can so many ducks be transported here from Jiangling?" Li Shimin said in surprise.

Sun Fujia nodded and explained, "The cargo ships from Jiangling to Chang'an are no longer the small ones they used to be. They are large ships with a load capacity of 10,000 dan. Each ship can carry thousands of ducks. It is said that ten ships were loaded with ducks, and the rest were sent to the disaster area!"

"hiss!"

When Li Shimin heard this, he couldn't help but take a breath.

A large cargo ship with a carrying capacity of 10,000 stones!

How come I have never heard of it?
Just how many cards does that kid have?!
Just as Li Shimin was feeling astonished, Yuchi Gong approached Li Chengqian and asked curiously, "Your Highness, why are you using ducks to kill the locusts instead of chickens? Or other animals?"

"Because ducks can eat more locusts in one meal than chickens, and ducks reproduce faster, other animals can't compare!"

Li Chengqian explained calmly.

that's the truth.

A duck can eat hundreds of locusts a day, and ducks particularly like to eat locust larvae, and can eat thousands of larvae a day.

Li Chengqian remembered a locust plague in a certain place in his previous life, and the Air Force had flown in ducks specifically to exterminate the locusts. The ducks quacked loudly and could eat from morning till night, requiring little supervision. The ducks would split up into groups and devour the locusts until they were sated, then line up to return to their cages. This was a simple and hassle-free operation.

In addition, ducks have an even more peculiar stomach environment. After eating poisonous locusts, ducks will automatically secrete an antidote that specifically detoxifies the locusts.

Therefore, using ducks to kill locusts is a very scientific way to eliminate them.

For the common people, they would naturally be willing to do so as long as they don’t have to be fed and can still eat their fill.

However, in the Tang Dynasty at that time, there were no large duck farmers like in later generations, so Li Chengqian could only open a farm in Jiangling and transport the ducks to Chang'an by water after they grew up.

Although the cost is a bit high, as long as it can set a good example, the people will know how to deal with locusts when they encounter a locust plague in the future.

When the duck army rushed towards the locusts, the soldiers and civilians who were busy catching them stopped what they were doing and watched the duck army cut the locusts into groups.

In the eyes of everyone, this army of ducks is like soldiers going to the battlefield, and the locusts are their enemies.

With each round of attack, the duck army became more and more courageous. At the beginning, they were obviously at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, but as more and more ducks opened their mouths and showed off wildly, the locust army began to retreat.

Everyone present was stunned.

"Just a few hundred ducks wiped out the number of locusts we just killed in an instant. This is too powerful!" Changsun Wuji murmured in surprise.

Fang Xuanling, standing by, stared at the scene with a dazed look in his eyes, sighing, "To my surprise, the main force in eliminating the locusts is actually a group of ducks!"

To be honest, not only Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling were shocked by this scene, but everyone present was shocked beyond words.

In just a moment, the duck army gained the upper hand and began to launch multiple frontal attacks or flanking attacks, tearing the locust army into pieces.

terror!
It’s so scary!

Everyone's expressions were indescribably wonderful.

A noun flashed through their minds involuntarily.

The momentum is overwhelming!

"Your Highness, this..."

Kong Yingda looked at the army of ducks in disbelief, and was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

Li Chengqian then said with amusement, "What's the matter, Master Kong? Didn't you say that people shouldn't be allowed to kill locusts? That killing locusts would bring punishment from Heaven? But the people killing locusts aren't humans, so Heaven shouldn't be bothered with a bunch of animals, right? Isn't that right, Master Kong?"

"I"

Kong Yingda opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Suddenly cheers rang out all around.

"Hahaha! That's amazing! Oh my god!"

"Yeah! These ducks are so strong! Those locusts are no match for them!"

"I give up! If I had known, I would have driven those ducks from my backyard over here!"

"No! Did you see that? These ducks plowed the locusts like they were plowing the ground. Wherever they went, the locusts were plowed clean!"

"It's incredible!"

Hearing these cheers of surprise and delight, Li Shimin recovered from his shock and became extremely excited, praising repeatedly: "Great, great! This is a great idea!"

The duck army's combat effectiveness was so strong that it was like a reassurance to all those involved in the locust eradication operation, making them full of confidence in the operation.

At this moment, the aristocratic families, Confucian officials, and descendants of Confucius were all stunned where they were, and until now they had no idea what was going on.

Because their minds were all attracted by the army of ducks.

It is hard to believe that the duck army has such great ability that it can effectively control the locust plague and eliminate locusts.

The combat effectiveness of tens of thousands of ducks is even greater than that of tens of thousands of people participating in the locust eradication operation.

This is incredible.

They stood there blankly, watching the originally pitch-black locust field being cleaned up by the army of ducks, revealing its original color, and completely forgot their idea of ​​stopping Li Shimin and his son from eliminating the locusts.

It was not until the army of ducks chased the locusts away that they reacted and their faces turned pale.

They stared blankly at Li Shimin and his son, their eyes very different from before.

fear!

Scared!
I can’t recite the ancient Confucian books that I had memorized before.

They didn't even know how to face Li Shimin and his son next.

For a moment, they were in a trance.

Is this the 'divine insect' that the ancients talked about?

Is this the 'divine insect' that is invincible to human power?

The collapse of faith spread throughout their bodies in an instant.

However, before they could react, another group of people appeared behind them, each wearing a tall white hat, a tight robe, and holding pots and pans.

Anyone who has been to the Prince's Mansion or has had contact with people there knows that these people are the chefs of the Prince's Mansion.

However, they couldn't understand why the chef from the Prince's Mansion came here?

Could it be that they are going to cook here?

Thinking of this, everyone looked at the chefs with curiosity.

A guard of the Eastern Palace was seen carrying a sack. In front of everyone's horrified gaze, he poured the locusts in the sack into a large vat brought by the chefs.

Then, Sun Fujia shouted loudly: "These locusts are the first batch to be killed. They have been resting for a while. We can fry them and eat them first!"

"What!?"

Hearing this, everyone felt their scalps tingle instantly.

What the hell!

Is the Prince's Mansion serious?!

Is this thing really edible?!
"No, I thought the content on the flyer was a joke!"

"I thought it was fake too! How is this possible?"

"Ah! How can you eat locusts?!"

Hearing these surprised and doubtful voices, Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji and others looked at each other in confusion.

Especially Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin, they couldn't wait to rush to the group of chefs and watch them skillfully set up the wok, heat the oil, and then use a colander to scoop up the locusts in the big vat, drain the water, and fry them, all in one go.

The moment the locusts were put into the pot, a smell that had never been experienced before instantly hit my nose.

Yuchi Gong and Cheng Yaojin were so shocked that they were stunned.

"Your Highness, is this thing really edible?" Yuchi Gong couldn't help swallowing.

Li Chengqian smiled and raised his eyebrows: "Why, you don't believe me?"

"It's not that we don't trust His Royal Highness, but it's just that killing these locusts is fine, but eating them..."

Cheng Yaojin interjected, "I've never heard of it!"

"Can't I eat it if I haven't heard of it?"

Li Shimin came over and said with a smile, "What if it tastes good?"

"Uh"

Wei Zheng's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but blush: "Your Majesty, please think twice!"

"No problem, Shangshu Youcheng eats first!"

Li Shimin waved his hand.

Damn it!
Wei Zheng's face changed drastically, and he was about to scold Li Shimin.

But then Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Don't fight with me, I want to eat first!"

"Your Highness, wait a minute, let me do it!"

Sun Fujia rushed forward, grabbed a handful of fried locusts without saying a word, and stuffed them directly into his mouth.

There was a "click".

His eyes immediately lit up.

The whole person's expression was frozen.

Fragrant!
Crispy!
crisp!
The taste immediately fills your mouth.

Sun Fujia's eyes were full of surprise, astonishment, and disbelief, and his gaze seemed to be dull.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was not lying!

The taste of fried locusts!

Really amazing!

Incredibly delicious!
"How is it, Master Sun! How does it taste?"

"Yes, Lord Sun! Don't just stand there and say nothing! Tell us quickly, what does it smell like?" Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong asked impatiently.

Sun Fujia glanced at them mechanically, and after a few seconds of reaction, he exclaimed, "It's so delicious! I've never eaten anything so delicious!"

"It's so fragrant and crispy. How can there be something so delicious in the world?!"

"I, I, I want to eat more!"

Faced with Sun Fujia's incoherent exclamation, everyone present sighed.

Soon, brave people came over and clamored to try it.

"Don't be in a hurry! Don't be in a hurry! Line up first! Come one by one!" The chefs around hurriedly asked everyone to line up.

"Wow! It's so delicious!"

Yuchi Gong exclaimed, "It's like frying small fish!"

"This is crispier than fried fish!"

Cheng Yaojin also echoed: "I have never eaten anything so delicious!"

After hearing this, everyone started trying the locusts like crazy, exclaiming in surprise after each bite.

As more and more people started eating locusts, the locusts fried by the chefs were simply not enough.

Those people simply picked up the cooled locusts on their own initiative, took them to the fire, and roasted them themselves. Their main goal was to produce and sell the locusts themselves.

Seeing how angry they were, Li Chengqian couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead, shaking his head and sighing.

It was actually very difficult for people of that era to eat meat. Although locusts were not meat in the traditional sense, they had a meaty aroma and could satisfy their long-insatiable appetite.

Ugh!
It seems that we need to pay more attention to people’s livelihood issues in the future!
Li Chengqian thought so.

At this moment, a familiar yet complex voice suddenly came from behind: "Cheng Qian!"

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned, then looked in the direction of the voice.

Li Shimin held out a fried locust, handed it to him with a smile, and said, "Try it! It tastes pretty good!"

"Did the emperor eat it too?" Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows.

Li Shimin smiled and nodded, then took out another fried locust, stuffed it into his mouth, and ate while sighing:

"I was taught Confucianism since childhood, and I believed the opinions of Dong Zhongshu, Ban Gu, and others. But even so, I still have doubts in my heart. Why can locusts eat the people's crops, while the people cannot eliminate the locusts and even have to beg the gods for forgiveness?"

"What have the people done wrong? They just want to live. Is there something wrong with living?"

"They say that Nuwa created humanity, so she must be a deity, right? If she created humanity, why would she punish them? Do parents really want their children to suffer torture and hardship?"

"This"

Li Chengqian was speechless when he heard this.

I don’t know if Li Shimin was pointing at me.

But then Li Shimin continued:
"The Minister of the Central Secretariat once told me that during the Han Dynasty, when disasters occurred, the court would be blamed and asked to apologize to the world. I find this absurd. Will the locusts disappear if the court apologizes?"

"To be honest, I don't believe it."

"So I choose to trust you because you have brought me so many surprises. Even if failure in exterminating the locusts will cause irreparable losses, I am willing to trust you and give it a try!"

"Of course!"

He then changed the subject and continued, "If the locust extermination fails, you, the Crown Prince, will definitely be held responsible! At most, I have listened to slanderous words!"

"Oh! You are truly my good father!"

Li Chengqian sneered and turned away.

Li Shimin watched him leave with a slight smile on his lips and a hint of glint in his eyes.

He knew that his relationship with Li Chengqian was no longer the same father-son relationship as before, so he felt that he should change his father-son relationship with Li Chengqian.

For example, exchange of interests.

As the saying goes, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.

The relationship between father and son can also become close because of interests.

Li Chengqian's intention to deal with the aristocratic families has become obvious.

If he could join him in suppressing the aristocratic families, it would not only be beneficial to him, but also to Li Shimin.

That's why Li Shimin expressed his attitude to him.

Whether it is success or failure, I have to share the responsibility with him.

In particular, he did not want Li Chengqian to feel that he could do whatever he wanted without restraint because he had his back.

After all, there is still a long way to go.

I can't always be his supporter.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin took a deep breath, then looked at those aristocratic families calmly, his eyes gradually becoming blurred.

"After dealing with the locusts, it's time to deal with you."

　[Please give me a monthly pass, please give me a monthly pass, please give me a monthly pass]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)