Insufficient balance

  I was just saying, after all the things that happened earlier, plus the deliberate embellishment of some people with ulterior motives, those young masters saw themselves avoiding trouble but this little white guy was scolded and still came up with a silly smile, a posture that asked for a beating. It turns out that Xiaobai's family has a tendency to be masochistic.

  It seems that some people are really too idle and bored, after going through those intense physical activities, they still have the "energy" to move around. It looks like it's necessary to let them join the army and arrange for them to do more tasks, just in case there are changes in the enemy situation, add more personnel to take turns doing time-consuming and laborious reconnaissance missions, best if they can find some fault with them and make them "train" again.

  At that time, I didn't know that he came to me for another reason, which was also due to the little girl who loved to show off. She took what she learned from me and went back to her eldest brother, who was the most talkative (in my opinion, probably the most bullying), and showed it off there. He couldn't help but be interested. However, because of his special identity, words that were originally taboo became a kind of indirect guidance when spoken by someone with a senior position, and could also be understood as part of teaching him how to be a king. Compared to great disrespect, this was another matter altogether. Adding the prince's clarification, in this situation, the reason for attacking me for being disobedient and spreading forbidden speech lacked some persuasive power, I don't know if this is my good fortune or not.

  I patted him on the shoulder and said, "You little scamp, you're a trouble magnet. On the battlefield, anything can happen. If something goes wrong, the Emperor and the Crown Prince will have my head. And if someone wants to take me down, all they need to do is create some kind of situation with you, and I'll be done for. So don't even think about getting any ideas, just listen to what I say and do as I tell you. If there's nothing going on, just stay put and don't leave my sight, got it?" (I'm taking preventive measures here - decades ago, one of the top ten marshals who fought in Korea, Peng Dehuai, died under those circumstances. No amount of merit can outweigh the life of a leader's son, even if it's not his fault. I don't want to suffer the same fate.)

  Li Shu was moved to tears, but then she couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Many people would be more restrained after knowing her identity, but this guy not only didn't hold back, but also became even more brazen, patting her on the shoulder and saying "I've got your back" and "Don't forget to bring money". The feeling of being at a loss for words was truly absurd. Perhaps experiencing life with this genuinely eccentric "bad teacher" would be the most unforgettable experience of her lifetime.

  On the other side, the crowd whispered to each other, "Do you really think that what the adults said was just a slip of the tongue? Those words were probably not only meant for us and the crown prince to hear, but also for the crown prince and those who like to stir up trouble. Didn't you notice how calm the adult was in front of the crown prince? (I was really misunderstood) This is the adult's demeanor, you guys should learn from it." Suddenly, a chorus of "oh"s and nods of agreement erupted.

  What kind of dog luck is this, in the chaos of war I picked up a little girl who turned out to be a princess, teaching someone and coincidentally taking in a young apprentice who happens to be a crown prince, falling into water to save someone and saving a younger sister instead. What kind of world is this? It's also too much like a boring plot, or else I'll go save someone again and maybe even solve the problem of finding a wife.

  I suddenly remembered that since Xiao Bai is the Taizong, he should be like Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, who was personally appointed by the old emperor as the third-generation successor. I remember that after Li Xian, there was an emperor named Li Yu, could it be him? (This seems to be a tradition in the Tang Dynasty, where the crown prince would change his name after becoming the Taizi). According to my impression, after the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty's national strength began to decline. The emperors of each generation were plagued by disasters and difficulties during their reigns. Externally, there was the powerful Uighur Khanate that had risen to power and was making excessive demands on the Tang court. Internally, eunuchs and palace officials were abusing their power and causing chaos, even replacing and deposing emperors at will. The border towns established during wartime were also unstable, sometimes surrendering and sometimes rebelling, and they would often collude with each other to defy the imperial court, becoming a major source of social unrest. Moreover, from the west, the Tibetan army had invaded and was advancing step by step, even once occupying Chang'an and establishing a puppet regime. The border garrison troops were also in disarray due to the corrupt and chaotic government, and they would often mutiny over issues such as military pay and supplies, even chasing away the emperor during their passage through Chang'an. As for his historical achievements as an emperor, I have no impression of him. My only knowledge comes from Du Fu's poems, which contain annotations praising him, saying that when he was still a Taizi, he had risked his life to intercept the Uighur army and forced their leader to make promises, a heroic feat. Such a person should be a diligent and people-loving ruler, so I'll try to reform him properly.

  Anyway, a lot of things have been collected, and the old man has also spoken out. Using those seemingly reasonable but actually nonsense great principles to deceive young people is no longer justifiable.

  Xiao Bai saw that the "boss" was looking at his eyes with a gaze that shone with some appreciation and a bit of frenzy, "I've decided".

  "Hmm..."

  "From today we start special training"

  "What special training"

  He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

  "Of course it is a crash course in understanding public sentiment"

  Speechless.

  I have made up my mind to impart all I know to him in the shortest possible time.

  "Tell me what you've learned."

  "‘Lian Shan’, ‘Gui Cang’, ‘Wen Wai Da Yi’, ‘Li Tong’, ‘Yi Shu’, ‘Sheng Zheng Lun’, ‘Shi Ji Zheng Yi’, ‘Di Wang Bian Nian Lu’, ‘San Guo Dian Lue’, ‘Gu Jin Zhao Ji’, ‘Zhen Guan Zheng Yao’, ‘Zhi Ling Gu Jin Bai Guan Zhu’, ‘Zi Gu Zhū Hóu Wáng Shàn è Lù’, ‘Xiū Shēn Yào Lǎn’, ‘Bǎi Liáo Xīn Jiè’, ‘Jing Shi Yào Lù’……” I fainted, “Why do you need to learn from so many schools? The books of sages can only teach you the principles of being a person, but they cannot solve practical problems like eating and sleeping. To put it into practice, there are still many things you need to learn. Growth requires paying a price.”

  “……”

  "Store wealth among the people, and the country will be wealthy only when the people are wealthy. A strong military can only be achieved when the country is wealthy... This wealth of the people is the economic foundation of the state... And the royal way is the superstructure of governing the country."

  After all, people who differ by a thousand years, using only the concepts that can be understood at that time to explain the relationship between superstructure and economic base in political economics, have cost me a lot of effort, not to mention some people with a look of chicken listening to duck.

  There is no way to start with the most basic land issue. The gains and losses of the people's hearts in the turmoil of past dynasties all originated from the land, and the key lies in the serious land annexation, and the farmers who lost their land and went bankrupt became the root of social unrest.

  "If our dynasty does not suppress the annexation of land, the imperial family, nobles, officials, landlords, rich merchants, and temples will swallow up the people's land like tigers and wolves. What is even more heinous is that they have a large number of tenant farmers, but conceal the amount of land and population, and refuse to pay taxes by relying on their power. As a result, the court can only collect more taxes from those peasants who still have land. Alas, the fertile land has been occupied by the aristocracy, leaving behind barren land, how can they afford the heavy tax burden? The peasants had no choice but to sell their land and become tenant farmers of the aristocracy, reducing the number of peasants with land, and the court could only collect more taxes from the remaining peasants, forcing even more peasants to sell their land. In the long run, all the land will be concentrated in the hands of officials and landlords who do not pay taxes, how can the country become strong? How can the people become rich? As agriculture is the foundation of the country, since the great-grandfather Taizong widely granted land to the people, ordered that the land be forever cultivated, and passed down through generations without being allowed to buy or sell, it was precisely to prevent the evil of land annexation. Since this dynasty came into power, we have always strictly protected the system of granting land, severely cracked down on land annexation, especially the cleverly obtained land by officials, nobles, and big households, and cleared up the hidden land reports, punishing those who concealed their landholdings. It was all to ensure that the peasants would have their own land, a plan for the ages."

  “……”

  "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it; Taizong's ancestral teachings need to be understood correctly."

  "This has been a long-standing social issue"

  To know that the common people are the most gentle and kind, heaven nurtures all things to support humans, the livelihood of the common people's families depends on this land, they multiply and thrive, pay taxes and provide labor, as long as they can pass it down through generations, they will be the court's most obedient good citizens.

  After all, there are only a handful of people with ulterior motives. However, when the poor become poorer and the rich become richer, coupled with the government's excessive taxation and local officials' corruption and exploitation, the common people sell their children and flee to other places, unable to cope with the situation. When they have nothing left but a miserable life, they will risk everything for survival. With only one life left, what can't be done for a living? Even if it means fighting to the death, there might still be a way out. The power that people unleash when fighting for their lives is the most terrifying and fearless. What's the big deal about peasant uprisings or killing officials and rebelling? Why was the Yellow Turban Rebellion able to sweep across the country in an instant? Because even if they fail, it's just losing a worthless life, and they won't have to continue suffering in this cruel world. But if they succeed, they might be able to regain what they lost, or even gain more. How can people who have no way out not yearn for that? As the saying goes, "when things go wrong, it's hard to turn back." No matter how diligent the ruler is or how loyal the officials are, even with a million strong soldiers, it's still impossible to reverse the situation. Don't you understand? The soldiers are all from the common people, and when they know their parents, wives, and children are struggling to survive, how can they fight for this government that has brought them to the brink of disaster? It would be strange if they didn't turn against it. As the sage said, "If the people do not fear death, why should we use death to threaten them?" When the foundation of the country - the common people - collapses, how can the emperor and his officials sit securely on their thrones? Naturally, they will collapse and be crushed to pieces. The Sui dynasty's vast territory, prosperous nation, strong military, and numerous able ministers and generals all collapsed in an instant, with smoke and flames rising everywhere, and most of the rebel leaders were former Sui generals. It's a lesson from history.

  Of course, Emperor Yang of Sui's extravagance and misrule were also important reasons. As the son of the emperor, he was subject to strict restrictions and therefore became more extravagant and tyrannical after coming to power. The previous dynasty's Emperor Wen of Sui was a capable ruler but not a good father, governing the country well but failing to educate his children properly. This is another example.

  “……”