Great Tang princess

Chapter 728 Official departure
"So what?" Li Xian was puzzled.

Li Yuechen shook his head: "In fact, we may be in the middle of two small ice ages, so the climate is pleasant and suitable for the development of the country."

Wu Zetian raised his eyebrows: "Little Ice Age?",

She didn't seem to understand the term, and asked what it meant with her eyes.

"The Little Ice Age is a phenomenon in which the temperature of the Earth's climate has dropped significantly... Generally speaking, it occurs every few hundred years." Li Yuechen explained.

"So?" Li Xian raised his eyebrows.

"Climate changes during the Little Ice Age may have affected the change of dynasties and the fate of the country." Li Yuechen blew on the hot air on the teacup, "So we are standing at a lucky time."

Li Xian obviously didn't believe this set of rhetoric: "How can you tell?"

"According to ancient records, during the period of Emperor Heng of the Han Dynasty, there were still more than 600 million households in the country, but by the end of the Three Kingdoms period, there were only about 150 million households." Li Yuechen replied, "Brother should know these things, right?"

The royal children of this era may not be very good in subjects such as arts and sciences.

But in terms of classics and history subsets, I have been familiar with them since I was a child, and I basically know them all.

Li Xian naturally did the same, but he obviously didn't believe it was caused by the climate: "But it was because of the long-term war that caused the population to drop sharply?"

However, Li Yuechen shook his head slightly: "Compared to wars, famine and plague are the most serious problems. Again, as far as the common people are concerned, as long as they don't starve to death, it is impossible to rebel. But the arrival of the Little Ice Age has led to a decrease in food production. , can’t afford to eat, and this will lead to uprisings all over the country..."

This angle was somewhat novel to the ancients, and Wu Zetian fell into thinking.

But for Li Xian, it is still difficult to accept that the fate of a dynasty is related to climate temperature: "But what does this have to do with dynasty change?"

"The temperature drops, leading to cold weather, which will lead to drought and reduced food production... The chain reaction will naturally become the reason for the change of dynasties. For example, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the weather gradually became colder. Emperor Wudi of Liang said in his book: Great Harmony In June of the third year, there was frost in Qingzhou Mountains."

It was supposed to be the hottest period in June, but there was frost. You can imagine how weird the weather was at that time.

However, this is not over yet, Li Yuechen continued: "Emperor Xiaojing's book said: In March of the second year of Tianping, Xinwei, there has been a long drought, so he ordered the capital and counties and counties to collect the bones; Sui Shu Wuxing Zhi said: Eastern Wei Tianping four years , Bing, Si, Fen, Jian, Jin, Jiang, Qin, Shaanxi and other states suffered severe drought, and many people dispersed..."

Listening to Li Yuechen's little explanation, Wu Zetian gently picked up the teacup: "Chen'er means that the Northern and Southern Dynasties perished because of the drought caused by the colder climate, and they were replaced by the former Sui Dynasty?"

Li Yuechen nodded, indicating that he was right.

"What about the collapse of the Sui Dynasty? That's because the weather isn't cold, right?"

"The reason is the same. Years of wars have resulted in a decrease in food production. If the people can't eat, they will naturally rebel. Besides, there was a plague in the last years of the Sui Dynasty!" Li Yuechen replied.

"However, since then, the weather has gradually warmed up. During the Taizong Dynasty and the First Emperor's period, there were even outbreaks of locust plagues many times..."

Such an answer made everyone in Jixian Hall unable to help but fall silent.

It is really unexpected that there is such a reason behind the change of dynasty.

From this point of view, it does seem to have some truth.

Wu Zetian raised his head suddenly: "Then Chen'er said, how should we avoid it?"

"Let Qin Tianjian start research in this area, not only to study astronomical good and bad, but also to study geography and meteorology. At the same time, various food experiments cannot be stopped to prevent such emergencies." Li Yuechen replied.

Li Xian was a little scared by what she said: "Is it too late? Then what if..."

"Brother, don't worry, we are currently in a warm period, and there should be more than 200 years before the next Little Ice Age..." Li Yuechen smiled and waved his hands, telling him not to worry.

"Since there are still 200 years left, do I need to wait for this matter?" Li Xian felt a little troubled.

"If you don't start to think of a solution at this time, it will be too late to think about it later." Li Yuechen shook his head with a smile, "For some things, it is not a bad thing to prepare in advance."

Wu Zetian also nodded, expressing her agreement with her daughter.

"In short, with the reform of the provincial system in the future, these things must be gradually improved..." Li Yuechen said slowly while drinking tea.

Wu Zetian took this very seriously. After today's conversation, she gained a deeper understanding of climate, an issue that is not usually taken seriously.

……

In a blink of an eye, the first month has passed, and the time has come to February.

On the third day of February, the emperor went out to participate in the spring plowing ceremony and took Li Xian with him.

Now such a grand event is becoming more and more popular.

After all, after the results of the grain production experiment came out, the villages near Dongdu were the first to benefit.

Facing the arrival of the emperor, everyone cheered and prayed that this year's grain production could be improved to a higher level.

And Li Yuechen is in the Ministry of War, dealing with various matters before the expedition.

This time the emperor is going to personally conquer, her safety is naturally the top priority.

Therefore, in addition to the air assault unit, Qianniuwei also dispatched a special investigation company to be responsible for the emperor's security work together with the inner guard.

All the emperor's personal court ladies are equipped with shotguns, four double-barreled and six single-barreled.

In this era, with such firepower, it is definitely no problem to protect the emperor.

……

After a month of preparation, everything was finally settled and ready to go.

On the night of the first day of March, three airships slowly took off from Xuanwu Gate, gradually rose to an altitude of [-] meters in the dark, and headed straight for Yizhou.

When the airship was completely level, everyone sitting in the chairs unfastened their seat belts.

The guards immediately got up and surrounded Wu Zetian.

She smiled slightly: "On this airship, it doesn't have to be like this."

Although the emperor himself was relaxed, the guards did not dare to relax at all.

You know, this is the emperor, but losing a hair is an unforgivable sin for them.

Li Yuechen also leaned on the back of the chair and waved his hands: "Don't be nervous at this time, as long as you follow the usual training, naturally there will be no problem."

After hearing her words, the guards relaxed somewhat.

As a princess with many resounding legends, her words carry the most weight in the army.

Wu Zetian sat by the bed, turned her head and looked at the night sky outside the window.

In fact, there is nothing to see, it is pitch black, basically you can't see anything.

But even so, Wu Zetian's eyes were still deep.

Sitting next to him, Li Yuechen asked softly, "What is A Niang thinking about?"

"It's just incredible. No matter how many times I ride, it's hard to imagine that people can fly in the sky." Wu Zetian smiled slightly, his eyes still staring at the night scene outside the window.

"People's creativity is always unlimited. In the future, not only can they go to the sky, but they can also escape to the sea." Li Yuechen said with a smile.

Wu Zetian still believed her daughter's words, but shook her head regretfully: "It's a pity that my mother won't be able to see that scene..."

"Maybe Aniang will be reincarnated at that time, it's hard to say." Li Yuechen brought a cup of tea to her with a smile.

Li Xian on the side propped his chin with one hand: "Yuechen, don't talk nonsense, Auntie lives a long life, how can..."

"Okay, okay, mother knows that Saburo is filial, but birth, old age, sickness and death are the laws of heaven and earth, and no one can escape." Wu Zetian waved his hand, signaling his son not to comfort her.

Like her father Li Zhi, she can see things like this openly. She has never tried anything like elixir, nor has she fantasized about pursuing immortality.

Li Xian wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he finally didn't say anything.

Since the mother is so open-minded, there is really no need to advise the son.

After all, people who are about to turn 80 years old, there is nothing to say about this kind of thing.

Being able to live to this age is already considered a miracle in this era.

……

One night passed, and when the sun penetrated the glass window the next morning and entered the airship, Li Yuechen had already woken up early.

Because there is no way to practice running and jumping on the airship, so I just practiced yoga for a while and then came out.

Yiluoru came over: "Your Highness, we are almost here, so there is no need to have breakfast on the airship, right?"

"Well," Li Yuechen nodded slightly, "The mustard biscuits are dry and hard, let's eat something warm when it lands."

At this time, Li Xian also came out from inside yawning, rubbing his eyes as he walked, as if he was not awake.

Li Yuechen said with a smile: "Yo, brother got up really early today."

"It's not Lian'er... Tell me that I will see Run'er soon, and act like a grandpa..." Li Xian complained in a low voice.

This expedition is of great significance, so not only the crown prince Li Xian is here, but also the crown princess Wei Lian'er.

On the other two airships, there are even envoys from other countries.

Those who knew it was here to fight, but those who didn't know it thought it was some royal event.

"The lesson is right, how can you look sleepy in front of outsiders, your dignified prince." Li Yuechen smiled, and then pushed him to wash up.

After a while, Wu Zetian also came out wearing a crown.

In fact, she got up early, but it was too troublesome to put on the crown, and it took nearly half an hour to get dressed up and down.

But there is no way, on formal occasions, the emperor should indeed dress more grandly.

Li Yuechen thought, after Li Chongrun sat on the dragon chair in the future, it would be better to wear the general uniform as a regular uniform.

Anyway, the emperor is from the army, so it doesn't matter if he wears a military uniform, and it won't look too casual.

But the military uniform is not as complicated as the Dagon Mian, and there is no need to wear beads on the head, which is already very convenient.

After the sun came out completely, the airship also began to slowly descend.

Now that I leaned over to the window, I could already see the dark crowd below and the scattered buildings.

The airship will land directly in the Yizhou Military Region, which belongs to the plateau mountainous area, and the temperature is still a bit low.

Li Xian asked his mother very concerned: "Ma'am, do you feel cold?"

"No problem, this crown is quite warm." Wu Zetian waved his hand slightly to express his indifference.

The three airships slowly landed on the square behind the training ground. Before they stopped, Wei Lian'er, who was sitting by the window, had already patted Li Xian's shoulder: "Look, Your Highness, it's Run'er!"

Li Xian turned his head and saw his son Li Chongrun, at the front of the phalanx, looking at him.

His hair was cut a lot shorter, and he wore a very short ponytail. He held his head high and looked very energetic.

He was dressed in a pure black military uniform, with two stars on his shoulders, standing there looking extremely tall and straight.

His stature is not too low, and he stands out among the crowd.

Li Xian smiled slightly: "Well, I haven't seen you for a long time, but I feel much more refreshed."

……

The cabin door opened, and the senior officials of the Ministry of War went down first, and then Wu Zetian walked down slowly amidst the urging of the guards.

Zhang Chengxin and Shangguan Wan'er stood beside her, and outside were a group of guards with shotguns.

Although they were all dressed as court ladies, but looking at their tall and straight figures and sharp eyes, they would not be regarded as real court ladies.

The other two airships were the chief minister of the cabinet, Di Renjie, and envoys from other countries.

It can be said that this expedition is basically equivalent to moving most of the imperial court here.

Of course not all the cabinet came, only Di Renjie followed.

This is enough to explain the emperor's attitude towards this battle.

As soon as these foreign envoys arrived, their eyes widened before they recovered from the airship.

On the opposite side were three black phalanxes. All the soldiers were wearing black military uniforms and stood there with serious faces.

Although these foreign envoys have seen such soldiers in Dongdu, after all, the inner guards of the palace also usually dress like this.

But all they could see were sporadic patrolling people. Where had they seen this phalanx of thousands of people?
I was even taken aback at first, just looking at it felt full of oppression.

Brothers Li Shouli and Li Shouyi led a group of high-ranking officers and walked over here in neat steps.

Everyone walked in unison, as if there was only one person, and the sound of footsteps was amplified many times.

This sense of oppression made the surrounding foreign envoys unable to resist taking a step back, while thinking in their hearts that they must not be enemies with Da Zhou.

This kind of soldier is terrible. He obviously doesn't wear armor on his body and doesn't have any weapons in his hands, but he looks very oppressive.

When they came to the emperor, everyone stopped in unison.Then, together with the three phalanxes behind them, everyone raised their hands and saluted at the same time, saying in unison: "Long live my emperor!"

Thousands of people shouted in unison, and the sound waves even formed a shock wave and exploded around, causing an echo in the surrounding mountains.

Wu Zetian had a gratified smile on his face, and then gently raised his hand: "All officers and soldiers are welcome!"

With a "crash", all the soldiers put down their hands together.

Only then did Li Shouli show a smile, looking at Li Yuechen beside the emperor: "Aunt!"

(End of this chapter)