Li Shimin did not comment on Fang Er's unceremonious actions.
After finishing Cheng Yaojin and Chai Shao's memorials, Li Jing and Fang Xuanling reviewed Fang Er's earlier proposal.
Fang Xuanling handed the memorial in his hand to Fang Er and then turned to Li Shimin, saying,
"Your Majesty, the Sixteen Guards of the Great Tang and the six hundred Zhechong Prefectures, if all are reformed, the impact will be considerable. I believe we should proceed with caution."
Li Jing also gave the memorial to Fang Er, and after a moment of thought, he voiced his opinion.
"Old Qiao's words have merit, but it is indeed time for reform. If an enemy were to attack, and the military intelligence had to travel from the Zhechong Prefectures to the various Guards, and then be relayed to the capital, it would take a significant amount of time. As County Duke Fang suggested, establishing five major military regions, each with the authority to act independently, to command military affairs and assist the prefectures and counties in managing civilian life, would indeed increase the speed of response to enemy attacks."
After saying this, he looked at Fang Er curiously.
"I just don't know how you came up with this military system, County Duke Fang?"
Fang Er casually replied, "My mother-in-law informed me in a dream."
Then he began to read the contents of the memorial.
Fang Xuanling: ...
Li Jing: ...
Good heavens, it was Princess Pingyang who appeared in a dream?
Li Shimin excitedly slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Fang Er. "What else did your mother-in-law tell you in her dream?"
Fang Er began to search his mind for events that would occur in the year and a half following Zhenguan Year Two. He had blamed Princess Pingyang a few times before, so this time he would try some foresight to increase credibility.
Heh heh heh heh, so cunning. It is now mid-July of Zhenguan Year Two. What is about to happen soon? Got it!
"Your Majesty, my mother-in-law said that in five days, the ninth imperial son, Zhi, will be born."
Li Shimin froze for a moment, then instructed Deng Dengjie, "Little Dengzi, summon the imperial physicians!"
An hour later, several imperial physicians arrived at the Liangji Hall, following Deng Dengjie.
"I ask you, how much longer until the Empress gives birth? When you felt her pulse before, did you discern if it was an imperial son or an imperial daughter?"
The imperial physicians exchanged glances. The leader took out a booklet from his robes, flipped through it a few times, and then replied,
"Replying to Your Majesty, if there are no unexpected complications, the ninth imperial son is expected to be born in five days."
It was truly five days! And they were even correct about the gender!
Li Shimin waved his hand, signaling the imperial physicians to withdraw.
"Your Majesty, my mother-in-law also mentioned one other matter."
Fang Er cupped his hands and continued to speak.
"My mother-in-law said that in Zhenguan Year Three, there will be a great drought across the land, and the people will suffer greatly. I hope Your Majesty will prepare early. Otherwise, when the drought strikes, people will eat their children, and the roads will be littered with the starved dead!"
There was also drought this year, but it was not too severe. However, the great drought of Zhenguan Year Three was recorded in history. He might as well take this opportunity to remind Li Shimin about it. With the news of Li Zhi's birth in five days, the matter of the great drought would be more believable.
This time, not only Li Shimin was stunned, but even Fang Xuanling and Li Jing were shocked. Just as Fang Er had thought, with Li Zhi's impending birth, the three of them did not doubt the great drought next year at all. Since Princess Pingyang had personally appeared in a dream to issue a warning, the drought must have been more severe than usual.
"Duke Fang!"
"Your servant is here!"
"Go and discuss with Du Yiyang, and draft a set of regulations. Since the drought is known in advance, I will not permit the occurrence of cannibalism!"
"Yes!"
"Duke of Wei!"
"Your servant is here!"
"Regarding the reform of the Guards, go back and gather the Ministry of War, and also produce a set of regulations. These two matters will be discussed at the court tomorrow!"
"Alright, you may all withdraw!"
"Yes, your servant takes his leave!"
The two bowed and withdrew, and Fang Er also followed them out of Liangji Hall. These private discussions were merely to set a general direction and to inform them in advance. He got into the helicopter and, after bidding farewell to Fang Xuanling and Li Jing, flew back to Fang Family Village. The leaders of various departments were being entertained by the Ministry of Rites, so he did not need to worry about them anymore.
The helicopter landed on the playground of the school, capturing the attention of all the children. Ma Zhou, carrying books and with a cigarette in his mouth, entered the classroom only to find it empty, which made him feel extremely awkward. After searching for a while, he discovered that hundreds of students were gathered on the playground, curiously looking at the helicopter. As he approached, he heard Fang Er's voice.
"Classmates, do you know what this is?"
"No!"
"This is called a helicopter, and it was personally made by your classmate, Li Tai! It can fly thousands of meters high and travel a thousand li in an hour!"
Hiss~~~! The students collectively gasped. It looked so awesome! They didn't know how far four thousand li was, but they had heard of a thousand-li horse. That was the fastest horse, capable of traveling a thousand li a day and eight hundred li at night. The helicopter behind the Headmaster could travel as far in an hour as a thousand-li horse could in a day. It was too amazing! Many students recognized Li Tai. It was hard to imagine that the inconspicuous chubby boy could build such an amazing helicopter! At that moment, Li Tai's status in the hearts of these students instantly soared to that of an idol.
"Before, the Headmaster asked you about your aspirations. Li Tai said that the world is so vast, and he wants to see it! Now, he has built himself a helicopter that can help him travel the world. What about you? Are you still working towards your aspirations?"
Fang Er looked at the dense crowd of students in front of him, not missing any opportunity to inspire them.
"Headmaster!"
A student raised his hand. It was Bao'er. Fang Er smiled and nodded at him.
"Stand up and say what you want to say loudly."
Bao'er squeezed through the crowd and walked out.
"Headmaster, Bao'er has not forgotten. Bao'er said that he wants to ride a great horse, lead soldiers, and expand the territory of the Great Tang."
For the past six months, besides attending classes, Bao'er has been going to the uncles and grandfathers of the defense forces to learn how to strengthen his body.
"Believe it or not, look."
After saying that, Bao'er unbuttoned his shirt. His eight-pack abs, despite his young age, made Fang Er a little envious.
"Hahahaha, good! In that case, after school today, go find Hua Niang, and let her tailor a military uniform for you, alright?"
"Thank you, Headmaster!"
Bao'er's face flushed with excitement. This was the Headmaster's recognition of him! He had brought honor to his mother through his own efforts!
"Headmaster!"
Another person raised his hand. It was Ma Yu.
"Come out and speak."
Ma Yu walked out of the crowd, his face filled with pride.
"Headmaster, this student asked my grandfather for two mu of land this year."
"Oh? Tell me, what did you do with these two mu of land?"
Fang Er looked at him curiously.
"This student's two mu of land yielded eighty jin more wheat than my grandfather's two mu of land!"
Huo?! Fang Er was startled. How old was this child to be able to achieve a yield exceeding Old Ma Tou's?
"Come, tell me how you did it. Tell the truth, no bragging!"
Fang Er's expression was serious. Such matters should not be treated lightly; this was the foundation of the nation! Ma Yu was not intimidated at all. As if he had everything under control, he recounted the entire process of managing these two mu of land, from planting to harvesting.
He had obtained these two mu of land from Old Ma Tou and had found dozens of classmates with similar interests at school to help manage it. Before planting, they plowed deeply and applied fertilizer. Every load of fertilizer was dug out by him and his classmates from the school's latrines. After fermenting it in a pit, they dug it out, dried it, crushed it, and then spread it on the fields. For two mu of land, over a thousand square meters, while other children played after school, Ma Yu led his companions in weeding the fields. Whatever Old Ma Tou did, he and his companions learned to do. Weeding, fertilizing, and catching insects, they did everything, and even more meticulously than Old Ma Tou.
After listening to him, Fang Er couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. This eighty jin increase in yield was entirely due to human labor, with no technological content. However, what Ma Yu said next almost made his jaw drop.
"Headmaster, this student also led his classmates to meticulously select the wheat from these two mu of land. We ensured that there was not a single wild wheat stalk at harvest, and that the harvested wheat contained no grass seeds! Furthermore, this student selected dozens of wheat stalks with the largest heads from these two mu of land, and will plant them separately during the autumn sowing. This student believes that these dozens of wheat stalks will yield even higher next year!"
"My f***!"
Removing impurities? Selection? How did this little brat come up with this?