Chapter 48 Xuanwu Gate Inheritance System
Qin Dynasty.

"Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, is very smart." Ying Zheng clapped his hands and sighed.

Without mentioning the positions expressed by the ministers around Li Yuan after the battle, and Li Yuan's flexible attitude, we will only talk about the battle process before Li Shimin.

Although this was just a simple summary, as an emperor who often encountered assassinations and had already made extremely sophisticated defenses, Ying Zheng was still able to identify various problems from it.

In fact, not only Ying Zheng, but all the ministers of the Qin Dynasty who were related to the emperor's defense could see the problem.

Li Shimin was ambushing in the palace, how did he bring people in? It wasn't just people, there were also weapons and horses. Although it should have been done in secret by various means, was Li Yuan stupid enough to allow Li Shimin to do this?
It was still about the ambush in the palace. How did Li Shimin ambush? There must be guards patrolling the palace. What’s more important is that not only was there no patrol to report it, but Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji didn’t find out that something was wrong until they ran to the Linhu Palace… This shows that although the guards in the palace seemed to be blind and didn’t know that Li Shimin was ambushing, they still stood guard as usual!

Furthermore, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji had a fight in the palace. Although it was not big, it was noisy. In addition, while the two sides were fighting at Xuanwu Gate, Li Yuan was also boating in the sea pool, which clearly showed that he was being controlled.

The emperor's palace had been infiltrated by him to this extent. Among those who did not work for Li Yuan, not all of them would have defected to Li Shimin. There must be some who "follow whoever has the greater power", but in the end they all sided with Li Shimin.

In addition, the important officials who followed Li Yuan on the boat trip to the sea pool had some trust in him to take care of his son's affairs. These important officials reacted in this way. One has to say, Li Shimin, Li Shimin...

Why is it that among my sons, there is no one of this level?
Qin Shi Huang was not the only one who discovered these problems. Many emperors and ministers discovered the great terror hidden behind the simple narrative. For the emperor, this was of course a great terror. His own imperial guards actually defected to another person. Wasn't it the danger of his head falling off at any time?
Moreover, Li Yuan was most likely already under control - he was able to enter the palace and quietly ambush Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji as usual. How could Li Shimin not control Li Yuan first?

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Liu Che sighed and looked down on him: "Li Yuan still failed to control the situation. He couldn't even control his own power. What else could he be capable of? Moreover, he failed to handle the issues of the crown prince and his sons. He is also a failure as a father!"

I am different. I will never allow anyone to deceive my eyes and ears or go against my wishes. Similarly, such a thing will never happen between me and my son!
Liu Che's character was one of pride to the core.

"No, there is another question." Wei Qing said. Apart from Li Shimin, there were also many things about Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. "Your Majesty, the miracle said that not long after the death of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, the troops of the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qi's Mansion came to attack Xuanwu Gate, and they were elite soldiers in formation."

After hearing this, Liu Che suddenly understood why the troops from the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qi's Palace came so quickly? Moreover, they attacked directly in formation and fought for a long time without retreating. Although it can be said that they saw the people from the Prince of Qin's Palace, there must be another reason.

What did Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji arrange before entering the palace?
Moreover, the two of them were riding horses and carrying weapons. Although it was mentioned earlier that in the early years of Wude, the sons of the Li family rode horses and carried weapons and sundries in the palace at will, but at this time, combined with the soldiers and horses of the Eastern Palace Qi Wangfu...

Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji did not know about Li Shimin's ambush in advance. To them, this was a summons from Li Yuan. When faced with Li Yuan's summons, they arranged their residences and rode on horses with weapons...

"It's so exciting!" Liu Che exclaimed. The Li family is really troublesome. "But if that's the case, then what was Li Yuan planning when he told Li Shimin that he would summon Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji tomorrow to deal with their promiscuous harem?"

He couldn't let Taibai Jingtian's second son, who had had sex three times, go without saying, but he couldn't let go of this "promiscuous harem" either. So, what exactly did he think of his three sons...

[To be more specific, it all started with the incident where Li Shimin led his troops into the palace to ambush.

At this time in the Tang Dynasty, the defense of the palace generally relied on the guard troops, which included various functions such as close guards, palace patrols, and access control.

The system of the imperial guard corps at that time was sixteen guards, of which twelve were the twelve guards of Li Shimin's "Twelve Guards Generals" mentioned earlier. They led troops from all over the country, stayed in the center to defend the capital, and garrisoned the capital.

The remaining four guards were responsible for the defense of the Forbidden Palace and the protection of the emperor, namely the Left and Right Gate Guards and the Left and Right Thousand Oxen Guards.

In addition to these sixteen guards, there was also a guard stationed in the North Garden of Xuanwu Gate, called the "Yuan Cong Forbidden Army", which consisted of 30,000 soldiers who voluntarily stayed behind to guard the Taiyuan army when the army was disbanded after the reunification.

Ming Dynasty, Yongle period.

"So, the entire guard, or most of them, have sided with Emperor Taizong." Zhu Di affirmed. If you want to stage a coup, or a coup against an emperor who has not lost his power and title, you must be able to control the palace guards. Yes, this is the coup against Li Yuan. Before killing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, Li Shimin should have basically controlled the palace.

Being able to conduct palace warfare is definitely not an effect that can be achieved by slightly infiltrating the Imperial Guards. Whether it is to allow soldiers to enter the palace through simple infiltration, or to mobilize the infiltrated soldiers and soldiers placed in the Imperial Guards to ambush, it is impossible.

Zhu Di and others knew that Li Shimin's soldiers fighting in the palace were cavalrymen with armor and weapons. It was impossible to bring in horses, weapons and armor with simple infiltration; and if the entire imperial army had not already turned to him, he would have been discovered if he only let the soldiers who were placed in it to ambush.

Zhu Zhanji added: "Not only the guards, but also many palace maids probably surrendered." After all, although the guards were in charge of guarding the imperial palace, some palace gate keys were in the hands of the palace maids.

[There are two records about Li Shimin leading his troops into the palace to ambush.

On June 4, Wu Ji, together with Yuchi Jingde, Hou Junji, Zhang Gongjin, Liu Shili, Gongsun Wuda, Dugu Yanyun, Du Junchuo, Zheng Rentai, Li Mengchang and nine others, entered Xuanwu Gate to attack Jiancheng and Yuanji and pacified them.

Among them, in the first year of Zhenguan, Zhangsun Wuji "was ranked first in merit and was promoted to Duke of Qi."

Du Junchuo was "handed over the imperial chariot, and arrows reached the palace", Zheng Rentai was "armed by soldiers and gathered in the palace", Pang Qingyun "prepared for difficulties with his career and demonstrated his loyalty", and Li Mengchang "great evil was eliminated and great rewards arrived quickly". 】

Tang Dynasty, the ninth year of Wude.

Li Yuan, who had been involved in the coup, sneered and said nothing.

Although he recognized the brilliant achievements of his second son and agreed that the Tang Dynasty could develop better under his leadership, he still could not control his resentment when the Xuanwu Gate incident was mentioned.

At that time, his second son really surprised him. He really didn't expect that his palace, which seemed extremely safe at ordinary times, was actually like a sieve, full of loopholes. In other words, the most critical nodes were all leaked to the King of Qin.

Tang Dynasty, the eighth year of Wude.

Li Yuan, sitting at the head of the group, also sneered and gnashed his teeth: "Erlang, do you have any surprises that Ye Ye doesn't know about?"

"Imperial Chariot", "Chenwei", "Danye", "Zichen"...

If it was said before that it was targeting Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, then these few words really revealed the fatal point - the emperor!
Even if it was the crown prince, these words would not be used. The only person who could be referred to by these words was the emperor. Li Shimin was definitely targeting himself, the emperor.

After questioning Li Shimin, Li Yuan did not stop. He looked at Li Jiancheng, who was staring at Li Shimin fiercely at this time: "What about you? Do you have any surprises that Yeye doesn't know?"

[Another record is: On June 4, Taizong led Zhangsun Wuji, Yuchi Jingde, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Yuwen Shiji, Gao Shilian, Hou Junji, Cheng Zhijie, Qin Shubao, Duan Zhixuan, Qu Tutong, Zhang Shigui and others to execute them at Xuanwu Gate. This record includes a wider range of people, including civil officials and military generals, and even Yuwen Shiji, who went boating with Li Yuan in Haichi, was among them.]

Tang Dynasty, the eighth year of Wude.

Li Jiancheng sighed deeply, his face turned pale and he looked a little exhausted.

He was indeed furious after learning that Li Shimin had killed him in the Xuanwu Gate coup, but he felt that he was powerless to break the deadlock: the palace guards had completely sided with Li Shimin, and even assisted him in controlling Li Yuan and ambushing himself and the fourth brother. The moment he and the fourth brother stepped into the palace gate, the outcome was doomed.

Even if he and the fourth brother still had two thousand elite soldiers, it would not be of much use. After all, the guards had all become Li Shimin's men, and they would probably help him fight against his elite troops.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a strong sense of disappointment towards Li Yuan: Hey, how did you become the emperor, how could you make all the guards become Li Shimin's men?

[So, what is the status of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji who are about to be summoned by Li Yuan?

Before entering the palace, Li Jiancheng called Li Yuanji to discuss. Li Yuanji's suggestion was "It is better to stop the soldiers in the palace, pretend to be sick and not go to court, and observe the situation." Don't go yet, stay in the palace to prepare the soldiers and horses, and then see the situation.

Li Jiancheng thought: "The military preparations are already strict, I should go in with my brother to ask for information myself." The troops are already prepared, and now it is time to go in and check the situation.

Then, two men entered the palace from Xuanwu Gate, riding horses and carrying weapons.

Tang Dynasty, the eighth year of Wude.

Li Yuan looked at Li Jiancheng and asked, "Are the troops ready? What kind of troops have you and Silang prepared?"

Li Jiancheng remained silent. Everyone knew the truth about this matter and there was really nothing to say.

[When they arrived at the Linhu Palace, they realized something was wrong and prepared to go back, but then they saw Li Shimin wearing armor, riding a horse and holding weapons.

One can imagine how they felt at that time.

Faced with the critical situation, Li Yuanji took the lead in fighting, but perhaps due to his own martial arts level or because he was too emotionally shaken, he shot several arrows but missed Li Shimin. On the contrary, Li Shimin drew his bow and shot Li Jiancheng with one arrow, killing him.

At this time, Yuchi Jingde also arrived with seventy cavalrymen, and shot Li Yuanji with a few arrows, causing him to fall off his horse.

However, Li Shimin also encountered some problems. His horse rushed into the woods and he himself was caught on a branch and could not get up for a while.

Li Yuanji originally rushed over and wanted to strangle Li Shimin with a bowstring, but was stopped by Yuchi Jingde. He then wanted to escape to the Wude Hall, but was chased and killed by Yuchi Jingde again.

Li Yuanji ran to the Wude Hall, probably hoping to find Li Yuan, but Li Yuan had also been controlled. 】

Tang Dynasty, the eighth year of Wude.

Li Yuanji's eyes were bloodshot and he was extremely angry. He began to curse Li Shimin, saying that he had wolfish ambitions and disregarded human ethics.

In the silence of everyone, only his angry curses could be heard for a while.

Tang Dynasty, the third year of Zhenguan.

Li Shimin, who suddenly began to recall his dark history, had a slightly complicated expression. These were indeed his decisions, but in the end it was still a fratricide and was not worth promoting.

Shaking his head, he said to everyone present: "You all must be loyal to me. I own the world thanks to your efforts." He did not use "I" but "I".

The important officials present declined politely, but they all sensed the emperor's intention.

[The troops that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had deployed before entering the palace also learned the news and began to move.

The Eastern Palace Guard General Feng Li and Deputy Guards Xue Wanche, Xie Shufang and others led 2,000 elite soldiers from the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qi's Palace to the Xuanwu Gate.

At this time, those guarding the Xuanwu Gate included Zhang Gongjin from the Qin Palace, and the Zuotunwei guards who were guarding the Xuanwu Gate, led by Chief Jing Junhong and General Lu Shiheng.

Facing the attacking Second Palace soldiers, Zhang Gongjin was extremely brave and closed the gate alone, blocking Feng Li and others outside the Xuanwu Gate. The guards were led by Jing Junhong and fought side by side with the Qin Wangfu soldiers to fight against the Second Palace soldiers.

On the sky curtain appeared a scene where the imperial guards and soldiers from the Prince of Qin's mansion joined forces to fight against the soldiers from the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qi's mansion.

I have to say, it's a bit funny.

[Jing Junhong and Lu Shiheng both died in battle here. The two sides fought for a long time. Seeing that they could not take the city down after a long siege, Xue Wanche pretended to attack the Qin Palace. The soldiers of the Qin Palace who were there were a little frightened.

At this time, Yuchi Jingde arrived with the heads of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and the soldiers of the Prince of Qin's Mansion and Changsun Shunde's Zuo Xiaowei came to support. The palace soldiers began to disintegrate, and Xue Wanche and Feng Li fled.

Speaking of the palace soldiers attacking the Prince of Qin's Palace, was Li Shimin prepared for this?

The answer is yes. Among the participants in the Xuanwu Gate in the second paragraph, Gao Shilian was doing this. On the fourth day of June, Gao Shilian led people to the prison, released the prisoners, distributed weapons, and then led these people to Fanglin Gate.

Fanglin Gate is the northern gate of the outer city of Chang'an, located between the Qin Palace, that is, Hongyi Palace, and Xuanwu Gate. Controlling this gate, on the one hand, can prevent or delay the palace soldiers from attacking the Qin Palace, and on the other hand, if Li Shimin's coup fails, Fanglin Gate can also facilitate Li Shimin's evacuation.

After everything was over, Yuchi Jingde went to meet Li Yuan. Yuchi Jingde was in a state of "wearing armor and holding a spear, and went straight to Emperor Gaozu." 】

(End of this chapter)