Chapter 126 December th Coup (asking for monthly votes)

The temperature in Lizheng Hall was not very high. Since Li Mingda's respiratory disease was a long-term illness, the hall had to be kept well ventilated.

Even Li Xiang, a young man with a lot of energy, felt cold after sitting in the hall for a while.

The first thing he did when he returned to the East Palace was to take out the blueprints he had drawn in Shuozhou and have someone make a few stoves and radiators.

As soon as everything was arranged, Li Chengqian brought Li Tai and Li Zhi back from Taiji Hall.

Yes, he didn't ride in the sedan chair, under the pretext of exercising, but in fact it was for Li Tai who was panting behind him.

Li Chengqian was no longer lame, so walking a few steps was no problem for him. In addition, he had good physical strength, so he walked on the road with great vigor.

Seeing that Li Tai was still panting, Li Chengqian pointed at Li Tai and said to the Crown Princess: "This Qingque is lame. He is so tired after just running a few steps."

"I... huh... suspect that you did it... on purpose... haha..." Li Tai supported Li Zhi and panted heavily behind Li Chengqian.

Li Zhi turned his head away, clearly trying not to smile.

"I'm doing this for your health. You see, you can now walk from the Taiji Hall to the East Palace. Some time ago, you had a hard time walking to the Liangyi Hall!" Li Chengqian rolled his eyes and said indifferently.

Speaking of this, Li Tai became a little excited.

F*ck his father-in-law, you use your status as the Crown Prince Regent to put pressure on me, making me accompany you on rampages every day, and now you say you are doing this for my own good?
As for why he cursed Li Chengqian's father-in-law in his heart...it was because among Li Chengqian's relatives, only his father-in-law Su Tan and Li Tai had nothing to do with him.

But then again, Li Chengqian was indeed doing this for Li Tai's own good. Although he certainly wanted to torment him, he was actually also concerned about his health.

"What is Xiang'er doing?" Li Chengqian, who had sharp eyes, saw the craftsmen hurried out and asked Su Yi.

Su Yi smiled and said, "I don't know either."

"Tsk." Li Chengqian didn't say anything, but just said to Li Jue: "Go, call your elder brother out."

Li Jue ran away happily and brought Li Xiang out soon.

"Mother." Li Xiang saluted Su Yi first, then greeted Li Chengqian and the other two: "Mother..."

Before he could finish saying the word "yeah", Li Chengqian grabbed his arm.

"Why so many gifts? We are all family. Come on, play football with me and your two uncles."

Li Xiang originally wanted to ask, "Don't you dislike football?", but seeing how excited his father was, he didn't say much.

The four of them stood on the wide platform in front of the Lizheng Hall. Li Chengqian smiled and said to Li Xiang, "Xiang'er, kick the ball to me."

Li Xiang stretched out his foot and kicked the ball accurately to Li Chengqian's feet.

"Oh, Xiang'er, your footwork is pretty good." Li Chengqian's eyes lit up.

"Aye, thank you for the compliment." Li Xiang said modestly.

"Watch me!" Li Chengqian smiled and kicked towards Li Tai's side.

The ball flew very high and Li Tai obviously couldn't reach it, so he could only turn around and chase it.

Li Chengqian put his hand on his forehead, looking at Li Tai who was running after the ball, with a contented look on his face.

Looking at his expression, it is hard to imagine that he didn't do it on purpose. At least even his own son Li Xiang didn't believe it.

The four were laughing and joking in the Lijeong Palace, but undercurrents were also surging in Goguryeo.

According to the original plan, Yeon Gaesomun and Ko Gun-mu were pulling at each other, each wanting to find a reason to get rid of the other smoothly.

After all, one side is the king, and the other side is the most powerful official of Goguryeo. No matter which side is involved, they are both deeply rooted. If the Gordian knot cannot be cut quickly, there will be endless troubles.

The two of them kept arguing until December, and even when Li Shimin had already returned from his expedition, they were still arguing.

However, Shuozhou was too far away from Pyongyang, and the last news they received was that the Uighurs were looting the Xueyantuo.

Yeon Gaesomun wrote a memorial to Go Geonmu, the gist of which was that he was planning to hold a grand military parade and wanted to invite the king and his ministers to participate in the parade before going to war.

In the palace, Gao Jianwu frowned when he received the memorial.

"Yeon Gaesomun has submitted a memorial, inviting us to attend the military parade he is hosting. What do you think?"

His son, Goguryeo Crown Prince Gao Hengquan, persuaded Gao Jianwu: "Father, this is obviously a plot. They want to take advantage of the Tang Dynasty's truce to gather you and the ministers together and wipe us out!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The ministers below were also persuading Gao Jianwu, "Yeon Gaesomun is obviously ambitious and wants us to fall into his hands and be controlled at will!"

Gao Jianwu nodded. Of course, he also felt that the matter was too strange.

How come Yeon Gaesomun invited him to participate in the military parade just after he had the intention to kill?
Could it be that... there is a traitor among my subordinates?
Or did the two of them think of the same thing?

Gao Jianwu thought for a long time. Fortunately, he still controlled the army of the royal city. At least he was not afraid of Yeon Gaesomun's desperate actions.

"But since Yeon Gaesomun has invited us to go with him, if we don't go, we will be ridiculed by the world." Someone else frowned and said, "Logically speaking, as subjects of the kingdom, we should go and participate in the military review before the troops are dispatched. If we don't go, won't we be criticized?"

Everyone thought it made sense. In this case, who knows how that outspoken bastard Yeon Gaesomun would frame them.

It would be bad if they fabricated a story that "loyal ministers were suspected" and caused a lot of trouble.

"In this case, why doesn't the king write a letter to Yeon Gaesomun to justify his expedition to Silla? The king wants to confer him the title of 'Daedeol' and see if he dares to come to the palace to accept the title?" Someone below suddenly suggested, "If Yeon Gaesomun doesn't dare to come, the king can take him down on the pretext that he is plotting rebellion; if he dares to come, he can be captured and then charged with a crime."

As soon as this suggestion was made, everyone in the palace praised it as a great idea.

"This is a great idea!" Gao Jianwu immediately adopted the suggestion.

Soon, Gao Jianwu immediately drafted an imperial edict and sent someone to Yeon Gaesomun's residence to announce it.

Seeing the ball being kicked back, Yeon Gaesomun was so angry that he laughed.

Who came up with this idea? It's too shameless, isn't it?
He wanted to lure the snake out of its hole, but the other party wanted to lead him into a trap.

What does it mean to go both ways?

However, if they forcefully stormed the palace, they might not be able to capture it quickly. After all, King Gao Jianwu still controlled the fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth guards.

Among them, the Ninth Guard was the most elite and was regarded as the personal guard of the Goguryeo kings of all generations.

"Now that the king has failed in his plan, what can we do?" Yeon Gaesomun sighed.

"We can only use force!" The eldest son Yuan said in a deep voice: "Instead of missing the opportunity, we should take the initiative and let the First Guard go!"

"Yes, father!" The second son, Yeon Nam-geon, also advised Yeon Gaesomun: "With our elite First Guard, we will definitely be able to capture the palace! Now that the palace has just announced the decree and there is no time to prepare, we should attack the palace in one fell swoop!"

"No." Yeon Gaesomun looked around and said to them, "I will report to the king now and go out to attack Silla tomorrow. I will not have time to report to the palace. When I capture the Silla queen Kim Seungman, I will personally go to the palace and present her to the king!"

"Father, are you really going to the war?" asked the third son Yuan Nanchan in a daze.

Yeon Gaesomun kicked him on the shoulder and cursed, "Idiot! How come you believed it before the king did! You bastard, do you believe it or not? I will have the guards send you to the palace as a hostage right now... huh?"

At this point, Yeon Gaesomun suddenly paused. Sometimes enlightenment comes at this moment.

"Yes, why not send you to the palace as a hostage?" Yeon Gaesomun immediately came up with an idea, which would also paralyze the king.

"No, father, normally the eldest son should be sent as a hostage, why send the youngest son..." Yuan Nanchan was still trying to figure out what was going on, but he didn't expect to be slapped on the head by Yuan Gaisuwen.

"Bullshit! We have our youngest son as a hostage, so stop shirking your responsibility. Take my letter with you and go to the palace with the envoy!" Yeon Gaesomun immediately wrote a heartfelt memorial and handed it to Yeon Nanchan.

Yuan Nanchan took a deep breath. He knew his father had made up his mind, but there was nothing he could do.

If his family lost, Gao Jianwu would never let him go; if he entered the palace, he might still have a chance of survival.

"Okay, I'll go!" Yuan Nanchan said gritting his teeth. Even if he was reluctant, it was better than being abandoned by his father.

If I fight for this family now, maybe I will be appreciated by my father when I come back alive.

"This is a good son to his father!" Yeon Gaesomun said with satisfaction.

Yuan Nanchan had no choice but to take the letter and follow the messenger into the palace.

The messenger who delivered the imperial edict looked at the dejected Yuan Nanchan in confusion, wondering what the third young master of the Yuan family wanted to do with him.

"My father was afraid that the king would be worried about me while I was away on the battlefield, so he sent me as a hostage." Yuan Nanchan sighed.

The envoy suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is. Lord Xibu is indeed a loyal minister of our Goguryeo!"

Well, he is indeed a loyal minister.

Yuan Nanchan was dejected all the way as he followed the messenger into the palace.

The envoy only felt sad that Yuan Nanchan could not follow Lord Xibu to achieve great things, and he also felt deeply moved by the loyal and brave Yuan family.

There was no other reason. Whether Gao Jianwu was plotting against Yeon Gaesomun or suspecting that Yeon Gaesomun had ill intentions, he did not let the envoy know.

Gao Jianwu was also shocked when he learned that Yeon Gaesomun sent Yeon Namchan into the palace as a hostage.

Could it be that... Yeon Gaesomun is really a loyal minister of our country?

impossible!

With doubt in his eyes, he looked at Yuan Nanchan and said, "Mr. Yuan, your father is a loyal minister of mine. He is also relied upon by me. I trust him very much."

Not only did Yuan Nan give birth to this, even he himself didn't believe it.

But polite words still need to be said.

"My father often told me that the king had done him a great favor and I must repay him. I was actually reluctant to enter the palace. I wanted to conquer Silla with my father and make contributions to the country. But my father said that I should enter the palace so that the king could rest assured. This is the duty of a minister."

"Good, Yuanqing's family is full of loyal ministers. I am very pleased." Gao Jianwu said with a look of satisfaction.

After encouraging Yuan Nanchan for a few words, Gao Jianwu let him leave, had him taken out of the palace, and arranged a separate residence for him.

After seeing Yuannan off to give birth, Gao Jianwu was still thinking about it.

Since Yeon Gaesomun is so sincere, I have no choice but to express my sincerity.

He definitely cannot go to Yeon Gaesomun's practice tomorrow. After all, as a king he cannot be easily controlled by others.

"I think Yeon Gaesomun is sincere," Gao Jianwu said after a pause, "If that's the case, then tomorrow you should go and fulfill his promise. After all, he has made his attitude clear, and it would be bad for me not to respond." (Note 1)

"Don't worry, I am here in the palace, he will not do anything to you."

The ministers thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case.

Even if Yeon Gaesomun had any ill intentions, he would not do anything to them.

Goguryeo was a political system of hereditary families. Even if the flag on the city wall changed, they were still needed to govern the country.

With this in mind, the ministers did not express any objection.

The next day, Yeon Gaesomun gathered the troops from all departments in the south of the city according to the original plan, pretending to prepare for the "invasion of Silla."

After all, the show had to be complete. In reality, the soldiers didn't know what they were supposed to do when they were called together. Only the middle and lower-level officers knew what Yeon Gaesomun was going to do.

When the Goguryeo officials arrived at the south of Pyongyang, Yeon Gaesomun's army had already assembled and seemed to be ready to set off.

Yeon Gaesomun was standing on the earthen platform, holding a ceremonial sword in his hand, and looking up at the ministers who had arrived late.

The leader, Daemuro Longdeok, led his ministers. Although they were a little nervous, they still came to the earthen platform built by Yeon Gaesomun, bowed to Yeon Gaesomun and said, "I am late, and I hope that Master Xibu will forgive me."

"Excuse me?"

Instead of the pleasant expression expected, Yeon Gaesomun's face showed anger.

"Where is the military judge?"

"I'm here!" The military judge immediately stepped out.

"I'm going to ask you, what crime should be punished for delaying military operations?" Yeon Gaesomun asked loudly, his hand on the hilt of the sword.

"According to the law, he should be beheaded!" the military judge replied loudly.

"Come here! Execute all those who are disrupting military affairs!" Yeon Gaesomun pointed at Daemon Longdeok and others and said angrily.

It was not until then that Daemuro Longde and the ministers of Goguryeo realized that something was wrong. Seeing the soldiers surrounding them from all sides, he knew it was difficult to escape, so he pointed at Yeon Gaesomun and cursed: "Traitor, you will not die well! You will surely die by the sword in the future..."

Before he could finish his words, a sharp sword had already pierced his chest.

Daemon Longdeok had blood foam coming out of his mouth, and his mouth was opening and closing, still angrily cursing Yeon Gaesomun, the traitor.

All around, the screams of colleagues could be heard incessantly. Yeon Gaesomun's minions were ruthlessly slaughtering those Goguryeo ministers who were still loyal to the king.

Yeon Gaesomun drew out his sword, snorted coldly, and mounted his horse.

At this time, all the ministers who came to participate in the review had been slaughtered by his men.

He looked at his troops and swung his blood-stained sword towards the city.

"The enemy is in the palace!"

(The third update is here. Except for the story about the hostage in Goguryeo, the rest are historical events. They are so outrageous...)
(Actually, I didn’t want to skip the sports meet, but someone has already criticized it, so I dare not write more and can only skip it)
　Note 1: "Old Book of Tang·Volume ·Biography ": In the th year, the Western Lord Gai Suwen committed a crime while acting as regent, and the ministers discussed with Jianwu to execute him. The matter was leaked, and Suwen summoned all his troops, saying that he would review them, and set up wine and food in the south of the city, and all the ministers came to see him. Suwen ordered his soldiers to kill them all, and more than a hundred people died. He burned the warehouse, rushed into the palace, killed Jianwu, and made Jianwu's brother Dayang Zizang the king. He established himself as Molizhi, which was similar to the position of the Minister of War and the Minister of the Central Secretariat in China, and he took charge of the country's affairs.

　　I'm not lowering the IQ of Gao Jianwu and his ministers, it's just that their IQ is just that high. If it weren't for the proton plot, their IQ would probably be even lower...

　　Adapted from real historical materials, any similarities are purely coincidental...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)