Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Shou?

How to keep it?

Who will guard it? Me?

Why should I be the one to guard this place?!

Yeon Gaesomun clenched his teeth, trembling as he looked at the contents of the intelligence report in his hand. An unprecedented sense of powerlessness and suffocation made his head spin for a moment.

Lu Zhao looked at him quietly, but his old, cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Today, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Cui clan of Qinghe, and the Li clan of Zhaojun, together with many other aristocratic families who fled from Hedong Road, have gained considerable influence and control over the land under Yuan Taizu's rule in the past few years.

They are waiting, waiting for a real opportunity that will allow their aristocratic families to sit at the chessboard!

Yeon Gaesomun, who is currently in a desperate situation and caught between a rock and a hard place, is their last pawn.

"Your Highness, you have no choice; this is, after all, a royal decree!"

As Lu Zhaojing spoke, her words, when they reached Yeon Gaesomun's ears, almost instinctively brought back to him the merciless scolding he received from his father, Yeon Taejo, when he was defeated by the Silla Tang allied forces in the Battle of Ansil Castle.

It wasn't just that he was stripped of his military power.

He even entrusted the major cities under his rule to his younger brothers, even though none of them could match his abilities...

"Is a royal decree always right?"

Yeon Gaesomun slowly raised his head with a ferocious expression, his voice slightly low.

However, the moment his eyes met Lu Zhaojing's, Yeon Gaesomun suddenly raised his voice.

"Teacher, even if it's a father's order to his son, or a king's order to his subject, is it necessarily right?!"

Lu Zhaojing seemed somewhat surprised, looking at his reaction with a bewildered expression.

Yeon Gaesomun stood up angrily.

"He wasn't always a king; he seized power from Gao Jianwu, which is how he came to control half of Goguryeo. When he offered sacrifices to heaven, he claimed to be the legitimate ruler and the righteous one..."

"Is he a righteous hero or a traitor who stole the country? Who can my father's blood on his blade deceive?!"

Yeon Gaesomun grew increasingly angry as he spoke, and the ruthlessness and determination in his eyes rapidly evolved in the direction that Lu Zhaojing and other aristocratic families had hoped for.

"He's been on the throne for almost five years now... five years... and he still hasn't issued an order for me to be the successor, even though I'm the eldest son, even though I killed so many people to help him ascend the throne..."

"It was I, his son, who put him on the throne, and now not only has he taken away all my power, but he's also making me lead this war that is destined to be lost!"

"Is this something a father should do to his son?!"

Lu Zhaojing: "......"

He stared at the other man quietly, as if questioning him, but more like trying to convince himself of his final inner struggle.

When the other person was catching their breath, they paced back and forth in the room.

Then he slowly spoke.

"The Tang army is coming in strong, and their next target is Pyongyang. If you launch a rebellion at this time, even if you succeed, you will lose most of your territory."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yeon Gaesomun let out a cold snort.

"At most, they can only take Pyongyang County! Although they are well prepared, this is still Goguryeo after all. The fact that the Tang Dynasty used Goguryeo people as slaves makes it impossible for them to spread their battle lines so far on our land."

"Not to mention... it's winter now!"

His gaze was intense, and his emotions, almost bordering on madness, had led him to decide from the bottom of his heart to let go of his last concerns.

"If we can seize the capital and take control of the court while the Tang army is still advancing slowly during winter, we will still have a chance!"

"Teacher, didn't the emperors and crown princes of the Tang Dynasty also do the same thing back then? They stormed into the palace through the Xuanwu Gate, killed their own brothers and uncles, and only then did they achieve their current status?"

Hearing that Yeon Gaesomun actually used Yi Seung-gwon and Yi Shimin as his role models, he was shocked.

Despite her intense hatred for the father and son, Lu Zhaojing's first reaction to Yeon Gaesomun was almost instinctive disdain.

just you?

Comparing yourself to Li Chengqian and Li Shimin?

How can you compare Goguryeo, which only controlled half of the country, with the Tang Dynasty?

In the end, he was nothing more than a reckless fool with courage but no strategy...

Thinking this to herself, Lu Zhaojing's expression was uncertain, and she looked at the other person with a deep gaze.

"Do you think that even if you kill the king and your brothers, you can secure your throne?"

Yeon Gaesomun immediately kowtowed in respect.

"Please help me, teacher!"

After a loud clang, the room fell into a deathly silence.

The only sounds were Yeon Gaesomun's breathing, which was beginning to become tense and rapid, and Noh Jojung's stroking of his beard and deep thought.

After an unknown amount of time, he sighed softly and slowly shook his head.

"I regret to inform you that although you are my disciple and I am your teacher, we do not possess the necessary power. Currently, the King truly trusts only the ministers of the Jiang and Liu clans. We..."

"Then kill them all!!!"

Yeon Gaesomun's frantic shout caused Noh Jojung's hand, which was stroking his beard, to freeze instantly.

Yeon Gaesomun: "Teacher, as long as you all fully support me, I can give you back the status you lost in the Tang Dynasty in Goguryeo!"

Lu Zhaojing: "..."

After an unknown amount of time, Yeon Gaesomun finally left Lu Zhaojing's side and returned to his military camp.

He summoned all his trusted confidants.

Yeon Gaesomun had the door closed and went straight to the point.

"His Majesty has ordered us to defend Pyongyang to the death. Our opponent is the terrifying general Li Ji of the Tang Dynasty. You all know his strength. This is a battle that is bound to be lost, or even a crushing defeat!"

The coldness in Yeon Gaesomun's voice sent a chill down everyone's spines, as if they had realized something.

“You are my trusted confidants, but Yuan Jingtu will never trust or employ you. Having suffered defeat, you will not only be despised by the people but also ostracized by the court. Even so, in the war against the Tang Dynasty, I cannot guarantee that any of you will return alive…”

"This general does not wish to die, so... I have decided to abandon Pyongyang County, return to the capital, and seize the throne!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically, and they all stared wide-eyed in shock.

"General... abandoning Pyongyang at this time would be treason..."

"boom!"

Yeon Gaesomun slammed his long sword hard onto the table.

The object on the table trembled, and everyone present shuddered.

"Failure is treason, but success is restoring order!"

Yeon Gaesomun's eyes, filled with madness and ambition, swept around the room before he slowly uttered a sentence that instantly ignited a burning passion in everyone present.

"I won't keep this honor to myself!"

In December of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, after the Tang Dynasty captured Liaodong Commandery and conquered all the cities along the way leading to Pyongyang Commandery, and completed the garrison rotation, it launched an attack on the first city of Pyongyang Commandery adjacent to Liaodong Commandery.

However, the soldiers defending the city, who should have fought with all their might, resorted to cowardly tactics.

The city wall was reinforced by pouring ice water.

Bucket after bucket of excrement was poured down from the city walls, and even the city gates were completely blocked off with huge stones.

As a result, Li Jing had no choice but to order the artillery to bombard the city walls.

"Don't show yourselves! Don't show yourselves! Our mission is simply to defend the city; we just need to hold it for half a month!"

"Raise your shields!"

"Boom boom boom..."

In the Tang army camp, looking through his telescope at the faint movements on the city wall, Li Ji's face turned ashen.

"Damn it, who's guarding the city? How did they manage to build such a turtle shell?!"

One of his lieutenants, a captain who had just graduated from the Royal Military Academy and returned to the army this year, immediately stood up.

"General, let me lead some men to charge with explosives! Find a relatively weak spot in the wall and blow it up..."

Li Ji hesitated.

In the depths of winter, the city was covered with a layer of solid ice after being drenched in ice water.

With the city gates completely blocked, the effectiveness of artillery was greatly reduced.

Just as Li Ji was about to adopt this suggestion and directly use the explosive pack.

After the announcement, a figure walked in following a series of footsteps.

"Urgent report from the Provisional Garrison Command of Goguryeo! Yeon Gaesomun, the garrison commander of Pyongyang, is about to launch a mutiny!"

"what?!"

Amuro Castle.

The eastern border fortress of Goguryeo was located near Silla and Baekje.

City Lord's Mansion.

Cui Minshi, the head of the Cui family of Qinghe, is receiving a banquet from Yuan Jingtu, the city lord.

"Hehe, Patriarch Cui, I must thank you for your support with this batch of provisions. If my father finds out that those bastards from Silla stole another batch of military rations, I'm afraid he'll punish me again..."

With a sincere and solemn expression, Yuan Jingtu personally poured tea and water for Cui Minshi.

Upon hearing this, Cui Minshi simply smiled faintly.

“Lord, you flatter me. The King has entrusted you with the important city of Amuro, so he would not punish you for such a trivial matter. After all, you are the most capable of all the King’s children.”

Cui Minshi spoke meaningfully, causing Yuan Jingtu's expression to stiffen, and he quickly glanced left and right.

After discovering that there was none, he waved his hands repeatedly with a helpless yet humble expression.

"Oh dear, Patriarch Cui, what you're saying could get me killed. Everyone knows that my elder brother is the most powerful."

Although Yuan Jingtu said this, the joy in the corner of his eye, which he tried his best to suppress, was nowhere to be hidden in front of Cui Minshi, that old fox.

Ah......

"You mean the Crown Prince... How can a Crown Prince who lost Pyongyang be considered capable?"

“What you say is true, Master Cui. My brother is still very strong. The Tang army cannot possibly take Pyongyang. Of course, even if Pyongyang is lost, I will ask my father to forgive my brother.”

As Yuan Jingtu spoke with a smile, he suddenly heard a faint, somewhat chaotic sound coming from outside.

He frowned in confusion.

Upon hearing this commotion, Cui Minshi, who was sitting in front of him, also revealed a cold smile.

It sounded like he was sighing.

"It's a pity... I'm afraid even if Your Highness pleads for mercy this time, the King will not forgive the Crown Prince."

Yuan Jingtu was puzzled and did not understand what Cui Minshi meant by those words.

next moment.

The guards of the city lord's mansion rushed in in a panic, their faces covered in blood.

"It's terrible! Lord City Lord, it's terrible! The City Guard Commander, Cui Guangshou, has staged a mutiny!!!"

Yuan Jingtu was stunned, and then the hand holding the teacup suddenly froze at that moment.

Turning around in surprise, he saw two seemingly harmless followers who had followed Cui Minshi suddenly pull out two sharp blades from their sleeves.

They stood in front of Cui Minshi, while the shouts of battle outside reached the gate of the small courtyard.

Cui Minshi slowly put down his teacup and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but when you meet the King, please pass on a message: Lady Cui is very grateful for his kindness in retaining her, but... we need more."

"Pfft!"

Blood gushed from the mouth of Yeon Taejo, the false king of Goguryeo, as he looked at his eldest son, Yeon Gaesomun, who had plunged a sharp blade into his chest.

His face was full of disbelief.

"Father...you are not as sensible as the old emperor of the Tang Dynasty!"