If I fail to overcome the tribulation, I can only return to the Ming Dynasty and become a prince.

Chapter 157 Changes in Gyeongbokgung Palace

Standing outside Gyeongbokgung Palace, Li Zhen's mood was complicated at the moment.

"Father, you forced me." Li Zhen couldn't help but murmur to himself as he watched the Ming army invade Gyeongbokgung Palace. The sound of killings came from the palace, and fire gradually ignited in various palace rooms.

If possible, he certainly does not want to confront his father and brother, let alone ascend the throne of North Korea in this way.

But Li Zhen clearly knew that this was his only chance to ascend to the throne, and it was also the only way for him to ascend to the throne.

After all, Li Zhen, who had been cut off from his party members and killed all his cronies by Li Fangyuan, could almost be said to have been completely abandoned by the North Korean government and the public. Without seizing the throne of North Korea through mutiny, he could not even find supporters for a coup.

As the legitimate eldest son, Li Zhen originally had a large number of supporters and powerful fans, and he was very hopeful that he could inherit the throne of North Korea and ascend to the throne legitimately.

But with Li Chen's birth, Li Fangyuan loved him far more than Li Chen, his eldest son, and even wanted to depose Li Chen and make Li Chen the heir apparent.

Li Zhen's supporters in the DPRK opposed Li Fangyuan's idea with the eldest son inheritance system, but Li Fangyuan came up with the idea of ​​establishing a virtuous person.

Is Li Chen really wiser than himself?Li Chen didn't think so. He knew his brother, and Li Chen only appeared to be a wise man on the surface.

He, Li Zhen, was also favored by Emperor Yongle and had imperial poems written by him. How could he be favored and appreciated by Zhu Di if he was a dissolute and immoral person?
But Li Chen knew clearly that he couldn't compete with Li Chen, because Li Fangyuan liked Li Chen.

In order to depose Li Zhuo as the heir apparent, both Li Fangyuan and Li Chen resorted to various means. They not only alienated Li Zhuo's subordinates and confidants, suppressed the forces that supported him, but also ruined his reputation. They set up a trap for him and then killed them all. His cronies imprisoned him on the pretext of dissoluteness.

Originally, Li Zhen had already accepted his fate, thinking that he might be imprisoned until death.

But now the arrival of the Ming army gave him hope and opportunities that he had not had before. After going through some ideological struggles, Li Zhen finally chose to embark on this path of mutiny, because only in this way could he survive. .

Although Li Zhen in history did survive later and received a good death.

But that is history. For the current Li Zhen, he doesn't know whether he can survive. He only knows that if he doesn't do this, he will be abolished, and the best result is to be imprisoned until death.

As for patricide... Li Zhen hesitated, but he finally decided to pretend that he knew nothing and did not enter Gyeongbokgung Palace before there was definite information, leaving Li Fangyuan's life and death to God's will.

If God wanted him to die, then Li Fangyuan would die in the rebel army. But if God wanted to spare his life, Li Zhen would not kill him. At most, he would be imprisoned.

At this time, it was Fan Zhong who was in charge of commanding the Ming army next to Li Zhu. He did not expect that the task assigned to him by Zhu Zhanquan was to cooperate with the North Korean prince's rebellion and seize the North Korean throne.

Although Fan Zhong followed Zhu Di to participate in the Jingnan War and broke into the Forbidden City in Nanjing, following others to attack the palace and commanding the attack on his own were two completely different experiences.

The former only needs to obey orders, while the latter has many issues to consider.

For example, there are soldiers coming to report that the king of Joseon Li Fangyuan and his son Li Jin are trapped in the palace. The guards are stubbornly resisting, and they can't get in due to their eagerness.In this case, there are usually three ways to respond.

The first one is relatively simple, that is, a normal attack. After all, it is just a palace, a few stubborn guards, and a large army can always defeat it.

It's just that this method is more suitable for situations where the overall situation has been decided and one's own side is not competing for time. Otherwise, this style of play is not suitable for situations where the situation needs to be calmed down quickly.

The second is to be cruel and set fire to the palace directly. Whether it is the guards or others, they will be done with it.

This is a situation where you need to get rid of the root cause, but you are embarrassed to get your hands dirty. After all, death in a fire can be said to be an accident.

The only thing that needs to be taken care of is whether the palace has a secret passage for escape or the like. Otherwise, for someone like Emperor Jianwen who does not know whether he is alive or dead, it will easily lead to an embarrassing situation.

As for the third type...you need a scapegoat to do the dirty work.

Fan Zhong had received instructions from Zhu Zhanqun before he came, and he did not need to be the scapegoat, so he said to Li Zhu: "Your Majesty, your Majesty and your younger brother are currently resisting in the palace. I wonder if your Majesty will go to persuade him to surrender." ?”

Obviously, Zhu Zhanjun did not let Fan Zhong kill Li Fangyuan and Li Chen, but planned to spare the lives of the two father and son as a means of restraining and balancing Li Chen.

"I can't bear to see my father, so I would like to ask the general to handle this matter on my behalf." Li Zhen can naturally understand this, but at this moment, except for the few guards guarding him, he really has no other Manpower is available, and when faced with this kind of thing, the only choice is to hand it over to the Ming army.

Although he knew that doing so would leave him with a clue, Li Zhen really did not have any power now and could only rely on the help provided by the Ming army.

When Fan Zhong heard what Li Zhen said, he glanced at him, nodded, told the ordering soldier beside him, and asked him to convey his order.

After a while, the soldiers came to report that both Li Fangyuan and Li Chen had been captured and asked what to do.

"Now Gyeongbokgung Palace has just suffered a sword attack, and the palace is in chaos. For the sake of safety, I would like to ask the general to send my father and brother out of the palace and choose another place to resettle them." Li Bao heard that Li Fangyuan and Li Chen were both I caught it and was very relieved.

Although Li Fangyuan and Li Chen were both controlled by the Ming army, it was better than running away.

After all, in today's North Korea, Li Fangyuan is still the legitimate king, and Li Bin is also the heir whom he has single-handedly supported. No matter who of the two escapes, they can use the banner to summon people to play a rebellion against him.

If things develop like this, then Li Zhenke will not be able to step down, and may even turn this mutiny into a clown act.

Fan Zhong, who had received instructions from Zhu Zhanqun in advance and knew what to do, did not ask any questions and asked the soldiers to directly escort Li Fangyuan and Li Chen out of the Gyeongbokgung Palace without even meeting Li Bao.

The biggest thing in Gyeongbokgung Palace has been taken care of, so what is waiting for Li Bao is to clean up the mess, summon the ministers of the court and central government to establish his title, and then succeed to the throne as king.

(End of this chapter)