Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 413 Gaochang Rebellion (Thanks to book friend 16039946/20224332 for the monthly ticket!)
Chai Zongxun's tour with the imperial family was originally to escape the summer heat and inspect the people's livelihood in the Liugufan and Hexi Corridor areas, but he had not considered taking over Gaochang.

Hearing Cao Yanlu say this, he immediately asked him to explain in detail.

In the second year of Tang Dazhong (848), Pang Teqin, who led the majority of the Uighurs who migrated westward, proclaimed himself Khan in the former Anxi Protectorate of Tang. He lived in Yanqi City and ruled the eastern part of Xinjiang today. This was the beginning of the Uighurs' establishment of a regime in this area.

In the seventh year of Tang Xiantong (866), the great leader of the Uighurs, Pugujun, attacked from Beiting, defeated Tubo, and captured Xizhou (Gaochang), Luntai and other cities.

He sent his subordinate, Dagan (official name), Mi Huaiyu, to meet Emperor Yizong of Tang, Li Cui, to report the victory. From then on, this Uighur tribe gradually took Gaochang as its center.

The current King of Gaochang, Lu Sheng, has been a wise ruler since he ascended the throne in the 11th year of Kaixi (970 AD) at the age of 31. He has been handling state affairs diligently and encouraging the people to reclaim wasteland and engage in trade.

In the past ten years, Lu Sheng has grown older and has gradually become lazy about state affairs and obsessed with women.

In the 23rd year of Kaixi, he married Mo Zang, the daughter of a noble who fled to Gaochang after the demise of Liugufan and Ganzhou Uighurs, and he became increasingly favored.

In the 24th year of Kaixi, Mo Zang gave birth to Prince Yeluoge, and from then on she became the exclusive favorite of King Lu Sheng.

Not only did he confer the title of Imperial Concubine on Mo Zang, but all the people in Mo Zang's family whom he recommended were promoted to important positions in the court.

In the past two years, Lu Sheng had grown old and was in poor health. Concubine Mei Zang was afraid that after his death, she and her son would be purged by the Queen and Crown Prince Milige.

So he intensified his slander against the queen and the crown prince in Lu Sheng's ear, and strongly urged them to make his own youngest son the crown prince.

Lu Sheng was old and incompetent, and as time went on, he began to feel resentment towards the queen and the prince, with whom he had a deep friendship.

Finally, in October of last year (the 30th year of Kaixi), he issued an edict to appoint his youngest son Yeluoge as the crown prince, and deposed Crown Prince Milige, placing him and his mother under house arrest in the palace.

Because Milige had a reputation as a virtuous man in Gaochang and had been the crown prince for nearly twenty years, many of the country's subjects were angry when they heard that the crown prince had been deposed.

Dozens of ministers in the court, including the prime minister and the privy council, all advised King Lu Sheng not to depose the crown prince, as doing so would lead to chaos in the country.

Instigated by Mo Zang and his family, Lu Sheng became furious and dismissed the prime minister, the privy councilor and other ministers from their posts and put them in jail, replacing them with members of Mo Zang's family or their cronies.

When the people of Gaochang heard this, they were indignant. In the past year, tens of thousands of people have rushed to the square outside the palace to appeal for justice for the queen, the crown prince, and the ministers.

Without telling Lu Sheng who was on his deathbed, Mo Zang ordered his family members to lead soldiers to massacre tens of thousands of civilians in the square. For a while, blood flowed like a river in front of the palace.

This year, Lu Sheng's health has become worse. The Mo Zang family has seized power in the country and has been persuading Lu Sheng to execute the queen and depose the crown prince to prevent future troubles.

Lu Sheng and the queen had been married for decades and had a deep affection for each other, so he was hesitant to make a decision.

Anyone in Gaochang who dared to talk about the treasure-collecting family would be immediately arrested and thrown into prison, leading to a bloody storm.

Last month, the Longxiang Guard stationed in Gaochang received intelligence that Concubine Mei Zang might be planning to get rid of Lu Sheng, support the seven-year-old Crown Prince Yelugedeng to the throne, and rule the country from behind the scenes.

The information from Longxiang Guard had just reached Dunhuang Prefecture three days ago, and Emperor Chai Zongxun happened to arrive there.

After hearing the details, Chai Zongxun fell into silence.

Yang Yanzhao, commander of the Dunhuang Longxiang Guard garrison, said:
“Your Majesty, the Mo Zang clan is now in control of Gaochang State, confusing right and wrong and slaughtering its subjects.

I am willing to lead 30,000 Longxiang garrison troops to capture the capital of Gaochang and offer the country to Your Majesty!"

Chai Zongxun said:

“I didn’t take Gaochang in the past because, firstly, there were still many places to be pacified, and now we are in the midst of a fierce war with the Star Sect and other countries; secondly, Gaochang King Lu Sheng was respectful to me and offered his second princess, Princess Jialuo, to be my consort, and I couldn’t bear to destroy the friendly relationship between the two countries.

Now Lu Sheng is old, incompetent and ill, and all government affairs of Gaochang are in the hands of the Mo Zang family. "When a woman is in charge, there will be chaos everywhere." What's more, Mo Zang slaughtered tens of thousands of Gaochang subjects. She is a vicious woman who brought disaster to the country!
I cannot stand by and watch the people of Gaochang fall into danger. If Gaochang is in chaos, it will be very detrimental to the foreign trade of our Great Zhou."

After taking a few sips of the local barley tea, Chai Zongxun continued:

"You two dear ministers are right. This is the opportunity bestowed by Heaven for me to take over Gaochang!

I will consider it for a few days and after I have made my plans, I will send troops to Gaochang."

All the ministers, including the Imperial Guards and the Military Virtue Department, were delighted.

Although the Imperial Guards and the Wude Division were extremely trusted by the Emperor as they escorted the Emperor on his tour, although it was nice to travel outside the capital, there was little chance of achieving great merit.

Although Cao Yanlu, the governor stationed in Dunhuang Prefecture, and Yang Yanzhao, the commander of the Longxiang garrison, were the political and military leaders of the prefecture, if there were no major battles to fight, no matter how well they managed the prefecture, their achievements would be accumulated slowly and their promotions would be slow.

At this moment, when they heard that the emperor had decided to take Gaochang by chance, they were naturally very happy. This was a good opportunity to quickly accumulate great merit.

After the dinner that day, Chai Zongxun walked into the temporary backyard and came to Fei Jialuo's yard.

After the greeting, the two sat down at the table and drank tea and chatted. Chai Zongxun told Princess Jialuo about the latest situation in Gaochang Kingdom.

Princess Gaochang Jialuo entered the palace as a concubine at the age of fifteen in the sixteenth year of Kaixi (975), and is thirty years old this year.

In the 22nd year of Kaixi (981), when she was 21 years old, she gave birth to the 39th son of the emperor, Chai Jichang.

Princess Jialuo was worried when she heard this.
"How could my father listen to the lies of his new favorite concubine, Mo Zang, and depose my mother and my brother, the crown prince?

"The Queen Mother and the Crown Prince have always been kind and virtuous, and are the heirs that the millions of subjects of Gaochang have placed their hopes on. Now the Mo Zang family is abusing their power, disrupting the government and taking lives lightly. Gaochang is in chaos!"

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
“This kind of thing has happened many times throughout the ages.

In the distant past, Emperor Wu of Han was so senile in his old age that he deposed Crown Prince Liu Ju and Empress Wei and forced them to death. Fortunately, Huo Guang had no ambition to usurp the throne, and the Han Dynasty was able to continue in the hands of Emperor Xuan.

More recently, there was Ding Ni of Annan, who was also old and confused. He listened to his favorite concubine's advice to depose Crown Prince Ding Lian and enthrone his young son Ding Xianglang, which led to civil strife and eventually the country's power was seized by the powerful official Li Huan in the court.

This gives me a good opportunity to take over Annan."

Princess Jialuo was surprised:

"Your Majesty, do you intend to take the opportunity of your eastern tour to Dunhuang and take Gaochang into your territory?"

Chai Zongxun nodded and said:
"Gaochang is now in chaos, the Mo Zang clan has brought disaster to the country and its people, and the people of Gaochang are in dire straits.

I didn’t want to attack Gaochang before, out of consideration for my beloved concubine and her father, but now is a godsend opportunity.”

Princess Jialuo hesitated for a while and stammered:

"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!
But Your Majesty, my brother the Crown Prince has always been virtuous. If Your Majesty supports him to ascend the throne, he will obey your orders in the future.

Your Majesty, can you please show leniency to the Gaochang royal family for the fact that I have always served you respectfully? And spare their royal temples and altars?"

(End of this chapter)