Jinting Han people

Chapter 104 Coup Draft (4k)

A year after arriving in Beijing, Lu Ji, with his great reputation in the literary world, was successfully recruited by Yang Jun and became a chief academic officer under the Taifu Palace.

However, as a descendant of the Lu family, his ideal has always been to become a general or a prime minister, and to restore the prestige of the Wujun Lu family. In his eyes, a small position as a chief priest was nothing but a trivial matter, nothing to worry about. Therefore, he had no intention of pledging allegiance to Yang Jun, but instead observed the weakness of the Grand Tutor.

In this situation, instead of being loyal to the soon-to-be-destroyed Grand Tutor, it would be better to continue to follow Jia Mi and use Yang Jun as a springboard to prepare for the next step.

Although this might earn him the reputation of betraying his master, what was the big deal in those days? Everyone did it. The Sima clan did it, the Jia clan did it, and so did the others. Even his grandfather, Lu Xun, hadn't he achieved his current position by putting aside his vengeance for the murder of his relatives in Lujiang and pledging allegiance to the Sun clan?

From this we can see that only by having real power and status can one realize one's ideals.

Therefore, Lu Ji was determined to participate in the coup this time.

He explained the situation to everyone based on what he had learned, saying, "Since the decision to resort to force has been made, I don't think there's any need to elaborate on other matters. Let's just talk about the arrangements made by the Grand Tutor in the palace."

"The Grand Tutor currently controls three key personnel within the Imperial Guards: Central Guard General Zhang Shao, Left Army General Liu Yu, and Prince Taifu Yang Ji. His other followers, such as Yang Yu, are all literary prodigies and are not a concern!"

Of course, Yang Jun's power is not limited to these three people. His most important foundation is actually in the three ministries. Yang Yu is in charge of the Shangshu Province, Duan Guang is in charge of the Menxia Province, and Jiang Jun is in charge of the Zhongshu Province. After the three ministries were merged into one, it was airtight. All government orders had to go through the Taifu Mansion before they could be issued.

But unfortunately, the pen cannot kill people. Now that everyone is planning to use force, Yang Jun's control over the three provinces will be useless.

Lu Ji then introduced, "Zhang Shao, the Central Guard, is now nominally in charge of the Imperial Guards. Although most of the Imperial Guards are not being used, there are still some who are ignorant of the current situation. As far as I know, he can mobilize at least two thousand men."

Everyone sneered. Being able to mobilize two thousand people made him a big shot in Luoyang, but for the entire imperial guards, it was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Liu Yu, the General of the Left Army, is the Grand Tutor's confidant. He has 3,000 imperial guards under his command, all of whom are his direct subordinates. It will be difficult to convince him."

The participants were as still as a mountain. Even if they added 3,000 imperial guards, there was still a huge gap compared to their own forces.

"The most difficult one to deal with is Yang Ji, the Prince's Grand Tutor. He was once the General Guarding the North, and has been in the outer camps for a long time. He is quite prestigious, and he has 500 Qinzhong warriors under his command. It is said that all of them are skilled archers and would be willing to die for Yang Ji."

"He also has the authority to mobilize the Crown Prince's five guards from the Eastern Palace, which translates to four thousand Eastern Palace guards."

Speaking of Yang Ji, everyone finally felt that he was a bit of a problem, not because he could mobilize the Prince's guards, but because of his reputation in the army. In the imperial guards, he controlled only 4,000 people, and together with Liu Yu and Zhang Shao's men, he had less than 10,000 people.

However, outside the city of Luoyang, especially in the northeast, there were 60,000 outer camp soldiers, commonly known as the Northern Army.

The Northern Army was a complex organization, with soldiers drawn from all corners of the country. It was impossible for it to be controlled by a single individual and solely obey the orders of the imperial court. If Yang Jun ordered Yang Ji to join the Northern Army and mobilize troops to suppress the imperial guards within the city, there was a chance of success.

After Lu Ji finished explaining Yang Jun's military strategy, everyone fell into deep thought. Jia Mi then asked directly, "Shi Heng, what are the key points of overthrowing Yang this time?"

Lu Ji already had this in mind, and he continued his analysis: "In my opinion, there are three main points to destroying the Three Yangs."

"First, we must strictly observe the palace ban."

"Your Majesty and the Empress are the foundation. With Your Majesty's decree, we are obeying the order to suppress the enemy. Without Your Majesty's decree, we are plotting rebellion. The world cannot distinguish loyal ministers from treacherous ones. In the end, everything depends on Your Majesty's decree. If we want to succeed, we must first seize the initiative in the palace and control Yang Jun's people to prevent them from holding Your Majesty hostage!"

"Then we can ask for His Majesty's imperial edict and legitimately suppress those Yang Jun rebels. With the imperial edict and our numbers, what kind of trouble can those imperial guards who obey the Three Yangs cause? They will probably just scatter like birds and beasts."

"Secondly, we need to look after the Grand Tutor's residence."

"Yang Jun is the ringleader. As the saying goes, to capture a thief, you must first capture the leader. If we want to eliminate this traitor quickly and prevent further chaos, we should immediately capture and kill Yang Jun after receiving the imperial order. He only has a few hundred guards stationed in his mansion. Once he's dead, the remaining followers will be like trees without roots, and their downfall will be just a matter of seconds."

"But if we can't win quickly, we'll be in big trouble. Yang Jun lives in Cao Shuang's old residence, not far from the armory. If they seize the armory, distribute the armor, staffs, bows and crossbows in it to the civilians, and offer a generous reward, they could quickly raise an army, which would result in unnecessary casualties. Therefore, we must choose the right moment to strike him by surprise."

"Third, try to defend the gates of Luoyang."

"The Three Yangs are in the city, and they can't mobilize 10,000 men even if they try their best. But if they leave the city, he is the Grand Tutor after all, and he is the Grand Tutor who assists in the administration according to the imperial edict. Yang Ji also has a high reputation in the army. Whether he dispatches the Northern Army to fight us or leads the people to flee elsewhere, it will cause great trouble!"

"If we want to avoid such a situation, we must control the gates of Luoyang in advance. No matter what the situation inside the city is, we must not let a single person out."

After Lu Ji finished speaking, he retreated behind Jia Mi. However, everyone's impression of him had changed drastically.

Before this, everyone had heard of Lu Ji's literary fame and knew him as a great scholar. However, as the saying goes, every inch has its strengths and weaknesses. Someone with such literary prowess inevitably had weaknesses in other areas. For example, figures like Qu Yuan, Cai Yong, and Cao Zhi, while achieving great success in literature, often struggled politically. Historically, perhaps only Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang were truly accomplished both civilly and militarily.

But after today's discussion, everyone was shocked to remember that he was a descendant of Lu Xun and Lu Kang. The foundation of the Wujun Lu family was military struggle. How could Lu Ji be an exception?
Jia Mi was very satisfied with Lu Ji's performance. Now that Lu Ji was his aide, Lu Ji's excellence was equivalent to demonstrating his power. So he smiled provocatively at Liu Xian. Even though he didn't say a word, Liu Xian understood his hidden meaning: "What do you have to fight me?"

Liu Xian just found it funny.

With the three-point outline proposed by Lu Ji, the next step was to discuss more specific military arrangements.

This time, it was Meng Guan's turn. As Sima Wei's spokesperson, he had been pre-appointed to spearhead the coup, and so he was in charge of the specific military draft. However, before this, Meng Guan was unknown and came from a humble background, so everyone looked at him with contempt.

But Meng Guan had long been accustomed to this. He stood in the center, unnoticed, and spread out a map of Luoyang's defenses. He said with a smile, "What Mr. Lu just said actually coincides with mine."

"My original plan, to put it bluntly, can be summed up in eight words: martial law creates momentum, and close combat kills the enemy!"

He paused, looked around, and slowly explained:

"Now Yang Jun's downfall is everyone's wish. Of the fifty thousand imperial guards in the palace, we can mobilize at least thirty thousand. If we were to meet in battle in the wilderness, we would surely win."

"But this is within the capital after all. If things get too tense, it will inevitably damage the prestige of the court and may also lead to some unfavorable changes."

"My idea is that since we can already mobilize most of the Imperial Guards, we might as well bypass Yang Jun and directly impose martial law on the entire city after obtaining permission. All palace gates and all city gates will be sealed. Except for the Imperial Guards, no one, regardless of their rank or official position, will be allowed to enter the streets."

"In this way, we have cut off all contact between the Three Yangs. They are quite numerous when gathered together, but if we don't allow them to communicate with each other, each mansion will only have two or three hundred people at most. Even if they occupy the armory, what can they do?"

"Besides, Yang Jun is only the Grand Tutor, and his followers are also officials of the imperial court. As long as we can control the capital under the pretext of martial law and control these people before Yang Jun can react, they will surely panic and surrender, let alone resist."

When he said this, everyone exchanged glances with each other, showing affirmation: this method is very safe, there are no unnecessary steps, it does not require everyone to take risks, and the possibility of success is also very high.

Duke Wei Guan of Ziyang said, "Martial law is indeed a good strategy, but it requires too many people. What will happen to the assassins in Yang Jun and Yang Ji's mansion? How many more men can you bring to fight Yang Jun?"

Meng Guan held up four fingers in public and said calmly, "Four hundred people will be enough!"

"Four hundred people!"

This statement shocked everyone. Yang Jun usually had over a hundred guards around him, and there were at least six hundred guards inside his mansion, all of them tall and strong, capable of wearing armor all day. Where did Meng Guan get the confidence to attack the Grand Tutor's mansion with only four hundred men?
Wei Guan admired Meng Guan's courage and couldn't help asking, "Are you being too arrogant? In my opinion, no matter what, we can still spare a thousand or so men from the army."

But Meng Guan shook his head and refused, saying firmly, "Quality is more important than quantity. It is precisely because we only have 400 men that we won't alert Yang Jun's followers and can achieve the effect of surprise."

"Furthermore, these four hundred of my men have been carefully nurtured and trained by His Majesty the King of Chu for years. They are proficient in spear formations, sword formations, and long-range shooting. Most importantly, we are united and work together. If we were to go into battle, we could defeat five with one."

"On the other hand, Yang Jun's only capable commander is Yang Ji. But Yang Ji has been marginalized by him and is no longer in the Grand Tutor's residence. The palace may seem full of soldiers, but without a suitable commander, what good are they? They're just a bunch of chickens and dogs!"

"Plus, Yang Jun came to the wedding banquet today to beg for mercy, and he's already terrified! As long as I attack like thunder and advance like the wind, I can make him lose his courage and will lose all his courage. No matter how many troops I have, what will it matter?"

Wei Guan added, "We shouldn't underestimate Yang Jun. He's been an assistant minister for so long, so he must have some extraordinary qualities. Even cats, dogs, rats, and rabbits would fight like a trapped beast if forced into a corner, let alone a Grand Tutor like him."

Meng Guan laughed and said, "We warriors have long been prepared to fight to the death. If he dares to do so, shouldn't we dare draw our swords? It's said that courage is the soul of a warrior, and courage alone can defeat ten thousand enemies. All the skilled warriors of ancient times understood this principle. When Emperor Xuan was visiting Cao Shuang at Gaoping Mausoleum, he was able to force Cao Shuang, who commanded all the troops in the world, to surrender with only 3,000 warriors. If the enemy is brave, as long as we are even braver, the enemy will naturally become timid. That's exactly what he meant."

He continued, "If you don't believe me, you can prepare a separate division first. If my frontline attack fails and I die, you can send this division to follow. With these two preparations, how can Yang Jun not die?"

"Hmm," everyone nodded slightly upon hearing this. Those years of war and battle that had become legends decades ago now seemed to appear before everyone.

Wei Guan, in particular, couldn't help but reach his left hand to his waist, attempting to grasp the hilt of the sword he'd worn over twenty years ago. He marveled inwardly, "What a man, Meng Guan! I've been in the army for years, discussing military strategy with ministers, but all was bland and boring. This man's words, however, stir the blood in my heart, making me want to ride into battle. What a brave and warrior spirit! I've only heard such words when I met Jiang Wei that year."

He then decisively agreed, saying, "Young men are formidable. Meng Shushi has the talent of a general! I agree with everything you just said!"

Wei Guan was the only veteran among the attendees, and with his approval, all of Meng Guan's proposals were naturally approved. Even Jia Mi showed a look that Liu Xian knew very well: a look that showed an irresistible desire to trample on Meng Guan.

But Liu Xian noticed a loophole. After pondering for a moment, he asked Meng Guan, "What about Yang Ji? Didn't he say that he has four hundred Qin soldiers in his mansion? Will there be any changes?"

"If he takes advantage of this opportunity to lead his men to the Eastern Palace, using his position as the Crown Prince's tutor to coerce the Crown Prince, taking him hostage, and then leading the Crown Prince's guards to break out of Luoyang, then things will be very bad."

To the world, the importance of Crown Prince Sima Yi is no less than that of the current emperor, and may even be greater. After all, he is the heir chosen by Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan. It can be said that without Crown Prince Sima Yi, the current emperor might find it difficult to ascend the throne. If he falls into the hands of others and becomes a puppet, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Meng Guan said, "Don't worry about that. The Eastern Palace is in the east of the city, and the residences of Yang Jun and Yang Ji are both in the west. As long as we can successfully impose martial law, the streets will be filled with our men. How can Yang Ji fight his way to the Eastern Palace from the west? If he succeeds, it probably means that none of us will survive."

He smiled easily at this, and most of the people present agreed with this conclusion. In everyone's opinion, today's secret meeting after the wedding banquet could be said to have been a complete success. Now they should consider how to establish their new position in the post-coup landscape.

Liu Xian was also persuaded by Meng Guan, but when he looked at Jia Mi not far away, he was met with the provocative sneer of his peer.

His heart skipped a beat, and he had a vague premonition that the filing of this coup might not go as smoothly as he had imagined.

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(End of this chapter)