noveltune Chapter 5456 Those who act later will suffer the consequences.
Chapter 5456 Those who act later will suffer the consequences.
Chapter 5456 Those who act later will suffer the consequences.
The Governor's Mansion, inside the courtyard.
The bronze candlesticks, each as thick as a child's arm, illuminated the hall as if it were daytime. Abugu, who had just removed his armor and soaked his feet in hot water, sat in a chair drinking scalding hot tea. The fear of rushing back from over a hundred miles to attend the funeral upon hearing the news of Li Kuge's death, and the near-blood feud with the Li brothers, had all vanished.
Thinking of Zhou Daowu's public expression of support for him, a surge of joy welled up in his heart, and he comfortably closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
He exclaimed, "That was really close today!"
Standing nearby, Tie Ge, the nephew who had accompanied them, was still shaken upon hearing this: "The Li brothers were incredibly rude and reckless. If the leaders of the various departments hadn't stepped in to stop them, there would have been bloodshed!"
Abugu put down his teacup and said with a smile, "But it was a false alarm, and we were able to test the attitudes of the tribal leaders, so it wasn't a complete loss."
Although he had long had a tacit understanding with the leaders of various tribes in private, who could know their true intentions unless the matter came to a head? There were eight tribes in total in the Khitan, seven of which were excluding the Dahe tribe. No fewer than four tribes had clearly stood up to support him during the day. This showed that now that Li Kuge was dead, he, as the second-in-command of the Dahe tribe, was the one that everyone hoped for.
Once the imperial edict from Chang'an arrives, he can assume the position of Governor of Songmo and become the nominal leader of the various Khitan tribes.
Tie Ge was somewhat worried: "Although we stopped the Li brothers during the day, who knows if they will still have ulterior motives? We shouldn't stay here tonight."
Abugu disagreed: "You're wrong. The most dangerous place is often the safest. Although the Li brothers are reckless, they're not stupid. So many tribal leaders have already sided with us during the day, and Governor Zhou Daowu of Yingzhou has publicly stated his support. How dare they defy the world and attack me? If I die in this governor's mansion, they will be held accountable and become the target of public criticism! On the contrary, I should be worried if I stay out overnight. What if the Li brothers kill me and then deny everything? What can anyone do to them?"
As long as he lives, there will be people who stand on his side for their own benefit and go to great lengths to ensure his safety.
If he dies, the Li brothers will become the true leaders of the Dahe clan. Who would offend them for the sake of a dead man?
As long as he is in the Governor's Mansion, the Li brothers would be hesitant to act against him for fear of the great risk of the entire Khitan being divided.
Moreover, the thirty Iron Guards who accompanied him were all brave and skilled in battle, and they were currently on guard around the courtyard. It wouldn't be so easy for the Li brothers to rush in; any movement would alert the other leaders of the various tribes who were staying there.
After thinking about it, Tie Ge felt that his uncle's words made sense, so he was completely relieved and began to dream about the future while drinking some wine.
The uncle and nephew chatted for a while, then each went to bed and fell into a deep sleep.
At midnight, the Li brothers each led a squad of their soldiers to surround the courtyard from the front and back. The more than one hundred men were filled with murderous intent, and many of them were carrying tinderboxes, while others carried wooden boxes full of thunderbolts behind them.
The Tang Dynasty had extremely strict control over firearms. Every musket and cannon had to be numbered, registered, and cataloged. If any was lost, the entire family would be held accountable. Therefore, it was extremely difficult for outsiders to obtain them. However, the management of firearms like the Thunderclap Bomb, which, although extremely powerful, was not technologically advanced, was relatively lax, and many of them ended up in the wrong hands.
The Thunderclap Bomb in the hands of the Li brothers is the result of the Dahe clan acquiring it through various means over the years. To ensure the successful killing of Abugu, the two brothers have even emptied their coffers...
A whistle suddenly rang out in the quiet night.
Li Kucaoli and Li Jinzhong led their respective family soldiers to rush into the courtyard, where they lit the fuse of a thunderbolt and threw it in from outside the wall.
Boom boom boom!
The entire governor's mansion was engulfed in flames and the ground shook violently.
Li Jinzhong, brandishing his steel saber, shouted, "Use the thunderbolts to clear the way and charge in!"
"kill!"
His personal guards scaled the collapsed courtyard wall and rushed in. Outside the houses, figures were everywhere, and Abugu's accompanying Iron Guards had hastily set up defenses. These Iron Guards were strong and brave, and their defensive line, built around the houses, was enough to hold off an enemy ten times their size.
However, even the strongest body is no match for the power of firearms.
In the darkness and firelight, the projectiles were hurled like a thunderous rain of bullets, exploding and tearing up houses. Shrapnel flew everywhere, and the powerful Iron Guards, struck by the shrapnel, suffered broken bones and torn flesh, collapsing to the ground piece by piece.
Li Jinzhong's eyes were bloodshot and he was extremely excited. He shouted, "Continue! Continue! Throw out all the thunderbolts!"
Li Kucaoli from the front yard also led his men into the side yard, and thunderbolts were thrown wildly.
The booming sound was continuous and resounded in all directions. In an instant, the walls and houses of the entire courtyard collapsed and were razed to the ground.
"Follow me and charge in to find Abugu. Kill everyone, leave no survivors!"
"kill!"
The Li brothers each led their men into the ruins, finishing off each person they found, dead or alive, until they finally found Abugu trapped under a roof beam in the bedroom behind the main hall.
At this moment, Abugu was only wearing his undergarments. The roof beam had hit him squarely in the chest and abdomen, causing his entire chest to cave in. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his eyes wide with rage as he looked at Li Jinzhong. He managed to say, "If you dare to kill me, aren't you afraid that the entire Khitan will be torn apart as a result, and that you will become a sinner of the Khitan?"
Li Jinzhong didn't waste any words with him. With a wave of his hand, Sun Wanrong stepped forward and chopped off Abugu's head with a swift stroke. Then, grabbing the head by the hair bun, he held it high and shouted, "The murderer who poisoned my grandfather has been executed!"
Although the Khitans were not very cultured, they had dealt with the Han people for hundreds of years and naturally understood the principle of "having a legitimate reason for fighting". Therefore, even if they killed Abugu purely to seize power from the Dahe clan, they still had to give him a crime.
Since his grandfather is dead, he should falsely accuse Abugu of poisoning him. As his grandson, it is only natural for him to avenge his grandfather.
Whether others believe it or accept it is another matter entirely...
Over a hundred soldiers stood amidst the ruins, flames raging all around, weapons raised high, shouting in unison, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The entire governor's mansion shook violently.
The leaders of various departments who were staying overnight at the Governor's Mansion before the funeral were all awakened. They got out of bed, dressed, and hurriedly came with their men. When they saw Sun Wanrong's head raised high in the firelight, they were all speechless.
Have the Li brothers gone mad?!
Kuliye, the leader of the Hebian tribe, pointed at Sun Wanrong and shouted, "Abugu is a meritorious official of the Dahe clan, and now he is the candidate for governor of Songmo. How dare you kill him?"
Li Jinzhong sneered, "Although my grandfather was old, he was always in good health. His sudden death is extremely unusual. A secret investigation revealed that Abugu bribed my grandfather's servants to poison his food in order to usurp the position of Governor of Songmo! Now I have executed him in a public ceremony, and his head will be placed in front of the coffin to pay tribute to my grandfather's spirit in heaven!"
Everyone thought this guy was crazy.
Kuliye retorted angrily, "Without proof, and with no one to testify to the truth, do you think anyone will believe you?"
Li Jinzhong scoffed, "Believe it or not! I have avenged my grandfather's blood feud and comforted his spirit in heaven. I have fulfilled my duty as a grandson! If you continue to whine here, don't blame me for showing no mercy with my steel knife!"
Everyone was startled.
Is this a plan to wipe out all these tribal leaders in one fell swoop?
Or perhaps, Li Kuge's death was a hoax, a scheme to lure them all in and eliminate them, so that the Dahe clan could truly unify the entire Khitan?
Many people gasped and quickly shut their mouths, not daring to provoke this madman.
Li Kucaoli stepped forward and took Abugu's head from Sun Wanrong's hands, shouting loudly, "Today, our great revenge has been achieved, and we can comfort our grandfather's spirit in heaven. We ask you all to be our witnesses! Please!"
He strode towards the mourning hall first.
Li Jinzhong and his remaining troops surrounded the leaders of various tribes, eyeing them menacingly.
The tribal leaders were both shocked and furious. They thought, "It's one thing for you to kill Abugu, after all, it's your own Dahe clan's business. But why should we testify that Abugu deserved to be killed?"
But due to the circumstances, no one dared to contradict Li Kucaoli. Didn't they see Li Jinzhong eyeing them covetously, eager to try?
He might actually order them all killed...
They could only follow behind to the funeral hall, where they watched as the Li brothers placed Abugu's head on an offering table, knelt before the spirit, and wept bitterly as they recounted how they discovered Abugu's poisoning and how they killed Abugu to avenge him.
The leaders of the various departments also calmed down at this moment, looking at the Li brothers, each of them harboring their own desires.
When Li Kuge was alive, he was powerful enough to dominate the entire clan. He was not only a man of great influence in the Dahe clan, but also held unparalleled prestige among the eight tribes of the Khitan.
But now that Li Kuge is dead, how can the brothers Li Kucaoli and Li Jinzhong have such prestige that they can command a large following?
Abugu was another major force in the Dahe clan, and during Li Kuge's time, he was undoubtedly the number one person in the Dahe clan.
Now that he has been killed, how can his family and clansmen let it go?
The internal strife within the Dahe clan is imminent.
For many years, the Khitan existed under the structure of the "Dahe Clan Alliance," with the Dahe clan's strength sufficient to sweep aside the other seven tribes. However, if the Dahe clan were to fall into internal strife and fight amongst themselves, its strength would inevitably be greatly diminished. Wouldn't this give other tribes the opportunity to take control of the Khitan?
They might even annex the entire Dahe clan!
Although the reasons for killing Abugu were plausible, who didn't know they were fake?
Furthermore, during the day, Zhou Daowu, the governor of Yingzhou, had just publicly expressed his support for Abugu to succeed as governor of Songmo, and the memorial had already been sent to Chang'an. This was the official attitude of the Tang Dynasty. Now that Abugu is dead, it will definitely affect the Tang Dynasty's strategic deployment in Liaodong. How could the perpetrator be allowed to get away with it?
An opportunity for a redistribution of interests has been presented to everyone.