Capital city.
Ever since the emperor reprimanded the Goguryeo envoy, the situation here has become completely different. The streets of the capital suddenly became tense, and the imperial army began to gather outside the city. There was an atmosphere of a war at any time.
Of course, the common people were very happy. They thought that the Goguryeo envoy's disrespect for the emperor in the Golden Palace was a sign of disrespect for the Tang Dynasty, and they must be eliminated. The Tang Dynasty has been victorious in foreign wars for years. What kind of people are you, Goguryeo, to disrespect our emperor? Aren't you tired of living?
This is the legend that the common people heard: On that day, the Goguryeo envoy came to the Tang Dynasty to pay tribute, but who would have thought that during the conversation, he was disrespectful to our emperor.
As for what was actually said, the common people had no idea. They only knew that the Goguryeo envoy was very bold. If he did not have the support of the emperor in their country, how could he have such courage?
At this moment, the Goguryeo envoy had been thrown into the Sky Prison. He didn't know what he had said wrong that day that caused the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to lock him up. He vaguely remembered that he had not made any mistakes that day. He only mentioned some gifts from Goguryeo to the Tang Dynasty, but he did not mention tribute.
Is this wrong? Goguryeo itself was not a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. The exchanges between the two countries should be regarded as exchanges between neighboring countries. Although there have been constant border frictions in recent years, there has been no major war after all.
So when he came to Chang'an, he didn't feel that he had done anything wrong, but after meeting Li Shimin in the hall that time, he was thrown into this place and accused of disrespect.
This Goguryeo envoy also knew the criminal law of the Tang Dynasty. If he was accused of disrespect, the crime would be very serious. Fortunately, he was not a minister of the Tang Dynasty. If he were a minister of the Tang Dynasty, his entire family would most likely be executed for this act of disrespect.
Conspiracy, this must be a conspiracy.
"ah……"
Screams were heard next to the cell. People from the Tang Dynasty Imperial City Office were interrogating the Goguryeo delegation here. They insisted that there were spies in the delegation. Even if they were spies, how could they be placed in the delegation?
This is the eleventh person. A total of thirty-five people came from Goguryeo. Now everyone has to be interrogated in turn. Everyone who was pulled out was intact, but after coming in, there was not even a piece of good skin on the body. You can imagine how much torture the people of the Tang Dynasty used.
"Sir, can we still get out of here alive? Does our country know the situation here?"
An attendant nearby said with some fear that as their number was decreasing, it would soon be his turn. According to the frequency of one person every two hours, it should be his turn by this time tomorrow. When the rest of the people heard someone talking, they all hurried over. After all, in their eyes, the adult was a very capable person, otherwise the King of Goguryeo would not have sent him as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty.
During the Goguryeo period, many people believed that it was an honor to be sent as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty. Almost all countries in the world thought so, because the Tang Dynasty was indeed at the forefront of the world. If there was a chance, they could go to the streets of Chang'an to see the world. After returning to Goguryeo in this life, they could brag about it to their children and grandchildren for the rest of their lives.
They came with this kind of mood, but who would have thought that they would be thrown into the Sky Prison the next day after their arrival. Until now, no substantial crime has been revealed, but the Tang Dynasty has not released them.
"Whether the country knows or not is of little concern to us. We must find out something about ourselves, otherwise they will also accuse us of something. You have suffered with me this time. I cannot thank you in this life. If I am lucky enough to meet you in the next life, I will repay you well."
Goguryeo ambassador Zhang Qixiong said helplessly that this person also wanted to complete the task well and hoped to sign a border agreement with the Tang Dynasty. Even if Goguryeo suffered a little loss, they did not want the Tang Dynasty to focus on them. At this moment, the Tang Dynasty was like a tiger. Can the country targeted by it survive?
So this time when they went to the Tang Dynasty, they actually brought an agreement with very favorable terms, and they could even pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty every year. As long as the Tang Dynasty no longer targeted them, Goguryeo would have won a chance of survival.
But is it really that simple? You, Goguryeo, have constantly harassed the people along the Tang border, killing countless of us since the Sui Dynasty. Now that you're no longer strong, you're thinking of concluding an agreement and suspending conflict. Is that a good thing?
You are trying to avoid the troubles you have caused at the lowest cost. If the Tang Dynasty did not have that ability, then your thinking might be acceptable, but now the Tang Dynasty is full of power, so you'd better not dream of avoiding it in this way.
When the King of Goguryeo sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Qixiong had already suggested to the King that it was of no use now. We should prepare for war and wait for the arrival of the Tang army instead of being filled with internal intrigue and weakening our strength step by step.
"Sir, has the quarrel between the king and the prime minister reached the Tang Dynasty?"
One of the followers below whispered that in the past six months, Goguryeo had been in turmoil from top to bottom. Prime Minister Gai Yuansuwen and the King of Goguryeo were constantly fighting, and the two sides fought from the court to outside the court, and almost everyone was involved in the struggle.
Originally, the power of the court was one-sided, and the Prime Minister held more than 90% of the power. Even if the King of Goguryeo was dissatisfied, he had no way to deal with it. However, the King of Goguryeo suddenly received help from a mysterious power more than half a year ago, so the King of Goguryeo's power began to grow slowly. If a person has no strength, he can endure anything, but if his muscles slowly expand, it will be impossible for you to ask him to endure it.
So, with the help of this mysterious force, the King of Goguryeo sounded the clarion call to take back power. Naturally, Prime Minister Gai Yuansuwen was unwilling to do so. The two sides fought fiercely at all levels for a long time...