Although the spring sunshine looked bright and beautiful, Li Fangyuan, who was once full of vigor, looked extremely dejected. The proud and fierce generals who once followed him were now all crestfallen, and they were no longer the battle-hardened soldiers they once were.
Although he had just turned thirty, Li Fangyuan had initially thought this would be the pinnacle of his life. He still aspired to further his career, create a great dynasty, and become a revered and virtuous ruler. But now, perhaps he needed to calm down.
He was the fifth son of Yi Seong-gye, and his mother was Yi Seong-gye's first wife. Yi Bang-won, who was skilled in both literature and martial arts, passed the imperial examination before he was twenty years old. During the process of usurping the throne of the Wang clan of Goryeo, he assassinated Jeong Mong-ju, an important minister of the Yuan Goryeo Dynasty, and also tried to thwart the plot of Yi Seong-gye's group to usurp the country. However, he was eventually assassinated by Yi Bang-won.
Although he contributed greatly to the usurpation of the throne, unfortunately, when Yi Seong-gye became king, Yi Bang-won was just one of the ordinary princes. At that time, Yi Seong-gye favored 'illegitimate sons'. Yi Bang-won wasn't even listed among the founding heroes.
Therefore, Yi Bang-gook, who had been lying low and accumulating strength, acted strategically and, together with his elder brother, preemptively eliminated his half-brother, Crown Prince Yi Bang-seok. Yi Seong-gye, greatly distressed, then passed the throne to Yi Bang-gook.
Li Fangyuan, who appeared humble on the surface, was actually used to being subordinate to others. He fought with his fourth brother, Li Fanggan, on the streets of Gaegyeong and successfully became the "Prince's Brother," thus rightfully usurping the throne.
Yi Seong-gye was already a cripple. What good was being the founding emperor? He had lost his beloved son and favored ministers, long since lost power, and was constantly under surveillance and house arrest. He was in a similar situation to Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan.
A dejected Lee Bang-won couldn't help but recall how the Ming Dynasty had repeatedly found excuses to make things difficult for Goryeo, and how the Ming Dynasty had been reluctant to grant Goryeo a title. In fact, in earlier years, the Ming Dynasty had seized Busan under the pretext of suppressing Japanese pirates and established the Three Guards. It was obvious to everyone that the Ming Dynasty had long coveted Goryeo.
Unfortunately, Yi Seong-gye and his son Yi Bang-won were busy usurping the throne, eliminating the Wang clan's Goryeo forces, and fighting amongst themselves. They had no time to deal with the Ming Dynasty.
Now, the Ming Dynasty's imperial army has arrived. Even though Goryeo has been plagued by war for many years and still has a considerable military force, so what? Lines of defense have been breached one after another, and fortified cities have been captured. They are almost no match for the Ming Dynasty's army.
Even more critically, although the Lee family had been usurping the throne for some time, many commoners and scholars still harbored feelings for the Wang family's Goryeo dynasty. Furthermore, there had just been a power struggle between Lee Bang-won and his brothers last year, so the internal situation was far from monolithic.
Although there were many loyal ministers, so what? Many still quickly betrayed them.
Zhao Pang, who once accompanied Jeong Mong-ju on a diplomatic mission to the Ming Dynasty, now had the opportunity to witness the might of the Ming Dynasty firsthand.
The Fuxingjun and Zhao Pang, the counselor of the Ministry of Personnel, was actually a high-ranking official who led the welcoming of the royal army after the Ming Dynasty captured Gaegyeong. This man was also a traitor to the Wang clan of Goryeo. He actually wrote a letter demanding surrender, spreading rumors in Goryeo about the disloyalty, injustice, and filial impiety of the Li family father and son. He was also constantly recruiting some former Wang clan officials of Goryeo.
Zhao Pang betrayed the regime, and his trusted confidant He Lun, who had been appointed to the position of Grand Secretary, died when Kaijing was captured. It is said that all five of his daughters were captured. As for He Lun's four sons, they were also captured. Except for the eldest son, who was to be presented as a prisoner, the other three sons were executed by Zhao Pang and other remnants of the previous dynasty.
In his early years, Yi Seong-gye, who loved his son at the same time, sighed, his voice hoarse, "I originally did not want to be enemies with the Ming Dynasty, and I have requested an official title several times, but the Ming Dynasty has refused. This time you have brought war, and I am afraid my Yi clan will suffer."
Lee Bang-won snorted coldly and said, "If you hadn't executed ministers and even wiped out the Goryeo royal family to consolidate your power back then, the Yangban wouldn't have become so disloyal. I have been trying to win people's hearts over the years, but I still couldn't withstand the disloyalty of the people and scholars caused by your large-scale killings back then."
This isn't entirely untrue. In fact, during Yi Seong-gye's usurpation of the throne, he consistently slaughtered members of the Goryeo royal family and their officials. Such an immoral act of a subject murdering his ruler naturally caused widespread resentment in Goryeo, a place that adhered to Confucian culture.
Therefore, there are actually many bandit gangs in Goryeo today. Some of them are unable to survive due to years of war, while others are dissatisfied with the actions of Yi Seong-gye and his son. So these people form groups to assassinate the Yangban who follow Yi Seong-gye and are greedy for wealth and glory, rob their property, and disrupt the order established by the usurper.
Yi Seong-gye felt even more frustrated and said, "Only by returning to Wihwa Island can I give you the opportunity to kill your brothers and imprison your nephews, and only then can I allow you to sit on the throne!"
What constitutes a "dark history"? What Yi Seong-gye said is certainly a dark history. In the process of usurping the throne, this father and son were practically identical; they were both essentially disloyal and ungrateful, ambitious opportunists and schemers.
It could even be said that they disregarded national interests in their pursuit of the throne.
In reality, if it weren't for the father and son's perverse actions over the years, it would have been quite difficult for the Ming Dynasty to launch such a massive offensive. The Li family has truly failed to win the hearts of the people; many Goryeo citizens do not approve of, and even strongly resent, the Yi dynasty.
It is true that the Ming Dynasty was a foreign dynasty, but it is hard to say that the Li family father and son were Koreans.
It's unclear when exactly, but rumors began circulating throughout Goryeo that Yi Seong-gye's father, Yi Ja-chun, was actually named Wulusibuhua. This Darughachi, who governed the military and civilians of Shuangcheng and other areas during the Yuan Dynasty, was in fact a Mongol.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have carried out such a large-scale massacre of the Wang clan of Goryeo, and they wouldn't have seized the opportunity to usurp the throne.
These rumors were naturally the work of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, including figures like Zhao Pang, who were partly intimidated by the Ming Dynasty's power. On the other hand, it was also due to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's years of recruitment, coercion, and enticement.
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