25 The night of the coup d'état

"His Majesty has been creating chaos, and people have been kept in the dark by him."

"Goodbye, be careful on the road." The wind chime politely said goodbye to the last noble child in class, and before the child could respond to her, the servant hastily took her away, without even having time to turn his head back. With a hint of melancholy, the wind chimes watched the child and the servant leave, looked back at the empty classroom, recited a spell in his heart, and flew away as a bird.

The bird flew over the castle courtyard and looked down on the castle perimeter from the air, and could clearly see that Prince Ryan Royer's "rebels" had blocked the few entrances and exits, and besieged them. They allowed ordinary ministers, servants, nobles, and children attending classes to go out, but members of the royal family were not allowed to go out, especially the king himself, the crown prince, and Princess Lilith. Prince Lane himself did not have an army, but the nobles who supported him in launching the coup d'état donated their own guards, bodyguards and servants, and hired a large number of rangers, hunters and even beggars inside and outside the city.

Inside the castle's outer walls, the Janissaries loyal to the king guarded every doorway, large and small, and strictly checked everyone who came in from the outside, including ministers and servants who returned from the outing. At the entrance to the sewers under the castle, there are also multiple checkpoints to prevent anyone from sneaking in. And the rebels outside the city, of course, would not be stupid enough to let the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard out, so these three hundred or so Praetorian Guards were an important force to defend the king, and at the same time the only force - the army defending the capital had been transferred to the southern border a few days earlier, and it was the king himself who gave the order. They had already received the news that the castle was besieged and were returning at full speed, but it would take two or three days at the earliest. As long as the "rebels" capture the castle and kill the king and crown prince before the kingdom's troops return, the coup will be considered successful. Considering that the coup mastermind was also a member of the royal family and would inherit the throne, the army would choose to compromise even if it returned to the capital, and of course, due to the king's inaction during the "Battle of Kuromon", a considerable number of soldiers were dissatisfied with his rule, and even if the Janissaries held out until the army reached the capital, the final outcome would be uncertain.

However, to be on the safe side, it was safest for the rebels to capture the castle and take the king and crown prince before the army rushed back to the capital. So for Prince Lane, who staged the coup d'état, the night of May 5, 1244 would be the fateful night that would decide the future of the empire.

Princess Lilith sat alone in her room with a cold lunch on the table - she was not in the mood to eat it, her uncle had led the rebels to besiege the castle for about five days, but fortunately, the experienced commander of the Praetorian Guard, Earl McQueen, had stopped the rebels' plot to destroy the food storage in time, and implemented an emergency distribution plan so that the supply problem did not cause panic in the castle.

But there's one more thing that bothers Lilith: the letter leak. At the beginning of the siege, some rebels infiltrated the castle to carry out sabotage missions, but most of them were successfully stopped by the Praetorian Guards. However, the royal clerks in the castle took advantage of the chaos to escape, and took with them a large number of draft letters written by King Albert. Soon these drafts ended up in the hands of the clergy of the Wanyuan Cathedral, which had been suppressed by the king, and were publicly posted on the bulletin board at the entrance of the church. When the people who passed by saw it, they couldn't help but be shocked: these letters were written by King Albert to the rulers or high-ranking officials of the neighboring countries, and many of them were full of instigation, provocation, sarcasm and coercive language, with the purpose of creating contradictions for many neighboring countries, or leading neighbors to attack them! There were also secret decrees issued by the kings concerning the dismantling of certain fortifications on the border, etc...... The people were shocked when they learned of this, and the indignant people rallied in solidarity with the rebels led by the prince, and surrounded the castle, shouting slogans of condemnation and protest, which disturbed the people in the castle and caused a great drop in morale.

The voices of the people had long since stopped, but Princess Lilith could not calm her heart, and suddenly, she heard the chirping of birds behind her, and she quickly turned back—a beautiful bird was tilting its head from the windowsill to look at her.

"You're back, Wind Chimes!" Lilith, who was still upset just now, couldn't hide her joy and said to the bird with a smile. The bird also jumped from the windowsill to the floor, and when it turned around, it changed back to the original appearance of the wind chimes. "Well, did that work out?" Without waiting for the wind chime to say hello, Lilith hurriedly asked, she had entrusted the wind chime to do an important job.

"Sorry, Princess," said Wind Chime, slightly apologetically, "the letters on the bulletin board have already been taken away by the Prince's men, and I have not had time to get them." ”

"It's all right, Wind Chime," Lilith comforted, "it's hard to do, huh...... It seems that I still haven't been able to help my father. Lilith lowered her head in disappointment, but quickly remembered something: "Why did Uncle take those letters?" Sticking it there should make the public support him even more? ”

Wind Chime thought for a moment and replied, "I don't understand, maybe they want to use this to increase their political popularity, but as the princess said, it's easier for them to get support by sticking there." ”

"Politics is really annoying!" Lilith grumbled again, "It's all this damn politics that made my uncle betray my father...... I don't want to deal with politics all my life, what marriages, alliances, revenge...... I don't want to even be involved! ”

"It's really not up to you," Wind Chime supported, "and I'll help you stay away from these." With that, the wind chime approached Lilith, took her hand, and kissed her gently. Lilith also hugged the wind chimes and whispered softly in her ear: "Wind chimes, I'm afraid ......" Lilith understands who the rebels are targeting, and behind her pretending to be strong is a fragile heart, which is also an important factor in her dislike of talking about politics.

"No," Wind Chime patted Lilith on the back and hugged her tightly, making her feel as safe as possible.

Soothed by the wind chimes, Lilith eased up a little, but still asked worriedly, "They're going to attack tonight, right?" ”

"Yes, the reinforcements will be back in two days, and they must get there before the reinforcements arrive. But don't worry, princess, I will protect you and Your Majesty. ”

"And my brother!"

"I ...... I'll do my best. But it's you who I want to protect! ”

Lilith laughed again, and she heard the response she wanted most - she loved Wind Chimes, and Wind Chimes loved her.

"If the situation is critical," Wind Chime continued, "I've taught myself teleportation magic that will teleport you to safety. ”

"Hmm!" Lilith nodded, "I remember you said you could only teleport to certain parts of the city right now. ”

"Yes, I'm not strong enough," said Wind Chime modestly, "and when I get stronger in a few years, I'll use teleportation magic to take you around the world, wherever I've been." ”

"Good! Don't make me wait too long! Lilith said in a relaxed tone, her fears and worries dissipating a lot.

At this moment, Lilith's valet entered the house and took away the completely cold lunch and cutlery such as knives and forks. "Princess, you can't skip a meal." The servant finished speaking and left. Wind Chime noticed something slightly, but she didn't say it, maybe these things were not too big or small, and she didn't care too much.

"Once the battle begins, the princess stays in the room and doesn't move." "I'll be in the castle to help defend myself, and I'll come to see you from time to time, princess." ”

"Well, don't worry too much, I still have servants here, and they are also very loyal." Lilith's words also put the wind chimes at ease a little......

After the wind chimes left, Lilith took out a small jade pill bottle from the desk drawer, opened the stopper, and several crystal pills loomed.

“…… I hope this pill isn't my destination......"

As dusk approached, in the corridors of the castle, Wind Chimes encountered the commander of the Praetorian Guard, Earl McQueen, and several of his men.

"It's a pleasure to see that you're loyal to Your Majesty," McQueen said to Wind Chimes, "and I've received news that the other magicians of the Demon Court have taken refuge in Prince Lane. ”

"Please don't blame them, people are inherently selfish, not to mention that they have all experienced the battle of the Black Gate, and they may have their own thoughts about His Majesty's orders." Wind Chime explained that the other apprentices in the Demon Court were people she knew, and she didn't want others to misunderstand them.

"Anyway, your combat effectiveness is affirmed by my old friend Alista, and if I can fight side by side with you, my old bones will also be rejuvenated!"

"You have been humble, Earl McQueen, and I will do everything in my power to protect the princess and your majesty."

Earl McQueen was about to salute and say goodbye, when Wind Chime suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Earl, are all the weapons in the castle controlled by the Praetorian Guard?" ”

"Yes, even short swords, daggers, and hunting bows, we're in control."

"What about kitchenware? There are knives and forks in the kitchenware, in case ......" Wind Chimes hurriedly said the problem he had just noticed.

"This ...... Ah! As if suddenly realized, Earl McQueen patted his head, then turned behind him to one of his men and said, "Quick, Entekman, you will now take someone to the kitchen and collect all the knives and forks...... Anything that can be used as a weapon will be confiscated! ”

Wind Chime heard his familiar name, and saw a sturdy Praetorian Guard soldier with a few men out of the ranks, ready to carry out the order. Entekoman had already noticed the wind chime, and when the two looked at each other, Entekoman bowed and smiled slightly, and the wind chime nodded in response, and noticed the ivy coat of arms on a white background sewn on his arm.

"The sun is about to set, and it is estimated that the Prince's men will soon attack the castle," said Earl McQueen to the Praetorian Guards, "everyone hold their posts, as long as they guard those key entrances and exits, they will not be able to attack it!" ”

Sure enough, not long after these words were spoken, the rebel attack began.

"Wind Chime, you come with me to Your Majesty." Earl McQueen said to the wind chimes.

There were fires at several outer city gates, and the rebels wanted to use the fire to open the city gates, but from the situation, the fire made the Janissaries take advantage of it, and they had no intention of extinguishing the fire, and even added firewood to the inside, so the raging fire blocked the way of the rebels' advance. Even though the siege had begun, there was no direct contact with the battle - the rebels used only a limited number of weapons, and siege engines were nonsense, so they could only light a little fire to liven up the atmosphere. And the people inside the castle didn't care about these innocuous "attacks" at all, and still did their own thing.

After a while, Earl McQueen and Wind Chime came to King Albert's reception room, and it was Earl McQueen's idea to choose this place for the king to take refuge, and this place can advance or retreat, no matter how the enemy attacks, the king can be safely evacuated. At this time, King Albert was in his seat flipping through some yellowed letters, without the slightest sense of urgency of the great enemy, much to the admiration of the people who came.

"Your Majesty," said Earl McQueen and the wind chimes in a salute, "the Crown Prince has been disguised as a Janissary private, and I have placed him at the outer gate on the north side for defense, and they would never have thought that the Crown Prince would be in the middle of the Janissaries, and that he would be so close to the front line, where the enemy is moderately numered and ready to break out at any moment." ”

"Your Majesty, if the enemy comes in, I will defend the room where the princess is, and if necessary, I will use teleportation magic to bring the princess to safety." ”

"I've sent someone to secretly take over the abandoned stables at the back of the cathedral, and if we need to break out, it will be a safer meeting point, and no one will think that Your Majesty will be near the Wanyuan Sect Church, which you hate." Earl McQueen continued with Wind Chime's words, "Wind Chime has been to that stable, and if the princess needs to teleport away, be sure to teleport there to join us." Wind Chimes nodded.

"So, ......Your Majesty," Earl McQueen was about to continue, but was interrupted by a gesture from King Albert.

"The wind chimes stay, and the others go out and wait first." King Albert put down the letter in his hand and spoke calmly, without the slightest panic in his tone, as full of majesty as usual.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Earl of McQueen saluted and left the reception room with the others, leaving only the king and the wind chimes in the room.

"Your Majesty......?" Wind Chime looked at the king suspiciously and whispered.

"Wind Chime, I want to talk to you about you and my daughter Lilith."

Hearing Lilith's name, the wind chime gasped.

……

"It's a pity - that was the last conversation I had with Your Majesty......"

25.5 The Mystery of the "Butler Castle Coup"

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The "Butler Castle Coup" in 1244 finally changed the fate of the Kingdom of Split, and it was then that the rise of the Split Sun Empire began, and that small kingdom eventually developed into the vast empire we see today.

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Although the story of the coup d'état is widely circulated, and many ordinary people still know that coups have occurred in history, the specific causes, processes, and consequences are full of mystery or ambiguity. Naturally, there is no detailed record of the coup d'état in the official archives of Spellet, except for the sentence "In May 1244, Prince Ryan Royer replaced his brother Albert Royer as the new king". And the folk did not leave a corresponding record, which is also rare in the history of Split.

……

I had the pleasure of reading a parchment scroll hidden under the roof tiles in the Butler City Wanyuan Cathedral, which actually recorded information about the "Butler Castle Coup", which was presumably recorded by the clergy of the church at the time, and hidden under the roof tiles, presumably to avoid official searches, which also explains why there are no civil records of the coup d'état.

……

Unfortunately, most of the text on the parchment is illegible, and I can only speculate on its contents from the outline of the text and the length of some of the text traces, which are roughly as follows: "Prince Lane attacked the castle with a thousand men, and King Albert organized more than three hundred Janissaries to meet it...... On the first day of the battle, the king and the crown prince were assassinated, and Prince Lane entered the castle and was crowned king...... Within a few days, the kingdom forces on the border were loyal to King Lane. Judging from this surviving record, the coup d'état went very smoothly, and the army of the Kingdom of Sprout was not directly involved in the coup, considering that this was an infighting among the Royer royal family, and it is understandable that the kingdom's military will continue to be loyal to the Royer royal family.

But this record also reveals two very important problems:

Question 1: Who killed King Albert and the Crown Prince?

I had the privilege of witnessing Butler's Castle, and its defenses are perfect today, and more than 300 men are more than enough to defend against a thousand men with the help of castle defenses.

And the record says that "the king and the crown prince were assassinated on the first day of the battle", judging from the wording, the king and the crown prince were assassinated by the assassins, so who were the assassins? Is it Ryan's men, or the people close to Albert (e.g., Praetorian Guards, servants, relatives)? There are rumors that a Praetorian soldier surnamed Entekoman betrayed the king, but there is no confirmation of this. The Entekoman family is still alive and well under similar rumors, and it is said that the current Emperor Splet's crown is also engraved with the words of the curse Entekoman, although it has not been confirmed.

I speculate that the Assassin was someone close to the king, probably a soldier of the Praetorian Guard, because some of the orders of King Albert in the later years of his reign seriously hurt the honor of the people and the dignity of the soldiers, and it is very likely that he will be betrayed by those around him.

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Question 2: Why didn't King Albert station troops in the capital?

King Albert was undoubtedly the most controversial ruler in the history of Splett, and in domestic affairs, he implemented policies that greatly improved the lives of the people in the country, as evidenced by the fact that later rulers continued to follow his policies. However, diplomatically, he disturbed the relations between neighboring countries and passively resisted foreign invasions, and some folk records show that he never sent reinforcements to reinforce the defense of Kuromon during the "Battle of Kuromon", and after winning the defensive battle, he ordered the city wall to be demolished...... These are the aspects of him that have been criticized.

From the above records, it is known that the Butler Castle was defended by more than 300 Janissary Guards, and there were no Kingdom troops, and it can also be seen from the sentence "The Kingdom troops on the border are loyal to King Lane" It is also clear that the capital Butler City is likely to have no troops stationed. As the ruler of the kingdom, this arrangement is very illogical and unwise.

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Did he do this in order to deliberately make the coup a success?

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King Albert did only two things during his reign: to do his best at home and to create chaos, the latter of which cost him his life and the empire that rightfully belonged to him.

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—From The Rise and Fall of the Split Sun, by Koran Dutwid