gnovel Chapter 19 Chenqiao Mutiny
Chapter 19 Chenqiao Mutiny
The festive atmosphere of the New Year was completely ruined, and the entire city of Kaifeng was plunged into chaos. Merchants and wealthy households were packing their valuables and fleeing. So many people were fleeing that they even blocked the city gates.
Everyone in Kaifeng knew that Zhao Kuangyin was about to don the yellow robe and become emperor, and they all planned to leave Kaifeng first, and then consider whether to come back after the dust had settled.
To put it bluntly, the common people who lived through the Five Dynasties period weren't fools. The false intelligence about the Khitan ruler launching a massive invasion southward with the full force of the nation couldn't fool anyone.
Especially since most of the people in Kaifeng were soldiers, military dependents, or involved in military affairs, everyone knew what was going to happen.
Meanwhile, Fan Zhi and a group of civil officials, even though the whole city knew that Zhao Kuangyin was about to don the yellow robe, insisted on pretending not to know, saying that Grand Commandant Zhao was loyal to the country and would never become a traitor.
The reason why they "entrusted the child to the wrong person" was that everyone lacked ability and vision, not that they had any subjective intentions or deliberately betrayed the heavy responsibility entrusted to them by the late emperor.
At Han Tong's home, Han Tong had been pacing anxiously back and forth since returning from court, his brows furrowed, sighing frequently, his mind filled with complex emotions.
If only he had acted later, after I had built new houses for the entire Imperial Guard... sigh~
Han Tong is very unhappy right now, but to be honest, he doesn't know why he's unhappy.
Many later analyses have suggested that Han Tong was a loyal minister of the Later Zhou Dynasty, a close confidant of Chai Rong, and that he died for his loyalty to the Later Zhou. However, this is somewhat absurd.
He was a common soldier, and people his age don't have much loyalty. This era didn't allow soldiers like him to have any loyalty either. To say that he was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, or that he would die for the Later Zhou dynasty, was really not worth it. He had always been Liu Zhiyuan's loyal follower in his early years, but he didn't die for the Later Han dynasty.
If he was ambitious and wanted to take the lead himself, he knew that his foundation was too shallow, his connections were weak, and even his abilities were inferior to Zhao Kuangyin's.
But he is still in a stronger position than Zhao Kuangyin.
But he was more senior, and Zhao Kuangyin was a junior to him.
In truth, Han Tong knew why he acted this way: he was dissatisfied, but he had no other choice, so he could only use loyalty to the Great Zhou as an excuse to go against Zhao Kuangyin.
Now that things have come to this, there's no turning back. Aside from impotent rage, there's really nothing he can do but pace aimlessly around his front hall, wearing down the soles of his shoes.
"Father! There's something wrong with this military intelligence. Zhao Kuangyin definitely harbors rebellious intentions; he's going to rebel!"
Just as I was getting annoyed, Han Wei rushed back from outside in a flurry.
"Um."
Han Tong snorted through his nose.
"Father, you...you're finally reacting! I said Zhao Kuangyin is going to rebel, and you...you don't believe me? You, Lord Fan, and the Empress Dowager, you've all been deceived by Zhao Kuangyin!"
This man is a treacherous villain disguised as a loyal subject. Although he appears virtuous and upright, his rebellious intentions are obvious. There's definitely something wrong with this military expedition.
Prime Minister Fan even wants him to take all 130,000 Imperial Guards with him. If that happens, how can we stop him if he decides to rebel? Prime Minister Fan is foolish! Prime Minister Fan is utterly ruining the country!!
"Um."
Han Tong agreed again, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Father, don't you have the authority to deploy all the imperial guards in Kaifeng? Quickly, stop them! We absolutely cannot let Zhao Kuangyin lead the troops into battle. Kaifeng only has 140,000 imperial guards in total. Giving him 130,000 will cause a huge problem."
"Um."
"Dad, stop just saying 'yes,' move!"
"What are you doing?"
"Go and stop Zhao Kuangyin from mobilizing his troops!"
How can I stop it?
"Father, you control the troops in Kaifeng. Doesn't the power to deploy the troops in Kaifeng rest with you?"
"Chai Zongxun is the emperor, so why does nobody listen to him?"
Han Wei was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.
Already seething with anger, Han Tong had lost all patience for his son and yelled at him:
"You think you're so smart? You can see that Zhao Kuangyin isn't planning a northern expedition against the Khitan, but rather to seize the throne. Can't your father see that? Can't Minister Fan see that? Can't the entire court see that? Zhao Kuangyin is going to rebel, it's so obvious, do you really need to tell me?!"
Han Wei stared blankly, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
To be frank, this guy has a bit of a female-centric mentality. He thinks his father's official rank is higher than Zhao Kuangyin's, and that his father has the power to control the troops in Kaifeng.
Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin should listen to his father, and the 130,000 imperial guards should listen to his father. So, if his father wanted to manage, he could definitely manage Zhao Kuangyin.
Similarly, the Empress Dowager and Prime Minister Fan must also be able to control Zhao Kuangyin.
But he didn't consider that if being a higher-ranking official could really crush someone, would Chai Rong have needed to replace Zhang Yongde before his death? Zhang Yongde was, after all, his brother-in-law. What kind of logic is it to replace your own brother-in-law with an outsider?
Was the Five Dynasties a time when everyone could speak according to their official rank?
When there was an emperor, everyone in the army listened to their superiors. Perhaps it was true that a higher rank could crush someone. But now that there is no emperor, who cares about your rank? Now it's all about personal relationships!
At this point, Zhao Kuangyin, a military officer and former soldier, had a significant advantage that far surpassed that of Zhao Kuangyin.
He had been holding back his anger for a long time, and he was really dissatisfied with Zhao Kuangyin. During the morning court assembly, he was filled with pent-up anger, and he vented it all on Han Wei, giving him a furious scolding that left Han Wei somewhat dumbfounded.
Just as he was cursing someone, a servant came to report that Wang Jun and his son Wang Lu had arrived, and seemed to be in a hurry to see him.
"In a hurry? What urgent matter could they possibly have at this point?" Han Tong asked, somewhat surprised.
"Let them in quickly. They're my son-in-law, why bother announcing? Remember this from now on, my son-in-law doesn't need to announce himself when he comes to our house."
"Yes."
A moment later, Wang Jun and Wang Lu rushed in, immediately saying, "Father-in-law, Zhao Kuangyin is about to don the yellow robe."
"Um."
"Grandpa, please make your preparations. If nothing unexpected happens, Zhao Kuangyin will come to visit you and invite you for a drink."
"Huh? You want to have a drink with me?"
"I heard that today in the court, all the other civil and military officials remained silent, except for my grandfather who uttered complaints."
"How did you know about what's happening in the palace, and so quickly?"
"Isn't this the first day of the Lunar New Year's Day court assembly? With so many people, there will naturally be a lot of talk. Grandfather, all the civil and military officials are obedient, but you have shown dissatisfaction. Zhao Kuangyin will definitely come. I've thought it through, I've thought it through. He's coming to ask you to share the spoils."
"This... he really will come? What do I need to prepare?"
"Please send someone to restrain my uncle. At this critical moment, we mustn't let him do anything foolish!"
Han Wei: "????"
Han Tong suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly ordered, "Someone, lock the eldest young master inside. I won't let him out, don't let him out."
"No, what does this have to do with me! Father, Father, I'm your own son!"
In history books, many things are kept secret to avoid offending the powerful, and many things are left people confused. But now that we are in the midst of it, many things become clear.
Historical records state that before the Chenqiao Mutiny, Zhao Kuangyin proactively brought a wine jug to Han Tong's door, expressing that he had no intention of rebelling. Han Tong, seeing Zhao Kuangyin's sincerity, believed him.
Only his son Han Wei was a clever man. He saw through Zhao Kuangyin's wolfish ambitions at a glance and persuaded Han Tong to kill Zhao Kuangyin. Han Tong refused to listen and then ambushed axemen to do it himself. Zhao Kuangyin noticed and Han Tong ran away.
That's how it's recorded in history books anyway.
He felt something was off when he was reading history books back then, and now he feels it's even more off:
When Zhao Kuangyin was about to become emperor, half of Kaifeng knew it. Wealthy merchants fleeing the disaster blocked the city gates. What was the point of Zhao Kuangyin putting on an act and pretending to be a loyal and filial son? Didn't he feel disgusted with himself?
Is this what it means to pretend to be virtuous when you're actually a prostitute? Han Tong isn't an idiot.
Until today, when he learned that at the grand court assembly, among all the civil and military officials, only Han Tong stood up to question Zhao Kuangyin, directly and clearly pointing out almost everything that would happen during the Chenqiao Mutiny, he immediately understood.
When Zhao Kuangyin came to see Han Tong, how could he possibly be showing any loyalty? He was there to divide the spoils.
He still brought wine with him, and he'll definitely say things like, "After I become emperor, I'll do this and that for you. I was forced to rise to this position." He'll also say things like, "Even after I become emperor, we'll still be brothers."
That's definitely the same line they're using!
He came to appease Han Tong. It was just that the historians of the Song Dynasty couldn't write it that way, because if they did, wouldn't it make it seem like Emperor Taizu's ascension to the throne was premeditated?
So, if it weren't for Han Wei, that incompetent teammate, causing the axemen incident, Zhao Kuangyin originally intended to share the spoils with Han Tong, and Han Tong could have at least had a very good old age!
"My lord, my lord, come, come, the inspector is here. He's carrying wine and a roast chicken, saying he wants to have a drink with you."
Han Tong was stunned. He looked at Wang Jun and his son Wang Lu, his face full of emotion.