gnovel Chapter 137 Playing the Bandit to Invite the King, Dogs and Rabbits Die
Chapter 137 Playing the Bandit to Invite the King, Dogs and Rabbits Die
The edict for Shi Jingtang's ascension to the throne was drafted by Sang Weihan and Zhao Ying, and reviewed and revised by Han officials under Yelü Deguang, requiring much effort from civil officials of both countries.
"When Emperor Mingzong reigned, he upheld the solemn covenant with my wise ancestors, hoping that his descendants would follow his example and help each other through thick and thin. The covenant remains indelible and cannot be deceived by the sun. I, having inherited this legacy, dare not abandon it. You are my close relatives, truly part of the main branch, which is why I regard you as my son, and you treat me as your father."
This single sentence contains profound meaning.
Li Siyuan and Yelü Abaoji exchanged a written agreement.
At the beginning of his reign, Li Siyuan sent his courtier Yao Kun to announce the death of his father. Upon arriving at the West Tower, he found that Abaoji was away on a campaign in Bohai and had not yet arrived. After a long journey, he finally managed to pay his respects, arriving in July.
Upon hearing of Li Cunxu's death, Abaoji wept bitterly.
"My ancestors from Hedong swore brotherhood with me, and the Emperor of Henan is my son. I recently heard of the chaos in the Han lands and mustered 50,000 armored cavalry. I intended to go to Luoyang to rescue my son, but the Bohai Sea has not yet been conquered. My son has indeed met this end. What a tragedy!"
She wept uncontrollably.
Abaoji cried a few times, then quickly revealed his intention to interfere in the Central Plains: "Now that my son is dead, you should consult me. How can you act as you please!"
Li Keyong did indeed swear brotherhood with Abaoji, but one of the three arrows he left behind on his deathbed was to have his son strike Abaoji, who had betrayed the alliance and defected to the Liang dynasty.
Li Cunxu followed his father's instructions and did not tolerate his sworn brother who frequently raided the south. He repeatedly repelled the brother's attempts to plunder, and the relationship between the two sides plummeted to a freezing point.
Li Siyuan was no longer buying it, and Yao Kun responded with a mix of soft and hard words: "Our Emperor has commanded troops for twenty years, rising to the rank of Grand Commander. His troops number three hundred thousand, and they are of one mind. He firmly supports and supports us. If we go against his will, disaster will surely follow. It is not that we do not know the Emperor's will, but we cannot help but worry about the people's hearts."
"Although the son of the Han state and I are father and son, we were once enemies and harbored ill intentions towards each other. But we have no ill will towards you, the Son of Heaven, and can be happy with you."
When Abaoji realized that intimidation had failed, he immediately changed his tune, calling Li Cunxu, whom he had just called his beloved son, an enemy, and expressed goodwill to Li Siyuan. Then he made an exorbitant demand for territory.
"If you grant me the land north of the Yellow River, I will no longer invade the south."
Yao Kun flatly refused, for this was not something an envoy could do on his own.
Abaoji was furious and imprisoned him. Ten days later, he summoned him again and this time lowered his conditions: "It may be difficult to obtain him from Hebei, but it would be acceptable if he could pacify Youzhou."
He handed over paper and pen, urging Yao Kun to sign the document without further ado.
"You shall report back first. I will then lead ten thousand cavalry south to Youzhou and Zhenzhou to make a pact with your emperor. I demand Youzhou, which the Han people shall seize, and I will never again invade Han territory."
Yao Kunjian refused, and Abaoji wanted to kill him, but Han minister Han Yanhui strongly advised against it, so he was imprisoned again.
Unexpectedly, only three days after this summons, Abaoji contracted typhoid fever and died overnight.
It is clear that the so-called signing of the decree was merely a wishful thinking on Abaoji's part. Yelü Deguang fabricated facts in the document to provide a basis for occupying Youyan, and his desire for the Central Plains was inherited from his father.
Another layer of meaning in this text is little known.
Abaoji and Li Keyong became sworn brothers, and Abaoji adopted Li Cunxu as his son.
Following the same logic, Yelü Deguang continued his brotherly relationship with Li Siyuan. Since he recognized Shi Jingtang as his son, Shi Jingtang was also Li Siyuan's son.
The eight characters "You are a close relative, truly a branch of the family" make it very clear that the son-in-law becomes an adopted son. Similar to Li Congke, Shi Jingtang also has the qualifications to inherit Li Siyuan's lineage. However, this relationship is explained from Yelü Deguang's side.
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It must be said that, in some respects, intellectuals are indeed very clever.
"Yesterday I appointed the tyrant Cong Ke, who was not originally a member of the royal family. He usurped the imperial map, abandoned righteousness and gratitude, defied Heaven and acted violently, slaughtered his own flesh and blood, sowed discord among the loyal and virtuous, allowed flatterers to speak out, and tyrannized the common people. The Chinese and barbarians were terrified, and the country was in chaos. I know you are innocent, yet you have been harmed by them."
The next sentence lists Li Congke's crimes. "Not of royal lineage" refers to the fact that his original surname was Wang, but because his mother was a concubine of Li Siyuan, he became an adopted son, and the discussion still revolves around the legitimacy of his ascension to the throne.
The phrase "to kill one's own flesh and blood" is likely to be interpreted by most people as referring to the killing of Prince Li Conghou of E, but this is not the case.
Shi Jingtang killed all of Li Conghou's cavalry, and there was something dishonorable about that as well. How could he put himself in an unjust position?
In light of the above, the "blood and flesh" mentioned here refers to Shi Jingtang himself, further emphasizing his status as Li Siyuan's successor, which makes sense.
It turns out that the so-called "serving the Khitan" was not simply about being subservient; the real political consideration behind it was the roundabout way to obtain the title of successor.
The intricacies of the situation were common knowledge at the time, but if they hadn't been exposed, how many people today would understand them?
November 14th, the day of Ji Hai.
Shi Jingtang, presiding over the Chongyuan Hall, issued an edict: "The seventh year of Changxing is hereby renamed the first year of Tianfu, and a general amnesty is hereby granted."
On that day, officials were appointed to the Hedong Military Headquarters, thus establishing the framework of the new dynasty.
Zhao Ying, the judge of the military governorship, was appointed as a Hanlin Academician, acting Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and prefect of the Hedong Military Prefecture.
Sang Weihan, the secretary of the military governor, was appointed as a Hanlin Academician, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Privy Councilor.
Xue Rong, the judge in charge of observation, served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, concurrently as the Imperial Censor, and was in charge of miscellaneous affairs.
Dou Zhengu, the military governor's assistant, was appointed as a Hanlin Academician.
Liu Zhiyuan, the military inspector of the city, was appointed as the commander of the imperial guards cavalry.
Guest general Jing Yanguang was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard Infantry.
Li Shouzhen, the official in charge of guest affairs, was appointed as the envoy of the guest administration.
The first edict issued by Shi Jingtang erased the reign titles of Yingshun and Qingtai, signifying his direct succession to the throne from Li Siyuan.
The decree stated that "all imperial edicts and laws issued during the reign of Emperor Mingzong shall be followed and not altered," which laid the foundation for the new dynasty's governance. He wanted to leverage his father-in-law's reputation to gain as much support as possible.
In Shi Jingtang's mind, the reign title Tianfu meant that with the help of the Khitan, he had escaped from a desperate situation, which was indeed a blessing from heaven.
……
The envoy returned to Zhao Dejun, and Yelü Deguang rejected their demands and instead installed Shi Jingtang as emperor.
With things having come to this point, Zhao Dejun finally gave up the idea of negotiating with the Khitan and, under repeated imperial edicts urging him to advance his troops, began to march.
November 15th, Gengzi day.
Zhao Dejun reported that when the army arrived at Tuanbai Valley, the vanguard killed five hundred barbarian cavalry.
Fan Yanguang reported that when the army reached Yuci, the barbarian army retreated into the Hedongchuan border.
Pan Huan reported that the barbarian army had been driven back from Xizhou.
November 17th, Renyin day.
Zhao Dejun reported that the army had left the valley and the barbarian army was gradually retreating. The Khitan ruler was now stationed in Liulin, which was located thirty li south of Jin'an Village.
The three reinforcements converged on Taiyuan, encircling the Khitan cavalry and forcing them to withdraw their forces.
Tuanbai Valley is only a hundred miles from Jin'an Village, and can be reached in a day by fast travel; Yuci is only fifty miles from Jin'an Village, separated by the Fen River.
Within the stronghold, Zhang Jingda's remaining forces numbered 50,000 men and 10,000 horses, and their fighting strength remained intact.
With reinforcements from all directions forming a pincer movement, and more than 100,000 troops attacking from both inside and outside, it is self-evident which side will have the upper hand once the decisive battle begins.
Just when the situation seemed to be improving and the siege of Jin'an Village seemed to be lifted, another unexpected event occurred.
Zhao Dejun made a new request to the court, asking that Zhao Yanshou be appointed as the military governor of Zhenzhou and Chengde Army. His reason was that he was away on a distant expedition, and Youzhou was isolated and weak. He wanted Zhao Yanshou to go to Zhenzhou so that his men could provide support.
He only took three thousand silver saddles to the aid, and the troops in Youzhou were not mobilized. How could the area be empty?
Moreover, Yelü Deguang mobilized the entire nation's resources to aid Hedong, so where would he find the strength to harass Youyan? This reason could only fool a child.
When Zhao Dejun failed to reach an agreement with the Khitan, he wanted to gain some more benefits from the imperial court. With the powerful states of Youzhou and Zhenzhou in his hands, he would still have the strength to fight even if Li Congke turned against him later.
"Yanshou is currently fighting the bandits; how can he have time to go to Zhenzhou?"
Li Congke was initially patient and agreed to Zhao Dejun's request, but only after the rebellion in Hedong was quelled: "Once the rebels are pacified, I will grant your request."
This opportunity might not come again, and who knows if the promise will be fulfilled later? Since he could only control the emperor now, Zhao Dejun was unwilling to let go of this golden opportunity to demand exorbitant prices, and repeatedly pleaded with him.
Unable to contain his anger, Li Congke uttered a harsh remark.
"Why do Dejun and his son so insistent on obtaining Zhenzhou? If they can drive away the Hu bandits, they would gladly accept the throne even if it meant replacing me. But if they play with the bandits and try to win you over, I fear we will all perish."
However, he made a mistake earlier by entrusting the imperial guards to Zhao Yanshou, and Li Congke could no longer do anything to the father and son.
Seeing that the court did not comply with his wishes, Zhao Dejun resorted to his old tricks. Despite the enemy being close at hand, he delayed advancing and another half month passed in the blink of an eye.
At this time, in Jin'an Village, Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing led their cavalry to fight several times, but all of them retreated without success because they were outnumbered.
By November, fodder and food were scarce, so horses were slaughtered for food, a move akin to drinking poison to quench thirst.
The warhorses, lacking fodder, became too weak to fight, and the number available for combat dwindled day by day. Each counterattack organized by Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing became less and less threatening, and in the end, they were forced to remain trapped in their camp.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yang Guangyuan suggested to Commander-in-Chief Zhang Jingda: "Since we have exhausted our troops, it would be better to fight desperately and win three or four out of ten battles, which is worse than sitting idly by and suffering losses."
Although Zhang Jingda was unaware of outside news, he firmly believed that the imperial reinforcements would arrive and rejected Yang Guangyuan's proposal to break through the siege.
"Wait longer."
Yang Guangyuan's eyes flickered, as if he had other thoughts, and he immediately lowered his head and obeyed.
That sudden change in expression did not escape Gao Xingzhou's sharp eyes; he had already noticed it.
A few days later, Yang Guangyuan and An Shenqi, the commander of the cavalry, came together and tried to persuade Zhang Jingda to surrender to the Khitan, but Zhang Jingda refused outright.
"I have received great favors from Emperor Mingzong and the current emperor, yet I, as commander-in-chief, have suffered a defeat; my crime is already grave. How much more so should I surrender to the enemy!"
Zhang Shengtie lived up to his name; his heart was as hard as iron, and his words carried weight.
"Reinforcements will arrive soon, so we should wait for them. If we are exhausted and desperate, then the other armies can cut off my head, take it with them, and surrender. It will not be too late to seek our own good fortune."
After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and turned away, unwilling to look at the two of them again.
Yang Guangyuan looked at An Shenqi and raised his eyebrows twice. An Shenqi couldn't bear to murder his commander and shook his head slightly in refusal. This scene was also witnessed by Gao Xingzhou.
In the Battle of Hubeikou, Zhang Jingda's elite troops fought desperately, killing the enemy Lugu of the Northern Court Yilijin, but suffered heavy casualties and lacked personal guards.
Knowing that Yang Guangyuan intended to seize the commander, Gao Xingzhou personally led his elite cavalry to follow him, secretly on guard. However, since Yang Guangyuan's plot had not yet been revealed, the reasons could not be stated openly.
Zhang Jingda, unaware of the reason, asked others, "Why does Xing Zhou always follow me so closely?"
Gao Xingzhou never expected that his loyalty would arouse suspicion from his commander-in-chief, who then had no choice but to order the withdrawal of the troops protecting Zhang Jingda. (Note 1)
He looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and exhaled, instantly turning into a cloud of white mist.
Feeling an unbearable depression in his chest, Gao Xingzhou opened his clothes, letting the cold winter wind blow into his embrace, causing a sharp, piercing pain.
Since we set out in May, half a year has passed, from summer to winter.
Gao Xingzhou couldn't help but think that since his children were old enough to remember, he had never been away from home for so long. He wondered if he would be able to return home safely and see his wife and children again.
Jin'an Village had been besieged since September 16th and held out for over 70 days until the end of November.