Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1312 Lingbiao Rebellion

After the Battle of Jiangling, the relationship between the Guanzhong regime and the Southern Dynasty reached a freezing point. However, soon after, the Northern Qi Dynasty proved with actual actions that its plot and threat to the Southern Dynasty was greater. Especially after Chen Baxian came to power, in order to protect itself, it began to interact and cooperate more closely with the Guanzhong regime.

The current Southern Chen Emperor Chen Chang is more dependent on Guanzhong. The fact that he is able to stabilize the situation in the country is largely due to the support from the Guanzhong regime.

When the Tang Dynasty was founded at the beginning of the year, Chen Chang was the first to send envoys to congratulate and offer valuable gifts. His attitude was so earnest and enthusiastic that it even surpassed that of some ministers in the Tang Dynasty and far exceeded that of a number of foreign regimes around the Tang Dynasty. The diplomatic relations between the two sides were also very close.

However, when the time entered the middle of the year, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were shrouded in a haze.

Because when the Tang army was suppressing the remaining forces of Northern Qi in Qingzhou, they found people from Southern Chen among the prisoners of war when they were counting the results of the battle. They were envoys sent by Southern Chen Linchuan King Chen Qian to Qingzhou to contact Northern Qi's pseudo-lord Gao Zhan. After being escorted to Chang'an, Gao Zhan also confessed that Chen Qian of Southern Chen had contacted him and intended to collude with each other to fight against the Tang Dynasty.

In the Southern Chen, Chen Qian was a representative figure who was against the alliance with the Tang Dynasty. Now that he had done something like this, the Tang Dynasty would not let it go easily. So after the war against the remnants of the Northern Qi came to a temporary end, the court immediately arranged for an envoy to lead the relevant witnesses and evidence to Jiankang in Jiangdong to ask for an explanation from the Southern Chen court.

Chen Chang, the ruler of Southern Chen, was not aware of this matter. It was not until the Tang envoy arrived in Jiankang that he learned that his cousin Chen Qian had done such a thing. He was naturally furious. After confirming that the matter was not false, Chen Chang first sent an envoy to Chang'an to apologize and asked the court to give him some time to calmly deal with the relevant personnel matters and then give an explanation to the Tang Dynasty.

In the blink of an eye, several months passed and the envoys of Southern Chen came to Chang'an again. However, this time they came not to give any explanation to the Tang Dynasty, but to ask for urgent help.

"Recently, the rebel Wang Lin suddenly led his army to attack Bashan in the south, killing our Gaozhou governor Huang Fachu, and took advantage of the situation to occupy Luling, and colluded with Guizhou governor Chunyu Liang in the west, intending to occupy the north of the Ling Mountains. If we don't attack and suppress them, I'm afraid the rebels will flee to the south of the Ling Mountains. Now our country does not have enough armor, soldiers, and food, and we are not able to fight and quell this rebellion alone. Therefore, my lord has sent us to report to the Great Tang, and we beg you to send troops to help fight and put down this rebellion in the Lingbei area!"

After entering the court, the envoy Chen reported his intentions in a rather urgent tone, which showed that the situation was quite urgent. In order to let the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty realize the seriousness of the situation, a relevant map was attached to the national memorial, which marked the trajectory of Wang Lin's rebellious tribe's activities and the location of Chunyu Liang's tribe that coordinated with it.

Li Tai took the situation map and took a quick look at it, his brows immediately frowned, and at the same time he secretly sighed in his heart that Wang Lin was indeed a powerful man in troubled times. He had been squeezed and suppressed to that point, but he actually managed to create a new situation.

As an old subordinate of Xiao Yi of Southern Liang, Wang Lin never surrendered to Southern Chen. Although he sent people to Li Tai to express his allegiance, Li Tai did not accept him because he thought his troops were too corrupt. He simply expelled them to Nanchuan, Jiangzhou, which borders Southern Chen, and used them as a third force to restrict the further development of Southern Chen forces to the west.

Over the years, Wang Lin has always played this role very well, causing trouble for the Southern Chen from time to time and excluding the Southern Chen's forces from Jiangzhou, while at the same time not affecting the normal development of diplomatic relations between the Western Wei and the Southern Chen.

Especially when Chen Baxian of the Southern Chen Dynasty died and his son Chen Chang was placed under house arrest by his cousin Chen Qian and others, Wang Lin led his troops to cooperate with the military operations of the Western Wei Dynasty at that time, and dealt a heavy blow to the forces of the Southern Chen Dynasty in the Nanchuan area, thereby putting pressure on Jiankang and forcing Chen Qian to hand over power.

However, the Western Wei also took advantage of the situation to control Yuzhang, where Wang Lin was originally based, making his space for activities even smaller. If he wanted to continue to expand his influence, he could only continue to advance towards the upper reaches of Zhejiang in Southern Chen, and then threaten the Kuaiji area in Jiangdong. This was also one of the routes that the Western Wei hoped Wang Lin would take at the time.

After that, a war broke out in the north again, and the court did not have much energy to pay attention to the situation there, and the control over Wang Lin was also relaxed. Unexpectedly, Wang Lin directly gave up his foothold in Jiangzhou and turned south to open up the situation, and even let him break out.

Gaozhou of the Southern Chen Dynasty was located west of Mount Wuyi and north of the Five Ridges. Huang Fachu, the governor of Gaozhou, was also one of the heroes of Nanchuan. He had gathered villagers and troops to defend the village since the Hou Jing Rebellion, and his influence in the local area was deeply rooted. Even when the Western Wei Dynasty tried to continue to expand down along the Gan River after actually controlling Yuzhang, it was obstructed by this local force.

The heroes of Nanchuan were a very important group of local armed forces active in the western border of Southern Chen. Most of them grew stronger during the Hou Jing Rebellion and each ruled their own territories. They only showed superficial respect to the Southern Chen court, but in fact they each did their own things.

Historically, it was not until the reign of Emperor Wen of Chen, Chen Qian, that the Southern Chen Dynasty completely solved the problem of separatist forces in Nanchuan. Although some of the Nanchuan heroes were wiped out, some, such as Huang Fachi, who were willing to cooperate with the court and give up their local power to serve as officials, became the backbone generals of the middle and late Southern Chen Dynasty.

The current Southern Chen regime is weaker than the same period in history. Although Chen Chang, the leader of the Chen Dynasty, has obtained the support of the court in Chang'an, it is impossible for the Tang Dynasty to really support a relatively strong separatist regime in Jiangdong. Therefore, it did not provide much help in dealing with the separatist forces in Nanchuan, and even deliberately made the situation here more complicated. Wang Lin was a passing beast who was deliberately pushed here.

In the current Southern Chen regime, there are certainly some people who are close to the Tang Dynasty, but there are also some who are more resistant and hostile to the Tang Dynasty. Huang Fachu, the governor of Gaozhou, belongs to the latter. He was originally one of the powerful people who were relatively close to the Jiankang court, but after the Western Wei Dynasty strongly supported Chen Chang, he gradually alienated his ties with the Jiankang court and instead strengthened his ties with Chen Qian, the King of Linchuan, who was in Wuxing.

Wang Lin probably also noticed this personnel rift and the difficulty in coordinating among the various forces in Southern Chen. He actually broke through the restrictions and killed Huang Fachi, the local tyrant who had been entrenched in the village for more than ten years. He not only expanded his own space for activities, but also got rid of the control of the Tang Dynasty over him.

If it were just this point, the situation would not be complicated. The Yingzhou General Administration of the Tang Dynasty, including the upstream Jiangling and Xiangzhou, has always maintained a considerable number of garrisons. Even if Wang Lin escapes, it is only temporary. On a larger spatial level, he is still under the blockade of the Tang army. On the contrary, the Tang army can take advantage of his wandering and tossing to continue to strengthen the control of the prefectures and counties that originally belonged to the Southern Chen Dynasty.

For example, the Gaozhou that Wang Lin occupied this time was previously held by local tyrants such as Huang Fachu, and the Tang army did not focus on advancing there at the time, so it had been maintained in that situation. But now Wang Lin took the initiative to break this situation, and the Tang army had a reason to advance to Bashan, Luling and other places, while not causing too much resistance from the Southern Chen. But the tricky part of the situation this time was that Wang Lin not only messed around himself, but also dragged in another Southern Chen Fangbo, the governor of Guizhou, Chunyu Liang, which made the situation a little complicated.

Chunyu Liang was also a former subordinate of Xiao Yi of Southern Liang. He was appointed as the governor of Guizhou by Xiao Yi. After the fall of Jiangling, he stayed in Guizhou. Although he later expressed his submission to the court of Southern Chen, he did not serve as an official in the court. Instead, he remained entrenched in the local area and had become a local tyrant.

  Probably because they were both from the Jiangling Military Office, Wang Lin and Chunyu Liang chose to unite. As a result, Gaozhou, Guizhou and other areas in the north of the Ling Mountains, which originally belonged to the Southern Chen Dynasty, suddenly lost control, and Lingnan also fell into great uncertainty. For the current Southern Chen Dynasty, if it leaves this situation alone, it means that the territory, which was not very vast to begin with, will lose half of its territory again!

Li Tai did not directly respond to the envoy's request. He first placed the envoy in the library, and then summoned civil and military officials to discuss the impact this series of changes would have on the Tang Dynasty.

"Wang Lin and Chunyu Liang are both former officials of the Jing government. They obeyed orders and rebelled. Now they are colluding with Lingbei. This may shake the people's hearts and minds in Jiangling and other places. This matter must not be tolerated! Once Lingbei is in turmoil again, many people's personal relationships will inevitably be exposed, and many innocent people will be implicated!"

Xiao Zhao, as the prime minister, also attended this meeting. Although Xiao Yi had died for many years, he still hated his uncle and called him a traitor. He had no good feelings towards Wang Lin, Chunyu Liang and other former members of the Southern Liang Dynasty, and even had some hatred for them. He hoped that these rebellious people could be put down as soon as possible to prevent the remnants of the Southern Liang Dynasty from plotting to restore their country and thus affecting the current peaceful and stable life.

Changsun Jian, the Minister of the Left, also spoke up: "Wang Lin escaped and fled, and Chunyu Liang defiantly rebelled against Chen Yingzhi. Of course, it was because the Chen Lord lacked prestige and it was difficult for him to govern the Lingbiao Fangmu from afar, but it must also be related to the changes in the situation in the north. In particular, the court was going to relocate the scholars and go south to reclaim Xiangzhou. Chunyu Liang must have felt something, and because he was afraid that he would not be tolerated by us, he allied with Wang Lin.

Judging from his plan, it seems that he wants to attract Wang Lin as his external aid. If he can resist Wang's army north of Xiangjiang River and keep his state intact, it would be great. If he cannot resist Wang's army, he can flee to Lingnan to avoid it. Wang Lin has been a hungry jackal for a long time. Once he is nourished by him and flees to Lingnan, he will be even more difficult to control! Although this is a threat to the Chen family, our country will want to mend the rift between heaven and earth. Even if the bandits are outside the Lingnan, they will also be a threat to us!"

After Chang Sun Jian finished speaking, he immediately received nods of approval from all the ministers present.

The previous conquest of Northern Qi and the unification of the north had already greatly inspired the civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty. However, the Southern Dynasty was now weak and had many internal troubles, and it did not even have the power to quell the rebellion in the country, which showed that it was extremely weak. Unifying the north and the south and ending the chaos of the north-south division that had lasted for hundreds of years was extremely attractive to everyone.

Although Chang Sun Jian was discussing helping the Southern Chen Dynasty to quell the rebellion, he was actually talking about the grand plan of unifying the north and the south. Such awareness was not only shared by the Tang subjects, but also by some Southern Dynasty figures such as Chun Yuliang, the governor of Guizhou, who had little contact with Wang Lin, their former colleague, for many years. However, they chose to unite with him now, which showed that they also felt the crisis of survival.

Not long ago, the imperial court ordered a large number of Jinyang soldiers and civilians to migrate to Xiangzhou. In addition to accelerating the development of Xiangzhou, it was naturally also for the purpose of further advancing southward. Guizhou, where Chunyu Liang was located, was obviously the next target.

Therefore, Chunyu Liang's current actions were not so much a rebellion against the Chen Dynasty as a desperate struggle under the pressure of the Tang Dynasty. The Southern Chen Dynasty was obviously aware of this, and since they did not have enough strength to send troops to quell the rebellion, they simply went to Chang'an to seek help.

It can be imagined that if the Tang Dynasty could send troops to quell the chaos caused by Wang Lin and Chunyu Liang, then all the areas involved in the chaos would inevitably be controlled by the Tang Dynasty. In this way, the territory and power of the entire Southern Chen would be greatly reduced, leaving only the area centered on the Three Wus in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

"It is imperative to dispatch troops this time, but the current situation in Chen is also quite worrying. The clan members of the country are cunning and hostile to our country. The ruler of Chen is weak and cannot control them. If they take advantage of my military operations upstream and plot changes below, I am afraid it will be difficult to defend against them!"

Li Tai was certainly inclined to send troops, but he felt a little uneasy when he thought that there had been no explanation for Chen Qian's collusion with Gao Zhan.

Now Chen Qian is entrenched in Wuxing, the core of the Three Wus. Even if the Tang army wants to punish him, it is out of reach. Moreover, Chen Qian is entangled with some current officials and local tyrants who are hostile to the Tang Dynasty. Even Chen Chang, the leader of the Chen Dynasty, cannot easily deal with him.

Especially now that Nanchuan and Lingbiao have experienced such changes, Chen Chang must be even more afraid to launch any internal purges. After all, although he relies on the Tang Dynasty, he also has the desire to maintain the current situation. It is impossible for him to stand on the Tang Dynasty's side to help suppress the powerful factions in his own country.

Li Tai had no confidence in Chen Chang's ability to control the situation. When Chen Baxian died, he, as the crown prince regent, was controlled by the Chen Qian brothers. This showed that this kid did not have the means and abilities of his father.

In order to ensure that the Tang Dynasty's deployment on the Jiangbei front line would not be affected by the impact and to deter the hostile forces in Southern Chen, Li Tai made a request after weighing the pros and cons. He wanted Chen Tanlang, who was stationed in Guangling, to lead a group of troops to quell the rebellion together with the Tang army. As for Guangling, it would be temporarily guarded by Yangzhou Governor Ruo Ruofeng.

If the Southern Chen agreed to this condition, the Tang Dynasty would send troops immediately and only retain control over the line along the river. After the rebellion was quelled, all the prefectures and counties in Nanchuan east of the Gan River, including Yuzhang and Poyang, would be returned to the Southern Chen. At the same time, the matter of Chen Qian's collusion with the remaining bandits of the Northern Qi would no longer be pursued. The conditions were very generous.

Now the Southern Chen forces are all concentrated in the Three Wus, which is not a good thing for the Tang Dynasty. Especially in this area there are a group of diehards such as Chen Qian and Hou Andu. Before officially launching military operations in Jiangdong, it is necessary to divert the forces in the area outwards.