History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 10: The Death Knell of the Empire
There are always people who want to harm me.

Two years after the recovery of Annan, in the ninth year of Xiantong (868), a historical issue returned to public attention: the Xuzhou Silver Knife Army.

Four years ago, the imperial court recruited scattered bandits in Xuzhou and sent them south to Guangxi to defend against the invasion of Nanzhao. According to the original idea, this move could not only solve the internal strife of the Xuzhou Silver Knife Army, but also solve the external threat of Nanzhao. Therefore, the imperial court's decree was very straightforward, and it was necessary to recruit as many bandits as possible, mainly the remnants of the Silver Knife Army. A group would be formed every time there were 500 people.

Among the Xuzhou soldiers who volunteered to go south to assist in the defense, 500 were placed in Guizhou (now Guilin, Guangxi). Now that the "Annam War" has ended, they have repeatedly asked for a change of defense and to return home, but have been repeatedly rejected. Therefore, the Xuzhou soldiers took practical actions to defend their reputation for being arrogant and difficult to control, and launched a mutiny.

According to convention, the border guards served for three years and were replaced after their term. Many historical materials adopted this reason in a rough manner, saying that the fact that the Xu soldiers in Guilin were not allowed to return after their three-year term was the direct cause of their mutiny.

Some sources said they had been delayed for one term (actually it was delayed for one year), but were still told to continue on duty for another year. Three years after another three years, three years after another three years, it's almost been ten years, boss!

As has been specially emphasized in the previous article, although there is a "three-year period" convention, the imperial edict has clearly stated: Once the situation outside the Lingnan region is pacified, he will be allowed to return.

This is an irresponsible statement. What is the criterion for “peace”? Is it the recovery of Annan, or some other strategic goal? What does peace really mean?

However, neither the "three-year extension" theory nor the "no dispatch until the situation is peaceful" theory seemed to be enough to incite the mutiny. To say that they were "forced" to revolt is too far-fetched and irresponsible to history.

This book is to dust off the dust, sort out the truth behind the complicated events, and explore their internal logic. It is not blindly perfunctory, nor sensational, but to restore the authenticity of history.

Although the mutiny of the garrison soldiers was due to their evil intentions, some of the court's practices were also inappropriate and played a role in exacerbating the situation.

The imperial court recruited soldiers in Xuzhou, mainly targeting law-breaking bandits, the Silver Knife Army that caused headaches for the local government. At the same time, a new leader, Cui Yanzeng, was sent to Xuzhou.

Cui Yanzeng was also a civil servant, and was also an iron-faced and hawkish figure. He was "well versed in law and strict by nature." The court appointed him to rule Xuzhou with a high-pressure attitude.

Cui Yanzeng was "good at raising children, but not good at military affairs", so he entrusted the management of the army to three trusted men. These three men were Yin Kan, Du Zhang, and Xu Xingjian. They understood the spirit of the court, which was to be ruthless to the Xuzhou soldiers, but at the same time, the court should not take the blame, and the court should still appear in front of the public with a tolerant and merciful face.

As a result, the three men bullied and exploited the Xuzhou soldiers unscrupulously, and became known throughout the army for their cruelty and brutality.

In the ninth year of Xiantong, the three-year deadline for returning home had expired, and Annan had been recovered, Nanzhao had withdrawn, and the situation outside the Ling Mountains had settled, so the Xuzhou soldiers stationed in Guilin requested to return. This was a reasonable request and not excessive.

Yin Kan arrogantly refused to allow the Guilin garrison soldiers to return home, citing the shortage of military funds as an excuse. He said, "Let's talk about it next year."

The government's evasive attitude angered the soldiers' families, who sent letters to Guilin. Soon, the soldiers were also angry, "We are soldiers guarding the border, not exiled prisoners!" The oppression and humiliation over the past few years turned into endless anger.

Coincidentally, in July, the governor of Guilin was transferred to Hunan, and his replacement had not yet arrived. The Guilin garrison was temporarily left without supervision.

So they seized this fleeting and precious opportunity and launched a mutiny.

They killed their commander, elected the grain judge Pang Xun as their leader, opened the armory, privately distributed weapons and equipment, and began their armed journey home. This is known in history as the "Pang Xun Mutiny."

They looted the counties of Xiangtan and Hengshan, captured some able-bodied men, forced them to join the army, and returned home in a mighty force, armed and without permission.

Chang'an's intention was to appease them, and they announced that all the charges against them for mutiny and returning home without permission were pardoned, and their request to return home was approved, with the government paying for their travel expenses.

In response, Pang Xun's followers stopped looting and handed over all their armor and weapons to Hunan to show that they had no intention of rebellion.

Things are moving in a positive direction.

In less than a month, this good situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

The governor of Shannan East Road (now the southwestern area of ​​Hubei and Henan) sent troops to control important passes and strictly prohibited Pang Xun's troops from entering.

The original intention was to prevent thieves, which was a defensive posture rather than an offensive posture. It was only because Pang Xun's troops plundered along the way when they passed through Hunan that the governor of Hubei was unwilling to open the territory to them and let them take a detour home, which was understandable.

Unfortunately, Pang Xun and his men had just handed over all their armor and weapons, and at this time, important checkpoints along the way were heavily guarded. Pang Xun's group returning home felt guilty and their fragile nerves were greatly stimulated, thinking that the court had turned against them and refused to acknowledge their promise.

Many major events that are powerful enough to influence the course of history are often triggered by one or several extremely insignificant incidents, either by coincidence or misunderstanding, the so-called butterfly effect.

Mutiny is a capital crime; killing an officer is a capital crime; returning home without permission is an even greater capital crime... Pang Xun's followers discussed, "Our crimes today far exceed those of the Silver Blade Army back then. Even the Silver Blade Army was not pardoned, so how could we be pardoned? They just lied to us because they were afraid that we might rob along the way. When we return home unarmed, we will definitely be chopped into pieces by the soldiers who have been lying in ambush!"

Does this sentence sound familiar? At the end of the Han Dynasty, after Dong Zhuo was killed, his men were ready to flee. Jia Xu, their think tank, urgently called a halt and encouraged them to remain armed and advance towards Chang'an. Pang Xun and others also thought so: disarming would mean death.

Justice is only within the range of cannons, and caliber is truth. Pang Xun's troops did not dare to enter Hubei, so they took a boat and went east along the Yangtze River, preparing to pass through western Zhejiang, enter Huainan, and then go north to Xuzhou.

During their exile, Pang Xun's followers worked hard to produce armor and weapons, and absorbed the remnants of the Silver Knife Army and local bandits to expand their team.

Faced with the rapidly deteriorating situation, Huainan Jiedushi Linghu Tao implemented the central court's spirit of appeasement and consolation, sent envoys to Pang Xun's troops to appease them with kind words, and sent food and fodder as a sign of friendship.

In this regard, Li Xiang, a close confidant of Linghu Tao (Du Ya Ya), strongly opposed it, saying that Pang Xun's followers launched a mutiny, killed their superiors, returned armed without permission, looted along the way, privately manufactured weapons, and recruited bandits... How could they behave themselves after returning home? A section of water in Gaoyou is a must-pass for them. The bank is high, the water is narrow, and the current is fast, which is a perfect place for an ambush. We let the cavalry ambush on both sides of the river, block the water surface with boats filled with dry firewood and kerosene, and then use an elite force to attack their backs. In this way, we can easily catch Xu Zu's rebels and eliminate the trouble forever!

Linghu Tao politely declined the proposal of military punishment on the grounds that it was an official document from the central government (imperial edict).

Li Xiang argued that as a general of a vassal state, how could he be so rigid and bureaucratic? The Xu army was at its peak, and once they returned to Xuzhou, it would be like letting a tiger go back to the mountains, and they would unite with the local bandits in Xuzhou and cause great harm. If he could not judge the situation and act accordingly, he would regret it in the future!

Linghu Tao still did not follow Li Xiang's advice.

Historical records say that Linghu Tao was always timid and cowardly. This is of course one-sided and does not fully explain the truth.

Linghu Tao, whose father was Linghu Chu mentioned above, was the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. Linghu Tao himself also served as prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. At that time, the court was deeply poisoned by the "Niu-Li factional struggle", and Linghu Tao stayed in the position of prime minister for ten years, which was definitely an evergreen in the political arena.

It was not until Emperor Yizong ascended the throne that Linghu Tao faded out of the central government and went to the local area to serve as a military governor. Not long ago, his son Linghu Hao was reported and exposed, and Linghu Tao was also reported for accepting bribes from Li Tao, which led to the fall of Annan, etc.

Although this political turmoil was dealt with without any major incidents, the always cautious Linghu Chao also sensitively caught a hint of danger - someone in the court was going to take action against him.

Now, the imperial court has repeatedly ordered to appease Pang Xun's followers and not to intensify the conflict. Would Linghu Tao dare to stand out at this time?
Linghu Tao served as prime minister for ten years, and his tenure can be summed up in four words: mediocre and ineffective. This is also his life motto that allowed him to survive in the undercurrent of political struggle. He has no achievements worthy of praise, nor any measures worthy of criticism. Pollution-free products.

Keeping pace with the imperial court and being an obedient child was his life motto for survival in the political arena.

The number of Xu soldiers who had returned to the country had grown to a thousand. Pang Xun hid them in the bottom of the ship and traveled north from Huaibei in a low-key and safe manner. The next stop, the final destination: Xuzhou.

During this period, Cui Yanzeng, the governor of Xu and Si, was also ordered to send envoys to comfort Pang Xun's troops. Pang Xun also wrote back to express his attitude of admitting his guilt and repenting for his crimes, and said that he would cherish the opportunity given by the court, turn over a new leaf and become a new man. His words were sincere and respectful.

Things seemed to have calmed down again.

At the end of September, Pang Xun's troops approached Xuzhou.

Pang Xun suddenly gathered his troops and revealed his true colors, declaring that the court had issued a secret order to Xuzhou and had ambushed a large number of troops in our house, waiting for us to get home. As soon as we return home, we will all be executed!

Then, Pang Xun complained with tears and snot, saying that we just missed our wives and children and wanted to go home more often to visit them, but the court was doing everything it could to kill us.

Everyone was furious. Pang Xun wiped his tears and spoke passionately: "A real man born in heaven and earth, how can he fall into a trap and become a laughing stock? It's death anyway, why don't you and I unite as one and cooperate with the people of Xuzhou. Then, not only can we completely forgive the crime of returning without permission, but we can also seek wealth and honor! Wang Zhixing is our role model!"

Wang Zhixing, who ruled Xuzhou, founded the Silver Blade Army and became an idol for the passionate young people in Xuzhou. Pang Xun and others were Wang Zhixing's die-hard fans.

After some agitation, a few generals (12 people) were still worried and did not support Pang Xun's proposal to launch a rebellion.

Pang Xun beheaded them all, and then sent the twelve heads along with a letter to Cui Yanzeng. In the letter, Pang Xun blamed all the crimes such as "returning without permission" on these twelve people.

There is no three hundred taels of silver here.

Cui Yanzeng knew there was something fishy going on at first sight, and he immediately detained the envoy. Under strict interrogation, the envoy told the whole truth.

Immediately afterwards, Pang Xun sent the second letter.

The gist of it is that we know our crimes are unforgivable, and we haven't disarmed ourselves just because we are afraid of death. As long as you can agree to our two requests and show us your sincerity, we can live in peace. We ask for:
First, dismiss the three military governors of Xuzhou, Kan, Du Zhang, and Xu Xingjian, from their posts;
Second, we must retain our arms and institutions and have them led by leaders of our own choosing.

Pang Xun's followers have shown their true colors and have bared their fangs. Now, they are only 60 kilometers away from Xuzhou City. The situation is very critical.

Cui Yanzeng hurriedly summoned all the generals to discuss countermeasures.

(End of this chapter)