History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 120: Emperor Zhaozong Draws His Sword
Fengxiang and Shannan West Road were already under Li Maozhen's actual control, and the only thing missing was a letter of appointment from the court. Since the court did not approve it, Li Maozhen would not give it up. So he wrote a memorial to fight back, and the wording was even more fierce, scolding Emperor Zhaozong:
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, but you can't even protect your own uncle's life. What's so great about you?
As the king of a country, you can't even kill a little servant in the eunuch's house. What's so great about you?
You sit on the throne of the emperor, but you stir up trouble among the local governors, not caring about right or wrong, only looking at who is strong and who is weak. What do you think of yourself?
He is unworthy of being called the Son of Heaven. When the power of the vassal states is declining, he solemnly uses the so-called national law to argue. When the vassal states are strong, he grovels and begs for mercy. The court law, the foundation of the country, has double standards. He acts like a master in front of the weak, and a grandson in front of the strong! Is this what an emperor does?"

Not satisfied with the scolding, he also issued threats:

"My warhorse is hard to control, and swords and spears have no eyes. I am really afraid that one day they will get out of control, and the people of Chang'an will suffer misfortune again. By then, I don't know where the emperor will flee to!"

Zhaozong was furious. This is too much of a bully! They were both threats, but Li Keyong was so tactful while Li Maozhen was so straight.

The emperor was furious and decided to draw his sword.

[Zhaozong draws his sword]

Li Maozhen's memorial insulting Zhaozong was intended to anger Zhaozong, provoke war, and take the opportunity to control the court by force. After rejecting the imperial edict to move the garrison, Li Maozhen deployed troops west of Chang'an and actively prepared for war.

The people of Chang'an were outraged. How could the war flare up again after just a few days of peace? With the secret support and instigation of Li Maozhen, thousands of people sat in protest outside the palace gate.

Angry petitioners surrounded the eunuch Ximen Junsui, the commander of the imperial guards who had just finished get off work, and petitioned for Li Maozhen, "Master Ximen, the court can tolerate the powerful vassals in Guandong (Zhu Wen, Li Keyong, etc.), why not tolerate Li Maozhen?"

Ximen Daguanren waved his hands repeatedly, "This is the prime ministers' idea, it's none of my business."

So everyone stopped the sedan chairs of Prime Minister Cui Zhaowei and Zheng Yanchang and asked, "What crime has Li Maozhen of Fengxiang committed? Why is he pushing us ordinary people into the flames of war?"

The two prime ministers all blamed Prime Minister Du Rangneng, saying, "This was planned by the emperor and Du Rangneng. We were not involved."

Instigated by Li Maozhen's followers, the angry people threw bricks and tiles at them and beat the two prime ministers. The two prime ministers were so scared that they jumped off their sedan chairs and fled to nearby houses to hide, but their official seals and court robes were all stolen.

Li Maozhen was at the forefront of the times in mobilizing the masses and using "public opinion" to interfere in government affairs.

Prior to this, many eunuchs and civil and military officials in the court had been secretly colluding with Li Maozhen, which was one of the capitals of Li Maozhen's arrogance. After this incident, Prime Minister Cui Zhaowei, jealous of Prime Minister Du Rangneng, also secretly attached himself to Li Maozhen, hoping to suppress Du Rangneng through Li Maozhen.

Zhaozong took great pains to support the civil service group for his own use, but he did not expect that many bad habits of the civil service group, such as fighting for power and forming cliques for personal gain, would also resurface.

A popular person who is favored by the emperor will definitely become the target of public criticism, as is the case with Zhang Jun, Kong Wei, and Du Rangneng.

In fact, when Du Rangneng learned that Zhaozong was determined to use force, he tried his best to dissuade him. The reason was simple. Zhaozong had just ascended the throne and was not yet firmly established. His strength was not strong enough to compete with Li Maozhen. Moreover, Li Maozhen was right under Chang'an. Zhaozong had no strategic depth at all. If he failed, there would be no room for easing the situation.

Zhaozong was the emperor, but also a young man in his twenties, full of vigor and vitality. The strategic mistakes in the early stage and Li Maozhen's rebellion had made him extremely angry and ashamed. "The emperor's majesty has been completely destroyed. Now my orders cannot leave Chang'an City. I am the emperor of the empire and the master of the world, not the mayor of Chang'an! I am unwilling to be a puppet and watch the empire decline day by day."

Du Rangneng did not dare to say that he had also received Li Maozhen's letter, and the words in the letter were even more unbearable to hear. But Du Rangneng knew that this was Li Maozhen's treacherous plot to deliberately anger the court and provoke war. The more Du Rangneng tried to persuade him, the more determined Zhaozong became to use force.

"It is said in the Book of Shang that 'medicine does not make you dizzy, and the disease does not heal'. It means that if you take medicine for an illness and do not feel dizzy, the disease will not be cured. It is precisely because this military action is risky that we must cut the Gordian knot quickly. A short pain is worse than a long pain. High risks bring high returns. Don't say anything more, just dispatch food and logistics, and I will let a few princes lead the troops. I am determined to fight this battle!"

Du Rangneng advised again, "If Your Majesty must send troops, you should also let experienced senior officials work together. How can a fool like me take on the responsibility?"

"Nonsense, you are the chief prime minister, who else should I give it to? I treat you so well on weekdays, are you trying to escape?"

Du Rangneng wept bitterly and knelt down to say, "Your Majesty! How dare I escape? What Your Majesty is going to do today is what the late Emperor Xianzong wanted to do, but... the timing is not right and the situation is not favorable for us. If we insist on going against the trend... Alas, I am afraid that even if I become Chao Cuo, I will not be able to eliminate the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms."

Du Rangneng had amazing predictive abilities. He compared himself to Chao Cuo of the Western Han Dynasty, expressing his ambition to sacrifice his life for world peace.

His prediction was soon verified. He was indeed Chao Cuo, but it was a pity that Emperor Zhaozong of Tang was not Emperor Jing of Han, the princes were not Liu Wu, and there was no Zhou Yafu in the court.

Emperor Zhaozong ordered the arrest of the leaders of the petitioning masses (actually Li Maozhen's followers) and executed them all. With Li Sizhou, the Prince of Tan, as the commander-in-chief, he led 30,000 imperial troops to escort Xu Yanruo to Fengxiang and forcibly took over.

A great war to reduce the power of the feudal lords is about to begin.

At the beginning of the war, public opinion became extremely unfavorable to the court under the manipulation of Li Maozhen's followers. They turned black into white and insisted that it was Prime Minister Du Rangneng who provoked the war.

A few months ago, the court sent Cui Anqian to Qingzhou, but was rejected by force; Sun Kui went to Zhaoyi, but was sawed to death by Li Keyong... In the end, nothing happened and they just let it go. But this time, Li Maozhen's refusal to accept the imperial edict caused Zhaozong to go to war. So Li Maozhen's followers took advantage of the situation and completely changed the rhythm.

In addition, the prime minister Cui Zhaowei, who was truly fighting for power, took the initiative to act as Li Maozhen's senior spy, reporting every move of the court to Li Maozhen, especially Du Rangneng's every word and action, which was all under Li Maozhen's control.

As for the military aspect, the imperial court also had no advantage.

First, the new troops recruited by Emperor Zhaozong were all street rogues and hooligans. They were called the Central Imperial Army, but in reality they were a mob. The Guanxi Army led by Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu were all elite troops that had experienced hundreds of battles.
Secondly, the imperial court dispatched 30,000 troops, while Li Maozhen assembled 60,000 troops.

A 30,000 bronze player versus a 60,000 king player, and the 60,000 king player also has a plug-in for full map vision.

The result is predictable.

Thanks to old friends "Pure Lsp", "feitian", "Feitian Shenlongzhan", and "Book Friend 151023051918540" for their recommendation votes and support!
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(End of this chapter)