History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 145 Missed opportunity
Why choose Wang Xingyu when having to choose between the two?
First of all, starting from the nature of the crime, Wang Xingyu was the principal offender who invaded the palace with his troops, and Li Maozhen was the accomplice.

It was Wang Xingyu who asked for the position of Shangshu Ling; it was Wang Xingyu who asked for the annexation of the imperial army base; it was his younger brother Wang Xingyue who led the riot in Chang'an City, burning and looting the East Market; it was his younger brother Wang Xingyue who first proposed that the emperor move; it was his younger brother Wang Xingshi who fought in Chang'an for the throne of Emperor Zhaozong...

It's him, it's him, and it's him.

Secondly, from the analysis of comprehensive strength, Wang Xingyu is relatively a weak target.

Li Maozhen's overall strength is higher than Wang Xingyu's. In the Guanxi Group, Wang Xingyu also plays the role of Li Maozhen's little follower. It is easier to eliminate Wang Xingyu.

Finally, there are geopolitical considerations.

The one left behind was to check and balance Li Keyong. Referring to the second point, only Li Maozhen had this strength.

Therefore, Zhaozong wanted to protect Li Maozhen and let Wang Xingyu take the blame.

Zhaozong sent two princes to explain to Li Keyong that he must accept Comrade Li Maozhen's sincere apology and discuss other issues after eliminating the traitor Wang Xingyu. In order to win over Li Keyong, Zhaozong secretly ordered the two princes to condescend to call Li Keyong "Big Brother".

The two princes are brothers of Emperor Zhaozong. How dare you, Li Keyong, let the emperor's brothers call you brothers!

Li Keyong sent his son Li Cunxu to the emperor's palace to pay his respects to Emperor Zhaozong.

Li Cunxu was only 11 years old at the time. Although he was young, he was tall and handsome with good looks.

Zhaozong was very surprised by Li Cunxu's appearance. He caressed the child's head and said, "My child, I think you are extraordinary. You will become a pillar of the country in the future. You must be loyal to the royal family."

Li Keyong cleaned up the ground in Chang'an and submitted a petition requesting the emperor to return to the court.

On August 8, Zhaozong arrived in Chang'an.

With Li Keyong's military support, Zhaozong issued an edict to dismiss Cui Zhaowei, the prime minister who was a lackey of the Guanxi group and a traitor, as soon as he arrived in Chang'an. Not long after, Cui Zhaowei was demoted to the position of Sima of Wuzhou and soon after was executed.
Cui Zhaowei's accomplice, Liu Chonglu, was demoted to the post of Sihu of Yazhou; Cui Zhaowei's brother, Cui Yu, the deputy envoy of Jingnan Jiedushi, was also unforgivable. Before this, Zhaozong specially issued an edict to the entire army, "When defeating the bandits, do not let them escape", and he had to kill that guy.

This was a good opportunity to rectify the civil service group, but history is a joke. Just after the cancer in the civil service group was eradicated, Prime Minister Kong Wei died in Chang'an due to illness. Zhaozong was overwhelmed with grief, "Does God not want to see the revival of the Tang Dynasty? Why did he cut off my hands and feet?"

Li Keyong continued to pursue Wang Xingyu relentlessly. Wang Xingyu could not withstand it any longer, so he asked Li Maozhen for help. Li Maozhen sent 10,000 soldiers to assist in the defense.

Li Keyong submitted a memorial requesting Emperor Zhaozong to order Li Maozhen to withdraw his troops, and at the same time to approve his attack on Li Maozhen.

Zhaozong issued the highest instruction: Since Li Maozhen took the initiative to kill the culprit Li Jipeng, it means that he has changed his mind. You are not allowed to hit him.

Another edict to Li Maozhen: Are you crazy? Don't be so ignorant! Retreat quickly and be a good boy.

Wang Xingyu lost cities and territory, suffered repeated defeats, and his son Wang Zhijin was captured alive. The Fengxiang reinforcements sent by Li Maozhen were also defeated by Li Keyong. In desperation, Wang Xingyu fled back to his base camp in Bingzhou and sent envoys to present a memorial, expressing his willingness to surrender.

Li Keyong led his army to besiege Bingzhou City.

Wang Xingyu climbed up the tower, wailing and crying to Li Keyong: "What crime have I committed? It was Li Maozhen and Li Jipeng who threatened the emperor. It has nothing to do with me! If you don't believe me, go to Fengxiang and ask. I am willing to go to the capital in person and apologize for my crime."

Li Keyong laughed and said sarcastically, "Father Wang (Wang Xingyu failed to be appointed as the Minister of the Chancellery, and Emperor Zhaozong gave him the title of 'Father Wang' to comfort him), why are you so servile? I can't bear it. It's not that I want to embarrass you, but the court has issued an edict to punish three villains, and you happened to be on the list. I am just following the edict. As for going to the court to apologize, I can't make the decision on this matter."

Wang Xingyu knew he was no match for the enemy, so he gave up his last stand and fled north with his entire family. Halfway through his escape, he was killed by his subordinates, and his head, along with more than 200 of his wife, children and other relatives, was escorted to the imperial court.

Li Keyong entered Bingzhou, sealed off the warehouse and other important places, issued a notice to appease the people, and reported the victory to the court. Before conquering Bingzhou, Emperor Zhaozong also gave Li Keyong a great gift, which was unprecedented. Emperor Zhaozong gave Li Keyong his wife.

Emperor Zhaozong's wife, Chen, was beautiful and talented, and she was the most beautiful woman in the harem. Emperor Zhaozong gave her to Li Keyong, along with the maids and servants who accompanied her.

After Li Keyong captured Bingzhou, Emperor Zhaozong promoted him to King of Jin. Li Keyong's title was raised from a two-character county king (Longxi county king) to a one-character side-by-side king (Jin king). From then on, the title of "King of Jin" would accompany Li Keyong throughout his life. From Li Keyong onwards, all the meritorious officials and their descendants were promoted to higher positions.

Li Keyong sent his adviser Li Xiji to the court to thank the emperor for his grace. Li Xiji secretly reported to Emperor Zhaozong, "The Guanzhong area has been in turmoil for a long time, mainly due to the threat from the Guanxi group. We should use this military action to take over Fengxiang as well, so that we can solve the problem once and for all and enjoy peace. The King of Jin is on the north bank of the Wei River, waiting for your Majesty's order, and the great cause will be accomplished!"

Emperor Zhaozong issued an edict praising Li Keyong for his loyalty and bravery to the country, and especially emphasized: Wang Xingyu was the initiator of the heinous crime. Since I left the capital, Li Maozhen and Han Jian have repented and turned back, and have continuously paid tribute to the court to atone for their sins. The country has encountered such a disaster, and it should rest and recuperate, and should not start a war again!

After the messenger finished reading the imperial edict, Li Keyong found him privately and said, "I think the emperor seems to be suspicious of my motives. You know, Li Maozhen is the traitor who threatens the central government. As long as Li Maozhen is not killed, the court will not be at peace. I would like to ask you to be flexible. I have no other intentions. I just want to get rid of the thieves for the country and the harm for the people."

There is no silver here. You have no other meaning, what do you mean by other meaning?
Emperor Zhaozong issued another edict, telling Li Keyong clearly: The war is over, and you should go home and have a rest as soon as possible. In addition, considering how hard you have fought, I have specially allowed you not to come to the capital in person to meet the emperor and express your gratitude, so go back early.

Li Keyong was stationed on the north bank of the Wei River, facing Chang'an across the Wei River, which was very close. However, Emperor Zhaozong refused to let Li Keyong enter the capital.

Obviously, Zhaozong feared Li Keyong more than Li Maozhen.

Li Keyong held a meeting to solicit everyone's opinions. The generals were filled with righteous indignation, "How can we not come to the court when the emperor is right in front of us? It's obvious that he is on guard against us! The emperor is too confused and too partial!"

The generals were outraged and demanded that Li Keyong come to Beijing immediately, first to defeat Li Maozhen in Fengxiang, and then... you know.

Li Keyong was hesitant, so he asked his top think tank, Gai Yu.

Gai Yu was deeply trusted by Li Keyong. He was smart and resourceful, and was able to best guess Li Keyong's inner world. He could always give Li Keyong advice and suggestions in a tactful way using words that Li Keyong liked to hear, and thus every suggestion was adopted by Li Keyong.

Li Keyong was a man of fiery temper. Sometimes he would get furious at generals who had done nothing wrong. Most people would just persuade Li Keyong to calm down, but Gai Yu would pretend to be even more furious, stand up and curse the innocent general, wishing he could kill him on the spot. Li Keyong would then immediately regain his sanity and persuade Gai Yu to calm down, and the innocent general would be forgiven.

Li Keyong himself was not very educated, so when Gai Yu gave advice, he always used down-to-earth slang and popular metaphors to help Li Keyong quickly understand a certain truth. Therefore, Li Keyong trusted and respected him very much.

In the Hedong Army, Gai Yu's reputation and status were second only to Li Keyong. Whenever an envoy from the imperial court or other vassal states came to Hedong to do business, they would send a gift to Gai Yu after sending one to Li Keyong.

It can be said that Gai Yu is firmly in the second position in the Hedong Group.

Zhu Wen repeatedly sent people to sow discord and spread rumors in Hedong, saying that Gai Yu was treacherous and wanted to replace Li Keyong. When Li Keyong heard these words, he always laughed "hahaha". Not only did he not suspect Gai Yu, but he treated him even better.

If someone wanted to obtain an official position or fiefdom through bribery, the fastest and most stable way would be to use Gai Yu to smooth things over and have him say a few good words to Li Keyong. This was the case with Li Hanzhi and Liu Rengong.

The generals were arguing endlessly, and Li Keyong himself was also undecided. At this time, Li Keyong had to listen carefully to Gai Yu's opinion, which would become Li Keyong's final decision.

Gai Yu said, "In the past, Wang Xingyu and his gang led troops to the imperial palace, rebelled, and caused the emperor to flee and the people to flee. Today, the emperor has not yet firmly sat on the throne, and the people have become frightened birds. If the king crosses the Wei River, I am afraid that the capital will fall into panic again. In my opinion... don't go to the capital. Please think twice."

Li Keyong laughed and said, "Even Gai Yu doesn't want me to come to the court to meet him, let alone the people of the world." So he wrote a memorial to the court, saying that he did not want to frighten the capital, and did not dare to stay in Weishui for a long time for fear of disturbing the people nearby, so... bye.

Li Keyong assembled his troops that same day, moved his camp and retreated to Hedong.

When the news came, there was jubilation in the capital.

(End of this chapter)