History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 168: Four Towns
The two states were totally unprepared, and faced with the sudden attack, they all chose to open their cities and surrender.

Zhu Wen dispatched troops on the Lantern Festival, and before the end of the first month of the year, he had peacefully taken over Jin and Jiang states. He sent troops to guard them, cutting off the route for reinforcements from Hedong.

Wang Ke was confused, Li Keyong was confused, and the central court was confused.

Unlike previous annexation attacks, Wang Ke of Hezhong and Zhu Wen of Bianzhou were not involved in any disputes. Zhu Wen suddenly launched a blitzkrieg against Hezhong without any warning or justification. That's why he easily took over Jin and Jiang.

Hezhong is not only a barrier to Hedong, but also a barrier to Guanzhong area. Zhu Wen's move caused anxiety in the court, which hurriedly issued an edict ordering both sides to cease fire and remain calm and restrained.

Wang Ke in the River: I have always been very restrained...

Zhu Wen of Bianzhou: I helped him to restrain himself.

Wang Ke sent people to take a shortcut to ask Li Keyong for help, and envoys asking for help came one after another.

Li Keyong refused to send troops on the grounds that the roads to Jin and Jiang states were blocked.

Wang Ke’s wife also wrote an urgent letter to her father Li Keyong: My daughter is about to be captured by the Bian bandits, how can you bear not to save her?

Li Keyong replied: Where do you want your father to go? The road is blocked, the enemy is numerous and we are few. If I advance, the result will be that both of us will die (if I advance, both of us will die). You and your husband should quickly flee to Chang'an and seek asylum from the court. I can't help your father.

Wang Ke also wrote a letter to his former enemy, Li Maozhen of Fengxiang in the Guanxi Group, asking for help, saying that Zhu Wen had violated the peace agreement, openly defied the imperial will, provoked regional disputes, and made territorial demands on neighboring vassals with ulterior motives. If Hezhong is destroyed, the Guanxi forces will find it difficult to protect themselves.

At the end of the letter, Wang Ke even directly proposed to pay money and surrender, saying that he was willing to hand over Hezhong to Li Maozhen, and only asked Li Maozhen to reward him with a small piece of land in the remote border of Guanxi to provide for his old age and funeral.

Wang Ke's letter to Li Maozhen was sincere in words and humble in attitude, and the sense of crisis was evident on the paper.

Faced with the fat meat of the river that was delivered to his doorstep, Li Maozhen chose to ignore it and did not respond to Wang Ke's request.

In Li Maozhen's opinion, this is not fat meat at all, but a hot fish hook.

First of all, this piece of fat meat was not something that could be welcomed or sent off in peacetime. It was said to be "given", but in fact Li Maozhen had to "take it himself". The Hezhong National Defense Army had five states under its jurisdiction, two of which were already under the control of the enemy. Although Wang Ke was the governor of Hezhong, giving Hezhong away at this time was actually a generous gesture.

Secondly, if they really wanted to swallow this piece of fat meat, they would have to compete with Zhu Wen, the powerful vassal of Guandong.

Finally, even if Li Maozhen defeated Zhu Wen by chance, Li Keyong of Hedong would not tolerate Li Maozhen occupying Hezhong.

In other words, if Li Maozhen wanted to swallow Hezhong, he had to defeat Zhu Wen and Li Keyong at the same time. Isn't this courting death?
Although Li Maozhen did not agree, he did not refuse either, leaving a little fantasy for the future. Perhaps a few years later, Zhu Wen and Li Keyong would both be defeated, and Li Maozhen would send troops to Hezhong again, "Wang Ke, didn't you say before that you would give me Hezhong? Here I come."

Zhu Wen did not give Wang Ke much time. A few days later, Zhang Cunjing arrived at Hezhong Prefecture and laid siege to the city.

At this time, Wang Ke was helpless and had no choice but to follow his father-in-law's instructions and flee to Chang'an with his family to seek refuge from the court.

House seemingly endless rain.

The Yellow River experienced an ice flood, and large areas of drifting ice destroyed the floating bridge, blocking the river and making it impossible for ships to navigate.

Since they would die anyway, Wang Ke decided to take a risk and take hundreds of his family members on a boat at night to force his way out. But when he ordered the soldiers to prepare the ferry, everyone turned a deaf ear to his words, pretending not to hear him and remained unmoved.

At night, General Liu Xun knocked on Wang Ke's dormitory door.

Wang Ke was shocked, thinking he was going to start a mutiny, and shouted, "What are you doing? Do you want to rebel?"

Liu Xun tore open his sleeves, exposing his arm. "I swear on this arm. If you don't believe me, cut it off first to prove my innocence!"

Wang Ke then came out and asked him if he had any solution.

Liu Xun told him, "The army is approaching, and the soldiers are panicking. Some people are unwilling to risk their lives to cross the river. We cannot force them. Moreover, if everyone scrambles for the ferry, order will inevitably be disrupted. If someone takes this opportunity to raise their arms and call for action... who knows what will happen."

"so what should I do now?"

Liu Xun said, "Wait until daybreak, tell your people about the situation and ask who is willing to flee with you. If everyone is willing to go with you, then go; otherwise, express your willingness to surrender to Zhang Cunjing as a delaying tactic, and then slowly discuss countermeasures."

Wang Ke listened to his advice.

At dawn the next day, Wang Ke personally climbed up the city wall and shouted to Zhang Cunjing, "Marshal Zhu and I have been friends for generations, we are like father and son, and brothers. General, please lift the siege and retreat. When Marshal Zhu arrives, I will naturally open the city and surrender."

Afterwards, Wang Ke raised a white flag on the city wall and arrested all the Hedong generals stationed in the city. They sent them to Zhang Cunjing's army along with the Jiedushi's official seals, etc., along with Wang Lin (Wang Ke's brother) and the Hezhong generals as hostages.

So Zhang Cunjing lifted the siege and retreated, and sent someone to inform Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen was overjoyed when he heard the news. He was leading the main force to advance slowly and had just reached Luoyang. When he heard the news of Hezhong's surrender, he immediately "rushed to it". However, his destination was not Hezhong Prefecture, but Yuxiang. This was Zhu Wen's brilliance.

Yuxiang, located east of Hezhong Prefecture, is important because of a cemetery where Wang Chongrong, the former governor of Hezhong, is buried. What Zhu Wen had to do was to go to Wang Chongrong's tomb and cry and pray.

Wang Chongrong was an important nobleman in Zhu Wen's life. At the beginning, Zhu Wen served Huang Chao and guarded Tongzhou. He followed the advice of Wang Chongrong and Yang Fuguang and rebelled against Qi and surrendered to Tang. Zhu Wen also recognized Wang Chongrong as his uncle because his mother Wang was from the same clan as Wang Chongrong, and formed a nephew-uncle relationship. It was that defection that enabled Zhu Wen to transform from a bandit to a meritorious official of the empire, and through the conquest of Huang Chao and his remnant Qin Zongquan, he came to where he is today step by step.

Zhu Wen also once swore to Wang Chongrong that if he became successful in the future, he would serve all the descendants of the Wang family wholeheartedly (if he became successful, he would serve all the descendants of the Wang family wholeheartedly)!
Now, Zhu Wen's unprovoked expedition against Wang Chongrong's descendants was neither justified nor justified, and would also provoke the gossip of repaying kindness with enmity. If Zhu Wen happily went straight into the city to accept the surrender, he would lose the popular support in the Hezhong region. Therefore, he had to perform in front of Wang Chongrong's tomb.

In front of Wang Chongrong's tomb, Zhu Wen beat his chest and stamped his feet, wept loudly, and delivered a speech with tears in his voice. Oscar owed Zhu Wen a little golden man.

At this time, Zhu Wen had taken over the five states of Hezhong almost without bloodshed, controlling the extremely important Hezhong region, controlling Hedong in the north and Guanzhong in the west. Although he was already very happy in his heart, he could still show his grief on his face.

The great emperor Zhu Wen won the hearts of the people in Hezhong. The people in Hezhong were "pleased to hear the news" and believed that Zhu Wen was a man who valued friendship and loyalty. They were willing to accept Zhu Wen's rule from the bottom of their hearts. Zhu Wen became the legitimate successor of Wang Chongrong.

Qian Liu wept for Zhou Bao, Yang Xingmi wept for Gao Pian, Zhu Wen wept for Wang Chongrong, Ma Yin wept for Sun Ru. Men don't shed tears easily, but they just haven't shown the time.

Next, Zhu Wen was still not in a hurry to enter Hezhong Prefecture, but instead sent envoys to discuss the surrender.

Wang Ke planned to go to see Zhu Wen with his face tied and a sheep in his hand.

This is the greatest insult to the surrenderer, and its earliest source is "Zuo Zhuan".

"Face-bound" means having both hands tied behind the back. "Records of the Grand Historian" records that when King Wu conquered King Zhou, there was a record of "the skin was bare and the face was bound, with a sheep on the left and straw on the right, and walking forward on his knees." This means that the upper body was naked, the hands were tied behind the back, someone was holding a sheep on the left and straw on the right, kneeling on the ground, and walking forward with the knees as feet. This method was used to express the surrender of the surrenderer, and holding the sheep meant that he was now a lamb to be slaughtered by the other party.

After the Song Dynasty, the Jurchens also liked to use the "sheep-leading ceremony" to humiliate prisoners, but their sheep-leading ceremony was not to lead a real sheep. Instead, the surrendered prisoners (regardless of gender) were made to be topless, covered with sheepskin, and tied with a rope around their necks, so that they looked like sheep. During the "Jingkang Shame", Emperors Huizong and Qinzong, as well as the royal family, concubines, and civil and military officials all enjoyed this treatment. Many people could not bear the humiliation and chose to commit suicide.

The Zuo Zhuan also records another similar surrender ceremony, "face tied with jade in mouth" and "face tied with jade in the coffin". The meanings are similar. "Ji Bi" means holding a jade in mouth, indicating that one does not want to live anymore, because at that time, people often held a jade in mouth when buried; "Yu Jian" means carrying a coffin, which also means that one is ready to be killed.

When the surrendered monarch was carrying the jade bier and the coffin, he would also have his staff and officials dressed in mourning clothes line up around him, pretending to be ready for the funeral, which also meant that he was ready to be executed.

In the well-known story of the Three Kingdoms, when the Wei general Deng Ai conquered Shu, outside the city of Chengdu, the last ruler of Shu, Liu Chan, was "bound face-down on a bier."

In order to show his humility and obedience, Wang Ke took the initiative to propose to meet Zhu Wen with his face tied and a sheep leading him.

Zhu Wen shouted that it was impossible, saying, "How could I forget the kindness of my uncle? Your father is my uncle, and we are cousins. Your father has been very kind to me. If you treat me with such a ceremony that would have cost the country a hundred years later, how can I face your father in the afterlife?"

Finally, both parties reached an agreement to meet each other with ordinary etiquette and family etiquette.

So, Zhu Wen came to the outside of the city like visiting relatives and friends, and Wang Ke went out of the city to greet him. Zhu Wen held Wang Ke's hands tightly, and they talked about the past and the changes in the past ten years. The two couldn't help sighing and lamenting, and then, in a relaxed and happy atmosphere, they rode into the city together.

This was of course another deliberate act by Zhu Wen, a family-friendly play for everyone to see. He tried to downplay the conflicts and contradictions of military annexation and create the illusion that the power was transferred peacefully by his own family.

Not long after, Zhu Wen asked the former prime minister Zhang Jun to write the "Epitaph for the Former Hezhong Jiedushi Wang Chongrong", then he went out of the city in plain clothes, erected a monument in front of Wang Chongrong's tomb, and mourned and cried again.

Zhu Wen recommended Zhang Cunjing as the governor of Hezhong, and asked the court to hurry up and send a senior official who is highly respected, capable of winning the support of the people, and loved by the people to take over Hezhong. It must be quick, because the people of Hezhong love me so much that they will not let me leave and insist on keeping me in Hezhong...

Why would you send anyone else? Just take over and take the blame.

Emperor Zhaozong appointed Zhu Wen as the governor of Hezhong. Since then, Zhu Wen has served as the governor of four towns (Bianzhou Xuanwu Army, Huazhou Xuanyi Army, Yunzhou Tianping Army, Hezhong Huguo Army). Zhu Wen was the governor of these four towns, while the rest, such as Luzhou Zhaoyi Army, Yanzhou Taining Army, Xuzhou Wuning Army, etc., were all led by Zhu Wen's trusted generals as governors and were also under Zhu Wen's direct control.

Zhu Wen submitted another memorial, saying that before, Hezhong only paid tribute to the court with 3,000 carts of salt every year, which was too little. From now on, I will add 2,000 carts every year, and provide the court with 5,000 carts of salt. What do you think?
Approved.

Zhu Wen forced Wang Ke, his brother Wang Lin, and his brother Wang Zan to move their families to Bianzhou. Not long after, he ordered Wang Ke to go to the court to meet the emperor, but sent assassins to assassinate him on the way (to Huazhou).

The record in Old Book of Tang is relatively objective, and the record of Zhu Wen crying and offering sacrifice to Wang Chongrong is "he first cried at Wang Chongrong's tomb, unable to control his grief"; while New Book of Tang adds subjective emotional color, "(Zhu Wen swore to Wang Chongrong to treat Wang's descendants well)... At this point, he forgot his oath, passed by Chongrong's tomb, and pretended to cry and offer sacrifice."

After Zhu Wen assassinated Wang Ke, we can say with certainty that Zhu Wen was just "fake crying" and the city guard Yan Huan was just acting and putting on a political show.

Wang Chongrong was upright and fierce, with a fiery temper, cruel and murderous, and he was killed in a mutiny in his later years. Historical records indicate that when Wang Chongrong was trying to persuade Zhu Wen to surrender, he had thought of killing Zhu Wen, but was stopped by the eunuchs who supervised the army. As analyzed in the previous article, Wang Chongrong and Zhu Wen had to work together to gain support and leverage each other's power in order to survive in the treacherous political arena. Yang Fuguang analyzed the interests involved for Wang Chongrong, which made Wang Chongrong give up the idea of ​​killing Zhu Wen.

History loves to play jokes. Wang Chongrong was "harsh by nature, murderous and unkind." He killed countless people in his life, but he spared this person who deserved to be killed the most.

The middle of the river is in my hand, and the east of the river is mine.

Zhu Wen, who controlled Hezhong, finally had the confidence to tear apart Li Keyong in Hedong. The next target: Li Keyong.

Thanks to my old friends “Pure lsp”, “Favorite Smile” and “Bedroom King” for their recommendation votes and support. Happy Labor Day!
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(End of this chapter)