History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 176: Xuxu Rebellion (Part )

After reconciling with Qian Liu of Hangzhou and restoring their friendship, and removing the thorn in his side with Feng Hongduo of Shengzhou, Yang Xingmi finally resolved his worries and could focus on preparing for the pig-killing ceremony to support the king.

Yang Xingmi personally led the army, crossed the Huai River and headed north, and ordered Li Chengsi to look after the house. This name is very familiar, right? He was a general from Hedong who was defeated by Zhu Wen a long time ago and fled to Huainan. He was highly valued and never returned to Hedong. Li Chengsi and others not only received generous material rewards, but also gained great trust. Now that Yang Xingmi was launching a large-scale northern expedition, he handed over his hometown base camp to him to manage. This also shows Yang Xingmi's tolerance and generosity, and his ability to appoint people based on their talents.

Trust is the greatest reward.

The officials in charge of transporting grain and supplies wanted to use larger ships with larger carrying capacity to transport military rations, but Xu Wen, their think tank, strongly opposed it. He said that the canal had been abandoned for a long time, was overgrown with grass and trees, and had silt deposits, which might not be conducive to the navigation of large ships. Small boats must be used for safety.

This canal has not been used for grain transport since Gao Pian fell out with the imperial court, which is more than 20 years ago. Xu Wen was quite far-sighted. As he said, all the large ships were stranded halfway and could not pass, but the small boats could deliver supplies to the front in time.

Yang Xingmi went north along the river to attack Suzhou, but encountered heavy rain for several days. Siege weapons and other heavy equipment could not be transported, and there was a shortage of food and fodder. The soldiers looked pale, haggard, and miserable. Several exploratory attacks did not achieve the expected results, so he had to withdraw his troops temporarily.

Although he did not gain any advantage, Yang Xingmi valued Xu Wen's talents even more and used him more.

When Yang Xingmi was regrouping and preparing to make another effort, another earth-shaking event occurred in the Jianghuai region.

【Xuzhou-Xuzhou Rebellion】

After Sun Ru was defeated by Yang Xingmi, the remaining troops fled. Some of them surrendered to Yang Xingmi on the battlefield, while a large number of them defected to Qian Liu.

Qian Liu reorganized them into the "Wuyong Independent Regiment" (Wuyongdu) as an independent military unit to show his trust. General Du Ling warned Qian Liu that these people had been thieves for a long time and were all ambitious. It would be better to disperse them and use one of our own people as the commander.

In order to show his magnanimity, Qian Liu rejected the proposal.

Qian Liu served as the governor of two towns, unified the two Zhejiang provinces, and was granted the title of King of Yue. His hometown village was also blessed by the emperor. It was first renamed Yijinying, then upgraded to Yijincheng, and then upgraded to Yijinjun. Qian Liu's heart was inevitably a little turbulent, and he could not help but have the mentality of a poor man who suddenly became rich.

He wanted to return home in glory and show off in front of his fellow villagers. Not only did he want to be clothed in glory, but the mountains and forests also wanted to be clothed in glory. According to records, Qian Liu often entertained his fellow villagers, and at that time, all the trees on the mountains and plains would be wrapped in brocade and silk.

He also built a luxurious villa in his hometown, which was grand and magnificent. Whenever Qian Liu revisited his hometown, he would be followed by a large group of people, with motorcades connected together, numbering tens of thousands.

Whenever his father, Qian Kuan, heard that his son was coming, he would flee and hide, refusing to meet him. Qian Liu had no choice but to get off the car and walk around the village looking for his father. When he found him, he asked him why the old man avoided him.

Qian Kuan said, "My family has been poor fishing and farming for generations, and we never dared to dream of such wealth and glory. Although you are now the ruler of thirteen states, you are surrounded by enemies on three sides and have been fighting all year round. But you forget the danger in peace, indulge in extravagance, corruption and depravity, and will soon lead to the annihilation of your clan. I can't bear to see that day come!"

Qian Liu suddenly woke up, knelt down and cried, expressing his repentance.

Although there was some restraint in personal desires, municipal engineering and military defense projects could not be slacked off.

In July of the second year of the Tianfu reign of the Tang Dynasty (902), Qian Liu personally inspected the Yijin Army and ordered the "Wuyong Independent Regiment" to repair the canal. The soldiers were deeply dissatisfied with Qian Liu's large-scale construction and complained. Cheng Ji, the deputy envoy of the Jiedushi, immediately reported these situations to Qian Liu and requested that the project be suspended to avoid provoking a mutiny.

Qian Liu rejected it.

The accumulated resentment is finally about to explode.

Xu Wan, commander of the "Wuyong Independent Regiment", conspired to kill Qian Liu through the "Hongmen Banquet".

In August, the project was completed. Qian Liu was about to return to Hangzhou, and before leaving, he hosted a banquet for all the generals.

Xu Wan had something to hide, and he frequently exchanged glances with the generals around him, because he was not sure if someone had betrayed him, and he did not know if Qian Liu had learned of his conspiracy. Because this was a banquet organized by Qian Liu, could it be that he wanted to take the initiative?

The generals who were in cahoots with Xu Wan also kept winking at him, probably asking him, "Do it now? Big brother, you shook your head... Don't move? Or don't wait?"

Faced with the huge psychological pressure, Xu Wan could no longer hold on. Her face changed color, beads of sweat dripped down her nose and temples, and her eyes were evasive and furtive.

This caught Qian Liu's attention, and he asked him out of kindness why he was so uneasy.

Xu Wan hurriedly explained that he was ill, felt dizzy and very uncomfortable, and asked to leave early.

Qian Liu approved his request, but he felt something was not right. His attendants reminded him to be more careful, as Xu Wan seemed to be worried and might be detrimental to his master.

Qian Liu then ordered Xu Wan to lead his troops back to Hangzhou immediately. When Xu Wan arrived at the outer city of Hangzhou, he suddenly ordered a fire, and then let his troops plunder and launch a rebellion; Xu Zaisi, another commander of the "Wuyong Independent Regiment", led his troops to welcome Xu Wan into the city and jointly attack the inner city of Hangzhou.

The "Wuyong Independent Regiment" also imitated the organization of the central imperial guards, setting up the left and right armies, namely "Wuyong Youdu" and "Wuyong Zuodu". Xu Wan was the commander-in-chief of the right army (Wuyong Youdu commander-in-chief), and Xu Zaisi was the commander-in-chief of the left army (Wuyong Zuodu commander-in-chief). The joint rebellion of the two announced the rebellion of the entire "Wuyong Independent Regiment".

This rebellion led by Xu Wan and Xu Zaisi, known in history as the "Xu-Xu Rebellion", had a profound impact on the political landscape of the Jianghuai region.

Qian Liu's son Qian Chuanying and Hangzhou garrison officer Ma Chao and other generals closed the gates of the inner city and put up a stubborn resistance.

When Qian Liu got to about ten miles from Hangzhou, he got the news of the mutiny and immediately sought help from an "expert". The "expert" Li Xian counted with his fingers and said, "Your Majesty's hegemony will last forever, but this is just a minor disaster. Please don't worry, or Your Majesty will be ill."

Qian Liu replied, "I would rather get sick than let the mutiny harm the people!" So he asked another fortune teller, Ye Jian, to tell his fortune.

Ye Jian closed his eyes and deduced, saying: "The rebels are nothing to worry about, they will be eliminated soon."

Qian Liu asked, "Will Yang Xingmi of Huainan take advantage of the situation to rob people?"

Ye Jian replied: "Huainan Yang Xingmi will not come, and Xuanzhou Tian Yu will help the tyrant, but they will all fail before next spring, so there is no need to worry."

Since Zhou Bao and Gao Pian, superstition has prevailed in the Jianghuai region, and generals often tell fortunes and pray to gods. When Qian Liu was suddenly confronted with a mutiny, he immediately asked for divination. However, we cannot simply assume that Qian Liu was also superstitious about ghosts and gods.

Gao Pian was really superstitious, and because of this, he was ruined and will be infamous forever. Qian Liu, on the other hand, was "pretending to be ignorant when knowing the truth", and was using superstition. He might not believe in it, but he knew that his soldiers believed it, so he wanted to use the words of the "gods" to reassure everyone, telling them that our army would win, it was God's will, and thus stabilize the morale of the army.

As the leader of a team, one must be aware that no matter whether it is Yin and Yang Feng Shui, the Eight Diagrams and Five Elements, gods and ghosts, or constellations... one must "use them for my own benefit" and treat them as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks.

Qian Liu rode his horse to the north of Hangzhou and ordered Chengji to raise the flag with Qian Liu's name on it, beat drums to help, and attack the rebels. Qian Liu himself changed into civilian clothes and sneaked into Deshengmen. The generals in the city drove a small boat to meet Qian Liu, sailed along the river to the northeast corner of the inner city, and climbed over the wall to enter.

The patrol soldier on night duty on the city wall was sleeping leaning against the warning drum. In his sleep, he had no idea that someone had climbed up the city wall, nor that this person was Marshal Qian himself, and he had no idea that Marshal Qian would chop off his head with his own hands.

Qian Liu's airborne landing in the city had a great impact on both inside and outside the city. The defenders were greatly encouraged, while the rebels suffered a serious blow.

Du Ling's son Du Jianhui rushed to Hangzhou to provide assistance. It happened that Xu Wan was gathering wood in an open space outside the city, intending to burn down the north gate of the inner city. Du Jianhui set a huge fire and burned it all down, thus thwarting Xu Wan's fire attack plan.

After hearing the news of the mutiny, Huzhou Governor Gao Yan also sent his son Gao Wei to lead his troops to provide assistance. Unexpectedly, they were ambushed by Xu Wan at the foot of Lingyin Mountain west of Hangzhou, and Gao Wei unfortunately died.

Someone suggested that Qian Liu cross the Qiantang River to the south and retreat to Yuezhou to avoid Xu Wan and Xu Zaisi. Du Jianhui put his hand on his sword and shouted: "If this fails, this place will be where you and I will die. Who dares to talk about running away?"

When facing a powerful enemy, if you easily abandon the capital or the headquarters, it will shake the morale of the army and destroy your foundation. The leader is the leader of the flock. If the leader flees in panic, the flock will immediately scatter. Qian Liu could not leave, just like Li Keyong could not give up Taiyuan in times of crisis.

Qian Liu was determined to die, but he did not wait for death, nor did he seek death. He was stationed in Hangzhou and actively deployed troops, ordering Wu Zhang and Ma Chuo to guard the north gate, Du Jianhui and Wang Rong to guard the south gate, and sent General Gu Quanwu to lead troops to Yuezhou to prevent it from being captured by the rebels.

Gu Quanwu shook his head and said, "Instead of sending me to Yuezhou, it would be better to send me to Yangzhou."

Yangzhou was the headquarters of Yang Xingmi, the governor of Huainan. Gu Quanwu's words shocked everyone, and Qian Liu also asked him what he meant.

Gu Quanwu explained: "Xu Wan will definitely seek help from Tian Yu in Xuanzhou, and then lure Yang Xingmi to come. Once the rebels and the Huainan troops join forces, we will be in great danger."

All the generals suddenly realized the truth and praised Gu Quanwu for his thorough consideration. It was like playing chess. A rookie would only plan his own layout, while an expert would often help his opponent design it, standing at a bird's eye view. Gu Quanwu knew that Xu Wan's rebels would unite with Huainan, so he took the initiative to persuade Yang Xingmi to help Qian Liu suppress the rebellion, cutting off the rebels' support and isolating them.

However, Yang Xingmi and Qian Liu had long been fighting for supremacy in Jianghuai, attacking each other and being enemies. Now that Qian Liu was facing a mutiny and civil unrest, how could Yang Xingmi help him put down the rebellion? Wouldn't it be better to take advantage of the situation? All the generals expressed doubts.

Du Jianhui said: "At the beginning, Yang Xingmi was forced into a desperate situation by Sun Ru. It was your help that helped him get out of the predicament and eventually defeated Sun Ru. Yang Xingmi is also a man, how can he not repay this favor? I suggest you give it a try first, and try your best."

Qian Liu thought it made sense, so he asked Gu Quanwu to serve as a special envoy to visit Yangzhou and lobby Yang Xingmi.

Thanks to my old friend "pure lsp" for the generous 12 recommendation votes, thank you!


(End of this chapter)