History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 178 The periphery of the periphery

[The periphery of the periphery]

As Zhu Wen approached Fengxiang, the declining Guanxi Group was unable to confront him head-on, so they could only use the political card in their hand - Zhaozong, to "use the emperor to command the princes" and forged an imperial edict for all heroes to rise up and defend the king.

Li Keyong of Hedong responded cheerfully, but was "besieged Taiyuan three times", which made him doubt his life and he dared not to act rashly again; Wang Jian of Xichuan, in the name of serving the king, actually annexed Shannan; the two heroes of Jianghuai were constrained by internal troubles (the rebellion of Xuzhou and Xuzhou)...

During this period, another young comrade actively helped Zhu Wen further clear the periphery. He was Feng Xingxi, the governor of Jinzhou Zhaoxin.

Feng Xingxi was originally a junior officer in Junzhou. During the Huang Chao Rebellion, he was both wise and brave. He captured and killed the bandit leader Sun Xi, thus saving Junzhou from banditry. He then replaced the position of governor and was recommended by Liu Jurong, the then governor of Shannan, to be the governor of Junzhou. From then on, he stepped onto the stage of history and began a brilliant life.

At that time, Emperor Xizong fled to Shu to avoid chaos. Junzhou was an important transportation hub for Xiang, Han and Shu. It was geographically very important. It also had high mountains and steep ridges and complex terrain. All the tributes from all over the world had to pass through here to be transported to Shu. Therefore, a large number of bandits and robbers were bred to the west of Junzhou. They specialized in robbing the emperor. They gathered in the mountains and forests and were rampant. Not long after Feng Xingxi took office, he eliminated them all.

Similarly, there is no detailed description of the process of suppressing bandits in history books. We can try to expand: these bandits were very bold, and they did not rob houses like small bandits, but they specialized in robbing the imperial government and the tributes sent to the court. They had big appetites, big courage, and great strength. It is hard to say that they did not have a protective umbrella behind them. In other words, these bandits were most likely played by some warlords. This situation is not uncommon, but it is more common in assassinating political figures such as Prime Minister Wang Duo, the emperor's uncle Wang Gui, and the quasi-prime minister Wang Yu.

Such a bandit group seems unshakable, but it can be easily defeated as long as the protector behind it is found.

Obviously, Feng Xingxi did not go along with them, eliminate them one by one, or recruit them peacefully. In short, he chose to pave the way for the court.

This move won the appreciation of the court, and he was promoted and rewarded generously.

Later, Fengxiang Li Maozhen got involved in the Shannan area and sent his adopted son Li Jizhen to capture Jinzhou, west of Junzhou. At that time, Li Maozhen had just started his career and his strength and reputation were very limited. Feng Xingxi immediately sent troops to drive Li Jizhen away and took Jinzhou into his own hands, and was appointed as the Zhaoxin Defense Envoy with his headquarters in Jinzhou.

Later, in the "Anti-Yang Movement", Feng Xingxi made the right bet and defeated Yang Shouliang's troops in Jinzhou and Shangzhou, and was thus promoted to the Jiedushi of Zhaoxin.

If Feng Xingxi did not do it on purpose, then we can only say that he was extremely lucky. Every time the court disliked someone, he would step forward and step on them.

And this time, his choice to stand on Zhu Wen's side was the result of his painstaking efforts.

Also due to the geographical advantage, the eunuch Han Quanhui sent envoys to East China through Jinzhou, and planned to use Jinzhou as a gathering place for the troops to support the king. In this way, Feng Xingxi would be involved in the dispute, and he would be coerced by Guanxi and the eunuch group.

Faced with the eunuch party's forced binding, Feng Xingxi knew that he could no longer stay out of it, although this had been his code of conduct and the secret of his survival for many years. At this point, Feng Xingxi made his own choice, he wanted to cling to Zhu Wen's thigh and draw a clear line with the eunuch party that was in danger of losing its power.

Feng Xingxi detained and killed all the more than 20 eunuchs sent by the Guanxi Group, and then sent their heads and the "edicts" and "imperial decrees" they carried with them to Zhu Wen, and sent the deputy envoy of the Jiedushi to meet Zhu Wen in person to express his allegiance. From then on, he stood firmly under Zhu Wen's wings.

In fact, even if these envoys reached the Jianghuai region, they returned empty-handed. The two Jianghuai heroes were unable to withdraw, and other minor characters were neither able nor willing to travel thousands of miles to attack Zhu Wen.

However, Feng Xingxi's action of intercepting and killing the envoys still had extremely far-reaching political significance. This was a token of Feng Xingxi's surrender. Although Feng Xingxi's territory was small and his strength was limited, his geographical location was very important. It was the transportation hub of Xiang, Han and Shu, and it was also the southern gate of Chang'an.

After that, as Zhu Wen rose to prominence, Feng Xingxi knew that he had made the right bet, so he assisted Zhu Wen with even more loyalty and wisdom, and also taught his son to be loyal to Zhu Wen wholeheartedly.

Zhu Wen also liked this wise man very much, and conferred him the title of Prince of Changle for his meritorious service. After his death, he was awarded the title of Taifu and the posthumous name "Zhongjing".

The low-key and sharp Feng Xingxi helped Zhu Wen further clear the periphery and earned him a lifetime of glory.

Xichuan Wang Jian pretended to be loyal to the emperor, but in fact he encroached on the territory of Guanxi Group; Hedong Li Keyong had good intentions but insufficient strength; Jianghuai and Huaihe were constrained by internal troubles; Feng Xingxi, who was at the doorstep, became Zhu Wen's guard dog...

The eunuchs in Fengxiang are having a hard time.

[The Emperor's Chariot in Fengxiang]

After the eunuch Han Quanhui took Emperor Zhaozong abducted to Fengxiang, the Uighur tribe sent envoys to express their willingness to send troops to help the Tang Dynasty quell the civil strife. Emperor Zhaozong was so hungry that he decided to agree to introduce foreign aid.

Han Wei strongly opposed it, saying that the Rongdi were beasts in human form and could not be trusted! These foreign mercenaries have always coveted the prosperity of the Central Plains. When they see our cities in decay, our armaments in disrepair, and our civil strife, they will surely be ready to make trouble for the Central Plains.

Zhaozong then came to his senses and quickly replied, "They are just a few small bandits. Don't worry about them, thank you."

Although Han Wei was promoted by Cui Yin, and conspired with Cui Yin to kill the eunuch Liu Jishu, quell the "Shaoyang Court Coup", and welcome Zhaozong's rebellion, he did not become Cui Yin's accomplice, but was loyal to Zhaozong. When Cui Yin was plotting to kill the eunuchs, he openly opposed it. When the eunuch party forced the emperor to move west, he did not stay in Chang'an with Cui Yin, but chased the emperor west overnight and took the initiative to surrender to Fengxiang, standing firmly with Zhaozong and sharing life and death.

Zhaozong's "Fengxiang Exile Government" urgently needed to form a team of civil servants, but Han Wei and other ready-made retainer officials were excluded from the core power circle because the eunuch party needed a group of civil servants who served the eunuchs rather than Zhaozong.

As expected, the eunuch Han Quanhui launched a major purge in Fengxiang.

One is to strike at political opponents.

For example, Han Yu, although he opposed Cui Yin's killing of eunuchs, his starting point was to consolidate the imperial power, not to protect the eunuchs, so Han Yu was also among the eunuchs' attacks. Han Yu's job was to help the emperor draft imperial edicts (Hanlin Chengzhi). The eunuch Han Quanhui arranged two eunuchs in the Hanlin Academy to monitor the Hanlin scholars to prevent them from discussing state affairs, and to review the edicts they drafted to prevent them from "talking nonsense." Another example is Lu Guangqi. When Zhaozong first arrived in Fengxiang, he had just been vigorously promoted (Zongzhongshushi, concurrently judged Sansi, promoted to Zuo Jianyi Dafu, and participated in political affairs), but he was relieved of all real power and given an empty title of Prince Taibao, standing aside.

The second is to promote confidants.

Among the few officials who took the initiative to flee to Fengxiang, there were also some opportunists, such as Wei Yifan.

Wei Yifan very cleverly placed his bets on the eunuch party and the Guanxi group, and actively bribed Han Quanhui, Li Maozhen and others. Han Quanhui and Li Maozhen were also eager to find agents for the civil service group. So the two sides hit it off and each got what they needed. Wei Yifan was promoted to prime minister by rocket.

One day, Emperor Zhaozong was feasting with his ministers. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Li Maozhen, Han Quanhui and others quietly slipped away. Emperor Zhaozong suddenly asked Wei Yifan, "Why did I come here?"

Wei Yifan was panic-stricken and stammered, "I am away, I don't know."

Zhaozong was very angry and continued to ask questions.

Wei Yifan simply pretended to be deaf and dumb and ignored it.

Zhaozong was furious, "How dare you lie in front of me?" The table was completely silent, and Zhaozong said sternly, "Since you have become the prime minister through improper means, you should govern impartially. If you dare to mess around, I will punish you according to the law!"

Then, Zhaozong turned around and whispered to Han Wei (but everyone could hear him): "He really should be beaten with 20 sticks. How can such a person be qualified to be the prime minister?"

Wei Yifan raised his glass and toasted Zhaozong to ease the embarrassment.

Zhaozong also chose to ignore it and did not raise his glass in response.

Wei Yifan's next move will go down in history. He directly put the wine glass to Zhaozong's mouth and poured wine into him. "Drink it!"

Wei Yifan relied on Han Quanhui and Li Maozhen behind him, and acted like a fox taking advantage of the power of others to bully the emperor. He will be infamous for eternity!
Wei Yifan became the prime minister through bribery, so he naturally wanted to make more money. During his tenure, Wei Yifan accepted and solicited bribes unscrupulously, which was one of the main reasons why Zhaozong disliked him.

Unfortunately, Wei Yifan's mother died just four months after he became prime minister. According to custom, Wei Yifan had to mourn his mother for three years and was not allowed to hold any official position during this period.

Wei Yifan couldn't wait three years, and neither could his "investors". Every day, these bribers would line up in long queues, block the door and demand that Wei Yifan return the bribes. The noise was so loud that it was annoying.

Wei Yifan was eager to make a comeback, so he jumped up and down among the eunuch party and Li Maozhen, demanding to be appointed prime minister again in order to fulfill his "investment commitment."

Under pressure from the eunuch party and Li Maozhen, Zhaozong had to let Han Wei draft an imperial edict to summon Wei Yifan to return to the position of prime minister.

Han Wei decisively refused, "I would rather cut off my wrist than draft this edict!" He also submitted a memorial, pointing out that Wei Yifan had only been in mourning for his mother for two months, and ordering him to return was really appalling and damaging to the national dignity!

Han Wei was not making a fuss out of nothing. Under the feudal etiquette, there were strict regulations on "mourning for a father". It was not just a moral issue, but was based on laws. It was a legal issue, and the laws of the Tang Dynasty had clear provisions. According to "Tang Law Commentary", anyone who changed out of mourning clothes ahead of schedule during the mourning period would be sentenced to "three years in prison".

Don't simply understand it as the current "three-year fixed-term imprisonment". Although the meaning is similar, the punishment of "three years in prison" is much more severe than "three years in prison".

After the Sui Dynasty, a new "five-punishment system" was gradually formed, which included flogging, caning, imprisonment, exile and death, and was imposed according to the severity of the crime.

Under "imprisonment", there are five levels, namely one year, one and a half years, two years, two and a half years, and three years. "Three years of imprisonment" is the maximum penalty in "imprisonment". If the crime is a little more serious, "exile" will be used, that is, exile; if the crime is even more serious, the death penalty will be used, no explanation will be given.

During the period of serving a "prison sentence", the inmate is required to work at the place where he or she is serving his or her sentence, such as a mine, and there are clear requirements for daily work results.

Therefore, just taking off mourning clothes in advance would result in the maximum penalty of "imprisonment". This shows how much importance the ancients attached to mourning, which was far more than just condemnation from public opinion.

In addition, let's look at two more legal provisions: if anyone "forgets their grief and enjoys music" during the period of mourning, and continues to play music and dance, they will also be sentenced to "three years in prison"; even if they "listen to the music" or stop to watch others dancing, they will be "beaten with eighty sticks". "Caning" means hitting the back, buttocks, and thighs with a large bamboo board. The starting price is sixty, and it increases by ten each time, for a total of five levels, up to a maximum of one hundred.

For civil servants, the relevant requirements were even more complicated and strict. It was simply unjust that Wei Yifan, who was in mourning for his mother, wanted to return to the position of prime minister. So Han Wei refused to draft the edict.

The two eunuchs monitoring Hanlin Academy were furious and threatened Han Wei with death, "Do you want to die?"

Han Wei didn't buy it at all. He was too lazy to talk nonsense with the two eunuchs. He just took off his clothes and fell asleep.

The two eunuchs were so angry that they were shaking all over, but they could do nothing.

Death can only have power over those who fear it. For those who sacrifice their lives for righteousness, it is a reward.

(End of this chapter)