History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 221 Dancing on the grave
【Disco on the grave】

In Yang Xingmi's words, all his sons were unworthy and could not inherit his family business. Among his sons, the eldest son Yang Wo was just 21 years old at the time, and the others were even younger. If Xu Wen and Zhang Hao were not able to be trusted ministers, Yang Xingmi would have died with regrets.

In the Huainan Group, civil and military officials also had complaints about Yang Wo's governing ability and moral character, "he had never had a good reputation, and the military looked down on him." The iron-minded Zhou Yin bluntly suggested that Yang Xingmi give up his position to the veteran Liu Wei, and even dared to withhold the official document summoning Yang Wo to Yangzhou. Fortunately, Xu Wen and Zhang Hao worked together to allow Yang Wo to succeed to the throne.

The previous article talked about Yang Wo’s foreign policy measures after he took charge of Huainan. If we only focus on the results, they can be considered satisfactory. However, if we examine them carefully, we will find a horrifying conclusion - Yang Wo lacked top-level design.

As the most powerful vassal state in southern China, Huainan should have been in a strategically active position, leading the way everywhere, just like the ambitious Yang Xingmi, a trendsetter of the times. However, Yang Wo was completely in a passive position, being led by others.

The attack on Hongzhou was a collusion between Zhong Chuan and his rebellious son, a passive interference in Jiangxi affairs;

The attack on Tanzhou was a self-defense counterattack after being attacked first;

The reason for aiding Langzhou was because Lei Yangong of Langzhou had caused trouble for himself, and the servant dragged his master into the water...

If a man does not think about the future, he will have immediate worries. This is true even for ordinary people, let alone a country with thousands of chariots!
If it was just a lack of ability, with the help of loyal ministers and generals, they could still survive in a corner. However, Yang Wo was morally corrupt and squandered the Yang family's luck, which deserved the evaluation of "unworthy".

First, there is dancing on the graves.

During the mourning period for his father Yang Xingmi, Yang Wo did not show any sadness, but drank and partied day and night. Yang Wo loved playing ball and was so obsessed with it that he played day and night. In order to get enough lighting, Yang Wo ordered people to make a huge candle, which was said to require ten people to hug. Such a huge candle would cost tens of thousands of dollars. Under the light of this giant candle, the court was as bright as day.

Secondly, to take revenge for personal gain.

Usually, ability is inversely proportional to temper and also inversely proportional to mind. A loser like Yang Wo must have the character traits of being petty and vindictive.

When he heard that Zhou Yin had opposed his father passing the throne to him, he was furious. He immediately summoned Zhou Yin, scolded him to his face, accused him of being a traitor, and then executed the loyal and honest Zhou Yin.

As for the veteran general Wang Maozhang, who strictly enforced the law and did not allow himself to bring his cronies to Yangzhou, he was also retaliated against and forced to defect to Qian Liu in Hangzhou. This has been mentioned in the previous article and will not be repeated here.

The killing of Zhou Yin and the driving away of Wang Maozhang marked the beginning of Yang Wo's bloody political purge, in which he aimed his butcher knife at the "old ministers". As the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers, and the former meritorious generals were all in danger and uneasy.

General Lü Shizhou was stationed in Jiangxi. During the "Huai-Chu Dispute", he repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on Ma Yin of Tanzhou and made countless contributions to Huainan. However, he was also suspected by Yang Wo. Out of fear, Lü Shizhou was forced into exile and defected to his former enemy, Ma Yin of Tanzhou.

When Ma Yin heard that Lü Shizhou had surrendered, he was overjoyed and said to those around him, "I was just thinking about conquering Lingnan, and this man is enough!" So he appointed Lü Shizhou as the commander-in-chief (commander-in-chief of the cavalry and infantry), led the army to attack Lingnan, and successively conquered Zhao, He, Wu, Meng, Gong, Fu and other states, expanding the influence of Tanzhou to the Lingnan area. Later, Ma Yin appointed Lü Shizhou as the governor of Zhaozhou.

The two Huainan generals, one defected to Qian Liu in Hangzhou, and the other defected to Ma Yin in Tanzhou. As one grew stronger, the other weakened. The Huainan forces were seriously damaged by Yang Wo's pettiness.

Third, promote your confidants.

Yang Wo knew that his reputation was not good and was not enough to convince others. Zhou Yin was straightforward and said it out loud, while the others kept it deep in their hearts.

Yang Wo took advantage of the "Great Purge" to promote a large number of his trusted henchmen to important civil and military positions. These henchmen were well versed in the unwritten rules of politics and unscrupulously oppressed and excluded the veterans of the previous dynasty, gradually returning the military and political power to the hands of the "Prince Gang".

Fourth, replace the guards.

Yang Wo's suspicion of "dissidents" reached an extreme. He did not trust the old ministers left by his father, nor did he trust the guards around him. Yang Wo often went out alone, and the attendants could not find him. In Yang Wo's view, he was safer alone, because these guards were left by his father, and they were led by the old ministers Xu Wen and Zhang Hao.

Xu Wen and Zhang Hao were obviously the top representatives of the "old ministers of the previous dynasty" and were thorns in Yang Wo's eyes and flesh. Therefore, Yang Wo personally selected a group of young and strong warriors to form the "Prince's Eastern Palace Cavalry Company" (Eastern Courtyard Cavalry) as his personal guards, and dismissed all the thousands of personal troops commanded by Xu Wen and Zhang Hao, and turned their camp into a shooting range.

In less than a year, Yang Wo, with his own strength, made the Huainan Group a mess. There is a poem to prove it:
"The shooting range has just been opened inwards, and the room is filled with the sound of dancing dust.

The incense and candles are like bright day, and the sackcloth-clad man plays ball in the middle of the night."

The old ministers Xu Wen and Zhang Hao, who were entrusted with the important task of taking care of the young king, could not bear it any longer, so they found Yang Wo and tearfully persuaded him to mend his ways and not ruin the foundation that the previous king had worked so hard to build.

Yang Wo was furious. "You always say that I am not talented. What do you mean? Since I am not qualified, then you can kill me and take this position!"

The two were terrified and quickly apologized, saying it was a misunderstanding.

Yang Wo snorted coldly and left, leaving the two old officials shaking their heads and sighing in the cold wind.

When Yang Wo was in Xuanzhou, he had three trusted men, Zhu Siqing, Fan Sicong and Chen Fan, who led 3,000 elite soldiers. This force was considered Yang Wo's direct armed forces. When he came to Yangzhou to inherit the throne, Yang Wo wanted to take them with him, but was rejected by Wang Maozhang according to the law. Now, Yang Wo transferred this force to Yangzhou.

Xu Wen and Zhang Hao felt unprecedented fear. If they did not take action, they would probably become the second Zhou Yin and Wang Maozhang.

What kind of people are Xu Wen and Zhang Hao! Compared with Yang Wo, they are like kings versus bronze.

First, using the defeat in the "Huai-Chu Dispute" as an excuse, Xu Wen and Zhang Hao executed Yang Wo's close confidant, the military supervisor Xu Xuanying, for the crime of military defeat.

Secondly, during the Hongzhou battle, Yang Wo sent three of his confidants - Zhu Siqing, Fan Sicong and Chen Fan - to the front line to gain experience and gain revolutionary credits, thus paving the way for future promotions.

Therefore, Xu Wen and Zhang Hao secretly sent their confidant Chen You to the front line to assassinate the three people and at the same time falsely accused them of treason.

Of course Yang Wo didn't believe it, but before he could take any action, news came from the Hongzhou front: Zhu Siqing, Fan Sicong and Chen Fan had been executed.

Yang Wo was furious and decided to kill Xu Wen and Zhang Hao.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of the Tianyou reign of the Tang Dynasty (907), Yang Wo was in the courtroom to work. Suddenly, Xu Wen and Zhang Hao led two hundred elite warriors and rushed in, bows strung and swords unsheathed, full of murderous intent.

Yang Wo was horrified and blurted out, "Damn it, do you really want to kill me?"

The two men clasped their fists and saluted, and replied: "Your Majesty, how dare we kill you? We only want to kill the treacherous villains around you!" Then, they listed the crimes of more than a dozen of Yang Wo's trusted henchmen, dragged them into the yard, and killed them with a big hammer on the head, claiming that they were carrying out a "military remonstrance." That is, to "clear the emperor's side."

Xu Wen and Zhang Hao took advantage of this "military remonstrance" to not only eliminate all of Yang Wo's confidants, but also eliminate the "alien elements".

As a result, the military and political power of Huainan fell into the hands of Xu Wen and Zhang Hao, and Yang Wo became their puppet.

Although Yang Wo was still nominally the highest military and political chief in Huainan, the real power was controlled by Xu Wen and Zhang Hao. At this time, it was only one year and two months since Yang Xingmi's death.

(End of this chapter)