History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 222: Death of Yang Wo
[Death of Yang Wo]

After Yang Wo was sidelined by Xu Wen and Zhang Hao, he was indignant and always wanted to find an opportunity to regain military and political power. Xu Wen and Zhang Hao also felt that Yang Wo was a time bomb and must be eliminated as soon as possible.

The two conspired secretly and agreed to kill Yang Wo, then divide Huainan, and then unite to submit to Zhu Wen.

In May of the second year of Kaiping in the Later Liang Dynasty (908), Xu Wen and Zhang Hao sent their trusted soldiers to break into Yang Wo's bedroom at night and kill him. Yang Wo tried to persuade the assassins to rebel by promising that if they could help him kill Xu Wen and Zhang Hao, they would be promoted to governors. Faced with the temptation of the governor, most of the assassins were tempted, but Ji Xiang remained unmoved. He strictly followed his professional ethics and carried out his mission, strangling Yang Wo to death.

At dawn the next day, Zhang Hao urgently summoned all civil and military officials, announcing that the lord was old (after all, he was 23 years old) and frail, and had a sudden illness last night. Unfortunately, the treatment was ineffective and he left us prematurely.

Inside the palace hall were astonished civil and military officials, outside were fully armed swordsmen, and all the guards and attendants of the generals had been blocked outside in advance... Needless to say, everyone understood what was going on.

Zhang Hao held his sword with his hand, his face full of murderous intent. He glanced at everyone and asked sternly, "The lord is dead. Tell me, who should take charge of the military and political power?"

Everyone bowed their heads in silence, and no one responded.

Zhang Hao was furious. He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, raised his voice, and asked again in a roar.

Still no one answered.

Zhang Hao was furious and asked again almost hysterically.

After asking three times, everyone remained silent. The atmosphere was tense, scary and awkward.

At this time, Yan Keqiu took the initiative to step out of the line to help Zhang Hao out, saying: "Military and political power is of great importance and should not be taken lightly. Now, we are surrounded by enemies and fighting endlessly. Only you can stabilize the situation! But... if we let you take charge of military and political affairs now, it would be a little hasty..."

Zhang Hao glared, "What's the hurry?"

Yan Keqiu replied: "Luzhou Liu Wei, Shezhou Tao Ya, Xuanzhou Li Yu, Changzhou Li Jian, they are all friends of the previous king (Yang Xingmi), they are old, have made great contributions, have high reputations, and have troops outside. If you declare yourself king today, will they sincerely support you?"

Liu Wei, Tao Ya, Li Yu, Li Jian, Li Shenfu, Tai Meng, Zhu Yanshou, Tian Yu, Yuan Xi, Xu Wen and others were the founding shareholders of Yang Xingmi's Group, core members of the "Luzhou Lineage", and were known as the "Thirty-Six Heroes". When Yang Xingmi first started his army, it was with the assistance of these 36 people that he gradually expanded his army.

Among the thirty-six heroes, Xu Wen had the least achievements and the lowest reputation.

In his later years, Yang Xingmi tried his best to suppress the "Luzhou clique", especially the rebellion of Tian Yu and Zhu Yanshou, which made Yang Xingmi regard the "Thirty-Six Heroes" as the biggest destabilizing factor of the Huainan Group.

During the period when Yang Xingmi was seriously ill, the "Luzhou direct line" was ready to make a move. For example, there was a strong call for Liu Wei to succeed to the throne. The foolish Zhou Yin even dared to ask Yang Xingmi to give up his throne to Liu Wei in front of him.

Once the "Luzhou lineage" succeeded and usurped the Yang family's foundation, Xu Wen, as a marginal figure, would not get much benefit. Therefore, the smart Xu Wen chose to stand with the Yang family, expressing his willingness to support the Yang family's rule and support Yang Wo's succession. Only then did he gain Yang Xingmi's trust and become one of the old ministers entrusted with the care of the orphan.

In short, Xu Wen’s reputation within the Huainan Group is not very high.

Zhang Hao's reputation was even higher than Xu Wen's. Zhang Hao was born into a "Cai thief" family. He initially served the Cai thief Qin Zongquan, and later became a general under Sun Ru. Later, he surrendered to Yang Xingmi, and then he rebelled again, and then surrendered again. At that time, some generals suggested that Yang Xingmi kill this capricious villain, but Yang Xingmi kept him in his personal guard to show his magnanimity.

Zhang Hao not only had little experience and a bad reputation, but he also lacked the prestige to convince the public. So when he yelled three times, no one responded to him.

So when Yan Keqiu mentioned the names of Liu Wei and others, Zhang Hao lost his confidence, and his arrogance just now disappeared in an instant. Only silent anger was left in his chest. Yan Keqiu continued: "Now, the best way is to support another young ruler, and let you assist in the administration. In this way, who can have any objections?"

Zhang Hao was silent for a long time, without any idea.

During this tense and silent moment, Yan Keqiu walked quickly outside, wrote a few lines on a piece of paper, hid it in his sleeve, and then called everyone into the palace to congratulate him.

Everyone was puzzled and did not dare to ask more questions.

Yan Keqiu returned to the palace, pulled out the paper from his sleeve, and read it aloud, insisting that it was a verbal order from Madam Shi (Yang Wo's biological mother), which said that the late emperor had died before he could complete his career... Yang Xingmi was dead, and his eldest son Yang Wo unfortunately died of a sudden illness, so Yang Xingmi's second son Yang Wei had to succeed him according to the order of seniority. The generals should not let down the Yang family's kindness and must assist them wholeheartedly, blah blah blah...

The words are righteous and cannot be refuted.

Zhang Hao's face was pale and he was sweating all over.

The generals finally came to their senses and knelt down in unison, shouting that they were willing to assist the second young master, even if it meant going through fire and water.

As a result, Yang Xingmi's second son Yang Wei (only 12 years old) became the supreme ruler of Huainan region with the support of all the generals, inheriting the foundation of his father and brother. Yang Wei, originally named Yang Ying, was later changed to Yang Longyan. For the sake of convenience, this book will write him as Yang Wei.

The matter had already been settled, and Zhang Hao was extremely disappointed.

After the power transfer ceremony, General Zhu Jin went to Yan Keqiu's home to pay a visit and sighed, "I have been wearing armor and fighting since I was 16 years old. I have never known what fear is. But today, when I faced Zhang Hao, haha, I am not afraid of you laughing at me, I was sweating profusely! And you actually contradicted me in person, convinced me with reason, and finally made him surrender. Only then did I realize that I was just a brave man, and you are the real man!"

Zhu Jin needs no introduction. He came to surrender in a desperate situation and was highly regarded by Yang Xingmi. He was ranked first among all the generals. His military position was "Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Circuit Camps", while the Commanders-in-Chief were Yang Xingmi, Yang Wo, and Yang Wei. It can be said that Zhu Jin was the second-in-command in the Huainan military system.

As analyzed in the previous article, this was Yang Xingmi's political tactic. The more people like Zhu Jin, who had no foundation, no background, and no qualifications, the more they would be promoted. On the other hand, the "Luzhou direct line" who were highly respected and had made great contributions would be the main targets of suppression.

From then on, Zhu Jin was convinced by Yan Keqiu, respected him as his brother, and served him wholeheartedly.

Although Xu Wen and Zhang Hao conspired to murder Yang Wo, those who directly participated in the murder and forced power were all Zhang Hao's subordinates. Zhang Hao wanted to take the fruits of victory alone and no longer share with Xu Wen. Unexpectedly, he was obstructed by Yan Keqiu, and Zhang Hao was indignant. So Zhang Hao brewed another plan to get rid of Xu Wen, the hidden danger.

Yang Wei, the young ruler under the control of Zhang Hao, appointed Xu Wen as the inspector of western Zhejiang and sent him to Runzhou. This was the first step, squeezing out the core power circle and sending him from the "central government" to the local areas. The next step was, of course, repeated demotions and suicide.

Of course Xu Wen understood this routine. When Yang Xingmi was seriously ill, the "Luzhou direct lineage" sent their eldest son Yang Wo away, and Xu Wen reminded Yang Wo. Now Zhang Hao wanted to trick Xu Wen, but he was really making a wrong calculation.

Xu Wen pretended to say goodbye to Yan Keqiu, but Yan Keqiu sent away the idlers and warned him that Zhang Hao was planning to kill him.

"Ah? Then what should I do?"

Yan Keqiu said that Zhang Hao was a cruel and stubborn guy and would not last long. If you trust me, I will find a way to save you.

This is exactly what Xu Wen wanted to hear.

(End of this chapter)