History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 231 Liu Zhijun's Rebellion

【Liu Zhijun's rebellion】

Wang Zhongshi, a great general, died due to Liu Han's slander and his entire family was executed, which was extremely tragic.

If we extend the time span, we will find that the death of Wang Zhongshi can also be seen as the butterfly effect of "Ding Hui's surrender to Jin."

As mentioned earlier, Ding Hui's surrender to the Jin Dynasty not only allowed Hedong to obtain Luzhou, but also had a significant impact on Zhu Wen's psychology, and even laid the groundwork for the demise of Later Liang.

Ding Hui was a direct descendant of Zhu Wen and the most trusted old revolutionary comrade, but he suddenly surrendered to his old enemy Hedong without any warning. It was too sudden, not only Zhu Wen, but everyone who reads history books will exclaim in disbelief when reading this passage. Unexpectedly, the thick-browed and big-eyed Ding Hui also betrayed the revolution.

From then on, Zhu Wen became more suspicious and lost trust in everyone. If Guan Yu could defect to Cao Ying, would Liu Bei still trust Zhang Fei?
Therefore, Zhu Wen firmly believed the accusation that "Wang Zhongshi was in cahoots with Qi", even if he was half-believing and half-doubting, he would rather kill three thousand people by mistake.

But the butterfly effect does not stop because of this, it is like a domino that will never stop.

Liu Zhijun had made impressive achievements in the western battlefield, but he was resentful of Zhu Wen's unclear rewards and punishments, so he refused the order to send troops to Bingzhou and returned to Tongzhou. At the same time, Wang Zhongshi was trapped in the "Tongqi Gate" incident, was framed and his entire family was killed.

At this moment, Zhu Wen was planning to recapture Luzhou, so he urgently summoned Liu Zhijun, the former commander-in-chief of Luzhou, to Beijing to discuss military plans.

When Liu Zhijun was packing his bags and preparing to go to Beijing to meet the emperor, he suddenly received an urgent letter from home. The sender was his younger brother Liu Zhihuan. The letter contained only one sentence: "You will die as soon as you arrive!"

Liu Zhijun was horrified, so he reported to Zhu Wen, saying that the military and civilians were eager to keep him, and he could not go to Beijing to see the emperor. At the same time, he arrested the military supervisor and the civil and military officials who were unwilling to surrender to Li Maozhen, and then surrendered the city to Li Maozhen.

In order to show his sincerity to Li Maozhen, Liu Zhijun submitted a huge pledge to Li Maozhen: to capture Huazhou, occupy Tongguan, capture Liu Han alive and send him to Fengxiang to be beheaded.

The western territory of Later Liang changed in an instant. Chang'an, Tongzhou, Huazhou, and Tongguan broke away from Later Liang overnight and became part of Li Maozhen.

Liu Zhijun requested Li Maozhen to send troops quickly, go east through Tongguan and attack Later Liang. At the same time, he wrote a letter to Li Cunxu in Hedong, agreeing that Qi and Jin would divide their troops to attack Later Liang together, and promised Li Cunxu: Within ten days, they would be able to recover the two capitals (Chang'an and Luoyang) and restore the territory of the Tang Dynasty!
Dangerous traitor!
Zhu Wen hurriedly sent someone to contact Liu Zhijun and questioned this ungrateful villain, "I have treated you well, why did you rebel?"

Liu Zhijun replied: "I dare not forget my gratitude, but I am afraid of becoming the second Master Wang Zhong."

Zhu Wen sent another envoy to explain: "It's a misunderstanding! It's because Liu Han secretly reported Wang Zhongshi's communication with Qi. I regret it now. Liu Han deserves to die!"

Liu Zhijun no longer responded.

Zhu Wen had no choice but to issue an imperial decree to deprive Liu Zhijun of all his official titles and appoint Yang Shihou as the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army to fight against Liu Zhijun's rebels. The plan to recapture Luzhou was delayed again.

Yang Shihou was originally a subordinate of Li Hanzhi. He surrendered to Zhu Wen during the "Heyang Proxy Dispute" (Zhu Wen supported Zhang Quanyi vs. Li Keyong supported Li Hanzhi), and participated in the "Siege of Fengxiang", the Qingzhou Rebellion, and the Southern Expedition to Xiangzhou. In particular, Yang Shihou was in charge of the Southern Expedition to Xiangzhou, and he conquered the two towns in less than a month.

So he was in charge of this Western Expedition. The vanguard officer was Liu Xun, who was known for his "one step and a hundred strategies". He was the former general of the Pinglu Army in Qingzhou and had swallowed up Yanzhou during Wang Shifan's rebellion.

Liu Xun shined on the western battlefield. He first broke Liu Zhijun's ambush in Tongguan, and let the captives act as guides to trick Tongguan open. With almost no bloodshed, he captured Tongguan, where one man could block a thousand, and captured Liu Zhihuan, who had fled there, alive.

After Liu Zhijun rebelled, Zhu Wen issued an order: whoever captured Liu Zhijun alive would be rewarded with 10,000 strings of cash and appointed as the governor of the Zhongwu Army, and given a luxury house in the city and a villa in the suburbs; whoever captured Liu Zhihuan alive would be rewarded with 1,000 strings of cash and appointed as the governor, and those who held an official position would be promoted three levels, and those who did not hold an official position would be appointed as the minister of war.

Now Liu Zhihuan was captured alive, but 22 people were credited. 22 people stepped forward at the same time and held him down. How to divide it?
The imperial edict: Li Chou, the official who first defeated Liu Zhihuan, was rewarded with 20 strings of cash; Zhang Wen, who led the team, was rewarded with strings of cash; and the remaining people were rewarded with strings of cash, coins each.

22 people share guan. But how does the "provincial governor" share it? There is a way. That is to share the salary of the provincial governor according to a certain ratio.

Afterwards, Zhu Wen sent Liu Zhijun's nephew Liu Siye to Tongzhou to lobby, emphasizing that this was just a misunderstanding and hoping that Liu Zhijun would change his mind because of their old friendship. Zhu Wen promised to let bygones be bygones.

Liu Zhijun calmed down and planned to go to the capital to apologize in person. At this time, his other brother Liu Zhiyan jumped out and pushed Liu Zhijun into the fire pit in time, and urged Liu Zhijun not to fall into the trap.

Liu Zhijun originally had a bright future, but was dragged into an abyss of no return by his two younger brothers.

Some things cannot be put on the table, especially some political unspoken rules, which can only be understood but not expressed in words. They belong to "you know". Wang Zhongshi was a direct elder, so he was suspected and ended up in a miserable situation. However, Liu Zhijun, who was a surrendered general, did not need to panic.

However, Zhu Wen was not in a position to put these words on the table, so Liu Zhijun had to figure them out on his own.

While Liu Zhijun was hesitating, an urgent military intelligence was delivered to him: Tongguan was lost; Huazhou fell; Yang Shihou's army of Later Liang was moving towards Tongzhou!

Liu Zhijun was panicked and had no intention of resisting, so he hurriedly led his family to flee to Fengxiang.

When Yang Shihou advanced to Chang'an City, Li Maozhen had already sent troops to station there. Yang Shihou sent elite troops to detour southward, along the Qinling Mountains to the west of Chang'an, and launched a surprise attack on the laxly guarded West Gate of the Guanxi Army, and entered the city in one fell swoop.

Fengxiang is west of Chang'an, and the Later Liang army came from the east. Fengxiang garrison commander Wang Jian (same name, not Xichuan Wang Jian) ​​heavily guarded the east gate, thinking that the west gate was the passage for reinforcements from Guanxi to enter and exit. He never expected that the Later Liang army would be unethical and go around to the west gate. Faced with the Later Liang army's sudden attack, Wang Jian immediately announced that he would give up resistance and surrender. Chang'an was recovered!
Yang Shihou took command on June 6 and ended the battle on June 16, recovering Tongguan, Tongzhou, Huazhou, and Chang'an in just five days.

Zhu Wen changed the Youguo Army into the Yongping Army, with Liu Xun as the acting commander.

Fengxiang Li Maozhen rewarded Liu Zhijun very generously, but due to the small territory, it was impossible to allocate a military town to accommodate a high-ranking cadre like Liu Zhijun. Therefore, Li Maozhen adopted an old routine: let him take it himself.

Li Maozhen ordered Liu Zhijun to attack the Lingzhou Shuofang Army and Xiazhou Dingnan Army of the Later Liang Dynasty. If they could be taken, it would be your fiefdom. At the same time, he contacted Li Cunxu and agreed to attack the Later Liang Dynasty together.

As a result, Qi and Jin raised troops at the same time to attack Houliang. Liu Zhijun led his troops to attack Lingzhou; Li Cunxu sent Zhou Dewei through Yindi Pass to attack Jinzhou and Jiangzhou.

Zhu Wen ordered Kang Huaizheng and Kou Yanqing to resist Liu Zhijun, and Yang Shihou to resist Zhou Dewei.

Soon, Yang Shihou repelled Zhou Dewei and eliminated the threat from the north; Kang Huaizheng and Kou Yanqing were victorious at first and repelled Liu Zhijun, but Liu Zhijun did not play by the rules and ambushed the returning troops of Hou Liang in Sanshui, and almost captured and killed Kang Huaizheng.

Liu Zhijun was no pushover, and he did not forget to set ambushes during his retreat, and they were a series of ambushes. Kang Huaizhen was rescued by General Wang Yanzhang at the risk of his life, and just as he escaped, he was ambushed again. Kang Huaizhen only managed to escape with his life, while the rest of his troops who retreated eastward with him were completely wiped out.

Subsequently, Li Maozhen appointed Liu Zhijun as the Jiedushi of Zhangyi Army in Jingzhou and stationed him in Jingzhou.

Wang Yanzhang, nicknamed "Wang Tieqiang", always carried two large iron spears with him when he went to battle. Each spear weighed 82 jin, which was heavier than Guan Gong's Spring and Autumn Crescent Blade ( jin). One spear was hung on the saddle for use, and the other was in his hand. In the "Sanshui Ambush Battle", Wang Yanzhang officially debuted and later joined the first echelon of the Later Liang generals and became the pillar of the Later Liang.

The defeat in the Battle of Luzhou, the wrongful killing of Wang Zhongshi, the betrayal of Liu Zhijun... Zhu Wen was so angry that he fell ill and could not get up.

Liu Shouguang of Youzhou captured Liu Shouwen alive and marched to the city of Cangzhou. He sent envoys to Luoyang, saying that after recovering Cangzhou and Dezhou (i.e. Yichang Army), he would clear Hedong for Your Majesty!

Zhu Wen's illness was immediately cured by half, and he was able to sit up and attend court. He immediately issued an edict to confer the title of "King of Yan" on Liu Shouguang.

Liu Shouguang perfectly inherited the shameless gene of his father Liu Rengong, and used the double-dealing skills to perfection. Liu Shouguang wrote two letters at the same time, one to Zhu Wen, saying that he would destroy Hedong for him; the other was written to Li Cunxu of Hedong, vowing to help him destroy Zhu Wen of the Later Liang.

Not long after, Liu Shouguang reported that he had captured Cangzhou, so Zhu Wen appointed Liu Shouguang's son Liu Jiwei as the commander of Cangzhou Yichang Army.

After Zhu Wen's condition improved slightly, he immediately put the recovery of Luzhou back on the agenda and appointed Wang Tan, the governor of Huazhou Zhenguo Army, to lead the army.

Afterwards, Zhu Wen "had something to do in the southern suburbs", where he offered sacrifices to heaven, granted amnesty to the people, thanked heaven for everything he had done for him, and prayed for good weather in the coming year, thus "opening the door" for the next military operations.

The suburban sacrifice ceremony had just ended when Zhu Wen received good news: Luo Shaowei was seriously ill!

Luo Shaowei, the governor of Weizhou, wrote to Zhu Wen, saying that he had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was paralyzed in bed, and would not live long. As Weizhou had an important geographical location, he suggested that the court should hurry and send a capable person to garrison it.

Zhu Wen danced with joy. Luo Shaowei was critically ill, and Zhu Wen recovered instantly.

After calming down, Zhu Wen summoned the Wei Bo envoy, showing a sad face and extremely sad, and said: "Go back quickly and tell King Ye to let him live strong for me! I can't bear to let him go. If something unexpected happens, I will also guarantee that his descendants and generations will enjoy wealth and honor! Now I will first appoint Luo Zhouhan (Luo Shaowei's second son) as the deputy envoy of the Jiedushi, hoping that King Ye can recover soon and return to work!"

Half a year later, Luo Shaowei, the governor of Weizhou, died of illness at his headquarters in Weizhou at the age of 34. The emperor ordered his second son Luo Zhouhan to be the successor to Weizhou.

The importance of Wei Bo to Zhu Wen's group cannot be overstated. Now, with the death of Luo Shaowei, Zhu Wen finally saw the opportunity to directly control Wei Bo.

Another piece of bad news came from Hebei: the mother of Wang Rong, the governor of Chengde Army in Zhenzhou, died. Zhu Wen sent envoys to pay tribute. At the funeral, the envoys of the Later Liang Dynasty suddenly caught a glimpse of the envoys from Hedong, and were shocked. They hurriedly reported the news to Zhu Wen, saying that Zhenzhou was secretly colluding with Li Cunxu of Hedong!

The envoys from the Later Liang Dynasty were making a big fuss. According to etiquette, when there were weddings and funerals, neighboring provinces and vassal states would send envoys. It was a common practice for people to exchange gifts. Ordinary people were also like this. The whole village came to their homes for dinner, not to mention the national ministerial and provincial level cadres, the vassal warlords, and local emperors who enjoyed the title of king.

However, due to the particularity and importance of the Heshuo region, the Zhu Wen group was quite sensitive to this, especially the infiltration of Hedong forces into the Heshuo region.

The reason is simple. Heshuo and Hedong were originally a loving couple, and Zhu Wen was a mistress who stole their love. When Heshuo and Hedong met in the streets, they greeted each other politely, which made Zhu Wen jealous and thought that Heshuo's old love was rekindled.

Zhu Wen convened a high-level military meeting and believed that Zhenzhou and Dingzhou, as powerful vassal states in the Heshuo region, were relatively strong and had long been infiltrated by Hedong forces. They were typical "Hedong elites". Once they colluded with each other, the consequences would be disastrous and they must be nipped in the bud.

Luzhou must be recaptured; Hebei must be stabilized; Guanzhong must be defended!
In his anxiety, Zhu Wen's old illness relapsed.

Zhu Wen, you must take care of yourself, because you are about to face a major test and the second of the "Three Major Battles" - the Battle of Baixiang.

(End of this chapter)