History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 232: Involvement in Heshuo
The Battle of Luzhou ended with the defeat of the Later Liang Empire. Under its negative influence, the market of the Later Liang Empire showed an overall trend of oscillating downward for a short period of time thereafter.

In addition to the three major threats of Li Maozhen in the west, Li Cunxu in Hedong, and control of Heshuo, there were also minor setbacks within the Later Liang Empire.

In place:
There was a tomb robber named Wen Tao in Huayuan (now Yao County, Shaanxi Province). He gathered a group of people to rob and plunder the Guanzhong area, almost stealing all the imperial tombs of the Tang Dynasty. Wen Tao thus became a well-known veteran in the history of tomb robbery.
Wang Xingsi, a general in Danzhou, mutinied and drove out the governor;
Li Chou, the governor of Shangzhou, rebelled and led the people westward, intending to surrender to Li Maozhen of Fengxiang. However, he was suppressed in time and Li Chou was beheaded.

The Xiangzhou army mutinied, surrendered to Wang Jian of the Former Shu, and then turned against the Shu army to attack southern Jing;
The governor of Fangzhou rebelled and surrendered to Wang Jian of Former Shu, and was promptly suppressed.

The Xiazhou army mutinied, killing the governor Li Yichang and supporting his uncle Li Renfu. Li Maozhen, Liu Zhijun and Zhou Dewei jointly besieged Xiazhou, but were later repelled.

Feng Xingxi, the governor of Xuzhou, was seriously ill and petitioned to send someone to take over. The 2,000 soldiers in Xuzhou were all former subordinates of Qin Zongquan, the traitor of Cai. Once they lost Feng Xingxi's control, they were likely to revolt. Zhu Wen hurriedly sent lobbyists to appease them. In the end, the power transfer was completed smoothly, and Qin Zongquan's former subordinates were dismantled in an orderly manner, eliminating the hidden dangers.

In the center:
General Kou Yanqing came to Beijing to pay homage to the emperor. When passing Tianjin Bridge, a civilian named Liang Xian did not give way in time. Kou Yanqing ordered his guards to throw him off the bridge, killing him. Zhu Wen was reluctant to pursue Kou Yanqing's legal responsibility because of his hard work and contributions. He only asked him to pay a large amount of compensation and settle the matter privately with the families of the victims.

The imperial censor Cui Yi impeached Kou Yanqing, saying that he had taken human lives in front of the palace gate and should be severely punished.

Zhu Wen was in a dilemma. "Lord Kou, please make up a reason for the censor... no, give me a reason."

Kou Yanqing defended himself by saying that he ordered the guards to lift the man over the guardrail with the original intention of just scare him, but the man struggled desperately, causing the guards to lose hold of him and he accidentally fell off the bridge.

The deceased was a scammer, and I, Kou Yanqing, am the victim.

Cui Yi argued vigorously. First, he pointed out that although Kou Yanqing was a high-ranking official in the central government, he had no right to take human life lightly. Secondly, Tianjin Bridge was opposite the main gate of the imperial palace. It was the way for the emperor to travel, not a place for meritorious officials to show off their power. Finally, even if Liang Xian did not evade it in time, at most he would be punished by a few lashes, not the death penalty!
Zhu Wen doted on Kou Yanqing from the bottom of his heart. "Well, since you say he is guilty, what crime should Kou Yanqing be charged with? Tell me."

Cui Yixian quoted the "Law of Fighting and Competition": "The main crime is to rely on power, and the person who takes action will be reduced one level." This means that the person who gives orders is the principal offender, and the thugs who carry out the orders are only accomplices, so Kou Yanqing is the principal offender.

It also cites the "Fighting Article": "If a person beats and injures another person without fighting, his crime shall be increased by one level." This means that if the victim does not fight back and the perpetrator commits violence unilaterally, his crime shall be increased by one level.

It can be seen that the laws at that time were not much different from the laws now.

Zhu Wen was at a loss for words and had to demote Kou Yanqing.

This was already very considerate to Kou Yanqing, but Kou Yanqing made a cruel statement and offered a huge sum of 10,000 strings of cash as a reward for Cui Yi's head.

The rulers hated the "old meritorious service" the most. Zhu Wen was furious and sent someone to warn Kou Yanqing: If Cui Yi loses even a hair, I will kill your whole family!
Cui Yi was born in the eldest branch of the Boling Cui family. His elder brother was Cui Hang, the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xizong; his father was Cui Xuan, the prime minister during the reigns of Emperor Wuzong and Emperor Xuanzong; his grandfather was Cui Yuanlue, the governor of the Yicheng Army; his great-uncle was Cui Yuanshi, the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong; and his great-grandfather was Cui Jing, the right chancellor of the Shangshu.

Note: In the character entry of a certain website, it is said that Cui Yuanlue is Cui Yuanshi's younger brother, and at the same time it is said that Cui Yuanshi is Cui Yuanlue's younger brother. According to the "New Book of Tang Dynasty: Prime Minister's Genealogy", Cui Yuanlue is the elder brother and Cui Yuanshi is the third brother.

In addition, Cui Yi’s brother Cui Hang is the source of the idiom “沆瀣一气”.

At that time (875, the second year of Emperor Xizong's Qianfu reign), Cui Hang was the chief examiner (in charge of imperial examinations). He was marking the examination papers overnight and suddenly found a talented candidate. He could not help but praise him and said "I WANT YOU" immediately. The candidate was named Cui He and his name was on the list of successful candidates. According to convention, successful candidates had to visit the home of the chief examiner, and from then on they formed a close teacher-student relationship and took care of each other in the future officialdom. This year, the names of Cui Hang and Cui He just happened to form the word "Hang He", which originally meant water vapor and fog at night. So someone jokingly said in front of the list, "The master and his students are of the same spirit."

At that time, "沆瀣一气" was just a homophonic pun, and it did not have any derogatory connotations at all. There was no phenomenon of malpractice in this imperial examination. Later, Cui He rose to prominence with his outstanding talent. His peers envied and hated him, and they suspected that he had relied on connections and used backdoors to pass the exam through improper means, so they began to use "沆瀣一气" to discredit and slander the teacher and student. Over time, this word was artificially given a derogatory connotation.

It is particularly worth mentioning that Cui Hang was an upright official who was persecuted by the "Baoyan Party" and involved in the "Wei Yinyu case." Cui Hang was Wei Yinyu's elder brother-in-law, so he was demoted.

After the collapse of the "Baoyan Party", Cui Hang re-entered the central government. When Huang Chao invaded Chang'an, he was killed by Huang Chao because he was unwilling to help the tyrant. He died for his country.

Cui Yi was very honest and kind. During the reign of Emperor Zhaozong, he was in charge of drafting the imperial edicts (Zhi Zhigao). One time, he worked with Yan Cao and Qian Wei, both of whom were famous poets with great talent and profound learning. While writing, the two chatted and laughed, while Cui Yi concentrated on writing.

After a while, Yan Luo and Qian Wei, who were half-hearted, had already drafted dozens of essays in a chat and laughter. They not only ensured the quantity, but also the quality, and all of them were full marks. Cui Yi could not be compared with them in terms of quantity or quality. Cui Yi felt ashamed, so he took the initiative to apply for resignation to the prime minister, saying that he was not talented and learned, and he was really ashamed. So, he was changed to the position of Jianyi Doctor. Jianyi Doctor, who is in charge of discussion, is what we usually call censors and censors, who are specifically responsible for finding faults with the emperor and ministers. Cui Yi's voluntary resignation can give us a glimpse of his upright, honest and selfless character. He is so strict with himself, let alone supervising others. It is no wonder that he was placed in the position of Jianyi Doctor, which can be regarded as using people to their strengths.

It is precisely because he is doing this job that the petition to impeach Kou Yanqing was made today.

Through either bloody (Wang Zhongshi) or gentle (Kou Yanqing) means, the "heroes who followed the dragon" of the Later Liang Group were deterred to a certain extent, and their arrogance and domineering behavior were curbed to a certain extent.

After the situation in the country was basically calmed down, Zhu Wen's condition improved slightly. At this time, Liu Shouguang, a problem child in Hebei, brought an opportunity for Zhu Wen's Northern Expedition plan in time.

Annexing the Heshuo region has always been the grand ambition of Liu Rengong and his son Liu Shouguang. In November of the fourth year of Kaiping (910), Liu Shouguang assembled his troops and prepared to march south to attack the Yiwu Army in Dingzhou.

Every time Youzhou invaded the south, it was an opportunity for Zhu Wen to get involved in Hebei, and this time was no exception.

Zhu Wen sent eunuchs Du Tingyin and Ding Yanhui to lead 3,000 Wei Bo troops to station in Shen and Ji states under the jurisdiction of Chengde Army in Zhenzhou, claiming to the outside world that they were helping Heshuo resist Liu Shouguang.

Shi Gongli, the defender of Shenzhou, immediately reported to Wang Rong, insisting that they must be refused entry, saying that this was like inviting a wolf into the house.

Wang Rong disagreed and ordered the city gates to be opened to welcome friendly troops to enter the city for defense. He also transferred Shi Gongli, who was not very friendly to Zhu Wen, from Shenzhou and ordered him to be stationed outside the city to avoid any unpleasantness with Zhu Wen's troops.

Shi Gongli walked out of Shenzhou City with tears in his eyes. He turned around and pointed at the city gate, crying, "Even a three-year-old child knows Zhu Wen's sinister intentions, but the lord is stubborn and thinks that he can get a peaceful and prosperous era by relying on a political marriage (Wang Rong's son Wang Zhaozuo marries Zhu Wen's daughter). This is too naive! Alas, this city is about to fall into the hands of thieves!"

An official who defected from the Later Liang Dynasty fled to Zhenzhou and revealed Zhu Wen's conspiracy to Wang Rong. Wang Rong was greatly frightened, but did not dare to turn against Zhu Wen. So he adopted a compromise and sent someone to tell Zhu Wen: Liu Shouguang had reconciled with Dingzhou and restored the old friendship, and the army had withdrawn. The people of Shen and Ji were all terrified when they saw the Wei Bo army suddenly enter the city, so please ask Your Majesty to recall them.

Zhu Wen sent envoys to Zhenzhou to appease and explain that he had no other intentions and was just helping them strengthen their defenses. At the same time, the eunuch Du Tingyin closed the gates of Shenzhou, massacred the Chengde garrison, and took control of Shenzhou.

Wang Rong woke up as if from a dream, and quickly ordered Shi Gongli to counterattack. It was too late, Shi Gongli wanted to kill the enemy, but he was powerless to save the situation.

Wang Rong saw that the situation was not good, so he immediately sent envoys to Youzhou Liu Shouguang and Hedong Li Cunxu for help. The Heshuo region once again staged a script of enemies and friends exchanging.

When the envoys arrived in Youzhou, Liu Shouguang was hunting. When Sun He, the strategist, heard that the envoys from Zhenzhou were coming to ask for help, he shouted "God has given me this", and hurriedly galloped to the hunting ground, excitedly reporting the good news to Liu Shouguang.

Unexpectedly, Liu Shouguang behaved extremely coldly, in stark contrast to the extremely excited Sun He.

Sun He explained: "Wang Rong of Zhenzhou is closely aligned with Zhu Wen, which has always been our biggest worry in Youzhou. Now, they are divided internally and hostile to each other. Your Majesty should take this opportunity to extend your sphere of influence to Zhenzhou and Dingzhou and become the overlord of the Heshuo region! The opportunity cannot be missed, and the time will not come again. If you hesitate for a moment, it will be snatched away by Li Cunxu of Hedong!"

Liu Shouguang remained stubborn and said that Wang Rong was fickle and had no credibility. Why should I help him? When the snipe and the clam quarrel, the fisherman benefits. This is the time for me to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and then go down the mountain to pick up the leak.

Envoys from Zhenzhou came to Youzhou one after another to ask for help, and told them that the situation was extremely urgent. Sun He also explained the benefits of sending troops, but Liu Shouguang always refused.

After the Zhenzhou envoys arrived at Taiyuan Prefecture, the envoys of Wang Chuzhi of the Yiwu Army of Dingzhou also followed. Zhen and Ding simultaneously asked for help from the Hedong Group, expressing their willingness to submit to Li Cunxu, hoping to jointly resist Zhu Wen of the Later Liang under the leadership of Li Cunxu.

Li Cunxu convened a high-level meeting to discuss the issue. The generals unanimously opposed sending troops to help Heshuo. Their reasons were the same as Liu Shouguang's. They believed that Zhen and Ding were fickle and supported watching the fire from the other side and reaping the benefits.

The truth is often in the hands of a few people.

On the crucial issue of whether to "resist Bian and aid Zhen", Li Cunxu always kept a clear head and once again demonstrated his outstanding political wisdom.

(End of this chapter)