History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 242 Zhu Yougui usurps power

【Yougui usurps power】

After Zhu Yougui killed his father, he strictly blocked the news and kept the death a secret because he still had a lot of work to do.

First, he immediately sent his personal eunuch Ding Zhaopu to the Eastern Capital to forge an imperial edict ordering Zhu Youzhen to kill Zhu Youwen.

After daybreak, Zhu Yougui falsely conveyed Zhu Wen's imperial edict, which said that Zhu Youwen attempted rebellion and sent assassins to the palace to assassinate him. Fortunately, Zhu Yougui rescued me in time, but I am seriously ill and frightened. I am dying and unable to preside over state affairs. Let Zhu Yougui temporarily serve as regent.

Secondly, he embezzled a large amount of money from the national treasury and used it to bribe civil and military officials and imperial guards with huge sums of money in order to win people's hearts and gain support.

Two days later, Ding Zhaopu returned to Luoyang and reported that Zhu Youzhen had executed Zhu Youwen in accordance with the imperial edict. With his biggest rival dead, Zhu Yougui dared to announce Zhu Wen's death and forged a will, saying that Zhu Yougui would inherit the throne.

Then, Zhu Yougui ascended the throne in front of Zhu Wen's coffin.

After ascending the throne, Zhu Yougui knew that he did not have a legitimate way to get the throne and lacked sufficient confidence, so he continued to bribe important political forces and factions. For example, he appointed Han Jing as the governor of Zhongwu Army and the governor of Kuangguo Army; promoted Zhu Youqian of Hezhong to the position of Zhongshu Ling; and granted Wuyue King Qian Liu the title of "Shangfu"...

After the coup, the situation in Later Liang was turbulent and Zhu Yougui, who was weak in power, could only compromise and give in everywhere.

A mutiny broke out in Xuzhou, and the governor Han Jian was killed.

Han Jian, together with Wang Jian, was called "Er Jian". He was originally affiliated with the Zhongwu Army and was selected by Yang Fuguang as one of the leaders of the "Zhongwu Eight Commands". He had both confrontation and comradeship with Zhu Wen. Later, he was stationed in the Huazhou National Defense Army and became an important part of the Guanxi Group. He once detained Zhaozong in Huazhou and created the "Sixteen Houses Massacre". Later, he surrendered to Zhu Wen and sneaked to save him when Zhaozong planned to assassinate Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen then regarded Han Jian as his savior and treated him with great courtesy.

After the establishment of Later Liang, Han Jian enjoyed a very high social status. He was considered a senior in the political arena, a half-political vase, and the mascot of Later Liang.

Zhu Yougui did not pursue the murder of such a heavyweight political figure and let Han Xing take charge of the Xuzhou Kuangguo Army.

The Northern Expedition Army's commander-in-chief, Yang Shihou, even directly killed the commander-in-chief of the Wei Bo Army, and then forcibly took over the Wei Bo Army. Zhu Yougui did not dare to pursue the matter, and he went with the flow and appointed Yang Shihou as the Jiedushi of the Wei Bo Army, and transferred Luo Zhouhan to be the Jiedushi of the Xuanyi Army. At this point, the Wei Bo Army had gone through three generations (Luo Hongxin, Luo Shaowei, and Luo Zhouhan), and finally changed its leader;

The Longxiang Army stationed in Huaizhou mutinied, burning, killing and looting along the way, and Zhu Yougui sent people to suppress it;

Zhu Youqian of Hezhong, whose real name was Zhu Jian, surrendered to Zhu Wen when he was conquering Hezhong. He took the initiative to marry into the family of a higher-ranking official, and begged Zhu Wen to be his godfather. He was then adopted as Zhu Youqian. Facing Zhu Yougui's bribery, Zhu Youqian remained unmoved and refused the title of "Minister of the Central Secretariat", pointing out that Zhu Wen's death was unclear and Zhu Yougui's throne was not legitimate. The implication was that he also wanted to seize the throne of Luoyang as the adopted son of the previous emperor.

At this time, Zhu Yougui sent an envoy to invite Zhu Youqian to Beijing for a meeting.

Zhu Youqian rudely said to the envoy: "The late emperor died a violent death, and I am about to lead my troops to Luoyang to investigate the crime!"

Since bribery failed, the only option was to conquer. Zhu Yougui ordered Kang Huaizheng and Han Qing to lead their troops to conquer Hezhong.

Zhu Youqian surrendered to Hedong. Li Cunxu sent Li Cunshen, Li Sigong and Li Si'en to reinforce and repel the Later Liang army. From then on, Hezhong, an extremely important strategic location, became the sphere of influence of the Hedong Group, forming a devastating encirclement of the Later Liang.

Jing Xiang, the great counselor, was Zhu Wen's most trusted counselor. The relationship between the monarch and his subject was very close, to an unimaginable degree - they shared the same wife. This woman's surname was Liu, and she was the daughter of the magistrate of Lantian County. During the Huang Chao Rebellion, she was captured by Cao's army and became the wife of Shang Rang, the second-in-command. Shang Rang surrendered to Shi Pu, but was soon killed by Shi Pu, and Liu became Shi Pu's concubine again. After Shi Pu was annexed by Zhu Wen, Liu returned to Zhu Wen.

But Zhu Wen was afraid of his wife and did not dare to take Liu as a concubine. Coincidentally, Jing Xiang's wife died, so Zhu Wen gave Liu to Jing Xiang as his wife. Although she was nominally Jing Xiang's wife, she was actually Zhu Wen's lover. This was a beautiful love story between the three.

Jing Xiang's hat is too green, and sometimes he can't help but show his disdain for Liu.

Liu was a strong-willed person. She even pointed at Jing Xiang's nose and humiliated him, "Little guy, you still despise me? My ex-husband, Shang Rang, was the prime minister of the Great Qi State, second only to the emperor and above all others! My ex-husband, Shi Pu, was also a vassal and a loyal minister of the empire! In terms of family background, you are not worthy of me. It's a good thing that I don't despise you, but you dare to despise me? If you have the guts, divorce me!"

Jing Xiang was afraid that she would gossip about Zhu Wen, so he quickly apologized, "How can I blame you for making a mistake? I should have given you freedom too much."

Sharing wife Liu, is there any closer relationship between the monarch and his subjects than this?
Moreover, Jing Xiang was a man of great wisdom and strategy. He assisted Zhu Wen in gradually conquering the country from a group of only a few hundred surrendered generals living in Bianzhou. His contribution was invaluable.

A new emperor appoints new ministers. Jing Xiang became Zhu Yougui's primary target.

Zhu Yougui gradually deprived Jingxiang of his power and replaced him with Li Zhen. Jingxiang was very smart and immediately claimed to be ill, retired on his own initiative, and no longer interfered in government affairs.

Outside the court, Zhu Yougui also had another concern, and that was Yang Shihou, who held a large number of troops.

Yang Shihou swallowed up the entire Wei Bo army and also held the title of the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition (Du Zhaotaoshi), commanding a large number of troops. How heavy were these "large troops"? The answer is the entire country's troops.

Master Yang was a highly respected and arbitrary person who ignored Zhu Yougui's orders.

Zhu Yougui was very worried about this and issued an edict to let Yang Shihou return to the capital, saying only that he had important military intelligence to discuss with him.

Yang Shihou's confidants all advised him not to fall into the trap. However, Yang Shihou was full of confidence and said, "I will go and see what he dares to do to me." So he led 10,000 elite troops and headed straight for Luoyang.

Zhu Yougui was restless in Luoyang, not knowing what Yang Shihou was going to do.

Yang Shihou left his army outside the city and went to the palace with only a dozen guards. Zhu Yougui was overjoyed and flattered him, rewarded him with a huge sum of money, and appeased him with kind words. Then, he let Yang Shihou return to the town.

The king and his minister treated each other with sincerity, which enhanced their mutual trust.

Afterwards, Zhu Yougui became unscrupulous. He suppressed the old ministers of the previous dynasty and promoted his cronies. In particular, he investigated the mutiny of the Longxiang Army and killed all the families of those implicated. From August to the New Year, the settlement was not completed and the butcher's knife was still dripping with blood.

He couldn't deal with Zhu Youqian in Hezhong; he didn't dare to deal with the old general Yang Shihou; he couldn't deal with the old strategist Jing Xiang... Only these ordinary Longxiang Army soldiers were soft persimmons that he could slaughter at will to vent his emotions. It was his bloody reckoning with the Longxiang Army that sowed the seeds for his rapid demise.

(End of this chapter)