History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 282: Minister of the Lost Country
【Minister of the Lost Country】

The third year of Longde in Later Liang, the first year of Tongguang in Later Tang, 923 AD, October 10, night.

On this night, Zhu Youzhen, the last emperor of Later Liang, died for his country; on this night, "Zhuangzong entered Bianzhou", and Li Cunxu entered Bianzhou as a conqueror.

The Later Liang Empire fell. It was an extremely long night, and countless people could not sleep all night.

Jing Xiang sat alone in the study. The candle on the desk was about to burn out. The faint light struggled, emitting the last ray of light, making Jing Xiang's face dark and blue, like a statue.

"Bang", the door was pushed open roughly, and accompanied by a gust of cold autumn night wind, a figure stepped in excitedly. The candle in front of him swayed from side to side and almost went out.

I couldn't tell the man's face, but I could only hear him shouting with uncontrollable excitement: "Great! The new emperor has issued an edict to pardon our crimes. Let's go and see him together."

From the voice, I knew that the person coming was Li Zhen.

The "crime" he mentioned was actually "serving as an official in the previous dynasty." According to convention, after a change of dynasty, officials of the previous dynasty would kneel before the new emperor and ask for forgiveness, for having "gone astray" and "became accomplices to the evil." The new emperor would magnanimously say that he would not hold them accountable for their past behavior, and would pardon them and reinstate them to their original positions. That's it.

Jing Xiang's face was heavy, and he turned his gaze from the candlelight to Li Zhen, and said slowly: "You and I are both prime ministers of the Later Liang Dynasty. Although the emperor is incompetent and favors treacherous people, you and I failed to do our duty to advise and persuade. Now that the empire is destroyed, you and I are powerless to save it. If the new emperor accuses you and me of dereliction of duty, how should we answer?"

Li Zhen was speechless. The atmosphere became more awkward in silence.

Li Zhenre was rejected and felt so ashamed that he had to leave sadly.

After a while, family members came to report that Li Zhen had gone to the palace to meet the new emperor!

Jing Xiang looked towards the palace and sighed, "The Zhu family and the new emperor have been enemies for two generations. Now the empire has fallen and the old master has died tragically. Even if the new emperor doesn't blame you and me, how can you and I enter the Jianguo Gate (the main gate of the palace) again? How can we face Taizu in the afterlife? Li Zhen, Li Zhen, you are unworthy of being a real man!"

The east is getting brighter, sweeping away the darkness before dawn. A new day has arrived.

When the family opened the door, they found that the stubborn candle on the desk had finally run out of oil and was completely extinguished, and Jing Xiang had hanged himself.

On that day (October 10), all civil and military officials of the Later Liang Dynasty entered the palace collectively again, knelt down and asked for amnesty. Li Cunxu ordered people to read the amnesty edict, announcing that all civil and military officials of the Later Liang Dynasty were pardoned and returned to their jobs.

When entering the city yesterday, Li Cunxu ordered a search for Zhu Youzhen, and someone offered Zhu Youzhen's head.

When Li Cunxu heard that Zhu Youzhen had died for his country, he was disappointed and sighed, "The enemy's favor and hatred are not in the descendants. I fought against him for ten years, but it was a pity that I didn't live to see him." He showed the hero's appreciation. Maybe Li Cunxu was really not putting on a show. After all, the victors and the confident are all tolerant and generous. As he said, the feud between the two families was forged by their fathers, and it was an old account between Li Keyong and Zhu Wen. Moreover, the real culprit behind the "Shangyuanyi Incident" was the Tang Dynasty court, and Zhu Wen was just a scapegoat. Both parties knew this. As for Li Keyong's later use of the "Shangyuanyi Incident" to touch porcelain with the court and blackmail, it was a tacit understanding among everyone.

In the final analysis, there was no life-and-death conflict between Li Cunxu and Zhu Youzhen. Perhaps, before entering Bianzhou, Li Cunxu was still looking forward to a happy reunion where they could laugh off all grudges; perhaps, Li Cunxu was still planning to force Zhu Youzhen to participate in a ceremony of abdication...

We have been fighting for more than ten years. I finally made it to the capital and had the opportunity to chat and laugh with you as a conqueror. Youzhen, why did you leave? What a pity! What a pity!

Li Cunxu ordered Wang Zan to temporarily store Zhu Youzhen's body in a Buddhist temple, and to embalm Zhu Youzhen's head, put it in a wooden box, and send it to the Royal Taishe for collection.

Li Cunxu completed the second arrow mission. My father's last wishes mission (2/3).

Before Li Cunxu entered Bianzhou, Zhao Yan, a core figure of the "foreign relatives gang", fled to Xuzhou and defected to Wen Tao, the governor of Xuzhou Kuangguo Army. It was only because the tomb robber Wen Tao bribed the "foreign relatives gang" - especially Zhao Yan - heavily that he was able to enjoy a good life in the Later Liang Dynasty. Zhao Yan believed that the revolutionary friendship between him and Wen Tao was unbreakable, so he went to defect.

Wen Tao went out of the city to welcome Zhao Yan, and then he closed the gate and beheaded him. Wen Tao plundered all of Zhao Yan's property, and then used Zhao Yan's head as a token of his surrender to the central government of the Later Tang Dynasty.

As for the last elite division of the Later Liang Empire, Duan Ning on the front line along the river, after learning that the capital was in danger, he immediately sent Du Yanqiu back to the capital first. As for his motives, some say that he wanted to fight with the Later Tang, while others say that he was preparing to contact the Later Tang to negotiate surrender. I personally think it was the latter. He had no intention of fighting with the Later Tang at all. The last elite division of the Later Liang Empire became his bargaining chip for selling out his country for glory.

When Du Yanqiu was halfway through his journey, he encountered the Later Tang army led by Li Congke and immediately surrendered. The next day, Duan Ning and his main force also surrendered. Fifty thousand elite troops surrendered without a fight.

Duan Ning was different from Li Zhen and others. After all, he had 50,000 elite troops under his command, so Li Cunxu was very cautious and careful, fearing that he would irritate them. Duan Ning led the senior generals to apologize for their crimes, to show their sincerity. Li Cunxu appeased them with kind words and offered huge rewards, both spiritually and materially, to appease the emotions of these 50,000 elite soldiers.

Li Cunxu gave Duan Ning the name Li Shaoqin and Du Yanqiu the name Li Shaoqian. They were treated with special courtesy and favor. After receiving the rewards and comfort, Duan Ning unloaded the burden in his heart, and felt extremely relaxed. His face was filled with joy from the bottom of his heart, and he did not even look ashamed. The other surrendered officials of the Later Liang Dynasty wanted to bite his face off.

Duan Ning is indeed a talent cultivated by the "foreign relatives gang". He has taken shamelessness and meanness to the extreme, surpassing his teacher. In order to please the Later Tang government, Duan Ning and Du Yanqiu jointly reported the core members of the "foreign relatives gang" whom they had tried their best to lick, such as Zhao Yan, Zhang Hanlun, Zhang Hanjie, Zhu Gui, etc., accusing them of harming the country and the people, committing heinous crimes, and killing them would not be enough to appease the public anger.

Li Cunxu immediately issued an edict, announcing that several extremely bad elements whose crimes were unforgivable - Jing Xiang, Li Zhen, Zhao Yan and other core members of the "foreign relatives gang", and Yelu La Ge, would be executed along with their entire families; the rest of the civil and military officials would no longer be held accountable.

Yelu Lage, also known as "Yelü Sala Aba", was the younger brother of Liao Taizu Yelu Abaoji. As mentioned in the previous article, Yelu Abaoji unified the eight Khitan tribes and served as Khan for 9 years. Not only were the leaders of the other seven tribes dissatisfied, but even the direct line of the Diela tribe Yelu clan also had opposition voices. Yelu Abaoji's younger brothers launched three rebellions, which were known in history as the "Brothers' Rebellion". Among them, Yelu Lage was a backbone member of the three rebellions.

After the third rebellion failed, Yelu Lage was imprisoned by Yelu Abaoji. In the third year of Zhenming (917), Yelu Lage took the opportunity to defect with his son and went to Li Cunxu in Hedong to seek political asylum. Li Cunxu adopted him as his son and gave him the post of governor. In December of the fourth year of Zhenming (918), during the Battle of Huliubi, Yelu Lage again defected with his wife to the Later Liang.

In terms of seniority, Yelu Lage should be Li Cunxu's uncle, because Li Keyong and Yelu Abaoji became sworn brothers, and Shi Jingtang later used this as a basis to recognize Yelu Deguang (Emperor Taizong of Liao, the second son of Yelu Abaoji) as his godfather. Li Cunxu adopted his uncle as his son.

Li Cunxu executed the entire family of Yelu Lage on charges of being fickle, betraying his brother, treason, and betraying the emperor's grace.

The people who were demoted were Zheng Jue, Liu Yue, Wang Quan and others. The reason was that they had received the grace of the Tang Dynasty for generations, but they held high positions in the Later Liang Dynasty and forgot their ancestors! Zheng Jue, no more introduction; Liu Yue, nephew of Liu Chonggui; Wang Quan, grandson of Wang Gui (Wang Gui, brother of Wang Shi).

Lu Siduo, a general of the Later Liang imperial army, was skilled in horse riding and archery, and he often engraved his name on the arrowheads. During the confrontation at Jiahe, Lu Siduo shot at Li Cunxu and hit the saddle. Li Cunxu pulled out the arrow and kept it as a treasure. Now, Lu Siduo surrendered with everyone else and knelt down to ask for forgiveness. Li Cunxu smiled and suddenly took out the arrow from behind and asked Lu Siduo to identify it. "This arrow almost took my life. Come on, take a look, do you recognize it?"

Lu Siduo took a look and was so frightened that his soul flew away. He immediately fell to the ground and begged for mercy.

Li Cunxu consoled him with kind words, expressed his great admiration for him, and proposed a special pardon for him. Afterwards, he still appointed Lu Siduo to take charge of the imperial guards.

The local vassal states of the former Later Liang Empire expressed their surrender to Li Cunxu by submitting petitions or going to Beijing in person. Among them, Yuan Xiangxian, the governor of Xuanwu Army of Songzhou, a key member of the "foreign relatives gang" and Zhu Wen's nephew, was the first local vassal state to come to Beijing to pay homage; Huo Yanwei (Huo Cunxu's adopted son), the governor of Zhenguo Army of Shanzhou, was the second. His name is recorded in history, but his infamy will last forever.

Li Cunxu held a banquet for the surrendered ministers and generals of the Later Liang Dynasty. After drinking, Li Cunxu suddenly pointed to the surroundings and said to Li Siyuan: "These people are all my former enemies. It is all thanks to you, the pioneer, that we can sit together and drink together today!"

Before he finished speaking, Dai Siyuan, Huo Yanwei and others all left their seats, knelt down and kowtowed to apologize. This sentence is too scary, what do you mean, Your Majesty?
Li Cunxu smiled awkwardly and hurriedly ordered them to sit down and take their seats. "Don't get me wrong, we are just joking around. It has nothing to do with you." Then he ordered people to give them imperial clothes, wine vessels, etc. to comfort their fragile hearts. The banquet continued as usual and everyone left happily.

The governor of Qizhou, Meng Qiu, submitted a petition to be put to death. Meng Qiu was originally a cavalry general under Li Cunxu. When Li Cunxu and Liu Xun were confronting each other in Shen County, Meng Qiu led his 700 cavalrymen to rebel against Jin and surrender to Liang. He was appointed as the governor of Qizhou by the Later Liang. Now that Li Cunxu had destroyed Liang, Meng Qiu was terrified, so he took the initiative to surrender himself and seek leniency.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please have mercy and only kill me, not my whole family, okay?"

Li Cunxu sent someone to angrily rebuke Meng Qiu, "You led 700 cavalrymen to rebel and surrender to the enemy at my most critical moment. How dare you meet me now?"

Meng Qiu was so frightened that he almost lost his soul.

The messenger paused for a moment, then suddenly looked relaxed, "So - there is no need to go to the capital to meet, just continue to be your governor."

Li Cunxu showed magnanimity, humor and playfulness. He could forgive you, but he had to scare you first. Soon after, Meng Qiu was changed from the governor of Qizhou to the governor of Beizhou, and the black history of his defection was wiped out.

Li Cunxu issued an edict: all the former military governors, inspectors, defense commissioners, training commissioners and provincial governors of the Later Liang Dynasty would remain in their original positions, and the new central government (Later Tang) would no longer send replacements; officials who had defected from the Later Tang Dynasty to the Later Liang Dynasty would also be forgiven.

With the issuance of the amnesty edict, all of the more than 50 local vassal states appointed by the former Later Liang Empire submitted their surrender and swore allegiance to the Later Tang government.

Zhu Youqian of Hezhong came to the court happily and was given the name Li Jilin. He ordered his son Li Jiji to treat him as his elder brother and treated him with great favor.
Yuan Xiangxian, who came to the court first, was given the name Li Shaoan;
The second person to come to the court was Huo Yanwei, who was given the name Li Shaozhen;
Tomb robber Wen Tao was given the name Li Shaochong;
Kang Yanxiao, a meritorious official who offered advice on pacifying Liang, was given the name Li Shaochen.

Ma Yin of Tanzhou sent his son Ma Xifan to lead a delegation to pay tribute and pledge allegiance, and presented the seal of the governor and the list of civil and military officials in the territory to show his submission;
Gao Jichang of Jingnan was a more obedient grandson. He took the initiative to ask for a name change to avoid taboos. Because "Chang" violated the name of Li Cunxu's grandfather Li Guochang, he requested to change his name to "Gao Jixing" and asked the court to allow him to go to Beijing to meet the emperor and report on his work. Then he went to Beijing to meet the emperor with only 300 personal cavalry guards. He was named King of Nanping;
Qian Liu of Hangzhou sent an envoy to offer congratulations;

Li Maozhen of Fengxiang sent an envoy to offer congratulations;
Huainan Yang Pu sent envoys to offer congratulations;
King Yan of Former Shu sent envoys to offer congratulations;
Liu Yan of the Southern Han Dynasty sent envoys to congratulate...

A brand new empire gradually rose up, and from then on entered the second generation of the "Five Dynasties", the Later Tang Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)