History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 286 Luzhou Rebellion Again
[Luzhou Rebellion Again]

He planned to flee northward, to the border areas, and seek asylum from the Khitans.

At this time, the Later Tang court sent consolation and amnesty edicts to all military towns and regions, and also attached an invitation letter to Li Jitao, inviting him to Beijing for tea. Li Cunxu wanted to resolve the past grievances with him face to face.

Li Jitao packed his bag and prepared to go to Beijing. His younger brother Li Jiyuan hurriedly stopped him, "Brother, we are traitors, don't you know what's going on? Whether you obey the imperial edict or refuse to go, the result will be the same. It's better to dig deep trenches and build high walls. We have more food than we can eat for many years. We might as well seize Luzhou and delay time and wait for the situation to change. You will die as soon as you arrive in the capital, believe it or not?"

But Li Jitao's staff advised him not to hesitate, because his father Li Sizhao had made great contributions to the country. In terms of seniority, he was the nephew of Emperor Li Cunxu. Moreover, Li Cunxu was eager to show his broad mind to the world and would definitely not harm or embarrass him.

The butt determines the head. Li Jitao was not a war fanatic. Mutiny was not his goal, nor was fighting against the central government. His goal was to consolidate the vested interests of Luzhou. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Li Jitao finally decided to take the risk and go to Beijing to meet the emperor.

As expected, Li Cunxu accepted Li Jitao very generously, often taking him out hunting and attending banquets, and they remained as close as before.

At the beginning of Li Jitao's rebellion, Li Cunxu sent his younger brother Li Cunwu to persuade him. At that time, Li Jitao was so arrogant and rude that he almost killed Li Cunwu. Li Cunwu could not let it go and kept persuading Li Cunxu to kill this rebellious son to eliminate future troubles. He also repeatedly rebuked and insulted Li Jitao in public.

Li Jitao, who was living under someone else's roof and dependent on him, could only listen attentively. He was terrified and worried that something unexpected would happen to him, so he asked Li Cunxu to let him return to the town.

Li Cunxu did not agree, "Nephew, I miss you, please stay a few more days." Although he would not be killed, he would be detained indefinitely and placed under house arrest.

Li Jitao became increasingly frightened and uneasy, so he sent someone to deliver a secret letter to Li Jiyuan, asking him to cooperate in a double act: launch a fake mutiny in Luzhou, let the soldiers set fire to the city, and then persuade Li Cunxu to let him go back to appease the enemy.

Unexpectedly, the messenger was intercepted by a patrol and the secret letter was presented to Li Cunxu.

Li Cunxu was furious and ordered Li Jitao to be demoted to the position of Chief of Dengzhou. As usual, he was exempted from the travel expenses to Dengzhou and was beheaded under the Tianjin Bridge. Also killed were Li Jitao's two sons, who were sent to Bianzhou as hostages when Li Jitao rebelled against Jin and surrendered to Liang.

"You two grandsons!"

Li Cunxu gently patted his two grandsons on the back and said lovingly: "At such a young age, you can help your father rebel. What will happen when you grow up?"
He also sent envoys to Luzhou to order the execution of Li Jiyuan. Afterwards, he rescued Li Jichou from prison and appointed him as the temporary governor of Luzhou and asked him to come to Beijing for an audience.

Li Jichou finally had his spring and became the master, but his subsequent behavior was shocking: he could not wait to occupy Li Jitao's wife, ransacked the house, robbed concubines, and robbed property... He did not look like an oppressed political prisoner turning over a new leaf, but more like a vicious bandit robbing a local tyrant. He was greedy and despicable, and was so busy with the robbery that he delayed his arrival in Beijing.

Delaying his entry into Beijing was a very dangerous move, and he would easily arouse the emperor's suspicion. Moreover, he was a criminal, and at the critical moment when he urgently needed Li Cunxu's trust, he challenged Li Cunxu's bottom line.

His younger brother Li Jida was extremely angry and shouted angrily: "Four of us, father, son and brothers, were killed, and you, as the eldest brother, have no regard for family affection and are so greedy and licentious that it is outrageous! How could I have a brother like you? This is a great shame and humiliation. I am too ashamed to face anyone. I would rather die than live!"

Afterwards, Li Jida, wearing mourning clothes, led his 100 personal cavalrymen and charged straight to the headquarters gate, shouting "Who is willing to rebel with me?" while attacking the headquarters and beheading Li Jichou. When the deputy governor Li Jike heard the news of the mutiny, he immediately fled to the streets, summoned his personal guards, quickly assembled a thousand people, and then returned to attack Li Jida's rebels.

Li Jida was outnumbered and saw that the situation was hopeless, so he returned home, hacked his wife and children to death, and then led his people to break out of the siege, planning to surrender to the Khitan. After only a few miles out of the city, his people were scattered, leaving only Li Jida alone. In anger and despair, Li Jida committed suicide by cutting his throat.

It happened that the Khitan invaded the south, and the imperial court mobilized 3,000 Luzhou soldiers to garrison Zhuozhou. A general of Luzhou took the opportunity to instigate a mutiny.

This general was named Yang Li, who was deeply trusted by Li Jitao and promoted by him. However, Yang Li's rebellion could not be regarded as revenge for his former master. It is good to lean on a big tree for shade. Li Jitao was Yang Li's backer for promotion and wealth. After Li Jitao's death, no matter Li Jichou, Li Jida or Li Jike, they would not promote and use Yang Li like Li Jitao did. Yang Li was very disappointed, so he hoped to use the turmoil to achieve class leap.

By the way, a criminal case occurred in Luzhou at that time. A young man committed murder because of a dispute with someone. Li Jitao was impressed by the murderer's good looks and amazing physique. He believed that he would achieve great things in the future, so he used his power to release him.

The murderer's name is Guo Wei.

Although Li Jitao was erratic, he was ambitious and knew the importance of talent, so he treated his subordinates and heroes well. He treated even a murderer he had never met so well, let alone the brave general Yang Li.

After receiving the imperial order, Yang Li, who was afraid of chaos in the world, smelled an opportunity. He fanned the flames in the army, saying that our Luzhou soldiers had never been stationed on the border. Today, the imperial court sent us to the frontier position because they were worried about our Luzhou soldiers because of Li Jitao's rebellion. On the one hand, they wanted to disintegrate and disperse our armed forces, and on the other hand, they wanted us to be cannon fodder. Rather than being killed by the Khitans thousands of miles away, it is better to protect our homeland. If we succeed, we can still enjoy wealth and glory. Even if we fail, we can become bandits and at least save our lives!

After some agitation, the soldiers of Luzhou were so angry that they shouted loudly, expressing their willingness to obey his leadership. Then Yang Li led the people to set fire, rob the streets, and attack the headquarters government office.

Li Jike, the deputy governor, and Zhang Hongzuo, the eunuch who supervised the army, abandoned the city and fled. Yang Li then took control of Luzhou, proclaimed himself the governor, and reported to the court, requesting an official appointment.

Luzhou again, is this the end? Li Cunxu was very annoyed and issued an edict to let Li Siyuan take the lead to quell the rebellion, with Yuan Xingqin and Zhang Tingyun as his deputies. So while Li Siyuan was in charge of resisting the Khitan, he also worked overtime to take the lead in Luzhou and quell the internal troubles.

What kind of person is Li Siyuan? It only took him three days to destroy Liang, not to mention Yang Li, who was unknown to the public. Li Siyuan only took half a day.

Led by Zhang Tingyun, the vanguard of more than 100 troops arrived at the foot of Luzhou in the evening. They crossed the trenches, climbed the city walls, and controlled the city gates at night. The whole set of actions was smooth and seamless. With only 100 people, they took Luzhou. Even Li Siyuan was jealous of Zhang Tingyun.

Yang Li and his accomplices were sent to the capital, where they were dismembered and executed.

Li Cunxu also ordered the high walls and deep trenches of Luzhou to be leveled to prevent anyone from using the city to establish separatist regimes and cause chaos. At the same time, he issued an edict that no more cities should be built in the country from now on, and all existing city defense fortifications should be destroyed.

(End of this chapter)