History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 30 Chengdu Crisis
Just two months after Gao Pian arrived in Xichuan, he received a serious warning - the Xichuan mutiny.

One day in April, the death squad suddenly gathered together and rushed into Gao Pian’s residence shouting.

"Sir, something terrible has happened! The soldiers of Xichuan have rebelled!"

Gao Pian was horrified and ran to the toilet to hide. The rebels turned the official residence upside down but could not find him.

The toilet must have been searched. Why was Gao Pian not found? The historical records are not very detailed. But we can use reasonable imagination to think why he was not found in the toilet... maybe a hollow bamboo pole, or Gao Pian had a large lung capacity...

Gao Pian's direct troops - the Tianping Army that followed him to Xichuan, upon hearing the news of the mutiny, immediately rushed to the official residence under the leadership of commander Zhang Jie to participate in the rescue.

The death squads did not have weapons when they mutinied. Because the Nanzhao invaders had already withdrawn, Chengdu was not in a first-level combat readiness state, and weapons and armor had to be stored in storage. To this day, the military also keeps guns and bullets separate in peacetime, firstly to prevent theft, and secondly to prevent mutiny.

On both sides of the court of the official residence, there were a few swords and guns displayed, which were used for ceremonial purposes. The death squad used them as weapons, and some people found wooden sticks and bamboo poles, while more people used their bare hands. It can be said that this group of people was almost unarmed.

Even so, they were so angry that they fought a desperate battle with the Tianping Army that came to quell the rebellion, and actually repelled hundreds of Tianping troops.

Zhang Jie led the Tianping soldiers back to the barracks, closed the camp gates tightly and prohibited them from leaving.

The eunuch supervising the army sent people to communicate with the death squad, promising to restore their official positions and treatment, and everything would remain the same as before.

The death squad finally calmed down and retreated to their barracks.

However, just as they were withdrawing, the Tianping Army rushed out again, wearing helmets and armor, holding swords and spears, with bows strung and swords unsheathed, and aggressively chased them to the outskirts of Chengdu.

"Fuck, where are the people?"

At that time, there was a construction site here where a stadium was being built, with hundreds of craftsmen working on the construction.

The Tianping Army immediately surrounded the construction site, arrested the craftsmen, and beheaded them all. Then they returned to Gao Pian's residence to report the victory: "All the rebels have been killed!"

Gao Pian had already changed into new clothes, taken a bath, sprayed perfume, and vomited. Hearing that the rebels had been completely wiped out, he was very happy. He personally met with the Tianping Army and rewarded them with a large amount of gold, silver, and silk. "Our own people are still reliable!"

Killing innocent people and claiming credit for it is truly outrageous!

The next day, under the guidance of his think tank, Gao Pian posted a notice, very sincerely apologizing to the death squad and restoring their official positions, salaries and all other benefits.

An unsuccessful mutiny seemed to have a happy ending.

Is this the end of it? Of course not. Gao Pian will not swallow this bitter pill. Being frightened is a small matter. The key is that the diving activity in the toilet is truly unforgettable.

Gao Pian implemented his revenge plan step by step: first, he gradually replaced the guards of the official residence and replaced all the security personnel on duty with his own troops; then he secretly investigated the personal information of all the officers and soldiers of the death squad, including their names, addresses, etc.

Another two months passed and everything was ready.

This time, it was Gao Pian's turn to launch a surprise attack.

Bloody Revenge

December 6, late at night.

In the silent night, under the bright moonlight, a sea of ​​dark figures moved silently from multiple directions.

They have clear division of labor and strict organization. Some are responsible for setting up the perimeter network, surrounding the area so that not even a fly can fly out; some are responsible for making detours and dividing the houses and barracks in the area; some are responsible for targeted elimination; some are responsible for strategic support, forming strategic depth...

There was no need for three cannon shots, or for cup-smashing or fire-raising as a signal. This was a well-trained eye contact team.

The silence was finally broken.

The sounds of breaking doors, crying, and screaming were mixed together.

No one was left alive, regardless of gender, age or status. Some babies were snatched away by the thieves, grabbed by the legs and smashed against the steps and pillars (every time I read this, I think of the Japanese invaders)... Thousands of people died, blood flowed like a river, and the cries shook the sky.

There was a woman who, before dying, pointed her halberd at Gao Pian and cursed him, "Gao Pian, you deprived meritorious soldiers of their official positions and salaries for no reason, arousing public anger. You were lucky enough to escape with your life, but instead of repenting, you brutally massacred nearly 10,000 people. How can the gods and ghosts of heaven and earth tolerate you? I will definitely report you to the Jade Emperor and have your entire family slaughtered, just like you slaughtered us today; I will make you suffer injustice and disgrace, just like today; I will make you panic and terrified, just like today!"

After saying this, with a face full of anger, he turned his face towards the sky, offered his neck to be killed calmly.

When he heard words like "ghosts and gods" and "God", a trace of fear suddenly flashed across Gao Pian's arrogant face.

"Can God really see what I did today? That's impossible. I did it in the dark... Quick, throw the body into the river! Don't let God see it."

All the bodies were taken to the west of Chengdu and thrown into the Minjiang River. Gao Pian spent the whole day in a daze, his eyes were dull, he was listless, his spirit was scattered, and he felt terrible.

His subordinates thought that he had a change of heart and was feeling guilty, so they did not dare to disturb him.

The setting sun was already half hidden behind the towering mountains, like a drowning child, sliding towards the abyss bit by bit, irretrievably.

The sky was soaked in the blood-red afterglow, as if it was a blood spot that was gradually solidifying and turning black. Above the sky, the dark blue gradually eroded the bloody red. The sun, which was so brilliant and so supreme, was like a dragon swimming in the shallows, like a tiger falling into the plains, driven away by the darkness. The sky no longer belonged to it.

Night has fallen, can dawn be far behind?

"Looking around, who in this world can make this curse come true?" Gao Pian stood on a high hill. The dark red setting sun turned his face into a bronze color, making him look resolute and courageous.

In an instant, the setting sun broke free of its last lingering attachment to the human world and plunged into the valley without hesitation. Along with its last trace of human nature, the flaming clouds, it quickly extinguished and turned into ashes that drifted away.

Gao Pian's bronze face instantly turned blue-black, like a rotting, withered zombie.

Will the curse become reality? I, Gao Pian, may believe it, but my strength does not allow it. How lonely it is to be invincible!

However, historical experience tells us again and again that great people will always suddenly collapse at the most glorious and peak moment of their lives, taking a sharp turn for the worse, sliding off a cliff, and falling from Mount Everest into the Mariana Trench in an instant.

Great wisdom knows when to stop.

The road to fame and fortune is long and dark. Most people will die halfway. Only a small number of elites stand out and achieve success. In the eyes of the world's envy, they fall into a confusion that ordinary people cannot understand, because although they stand at the front of the crowd, they still can't see the end of the road. This road is endless.

But successful people who have gone through hardships and overcome difficulties are unwilling to face this legend. Perhaps, the end is just in the next step. This is a habit and belief they have developed over the years.

What awaits them ahead is the endless darkness and the sudden abyss.

Those who keep moving forward are brave, and those who retreat in time are wise.

He standardized the market, rectified the administration of officials, cleansed the army... Gao Pian transformed and built Xichuan according to his wishes.

However, his old friend, Nanzhao, was like a fly or mosquito around his ear, which was very annoying.

While Nanzhao sent envoys to Gao Pian to seek peace, it also kept harassing the Tang border. Gao Pian beheaded the Nanzhao envoys and wrote back to scold Nanzhao for being rude. He first scolded Nanzhao for being ungrateful and ungrateful, and for failing to live up to the kindness of the emperors of the Celestial Empire. He also described in detail the two disastrous defeats of Nanzhao in Annan and Dadu River, in order to humiliate them.

Even talking nonsense will not solve the problem once and for all. Gao Pian, a professional soldier, knows this truth well.

Gao Pian built an outer city of Chengdu on a large scale, with a designed circumference of 25 miles.

This project brought together the county governors of the ten counties under the jurisdiction of Chengdu Prefecture, and asked them to manage the craftsmen and provide logistical support. Anyone who took advantage of the project to embezzle or accept bribes exceeding one hundred coins would be put to death.

From this we can see that Gao Pian's high-pressure policies and harsh laws are not because he has an anti-human and anti-social personality, nor is it a distortion of human nature or a loss of morality. Perhaps it is a simple and rough style of behavior developed from a long military life.

This style has two sides. It can make things happen, but it can also ruin things. We are objective and fair, and we stick to the facts.

The materials used to build the city were local materials. The soil in the Chengdu area was soft and could be made into bricks. So within ten miles of Chengdu, small hills were flattened to get soil for brick making. This way, it would not affect the farming of nearby farmers, killing two birds with one stone.

The craftsmen worked in shifts, with each person working only ten days. The people were not worried about the lack of labor, but about the inequality of labor. The temporary corvée for building the city was not heavy, and everyone was equal. The craftsmen were very happy, and they were able to complete their work actively without being whipped or insulted.

In just three months, the expansion project of Chengdu's outer city was completed.

During the construction process, the biggest threat was of course Nanzhao.

Nanzhao did not need to actually send troops. Just threatening to do so would be enough to cause panic among the people living along the border, which would be detrimental to the progress of the project.

In response to this, Gao Pian adopted a strategy of combining kindness and severity.

First, Gao Pian personally led a large army to patrol the border in the south, inspecting the border and using force to intimidate Nanzhao;
Secondly, he sent envoys to deceive Nanzhao through diplomatic means.

With these two approaches, Nanzhao did not cause any trouble, which won precious construction time and allowed the city construction project to be successfully completed in a relatively stable environment.

Among them, deceptive diplomacy is the most worthy of special mention.

Thanks to the book friend "Feitian Shenlongzhan" for the recommendation, what a domineering name!

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(End of this chapter)