History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 316: The War Against Shu 2
【War of Conquering Shu 2】

When the time came to September of the third year of Tongguang (925), both sides had undergone significant changes, and the contrast became more obvious:
Wang Zongyan, the Empress Dowager, Concubine Xu, his aunt, Concubine Xu, and others traveled to famous places of interest such as Mount Qingcheng and Mount Sanxue, checked in at many popular online classics, and left behind many popular poems, as mentioned above; at the same time, he was lured by Wang Chengxiu and insisted on checking in at Qinzhou, thousands of miles away.

Li Cunxu discussed the plan of attacking Shu with his loyal ministers.

Due to its unique geographical factors, Shu has unique innate conditions for establishing a separatist regime. Since ancient times, those who have conquered Shu can either advance to conquer the Central Plains or retreat to a corner of the country. Therefore, the Central Plains dynasties also took great pains to govern Shu, usually using two methods:
First, divide the land and weaken its power. For example, the Tang Dynasty divided this area into Xichuan, Dongchuan, and Hanchuan, referred to as "Three Sichuans", and sent three Jiedushi to guard it. Once the "Three Sichuans" were unified under the leadership of the same person, they would inevitably compete with the central court, such as Chen Jingxuan and Wang Jian.

Secondly, civil officials were sent to garrison "Sanchuan", such as Du Chong and Cui Anqian.

If the attack is to attack Shu, it would be best to let a civilian official take charge, such as Wei Zhaodu.

Even so, there were many people who occupied Shu or were falsely accused of separatism, such as Liu Bang in the late Qin Dynasty, Liu Bei in the late Han Dynasty, Deng Ai and Zhong Hui in the Three Kingdoms period...

At the meeting, the eunuch Li Shaohong, who had accepted bribes from Duan Ning, strongly recommended Duan Ning to take charge, and said that Duan Ning was a rare genius who was better than even Sun Wu and Wu Qi.

Guo Chongtao shouted that this was not possible, saying that Duan Ning was a general who had ruined his country, treacherous and insidious, and only knew how to flatter and flatter, and had no idea about military affairs. Who else would know Duan Ning better than us? We must not let Duan Ning take charge, it was a joke!

After rejecting Duan Ning, all the ministers unanimously recommended Li Siyuan to take command.

Li Siyuan had followed Li Keyong for many years and had rich combat experience. He also enjoyed a very high reputation in the army. In the war to destroy Liang, he ranked first in merit and became a new Great Wall in the war to resist Khitan. Comrade Li Siyuan was capable of winning the support of the people and shouldering the heavy task of conquering Shu... and was capable of replacing Comrade Li Cunxu's heavy work as emperor.

In Li Cunxu's mind, anyone can enter Shu, even someone like Duan Ning, but not Li Siyuan. But such heartfelt words can only rot in his stomach.

At the critical moment, Guo Chongtao helped Li Cunxu out, saying that the Khitan was in high spirits and only Li Siyuan was able to resist it, and Li Siyuan must not leave the Heshuo area.

Guo Chongtao had his own selfish motives in opposing Li Siyuan's entry into Shu, which we will mention later.

After rejecting Li Siyuan, Guo Chongtao proposed a suitable candidate for the commander-in-chief of the expedition against Shu - Crown Prince Li Jiji.

This statement coincided with Li Cunxu's. Crown Prince Li Jiji had no achievements, and was in the same situation as Li Cunxu before he ascended the throne. After learning from his experience, Li Cunxu also intended to send Li Jiji to the battlefield to gain experience and reputation. This expedition to Shu was a good opportunity to gild his reputation.

According to the unspoken rules in the Tang Dynasty's political circles, the crown prince would be given the title of "Grand Marshal of the Army" to reap the fruits of victory, while the real contributors were his deputies.

"The boy is still young, and it is difficult for him to shoulder the heavy responsibility of conquering Shu alone. We should find a capable deputy for him—" Li Cunxu glanced at Guo Chongtao, "No one is more suitable than you."

Compared with Li Siyuan, Guo Chongtao was more worthy of the organization's trust. First, his qualifications, prestige, and achievements were enough to convince the people; second, he was not a member of the royal family, and was a civil servant, so he would not affect Li Cunxu's rule.

On September 925, 9, Li Cunxu formally appointed Crown Prince Li Jiji as the commander-in-chief of the expedition against Shu (commander-in-chief of the four-sided camp in Xichuan), while the actual work was done by Guo Chongtao, and Li Jiji was only responsible for signing the formalities.

On September 9, 18 main forces left Luoyang and headed west.

In addition to this main force, Li Cunxu also appointed Jingnan Gao Jichang as the commander-in-chief of the Southeast Front Army, leading his troops westward along the Yangtze River to seize the three states of Kui, Wan and Zhong.

When Gao Jichang encouraged Li Cunxu to attack Shu, he said that if the Later Tang attacked Shu, Jingnan would be willing to be the vanguard. In fact, Gao Jichang also had his own selfish motives. He wanted to take advantage of the military power of the Later Tang to recapture the homeland of Kui, Wan, Zhong and other provinces in Jingnan that were occupied by the Former Shu.

Li Cunxu and he had a tacit understanding about this. No problem, everyone gets what they need.

Ironically, however, the 60,000 main forces of the Later Tang led by Li Jiji marched into Chengdu without a single bloodbath, triumphantly winning the entire journey. Only Gao Jichang's detachment, which was responsible for assisting the attack, suffered a series of defeats and failed to gain an inch of land.

10 month.

Guo Chongtao ordered Li Yan and Kang Yanxiao to lead 10,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry as the vanguard to open the way for the army. When they arrived at Baoji, a general named Chen Yi suddenly pretended to be sick and asked to stay to recuperate.

Li Yu, a Hanlin scholar who was accompanying the army, loudly rebuked them: "They fight for what is profitable and retreat when they see danger. The army is about to enter the enemy territory, and people's hearts are most likely to be shaken at this time. Chen Yi should be executed for his crime!"

Killing one person was a warning to the rest. From then on, no one dared to find an excuse to retreat. The 60,000-strong army entered the territory of Former Shu with high morale and vigor.

At the same time, a mutant gardenia bloomed in the imperial garden of Former Shu (Fanglin Garden). This gardenia came from Mount Qingcheng, had six petals, and was blue-red in color, which was rare in the world. It bloomed this month, and Wang Zongyan was very pleased. He summoned all the civil and military officials to come to Fanglin Garden to enjoy the flowers together. Then, on October 10, Wang Zongyan left Chengdu amid opposition and rushed to Qinzhou.

On October 10, Wang Zongyan arrived in Hanzhou and received an urgent report from Wang Chengjie of Fengzhou: The army of the Later Tang Dynasty has invaded our border!

Wang Zongyan looked up at the sky and gave a helpless bitter smile. "These people have good intentions in preventing me from going to Qinzhou! When I come back from Qinzhou, I will decide whether to punish him for lying about military intelligence based on my mood."

"What if... it's true?"

Wang Zongyan laughed and said frivolously: "That's a good opportunity to show the enemy how powerful we are!" and ordered to continue marching north.

On the way to Qinzhou, a group of crows suddenly landed on the yellow silk umbrella cover of Wang Zongyan, which had a very sad name. When passing by the temple of Zhang Ezi, Wang Zongyan went there in person to pray and divine. He drew a lot, and there were only four words on it - "Disaster for those who go against the will of heaven."

Zhang Ezi is a legendary snake god in Shu. Legend has it that Yao Chang, the founding emperor of the Later Qin Dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, was taught by it when he was in Shu. Legend has it that when Emperor Xizong visited Shu, Zhang Ezi rode on clouds and mist, revealed his true form, and greeted Emperor Xizong. Emperor Xizong took off his sword and gave it to it, hoping that it could help him quell the rebellion. Not long after, Huang Chao was executed, and Emperor Xizong sent people to send many sacrificial offerings to Zhang Ezi Temple to thank it for its "merit in quelling the rebellion."

Faced with the instruction of Zhang Ezi, the most spiritual person in Shu, "those who go against the will of heaven will suffer disaster", Wang Zongyan still believed that it was a trick used by his ministers to persuade him and did not take it seriously.

On the way to Qinzhou, Wang Zongyan interacted elegantly with Han Zhao, the prefect of Chengdu, Li Haobi, a Hanlin scholar, and Wang Renyu, a secretary of the Secretariat, reciting poems and answering questions to kill time.

Wang Zongyan wrote a poem:

"A cluster of cold smoke shrouds the tall rocks, and a secluded path leads up to the frosty sky.

Look down at Emei Mountain and peek up at the peak of Huayue Mountain.

Running fast is not for pleasure, but for worrying about the border.

I will go up the mountain, and there will be thousands of singing pavilions along the way."

The attendants applauded and praised. Wang Zongyan was very pleased and ordered Wang Renyu to write a poem to echo the poem.

Wang Renyu then composed a poem:
"Colorful banners whistle in the cold smoke, and horses neigh in the sky. Yellow clouds appear under the horses' feet, and the sun sets on the pine peaks.

Sheng De'an is tired of the world, and Ren Fan is fanning the distant borders.

As for the future, there are still three thousand miles to go."

In the word game, Wang Renyu must retain Wang Zongyan's "天、顶、边、千" at the end of the sentence, and it cannot be abrupt or far-fetched. It must have a certain artistic conception and logical rationality.

When he arrived in Jianzhou, Wang Zongyan encountered another supernatural event: in the middle of the night, he suddenly heard shouting and beating drums in the valley, as if thousands of troops were fighting fiercely. Everyone was shocked. Suddenly, a ferocious beast jumped out of the mountains and forests and carried away a person from the terrified crowd.

Wang Zongyan remained calm and fearless, and ordered his accompanying officials to compose poems to commemorate the event.

Wang Renyu, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, wrote a poem:

"The sword teeth, the nail tongue, the blood and the hair, the calculation and the hard work will never stop.

He does not help the great dynasty to eliminate disasters, but only eats lives on the road.

From the teaching household registration to the food and clothing, there is no tax for the three males.

Today the emperor is out hunting, hiding under the Baiyun Rock."

Hanlin scholar Li Haobi wrote a poem:

"Year after year I sleep under the rock, how can I feel when all the living creatures have eaten all the food.

As the number of his minions gradually decreased, the number of his people gradually decreased, and the deep ravines and valleys became numerous.

The emperor's discipline is still being messed up, and the guest is poor and alone and it is really hard to bear.

Don't be surprised that there are no people on the long journey, they were all killed by the mountain king. "

After reading Li Haobi's work, Wang Zongyan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

When they reached Baiwei Ridge, Wang Zongyan asked Han Zhao to write a poem to commemorate the event. Han Zhao followed the order and wrote the following poem:

"My king is on a tour to ensure border security, and there are still several thousand people to Qinting.

The fire in the Qishan inn illuminates the road at night, and the smoke in the bottle conveys the news in the evening.

Although she is a goddess in Yunwu Gorge, she is a banished immortal riding a phoenix to Qin Tower.

The eight steeds are like dragons and the men are like tigers, so why worry about flying across the sky? "

This flattery was not subtle enough, and it was all Wang Zongyan's favorite words. Wang Zongyan was inspired to write a poem to echo it:

"The previous dynasty used divine force to expand the borders, demarcating four to five thousand kilometres of territory.

In front, there are swords and spears stationed at Longshan Mountain, and behind, there is the beacon smoke locked at Wu Gorge.

King Xuan personally pacified the invaders, while King Ying Zheng was in vain trying to learn about immortality.

Thinking of the beautiful places in the Wei Palace, it is just in time for the orioles to sing in the evening sky. "

Qin Shi Huang and his like are all weaklings. They are no match for me, Wang Zongyan, who is living a carefree life!

Wang Renyu also wrote a poem in response:

"The dragon's sword fluttered and pointed to the edge, and by then there were still two or three thousand more.

Climbing high in the morning, I tread on the steep rocks, braving the cold morning smoke.

I learned from the King of Han who founded the world, unlike King Mu of Zhou who loved immortals.

The people of Qin should not be without grace, and there is another world for them to go to Guandong."

Your Majesty, you are not only better than Qin Shi Huang, but even King Mu of Zhou!
Wang Zongyan arrived in Zitong soon, and another ominous call occurred. According to historical records, "strong winds blew up the houses." The relevant departments reported that according to scientific laws, such strong winds indicated that someone thousands of miles away would surrender and surrender.

Wang Zongyan once again turned into an atheist, "Our country is vast and rich in resources, and its territory is vast. Aren't strong winds and heavy rains normal natural phenomena? There is no need to make a fuss. Let's continue playing music and dancing." He reciting poems in response to his request every day.

The reason why these poems were recorded in detail and passed down to later generations is thanks to a book called "Wang's Records of Observations and Events", which records what the author saw and heard in a realistic style and has become a valuable documentary in text. And the reason why one of its articles became Wang Zongyan's "Qinzhou Travel Notes" is because the author of this book is Wang Renyu, the secretary of the Central Secretariat.

Along with this strong wind came Li Jiji's manifesto to attack Shu.

In this manifesto, Li Jiji did not offend the people of Shu, but praised them as loyal and brave men, comparing them to Yang Xiong and Sima Xiangru in literature and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in martial arts. Shu had sheltered two sages, Xuanzong and Xizong, and was a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. They were all good people, but - the bandits surnamed Wang were dividing the land and their crimes were unforgivable!
In the manifesto, Li Jiji pointed out that any resistance from Wang Zongyan would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. This time, when the king's army came, "the infantry will be as tall as a mountain, the chariots and cavalry will be as swift as thunder, the loud voices will shake the world, and the sharp spirit will shake the rivers and mountains." He asked the soldiers and civilians in Shu to judge the situation and not act against it.

Finally, the Later Tang offered generous conditions to those who had lost their way and returned to the right path, luring the generals, soldiers and civilians of the Former Shu to surrender, emphasizing the principle of "punishing only the main culprits and not asking about the rest", and rewarded those who could abandon darkness and join the light. The Later Tang used the Later Liang as a negative example to tell them not to try to resist stubbornly.

"Cefu Yuangui" contains the full text of Li Jiji's edict to attack Shu, which is full of domineering power. Those who are interested can go and appreciate it by themselves.

Thanks to my old friend "M83 South Windmill Galaxy" for his generous support of 2 monthly tickets! Thank you for your encouragement!

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(End of this chapter)