History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 405 Don’t use Qianlong
[Hidden Dragon Do Not Use]

Li Siyuan went to Bianzhou, and rumors spread that Li Siyuan would personally lead an expedition to Huainan. Xu Wen was so frightened that he became ill and died suddenly. Don't laugh at Xu Wen for being a coward, in fact, Xu Wen's spiritual world was very fragile.

All of Xu Wen’s troubles can be summed up in one word: power.

To whom should the supreme power in Huainan be given?

A few years ago, this question had a very clear answer: the eldest son Xu Zhixun.

With the killing of Xu Zhixun, the issue of Xu Wen's successor became the most sensitive topic within the group. The one who caused this problem was Xu Wen's adopted son, Xu Zhigao.

Regarding Xu Zhigao's life experience, the official and unofficial histories have different accounts, but they are also very similar. In summary, he is nothing more than a replica of "the descendant of Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan".

It is said that his ancestors were also wealthy and were members of the royal family of the Tang Dynasty!
"Old History of the Five Dynasties": He was a descendant of Li Lin, the son of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang;
The Records of the Later Lord of Shu states: He was a descendant of Li Zhirou, the Prince of Xue (the great-great-grandson of Emperor Ruizong of Tang);

Many unofficial histories in the Jianghuai region, such as Jiangnan Unofficial History, state that he was a descendant of Li Ke, the son of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty;

"Jiang Biao Zhi": He is the thirteenth son of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan - the descendant of Li Yuanyi...

Such a variety of opinions can only reflect one problem: Xu Zhigao had no relationship with the royal family of the Tang Dynasty! Therefore, the old man Ouyang Xiu, who was quite individualistic and self-willed, introduced his family background in a relatively objective way in the "New History of the Five Dynasties": "He was of humble origins."

Regardless of whether you are a descendant of Liu Sheng, the King of Zhongshan, you are selling straw sandals at the beginning. Xu Zhigao was not even as good as selling straw sandals at the beginning. He was a real vagrant.

The New History of the Five Dynasties also records Xu Zhigao's description of his life experience. According to Xu Zhigao himself, he was a descendant of Li Ke, the son of Emperor Xianzong of Tang. It is said: Li Ke gave birth to Li Chao, Li Chao gave birth to Li Zhi, Li Zhi gave birth to Li Rong, and Li Rong is Xu Zhigao's biological father.

Therefore, some materials show that "The New History of the Five Dynasties says that Xu Zhigao is a descendant of Li Ke, the son of Emperor Xianzong". This is wrong, because the original record says that when Xu Zhigao later usurped the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, he restored his original surname Li, and then "claimed that Tang Xianzong's son Jian Wang Ke gave birth to Chao..."

Therefore, "Xu Zhigao is a descendant of Li Ke" is not the view of the New History of the Five Dynasties. It is very clear that it is Xu Zhigao's "own statement". Ouyang Xiu's view was very clear at the beginning, "the family origin is humble."

The "Chronicles of the Ten Kingdoms" also said that Xu Zhigao pretended to be a member of the Tang royal family, "he attached himself to his ancestors, so he was not a descendant of the Tang Dynasty."

The debate over Xu Zhigao's "Great Tang Royal Family" was quite controversial at the time. Qian Yuanguan, the son of Qian Liu, publicly stated: "Xu Zhigao pretended to be a Great Tang Royal Family. What the hell is going on?" (Isn't it shocking that Jinling pretended to be a Great Tang royal family?)

His aide Shen Taowen replied: "People with the surname Kong in the village all claim to be descendants of Confucius. There are many shameless people in the world. Don't bother with them."

Then the emperor and his minister burst into laughter, and Qian Yuanguan even rewarded Shen Taowen with a glass of wine.

The "Wuyue Beishi" compiled by Qian Liu's descendants revealed a shocking melon: Xu Zhigao's original surname was Pan, the same as Pan Jinlian, and his ancestral home was in Anji County, Huzhou. His father Pan was a young general in Anji County. When Huainan invaded Wuxing (now Wuxing District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province), his father Pan died for his country, and he was abducted by Huainan General Li Shenfu and made a slave. Xu Wen went to Li Shenfu's house as a guest and fell in love with him at first sight, so he proposed to adopt him as his adopted son. So this slave of Li Shenfu, whose surname was Pan, became Xu Wen's adopted son and later changed his name to Xu Zhigao.

The "Wuyue Beishi" also revealed that after Xu Zhigao proclaimed himself emperor, he wrote to the Qian family many times, proposing to exchange Changzhou under the jurisdiction of Huainan for Wuxing under the control of the Qian family, imitating the "Xutian for Xutian" in the Spring and Autumn Period. After the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou emperor granted a piece of land at the foot of Mount Tai, "Xutian", to the State of Zheng. In fact, Xutian was close to the State of Lu but far from the State of Zheng, while "Xutian" next to the State of Zheng was a fief of the State of Lu, so the State of Zheng proposed to exchange Xutian for Xutian.

As for "Li Ke", who is most frequently cited in historical materials, according to the "New Book of Tang", "has no heir." If he had no son, then how did the term "descendants of Li Ke" come about?
There were actually two Li Kes in the Tang Dynasty royal family. One was the son of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Prince Jian Li Ke, and the other was the son of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Prince Wu Li Ke.

According to some historical records, Xu Zhigao initially wanted to say that he was a descendant of Li Ke, the Prince of Wu, the son of Emperor Taizong of Tang. However, his ministers reminded him that Li Ke was killed because he was implicated in the "Fang Yiai Rebellion Case". Although he was later vindicated, it was still inappropriate. It would be better to recognize Li Yuanyi, the Prince of Zheng, the son of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, as his ancestor. Therefore, Xu Zhigao said that he was a descendant of Li Yuanyi, the son of Emperor Gaozu...

The research on "Xu Zhigao's life experience" has always been a topic that historians have enjoyed discussing, and the "truth" that has been found is also varied.

It no longer matters whether Xu Zhigao is a member of the Tang royal family. Whether his surname is Li or Pan, it cannot change the fact that he became the founding monarch of the Southern Tang.

Let's focus on the big picture and restore Xu Zhigao's life story:
Xu Zhigao's original surname was Li. He was from Pengcheng, Xuzhou. His family was poor. He wandered with his father between Haozhou and Sizhou, so he was nicknamed "Peng Nu". While wandering, his father died. His father, Comrade Li Rong, disappeared due to war on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year. That year, "Peng Nu" just turned 5 years old.

His father Li Rong is also very interesting, and is said to be a person who does not work properly:
"He does not engage in industry, but only makes friends with heroes." - "Jiangnan Wild History"

Translated it means: not doing serious work, hanging out with bad friends every day.

It is said that his father was a devout Buddhist, so he was nicknamed "Li Laodao" (Li Daozhe). Later, a large-scale Xia Shao criminal gang emerged in the local area, so Li Rong happily joined the bandits and helped Xia Shao capture cities and territories, with "thousands of people" and entrenched in the area of ​​Haozhou. Later, they were wiped out by Yang Xingmi... This is also recorded in "Jiangnan Wild History". This record is quite different from other historical books and is not credible.

Back to the main story, just imagine, in that war-torn era, a 5-year-old boy, alone and helpless, wandering around Haozhou, scavenging and begging for food, how miserable!

At that time, Zhu Wen's "Look East" plan was in full swing and achieved impressive results. He first destroyed Shi Pu of Xuzhou, and then the two Zhus of Yan and Yun. Under tremendous pressure, Wang Shifan of Qingzhou expressed his surrender. Zhu Wen successfully brought the entire Shandong Peninsula under his command.

Yang Xingmi of Huainan went north to rescue Qingzhou. As soon as he crossed the Huai River and arrived near Haozhou and Sizhou, he heard the news of the title of Wang Shifan of Qingzhou. As the saying goes, a thief never leaves empty-handed. Since he has come here, how can he return empty-handed? So he plundered Haozhou, and the cute 5-year-old boy "Peng Nu" was abducted by Yang Xingmi.

Yang Xingmi saw that he was a man of extraordinary stature and bearing, so he wanted to adopt him as his son. However, Yang Xingmi's son Yang Wo looked down on this homeless child and opposed taking him in. So Yang Xingmi transferred "Peng Nu" to his favorite general Xu Wen, saying, "I think this child will achieve great things in the future, you take over for me."

Historical records state that "the sons of the Yang family could not be tolerated", however according to the time calculation, Yang Xingmi had only his eldest son Yang Wo (about eight or nine years old) at that time, and his second son Yang Wei had not yet been born, so the term "the sons of the Yang family" is very general, and may also include nephews, nieces, adopted sons, etc.

Xu Wen took over "Peng Nu", adopted him as his son, and named him Xu Zhigao.

(End of this chapter)