History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 436: Forcing Dong Zhang to Revolt
[Forcing Dong Zhang to Revolt]

Children who cry a lot get candy, but Dong Zhang cried at the wrong grave.

The mastermind behind Dong Zhang's rebellion was An Zhonghui. Threatening him with rebellion is exactly what he wants.

An Zhonghui held Dong Zhang's letter in his hand and said, "Send another group of cavalry into Xiegu, and I will definitely fight back. Humph, that's exactly what I want!"

Dong Zhang: Let’s send another soldier and try!
An Zhonghui: Just give it a try.

The court immediately dispatched General Xun Xianyi to lead troops to station in Langzhou.

After hearing the news, Dong Guangye hurriedly told An Zhonghui, "My father has absolutely no second thoughts. I beg the court not to send any more troops, otherwise, he will really be forced to rebel!"

An Zhonghui smiled contemptuously, "How dare an ugly slave threaten the central government?"

When the news reached Dongchuan, Dong Zhang was completely desperate, so he finally raised the banner of rebellion and announced his separation from the Later Tang Dynasty. He then made a harsh statement, saying that he would launch a military attack on the Zhaowu Army of Lizhou, the Baoning Army of Langzhou, and the Wuxin Army of Suizhou.

The three towns hurriedly reported to the central government and informed it of the situation in the two Sichuan provinces.

An Zhonghui was overjoyed. He took the memorial to Li Siyuan and said smugly, "Did you see it? I said Dong Zhang was going to rebel, but Your Majesty didn't believe it. So, I was right, wasn't I?"

Li Siyuan sighed and said that he had done his utmost for the two Sichuan provinces. As the saying goes, I will not offend others unless they offend me. Now that things have come to this, I will use courtesy first and then force.

Under An Zhonghui's strenuous instigation, the war between the two Sichuan provinces finally broke out.

After Meng Zhixiang got the news, he called Zhao Jiliang to discuss countermeasures.

Zhao Jiliang formulated a perfect strategy for the allied forces in the two Sichuan provinces: first seize Suizhou and Langzhou, then concentrate troops to control Jianmen Pass, block the Central Army outside Jianmen Pass, drag the war into a stalemate, take advantage of the home field, and exhaust the Central Army.

The two Sichuan provinces agreed on a date and agreed to send out troops at the same time.

The day before the war broke out was Li Siyuan's birthday. Meng Zhixiang set up a feast in Chengdu, raised his wine glass, faced the northeast direction where Li Siyuan was, knelt down in the air, and cried loudly while paying homage, his clothes wet with tears. The soldiers were moved and felt that the court had betrayed them and forced loyal officials to rebel. (He bowed again in the northeast direction, prostrated himself and sobbed, his tears wet his clothes, and the soldiers sighed for him)

Dong Zhang issued a letter to the three towns of Li, Lang, and Sui, claiming that they were instigating discord and should be severely punished. He then launched an attack on Langzhou.

Meng Zhixiang sent Commander-in-Chief Li Renhan to lead the army, Zhao Tingyin as his deputy, and Zhang Ye as the vanguard, to attack Suizhou with an army of 30,000. He also sent Hou Hongshi and Meng Sigong to lead an army of 4,000 to cooperate with the Dongchuan army to attack Langzhou.

Meng Zhixiang also published an article, the level of which is obviously not at the same level as Dong Zhang, and is far better than Dong Zhang. Here is the reading comprehension time:
"I have heard that when the emperor governs his subjects, they rebel against him because of their lack of favor; when ministers serve their sovereign, they become suspicious and make changes based on their own wishes."

——I started by shifting the blame, saying that I rebelled because the imperial court forced me to do so;

"Zhixiang is a noble relative of the imperial court. He was ordered by Zhuangzong to stay in Xichuan. When the throne was moved to Dongluo... Because of his loyalty and loyalty, he came to pay tribute." - Too high. On the surface, he said that he was a legitimate royal relative of the previous dynasty. While emphasizing the purity of his legal principles, he implied that Li Siyuan's legal lineage was not legitimate. "When the throne was moved to Dongluo", you obtained the throne through an illegal coup. Then he changed the subject and did not dwell on how Li Siyuan came to the throne, but continued to tell his grievances. Even if you usurped the throne, I, Meng Zhixiang, would still pay tribute.

"Within five years, the shipments were not in vain. The accumulated amount was 500,000 strings of cash, which roughly covered the expenses of the Central Court... As for the repeated promotions, they were also honored with the favor."

——Present facts and reason. You "had something to do in the southern suburbs", and I paid a lot of money, 500,000 strings of cash, isn't that enough to express my gratitude? And you also kept promoting me to higher positions, showing the court's recognition of me.

"Unfortunately, spies have been secretly raised, their intentions have been exposed, they have established a stronghold in Langzhong, and have sent reinforcements to various towns, shaking our military and civilians, and strangling our throats..."

——Pay attention to the blackboard, and make it clear. This is the direct reason for my rebellion: the treacherous officials in the court alienated the two Sichuan provinces, divided Lang and Guo to set up new vassal towns, carried out military infiltration into the two Sichuan provinces, spread rumors, and spread panic...

"I have repeatedly submitted reports to the emperor, hoping to persuade him to be gentle and to bring peace to the region. However, the imperial court did not take this as a virtue and only deepened their suspicions, which ultimately led to the breakup of our friendship and the severance of our alliance."

——Continue to pass the buck and put the blame for provoking the war on the court: I repeatedly submitted reports pointing out the inappropriate actions of the court (cutting off Lang and Guo, increasing troops), hoping that the court would stop and not intensify the conflict, but the court took my kindness for granted, not only did it not reflect on itself, but it became more determined to believe the words of the treacherous officials to sow discord. Going further and further down the wrong path.

"Zhixiang and Dongchuan Xianggong have already made an alliance... In the morning, I hear the sounds of chickens and dogs, and in the evening, I hear the sound of drums. Although the land is divided into two towns, the people are like one family, and they are like a boat in the same boat, and they can help each other in everything."

——The relationship between the two Sichuan provinces is very good. They are friendly neighbors who know each other well, and they have also recently become in-laws. They will definitely stick together.

"Now I am going to lead the Dongchuan cavalry and infantry of 150,000 cavalry to Sui, Li, Lang, Qian, Kui and other states to inquire about the reasons for the expulsion and control..."

——Liangchuan is not a keyboard warrior. With an army of 150,000, I just want to ask you if you are afraid.

Meng Zhixiang used a brilliant article to portray himself as a poor man who was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, but was persecuted by the emperor, occupying the moral high ground. Baobao felt bitter, but he had to speak out, and Baobao was not easy to bully. There were more than 100,000 elite soldiers and brave generals in Shu at my disposal.

Dong Zhang's troops are approaching the city of Langzhou, and the first siege of the War between the Two Sichuans is about to take place.

The generals in Langzhou reached a unanimous opinion that Dong Zhang had been plotting rebellion for a long time and usually used large amounts of gold and silver to reward his soldiers. Now, with just one order, the highly motivated Dongchuan warriors would burst out with amazing fighting power. It was not advisable to confront him head-on, but to close the city gates tightly, hold the city and dampen his morale first. Within ten days, the imperial reinforcements would arrive, and then the Dongchuan soldiers would flee.

However, An Zhonghui's trusted henchman, Li Renju, the governor of Langzhou Baoning Army, vetoed the strategy of holding out. Publicly, the "hawkish" leader An Zhonghui did not want to see a conservative and passive approach, he needed to be proactive, this was no longer a simple military matter, but involved a political stance; privately, Li Renju was scared to death by Dong Zhang, a great humiliation, which Li Renju could never let go.

Moreover, Li Renju also had regional discrimination and firmly believed in the saying that "Shu soldiers are cowardly" since the end of the Tang Dynasty.

A higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking official. Li Renju issued an order: "The Shu soldiers are always as timid as mice, afraid of death, how can they resist my elite royal division? Fight!"

The defenders of Langzhou were forced to go out of the city to fight. Before the two armies came into contact, the defenders of Langzhou collapsed without a fight, and fled back to the city.

Dong Zhang seized the opportunity to launch a general attack, captured Langzhou in one fell swoop, and captured his archenemy Li Renju alive. Dong Zhang then executed Li Renju's entire family.

(End of this chapter)