History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 500 When a Politician Meets a Traitor 5
Zhao Dejun was only a hundred miles away from Jin'an Village, but he did not contact Zhang Jingda, nor did he send out surprise troops to carry out guerrilla harassment on the Khitan army, sneak into the camp and rob the village, or cut off the food supply.

He mainly did two things. First, he kept petitioning Li Congke, asking for money, food, soldiers, and power. The key point was to help his adopted son Zhao Yanshou get the post of Jiedushi of Zhenzhou Chengde Army. His reason was very good, because Zhenzhou Chengde Army was the transportation hub connecting Youzhou and Hedong. Second, he secretly communicated with the Khitan and lobbied the Khitan to help him seize the world.

Prior to this, Li Congke had received Fan Yanguang's report and knew what Zhao Dejun had done. Li Congke had been a soldier all his life, so how could he not understand Zhao Dejun's actions? After receiving Zhao Dejun's report, he was furious, but still controlled his emotions and politely declined, saying: "Comrade Zhao Yanshou is fighting side by side with you, charging on the front line, where does he have time to stay in Zhenzhou? After we destroy Shi Jingtang, I will naturally agree to your request."

Zhao Dejun was now unable to gain the upper hand, so he continued to submit memorials, stating that he must be appointed first before sending troops.

Li Congke was furious. Facing the memorials of Zhao Dejun that were shaking on his left and right, he said, "The Zhao family father and son insist on asking for the Zhenzhou Jieyue. What do they want to do at this critical moment? If they can repel the Khitan and suppress the rebels, I am willing to sit on my throne. But if they want to keep the enemy for themselves and use the enemy to threaten the king, I am afraid that both the dog and the rabbit will be killed!"

Li Congke finally did not agree to Zhao Dejun's request and even made personal attacks on Zhao Dejun and his son. Zhao Dejun was very unhappy.

Afterwards, Zhao Dejun presented Li Congke with armor, war horses, bows and arrows, and an imperial edict from Yelu Deguang to Zhao Dejun, saying that this was a gift from Yelu Deguang to him because he had sent envoys to persuade the Khitan to withdraw their troops and had made phased progress. Yelu Deguang was very happy, so he gave me these things in return.

Zhao Dejun used this to seek credit, proving that although his troops were not deployed to the battlefield, he was actively working on the diplomatic front and serving the court, so - just reward me with the title of Zhenzhou Jiedushi.

The truth was quite the opposite. Zhao Dejun did send an envoy, asking the Khitan to enthrone him as the ruler of the Central Plains and replace Li Congke as emperor.

In return, Zhao Dejun gave the "Three Major Articles of Yanzhao's Selling the Country":
First, we are willing to form a brotherly alliance with Khitan and maintain a lasting friendship;

Second, pay tribute to the Khitan people in the form of gold, jade, money and silk every year;

3. Retain Shi Jingtang from Hedong.

The reason why Zhao Dejun wanted to keep Shi Jingtang was not out of generosity and kindness, but to reduce the cost of war, or to reduce the cost of his treason.

According to the strength comparison on paper, if there was no interference from a third party, Zhao Dejun could fight Li Congke alone. So Zhao Dejun's plan was to let Shi Jingtang deal with Zhang Jingda in Jin'an Village by himself, and fight Li Congke alone, while the Khitans only needed to stand by and watch the fight, and support Zhao Dejun so that they could reap the benefits.

Zhao Dejun's three conditions are very pragmatic.

Yelu Deguang penetrated deep into the enemy's territory, but could not quickly wipe out the main force of the Later Tang Dynasty in Jin'an Village. This was because the Khitan army implemented a bold "leapfrog tactic". Daizhou and Xinzhou were in the rear, threatening the Khitan army's logistics supply lines and advance and retreat routes, while Fan Yanguang and Zhao Dejun led a large army to appear on the flank of the Khitan army. Once they supported Jin'an Village or blocked the retreat route in the Daibei area, Yelu Deguang's entire army would be wiped out.

So after receiving the conditions offered by Zhao Dejun, Yelu Deguang was moved and decided to accept them. Shi Jingtang was terrified when he heard the news, so he sent Sang Weihan to meet Yelu Deguang, and then proposed the "Three Major Articles of Hedong Selling the Country" which were even more humiliating to the country:
First, he was willing to form a father-son relationship with the Khitan, and Shi Jingtang treated the Khitan as a father;
Second, pay tribute of 300,000 pieces of silk to the Khitan every year;
Third, cede 16 states including Youzhou and Yunzhou to the Khitan.

This was the darkest moment in Chinese history, with two big men competing to sell out their country. Zhao Dejun obviously did not fully enter the state of a "traitor" and wanted to make money while standing. In comparison, Shi Jingtang had a deeper understanding of the role of a "traitor" and was willing to make money while kneeling. Business, after all, was not shabby.

First, Zhao Dejun and Yelu Deguang agreed to be brothers, and Shi Jingtang was willing to recognize Yelu Deguang as his father.

To be honest, Zhao Dejun was indeed of the same generation as Yelü Deguang, and Shi Jingtang was indeed a generation younger than Yelü Deguang.

Because Li Keyong and Yelü Abaoji were brothers, they were of the same generation; Li Siyuan was Li Keyong's adopted son, and Yelü Deguang was Yelü Abaoji's son, so Li Siyuan and Yelü Deguang were of the same generation. The relationship between Zhao Dejun, Shi Jingtang and Li Siyuan is the starting point:

Shi Jingtang was Li Siyuan's son-in-law, one generation younger than Li Siyuan, and also one generation younger than Yelu Deguang;
Zhao Dejun's adopted son Zhao Yanshou was Li Siyuan's son-in-law. Zhao Dejun and Li Siyuan were in-laws, and they were of the same generation, which means they were also of the same generation as Yelu Deguang.

Of course, politicians will not get hung up on ethical issues. It doesn’t matter if they call him brother, father, or even grandfather. The key lies in the third point.

The sixteen states ceded by Shi Jingtang are the land of today's Beijing, Tianjin, most of Hebei, and northern Shanxi. Because it includes Youzhou and Yunzhou, it is collectively called the "Sixteen States of Youyun". Because the territory of the Lulong Army of Youzhou is the ancient Yan land, it is also called the "Sixteen States of Yanyun".

With the cession of these lands, the Khitan forces for the first time penetrated deep into the Central Plains and the North China Plain. This place was not only a thousand miles of fertile land, but also a thousand miles of vast plains. For the Khitan cavalry who were capable of fast and mobile operations, it was simply an ideal paradise.

From a military perspective, the nomadic peoples of the grasslands have already reached the farming areas south of the Great Wall. The Central Plains area is no longer indefensible north of the Yellow River. If the Khitans want to move south again in the future, it will be easy.
Economically speaking, the Khitans had developed a dual-SIM dual-standby system of "dividing Han and Fan" with the help of Han adviser Han Yanhui, which is very similar to the "one country, two systems" of today. After years of operation, they have gradually adapted to the management of agricultural civilization. After obtaining these lands, there is no embarrassing situation of incompatibility. The Khitans can make good use of these lands for production and labor.

Politically speaking, Yelu Deguang originally wanted to use foreign military actions to strengthen his own strength, and finally get rid of the control of his mother, Empress Dowager Shulü, and get rid of the fate of being a puppet. The feat of obtaining the "Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun" will greatly enhance Yelu Deguang's reputation within the Khitan, and his contribution can be compared with that of Taizu Yelu Abaoji, who annexed the Bohai Kingdom.

Therefore, the condition proposed by Shi Jingtang to cede the "Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun" was an absolutely irresistible temptation for Yelu Deguang.

Zhao Dejun's plan was prudent and pragmatic, while Shi Jingtang's plan was outrageous.

Gentlemen can never defeat hooligans, and politicians can never defeat traitors. Because for the former, the bottom line is a constraint, while for the latter, it is a tool.

(End of this chapter)