History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 599: The Fall of the Later Jin Dynasty 2
Shi Chonggui planned to take the gold, silver and jewelry in the palace with him, but Zhang Yanze sent someone to tell him that all these things would be given to Yelu Deguang sooner or later, so it would be better to keep them to avoid the trouble of moving them around. Shi Chonggui understood the implication and gave a large part of them to Zhang Yanze.

Zhang Yanze checked the treasures and jewels in the palace, put the most valuable ones into his own pocket, and sealed the rest to be used as a filial tribute to Yelu Deguang.

Zhang Yanze sent Li Yun, the general of the imperial guards, to lead troops to surround Kaifeng Prefecture, and strictly prohibited anyone from entering or leaving, nor was it allowed to pass on any news. Shi Chonggui's aunt Princess Wu (Shi Jingtang's sister) bribed the gatekeeper with a large sum of money and was able to go in and say goodbye to Shi Chonggui. The aunt and nephew hugged each other and cried for a while. After Princess Wu returned, she hanged herself.

Letters written by Shi Chonggui and the Queen Mother to Yelu Deguang must first be given to Zhang Yanze for review and only after strict examination can they be sent out.

Shi Chonggui wanted some rolls of silk, but the warehouse keeper told him, "This is no longer your property!"

Shi Chonggui wanted to ask Li Song for some wine to relieve his sorrow, but Li Song told him, "I'm afraid that you will use alcohol to embolden yourself and do something stupid."

Shi Chonggui wanted to see his confidant Meng Chenghui, but Meng Chenghui avoided him.
Shi Chonggui wanted to meet Li Yantao, but Li Yantao declined on the grounds that he was busy with work...

At this moment, Shi Chonggui finally understood what it meant to be bullied by a tiger in plain view. Those villains who used to flatter him now avoided him like the plague.

In the Kaifeng government office, Shi Chonggui was disheartened. He looked up to the sky, waiting for the verdict of fate in this cold season.

At the same time, Zhang Yanze held the power of life and death in the city of Bianzhou. He vented his desires wantonly like a wild beast on the loose, bringing infinite fear to Bianzhou.

Zhang Yanze first set a fire in Bianzhou City to create chaos, and then let his soldiers plunder so that he could fish in troubled waters and hide his tracks. The soldiers burned, killed, and looted in the city for two whole days.

In addition, he extorted rare treasures from the imperial palace from Shi Chonggui, and Zhang Yanze's house was piled with gold, silver, and jewelry, making him rich enough to rival a country.

In addition to robbing money, Zhang Yanze, who has always been known for his cruelty, also likes to kill people. From a psychological point of view, the weaker and more humble a person is, the more cruel and violent he will be. This is reflected vividly in Zhang Yanze.

Zhang Yanze went on a killing spree in Bianzhou City, killing all those who were in his way.

He killed Meng Chenghui.

The apparent reason was that Meng Chenghui had betrayed Shi Chonggui's trust. He was favored and domineering at ordinary times, but he avoided the emperor when the disaster was imminent. Are you worthy of the emperor? However... aren't you, Zhang Yanze, even more excessive than him?

The actual reason was that Meng Chenghui had accumulated a large fortune due to Shi Chonggui's favor, including mountains of gold and silver and numerous concubines. Zhang Yanze took all of Meng Chenghui's fortune for himself, and distributed his wife and daughter to his subordinates as slaves.

He killed Gao Xun, the palace gate manager, because they had a feud. Revenge is also a typical characteristic of villains. Zhang Yanze killed Gao Xun's uncle and brother, and placed their bodies at the gate for public display.

He killed innocent people.

All the wealthy families, those who were dissatisfied with him, and those who refused to obey him were arrested. The soldiers brought the "prisoners" to him, but Zhang Yanze never interrogated them. He just gave them the middle finger. At that time, the middle finger meant to cut them in half, that is, to behead them.

Enemies must be killed, innocent people must be killed, and even benefactors must be killed. Zhang Yanze killed Sang Weihan. When Zhang Yanze led the Khitans to attack Bianzhou City, Sang Weihan's relatives and friends advised him to run away quickly. Sang Weihan said that I am a senior official of the empire and should live and die with the empire.

After Zhang Yanze took control of Bianzhou, he forged an imperial decree and summoned Sang Weihan into the palace in the name of Shi Chonggui.

Sang Weihan walked to the gate of the palace and met Li Song. The two stopped to greet each other. Before they could say a few words, the soldiers urged Sang Weihan to hurry into the palace. Sang Weihan knew that this was a forged imperial edict by Zhang Yanze, and it was most likely to harm him, so he questioned Li Song: "The changes in national policies were all made when you replaced me in power. Now you want me to take the blame and die. Do you have the nerve to do that?"

Li Song's face was filled with shame and he couldn't utter a word.

Sang Weihan was brought in front of Zhang Yanze, who was arrogant, crossed his legs, and looked at him with a sly smile on his face.

Sang Weihan said: "Last year, I promoted you to be the governor of an important city and gave you military power. Why did you repay my kindness with hatred?"

Zhang Yanze was also speechless, so he asked his men to detain him first.

That night, Zhang Yanze sent someone to strangle Sang Weihan to death, and then hung his body from the beam, falsely claiming that he had committed suicide by hanging.

All of Sang Weihan's property was taken over by Zhang Yanze.

As for why Zhang Yanze wanted to kill his benefactor Sang Weihan, history books gave a horrifying answer: Shi Chonggui gave the order.

It is said that this was because Sang Weihan was the soul of the "pro-Liao faction". Since the founding of the Later Jin Dynasty, he had formulated a pro-Liao policy and assisted Shi Jingtang with all his loyalty and wisdom. However, after Shi Chonggui came to power, he took an "anti-Liao line" and deposed Sang Weihan. Now the Khitan will come to Bianzhou as a conqueror. Facts have proved that Sang Weihan's "pro-Liao line" was correct, and contrasted with the error of his own "anti-Liao line", so Shi Chonggui instructed Zhang Yanze to kill people to silence them.

After receiving Shi Chonggui's instructions, Zhang Yanze led the armed forces into Kaifeng Prefecture (Sang Weihan's office), bows strung, swords unsheathed, and shouted murderously: "Where is Sang Weihan? Come out!"

Sang Weihan walked out with great righteousness and shouted sternly: "I am an official appointed by the court. The court is in such a state of ruin that I deserve to die. How dare Zhang Yanze be so rude!" He then went to the court, sat behind the dragon desk, and summoned Zhang Yanze to answer.

Zhang Yanze was intimidated by his aura and did not dare to act rashly.

Sang Weihan scolded him, "Zhang Yanze, what have you done? The court has been very kind to you. In the central government, you have been given the title of prime minister. In the local government, you are a commander of a region. How can we treat you poorly? Now that the country is in trouble, not only do you not work hard for the court, but you are also helping the evil and helping the Khitan to harm your own country. Where is your conscience?"

Zhang Yanze stood in the hall, his legs trembling with fear. He dared not look up, let alone refute the argument. He could only bow his head, admit his mistake, and leave obediently. After leaving, he dared to wipe the sweat from his forehead, took a long breath, and said to the people around him: "I really didn't know what kind of person Sang Weihan was before. Today I have realized his majesty. It's too scary. I dare not see him again." So he sent someone to assassinate him that night.

I personally think this is a smear on Shi Chonggui, because at this point, killing Sang Weihan will not only not exonerate himself, but will further offend Yelu Deguang and increase his sins. And Sang Weihan will definitely plead for Shi Chonggui, killing Sang Weihan will not benefit Shi Chonggui at all.

(End of this chapter)