History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 654 Li Song's Death 2
Ge Yanyu secretly found Su Fengji's servant Li Cheng and told him that he was planning to turn against him.

When Su Fengji found out, he cried out that God was helping him. He immediately taught them a set of rhetoric, and then sent someone to invite Li Song to his home for a banquet, claiming that he had important matters to discuss.

Li Song did not dare to neglect and hurried to the appointment. Su Fengji met Li Song cordially, and then calmly told him the truth, "If you have any last words, please tell me quickly."

Li Song was well aware of the methods of Su Fengji's gang and knew he was inevitable, so he bowed and said that he hoped Su Fengji would help take care of his little daughter because they were officials in the same dynasty. Apart from that, he had no other request.

Su Fengji nodded in agreement, "Okay. Someone, send him off."

Su Fengji preserved Li Song's last dignity. Although he sent him to prison, he did not tie him up with ropes, but allowed him to ride a horse on his own.

Li Song went out and mounted his horse. His followers and passers-by all avoided him as if he were a plague god. Li Song was the only one on the street. He looked up at the sky and roared: "Since ancient times, there have been no immortal people, but there has also been no country that has not perished!" Then he calmly went to "turn himself in".

His younger brother Li Yu was also secretly arrested and tortured in prison. Li Yu could not bear the torture and could only confess his crimes "truthfully", saying that he and his brother Li Song, his younger brother Li Wei, his nephew Wang Ning, and 20 other servants had conspired to launch a rebellion on the day of the late emperor's burial, set fire to Bianzhou City to create chaos, and fish in troubled waters; they also sent people to contact Li Shouzhen in Hezhong, intending to cooperate with him from inside and outside...

Su Fengji took the confession and said, "This... doesn't seem true..." So he picked up the pen and added two strokes to the word "two", changing it to "five". The wrongful case of twenty people became the wrongful case of fifty people.

As a result, Liu Chengyou issued an edict to execute all fifty people who had given evidence. Li Song and his entire family were exterminated. All the bodies were exposed on the streets for public display.

Li Song was a well-known scholar since childhood. He was "smart and good at writing." He was a minor official in Zhenzhou. When Li Jiji, the eldest son of Emperor Li Cunxu, was in charge of Zhenzhou, he appointed Li Ruo as the chief secretary. Li Song recommended himself and said bluntly that Li Ruo was not worthy of this position. The heroes of the time are still to be seen.

When the civil servants of the time, such as the alcoholic Lu Zhi and the cultural bigwig Feng Dao, heard this, they thought it was ridiculous and wondered where this bold lunatic came from. They asked for Li Song's articles, and they couldn't put them down. Then they clapped their hands and exclaimed, "What a talent!" So they jointly recommended Li Song to Li Jiji, and Li Song became Li Jiji's aide from then on.

He got close to the Crown Prince and became the top aide of the "Prince's Party". If Li Jiji had ascended the throne according to procedures, Li Song would also have become the prime minister.

When Li Jiji was conquering Shu, he followed his mother's secret order to kill Guo Chongtao. The one who helped him clean up the mess was Li Song. Li Song forged an "imperial edict" overnight, calmed the army, and helped Li Jiji successfully lead the army back.

When Li Siyuan was enthroned, Li Jiji committed suicide, and Li Song lost his support. Li Siyuan appointed Ren Yuan as the judge of the Three Departments, and Ren Yuan promoted Li Song to the position of the judge of the Salt and Iron Department. However, the good times did not last long, as Li Song resigned and returned home due to his mother's death.

When his mourning period was over, a powerful vassal state leader came to Zhenzhou and appointed Li Song as his aide. Later, this leader was appointed Privy Councilor, and Li Song was promoted to the Privy Council and the Hanlin Academy, gradually approaching the pinnacle of power and starting a second spring in his life.

It’s a pity that this big guy’s name is Fan Yanguang.

At the end of Mingzong's reign, the court discussed the candidate to be sent to Hedong. The ministers argued endlessly, and Li Siyuan was very angry. At this time, Li Song proposed to send Shi Jingtang. Li Siyuan finally adopted Li Song's suggestion.

Li Song himself did not expect that his second spring would come in this way.

Shi Jingtang was very grateful to Li Song for helping him escape from danger and achieve hegemony, so after he became emperor, he first appointed Li Song as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, then the Minister of the Secretariat, and finally the Co-Prime Minister and Privy Councilor, Prime Minister and Privy Councilor. Li Song reached the peak of his life.

After Shi Chonggui ascended the throne, Li Song also served as the "Judge of the Three Departments", combining administrative power (prime minister), military power (privy councilor), and financial power (judge of the Three Departments) in one person. Misfortune often brings blessings, and blessings often bring misfortune. It was at the peak of his life that Li Song forged his tragic ending in the future. In short, he stood on the wrong side.

At that time, Du Chongwei and Liu Zhiyuan were fighting openly and secretly, and they were unwilling to submit to each other. Later, Liu Zhiyuan was exiled to Hedong, while Du Chongwei stayed in the central government and even replaced Liu Zhiyuan's title of imperial guard. In other words, in the contest between the two, Liu Zhiyuan was at a disadvantage, and the emperor trusted Du Chongwei more.

Therefore, Li Song praised Du Chongwei in front of the emperor many times. It is not known whether Du Chongwei "deeply admired him", but Liu Zhiyuan "deeply hated him".

At the end of the Jin-Liao War, Zhao Yanshou pretended to surrender, but Li Song believed it and advised the court to send troops to support him. The person sent by the court was Du Chongwei, who was strongly recommended by Li Song.

The result was obvious to all. Zhao Yanshou pretended to surrender to lure the enemy, Du Chongwei secretly colluded with the Khitan, and surrendered with all the main elite troops of the Later Jin Dynasty, 200,000 people. The Later Jin Dynasty was destroyed.

After Yelu Deguang entered Bianzhou, he was very grateful to Li Song and publicly stated: "I defeated the Southern Dynasty and only got Song!" He appointed Li Song as the Prince's Grand Tutor. It is said that Zhao Yanshou praised Li Song in front of Yelu Deguang.

Is Li Song a spy for the Khitans? Is there any conspiracy between him, Yelu Deguang, Zhao Yanshou and Du Chongwei? Maybe Li Song is just stupid and naive, but this will be the catalyst for his fall into the abyss.

When Yelu Deguang returned to the north, he asked Li Song's family to follow him. Yelu Deguang died suddenly, and Li Song stayed in Zhenzhou. Zhenzhou mutinied, and Li Song and Feng Dao and others returned to Bianzhou. At this time, the emperor was Liu Zhiyuan, who was excluded by him.

Liu Zhiyuan was disgusted with Li Song because he sided with Du Chongwei, and court officials also accused Li Song of being a Khitan spy. So Li Song kept his tail between his legs in the Later Han Dynasty until he was killed by Su Fengji.

Li Yu's servant Ge Yanyu is an important witness in this case. He is a tainted witness and a hero who exposed and reported the traitor, and was rewarded generously by Su Fengji.

The people of the capital were all sighing with regret. Fifty people wanted to rebel? The guards in the palace and the imperial guards in the capital numbered tens of thousands, not to mention the garrison troops stationed in the capital and the local defense garrisons. It was obvious that this was a ridiculous matter.

From then on, officials began to become fearful of their servants, fearing that they would learn from Ge Yanyu. For a time, the status of masters and servants was reversed, and the masters of many wealthy families were as obedient as grandsons, and the servants were as arrogant as uncles.

One day after the incident, Li Fang, the secretary, visited Tao Gu. While chatting, Tao Gu suddenly asked, "Your ancestral home is Zhenzhou, not far from Shenzhou (Li Song's ancestral home is Shenzhou), and you both have the surname Li, so you are not related by blood, right?"

Li Fang answered truthfully: "To be honest, Li Song is indeed a distant cousin of mine."

Tao Gu nodded, with the corners of his mouth raised strangely, "Li Song colluded with the rebels and had evil intentions. He was really guilty of a heinous crime—" Then he paused for a moment, staring at Li Fang with a strange look, "—I also contributed to his death."

Li Fang was so frightened that he turned pale and sweat soaked his clothes.

Seeing this, Tao Gu laughed out loud with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)