History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 665 Qingjun’s Side

In this bloody coup at the end of the Later Han Dynasty, Liu Chengyou and the "small gang" were obviously the masterminds. Not only did they not discuss it with Su Fengji of the civil service group, they did not even reach an agreement with the "uncle gang". In the "uncle gang", only Li Ye participated in it. From the performance of Li Hongjian and Li Hongyi, it can be clearly felt that they were also quite worried about this coup.

It was this kind of worry and vacillation that led to the rapid demise of the Later Han Dynasty.

Meng Ye arrived in Chanzhou with the secret decree and told Li Hongyi the action plan: first kill Wang Yin in Chanzhou, and then go to Weizhou to kill Guo Wei and Wang Jun.

Li Hongyi was shocked and frightened. After much thought, he believed that this plan would never succeed, so he personally brought Meng Ye and the secret decree to Wang Yin and revealed the court's evil plan.

Wang Yin was shocked and immediately imprisoned Meng Ye. He then sent his deputy Chen Guangsui to deliver the secret decree to Guo Wei at full speed.

Guo Wei was discussing military affairs with Wang Jun when he suddenly received the secret decree and immediately returned to the headquarters. According to historical records, Guo Wei acted so quickly that he did not have time to explain to Wang Jun who was beside him.

Prior to this, Guo Wei had already received news that Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin and others had been executed. He felt uneasy and confused. Then he saw that he was also on the death list. He knew that he would be forced to join the Liangshan Rebellion.

Guo Wei took the secret decree to his trusted adviser Wei Renpu and asked, "There must be a misunderstanding. Someone must have framed me. I plan to return to the capital to see the emperor and explain it to him in person. What do you think?"

Wei Renpu was filled with grief and indignation, and burst into tears. "Marshal, you are a pillar of the country, respected and admired by everyone. Now you are in charge of a large army and in an important town, but you are framed by a villain. How can you explain it in a few words? Now that things have come to this, are you going to sit and wait for death?"

Guo Wei certainly would not surrender, but he did not have enough confidence to resist the "imperial edict". Because the families of his soldiers were all in Bianzhou, with the support of the central government's official documents and the hostages, who could guarantee the absolute loyalty of his soldiers?
Wei Renpu smiled slightly, "That's easy. The final right to interpret this imperial edict is in your hands. Don't say that the secret decree only kills you and Wang Jun, but say that all the soldiers in Weizhou should be massacred to anger the soldiers."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Afterwards, Guo Wei summoned his generals.

Guo Wei looked at them affectionately, leaving two lines of tears, and began to recall the past, sigh for the present, and enjoy the future: "I started as a small soldier and assisted the late emperor wholeheartedly. Thanks to the late emperor's favor and repeated promotions, I, Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin and other capable workers present here worked together with all our hearts and souls, and finally conquered this land. However, today, an imperial edict came, saying that our Weizhou soldiers had the intention of rebellion and wanted to massacre us all. Otherwise, you can chop off my head first, then go to the emperor to prove your innocence and enjoy the glory and wealth."

The generals knelt down, weeping bitterly, and said, "This must not be the emperor's intention. It must be the treacherous ministers who forged the imperial edict. If these people are allowed to take power, the country will perish! For the sake of the country, you cannot die on this edict. After thousands of years, you will still be branded as a traitor. We are willing to follow you back to the capital and clear the court of evil!"

At this time, Hanlin Astronomy Zhao Xiuji stood up and said, "General, rather than die in vain, you should follow everyone's advice and lead the army south. This is an opportunity given to you by God!"

Zhao Xiuji once dissuaded Li Shouzhen from rebelling against the imperial court, but Li Shouzhen insisted on his own way, so Zhao Xiuji resigned and returned home. After Li Shouzhen was defeated, he was not held accountable as Li Shouzhen's counselor, but was promoted instead. Because he was proficient in astronomy and astrology, he was promoted to the Imperial Academy of Astronomy. This time, Zhao Xiuji used his expertise to make a point, like "I observe the stars at night and calculate with my fingers", so the soldiers were more convinced that Guo Wei would win, and they united closely around Guo Wei without any second thoughts.

Since everyone agreed, Guo Wei would of course obey the call of the masses. So Guo Wei immediately assembled his troops, left his adopted son Chai Rong to guard Weizhou, and ordered Guo Chongwei to lead the cavalry as the vanguard.

On November 11, Guo Wei led the main force south; the next day, they arrived in Chanzhou.

Li Hongyi opened the door to welcome him, Wang Yin greeted him and wept bitterly, telling him the history of revolution. Guo Wei hugged him and cried.

The patrol captured the eunuch Longtuo who was sent by Liu Chengyou to investigate the situation in Weizhou. Guo Wei wrote a secret letter and hid it in Longtuo's collar, asking him to go back and tell Liu Chengyou the reason why he led his troops to the capital.

In the secret letter, Guo Wei first expressed his loyalty to the Han Empire. It was an old routine. He was born in a humble family, but was blessed by the previous emperor. He was rich and noble. He thought about how to repay the emperor's grace every day and dared not have any other ideas. However, there was an imperial edict to kill me recently. Of course, I obeyed the imperial edict and let the executioner do it. However, no one in the army was willing to execute me. Not only did they refuse to kill me, they also forced me to go to the capital and ask me to confess my crime in person, saying that the emperor was wise and would not be so confused, and that it must be a villain who framed me. There was no other way. I brought them to find you. I happened to meet Long Tuo on the way, so I asked him to help pass on a message. I would arrive soon, in just three or five days. If you really think I am guilty, I will die on the spot for you to see; but if there is indeed a villain who framed me, please tie this villain to the front of the army and let my subordinates deal with him to appease the army and the people. I can die with my eyes closed.

Hard words are said softly, and reasonable excuses are made. To sum it up in three words: clear the court.

Since the term “清君侧” was invented, the purpose of its users has never been limited to “侧”. As the saying goes, the real purpose lies elsewhere. “清君侧” is named to clear the “ce”, but it actually means to clear the “king”.

On November 11, Guo Wei arrived in Huazhou.

Song Yanwo, the governor of Huazhou, opened the gate to welcome him and expressed his allegiance.

Song Yanwo is quite interesting. His father's name is Song Yanhao. At first glance, you might think they are brothers, but they are actually father and son. His background is not simple either. Song Yanhao married Li Cunxu's daughter Princess Yining. Song Yanwo is Li Cunxu's grandson. His father Song Yanhao died for his country at the beginning of the Later Jin Dynasty when Zhang Congbin rebelled at Zhenzhou Sishui Pass. Song Yanwo was only 11 years old at that time.

Shi Jingtang was Li Siyuan's son-in-law, and he was of the same generation as Song Yanhao. He also respected Princess Yining very much. Song Yanhao died for his country, so Shi Jingtang treated Song Yanhao very well and appointed him to an official position through his family background. When Liu Zhiyuan was stationed in Hedong, he married his daughter to him. Later, his eldest daughter married Zhao Kuangyin.

Therefore, historical books describe Song Yanwo as "the grandson of Emperor Zhuangzong, the son-in-law of Emperor Hanzu, and his daughter is Empress Xiaozhang, who is extremely noble and prosperous in modern times and is rarely compared to him." The future glory of the Song family is directly related to their knowledge of current affairs.

(End of this chapter)