History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 673: Chanzhou Mutiny 3
When Feng Dao received the imperial edict, the tablet in his hand fell to the ground inexplicably.

All these signs give people a very strange and ominous feeling.

Liu Yun left his trusted generals Gong Tingmei and Yang Wen to guard Xuzhou, and then set out for Bianzhou, accompanied by Feng Dao and others. The guards and guards along the way were just like the emperor's tour, grand and majestic. The people along the way knelt on the roadside and shouted "Long live the emperor".

In fact, this was a trick played by Guo Wei. The real purpose of the prosperity and extravagance was to delay time. Although Guo Wei controlled the court, he had not yet obtained sufficient support from the army. Moreover, this control over the court was based on the premise that the court was leaderless. Once Liu Yun entered Bianzhou and ascended the throne of emperor in a legitimate manner, Guo Wei would really lose all his previous efforts.

Liu Yun was not unaware of the urgency of the situation. In his view, the most urgent task was to control the army and win the support of the local army. As for the control of the court, as long as he entered Bianzhou and ascended the throne in front of Liu Chengyou's spirit, all problems would be solved.

It must be said that great minds think alike. But Liu Yun obviously lacked understanding of the army and did not fully realize the urgency of time. He had won the throne for nothing, but he was still acting like an emperor and slowly moved towards Bianzhou; and as for his fight for the army, it was even more naive.

Liu Yun sent someone to deliver a letter of condolence to the soldiers on the front line, "Hello, comrades, you have worked hard!" He wanted to use this to establish a good image of the new monarch for the army, and to tell everyone tactfully: Don't worry, I won't pursue the crime of forcing the previous emperor to death, just follow me in the future.

He didn't expect that this move would backfire.

3. God’s will and human wishes

Guo Wei led the empire's elite armed forces, under the pretext of resisting the Khitan, and slowly moved north. After finally arriving at Huazhou on the south bank of the Yellow River, he ordered the garrison to rest and was reluctant to cross the river.

The Yellow River in front of him is like the Forgetful River to Guo Wei, and Huazhou is his hometown.

His team urgently gave the troops extra lessons. During the rest period, apart from mending shoes and socks and hanging beddings, the only extracurricular activity for the soldiers was gossiping about the supernatural events that happened to Commander Guo Wei:
It is said that when Guo Wei was born, "red light illuminated the room, there was a sound like the cracking of charcoal in a furnace, and sparks burst out in all directions." It is also possible that the midwife accidentally kicked over the brazier. Source: Guo Wei himself;

It is said that when Guo Wei was in the army, he took a nap on a lazy afternoon when the sun was shining, and someone found a five-colored snake going in and out of his nostrils. Source: Chai (Guo Wei's wife);
It is said that when Guo Wei was in Taiyuan, a nun named Guo was very surprised to see Guo Wei and secretly told Guo Wei's good friend and teacher Li Qiong that Guo Wei was a god who came to earth and should be the master of the world. Source: Li Qiong (Guo Wei's good teacher and helpful friend);
It is said that Guo Wei was on a military expedition and temporarily stationed in a certain ancestral hall. In the middle of the night one day, the ancestral hall suddenly collapsed. Except for Guo Wei, all the soldiers living with him were killed, but Guo Wei was unharmed. Source: Unknown, probably Comrade Guo Wei who did not want to reveal his name;
It is said that when Guo Wei was Liu Zhiyuan's bodyguard, he lived next to a beautiful woman named Wu. However, this beautiful woman attracted an unclean thing, commonly known as being possessed. The specific symptoms were swearing and throwing bricks. No matter who passed by her door, she would spit foul language and throw bricks and tiles at them, so that "no one in the neighborhood dared to pass by Wu's house."

However, when Guo Wei passed by her door, she immediately behaved herself, neither cursing nor throwing stones. People were curious and thought she didn't see it, so they asked Guo Wei to come back again. Guo Wei then walked in front of her door once, twice, three times... The beautiful Wu just refused to get sick.

So someone bravely shouted to the "host" in her body: "Aren't you a monster? Why did you beat and scold others when they came, but when Guo Wei came, why did you become cowardly?"

The "host" borrowed the words of the beautiful Wu and said: "I have to admit defeat. He is different from you. He is the reincarnation of a god! (That great man)" So all the soldiers stood in awe of Guo Wei. Source: Guo Wei's subordinates.

It is said that when Guo Wei launched a general offensive against Li Shouzhen in Hezhong, a strong northwest wind blew up on the battlefield, blocking out the sun and making the day as dark as night. Guo Wei personally burned incense and prayed at the Hebo Temple. As soon as he finished praying, the strong wind stopped immediately.

It is said that when Guo Wei launched the general attack (in May), the river god appeared in his dream and said that although I helped you stop the sandstorm, you should not be too anxious. In late July, the gods will help you eliminate Li Shouzhen. As a result, on July 5, Hezhong City was conquered, and Li Shouzhen and his family burned themselves to death. After Guo Wei entered the city, the people in the city told him that they saw purple air hovering above Guo Wei's camp, like a canopy of pavilions.

It is said that Liu Chengyou sent Guo Wei to Weizhou to patrol the border. After Guo Wei arrived in Weizhou, on a long and lonely night when he could not sleep, he sat alone in a mountain pavilion. Suddenly, a yellow gas rose from the room and floated into the sky. Guo Wei looked up and saw strange stars in the yellow cloud, "Ziwei and Wenchang were clearly visible."

Afterwards, Guo Wei told the matter to the official in charge of astronomy and astrology, saying that regardless of the meaning of the stars, how could I see the stars through the roof in the house?

This is a free point question, the answer is in the question. "Sitting and looking over the avenue of heaven, nothing can stand between us. This is the most precious auspicious sign!"

The next day, purple gas suddenly rose from the dragon head on top of the flagpole in Guo Wei's yard and hovered over the headquarters building for three consecutive days.

Source: Guo Wei himself.

Over a period of more than ten days, these trivial supernatural stories, led by Guo Wei's confidants, spread widely in the army. The Khitans in the north were pressing hard, but the soldiers were talking about "Approaching Science".

“God’s will” is complete, but what about “man’s wish”?

Liu Yun delivered it himself.

When the letter of condolence was delivered, the soldiers should have received it and expressed their gratitude. However, a dangerous scene occurred: none of the soldiers knelt down to receive the letter. They all looked around and did not bow. They also whispered to each other, "We captured the capital, forced the former emperor to death, and plundered the capital. Every one of us is charged with deceiving the emperor and committing treason. The starting price is the extermination of nine clans. If the Liu family is allowed to be emperor, how can they spare us?"

When these words reached Guo Wei's ears, he was horrified, "What do these people want to do?" Nonsense, so cute. So he ordered to march north quickly, we are the army loyal to the emperor, we are to defend our country and drive out the barbarians, don't think about it, hurry up and die!

(End of this chapter)