History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 713: Internal strife 4
Wang Yanxi was furious and roared, "Old thing, are you crazy?" and then demoted him to the post of Sihu in Zhangzhou.

After Huang Jun retired, he sighed to people with great sorrow: "If the country continues like this, why should the reign title be 'Yonglong'? We might as well just call it 'Dahun'!" Not long after, Huang Jun died of illness in sorrow.

In Wang Yanzheng's camp, there was also someone who risked his life to advise him. This person was Wang Yanzheng's chief of staff Pan Chengyou.

The civil war in Fujian brought severe disaster to the people of Fujian. Bones were scattered all over the ground between Fujian and Jian states, as dense as weeds. Pan Chengyou repeatedly advised Wang Yanzheng, hoping that he would change his mind and fulfill his loyalty.

However, Wang Yanzheng's attitude is similar to Wang Jiye's, that is, "the king is not a king, and the minister is not a minister." To use the words of the common people, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked too. He is determined to go further and further on the path of rebellion.

Whenever Fuzhou sent envoys, Wang Yanzheng would invite them to participate in the Jianzhou military parade to show off his military power and flex his muscles to Fuzhou. His attitude towards the envoys was even more arrogant, rude and conceited, with an expression that said, "If you don't agree, hit me."

During a military parade, Pan Chengyou couldn't stand it anymore and knelt on the ground in public, begging Wang Yanzheng to restrain himself and not to intensify the conflict. He knelt down for a long time and said that if Wang Yanzheng didn't restrain himself, he would keep kneeling.

Wang Yanzheng was furious and turned to his attendants, saying, "Help me eat him!"

"Food with meat" was a common torture during the Five Dynasties period. It meant cutting the flesh off a person's body piece by piece with a knife and then eating it raw on the spot.

Facing Wang Yanzheng's threats, Pan Chengyou was ready to die. He was as resolute as iron and replied: "It is better to die with justice than to live with injustice. Given the situation, it is a blessing to die early."

I would rather die standing than live on my knees. If you don't repent, your future fate will be even worse than this. As for me, I'd rather die and be reborn sooner!
After a long time of persuasion from his close ministers, Wang Yanzheng finally calmed down and decided not to kill Pan Chengyou.

Later, when Wang Yanzheng became emperor, he appointed the upright Pan Chengyou as prime minister, but he was later dismissed for his direct criticism. After Huainan destroyed the Min Kingdom, he was reinstated and given important tasks. Not long after, he submitted a petition to ask for his remains to be buried, and returned to his hometown, where he lived in seclusion in the West Mountain of Hongzhou until his death.

His son Pan Shenxiu was talented and well-read. He later served as a Hanlin academician in the Northern Song Dynasty. "Hanlin academician" was an official position established by Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty. He was responsible for reading history books and explaining the classics to the emperor. He was a role that could influence the emperor's thoughts and the country's major policies. He had to be a person of high moral character, correct outlook on life, and overflowing with positive energy. He wrote five volumes of "Collected Works of Pan Shenxiu".

Although Wang Yanzheng did not kill Pan Chengyou, he was never able to accept Pan Chengyou's advice, and his relationship with Fuzhou became increasingly tense.

In July 942 AD, Wang Yanzheng launched an attack on Tingzhou.

Wang Yanxi dispatched a total of 5,000 reinforcements from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou to provide support; he also sent Lin Shouliang to station in Youxi and Huang Jingzhong to station in Youkou; he also sent the National Planning Envoy Huang Shaopo to lead 8,000 troops to support Tingzhou and contain Wang Yanzheng's main force.

Jianzhou, Tingzhou and Fuzhou are arranged in a triangle, with Youxi and Youkou being the center points of this triangle. If one controls this area, one can attack Jianzhou to the north and rescue Tingzhou to the west. It is a place that military strategists must fight for.

Wang Yanxi's tactic was to drag Wang Yanzheng's main force into the quagmire of Tingzhou, and then launch a surprise attack on his old nest in Jianzhou.

Wang Yanzheng launched 42 battles against Tingzhou but failed to capture it, so he decided to retreat. He sent Generals Bao Hongshi and Chen Wang to lead the surface troops downstream to attack Youkou to prevent them from attacking Jianzhou in the north.

When the two armies met, Wang Yanzheng's army was at a disadvantage, because the central army was well rested at Youkou and could have defeated the enemy halfway across the river. However, the commander Huang Jingzhong asked a "master" to ask for divination before the battle. The master counted with his fingers and said that the time had not come yet, so it was best to keep the troops in place.

So, Bao Hongshi, Chen Wang and others calmly crossed the river under the watchful eyes of the Central Army, arranged their battle formations, and then launched an attack on the Central Army by both land and sea.

Under the guidance of the "expert", the Central Army collapsed at the first blow. The main general Huang Jingzhong was killed, and more than 2,000 people were captured and killed. Lin Shouliang and Huang Shaopo fled back to Fuzhou in a panic.

Wang Yanzheng returned to Jianzhou safely.

Neither side gained an advantage in the battle of Tingzhou. Wang Yanzheng's investment failed and he did not gain an inch of land; although Wang Yanxi saved Tingzhou, he suffered heavy losses in Youkou.

After the war, Wang Yanxi took the initiative to show goodwill to Wang Yanzheng and sent someone to deliver his own handwritten edict, along with 900 gold items, 10,000 strings of money, and 640 blank letters of appointment to Jianzhou, requesting reconciliation.

Faced with Wang Yanxi's sincerity, Wang Yanzheng flatly refused.

In the first month of 943 AD, Wang Yanzheng proclaimed himself emperor and founded a kingdom in Jianzhou. He changed the name of the kingdom to "Da Yin" and established the reign title "Tian De". Wang Yanzheng's "Yin Kingdom" only had the land of Jianzhou, so he upgraded Jiangle County to Yongzhou and Yongping Town to Fanzhou. Wang Yanzheng's Yin Kingdom was not among the "Ten Kingdoms".

Interestingly, Wang Yanzheng’s “Yin Kingdom” was only aimed at the Min Kingdom. When interacting with the outside world, he still acted as a vassal of the Min Kingdom.

Wang Yanzheng conferred the title of Wuping Weisu Wang on the deceased Wang Yanbing.

When a new ruler ascends the throne, it is a political signal to overturn past cases, vindicate the deceased, and posthumously confer titles and honors. Wang Yanbing was the adopted son of Wang Shenzhi. He overthrew Wang Yanhan by force and supported Wang Yanjun, but was later eliminated by Wang Yanjun. Wang Yanzheng posthumously conferred titles on Wang Yanbing, which can be seen as a denial of Wang Yanjun. Denying Wang Yanjun means affirming Wang Shenzhi, while denying Wang Jipeng and Wang Yanxi.

As the son of Wang Shenzhi, Wang Yanzheng could only make his Great Yin regime morally sound and politically correct if he affirmed Wang Shenzhi and denied Wang Yanxi at the same time.

After Wang Yanzheng established the country, he immediately sent Chen Wang down the river to attack Fuzhou. Wang Yanxi had already upgraded the city defense system on the west side of Fuzhou, which was now put to good use and repelled Chen Wang.

The establishment of the Yin Kingdom marked a radical change in the nature of the civil war in Min. Wang Yanxi's compromise and concessions were met with Wang Yanzheng's further advances, which made Wang Yanxi extremely irritable and he became more suspicious and bloodthirsty.

After Wang Yanzheng founded the country, Wang Yanxi married the daughter of Shang Baoyin, the commander of the garrison (Jinwu Envoy).

I'm not gossiping, but just based on the name "Shang Baoyin", this marriage should not take place, it's unlucky.

Shang was a beautiful woman, and was favored by Wang Yanxi. She was immediately canonized as a virtuous concubine. But beneath her beautiful appearance, she had a vicious heart. Whenever Wang Yanxi got drunk, she would instigate him to kill the people he hated, or trick him into pardoning the people he liked.

(End of this chapter)