History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 72 Huang Chao's Opportunity 2
【Gorge Road Rebellion】

The "Qian Neng Rebellion" had just subsided when another rebellion broke out in Xialu (now the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River). The rebels Han Xiusheng and Qu Xingcong cut off the Xiajiang Road, making it impossible for tribute from the imperial court to flow.

Han Xiusheng and his men were so powerful that it was difficult for the government troops to pacify them.

In the end, it was the veteran who stepped in, with Gao Renhou leading the battle.

Gao Renhou investigated the strength of the rebel army and formulated a targeted strategy to defeat the enemy. He succeeded in one battle and captured Han Xiusheng and Qu Xingcong alive. A major rebellion was easily quelled.

The soldiers tied up Han Xiusheng and the other man and threw them in front of Gao Renhou.

Gao Renhou asked, "Holy Emperor, why are you rebelling in the clear and bright world?"

Han Xiusheng sneered and replied, "Since Emperor Xuanzong passed away, is there still justice in the world? Is there still the king's law? Is there still law? Morality has fallen, and human nature has been distorted. Am I the only one who rebelled in the world? Since ancient times, the victors have been kings and the losers have been bandits. Now that I have lost, what else can I talk about? I am the fish on the chopping board, and it is up to you to decide whether to kill me or cut me."

This is outrageous, but it is also the truth. What about a wise ruler, a peaceful world, and a benevolent and kind person? Don't you have a guilty conscience?

Gao Renhou was silent for a long time and said nothing more. He secretly instructed his subordinates to treat Han Xiusheng and Qu Xingcong well in terms of food and drink, and not to embarrass or humiliate them.

Afterwards, the two culprits were sent to Chengdu and beheaded in public.

【Dongchuan Mutiny】

Gao Renhou made great military achievements in preserving the Chengdu exile government and protecting the safety of the emperor. His immediate superior, Chen Jingxuan, the governor of Xichuan, naturally also became extremely glorious. With the influence of the eunuch Tian Lingzi, Chen Jingxuan became the most favored foreign official by the emperor.

When sending Gao Renhou to suppress the rebellious people in Xialu, Chen Jingxuan promised Gao Renhou that as long as he returned victoriously, he would be appointed as the governor of Dongchuan as a reward.

Well, I will lend you flowers to offer to others and be generous to others.

In Chen Jingxuan's opinion, Yang Shili, the governor of Dongchuan, should be a "family member" who knows the rules. Yang Shili had been a flatterer of Tian Lingzi in the past, and was promoted by Tian Lingzi. In the "Beat the Three Rivers" competition, he won the governor of Dongchuan. Chen Jingxuan was really not shy and gave Yang Shili's throne to his subordinates without hesitation.

Although Yang Shili used to be Tian Lingzi's henchman, he is now a local vassal and is unwilling to give up Dongchuan.

When he heard that Chen Jingxuan had acted on his own, he was furious and publicly stated: "Chen Jingxuan and I are equals, both are Jiedushi. Why did he give my position to someone else? Is there still the king's law? Is there still law?"

In order to avoid further trouble, Tian Lingzi quickly issued an edict in the name of the emperor, transferring Yang Shili back to the court to serve as You Pushe. This was an old trick of promoting him in name only but demoting him in reality.

After receiving the imperial edict, Yang Shili was furious, "Do you really want to trick me?" He immediately killed the envoy who delivered the imperial edict and the eunuch who supervised the army, and quickly launched a mutiny.

Yang Shili mobilized the entire army and announced to the outside world that he would attack Chen Jingxuan. He issued a proclamation in all directions, listing Chen Jingxuan's ten major crimes and announcing it to the world. He claimed that he was leading 150,000 elite troops from the eight states of Dongchuan to Chengdu to purge the court of evil officials.

The imperial court issued an edict to deprive Yang Shili of all his official titles and declared him a rebel. It also appointed Chen Jingxuan as the commander-in-chief to suppress the rebellion and appointed Gao Renhou as the governor of Dongchuan.

Gao Renhou led an army of 5,000 into the battlefield.

The two sides soon came into contact in Zizhou. The Dongchuan army launched a night attack, and the deputy commander of the Xichuan army, Yang Maoyan, was afraid of the enemy and fled from the battlefield. Seeing the deputy commander fleeing, the other generals also fled, and the Xichuan rebellion suppression army was in danger of collapse.

In the critical moment, Gao Renhou remained calm, deployed the empty city plan, and ordered the soldiers to open the gates and light torches, making the camp as bright as day.

Seeing this, the Dongchuan soldiers suspected that the Xichuan soldiers were faking defeat to lure the enemy in, so they did not dare to rush in. After a little hesitation, they retreated. Then Gao Renhou waved his flag and attacked. The Dongchuan soldiers fled in panic, with many casualties.

Next, Gao Renhou showed his style as a famous general. He knew that the law does not punish everyone, and if he pursued the crime of desertion, it would inevitably implicate many people, which would not only weaken the combat effectiveness, but also shake the morale of the army.

Gao Renhou then secretly called the clerk Zhang Shao and secretly instructed him: "Quickly find a few dozen trustworthy comrades and have them chase after the deserters. Tell them in your tone, 'Fortunately, Marshal Gao did not leave the camp and did not know that you deserted. Hurry back and report for drill tomorrow morning as usual. Nothing happened.'"

Zhang Shao was always known as a loyal elder, and everyone respected and trusted him. Therefore, all the officers and soldiers who escaped returned to the camp before sunrise. Only Yang Maoyan ran the farthest, to Zhangba (now Santai County, Sichuan Province), and the intelligence personnel persuaded him to come back.

After dawn, Gao Renhou gathered all the generals as usual and gave them a speech. "Yang Maoyan, I heard that you led the troops last night and fought all the way to Zhangba, right?"

This is a very interesting statement. First, you bravely led the way and chased the enemy... but how did you end up chasing them? Anyone who understands will know that the case has been solved.

Yang Maoyan was sweating profusely, and he stammered, "Um... yes... last night some thieves broke into our camp and robbed us. I heard that you, the Marshal, had already left, so I hurriedly led people to chase and escort you... Later I found out that the intelligence was wrong, so I rushed back immediately..."

Gao Renhou was intimidating without even getting angry. He stared at him with eyes as sharp as torches. His expression said, "You're just fooling me. I'm just fooling you again."

"Vice Marshal Yang, you and I are both appointed by the Emperor to lead the army to suppress the rebellion. Let me ask you, if I abandon the battlefield and flee, what will you do?"

"me……"

"You should have caught up with me, pulled me off my horse, and put me to military trial! Cut off my head first, take over my duties, and then report to the emperor. Why did you catch up with me and protect me?"

Yang Maoyan felt ashamed, his face flushed red, he lowered his head and remained silent, sweating profusely.

"Then let me ask you again. If it was you, the deputy commander, who first abandoned the battle and fled, and then lied to deceive, what would be done?"

Yang Maoyan's eyes were filled with tears. He cupped his hands and said, "He should...he should be put to death!"

Gao Renhou lowered his head, sighed, and waved his hand. The swordsmen on the left and right flashed out, "Lord Yang, please give me a promotion."

Yang Maoyan also sighed, followed the executioners out of the tent, and beheaded himself in public.

All the other generals present were so frightened that their legs were shaking.

Gao Renhou did not pursue the matter further. He summoned dozens of Dongchuan soldiers who were captured last night, and then ordered his men to untie them and release them all.

After hearing about what Gao Renhou had done, the Dongchuan generals were terrified and talked among themselves, saying that Gao Renhou had strict military laws and knew how to use both kindness and severity, so he would be difficult to deal with!
They are right.

Less than half a month later, Gao Renhou successfully instigated the Dongchuan generals to rebel. The Dongchuan soldiers in Zizhou mutinied, turned against their own side and surrendered, and Yang Shili committed suicide.

The "Dongchuan Rebellion" was successfully suppressed by Gao Renhou.

Gao Renhou arrested Yang Shili's wife and children, and sent them to Chengdu along with Yang Shili's head.

Chen Jingxuan nailed Yang Shili's son to the north wall as a warning to the public. For some reason, the Bashu region likes to nail people to the wall.

Chen Jingxuan's three sons came to watch with great interest.

Yang Shili's son shouted to them, "Brothers, this kind of thing will soon be your turn, you must work hard for it!"

Chen Jingxuan and Yang Shili were good friends who called each other brothers, and their sons were also close friends from both generations. But today, they turned against each other and the friendship between these two playboys was overturned.

When Chen's son heard this, he felt ashamed and frightened. He quickly turned his horse's head, covered his face and ran away.

Gao Renhou successfully became the governor of Dongchuan.

Due to the Guo Qi mutiny, the Chengdu civil uprising, the Xialu civil uprising, and the Dongchuan mutiny, Emperor Xizong of Tang's foothold in Chengdu was shaky and in danger.

However, the crisis of the Tang Dynasty did not end there.

Thanks to old friends "Zhang Yunji" and "151023051918540" for their recommendation votes and support!
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(End of this chapter)