History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 742: Treat, behead, accept as a dog
[Invite, behead, accept as a dog]

This failed attempt to "persuade the emperor to ascend the throne" sounded a warning to Xu Zhigao. Although Xu Wen was dead, Xu Zhixun could still use the same trick. Therefore, Xu Zhigao's top priority was to complete the persuasion before Xu Zhixun did, and cut off the idea of ​​the "Shengzhou Gang" to enter the capital armed in the name of persuading the emperor to ascend the throne.

Xu Zhigao's group acted quickly. In less than ten days, Yang Pu was officially enthroned as emperor, completely severing Xu Zhixun's "mass line."

At this point, the Huainan regime could officially be called "Southern Wu".

Next, there will be a power struggle between Xu Zhigao of Yangzhou and Xu Zhixun of Shengzhou, and this will be a showdown without a doubt, the king versus the bronze.

Xu Zhixun developed the power of the "Shengzhou Gang" with Xu's direct lineage as the core, while Xu Zhigao used the advantage of "holding the emperor hostage" to clip Xu Zhixun's wings and launch a political war of attrition.

In August 929, Li Jian, the military governor of Wuchang, Ezhou, died of illness. Li Jian was Xu Zhixun's father-in-law. Xu Zhixun transferred Li Jian's 8 soldiers to his own command without authorization, and recommended that Li Jian's son Li Yanzhong succeed his father and take charge of Ezhou.

Xu Zhigao issued a personnel appointment and dismissal letter in the name of Yang Pu, the emperor of the Great Wu Kingdom, appointing the meritorious veteran general Chai Zaiyong as the governor of Ezhou.

Xu Zhixun was furious and roared, "Your trusted confidant Liu Chongjun has been in charge of Haozhou for three generations. Li Yanzhong is my brother-in-law, and he can take over his father's job. Why can't he do that?"

In this struggle, many people sided with Xu Zhigao, and even many veteran generals of the "Shengzhou Gang" who originally supported Xu Zhixun, such as Zhou Zong and Xu Jie, began to change their positions and support Xu Zhigao.

Xu Zhixun was incompetent, mean and ungrateful, and had no personal charm. Even his own brothers were extremely disgusted with him and turned to support Xu Zhigao, such as Xu Zhihui and Xu Zhijian.

At that time, Qian Liu from Hangzhou sent Xu Zhixun some saddles inlaid with gold and jade, and other ornaments, with ulterior motives to use decorative patterns on them that only the emperor could use. Xu Zhixun didn't care at all, or maybe he just wanted this kind of style. In the feudal period, there was a special crime for this, "usurpation", and the starting price was the execution of the whole family.

Xu Zhixun's aide Zhou Tingwang advised him not to cause trouble, and advised him to use these things to bribe officials in Yangzhou in order to win the support of the central civil and military officials and thus isolate Xu Zhigao.

Xu Zhixun thought it made sense, so he reluctantly gave up and let Zhou Tingwang handle the matter.

However, after Zhou Tingwang arrived in Yangzhou, he contacted Xu Zhigao through Zhou Zong and secretly surrendered to Xu Zhigao. However, he was a double agent, betraying Xu Zhigao to Xu Zhixun and betraying Xu Zhixun to Xu Zhigao.

Although Xu Zhigao controlled the central government, Xu Zhixun held a large number of troops and was in an important town (Shengzhou), with many old officials, so it was difficult to take it by force in a short time. So the two of them came up with the same routine: treat them to a meal, behead them, and keep them as dogs.

Xu Zhixun took the initiative and sent a high-profile invitation to Xu Zhigao to come to Shengzhou to attend his father Xu Wen's funeral. If he did not come, he would be branded as unfilial, which Xu Zhigao could not bear.

The political advantage of "holding the emperor hostage" was highlighted. "I'm sorry, the emperor doesn't allow me to leave Yangzhou." It's difficult to be both loyal and filial. In order to be loyal, one has to be unfilial.

When the double agent Zhou Tingwang was leaving, Zhou Zong leaked a "secret" to him, saying that someone had submitted a secret memorial to the emperor, accusing Xu Zhixun of seven major crimes of treason and that the court was about to punish him.

Zhou Tingwang leaked the news to Xu Zhixun and suggested that Xu Zhixun go to Beijing immediately to meet the emperor and explain everything to him in person.

Xu Zhixun was still quite alert and immediately contacted his brothers Xu Zhihui and Xu Zhijian in secret. What he didn't expect was that the two brothers were also Xu Zhigao's men and they cooperated in the play.

In the end, Xu Zhixun was deceived and came to Yangzhou to meet the emperor.

After arriving in Yangzhou, Xu Zhixun was detained and not allowed to return to Shengzhou. At the same time, Xu Zhigao sent his own confidants to withdraw troops from Shengzhou to disintegrate the armed forces of Shengzhou.

At this time, Xu Zhixun realized that he had fallen into Xu Zhigao's trap. He blamed Xu Zhigao, "Why didn't you come to our father's funeral? You are disloyal and unfilial!" Xu Zhigao smiled bitterly and said, "You ambushed the swordsmen and planned to bury me with you. How dare I go? In addition, as a minister, you used things that only the emperor could use. Is this an act of usurpation?"

The two brothers were talking back and forth, accusing each other. After a few words, they were both stunned and asked almost in unison: "Huh? How did you know this?"

Xu Zhixun was already trapped in a jar, with nothing left to hide, so he gave Zhou Tingwang away, "Zhou Tingwang told me."

Xu Zhigao slapped his thigh and said, "That kid also told you all these things!"

As a result, the double agent Zhou Tingwang was beheaded and his spy career ended.

Zhou Tingwang played a crucial role in Xu Zhigao's ability to trick Xu Zhixun to come to Yangzhou, but it is unknown whether Zhou Tingwang was used like "Jiang Gan stole the book" or actively cooperated with Xu Zhigao. In any case, Xu Zhigao would not trust this double agent, a scumbag who played two sides, and he must die.

Xu Zhixun was trapped in a jar, and Xu Zhigao wanted to kill him to eliminate future troubles. The second step of the three-step plan, the Hongmen Banquet, was arranged.

At the banquet, Xu Zhigao filled a golden cup with wine, held it respectfully in front of Xu Zhixun, and toasted: "I wish my brother a long life of a thousand years!"

Xu Zhixun took the wine glass, glanced at Xu Zhigao, then quickly picked up another empty wine glass, evenly distributed the wine in that glass, knelt in front of Xu Zhigao, handed one of the wine glasses forward, and said, "I wish to share five hundred years with my brother!"

Big cunning one.

Xu Zhigao had never expected this result. His face changed drastically and he looked around, at a loss as to what to do.

Xu Zhixun knelt for a long time and stared at Xu Zhigao.

The scene fell into a deathly silence. In this tense and awkward atmosphere, an actor named Shen Jiangao suddenly jumped out and said, "Living a thousand years, wouldn't that make you a turtle?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Shen Jiangao taking two steps at a time. As soon as the voice came, he had already approached to everyone's surprise. He snatched two wine glasses and drank them all, one at a time. Then he put the glasses into his sleeves and withdrew.

The banquet continues.

Xu Zhigao secretly sent someone to deliver the antidote, but the toxicity was too great. After Shen Jiangao withdrew, the drug took effect and he died of a brain collapse.

Shen Jiangao used his own life to ease Xu Zhigao's embarrassment and will be recorded in history as a loyal minister.

Shen Jiangao left two stories in history. In addition to bravely drinking poisoned wine, the other was that he advised Xu Zhigao to reduce taxes. It is said that Xu Zhigao also levied heavy taxes on various commodities. One day, Xu Zhigao invited all the ministers to a banquet and asked why it rained everywhere outside the suburbs, but not in the city. The ministers were speechless, and the actor Shen Jiangao replied: "The rain is afraid of taxes, so it dare not enter the city." Xu Zhigao laughed bitterly twice, and then ordered the abolition of excessive taxes.

Xu Zhixun was already in his hands, and had lost all his power, so he no longer posed a threat to him. So Xu Zhigao put the third step on the agenda: take him in as a dog.

Xu Zhigao's top priority was to consolidate and improve his power system, such as further consolidating his power in Yangzhou, gradually digesting the remaining Xu family forces in Shengzhou, and integrating various political resources in Huainan.

(End of this chapter)