History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 770 Jiangshan Beiwang 1
【Looking north to the mountains and rivers】

After the "Battle of Fuzhou", Fuzhou became the sacred and inviolable territory of the Wuyue Kingdom, and Quanzhou was also ruled by the native generals Liu Congxiao. The Southern Tang, which provoked the war, emptied its treasury and suffered heavy losses. But after all, the Southern Tang was able to escape from the quagmire of Fuzhou, although it was naked and covered in mud.

Li Jing's top priority should have been to clean the mud (hold accountable) and put on clothes (recuperate), but the arrogant Li Jing, under the instigation of the "Five Ghosts and Four Evils", simply patted the dirt off his body (giving a light sentence to war criminals such as Chen Jue), and even ran naked to the next battlefield without putting on any clothes.

Previously, Liu Zhiyuan, the governor of Hedong, raised the banner of "anti-Liao" and called on the people of the Central Plains to expel the Tartars and restore China. The knowledgeable people of the Southern Tang Dynasty, such as Han Xizai, sighed and said that the Southern Tang Dynasty had lost its chance.

Li Jing did not fully agree with this view. In Li Jing's view, there was still an opportunity for the Southern Tang to conquer the Central Plains, but there was also a concern.

Chance:

Although Liu Zhiyuan was very prestigious, he had not yet entered Bianzhou and had not gained actual control over the Central Plains. Moreover, Liu Zhiyuan had to focus his main energy on the north to prevent the Khitan from cutting off his retreat. The strength he could actually use to go south to compete for Bianzhou was extremely limited.

In comparison, the Southern Tang no longer had to worry about the south for the time being and could focus its main energy on heading north to seize Bianzhou.

From this perspective, even if Li Jing ran naked, it was possible for him to compete with Liu Zhiyuan. It was still unknown who would win the battle of Bianzhou.

concern:

In order to conquer the Central Plains, Li Jing had to face another cruel reality besides Liu Zhiyuan - the Khitan.

Khitan and Southern Tang had been peaceful allies for many years. Now that the Khitans occupied the Central Plains, if Li Jing rashly turned against them, it would be neither right nor justifiable. Besides, the strength of the Khitans should not be underestimated.

However, in May, Li Jing received good news: Yelu Deguang died of illness in Shahulin, and the Khitan general Xiao Han who stayed in Bianzhou abandoned the city and fled, leaving Bianzhou empty.

Next, there will be a wave of civil unrest in Khitan, after all, who doesn't have smoke coming out of their chimney? Now is a godsend opportunity, the last chance for Li Jing and Liu Zhiyuan to seize Bianzhou.

Li Jing then issued an edict: "We are concerned about the Central Plains, the ancestral land of our dynasty." Each of these eight large characters exudes an air of shameless nobility.

"go home!"

Li Jing ordered the imperial guard general Li Jinquan to lead the Northern Expedition. This may be the only two correct decisions Li Jing made in the Northern Expedition.

Li Jinquan was a Tuyuhun man. He was originally a servant of Li Siyuan, the Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty. He was promoted to the position of governor because of his bravery and military exploits. After Mingzong became emperor, he was promoted to Jiedushi. He was dismissed because of corruption and neglect of government affairs. Later, he was promoted to Jiedushi again because he was a direct descendant of Mingzong and an old friend, but was soon dismissed again. After Shi Jingtang became emperor, Li Jinquan was appointed Jiedushi of Anzhou Anyuan Army.

Li Jinquan ignored government affairs while serving in Anzhou and indulged in corruption and violence. Later, he was instigated by his subordinates to rebel against the court and surrender to Huainan, where he was taken in by Xu Zhigao.

Although Li Jinquan was incompetent and tyrannical, he did not rebel on his own initiative. He was instigated by treacherous people and his misstep led to eternal regret. According to historical records, when Li Jinquan reached the border, he could not help but look back and look north to the Central Plains, with tears streaming down his face, reluctant to leave his homeland.

Li Jing let Li Jinquan take charge for many reasons:

First, Li Jinquan is indeed a rare talent as a general. He has been through hundreds of battles and has a wealth of practical experience. He can be independent in military affairs, which is a quality that the generals of the Southern Tang Dynasty generally lack.
Second, Li Jinquan was a surrendered general from the Central Plains. It was a common practice at that time to send surrendered generals to lead a group to attack their homeland, because they were familiar with the topography, local customs and people, and had a certain influence in the local area, especially "former elders" like Li Jinquan who served as Jiedushi.
Third, Li Jinquan did not belong to any faction in the court and could only be loyal to the emperor himself. This is also one of the reasons why surrendered generals are usually reused and their status is usually higher than that of the veterans and nobles of their group.

Fourth, the "Five Demons and Four Evils" of the former "pro-war faction" had just been humiliated in Fuzhou, and the voices of the "Pure Stream Party" in the court demanding severe punishment were heard one after another. It was not convenient for Li Jing to continue to use them for the Northern Expedition.

Li Jing appointed Li Jinquan as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition to plan the Northern Expedition. However, Li Jing overlooked one point. Without the support of the "Five Demons and Four Evils", any resolution of the Southern Tang court would be almost impossible to be implemented.

Li Jinquan only had a "imperial edict" in his hand which was almost equivalent to a piece of waste paper. He was unable to carry out many tasks and was really overwhelmed.

A month passed like this, and Southern Tang's "return home operation" was still at a standstill without making any progress, but Li Jing received another piece of news: Liu Zhiyuan took control of Bianzhou.

So, Li Jing made the most correct decision: cancel the operation.

Li Jing was not reconciled. Although Liu Zhiyuan had taken control of Bianzhou first, he might not be able to control the situation. For example, he lacked money, food, and soldiers. For example, the feudal lords in the country were not united in appearance, and the Khitan in the north made a comeback... Liu Zhiyuan did face these thorny problems, which were detailed in the previous article.

Therefore, Li Jing only temporarily suspended the Northern Expedition, but did not remove Li Jinquan from the post of "Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expedition". He was waiting for the opportunity, waiting for chaos to break out again in the Central Plains.

Li Jing's deduction was correct, and trouble soon came: Liu Zhiyuan died of overwork only half a year after taking over Bianzhou, leaving us prematurely, and his son Liu Chengyou ascended the throne and became emperor.

After Liu Chengyou ascended the throne, various conflicts within the Central Plains broke out. The most influential of these was the "Three Towns Rebellion" headed by Li Shouzhen of Hezhong.

In September 948, under the siege of Guo Wei, a great general of the Later Han Dynasty, Li Shouzhen was trapped in Hezhong and in a precarious situation. So he sent his aides Zhu Yuan and Li Ping to Huainan via a small road to ask for help.

In this letter asking for help, Li Shouzhen played to Li Jing's wishes and claimed to be a descendant of the Li Tang royal family, as pure as Li Jing:
According to Li Shouzhen himself, his ancestors had been generals for many generations and had made great contributions to the country. That was a glorious period. It is recorded in history books that since the Huang Chao Rebellion, our Li Tang Dynasty has been controlled by traitors. It is so sad. I have been alone since I was young, but I have always wanted to restore our Tang Dynasty. That's why I temporarily wronged myself, joined the army to fight, served the Later Jin Dynasty, and made great contributions. I was valued by Shi Jingtang and was promoted. But - I always wanted to restore our ancestors' foundation! Unexpectedly, this Liu Chengyou is such a piece of shit, a piece of mud that can't be helped...

I was planning to just endure it, a real man should be able to bend and yield, but Liu Chengyou rode on my neck and had diarrhea, forced me to rebel, and then sent his troops to the border, trying to torture me to death...

Then I became depressed, constantly thinking about life, where I came from, where I was going, what I was going to do... As a result, hey - I suddenly heard of your great name, Your Majesty who dominates Jianghuai! How awesome you are! Dominating Jianghuai, banning violence and quelling chaos, punishing evil and promoting good, pushing the dying away and preserving the survival, you have the demeanor of a king. I am willing to serve you at all times, only asking you to revive the country and restore our ancestors' country!

If you send troops to rescue me, you will be as virtuous as the Five Lords, and as virtuous as Lord Huan and Lord Wen...

"The style of the Five Hegemons" compares Li Jing to the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, and "the ruler of Huan and Wen" compares Li Jing to Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin among the Five Hegemons.

Li Jing was quite moved after reading the memorial. He felt that there were friends all over the country and that the world was like a neighborhood. "If you dare to fight for half of the country in the southeast, you will know that there are loyal people overseas."

The "Five Ghosts and Four Evils" who were good at flattery also actively encouraged the Northern Expedition, especially Cha Wenhui and Wei Cen.

"Send out the troops! Go home!"

Comrade Li Jinquan, commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition, returned to his post. Liu Yanzhen, the governor of the Qinghuai Army in Shouzhou, was appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief, and Zha Wenhui was the chief military commander. At the same time, Wei Cen was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the mobile support force.

The army was huge and marched straight to Yizhou.

It has to be said that Li Jing had great ambitions but little talent. This time, under the banner of saving the soldier Li Shouzhen, he chose Yizhou, which was the farthest from the battlefield in Hezhong, as the attack route.

(End of this chapter)