History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 799: Clean the House and Treat Guests (Part )
2. Northwest of the town
Li Yiyin of Xiazhou suddenly blocked the northwest border and cut off the road between Bianzhou and Fuzhou. According to the reason he gave, it was because "Zhe Dejian was also a military governor and ranked with me, which I felt ashamed of."

The Xiazhou Li family, or the Xiazhou Tuoba family or the Dangxiang Tuoba family, have occupied Xiazhou since the end of the Tang Dynasty. When talking about the "Huang Chao Rebellion" in the previous article, its leader Tuoba Sigong was given the national surname Li for his contribution in suppressing the rebellion (because he had Tuoba Chici before him, who was given the national surname during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang). So, the leader of this Dangxiang tribe, Tuoba Sigong, changed his name to Li Sigong.

After Li Sigong's death, his younger brother Li Sijian succeeded to the throne; after Li Sijian's death, Li Sigong's grandson Li Yichang succeeded to the throne; Li Yichang was killed in a mutiny, and Li Renfu (said to be Li Sigong's son) succeeded to the throne; after Li Renfu's death, his son Li Yichao succeeded to the throne; after Li Yichao's death, his younger brother Li Yiyin succeeded to the throne.

In other words, since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Li Yiyin family has used the Xiazhou Dingnan Army as a revolutionary base and has grown stronger. During the "Mingzong's prosperous period", the "Xiazhou War" broke out with the Central Plains Dynasty, thwarting Mingzong Li Siyuan's plan to reduce the power of the princes, and since then became a lone wolf in the northwest.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Li Yiyin had a prominent family background.

Let’s look at Fuzhou Zhe Dejian.

Zhe Dejian's father was Zhe Congyuan (later changed his name to Zhe Congruan to avoid the taboo of Liu Zhiyuan). He lived in Fuzhou (now Fugu County, Shaanxi Province) for generations and came from a family of generals. Zhe Congyuan followed Li Cunxu in his early years and served as the commander of Fuzhou. After Li Cunxu became emperor, he promoted him to the governor of Fuzhou.

Throughout the Later Tang Dynasty, Zhe Congyuan remained unknown in the remote and poor Fuzhou. It was Shi Jingtang who brought him onto the historical stage.

At the end of the Later Tang Dynasty, Shi Jingtang colluded with the Khitan and overthrew Li Congke on the condition of ceding the "Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun". The border town - Fuzhou, was among them.

However, when the Khitan army came to take over the defense, Zhe Congyuan led his people to hold the dangerous place and resolutely refused to let the Khitan enter Fuzhou. In this way, although Fuzhou had been assigned to the Khitan on paper, the Khitans were never able to enter Fuzhou from beginning to end. Zhe Congyuan became a lone hero in the northwest and saved every inch of Fuzhou for the people of the Central Plains.

Later, during the "Jin-Liao War", Shi Chonggui ordered Zhe Congyuan to open up a second battlefield and launch an attack on the Khitan from Fuzhou in order to contain the Khitan.

My goodness, no one expected that Zhe Congyuan would be so fierce. In less than a month, he captured more than ten cities of Khitan! Stealing the wild to get crystal blood.

Shi Chonggui immediately conferred the title of Inspector Taibao on Zhe Congyuan and promoted him to the position of Fuzhou Tuanlianshi. In the same year, he also served as the Governor of Shuozhou, Protector-General of Anbei, Jiedushi of Zhenwu Army, and Political Commissar of the Northwest Front Army (Du Yuhou of the Khitan Southwest Cavalry and Infantry Army).

Although Shi Chonggui was eventually defeated in the main battlefield of Hebei and lost his country, Zhe Congyuan's reputation spread far and wide. When Liu Zhiyuan entered Bian, Zhe Congyuan led his troops to submit to him and assisted him in his southward march. After Liu Zhiyuan entered Bian, he immediately promoted him to the governor of Fuzhou Yong'an Army. During the Later Zhou Dynasty, Zhe Congyuan moved several times, and his son Zhe Dejian was stationed in Fuzhou.

In other words, Zhe Dejian's father Zhe Congyuan was promoted to Jiedushi during the Later Han Dynasty, while Zhe Dejian was appointed Jiedushi during the Later Zhou Dynasty.

Therefore, Fuzhou's neighbor, Xiazhou Li Yiyin, thought that Zhe Dejian was of humble origin and could not be compared with him. They were both Jiedushi and close neighbors, which made him lose face. So he blocked the road between Fuzhou and the Central Plains. This was of course Li Yiyin's one-sided statement.

Chai Rong summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

The ministers were of the same opinion. They believed that Xiazhou's geographical location was more important. It was an important border town and the Central Plains dynasties had always tolerated and appeased it. On the other hand, Fuzhou was relatively less important. After weighing the pros and cons, we should put the overall situation first and favor Li Yiyin.

Chai Rong was very displeased, saying that Zhe Dejian and his son had always been loyal to the Central Plains Dynasty. In recent years, Zhe Dejian had been loyal to the Great Zhou and fought hard against the Northern Han Dynasty. How could he be easily abandoned? On the contrary, Xiazhou had always relied on foreign powers and was half-hearted with the Central Plains Dynasty. Besides, Xiazhou's pillar industry was animal husbandry, which only produced sheep and horses. Trade and general merchandise all depended on the Central Plains. Even if they offended Xiazhou, what could they dare to do?

Xiazhou did have a pivotal position in geopolitics, and therefore it was able to maintain its separatist rule for a long time, relying on foreign powers and colluding with Khitan repeatedly. They were like this in the past, are like this now, and will remain like this in the future. Until the establishment of the Song Dynasty, the intricate relationship between Song, Liao, and Xixia was also a major topic for historical researchers. In short, although the Xixia regime was between Qi and Chu, it was able to benefit from both sides due to its unique geographical location.

As for Xiazhou Li Yiyin cutting off the connection between Fuzhou and the Central Plains, it was not as simple as being ashamed to be on the same level as Zhe Dejian. After cutting off the connection between Fuzhou and the Central Plains, Xiazhou could annex Fuzhou without anyone noticing, or divide it up with the Khitan. With the support of the Khitan and the Northern Han, Xiazhou used the power of the tiger to threaten the Central Plains and continued to engage in traditional industries that relied on foreign powers.

However, Xiazhou's little tricks could not escape the eyes of the ambitious Chai Rong. Therefore, Chai Rong would never allow Xiazhou to bully Fuzhou, and would not allow Xiazhou to make trouble unreasonably and push forward.

Chai Rong once again rejected all objections and issued an imperial edict, severely criticizing Li Yiyin.

Li Yiyin's conspiracy was exposed. Facing the reproach of the great Celestial Empire, Li Yiyin was a man of courage and could bend and be submissive in a moment. He wrote a letter to the emperor admitting his mistake and apologizing, and resumed his career.

(End of this chapter)