History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 808 Zhao Kuangyin in Chuzhou
【Zhao Kuangyin in Chuzhou】

1. Discerning the pearls

1.1 Zhao Pu
According to the "Zizhi Tongjian", Liu Ci, the governor of Chang'an Yongxing Army, had recommended his aide Zhao Pu long ago, saying that this person was a great talent. After Zhao Kuangyin conquered Chuzhou, Prime Minister Fan Zhi recommended Zhao Pu as the military judge of Chuzhou. Then Zhao Kuangyin interviewed Zhao Pu and found that he was indeed a talent after chatting for a few minutes.

In other words, Zhao Kuangyin met Zhao Pu only after he conquered Chuzhou. So the "Zhao Xuejiu" who assisted Zhao Kuangyin in taking a shortcut was obviously not Zhao Pu.
Military judges were in charge of local justice, prisons, etc. At that time, more than 100 robbers were captured in Chuzhou and all were sentenced to death in the first trial. Zhao Pu thought something was fishy, ​​so he personally re-examined it and found that most of them were wrongly accused (17 or 18 were spared).

In that war-torn era, some corrupt officials would kill innocent people to claim credit, or take the opportunity to extort money, and the judicial system was relatively chaotic. Zhao Pu demonstrated outstanding work ability while serving in Chuzhou, and was deeply appreciated by Zhao Kuangyin (Yi Qizhi).

1.2 Sinus instrument
After Chuzhou was liberated, Chai Rong appointed Hanlin scholar Dou Yi to go to Chuzhou to count the inventory and set up a ledger. While Dou Yi was counting the inventory, Zhao Kuangyin sent his confidant to take the silk from the warehouse.

To put it bluntly, Zhao Kuangyin intended to embezzle public funds.

In war, the sound of the cannon brings a lot of gold. Before attacking a city, the generals would always promise their men, such as allowing them to openly loot the city for three days, or promising to open the government warehouses and give each of them a certain amount of money. Zhao Kuangyin strictly enforced military discipline. After entering the city, he did not harass the people, but distributed the money and silk from the government warehouses as spoils of war to his soldiers, which was very restrained.

What Zhao Kuangyin did not expect was that this weak scholar Dou Yi would flatly refuse to serve the fierce warriors. Zhao Kuangyin was furious and came to ask for an explanation in person, wanting to meet this scholar who did not give him face.

Facing Zhao Kuangyin's questioning, Dou Yi said: "When you conquered the city, it didn't matter even if you emptied the treasury. But now, these things have been registered and their nature has changed. They have become the treasury of the Great Zhou government. Without the emperor's edict, no one can touch a single bit."

Dou Yi not only maintained his bottom line, but also gave Zhao Kuangyin a way out. Zhao Kuangyin's anger subsided, and he looked up and down at the scholar in front of him with great appreciation, and a happy smile gradually appeared on his face.

Dou Yi later became one of the famous officials of the Song Dynasty.

2. Impartiality

One night a few days after the capture of Chuzhou, a group of people came outside the city of Chuzhou and shouted to the city gate tower to open the gate.

Generally speaking, after the city gates were closed in the evening, they could not be opened until dawn the next day, especially during wartime, such as in Chuzhou, which had just been conquered, to prevent the enemy from sneaking in. Of course, the soldiers guarding the city were unwilling to open the gates, but when the visitor introduced himself, the city defense officer was also in a dilemma and did not dare to make a decision on his own. He urgently sent someone to wake up Zhao Kuangyin and ask him to come and make the decision in person. Because the identity of the visitor was too special, his name was Zhao Hongyin, Zhao Kuangyin's biological father.

Zhao Hongyin, who was then deputy commander-in-chief of the cavalry (deputy commander-in-chief of the cavalry), led his troops to reinforce. He arrived in the middle of the night and wanted to go into the city to rest.

Zhao Kuangyin came to the top of the city wall, greeted his father, and then with an awkward but polite smile, he refused Zhao Hongyin's request to enter the city. Zhao Hongyin was anxious, "Why, you can't even trust your own father?"

Zhao Kuangyin replied: "Although we are close, it is a private matter; opening the city gate is a public matter. Please forgive me for not letting private things override public affairs!"

Zhao Hongyin was turned away and had to sleep on the streets outside the city.

This incident also made Chai Rong look at Zhao Kuangyin with new respect.

3. Solid desire and enemy knowledge

Comrade Zhao Kuangyin made his mark in the "Battle of Gaoping" and stepped onto the historical stage. In the early stages of the Huaihe River Campaign, Zhao Kuangyin defeated a larger force with a smaller one, first defeating Tushan with an ambush, and then conquering Chuzhou with a surprise attack.

The reason why Zhao Kuangyin was able to defeat the enemy with a small force repeatedly was not only due to his ingenious design, but also due to his personal bravery. For example, when he conquered Chuzhou, he broke into the enemy camp alone and challenged Huangfu Hui, leaving behind the legend that "taking the head of a general from a million soldiers is as easy as taking something out of a bag."

It is said that every time Zhao Kuangyin went into battle, he would decorate his mount with bright tassels. His own armor was also equipped with top-level soul-charging enchantments for RMB players. He was also equipped with equally gorgeous ceremonial guards, which made him very eye-catching on the battlefield.

Someone advised him that it would be too easy to expose his target this way, and the enemy would see him at a glance, which was too dangerous.

Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said, "I am just afraid that they can't see me (I really want them to know me)."

This is a manifestation of full confidence and a huge psychological deterrent to the enemy.

In that era when military ethics were still respected, soldiers despised the so-called "camouflage color", believing that it was a sign of cowardice. A real man does not need to hide, and a real warrior dares to fight the enemy openly and fairly. The more outstanding the general, the more he must dress himself up to be eye-catching, so that the opponent can see him from a distance, and declare to the enemy in a high-profile manner: I am here!

Hence the legendary story of the "Red Baron".

Zhao Kuangyin, dressed in fine clothes and riding a fast horse, illuminated the battlefield in Huainan.

(End of this chapter)