History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 859: Zelu Aftermath
【The aftermath of Ze and Lu】

This "Ze-Lu War" was very short, lasting less than two months, and the battlefield was mainly in the area of ​​Zezhou and Luzhou, namely the Xizhaoyi area, but this war still had a profound impact on the current situation. We will compare it with Chai Rong's "Gaoping War" and briefly describe the impact of all parties.

1. Song
1. Satisfactory answer sheet
There is no doubt that a great victory fully affirmed and further enhanced Zhao Kuangyin's personal prestige.

Zhao Kuangyin relied on the support of the central imperial guards to usurp the throne in seconds. The attitude of the civil service group and local vassal forces towards Zhao Kuangyin remains to be tested.

For example, Zhao Xingfeng, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, is a typical negative example. When Zhao Kuangyin led the army in person, Zhao Xingfeng was afraid to move forward, and he pretended to have sprained his foot, so he stayed in Huaizhou and avoided his entourage, playing both sides; when Zhao Kuangyin returned victorious, Zhao Xingfeng pretended to be sick at home and asked to work from home.

Zhao Kuangyin was furious and handed the case over to the relevant department (the Censorate) for serious handling, and eventually demoted Zhao Xingfeng to the position of assistant military officer in Fangzhou.

During this crisis, Zhao Kuangyin acted swiftly and decisively, and the civil and military officials in the court were closely united in the centralized system with Comrade Zhao Kuangyin as the core. They had highly unified opinions, were united in purpose, and in just two months they successfully thwarted the conspiracy of the Luzhou counter-revolutionary group and delivered a gratifying answer.

Although only Zhao Pu, Xiang Xun, Wu Yanzuo, Ma Quanyi and Zhang Yongde supported the "Ze and Lu Quick War Theory" and were clearly recorded in history, the ancients' wisdom of using a single point to represent the whole can be seen from the power groups they covered. These people just happened to represent the civil official group, the military general group, the old nobles, the local vassal and other forces, perfectly covering all major political groups, and tactfully expressing that Zhao Kuangyin's authority was widely recognized.

Of course, "extensive" does not mean 100%, and Zhao Kuangyin was very clear and sensitive about this.

Zhenzhou Guo Chong
When the news of Zhao Kuangyin's enthronement reached Zhenzhou, Guo Chong (originally named Guo Chongwei, for taboo reasons), the governor of Chengde Army in Zhenzhou, also cried bitterly, recalling the great grace of the Zhou Dynasty, mourning Taizu Guo Wei and Shizong Chai Rong. The military supervisor Chen Sihui secretly reported the situation to Zhao Kuangyin and attached his own opinion, saying that Zhenzhou was an important border town between Song and Liao, and that preparations must be made for Guo Chong in advance to avoid any accidents.

Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said, "I know him very well. He is an honest man and he just speaks from his heart. Don't think too much about it. We have all received great favors from the Zhou Dynasty. To be honest, if you hadn't forced me, I wouldn't... right, you know."

Having said that, Zhao Kuangyin still placed spies around Guo Chong, and Guo Chong's every move and every word were recorded and then reported to Bianzhou.

Guo Chong was under surveillance and was very angry. His chief of staff (observation judge) Xin Zhongfu advised him not to be impulsive, first saying that he was "honest and loyal first", and then advised him to "follow the rules", do what he should do, and don't do anything out of the ordinary, and the court will not touch him. When the court inspection team came, he should lead all the officials to welcome them in the suburbs, respectfully, to show that he had no intention of rebelling, so that he could avoid disaster.

Guo Chong deeply agreed with the plan and acted according to it. As expected, the imperial inspection team failed to find any flaws in his plan and reported back to Zhao Kuangyin, saying that Guo Chong indeed had no intention of rebelling.

We have already talked about this little story in the previous article. The focus at that time was what Xin Zhongfu called "being loyal and faithful" and creating false military intelligence of "Khitan invaders from the south" in Zhenzhou.

Now, this little story reflects Zhao Kuangyin's situation in this "baseline test". Guo Chong's identity is rather subtle, as he is not only a member of Zhao Kuangyin's group, an important part of the "Chenqiao Mutiny", but also a representative of the local vassal forces.

After hearing the news that the Later Zhou Dynasty had officially perished, Guo Chong, like Li Yun, burst into tears, "recalling the kindness of the Zhou Dynasty" and hovering on the edge of death.

Zhao Kuangyin said that he trusted him completely, but he still sent spies to keep a close eye on him.

Jinzhou Yang Tingzhang

Yang Tingzhang is Guo Wei's elder brother-in-law, and his sister is Guo Wei's concubine Yang Shufei, who is currently the governor of Jianxiong Army in Jinzhou. Jinzhou, Luzhou, and Taiyuan form a triangle, which is like a horn, exerting great pressure on the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. So when Li Yun was plotting a rebellion, he also sent a secret letter to Yang Tingzhang in Jinzhou, agreeing to unite against the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin was also worried that Yang Tingzhang would have ulterior motives, so he urgently dispatched Zhengzhou Defense Envoy Jing Hanru as the military commander of Jinzhou, to control the armed forces of Jinzhou and keep a close eye on Yang Tingzhang.

Jing Hanru was the hardcore ruthless man who recruited top killers, went deep into the Southern Tang capital Shengzhou, assassinated the Liao envoy at a state banquet, and stole the Liao envoy's head.

According to unofficial historical records, "Jing Hanru" was not his real name, but people praised him as the contemporary Jing Ke, so rumors spread that he also had the surname "Jing".

This Jing Hanru was actually born in the Yanzhao area of ​​Hebei, and was a native of Jizhou, Hebei. He had been a hooligan since childhood. When he grew up a little, he joined an organized crime group (as a bandit with Zhao Feng and Zhang Nian). During the Later Jin Dynasty, he took the initiative to surrender to Zhao Yanshou, and because of his extraordinary bravery, he was incorporated into Zhao Yanshou's personal army.

At first, Jing Hanru followed the "number one traitor" Zhao Yanshou and gained a lot of benefits. He was promoted by the Khitan father to the governor of Mizhou, and in the Later Han Dynasty he was changed to the military Sima of Shannan East Road.

He was upright, and although he was a military commander, he was a rare honest official who would not levy heavy taxes and would only care about the suffering of the people. Because he was an honest official, he could not afford to bribe the powerful officials of the time. In addition, his identity as a "traitor servant" and "a lackey of the Khitan devils" made his career in the Later Han and Later Zhou dynasties very bumpy, and he was almost buried in history.

It was not until after the "Battle of Gaoping" that Chai Rong recruited brave warriors. A Tongshi Sheren named Li Yanjie recommended Jing Hanru to Chai Rong. After the interview, Chai Rong was very satisfied with him and directly promoted him to the commander-in-chief level of the imperial guards.

During the "Three Expeditions to Huainan", he was promoted to the position of Tuanlianshi for his meritorious service and received special commendation from Chai Rong. In the early Song Dynasty, he was changed to Zhengzhou Defense Envoy, but now he has been transferred to Jinzhou.

Jing Hanru understood his master's intention. Surveillance? He was worried about Yang. Then... only a dead person could make his master feel at ease. Jing Hanru was murderous and had a hidden weapon, ready to assassinate at any time. "Every time he saw someone, he would carry a knife."

Yang Tingzhang showed a broad mind and obedience to Jing Hanru and treated him with utmost sincerity.

Although Jing Hanru was fierce, he was not a mad killer. Seeing that Yang Tingzhang had no other intentions and was respectful to others, he did not dare to get angry. Not long after, the court summoned Yang Tingzhang to the court for an audience. Yang Tingzhang immediately rode his bicycle and was later transferred to Bingzhou as the governor of Jingnan Army.

Facts have proved that Yang Tingzhang is a gentleman with an open mind. It can be seen from the fact that he "rode his bicycle on the road" on the day he received the imperial edict of conscription that he had no other intentions and was obedient to the imperial court. On the other hand, Zhao Kuangyin first sent Jing Hanru to monitor him with a knife and a gun, and then summoned Yang Tingzhang to the court. Think about why he was summoned to the court at this time - when Jing Hanru was by his side? Obviously, if there was no secret agreement between Zhao Kuangyin and Jing Hanru, it was also a tacit understanding between the monarch and the minister. If Yang Tingzhang hesitated and shirked, then Jing Hanru would take strong actions to eliminate the unstable factors for the court.

In other words, Zhao Kuangyin did not have enough confidence in Yang Tingzhang.

After Li Yun of Luzhou was pacified, the local vassal forces became much more obedient and the threats from the local areas were significantly reduced, which laid the foundation for Zhao Kuangyin to continue to reduce the power of the vassal states and even completely eradicate the cancer of vassal separatism in the future.

2. Strike while the iron is hot

After the "Ze-Lu War" ended, under the guidance of Zhao Pu, Zhao Kuangyin continued to "reduce the power of the feudal lords". Zhao Kuangyin issued an edict that the Palace Guards and the Imperial Guards should conduct a comprehensive review of their officers and soldiers, and those who were brave and brave should be promoted to "upper army". He also ordered all states to send soldiers to the capital for selection by the central government; the strong soldiers were selected and sent to the local areas for intensive training. Once they were trained, they would be sent back to the central imperial army.

In this way, all the best troops in the world were in the Central Imperial Guards (so all the tough and ferocious men were included in the imperial register).

Later, Zhao Kuangyin carried out another major reform - the garrison law. The central imperial guards were rotated to local areas. Frequent transfers not only trained the troops, but more importantly, achieved the effect of generals not knowing the soldiers and soldiers not knowing the generals, so that the local troops were no longer the private armed forces of the warlords, and the emergence of separatist regimes was limited to the greatest extent.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of rewarding in the "Ze and Lu War", Zhao Kuangyin issued a large-scale imperial decree to relocate towns.

Among them, Yang Chengxin (son of Yang Guangyuan) moved to Hezhong. Someone made a false accusation that Yang Chengxin was plotting a rebellion. Zhao Kuangyin sent his confidant to Hezhong to investigate closely, under the pretext of giving Yang Chengxin a birthday gift. After checking, it was found that Yang Chengxin had no intention of rebellion.

Yuan Yan, the governor of the Baoyi Army in Shanzhou, was also reported to have "heard that the emperor had established himself, and he had been preparing his armor and soldiers day and night". Zhao Kuangyin sent his confidant Pan Mei to Shanzhou as a military supervisor. When Pan Mei arrived, he announced the emperor's decree and asked him to come to the court for an audience. Yuan Yan immediately rode his bicycle and went to the court obediently.

Zhao Kuangyin was very satisfied with Yuan Yan, and even more satisfied with Pan Mei. He said, "If Pan Mei doesn't kill Yuan Yan, my wish will come true." This sentence is also very interesting. Did Zhao Kuangyin give Pan Mei any secret orders? Why did he subconsciously think that Pan Mei wanted to kill Yuan Yan? It's terrifying to think about it carefully.

The stories of Yang Chengxin of Hezhong and Yuan Yan of Shanzhou also tell us three truths: Zhao Kuangyin did lack self-confidence; the local vassal states were densely populated by central government spies; and the local vassal forces did not dare to have any unreasonable ideas easily.

In short, the centralization of power in the Song Dynasty was greatly consolidated after the "Ze and Lu War", and Zhao Kuangyin gradually became more confident.

2. Northern Han
It's still the same recipe, and it still tastes familiar. Beihan gives us a warm feeling of déjà vu.

Liu Chong took advantage of Chai Rong's new accession to the throne and colluded with the Khitan to provoke the "Battle of Gaoping". He was beaten like a turtle eating a watermelon - some rolled and some crawled;

Like father, like son. Liu Chengjun took advantage of Zhao Kuangyin's new accession to the throne and colluded with the Khitan. The battlefield was also in Luzhou, and the ending was also disastrous.

Zhao Kuangyin fully learned the lessons from Chai Rong's "Battle of Gaoping". After pacifying Ze and Lu, the main force returned to the camp and did not take advantage of the victory to approach Taiyuan, but only left local armed forces to resist.

For example, Fuzhou Zhe Dejian, this lone wolf from the northwest continued to harass and contain the Northern Han;
For example, Li Jixun, the newly appointed governor of Xizhaoyi in Luzhou, launched a surprise attack on Pingyao County in Northern Han and systematically destroyed the county, smashing, looting and burning.
Another example is Jing Hanru, who was just mentioned. After Yang Tingzhang of Jinzhou moved to Jinzhou, Jing Hanru led the Jinzhou soldiers to completely let themselves go, and stealing in the territory of Northern Han became their daily routine.

Jing Hanru relied on his bravery to underestimate the enemy and often went deep into the hinterland of the Northern Han, smashing, looting and burning, and captured a lot of people. The Northern Han army was afraid of Jing Hanru's bravery and always closed the city gates and did not dare to fight. So Jing Hanru took bigger and bigger steps, extending his tentacles to Fenzhou, burning Fenzhou Caoshi, and then slowly retreating. This time, the Northern Han did not tolerate him and sent General Hao Guichao to lead more than 10,000 troops to chase him.

At dawn the next day, Hao Guichao caught up with Jing Hanru. Jing Hanru sent the chief supervisor Yan Yan to divide his troops to resist, but Yan Yan was soon defeated due to being outnumbered.

Jing Hanru was sitting on a stool eating a leg of lamb. When he heard that Yan Yan had retreated, he immediately jumped on his horse and led his army straight to the enemy camp. The Northern Han soldiers gathered together, formed a spear array with long spears and large halberds, surrounded and stabbed them. Even so, Jing Hanru still killed more than a dozen people with his own hands before he fell in a pool of blood and died heroically.

Liu Chengjun of the Northern Han Dynasty was very respectful of Jing Hanru and wanted to capture him alive and make him work for him. He had long ago admonished him, "I want Zhao Yun alive, not Zilong dead." When he heard that Jing Hanru was killed, he was furious, found the soldiers who killed Jing Hanru, and ordered them to be executed.

When the news of Jing Hanru's sacrifice reached back to Bianzhou, Zhao Kuangyin was also deeply saddened. As usual, he promoted his son to an official position, then demoted Yan Yan and other "insufficient servants" and beheaded 29 of his generals.

In short, after the "Ze-Lu War", the Northern Han became a cash machine for the Song Dynasty.

In addition, during the war, the Northern Han lost two senior officials - Prime Minister Wei Rong and Xuanhui Envoy Lu Zan. This loss is incalculable. Liu Chengjun also personally admitted that this was the biggest loss of the Northern Han.

However, Liu Chengjun said that he "was fortunate to return with his army intact", which ignored the fact that in the encounter outside Zezhou, thousands of Northern Han soldiers surrendered, and in order to save time, the Song army adopted the simplest and most effective way to deal with these surrendered soldiers - killing them.

If Liu Chengjun said that he was "fortunate to return with his troops intact" not to set off the second half of his sentence "but I regret losing Wei Rong and Lu Zan'er", then he would be too heartless.

After becoming a cash machine in the Central Plains and a holy place for stealing and punching in, the Northern Han Dynasty had difficulty even saving itself and had to ask for help from the Khitan father. The Khitan sent general Xiao Siwen and others to assist in the defense. With the strong support of the Khitan father, the Northern Han Dynasty barely survived. As for its international prestige and political status, there is no need to say more. It would be tearful to say more.

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(End of this chapter)