History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 876: Zhou Xingfeng's Governance of Chu (Part )
【Zhou Xingfeng's Governing Chu (Part 1)】

Some people advised Pan Shusi to seize the opportunity to establish a separatist regime in Langzhou and continue the tradition of "Langzhou and Tanzhou divided" in Southern Chu. However, Pan Shusi had a bigger vision and said that I was forced to rebel and only wanted to protect myself. Do we want to drag the newly stabilized Hunan into endless war again?

Afterwards, Pan Shusi reorganized his army and returned to Yuezhou. He sent his staff to Tanzhou to invite Zhou Xingfeng and support Comrade Zhou Xingfeng in presiding over the affairs of Langzhou.

Zhou Xingfeng's generals advised him to follow the old example and let Pan Shusi "temporarily govern Tanzhou" to honor his merits.

Zhou Xingfeng's face changed, and he slammed the table and said, "What merit did Pan Shusi have? He is a traitor who killed the commander-in-chief, and his family should be exterminated! I only spared his life because he obtained Langzhou and gave it to me. If I promote him to be a military governor, wouldn't it be tantamount to admitting that he and I were accomplices in the murder of the lord? How about this, temporarily appoint him as a military commander, and then promote him to be a military governor in a few years."

Afterwards, Zhou Xingfeng took over Langzhou, proclaimed himself the commander of the armies of Tanzhou and Langzhou, presented a memorial to the Later Zhou Dynasty, and recommended Pan Shusi as the military commander.

The post of military commander was a temporary one, and one of the assistants to the Jiedushi. Pan Shusi was already a powerful military commander, and it was obvious that he was demoted from military commander to military commander. Pan Shusi was furious, and he refused to take on the post, claiming to be ill.

Zhou Xingfeng was also angry, saying that I was also a military commander before, and although I was not as powerful as a military governor in name, my actual power was comparable to that of a military governor. Pan Shusi was still not satisfied, so what did he want? Did he want to annihilate me as well?
The staff gave Zhou Xingfeng an idea, saying that we could pretend to appoint him as the governor of Tanzhou and trick him into coming to Langzhou to accept the appointment, and then... the Hongmen Banquet is our signature skill!
Zhou Xingfeng adopted this suggestion.

After Pan Shusi got the news, he immediately prepared to leave for Langzhou. His staff and generals tried to dissuade him, saying that this was a Hongmen Banquet and that it would be disastrous.

As mentioned above, among the "Ten Brothers", Zhou Xingfeng, Pan Shusi and Zhang Wenbiao were the closest, and they formed a small group among the ten. Pan Shusi treated Zhou Xingfeng as his brother. Pan Shusi believed that Zhou Xingfeng would not harm him based on their personal relationship. Moreover, he helped him get rid of his eldest brother Wang Kui, and then let him be the eldest brother. How could he repay his kindness with hatred? He must have changed his mind and wanted to repay him with the Jiedushi Jieyue.

So Pan Shusi came to Langzhou without any doubt.

Zhou Xingfeng welcomed Pan Shusi with great ceremony. The envoys sent out before and after continued to welcome him. The roads were lined with carriages and horses. As soon as they entered the border of Langzhou, Zhou Xingfeng personally went to the suburbs to welcome them. The two brothers shook hands and talked happily, saying "older brother, younger brother" and saying endless sweet words, just like Wang Kui welcoming He Jingzhen and Zhu Quanxiu outside the city of Tanzhou. It was so touching.

Pan Shusi completely dispelled all doubts.

When the team arrived outside the Marshal's Mansion, according to the rules, Zhou Xingfeng, as the host and commander-in-chief, had to enter the main hall first, while Pan Shusi, as the guest and subordinate, had to enter the main hall later to pay his respects.

Zhou Xingfeng held Pan Shusi's hand for a long time and was reluctant to let go. After repeated persuasion from his staff and officers, he reluctantly said goodbye briefly.

Pan Shusi took advantage of this opportunity to tidy up his clothes, thinking about whether he should take the left or right step first, whether he should clasp his fists or kowtow first. While he was thinking about these details, a group of burly men with thick arms and big fists suddenly appeared around him, and they grabbed Pan Shusi without saying anything, and then carried him to the courtyard like a rooster to be slaughtered.

Pan Shusi never thought that he would meet Zhou Xingfeng again in this way. Zhou Xingfeng, who had been smiling a few seconds ago, suddenly became fierce and fierce.

Zhou Xingfeng rebuked him sternly, "You were just a junior officer (little colonel) at the company level. You hadn't done anything yet, but my elder brother Wang Kui promoted you to be a military commander. Not only were you ungrateful, you even tried to kill me! I couldn't bear to kill you because of our friendship as former comrades, so I made you a military commander. But you still weren't satisfied and disobeyed my orders. You're so bold!"

Having said this, Pan Shusi understood that he would surely die today. He did not make any explanations nor beg for mercy. He only asked Zhou Xingfeng to kill only him and not to implicate his clan members.

When Zhou Xingfeng heard this, he suddenly burst into tears, and the scene jumped to the scene where Zhuge Liang executed Ma Su with tears in his eyes. "Brother, your children are my children, your wife is my wife, so just go on your way with peace of mind."

In the third year of Xiande (956), after killing Pan Shusi, Zhou Xingfeng claimed to be the governor of Tanzhou and Langzhou, and presented a memorial to Zhou. Chai Rong appointed Zhou Xingfeng as the Grand Commander of Langzhou, the Jiedushi of Wuping Army, the military commander of Wu'an and Jingjiang Army, and the Minister of the Interior, recognizing Zhou Xingfeng's separatist rule over Hunan. Hunan officially transitioned to the Zhou Xingfeng era.

After Chai Zongxun ascended the throne, he promoted Zhou Xingfeng to the position of Inspector Grand Tutor; after Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, Zhou Xingfeng wisely pledged his loyalty to the Song Dynasty, so Zhao Kuangyin promoted him to the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat.

In September of the third year of Jianlong (962), Zhou Xingfeng died of illness at the age of 9, leaving us prematurely.

During Zhou Xingfeng's reign over Chu, he received both praise and criticism.

Let’s talk about the positive first.

Zhou Xingfeng's greatest contribution was to "correct the shortcomings of the predecessors." Zhou Xingfeng carefully summed up the lessons of the decline of the Ma family and summarized them into three major points:
He did not care about the people, was extremely extravagant and his government was corrupt.

In fact, these three are complementary and mutually causal. The rulers are extravagant and greedy for enjoyment, and the huge expenses are of course passed on to the people. Officials follow suit, witnessing and envying the corruption of the princes and nobles, while using their power to learn and pay tribute to them.

In response to these three points, Zhou Xingfeng made drastic reforms.

First of all, Zhou Xingfeng, who came from a humble background, understood the sufferings of the people very well. So after he came to power, he abolished all the harsh taxes and levies that had been imposed since the Ma period, greatly reducing the burden on the people. He simplified procedures and clauses to make them more people-friendly and convenient. He encouraged people to engage in agriculture and sericulture to restore production.

For example, as mentioned earlier, when a great famine broke out in Hunan, Zhou Xingfeng opened his granaries and released grain to provide relief to the people.

Secondly, Zhou Xingfeng took the lead in advocating hardship and simplicity. Zhou Xingfeng not only wore poor clothes and ate coarse food himself, but also included whether he was frugal and simple in the assessment of officials. As a result, officials in Hunan competed with each other in frugality. For example, Li Guanxiang, Zhou Xingfeng's aide, "made all his curtains and sleeping clothes out of paper. Xingfeng trusted him quite a lot..."

Finally, Zhou Xingfeng took strong measures to rectify the civil service system and even mobilized intelligence agencies.

Zhou Xingfeng has a huge intelligence network, and he "eliminates all corrupt officials and cunning people who harm the people." He not only eliminates corrupt officials, but also eliminates gangs and evil.

His son-in-law Tang De asked his father-in-law for an official position (a replacement official), and Zhou Xingfeng threatened him, "Based on your talent, you are not qualified to be an official. Of course, I can use my power for personal gain and give you a backdoor, but if you make a mistake at work, I will enforce the law impartially. By then, it will inevitably hurt the relationship and we will not even be relatives anymore. So..." Zhou Xingfeng gave him a plowing ox and some farm tools, "...you should go home and farm well."

If you want to use backdoors or connections, even your own son-in-law can’t do it, how can anyone else dare to think about it?

In just a few years, Hunan Province achieved political stability and economic recovery, even surpassing the late Ma period. Historical records record that "in four or five years, granaries were full."

Thanks to my old friend "江湖留白" for his monthly ticket and recommendation ticket support!



(End of this chapter)