History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 883: Using the Pretext of a Passage to Attack Guo and Conquer Southern Jing

[Using the excuse of passing through Guo to attack the south of Jing]

But let us focus again on the third year of Jianlong (962).

In September, the 9-year-old Zhou Baoquan inherited the family business and led Southern Chu (original); in November, the 11-year-old Gao Jichong took charge of Jingnan.

When Zhao Kuangyin sent Lu Huaizhong to Jingnan to pay respects to Gao Baoxu and Gao Jichong, he secretly told Lu Huaizhong to help him find out the truth about Jingnan. (I want to know everything about the people of Jiangling and the direction of the mountains and rivers.)

After Lu Huaizhong came back, he gave a detailed report on the current situation in Jingnan:
From a military perspective, Jingnan only had 30,000 troops;

From an economic perspective, it was a typical case of a rich country with weak people. Gao Baoxu's extravagant and licentious behavior not only ruined the finances, but also aroused public resentment and lost the support of the people.
From a geopolitical perspective, Jingnan has never been able to change its predicament of being surrounded by four enemies. The reason why it has survived to this day is, to a certain extent, the balance of power between the Central Plains, Huainan, and Sichuan. Jingnan has become a natural political buffer zone, and coupled with the flexible (shameless) diplomatic means of "Gao Laizi", it was able to survive in the cracks between Qi and Chu. Today, the strength of the Central Plains, Huainan, and Sichuan has undergone earth-shaking changes. The Central Plains is the only one that dominates, Huainan is kneeling on the ground singing "Conquer", and Sichuan is hiding in Jianmen Pass and trembling. Jingnan has lost the soil for maneuvering.

Geopolitics is a double-edged sword. When the power is balanced, geopolitics is the tool and bargaining chip for Jingnan to "play with the original in the palm of the hand". The fox borrows the power of the tiger to drive away the wolf, and the little force moves a thousand pounds. But once a situation of a single power emerges, geopolitics will become a noose around Jingnan's neck, and the whispers of the big country will echo in the ears, "It smells so good."

Therefore, after sufficient research, Lu Huaizhong gave the final conclusion - "The situation is dangerous, and it is easy to take it!"
In fact, since Chai Rong, the Central Plains has bought over many "Jing traitors" and cultivated a large number of "public intellectuals". Today, Jingnan is full of "Song fans", and even the core power circle is filled with a large number of "Song pro-election" elements, such as the "imperial uncle" Gao Baoyin, the trusted minister Sun Guangxian, Liang Yansi, etc. These people not only advocate returning the land to the Song Dynasty, but also want to do it quickly and be the first among the vassal states to surrender.

Although Gao Baoxu, who was in charge of Jingnan at the time, rejected this proposal, he still paid tribute to the Song Dynasty and was extremely submissive. Zhao Kuangyin could not find a reason to launch a military attack on him.

Zhao Kuangyin had to have some dignity, otherwise he could have just taken a small packet of washing powder and said it was a chemical weapon secretly produced in Jingnan; or he could have found a group of old, weak, sick, disabled and pregnant people, smeared them with pig blood and sand, and said they were civilians looted by the Jingnan army...

Just at this time, Zhou Baoquan of Hunan sent a letter asking for help, actively inviting the Qing Dynasty to send troops to help quell the rebellion.

"God helps me!" Zhao Kuangyin was so happy.

In December, Zhao Kuangyin first issued an edict to change Zhou Baoquan from the deputy governor of Wuping Army to the governor of Wuping Army, officially recognizing Zhou Baoquan's legitimate ruling status in Hunan. He then sent the imperial envoy Zhao Yan to the two lakes area to announce the edict to Tan and Lang, persuading Zhang Wenbiao to mend his ways. At the same time, he ordered the Gao family of Jingnan to send troops to assist Zhou Baoquan in Hunan.

That's it? Of course not.

If Zhang Wenbiao really realized his mistake, laid down his arms and submitted to the imperial court, then everything would return to the starting point, and the two lakes region would still maintain a separatist situation in which it was nominally a vassal state but actually independent.

So just a few days later, in the first month of 963 AD, Zhao Kuangyin sent Lu Huaizhong, Zhang Xun, and Kang Yanze to lead a vanguard of thousands of people to assemble in Xiangzhou. He then let Murong Yanzhao take command and appointed Li Chuyun as the chief commander to fight against the Hunan rebel Zhang Wenbiao.

Lu Huaizhong, who recently conducted a survey in southern Jing, came to the conclusion that “it is easy to obtain”;

Zhang Xun, a close confidant of the powerful official Jing Yanguang (who instigated the "Jin-Liao War") during the Later Jin Dynasty, participated in the "Three Expeditions to Huainan" and "Northern Conquest of the Three Passes" during the Later Zhou Dynasty, and participated in the Battle of Zelu and the Battle of Yangzhou in the early Song Dynasty;
Kang Yanze was a Shatuo. His father was Kang Fu, a famous general of the Later Tang Dynasty. His greatest contribution was guarding the western border of the empire. He was marginalized due to the frame-up by the powerful official An Zhonghui. Kang Fu was racist and believed that the Shatuo people were the most noble ethnic group. He once chased out of the hall after hearing a staff member say "the brocade fur is rotten" and angrily shouted: "I am a Shatuo, not a Xi. You are a rotten Xi, and your whole family is rotten Xi!"

As for Murong Yanzhao and Li Chuyun, there is no need to introduce them in detail. They were the main actors in the "Chenqiao Mutiny" and Zhao Kuangyin's confidants.

From the mobilization of troops, we can also see Zhao Kuangyin's ambition. In addition to the most elite central imperial guards in the world, he also mobilized local troops from ten states such as Anzhou and Fuzhou. The Song army soldiers could drown Zhang Wenbiao with just a spit. Obviously, the target of this army was not Zhang Wenbiao, but the entire two lakes area.

Before the army set off, Zhao Kuangyin could not contain his inner ecstasy, and said to Prime Minister Fan Zhi: "Jiangling is a divided country. Today I will use the strategy of passing through Guo to recover the two lakes in one fell swoop!" Then, he secretly gave the highest instructions to the generals in charge - I want both!

After receiving the imperial edict from Zhao Kuangyin, Gao Ji Chong of Jingnan sent General Li Jingwei to lead 3,000 elite naval forces to obey the order. Li Jingwei stationed his troops outside the city, waiting to join forces with the Song army.

The next month, the main force of the Song army passed through Xiangzhou. The commander-in-chief Li Chuyun sent Ding Deyu to lead the way and arrive in Jingnan first. He told Gao Jichong that the royal army wanted to pass through Jingnan to attack Zhang Wenbiao, and asked Jingnan to prepare food and money and reward the three armies in Jiangling City.

Gao Ji Chong was in a dilemma. The story of attacking Guo through the false pretext of passing through the city was as well-known as the Hongmen Banquet. So he replied that a large army entering the city would easily cause panic among the people, and that they were willing to provide supplies from a distance of a hundred miles. Distance creates beauty.

Li Chuyun sent Ding Deyu again and deliberately made it clear, "Don't you trust the royal army? The royal army was invited to go south to quell the rebellion in a fair and open manner. Do you think the royal army has other ideas?" At the same time, he assured Gao Jichong that speed is of the essence in war, and the Song army had to take the main road and pass through the city because they were in a hurry to travel.

At this time, the public intellectuals surrounding Gao Ji Chong began to speak out, saying that the Song Dynasty was a benevolent and righteous army, the people were of high quality, and the air was sweet, so how could it be so dirty and despicable? It was us, the people of Jingnan, who were filthy and rotten, and we had to work hard to win the trust of the Song Dynasty and improve the international status of Jingnan...

At this time, Li Jingwei, who was stationed outside, shouted that we should not believe him, saying that Zhao Kuangyin was a bad old man! We have tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Jingnan. Although I am not talented, I am willing to die for my country!
Li Jingwei attached a battle plan: use these 3,000 soldiers to station in dangerous places to lure Li Chuyun's troops over, then sneak into the camp at night and capture his general; then go south in one go and capture Zhang Wenbiao alive.

Since the reason for the Song Dynasty to borrow the passage is to quell Zhang Wenbiao's rebellion, we only need to tie Zhang Wenbiao up and take him to Bianzhou, and then submit a petition to wait for punishment, and the Song Dynasty will have no reason to invade Jingnan. In this way, Jingnan can be saved from danger. Otherwise, my lord will be in trouble.

This is a risky move. First of all, can Jingnan capture Zhang Wenbiao alive in one fell swoop?

Secondly, by tying Zhang Wenbiao to Bianzhou, the Song Dynasty would certainly lose its reason to allow the emperor to pass through Kaifeng. However, the act of ambushing the royal army was already an act of rebellion, so the Song Dynasty no longer needed to find an excuse to send troops to southern Jing.

Gao Ji Chong also believed that this was no longer a "risky move" but a dead move, so he said that the Gao family had been a vassal of the Central Plains for generations and would never do such a rebellious thing!
Sun Guangxian, a "pro-Song" element and chief aide, also added fuel to the fire, saying that Li Jingwei was just an ordinary commoner living by the river and had no understanding of politics or current affairs. The Central Plains had had the ambition to unify since Chai Rong, and the Song Dynasty had inherited its grand ambition, and its national strength had only increased. Now, to attack Zhang Wenbiao would be like a mountain crushing an egg. Don't wait for others to use you as a pretext to attack Guo. We should be sensible and surrender voluntarily. The people in southern Jing would be spared the suffering of war, and you, my lord, would also be rich and powerful. Why not do it?

Under the leadership of Sun Guangxian, the meeting gradually changed its nature. At the beginning, the discussion was about how to politely decline the Song Dynasty's request to allow the passage of the country, but after much discussion, the topic became when to surrender to the Song Dynasty.

As mentioned above, Gao Ji Chong had actually been sidelined by the "Song-leaning" elements. According to historical records, Gao Ji Chong was too young to rule the country, so all internal affairs (criminal affairs, taxes and labor service) were handed over to Sun Guangxian, and all military affairs (military brigade, dispatch) were handed over to Liang Yansi. They were all die-hard "Song-leaning" elements, and they all advocated surrendering to the Song Dynasty.

Under such circumstances, the 20-year-old young ruler Gao Jichong had basically no choice but to agree with the opinions of his ministers and send Gao Baoyin and Liang Yansi to reward the Song army with money and food and secretly observe the strength of the Song army in order to make plans for the next step.

General Li Jingwei sighed to the sky and said, "We are willing to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty surrender first?" Then he committed suicide and died for his country. Later, Zhao Kuangyin heard about Li Jingwei's deeds and praised him, saying, "He is a loyal minister!" Then he ordered people to treat his family well. History books praised him as "a leader in troubled times."

Gao Baoyin and Liang Yansi brought fine wine and food to Jingmen, a hundred miles away from Jiangling City, to reward the troops. This was Li Chuyun's base.

Li Chuyun warmly entertained the two. After several attempts, Li Chuyun kept his mouth shut, saying that if Hunan was in trouble, the court would naturally support it, and if there were rebels in Jingnan, the court would also strongly support it. He also said that he would have a good drink tonight and send the two back to the city early tomorrow morning.

The two were very moved, so they hurriedly sent a messenger to Jiangling to reply to Gao Jichong, saying that it was indeed us who were too mean, and that the Central Plains was worthy of being a great country and was responsible and accountable, so don't worry, everything will be fine.

That evening, Song army commander Murong Yanzhao held a grand banquet and invited Gao Baoyin and Liang Yansi to the banquet. Li Chuyun secretly led thousands of elite cavalry and galloped at night to Jiangling Prefecture, which was a hundred miles away.

Gao Ji Chong received the report from Liang Yansi, and his heart was relieved. Just when he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he received a bolt from the blue, saying that thousands of Song cavalry were approaching Jiangling Prefecture and would soon be at the gates of the city.

After receiving the news, Gao Jichong had almost no hesitation. He immediately brought civil and military officials and attendants and went out of the city to greet him with great trepidation. Finally, he met Li Chuyun about 15 miles north of Jiangling City.

Li Chuyun bowed to Gao Ji Chong and reassured him not to panic, saying that he had no other intentions, but that Marshal Murong Yanzhao wanted to talk to him. "Wait a moment, the Marshal is drinking and will be here soon, please be patient."

After taking Gao Ji Chong under control, Li Chuyun led the vanguard troops into Jiangling City. When Murong Yanzhao and Gao Ji Chong returned to the city at dawn the next day, the streets were full of Song army flags, and fully armed Song army soldiers patrolled the city in rows. All military facilities in Jiangling City were firmly controlled by Li Chuyun.

Gao Ji Chong was terrified, so he ordered people to bring a sedan chair, secretly dug a big hole at the bottom of the sedan chair, and then covered the well mouth with it. He then lured his family members in one by one, telling them that they were going to leave the city in the sedan chair. In this way, the family members fell into the well and died one after another.

According to records, this well was located in the back garden of the government office. Later generations called it "Gao's Well" and planted cypress trees around it and built an ancestral hall to commemorate the Gao family members.

After dealing with his family, Gao Jichong took out the household registration book, official seal, etc. and presented them to Murong Yanzhao.

"Ji Chong was greatly frightened, so he confiscated all the three states, 17 counties, and 142,300 households in his territory and presented a petition to surrender."

At this point, the separatist regime in southern Jing that had lasted for 57 years ceased to exist, and Zhao Kuangyin recovered southern Jing without firing a single shot.

Zhao Kuangyin issued an edict to appease Gao Jichong and still appointed him as the governor of Jingnan, and granted him the title of commander of the cavalry and infantry. Of course, all these were honorary titles, and Gao Jichong had no real power. Liang Yansi, Sun Guangxian and other "Song-oriented" elements made great contributions to the peaceful surrender of Jingnan, so it was natural that they were given official positions and generous rewards.

In October, Gao Jichong was transferred to Xuzhou. He died of illness in Xuzhou in the sixth year of Kaibao (10) at the age of 973. He left us too early. The people of Xuzhou, remembering his merits in the town, requested to bury him in Xuzhou, but the request was rejected by the court. Where Gao Jichong was buried remains a mystery.

In 907 AD, Gao Jichang took charge of Jingnan. In 963 AD, Gao Ji Chong surrendered. The "Gao Laizi" family, with four generations and five generals, ruled the tiny Jingnan area for 57 years. However, the historians' evaluation of it was somewhat murderous:

"When the true man emerges, the world will be united. This is inevitable... Even if there is no plan to attack Guo and destroy Yu, can the Gao family hold on to this place forever? Guangxian knows the reason, and he is different from those who sell out their country for wealth and honor."

It means that Zhao Kuangyin is the true emperor and national unification is the general trend. Even if there has been no attack on Guo through the false pretext of passing through Jingzhou, it would have been difficult for Jingnan to continue to be separatist. The second half of the sentence is to vindicate the "Song-oriented" elements, saying that Sun Guangxian and others pushed for unification precisely because they knew this truth, and they are fundamentally different from the villains who sell out their masters for fame and fortune.

Many things in the past and present are just jokes. The merits and demerits of the people will be judged by the future generations.

(End of this chapter)