History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 997: Past Events in Quanzhou (Part )
【Quanzhou Past】

Quanzhou, which is today's Quanzhou City in Fujian Province, was under the jurisdiction of the Min Kingdom during the Five Dynasties and was one of the five states of the Min Kingdom (Fu, Jian, Quan, Zhang, and Ting).

Liu Congxiao was from Yongchun County, Quanzhou. He lost his father at an early age and lived a hard life with his mother and brother. His mother was kind and his son was filial, his brothers were friendly and his younger brothers were respectful. He was known for his filial piety in the village. Later, he joined the army. At first glance, his childhood was somewhat similar to Zhu Wen's. He was the Tongliao universe of the Five Dynasties. As mentioned above, serious civil strife broke out in the late Min Kingdom. First, the brothers fought against each other, and then the "Zhu and Lian Rebellion" broke out. Zhu Wenjin and Lian Chongyu killed the Min lord Wang Yanxi and surrendered to the Central Plains.

At that time, Liu Congxiao was already the commander of Quanzhou. Facing the chaotic situation, Liu Congxiao and his confidants Wang Zhongshun, Dong Si'an, and Su Guanghui conspired for a way out. Liu Congxiao said: Zhu Wenjin killed his master, and the legal system is not right. We are the benefactors of the Wang family. How can we be loyal to Zhu and Lian? Besides, there is also Comrade Wang Yanzheng in Jianzhou. If Wang Yanzheng enters Fuzhou one day, how can we explain to him?
Everyone thought it made sense and expressed their willingness to obey Liu Congxiao's orders.

So Liu Congxiao secretly summoned a few trusted soldiers to his home for a drink. When they were drunk, Liu Congxiao lied to them and said that Wang Yanzheng of Jianzhou had conquered Fuzhou and sent me a "secret decree" to let us recapture Quanzhou and make achievements. I see that you are very capable and will definitely become rich and powerful in the future. I wonder if you are willing to make this achievement with me? If you do not follow Wang Yanzheng's secret order, I am afraid there will be a disaster!

Multiple choice question, life or death. Of course, anyone with brains would choose the former. After several people pointed to the sky and slapped their chests and swore a poisonous oath, Liu Congxiao finally recruited a 52-man death squad, including the deputy military envoy Chen Hongjin. Armed with sticks, they climbed over the wall at night and entered the inner city, capturing and beheading Huang Shaopo, the pseudo-Quanzhou governor appointed by Zhu Wenjin.

Afterwards, Liu Cong led everyone to elect Wang Jixun as the acting governor of Quanzhou.

Wang Jixun was the grandson of Wang Shengui. The three brothers Wang Chao, Wang Shengui and Wang Shenzhi were later revered as the "Three Kings of Fujian". Among them, Wang Shenzhi was the founding monarch of the Min Kingdom. The subsequent rulers of the Min Kingdom were all descendants of Wang Shenzhi. Wang Jixun was a descendant of Wang Shengui and was already a relatively distant member of the royal family.

After Zhu Wenjin murdered Wang Yanxi, he hunted down and killed all members of the Wang clan. Wang Jixun was spared because he was a distant relative. Liu Congxiao, under the banner of "supporting the Han Dynasty", had to find an "Uncle Liu" to make a show. As a result, Wang Jixun, who lived in Quanzhou, was pushed to the forefront.

At the same time, Zhangzhou general Cheng Mo also killed the governor sent by Zhu Wenjin and supported Wang Jicheng, who was also a distant royal family member.

Obviously, Wang Jixun was just a puppet of Liu Congxiao's group, and the military and political power of Quanzhou was controlled by Liu Congxiao and others. Liu Congxiao, Wang Zhongshun and Dong Si'an signed themselves as the generals of the army to suppress the bandits, and Chen Hongjin and others were promoted to commanders.

Liu Congxiao sent Chen Hongjin to deliver Huang Shaopo's head to Wang Yanzheng of Jianzhou and reported the progress of the uprising in Quanzhou. Wang Yanzheng was delighted and praised Liu Congxiao and others for their loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and officially endorsed their official positions.

After learning of the uprising in Quanzhou, the rebel Zhu Wenjin sent out 20,000 troops to "encircle and suppress" the uprising, but was repelled by Liu Congxiao. Wang Yanzheng of Jianzhou then organized a counterattack and sent a navy to besiege Fuzhou.

Under the huge military pressure from Wang Yanzheng, Zhu Wenjin was killed by his generals, and Fuzhou then surrendered and welcomed Wang Yanzheng to come and guide the work. The Min Kingdom finally ushered in a brief unification after a long period of division.

Why is it said to be a short-lived unification? Because Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty was unwilling to be lonely. This overlord of southern China has been coveting Fujian since he annexed Jiangxi. Now he no longer hides it, "I won't pretend anymore. I'm going to show my cards. I just covet your body."

As soon as Wang Yanzheng entered Fuzhou, the Southern Tang took advantage of the situation and attacked his base camp in Jianzhou. With their overwhelming advantage, they quickly won the victory and forced Wang Yanzheng to surrender. The Min Kingdom was thus destroyed.

Fujian general Li Renda took the opportunity to seize control of Fuzhou, which was in a power vacuum, while Liu Congxiao led his troops to expel the Zhangzhou garrison sent by the Southern Tang and took control of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou. Some records say that Liu Congxiao kidnapped Wang Jixun and brought him to the Southern Tang as a token of surrender, while others say that Li Jing of the Southern Tang asked him to send Wang Jixun. In short, Liu Congxiao presented the puppet Wang Jixun to the Southern Tang, which designated Quanzhou and Zhangzhou as Qingyuan Army and appointed Liu Congxiao as Jiedushi.

Li Renda and Liu Congxiao both expressed their allegiance to the Southern Tang, so in that brief moment, the Southern Tang also achieved paper unification with the Min Kingdom.

The issue of sovereignty was not up for discussion. The Southern Tang could not tolerate Li Renda and Liu Congxiao's separatist rule over Fujian. There were irreconcilable contradictions between them, and Li Renda occupied the more important Fuzhou, so he became the first target of "cutting down the vassal states", and the "Battle of Fuzhou" broke out.

The Southern Tang sent a large army to besiege Fuzhou, and ordered Liu Congxiao of Quanzhou to send troops to cooperate with the royal army.

Letting Liu Congxiao attack Li Renda was like courting disaster. If they took Fuzhou today, they would have to take Quanzhou tomorrow, so it was not in Liu Congxiao's interest for Southern Tang to recapture Fuzhou. As we have mentioned many times in the previous article, in the "Battle of Fuzhou", Liu Congxiao was a good actor who focused on letting the enemy win from the very beginning, and he was extremely eager for Southern Tang to lose.

As Liu Congxiao wished, the Battle of Baixiapu caused the Southern Tang to be defeated and Fuzhou was taken over by the Wuyue Kingdom. The Southern Tang was seriously injured and Liu Congxiao was ecstatic. After returning to Quanzhou, Liu Congxiao "persuaded" the Southern Tang garrison to leave and refused to pay tribute to the Southern Tang on the grounds of long distance and suffering from war. The Southern Tang was out of reach and was forced to accept. As a result, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou became a country within a country, and Liu Congxiao became a local emperor in name only.

The entrepreneurial process of Liu Congxiao's separatist rule over Quanzhou and Zhangzhou was no different from that of the separatist forces in the late Tang Dynasty. The only thing worth mentioning is the policies during his rule.

Along the way, we have seen a wide variety of separatist warlords, most of whom were cruel and brutal. They basically imposed heavy taxes and levied heavy taxes on the people, which caused widespread complaints. Liu Congxiao, on the other hand, was frugal and loved the people. He promoted cultural and educational undertakings, and vigorously operated Quanzhou Port, which promoted overseas trade and had a positive impact on the development of the southern Fujian region. Until the Yuan Dynasty, Quanzhou Port was one of the world's top 10 ports. Many people also advised him to be a little extravagant. He had fought for his whole life, so why couldn't he enjoy himself? Liu Congxiao told them that he was born into a poor family. Now that he is rich, he cannot forget his roots. Is it wrong for ordinary people to not be able to afford cosmetics that cost 79 wen? Should he be scolded for not working hard? You can be arrogant, but don't forget your roots.

The historian used sincere and simple words to describe Liu Congxiao's political achievements for us - "the people loved him very much."

Wang Yanzheng's two daughters stayed in Quanzhou. At that time, the Kingdom of Min had been destroyed and Wang Yanzheng had been taken prisoner. Liu Congxiao was still as respectful and courteous to the daughters of his former master as before, and gave them a considerable living allowance every month. "Everything was done as before, and the financial support was very generous."

Liu Congxiao was diligent in his work and loved his people. He had a clear understanding of his own status and a deep comprehension of "being between Qi and Chu". He flexibly moved between the Central Plains Dynasty and the Southern Tang, and was able to get the best of both worlds in the late Five Dynasties.

Before the "Three Expeditions to Huainan", he also wrote a memorial to encourage Li Jing to march north to the Central Plains. On the surface, he was flattering Li Jing and showing his loyalty to the Southern Tang. In reality, he hoped that the Southern Tang would focus on the north instead of going south to weaken his vassal. For Quanzhou Liu Congxiao, the best outcome would be that both the Central Plains and the Southern Tang would suffer losses, one would collapse and fall apart, and the other would lie on a sickbed and groan in pain.

He guessed the beginning, but not the end. The two great powers did fight, and it was the kind of massive war of annihilation he had hoped for, the "Three Expeditions to Huainan".

No one expected that the military strength of the great country in the Central Plains was so terrifying, and no one expected that the Southern Tang Empire, which dominated southern China, was so vulnerable. The Later Zhou Dynasty was like a crushing force, breaking the myth of the Southern Tang Empire and shattering Liu Congxiao's worldview.

So, Liu Congxiao sent his confidant disguised as a businessman, crossed the ruined Southern Tang, met with Chai Rong, and handed over a secret letter, expressing his willingness to submit to the Later Zhou Dynasty, which was the only legitimate government on Chinese land, YYDS.

Generally speaking, the Central Plains dynasty or other regimes would not refuse such a fat piece of meat that was delivered to their doorstep. However, as mentioned above, at that time, the Later Zhou Dynasty and the Southern Tang Dynasty had just signed a ceasefire agreement, and the Southern Tang Dynasty had ceded territory and paid compensation, reduced its state and system, and if it publicly accepted Liu Congxiao's vassalage and dependence at this time, it would undoubtedly be a breach of trust and breach of contract, which would damage the image of the Later Zhou Dynasty as a great power. Wouldn't the Southern Tang Dynasty "surprise its friends"? Isn't this bullying an honest man!

Therefore, Chai Rong fully affirmed Liu Congxiao's desire to be civilized, but rejected his request to become a vassal.

Sometimes, agreement does not necessarily mean willingness, and refusal does not necessarily mean half-hearted. After being rejected by Chai Rong, Liu Congxiao still sent his confidants to pay tribute to the Later Zhou with a large number of rare treasures. If you don't want me to be a mistress, then I can be friends with you, right?

Chai Rong issued an edict to praise Liu Congxiao's loyalty. As a result, Liu Congxiao became more and more demanding and requested to set up a "Quanzhou Office in Beijing" in Bianzhou to facilitate the continuous tribute in the future and to honor Comrade Chai Rong.

Chai Rong refused. This was equivalent to setting up an embassy today. Although since the end of the Tang Dynasty, vassal states could set up residences in the capital to facilitate communication between the central government and local governments, Quanzhou was nominally a vassal state of the Southern Tang Dynasty rather than a vassal state of the Later Zhou Dynasty. If Quanzhou bypassed the Southern Tang "central government" and directly set up an "embassy" in the Later Zhou Dynasty, it would be equivalent to the Later Zhou Dynasty formally accepting Quanzhou. It is like a country that claims to recognize one China, but sets up consulates and sends "diplomats" to a certain province.

At the same time, Southern Tang suddenly moved its capital from Shengzhou to Hongzhou in the south.

As mentioned above, the main reason for Li Jing to move the capital was to avoid the threat from the Central Plains. However, this move frightened Liu Congxiao, who thought that it was not that simple to move the capital of Southern Tang.

Although Shengzhou is located at the border of the country and separated from the Central Plains by a river, Chai Rong has repeatedly made it clear that he will abide by the armistice agreement and maintain the legitimate regional status of the Southern Tang. In the edict to Liu Congxiao, he also clearly stated that "Jiangnan is close to submission, so we must work to pacify it." The Central Plains must create an image of a person who abides by his word and will no longer have any ideas about the Southern Tang - at least not while Chai Rong is alive.

In other words, Li Jing did not need to move the capital, or it was not urgent. So why did he move the capital? Since there was no worry about the north for the time being, Li Jing would of course pacify the southern border, such as Quanzhou. Liu Congxiao thought so.

Liu Congxiao was terrified, so he hurriedly sent his son Liu Shaoji to the Southern Tang to pay tribute and ask Liu to be a hostage. At the same time, he sent envoys to pay tribute to the Central Plains via the Wuyue Kingdom. At that time, the Central Plains had just completed the abdication of power. Zhao Kuangyin highly praised Liu Congxiao's desire to be civilized and gave him generous rewards. He also granted him the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Jianxiu Taishi, and the honorary title of "Dai En Serving the Country and Protecting the Celebration of the Meritorious Minister".

However, Liu Congxiao left us prematurely without hearing these. Some sources say that he died of a carbuncle on his back, and emphasize that he had been ill since May and continued to be ill until July, when his condition worsened and ultimately failed to be cured.

How did Liu Congxiao die, and what power struggles were involved?

Thanks to my old friend "Yang Kui" for the monthly ticket support!

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(End of this chapter)