Chapter 20 10. Peace of mind: the only bloody light in a peaceful mutiny

Among the frequent mutinies since the Five Dynasties, some were spontaneous and some were instigated by others.Similar to Chen Qiaoyi's soldiers in disguise is Guo Wei, the Taizu of the Later Zhou Dynasty. He was also supported by soldiers, and he became the founding monarch of a generation with the yellow flag draped in his body.The difference is that Zhao Kuangyin is wearing a beautiful yellow robe instead of a simple yellow flag.Thanks to the careful arrangements of the planners, although the purpose of regime change was achieved this time, the common people were not moved, and the innocent people were minimized. Great news.In this so-called bloodless coup, the only ray of blood came from Han Tong, the deputy commander of Hou Zhou's guards and pro-army.

Han Tong was originally one of the generals that Chai Rong relied on. He was loyal, brave and good at fighting, and made many achievements on the battlefield.In order to ensure the safety of his family members in the forbidden palace, Chai Rong asked him to lead the guards of the Imperial Army.After Chai Rong's death, he became one of the four ministers of Tuogu, hoping that he could protect the Queen Mother Fu and Chai Zongxun's mother and son with loyalty. After receiving the news that Khitan invaded Dingzhou and Zhenzhou, Wang Pu and Fan Zhi sent Zhao Kuangyin to the expedition.Han Tong objected to this. He approached Wang Pu and asked, "Zhao Kuangyin led elite soldiers this time, and six or seven out of ten of the imperial troops were taken away by him, and all of them were rushed to attack Khitan. What if the capital goes out?" What is it, who will protect it?"

Wang Pu said: "Zhao Kuangyin is trustworthy, and the late Emperor also favored him. General Han need not be so suspicious." Han Tong said: "Leading heavy troops outside, the emperor's orders are often unable to arrive. When the first emperor was there, Zhao Kuangyin was indeed obedient, but now he has heavy troops in his hands. Once he has the heart of disobedience, how can the two of you take up this responsibility? ?" Fan Zhi felt a little displeased with Han Tong's words, so he said: "The first emperor entrusted the country to you and me to let us protect the country at a critical moment. Now that the north is in trouble, if Zhao Kuangyin is not allowed to Should he wait for the Khitan to attack the capital?"

Han Tong saw that the two of them did not listen to his advice at all, so he had no choice but to go to the palace to see the Empress Dowager Fu, and reiterated the seriousness of the matter, but the Empress Dowager Fu said: "The northern border is a serious problem for our Great Zhou. Land, the merits of the late emperor cannot be destroyed in my hands. Now that the Khitans are attacking, there is no way to suppress them without heavy troops, so Zhao Kuangyin led the imperial army to suppress it. I believe that once he goes, the Khitans will not dare to attack again." Han Tong said: "The empress dowager's heart for the first emperor is certainly a lesson. But if Zhao Kuangyin has a rebellious heart in his hands, what should we do?"

After hearing this, Empress Dowager Fu was silent for a long time.In fact, she has also thought about this problem, but if this happens, what can she do?I had no choice but to say: "Zhao Kuangyin is loyal and trustworthy, deeply trusted by the late emperor. I believe he will not fail the late emperor and Da Zhou." Han Tong was very dissatisfied with this weak reason, and wanted to say more, but Empress Dowager Fu waved her hand wearily and said, "I'm tired, so you don't need to say any more." Empress Dowager Fu deeply understood Han Tong's fiery loyalty and sincere worries, but Empress Dowager Fu really couldn't give an answer to his question, so she had to send Han Tong back and leave this question to God, resigning to fate.Who knew that God would not take pity on this pair of orphans and widows, so Zhao Kuangyin led his troops to rebel.

In the Chongyuan Palace, before the early dynasty retreated, news came that Zhao Kuangyin had returned to Beijing after leading his army to rebel.All the ministers were silent when they heard the words. Wang Pu and Fan Zhi felt deeply regretful for not prudently facing the intelligence and generals, but now that the matter has come to this point, they have no room for redemption. how to respond. Seeing this, Han Tong said in a clear voice, "Shizong of the Great Zhou Dynasty treated Zhao Kuangyin well, but he did something rebellious. This kind of rebellious minister can be punished by everyone. It's useless for you to complain to each other here, it's better To go out and fight him to the death is worthy of the great trust of the late emperor."

Saying that, Han Tong rushed out of the hall, rode his horse and went straight to the palace gate.Everyone looked at his back, not knowing what else they could do at this time. Han Tong came to his mansion, took out his weapon, and said to his son Han Tuo: "Now that Zhao Kuangyin is trying to rebel, it's time for you and me to serve the country. You and your family will follow me to send troops to kill this traitor." Han Tuo took the lead, put on armor and mounted a horse to follow Han Tong, wanting to fight Zhao Kuangyin to the death.And Zhao Pu sent Pan Mei to send a letter to Shi Shouxin, letting him take control of the forbidden army in the city.At this time, Zhao Kuangyin had already hid in his mansion after returning to Beijing.Han Tong rode his horse and tried to rush into Zhao's mansion, but was stopped by Wang Yansheng, the capital in front of the palace.

Wang Yansheng saw Han Tong rushing over aggressively and single-handedly, and he deeply admired Zhao Pu's foresight and foresight.It was precisely because Zhao Pu thought that Han Tong might resist, so he ordered Wang Yansheng to be fully armed and prepared to take him down, but who knew that he would actually deliver it to his door.Wang Yansheng stepped forward and said loudly to Han Tong: "General Han came here in a hurry, is it to pick up the emperor?" When Han Tong heard this, he was furious and shouted loudly: "Of course the Son of Heaven is in the palace, where did the Son of Heaven come from here! You gang of rebels don't want to serve the country and be loyal, you only know how to covet wealth and usurp power. What's the matter?" Faces live between heaven and earth!"

Saying that, Han Tong slashed at Wang Yansheng with his knife. Wang Yansheng had already prepared for it, and the imperial guards surrounded him. Han Tong had one enemy against a hundred. After a while, he felt that he couldn't hold on. Wang Yansheng caught the opening and slashed him from behind.Seeing this, his son Han Tuo came to rescue him from afar, but was stopped by the forbidden army and hacked to death. Seeing his son being killed, Han Tong felt extremely sad, but lost to the continuous attack of the forbidden army, he could only stop his horse and run back.Wang Yansheng chased after him, and after a few blocks, he was thrown off by Han Tong who was familiar with the roads in the capital.The frustrated Wang Yansheng had no choice but to go back and report the matter.

Although Zhao Kuangyin was a little surprised when Zhao Pu reported that Han Tong came to kill him but was stopped, he immediately calmed down.He said: "Among the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, Han Tong has always had a strong character. If there is anyone who dares to oppose me, it will definitely be him." Zhao Pu said: "Now is the time when we need to intimidate the ministers. If Han Tong cannot be suppressed, the ministers in the court will surely follow his example. Then it will be difficult." Zhao Kuangyin nodded and said, "Although I don't want to see bloodshed, if someone insists on stopping me, I can only kill them."

Realizing the meaning of Zhao Kuangyin's words, Zhao Pu came outside the mansion and said to Wang Yansheng: "Since Han Tong is determined to oppose His Majesty, we can't keep him. You should take people to search immediately!" Wang Yansheng took the order and said to the soldiers: "Although Han Tong can hide in the market, his mansion cannot be escaped." After saying this, he led the people straight to Han Tong's mansion, but searched every corner. Han Tong was not found.The cruel Wang Yansheng killed all the old, young, women and children who had no ability to resist, and all the thirty-seven people survived before riding back. After pacifying Emperor Zhou Gong and Empress Dowager Fu, Zhao Kuangyin went out of the mansion dressed up, intending to go to the Chongyuan Hall to accept the abdication and the worship of all officials.As the chariots and horses drove up the avenue into the palace, they suddenly heard a loud shout: "Rebellious ministers and thieves, turn around quickly!" Everyone was shocked, and hurriedly looked back, and a blood-stained general charged straight over on his horse, trying to escape. Han Tong. Han Tong came to Zhao Kuangyin's chariots and horses where there were many swords and swords, and shouted sharply: "Zhao Kuangyin, the late emperor treated you well, and you actually have a rebellious heart. Such a treacherous villain, the world can't tolerate it!" Zhao Kuangyin was taken aback by the bloody Han Tong. Seeing that it was him, he couldn't help feeling ashamed, and could only say, "Brother Han, I'm really helpless." Han Tong said: "You are a traitor and a traitor, and I am a loyal son. You and I cannot stand together today." Then he charged forward with his sword, and Zhao Pu hurriedly ordered Wang Yansheng to escort him.Wang Yansheng immediately stepped forward, stabbed Han Tong in the back of his heart, and cut him off from his horse. Before entering Beijing, Zhao Kuangyin ordered the three armies to strictly prohibit killings, but at this time Wang Yansheng killed Han Tong, and he was already under the pressure of the situation. He could only shake his head helplessly, and said to Zhao Pu: "Han Tong is loyal, righteous and brave, let him be buried with honor." .You send someone to comfort his family." Wang Yansheng on the side thought he had made a great contribution and was complacent. Hearing what Zhao Kuangyin said, he said triumphantly, "I have killed all Han Tong's family!" Zhao Kuangyin was furious when he heard the words, and snapped at Wang Yansheng: "You... how could you kill his whole family?" Seeing his anger, Wang Yansheng was too frightened to answer.Zhao Kuangyin said: "I have a strict order not to violate the court officials and any common people. You have no choice but to kill Han Tong, but if you kill his family, you are disobeying the military order. If I don't kill you, the people will not be angry!" Zhao Pu and others hurriedly interceded: "Your Majesty, before the major event is accomplished, if you kill your own people first, I am afraid it will shake the morale of the army. Please think deeply." The helpless Zhao Kuangyin could only sigh, and ordered Wang Yansheng to be imprisoned and deal with it later.I went straight to Mingde Gate first, and went to Chongyuan Hall to ascend the throne. All previous battles for the throne have always involved killing. It can be said that the hands of every founding monarch who ascended to the throne of the emperor were covered with blood, and the road to the throne was also paved with bones.As for Zhao Kuangyin's incident this time, he tried his best to avoid any bloodshed, but in order to ensure that this road can go smoothly, he can only kill Han Tong who is determined not to surrender.But at the same time, it did serve as a warning to others, warning them not to oppose lightly, lest they pay a heavy price. After a peaceful evolution, the baton of Hou Zhou was finally delivered to Song. Zhao Kuangyin boarded the dragon chair he had longed for and enjoyed the worship of all officials.And he did not forget the dream that Zhou Shizong Chai Rong had always cherished, and his goal was to unify the world and achieve peace and prosperity.Although ethically speaking, Zhao Kuangyin betrayed Chai Rong, but from the perspective of historical development, Zhao Kuangyin can also be regarded as the successor of Chai Rong's career, because he devoted all his energy to Chai Rong's unfinished business .