Chapter 24 The three old countries can't bear to look back on Yuemingzhong

The desolation and bleakness of the last days, the pain and despair of turmoil, and the sentimentality of nostalgia for the past and the present are probably the most common emotions among literati in decline.The same is true of Wei Zhuang and Du Xunhe mentioned above.However, no one should feel more strongly than Li Yu, the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty, about the feeling of national ruin and family death.The reason why Li Yu was chosen as the main character in this article is mainly because he had too outstanding temperament in the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.He really shouldn't have been born in the emperor's family, in this troubled world.Another point is that Li Yu's Southern Tang Dynasty, like Li Cunxu's Later Tang Dynasty, regarded the Tang Dynasty as Zhengshuo, so the Southern Tang Dynasty can also be regarded as the last continuation of the Tang Dynasty in history in name. Looking back at Yueming Zhong".

Li Yu was the third emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty.The Southern Tang Dynasty was created by Li Min (sound bian, same Bian, meaning bright).Li Min, a native of Xuzhou (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province), whose courtesy name is Zhenglun, nicknamed Peng Nu, and his father's surname was Pan, named Rong, was a devout Buddhist believer.When Peng Nu was born, not long after Huang Chao was defeated and died, the current situation was chaotic and the soldiers were in chaos.Peng Nu's father died when he was six years old, and he went to Huainan with his mother and uncle.Soon, his mother also passed away.Peng Nu, who became an orphan, followed his uncle and devoted himself to Kaiyuan Temple in Haozhou as a young monk (monk), barely making a living.It happened that Yang Xingmi who captured Haozhou (the envoy of Huainan Jiedu during Tang Zhaozong's time and the founder of the Wu Kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period) came to stay at Kaiyuan Temple. He wanted to adopt him as an adopted son, but his biological sons strongly opposed it, so Yang Xingmi had no choice but to give Peng Nu to his subordinate general Xu Wen (with Liu Wei, Tao Ya and other thirty-six heroes).Peng Nu became Xu Wen's adopted son and changed his name to Xu Zhigao.

After Yang Xingmi's death, the power fell into the hands of Xu Wen, and after Xu Wen's death, it fell into the hands of Xu Zhigao.After Xu Zhigao proclaimed himself emperor, in order to appeal to Tang Zhengtong, he restored his surname to Li and changed his name to Min. He was the Liezu of the Southern Tang Dynasty.Li Min also respected Xu Wen as the righteous ancestor, expressing that he would not forget the kindness of foster father's upbringing. Li Min reigned for seven years and died, and his eldest son Li Jing succeeded him, who was Tang Yuanzong.Li Jing had five brothers. Because Li Min loved his second and fourth sons during his lifetime, and wanted to pass on the throne to the fourth son when he was dying, there were many conflicts between Li Jing's brothers.In the seventh year of Shengyuan (943), when Li Jing succeeded to the throne, "the younger brother Zhong was the emperor's younger brother, and the younger brother was the king of Qi. He still made a covenant in front of his father's coffin, and brothers followed each other."The Yuan was changed to "Bao Da", hoping to maintain peace without fighting.From this we can see the frail aura in Li Jing's body.

At the beginning of Li Jing's accession to the throne, he was still able to forge ahead and conquered Min and Chu. The territory of the Southern Tang Dynasty was "Quwu in the east, Wuling in the south, Huxiang in the west, and Changhuai in the north. There are more than 30 states and thousands of miles. , as its own, the land of usurpation in modern times is the most powerful."The Southern Tang Dynasty gradually became stronger. Jiangnan has been a land of fish and rice since ancient times, and it is relatively rich.And the folk customs are gentle and have a tradition of pleasure. Most of the talented scholars and beauties in the past dynasties came from the south of the Yangtze River. The poetry, music, singing and dancing are very charming.Jing's life has also begun to be extravagant, and she is still extravagant.But his father, Li Min, was frugal during his lifetime, and the palace people did not drag Luo Qi. The iron man holding the candle on the desk was about five feet high, and it was also something used in Wu Taizu Yang Xingmi's stable.

Li Jing loves literature, and his poems are all well written. "It is always used as a song and poem, and it is always coquettish."As a result, Li Jing also used literati, and the famous scholars Han Xizai (the protagonist in the famous painting "Han Xizai Night Banquet"), Feng Yanji, Jiang Wenwei, Pan You, etc. were all high officials in the Southern Tang Dynasty.But these people are all embroidered pillows and know nothing about state governance.Feng Yan has devoted himself to pen and ink, and does not care about political affairs.And Han Xizai was even more unrestrained, often in front of the concubines, he used his hands to probe the private parts of the guests, and talked about the size of the penis, just for fun.He has more than forty concubines.All the salary given to him by the imperial court was distributed among concubines. He put on rags, carried a bamboo basket on his back, pretended to be a beggar, and went to the places where concubines lived to beg for food, just for fun.

Prime Minister Sun Sheng of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Minister of the Household Department Chang Mengxi and other ministers hated Feng Yanji's group of scribes who only made superficial articles.Sun Sheng compared Feng Yanji to a golden cup and jade bowl filled with shit.But Li Jing trusted Feng Yanji very much, and all political affairs were entrusted to him.Feng Yan tried his best to flatter Li Jing. He once said: "At the beginning, Liezu lost only a few thousand soldiers in Anlu, and he didn't eat or drink, and sighed for many days. Big event? How can it compare to the current emperor, who sent tens of thousands of troops outside, and played balls and feasted like usual, this is the real hero!"

Surrounded by these literati, Li Jing drank and wrote poems day and night, became fatuous and corrupt, and lived a life of singing and dancing, leaning on the red and nestling in the green.In the later Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Shizong Chai Rong attacked the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the Southern Tang Dynasty lost the fourteen prefectures in Huainan and Jiangbei.Li Jing submitted a letter to Hou Zhou, dedicating all the land in the north of the Yangtze River, drawing the river as the boundary, willing to use the country as a vassal, remove the title of emperor, change his name to the Lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and enshrine Zhou Zhengshuo.Since then, the Southern Tang Dynasty has been in a slump.After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Jing continued to pay tribute and became a minister, enshrining Zhengshuo in the Northern Song Dynasty.

In 961 A.D., Li Jing died of illness at the age of forty-six. His son Li Yu succeeded to the throne, known as Queen Li of the Southern Tang Dynasty.Li Yu, first named Congjia, styled Chongguang, nicknamed Zhongshan Hermit, etc., is the sixth son of Li Jing.He is "benevolent and filial, good at writing, calligraphy and painting, with a large forehead and parallel teeth, and one eye with double pupils".Originally, he had no chance to be the emperor, but his five elder brothers all died very early, so Li Yu was named the king of Wu, became the prince, and became the heir to the throne.

Li Yu loves literature more than his father, and he is also proficient in lyrics, music and rhythm.Li Yu is different from his grandfather and father. He has not experienced any wars. He was born in the deep palace, grew up in the hands of women, and is more emotional than rational.When Li Yu came to the throne, Zhao Kuangyin, the great and talented Song Taizu, unified the world and conquered Nanping, Houshu, and Nanhan successively.Li Yu was deeply afraid of suffering the same fate as these subjugated kings, and he was very worried.However, he is an out-and-out literati, who has no interest in military affairs or politics, and does not know how to forge ahead. He only knows how to drink away his sorrows and spend time with the women around him.

Li Yu believes in Buddhism and is very sincere in worshiping Buddha. It is said that this has something to do with his grandfather Li Min who was a monk in Kaiyuan Temple in Haozhou when he was a child.As a result, Li Yu's "hobby" was used by the shrewd Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin.Li Yu used the money in the palace to recruit monks, and there were as many as ten thousand monks in Jinling.After Li Yu retired, he and the queen changed into monk's clothes and recited scriptures.If a monk commits a crime, he is not punished according to law, but asked to recite the Buddha and then pardoned.After Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin heard about it, he chose a young man who was eloquent and eloquent. He went to Nandu to meet Li Houzhu, and discussed with him the theory of life and fate. Since then, I have paid little attention to governing the country and border defense, but chant Buddha all day long.See "New History of the Five Dynasties Volume 62 Southern Tang Family".

Even if some generals proposed to strengthen the border defense, Li Yu tried his best to suppress it.In the winter of the third year of Song Kaibao (970), Lin Renzhao, who stayed behind in the southern capital, proposed: "The garrison troops in the Huainan states were no more than a thousand each. Tens of thousands of soldiers crossed north from Shouchun, and occupied Zhengyang directly. Because the people who miss the old days can restore the old territory in the north of the Yangtze River, they will come to help, and the ministers will fight against them according to the Huaihe River. They are invincible. It was rumored in the Song Dynasty that the army raised troops to rebel. If the country succeeds, the country will enjoy its benefits;He even paved an excuse for Li Yu in advance: when he raised his troops, Li Yu declared Lin Renzhao's rebellion.If it works, it will be Nan Tang who will benefit, and if it fails, it will be Lin Renzhao's family who will be sacrificed, and Li Yu does not have to bear any responsibility.Lin Renzhao's arrangement is very appropriate, but Li Yu is "afraid to follow" such a limited adventure, only knows how to chant Buddha, write lyrics, and dream about life and death. Not only that, even Wuyue Li Yu, who is weak in the east, dare not touch it.Lu Jiang, an inspector along the river, once said to him: "Wu Yue is our enemy. He will definitely attack us with the Song Dynasty in the future and be his accomplice. We should kill him first to avoid future troubles." How can the vassals of the great court act recklessly and send troops to attack?" Lu Jiang said: "I ask your majesty to condemn it in the name of rebellion in the territory first, and then ask Wu Yue for reinforcements. When their reinforcements arrive, your majesty will send troops to stop them. Leading the soldiers to attack quietly, Wu Yue can be wiped out in one fell swoop." Li Yu couldn't listen at all. There are several famous beauties around Li Yu.The palace maid, Yu Niang, wrapped her feet in silk and danced with her toes supporting her body. "Lingbo's wonderful dance and the moon's new rise", won Li Yu's appreciation.It is said that this is the origin of ballet in ancient China, and women's foot binding has been a common practice since the time of my mother. Li Yu's wife Zhou Hou is a famous beauty in Qiantang.Zhouhou, the small character Ehuang, the daughter of Da Situ Zhouzong.Married to Li Yu at the age of nineteen.Li Yu ascended the throne and became the queen.Zhou Hou is good at rhythm, good at singing and dancing, good at reading history, as for picking opera and playing chess, she is also excellent. She can be called a talented woman in the Five Dynasties period.According to the "Book of the Southern Tang Dynasty": "During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the song of neon clothes and dancing clothes was the biggest song and dance movement of the court. Reintroduced to the world." It can be seen that Zhou Hou has a profound attainment in rhythm, and he and Li Yu are like-minded, so there is a sincere love between the two, which is comparable to Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei back then. Love makes life extraordinarily colorful.The young couple cuddled together like glue.They admired the flowers and the moon, recited poems and wrote lyrics, sang and danced softly, poured lightly and sang softly, living a happy and carefree life like gods.Sometimes when he went back to his natal family to visit relatives after a week, Li Yu would feel anxious. Although it was only three or two days, he lived like a year.In order to reduce the pain of lovesickness, he wrote lyrics desperately, thus writing a lot of tender and lingering poems. It's a pity that the good times didn't last long.Zhou Hou's four-year-old son Zhongxuan was playing in the Buddhist hall one day, and there happened to be a big cat lying on the glazed lamp hanging high in the Buddhist hall.The big cat jumped down suddenly, and the glazed lamp fell down, and Xiao Zhongxuan was frightened to death.Zhou Hou, who was already sick, was shocked to hear that her son had died of panic, and her condition worsened, so she also let go. When Zhou Hou died, Li Yu's mourning can be imagined. "In the past, I was new, and Yaner was in love. The matchmaker had no excuses, and the divination did not violate the report. Returning to the sister to invite the end, the salty line is a sign. He looks up to the same heart and prepares for the way. Hold the hand of the son, and grow old together with the son. How is it now , not finally to sue. Alas!"Even after the death of Zhou Hou for many years, Li Yu still feels sad and can't hold on to himself, which shows his deep affection for his wife. Zhou Hou has a younger sister who is innocent, fresh and natural, and unparalleled in beauty.After Zhou Hou's death, Zhou's younger sister became the empress logically, known as Xiao Zhou Empress in history.It is said that when Zhou Hou was sick in bed, Li Yu had secretly flirted with Xiao Zhou Hou.Lu You's "Southern Tang Book·Houji Zhuan" said: "It may be said that Empress Xiao Zhou has entered the palace. When I saw it, I was shocked and said: 'When will you come?' Empress Xiao Zhou is still young, and the suspect is unknown. , Confronted and said: "It's been a few days." The future suffers from anger, and the face is not outgoing until death. Let the queen master mourn to cover up his traces." Ma Ling's "Southern Tang Book · Concubine Biography" also said: "Later, from Luo Hui, Often in the palace. The postmaster Yuefu Ci has the Taoism of "socks under the fragrant steps, hand-held gold-thread shoes", which are mostly spread outside. After accepting, it is just a ritual." Later, some painters took Li Yu and Xiao Zhou as their own. The theme is to draw the scene of the two people's tryst into the painting, which is the famous "Picture of Xiao Zhou Hou Lifting Shoes". Xiao Zhou's sex is green, and the clothes she wears are still green.There was a rich man who dyed a piece of crepe silk and dried it in the garden. He forgot to collect it at night and was covered with dew. The next day, when he saw it, the color was very bright. So beautiful, so the concubines and concubines collected dew and dyed green into clothes, named "Tian Shui Bi".Later, Li Yu came up with a new kind of ornament on the makeup of the concubines and palace people. He used the tea oil flower seeds that Suyang paid tribute to make flower cakes, big or small, and in different shapes.Order the concubines and maids to dress in plain clothes, put gold on the face, and use this flower cake to decorate their foreheads, which is called "Hundred Flower Makeup". While enjoying a romantic life, Li Yu bowed to the Song Dynasty and continued to win the favor of the Song Dynasty emperor with gold and silk jewelry.Historical records: "Every time Yu hears about the imperial court's departure from the army and Jiaqing, he will send envoys to reward his teachers and make tributes. The Daqing is even more in the name of buying banquets, and don't offer treasures as offerings. Good or bad gifts, don't make tributes. "I want to use this to maintain his rule in Jiangnan.However, his cowardice, his incompetence, and his obedience did not change Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin's determination to destroy the Southern Tang Dynasty. According to Song Taizu's famous saying: "What is the crime in the south of the Yangtze River, but the whole family is lying on the side of the couch, so how can others be allowed to sleep soundly. " After Song Taizu destroyed the Southern Han Dynasty, he built thousands of large dragon boats in Jinghu.At that time, Jiangnan people also wanted to join the Song Dynasty. Fan Ruoshui, a native of Chizhou in the south of the Yangtze River, pretended to be fishing on the Caishi River. He took a small boat and carried silk ropes. He traveled to and from the north and south banks dozens of times. He measured the width of the river. Crossing the river, Song Taizu adopted his opinion. In the autumn of the seventh year of Taizu Kaibao (974), Song Taizu planned to send troops to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty. Because the teacher was unknown, Song Taizu sent Li Mu to the south of the Yangtze River and called Li Yu into the court.After Li Mu arrived in the Southern Tang Dynasty, he read out the imperial decree. Li Yu was ready to enter the court, but was blocked by the ministers Chen Qiao and Zhang Ji. The army is elite, the armor is sharp, and the material resources are rich. I am afraid that Jiangnan is no match. I hope the king will not regret it."Li Yu's younger brother Li Congshan was detained in Bianliang when he was sent to the Song Dynasty before.Li Yu was afraid of throwing himself into the net, so he resigned. Song Taizu finally had an excuse to send troops, and immediately took Cao Bin and Pan Mei as generals, and led 100,000 troops to attack Jiangnan.Cao Bin led the battleship from Jingnan to the east, and Pan Mei crossed the river on the quarry bridge. The floating bridge was completed in three days, and the size of the bridge was not different from that measured by Fan Ruoshui. The infantry crossed the river like walking on flat ground.The Song army advanced to Qinhuai, and 100,000 soldiers from the south of the Yangtze River lined up under the city of Jinling.The Song army waded across the water and forcibly crossed, and the soldiers in the south of the Yangtze River were defeated. Li Yu talked with monks and Taoists in the harem all day long, not asking about political affairs.One day, when he went out to patrol the city, he saw the Song army all over the field. He was shocked and sent his scholar Xu Xuan to ask for peace.Xu Xuan was well-known and well-remembered. He was well-educated and talented in Ci. He was a well-known talent in the south of the Yangtze River at that time. Li Yu relied heavily on him.When Xu Xuan arrived in Bianjing, he said to Song Taizu: "Li Yu is innocent, and your majesty's military affairs are unknown. Li Yu treats small things as big things, and his son serves his father. There is no fault. Why should we crusade?" Song Taizu said: "You said that the father and son can Is it?" Xu Xuan couldn't answer, so he had to go back. A month later, Li Yu sent Xu Xuan to see Song Taizu again, asking the Song Dynasty to slow down the troops, and the debate continued.Song Taizu was furious, and said to Xu Xuan: "Don't talk too much about the crimes in Jiangnan. It's just that the whole family is on the side of the couch, how can you allow others to snore and sleep!" Xu Xuan was terrified and returned in embarrassment.Xu Xuan is such a well-known talent, but he has suffered a complete failure in politics and diplomacy. It can be seen that literary talent and political talent are often two different things.It can be said that Li Jing and Li Yu's father and son were defeated because they did not recognize this. Li Yu urgently transferred Zhu Lingyun who was stationed on the upper river to help Jinling. Jiangnan soldiers fought with the Song army in Wankou, and Zhu Lingyun was defeated and died.Cao Bin was about to attack Jinling, but suddenly he said he was sick and ignored it, and all the generals came to greet him.Cao Bin said: "My illness cannot be cured by medicine. As long as you all swear sincerely that you will not kill a single person on the day of breaking the city, my illness will naturally be cured." The generals promised and burned incense as an oath.The Song army invaded Jinling in an orderly manner.Cao Bin restrained the soldiers in this way because Song Taizu had issued an order to protect Jinling City and the wealth in the south of the Yangtze River before the expedition. Li Yu surrendered to the Song Dynasty, Cao Bin treated him with courtesy, and sent him, Prime Minister Tang Yue and other 45 people to Bianjing.So far, the Southern Tang Dynasty has perished, and three masters have been handed down for thirty-nine years.