Chapter 21 4. Mengduan Mawei Station

Stopping and stopping, on June 14th in the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), Xuanzong's fleeing team arrived at Mawei Post (in the west of Xingping County, Shaanxi today. Wei, sound weiwei), and the accompanying soldiers were hungry and tired. The more I think about it, the angrier I get: I can't stay in a good Chang'an, so I went into exile everywhere and suffered a lot.Thinking of Yang Guozhong's tyranny to misuse the country and cause them suffering, he feels very resentful. General Chen Xuanli of Longwu believed that the chaos in the world was caused by Yang Guozhong, and decided to kill him to express the anger of the people.It was not a day or two since Chen Xuanli had this idea, "When he rebelled against Anlu Mountain, Xuanli wanted to punish Yang Guozhong in the city, but nothing came of it" ("Old Tang Book Volume 106 Biography of Chen Xuanli").It's just that Chen Xuanli has never found a suitable opportunity to make a move. "At Mawei, the soldiers were hungry and angry. General Chen Xuanli of Longwu was afraid of chaos. He first said to the soldiers: "Today the world is collapsing, and the ten thousand rides are shaking. Wouldn't it be Yang Guozhong who cut off the gangsters and the government and the people complained about it, so that's it? If not? Punish it to thank the world, why do you block the resentment of the world!' The crowd said: 'I have been thinking about it for a long time. If you do it, you will die as you wish.'" ("Old Tang Book Volume 106 - Yang Guozhong Biography") .However, after all, the matter was of great importance, and Chen Xuanli still had hesitation before deciding to act, so he asked Li Fuguo, the eunuch of the East Palace, to tell Prince Li Heng, hoping to get Prince Li Heng's verbal support in advance and find a big backer.However, "the prince is pending" ("Zizhi Tongjian Volume 218").

Here I want to mention in particular that Chen Xuanli is Xuanzong's most trusted confidant.Chen Xuanli served as the captain of Guoyi at the beginning, and made friends with Li Longji, who was still the vassal king at that time, and followed Li Longji to fight against Empress Wei.During Xuanzong's reign, Chen Xuanli had been confined in the palace guard and was highly trusted.Why did Chen Xuanli ask for the prince's opinion before killing Yang Guozhong?This matter is very delicate.Li Heng has been the prince for many years, not only has he never had real power for a day, but he has been living under the pressure of the prime minister, and his life is not guaranteed.Prince Li Heng and Yang Guozhong are life and death enemies, Chen Xuanli is not aware of this.This can only show that Prince Li Heng had communicated with Chen Xuanli about getting rid of Yang Guozhong in advance.And when Chen Xuanli really came to ask for opinions, Prince Li Heng did not express his position on the surface. With his delicate identity and fear of Xuanzong, he could not express his position, it could only be "the prince is pending".Of course, it is impossible for future generations to see the narrative of the prince Li Heng jumping for joy, and in fact it will not be the case.Prince Li Heng has been living in a dangerous political environment, and he knows how to measure it.But in fact, Li Heng must have taken some action, and gave Chen Xuanli a hint beforehand or at that time, which strengthened Chen Xuanli's determination, because the incident happened at this time.

On that day, "the sergeants were not allowed to eat at the Cimawei Station, and the rumors were not inferior" ("Old Tang Book Volume 108 Biography of Wei Jiansu").At that time, the anger of the soldiers was like dry wood, and only one fuse was needed to launch an attack. Chen Xuanli took the lead to block Yang Guozhong's horse's head.Just at this time, there were more than 20 Tubo envoys, who were telling Yang Guozhong that they had nothing to eat.Before Yang Guozhong could answer, someone shouted: "Yang Guozhong conspired against the Hu people!" Immediately, someone shot Yang Guozhong's saddle with an arrow.

The person who shot the first arrow was said to be Zhang Xiaojing, and he was just an ordinary cavalryman of the Imperial Army.There is no record in history of what prompted Zhang Xiaojing to stand up in this major historical event.Since he was a cavalry soldier of the Imperial Army, his arrow skills must be pretty good. The distance is so close, and he only hit the saddle. Maybe the archer Zhang Xiaojing didn't dare to take Yang Guozhong's life, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't dare.After all, Yang Guozhong was the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, and if he were to be investigated afterwards, the leader must be investigated.After all, everyone wants to kill Yang Guozhong, but no one dares to be the first to do it. This is a serious crime of extermination.However, after the first arrow was shot, things became unpredictable.The public sentiment is unavoidably raging, and once the crowd rushes to kill someone, it is the law to blame the public if they are held accountable afterwards.Analyzing it, the arrangement of using this missed arrow as the fuse was very well thought out, and there should have been a detailed plan in advance. As the commander-in-chief of the imperial army, Chen Xuanli must have personally participated in the planning, and Zhang Xiaojing must also be his confidant .

Sure enough, the anger of the soldiers was immediately aroused by the missed arrow, and everyone rushed forward, wanting to kill Yang Guozhong to thank the world.Yang Guozhong was shocked, and fled for his life in a hurry. He fled to the west gate of Mawei post, where he was chased and killed by soldiers.The sergeant still felt that it was not enough to relieve his hatred, so he dismembered his body with knives, cut off his head, hung it on a spear, and put it outside the west gate for public display.Later, the sergeants killed Yang Guozhong's eldest son, Yang Xuan, the servant of the household department, Mrs. Han and Mrs. Qin.

Wei Fangjin, the official censor, heard the commotion outside, ran out to have a look, and immediately said angrily: "How dare you harm the prime minister!" , How dare to murder the Prime Minister.Wei Fangjin was obviously a blind man, and when he saw the situation in front of him, he even put on the airs of a censor.The angry soldiers immediately stepped forward and killed him.Tongping Zhangshi Wei Jiansu also ran out of the post gate to check when he heard the commotion outside, and was immediately beaten by the rebellious soldiers with a whip until his head was bleeding.Fortunately, Wei Jiansu's reputation is not bad, someone shouted: "Don't hurt Wei Xianggong." Wei Jiansu was saved from death.

The sergeants surrounded the station where Xuanzong and Concubine Yang were resting, shouting and killing loudly.Xuanzong heard the commotion outside and asked what happened.None of the attendants on the left and right answered that it was the mutiny of the soldiers, but that it was Yang Guozhong who conspired.It can be seen from this that Yang Guozhong's unpopularity has offended everyone in the world. After Xuanzong learned that Yang Guozhong had been killed, he had no choice but to go out of the post gate in person to comfort the sergeants and order them to withdraw, but the sergeants refused.Xuanzong asked Gao Lishi to ask why.Chen Xuanli came forward and replied: "Yang Guozhong was punished for his rebellion. Concubine Yang Gui should no longer serve Your Majesty. May Your Majesty cut off love and put Concubine Yang to death." Said: "It's not easy for me to report it." When the sergeants around were furious, they yelled loudly, "If you don't kill the concubine, you will not protect her."Gao Lishi saw that the situation was not good, so he fled back to the post in a hurry to report.

When Xuanzong heard this, his expression was dull and dull, and he said, "I will deal with this matter myself." Then he entered the post station, leaned on a cane and stood with his head bowed, silent.For more than ten years, Concubine Yang Gui has been his most favored jewel, and the two once made an oath of eternal life and death in the Hall of Eternal Life.Now that he has fallen into such a situation of abandoning Beijing and going into exile, his political dignity has long been lost. Only the imperial concubine may be able to make him forget the pain in his heart.How could he have the heart to execute Yang Guifei?

At this time, the noise outside became louder, and the situation was about to get out of control.Wei Jiansu's son, Wei Er Ren Jingzhao Silu joined the army, stepped forward and said: "Now the public anger is hard to break, the situation is very critical, and safety is at stake. I hope Your Majesty will make a decision as soon as possible!" full face.Xuanzong said: "Concubine Yang lives in a heavily guarded palace and does not make friends with outsiders. How can she know that Yang Guozhong is rebelling?" Concubine Yang was still killed, and even Xuanzong himself would be in danger, so he persuaded: "Concubine Yang is indeed innocent, but the soldiers have already killed Yang Guozhong, and Concubine Yang is still serving by your majesty, how can they You can feel at ease! I hope your majesty will think about it carefully, and your majesty will be safe if the soldiers are at peace." Xuanzong knew that the situation was over, and Yang Guifei's life could not be saved no matter what, so he said in tears: "Let her commit suicide."

He is the son of heaven, sitting in the world, but unable to save the life of his beloved woman. Xuanzong now understands the truth that the situation is stronger than others now more than ever.Helpless, in the long river of history, no matter how big a person is, they are powerless to resist the power of the giant current.Whether you go with the flow or go against the current, you will be caught in the torrent in the end, and the struggle will be in vain. Concubine Yang Guifei fell to the ground in shock after receiving the imperial edict, and it took a long time before she cried and begged to see Xuanzong.Gao Lishi led her to Xuanzong.Concubine Yang was sobbing, unable to express her feelings in words, so she said: "May everyone take care! I really have failed the country's favor to me, and I have no resentment when I die. I can only beg for permission to worship gods and Buddhas." Xuanzong Said: "I wish my concubine a new life in a good place." (Song Yue History "Yang Taizhen Biography") When it comes to the word "birth", it is no longer an idiom.Couldn't bear to see Concubine Yang's miserable face, so she covered her face with her sleeves and wept.

Gao Lishi was afraid that Xuanzong's heart would soften for a while, and another incident would arise, which would cause soldiers to break in, so he hurriedly took Yang Guifei to the Buddhist hall.Concubine Yang paid several respects to the north and said, "Farewell, my concubine and Your Majesty!" Afterwards, Gao Lishi hanged her to death under the pear tree in front of the Buddhist hall.This is what Bai Juyi said in Zhong Zhong: "The smoke and dust in the gates of Jiuzhong City, thousands of rides and thousands of horses traveled southwest. Cuihua swayed and stopped, and went west for more than a hundred miles from the gate of the capital. The six armies did not express their helplessness, and died like a moth-browed horse." The brilliance of Bai Juyi lies in the fact that he uses brilliant colors to dilute the tragic atmosphere and let the beautiful love cover up the political conspiracy. Afterwards, Gao Lishi carried Concubine Yang's body to the court of the post station, and called Chen Xuanli and others into the post station for inspection, with the intention of performing an autopsy.When the soldiers outside the station heard that Concubine Yang Gui had been executed, they burst into cheers.After the autopsy by Chen Xuanli and others was correct, they took off their armor and kowtowed to Xuanzong to apologize.At this time, Xuanzong was still calm, and comforted them with good words and good words, and ordered to inform other soldiers.Chen Xuanli and the others shouted long live, bowed twice and went out, then rectified the army and continued to march. Afterwards, Xuanzong asked Gao Lishi to wrap Concubine Yang's body in brocade clothes, put a sachet and brocade bag on his chest, and bury her hastily under Beikan, a road more than one mile away from Xiguo.At that time, Yang Guifei was 38 years old. There are many poems chanting Maweipo in later generations, and one poem by Du Zhenqing from the Song Dynasty is considered the most graceful.The poem goes: "Wild willows slap the embankment according to the water, and swallows compete for mud in thatched huts in spring. The begonias are just like the east wind, and the messy red lining the horseshoes." (Ming·Jiang Yikui "Yaoshan Tangwaiji") Just after the burial of Concubine Yang Gui, the lychees from the south were delivered.Xuanzong touched things and thought about people, so he couldn't help crying loudly, and ordered people to sacrifice lychees to the tomb of the noble concubine.Zhang You wrote a poem about this matter: "The flags are not neat, but there are few people in the south, and there are more people in the north. The dust is already fragrant and pink, and the lychees are still in Mawei slope." Concubine Yang Guifei used to suffer from a disease of lung thirst, so she often took jade fish for treatment.Once, Concubine Yang Guifei had a toothache and couldn't hold the jade fish.Seeing her frown and tears, Xuanzong loved her even more, and said to Concubine Yang: "I wish I could share the pain for my concubine." Later, someone drew a picture of "Sick Teeth" based on this incident.A celebrity once inscribed on the painting: "Huaqing Palace, a tooth hurts; Maweipo, the whole body hurts; Yuyang cockroaches come to the ground, and the world hurts." These three sentences summed up Concubine Yang's life very delicately. Other family members and relatives of Yang Guozhong were also implicated in the Mawei incident and died.When Yang Guozhong was killed, his wife Pei Rou, youngest son Yang Xi, Mrs. Guo Guo, Mrs. Pei Hui and a daughter had already traveled to Chencang (now south of Baoji, Shaanxi).Xue Jingxian, the magistrate of Chencang County, immediately led people to hunt him down after hearing the news.Mrs. Guo Guo and others didn't know that it was their own people who wanted to kill them, and they also guessed that it was a rebellion, so they threw off their horses and fled into the woods.Seeing that the pursuers had arrived and there was no way to escape, Mrs. Guo drew her sword and killed her son Pei Hui, and then stabbed her own daughter to death.Mrs. Yang Guozhong, Pei Rou shouted: "Why don't you give me convenience, my lady!" Then Mrs. Guo Guo stepped forward and killed Pei Rou.Yang Xi was fast and fled first, but was still caught up and killed by the officer.Mrs. Guo Guo committed suicide with a sword, but she didn't hurt her vitals, and she didn't die for a while.After the pursuers arrived, they caught her and sent her to Chencang Prison.Mrs. Guo Guo was puzzled by this, and asked the jailer, "Is the country going to kill us, or are the rebels making trouble?" The jailer said bitterly, "It's both." Die with wounded hair.Xue Jingxian, magistrate of Chencang County, ordered the dead Yang family members to be randomly buried under a poplar tree in the north of Shibu Road outside Dongcheng. Yang Guozhong had 4 sons, the eldest son and the youngest son were killed in the Mawei Post Incident, the second son Yang Bing was killed by the Anlushan rebels, and the third son Yang Xiao was killed by Hanzhong King Li Yu after he fled to Hanzhong County.Yang Guozhong's confidantes, Hanlin scholars Zhang Jian, Dou Hua, and official doctor Zheng Ang were all executed by the Tang court.Another confidant, Lai Yu from Zhongshushe, had already escaped, but because he was reluctant to leave his family property, he sneaked back to Chang'an, and was also killed by the rebels. Concubine Yang Guifei, a famous beauty in history, died.A beautiful woman is always reminiscent and infinitely thought-provoking, so the rumors about her are far from over.An old woman who opened a shop picked up a brocade sock under the pear tree where Concubine Yang was hanged to death, and said that it was a sock worn by Concubine Yang. "Yaoshan Tangwaiji").Countless people were eager to see it, and the old woman became a rich woman because of this. Later, after Xuanzong returned to Chang'an, he sent eunuchs to rebury Concubine Yang Gui, but found that Concubine Yang's body was gone, and there was only a sachet left in the tomb (see "Old Tang Book").This is what Bai Juyi said in his poem, "In the soil under the Mawei slope, there is no place where Yuyankong died."Therefore, many people in later generations speculated that it was not Concubine Yang Guifei who was hanged to death at that time, but Xuanzong used the trick of stealing beams and changing pillars, and the real Concubine Yang went east to Japan.Judging from the circumstances at the time, such a statement was not possible.The Mawei Mutiny was led by Longwu General Chen Xuanli, who was very familiar with Concubine Yang's appearance.After Concubine Yang's death, Chen Xuanli performed an autopsy. If he didn't see the corpse with his own eyes, how could he continue to feel at ease by Xuanzong's side?As for the disappearance of Concubine Yang's body, it should be explained that the body was stolen by folk meddlers.Concubine Yang's beauty was widely known throughout the world, so many people rushed to see even her socks. It was not surprising that some people wanted to see what the corpse looked like, so they dug it out quietly. There have always been different opinions about the real mastermind of the Maweiyi incident.It is said in the history books: "The land in Mawei was shattered, and the prince dared not go west." ("Old Tang Book Volume 51 Biography of Empress Concubine") actually implied that the mutiny at Mawei Station was presided over and planned by Prince Li Heng.However, to oppose Yang Guozhong, of course there are Prince Li Heng and eunuch forces, as well as the vast number of soldiers and common people.The historical significance of this event at that time has far surpassed the power struggle within the Tang court. After the Mawei post incident, Xuanzong continued to flee westward.Prince Li Heng was retained by the local people and presided over the overall situation of the rebellion.Since then, the status of Prince Li Heng has undergone major changes. He collected the remnants from Maweipo all the way to the north, and his subjects rushed to join him.In July of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), Prince Li Heng ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor in Lingwu (now southwest of Lingwu County, Ningxia).Suzong ordered Guo Ziyi to lead the army to Lingwu, and made Guo Ziyi the minister and prime minister of the Ministry of war.At this point, the reign of Xuanzong came to an end, and the longest and most glorious Kaiyuan rule of the Tang Dynasty came to an end.