Chapter 11 6. Yanyun Sixteen States

In order to survive, Shi Jingtang gave Khitan a bad check.Khitan waited for ten years, and finally waited for the opportunity.Later Tang's elephant, strong on the outside but dry on the inside, fell, and Khitan bit off a big mouthful of fat from it, annexing the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun in an instant. Since the Khitan prince Yelubei eloped to Luoyang in the Central Plains in the winter of 930 AD, he has been warmly received by Emperor Li Siyuan of the Later Tang Dynasty, enjoying provincial and ministerial treatment, without worrying about any government affairs or going to work.His main tasks are reading, studying knowledge, pondering medicine, writing and painting.

Due to long-term depression, Yelubei's psychology has become deformed and abnormal.On the one hand, he is full of poetry and books, hides from the world in the countryside, and does not contend with the world. He even admires the sages of the ancients, and pretends to be the realm of giving up the throne of the emperor.On the other hand, his personality is extremely harsh and cruel, and he has repeatedly killed servants and even concubines around him.If one day he was in a bad mood, Yelvbei would be furious immediately, and he would scald his concubines with red-hot iron bars, and even cut their arms to drink their blood. Within a few days, concubines and maidservants would be killed.Yelubei's personality became sadistic or sexually sadistic, so that no servants were willing to serve him. Even Mrs. Xia, who was married to Yelubei by Emperor Mingzong Li Siyuan in the later Tang Dynasty, could not stand Yelvbei's crazy physical and sexual abuse. Forced to become a nun, he became a monk and left Yelubei, which was lucky to save his life.

Although Yelubei was squeezed out of Khitan by his younger brother Yelu Deguang, Yelubei still thought of the Khitan family in his heart, and often communicated with them by letter.After Li Congke rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor, Yelubei believed that the chaos in the Central Plains was a good opportunity for the Khitans to attack the Central Plains. He took the initiative to send a secret letter to the Khitan Emperor Yelu Deguang, inviting the Khitans to invade. From this point of view, I suspect that Yelubei has become a super double agent, serving Li Siyuan's court and thinking about his hometown Khitan.

So does the Khitan know about the turmoil in the Central Plains?In just four months, Later Tang changed three emperors.The Khitan knew the situation in the Central Plains very well, there were secret sentries to inquire about news, and official envoys to communicate.Now that the Khitan knew that the imperial power in the Central Plains was changing and perilous, what measures did they take? Khitan remained silent. Khitan handled the news of Li Siyuan and Li Conghou's death in accordance with the normal state rituals between the two countries, and sent envoys to Luoyang to express their condolences.

Because the Khitan himself also encountered a major funeral during this period, the Khitan Empress Dowager passed away, almost at the same time as Li Siyuan.The Empress Dowager is the mother of Yelu Abaoji and the grandmother of Yelu Deguang, who is the highest-ranking person in Khitan.Khitan was busy arranging the funeral for the Empress Dowager.The funeral was not completed until the end of February, when the tomb of the Khitan Empress Dowager was completed. In ancient times, there was a saying that "cutting funerals is inauspicious".It is estimated that the Khitan had both its own national mourning and the later Tang's national mourning. The two things came together, especially its own national mourning was more important. The Khitan did not engage in war at this time.

After Yelu Deguang received Yelubei's secret letter, he decided to launch a tentative attack on the Later Tang Dynasty in the Central Plains. August 934 AD. autumn high. Refreshing. Refreshing. The grass grows and the horse is fat. Yelu Deguang personally led the troops across the Yanmen Pass of the Great Wall and entered the pass.In September, he arrived in Yunzhou and captured the frontier city Heyin in World War I.In October, he killed Lingqiu (near Lingqiu County, Shanxi Province).In November, he captured Yangcheng in Wuzhou (now Xuanhua County, Hebei Province).When Yelu Deguang was playing smoothly, the cold winter came. In December, the queen gave birth to the prince Aposageri, who had a difficult labor. The child's life was saved, but the queen died.The queen was in the army with Yelu Deguang. Once the queen died, the battle could not continue.Yelu Deguang led the Khitan army back.

The reason why the Khitan invasion did not achieve great results was that, on the one hand, the sudden death of the Khitan queen prevented the war from advancing in depth, and on the other hand, the Central Plains dynasty’s defense force on the northern border was still relatively strong.At this time, Shi Jingtang and Yang Guangyuan, the famous later Tang generals Shi Jingtang and Yang Guangyuan, commanded the attack on the Khitan on the northern border of Shanxi. According to the decrees of the Khitan Kingdom, troops are usually dispatched to fight in spring and autumn.The advantage of fighting in autumn is that the battle can be resolved quickly. If the war reaches a stalemate, it will face the test of severe winter cold.The Khitan labor force attacked far away, with insufficient supplies of food, grass and supplies, and had to give up the war due to the pressure of the weather.Therefore, the Khitan invaded the Central Plains many times and could not go deep. They could only carry out mobile warfare and plundering warfare in the northern part of Hebei and Shanxi.This is also the purpose of Yelu Abaoji's deliberate plan to occupy the Hebei area south of the Great Wall, and to establish a bridgehead and a supply turnover base for the Khitan to move southward.

Everyone has to ask, didn’t Shi Jingtang go to Luoyang?When did you return to Taiyuan, Shanxi? Shi Jingtang went to Luoyang, but it was strange. Shi Jingtang lived in Luoyang, and lived in a very dangerous place. Shi Jingtang went back to Taiyuan, but it was difficult. Although Shi Jingtang appeared many times in previous documents, here we need to focus on introducing Shi Jingtang.Because most of us have only a disgusting and simple impression of Shi Jingtang as "Emperor Son", but in fact Shi Jingtang also had a legendary life. Shi Jingtang is from a famous family, descended from a prominent family, and his family background is very deep.It is rumored that they are the descendants of Shi Que, the doctor of Wei, and Shi Fen, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, which may be far-fetched.But from the grandfather of the fourth generation, Shi Jingtang had a name and a surname, held important positions in officials for generations, and joined the military for generations. He had a close relationship with Li Keyong's ancestors and a deep relationship. He has been stationed as an official in Daibei, Shanxi.Shi Jingtang's father, Shi Shaoyong, was a general of Li Keyong of Hedong and Li Cunxu of Emperor Zhuangzong of the later Tang Dynasty.

Shi Jingtang ranked second, born on February 28th, the first year of Tang Jingfu (892 AD), and is now 42 years old.Shi Jingtang was quiet and quiet since he was a child, with a peaceful temperament, he didn't like to joke, and liked to study the art of war. He especially admired the famous generals Li Mu of Zhao State in ancient times and Zhou Yafu of Western Han Dynasty. When Li Siyuan was the governor of Daizhou, he met Shi Jingtang and liked this young man very much, so he betrothed his eldest daughter to Shi Jingtang.Later, Shi Jingtang followed Li Siyuan in the South and North Wars, made many military exploits, and was deeply trusted and valued by Li Siyuan.

Shi Jingtang was really famous in the early days of the Jin-Liang-Hebei War, when Liu Xunyan, a veteran of the Later Liang Dynasty, sent surprise soldiers from Shen County to attack Weizhou at night, and had a fierce battle with the Jin army led by Li Cunxu.Shi Jingtang led his men to fight hard, not only killed a lot of enemies, but also his own team was intact.Li Cunxu, the king of Jin at that time, gave Shi Jingtang the highest praise, and Shi Jingtang has been famous all over the world since then.From then on, Shi Jingtang followed Li Siyuan to fight the Liang army frequently in the area of ​​the Yellow River, and became the main force of the Jin army. He was as famous as Li Congke for his bravery.

Because Shi Jingtang and Li Siyuan have the same temperament, they don't like to show off, and they don't like to compete for credit.Therefore, Shi Jingtang's official position has been promoted very slowly. After Zhuangzong Li Cunxu became emperor, Shi Jingtang was only a capital school under Li Siyuan's account, and he did not reach the title of Jiedushi.However, Li Siyuan has always loved this son-in-law who rides a dragon and knows him very well. After Li Siyuan entered Luoyang and became Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, Shi Jingtang's spring came, and his status soared.His father-in-law became emperor, and Shi Jingtang was immediately promoted to Doctor Guanglu, Situ the inspector, and Jiedu Envoy of the Baoyi Army in Shanzhou.In the second year of Li Siyuan's reign as emperor, he was granted the title of Taifu Shi Jingtang, the inspector and deputy envoy of the six armies, and he was granted the title of Kai Guobo.After quelling the rebellion of Zhu Shouyin in Bianliang, Shi Jingtang was promoted to be the envoy of Xuanwu Jiedu, the commander of the Ma Bujun of the bodyguards and the deputy envoy of the Sixth Army. .Within a few months, he was also granted the titles of Taifu of the school, Tongzhong Shumenxia Pingzhangshi, Xingtang Yin, Yedu stayed behind, Tianxiong Army Jiedushi, and Prince Consort Duwei. Shi Jingtang was not only brave and good at fighting, but also had outstanding talents in governing local administration.Shi Jingtang served as the Jiedu envoy of Shanzhou for less than a year, and handled all tasks in an orderly manner. He was welcomed and praised by the army and the common people, and he was a very famous parent official. Later, Shi Jingtang served as Tianxiong Jiedu envoy in Yedu (Weizhou), and was in charge of the Weibo area.At that time, Ye was one of the most important cities in the later Tang Dynasty. It lived on the north-south traffic hub, and its agriculture and commerce were developed.Shi Jingtang ordered someone to hang a box at the gate of the commander-in-chief's mansion, and asked the common people to deliver their opinions, pleadings, and letters of accusation into this box at any time.This is the earliest prototype of the "suggestion box" we are used to today.Shi Jingtang worked diligently, personally reviewed all kinds of letters and papers in the suggestion box, and personally tried the case.However, people in Weibo love to litigate too much. Ever since they learned that the Jiedu Envoy received public opinion and devoted himself to his work, all kinds of papers have flowed in like snowflakes.More and more cases were handled, and a year later, Shi Jingtang's desk was full of files. Shi Jingtang lived a simple life, never extravagant and wasteful, and he didn't like sensual entertainment.After get off work, Shi Jingtang often convenes his staff to discuss customs, social governance gains and losses, people's hunger, food and well-being, and he understands politics and people's sentiments very well.Therefore, the officials and subordinates in Shi Jingtang's jurisdiction did not dare to deceive him.When Shi Jingtang was an official in every place, he advocated filial piety first.Anyone who does not take good care of their parents and elders will be beheaded as a crime once Shi Jingtang finds out. There is a story about Shi Jingtang's ability to judge right from wrong.One day, the lady proprietress of a hotel got into a fight with the officers and soldiers, making a lot of noise and entanglement.In the end, the two parties brought the lawsuit to the Yamen to confront the court.The proprietress was the plaintiff. She said that the officers and soldiers led the horses to pass by while they were drying the food outside the store.Guanjun was the defendant, feeling wronged, and categorically denied that the army horses had eaten the store's food.The two insisted on their own words, and there was no evidence.The officials who tried the case were confused by the quarrel between the two men, not knowing which one was justified and which was unreasonable. When the case was at an impasse, Shi Jingtang came to inspect the work.Shi Jingtang came to the government office to observe the trial.After hearing the situation clearly, Shi Jingtang said: "Everyone has his own opinion, how to judge right from wrong? You can kill the army horse and dig open the horse's intestines to have a look. If there is grain in the horse's intestines, then the officers and soldiers are guilty and punished by beheading." .If there is no grain in the horse's intestines, then the proprietress framed her up, so she was chopped off to make up for the crime." As Shi Jingtang's words fell to the ground, the atmosphere in the courtroom suddenly became tense.The originally chaotic group of people suddenly fell silent.Shi Jingtang waved his hand, the guards walked out of the court, raised their knives, killed the general and horse, and smashed out the bloody horse intestines.The proprietress, the officers and soldiers, the onlookers, and the adjudicating officials all stretched their necks, opened their mouths, and stared at their eyes, anxiously vying to see if any grain was found in the horse's intestines. The results came out, and the horse's intestines were empty except for horse manure. The proprietress who looked like a crazy woman suddenly collapsed on the ground like a deflated ball.Shi Jingtang looked at the scene expressionlessly.The trial officer looked left and right in a panic, and hurriedly ordered someone to drag the proprietress out, and beheaded her in the street. Although from today's point of view, the life of a person seems to be the same as that of a horse, but in that era of war and strife, it was considered wise and responsible to be able to distinguish right from wrong. in. Since then, no one has dared to cheat or blackmail. Although the military expedition to Sichuan failed, Shi Jingtang's official position continued to be promoted, because An Zhonghui was solely responsible for the war.Shi Jingtang was re-appointed as Jiedu Envoy of Heyang and Deputy Envoy of the Sixth Army.Shi Jingtang's status skyrocketed, and he was greatly loved by Li Siyuan, which aroused the envy, jealousy and hatred of a group of people.Some people wanted to push Shi Jingtang out of the central government and go to other places.The first to attack was the overbearing King Li Congrong of Qin, who believed that Shi Jingtang blocked his way of development.At the instigation of Li Congrong and a group of civil and military ministers, Shi Jingtang concurrently served as Shizhong, Taiyuan Yin, Beijing Liushou, and Hedong Jiedushi, as well as the commander of Datong, Zhenwu, Zhangguo, Weisai and other armies. His honorary title was changed to "" Do your best to help the heroes of Ningguo."Since then, Shi Jingtang left the capital and went to work in Taiyuan.Due to his transfer from the Central Committee, he lost his title of Deputy Envoy of the Sixth Army, and he could not be in charge of the national army from now on. Shi Jingtang was very depressed because of this. When the news of Emperor Mingzong Li Siyuan's death spread to Taiyuan, Shi Jingtang cried until he died.When Emperor Li Conghou faced the threat of King Lu Li Congke, he wanted to recruit Shi Jingtang to escort him to Beijing.When the monarch and his ministers met in Weizhou, Shi Jingtang gave up Li Conghou and voted for Li Congke without pity after weighing his interests. At this time, Shi Jingtang had no malice towards the new emperor Li Congke, nor did he have much suspicion.If Shi Jingtang is worried about Li Congke, then he can turn around and go back to Taiyuan to support his own self-respect. Shi Jingtang had no suspicion of Li Congke, but Li Congke was very worried about Shi Jingtang. During Li Siyuan's life as a soldier, Li Congke and Shi Jingtang were like Li Siyuan's right-hand men, two tiger warriors, and their contributions were equal.Li Congke has always been somewhat dissatisfied with Shi Jingtang, and the two have been secretly competing for many years.Besides, Li Congke once lived a very unsatisfactory life, and was almost killed by An Zhonghui. Compared with Shi Jingtang's experience of becoming famous all the way, Li Congke always felt uncomfortable. Lu Wang Li Congke usurped the throne and became the new emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty. Looking around the world, the only person who made him worry was Shi Jingtang, and only Shi Jingtang had this strength. After Li Congke proclaimed himself emperor, he changed his year name to Qingtai, and was known as Emperor Qingtai in history.Li Congke is not only the same age as Zhuangzong Li Cunxu, but also has a similar fighting style, and his performance after becoming emperor is also as bad.Li Congke raised his troops in a weak position. In order to gather more supporters, he had to write a lot of bad checks.After becoming emperor, Qingtai Emperor Li Congke did not dare to break his promise, so he had to fulfill his original promises one by one.As a result, there are good and bad officials in the feudal towns and imperial courts all over the world, and good and bad are mixed.It is difficult to distinguish right from wrong in value orientation, and the political order falls into darkness and chaos.Opportunists of all kinds fill the bureaucracy at all levels.Factional struggles, bribery, buying and selling officials, deceiving superiors and inferiors, extortionate extortion, and changing orders from day to day are all the rage.Fan Yanguang and Zhao Yanshou, two members of Li Siyuan's court, hid outside for a while, and were reused by Li Congke again, and returned to the court as chief ministers.Feng Dao, who sees the wind and turns the rudder, is promoted to Sikong and concurrently serves as Kuanguo Jiedushi.It is really impossible to find new talented people, and Li Congke has to recycle waste from the existing waste officials. Shi Jingtang lived in Luoyang, and he was already aware of Li Congke's suspicion of him, and he felt anxious, but he didn't dare to take the initiative to go back and forth to Taiyuan, fearing that this would aggravate Li Congke's precautions and suspicions towards him.Shi Jingtang had trouble sleeping and eating, and his days seemed like years.Recently, I don't know what kind of disease Shi Jingtang got, he was skinny, skinny, listless, and looked very painful.Every day when I go to court, I am swaying, weak, and crumbling, almost unable to support it. Regarding the attitude towards Shi Jingtang, the civil and military ministers were divided.All the generals who followed Li Congke from Fengxiang persuaded Li Congke to keep Shi Jingtang in the capital and prevent him from having territory and troops.However, Shi Jingtang's mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Cao, and the princess's wife kept telling Li Congke that Shi Jingtang was very ill and that he might not live long, so they asked the emperor to take care of him.Some civil servants told Li Congke that Shi Jingtang should not be suspected and should be allowed to return to Taiyuan to continue to shoulder important responsibilities. Finally, seeing Shi Jingtang's pitiful appearance, Qing Tai Emperor Li Congke's heart softened, and finally agreed to Shi Jingtang's return to Taiyuan.Shi Jingtang couldn't wait any longer, he ran non-stop, and flew all the way back to Taiyuan's local town. Shi Jingtang escaped death by a narrow margin. Shi Jingtang didn't dare to stop until he reached the gate of Taiyuan City, turned his head to look in the direction of Luoyang, and wiped the sweat from his forehead heavily. A few days after Shi Jingtang returned to Taiyuan, he caught up with Yelu Deguang's attack on the Central Plains, and the two fought a few small battles. The evolution of the contradiction between Li Congke and Shi Jingtang is exactly the same as the evolution of the contradiction between Li Cunxu and Li Siyuan. The catastrophe has just passed. A catastrophe followed closely. After Shi Jingtang fled back to Taiyuan, he was always vigilant about Qingtai Emperor Li Congke's attitude towards him, lived with trepidation, thought hard about self-protection strategies, and tried his best to eliminate Qingtai Emperor's suspicion of him.Shi Jingtang played hide-and-seek with the later Tang court, which can be described as painstaking and exhaustive. Although Shi Jingtang is an official in Taiyuan, many members of his family are still in Luoyang.He has many undercover insiders in the imperial court.Shi Jingtang's two sons served as bodyguards in the palace, Empress Dowager Cao was close to Shi Jingtang, and several sisters-in-law treated him well.Shi Jingtang spent a lot of money to bribe officials both inside and outside the palace.These people reported to Shi Jingtang timely and complete the attitude of Qing Tai Emperor Li Congke and every move of the court every day, and they also tried to find ways for him from time to time to intercede. In order to dispel the vigilance of Li Congke, Emperor Tai of the Qing Dynasty, Shi Jingtang often said in front of outsiders that he was terminally ill and could not continue to work, and could not bear the heavy responsibility of Jiedushi.Asking these people to bring news to Li Congke made Li Congke think that Shi Jingtang had no ambitions. While keeping a low profile and keeping a low profile, Shi Jingtang secretly stepped up military expansion and preparations for war.He understands that there is vitality only when there is strength.Blindly pretending to be sick can hide for a while, but cannot hide for a lifetime.Only holding the handle of the knife tightly in your hand is the first guarantee of life safety.In the name of strengthening border control and security, Shi Jingtang joined forces with Zhao Dejun, the Jiedu envoy of Youzhou, and asked the court to provide them with a large amount of grain, grass, military supplies, armor and equipment. Just when Shi Jingtang tried every means to maintain a stable relationship with the court, an unexpected incident once again provoked the fragile nerves of Li Congke and Shi Jingtang.In summer, the imperial court sent people to send summer uniforms to Shi Jingtang's army stationed in Xinzhou, and gave some encouragement to the army.This was a very common thing at first, but for some reason, Shi Jingtang accompanied the imperial envoys to finish distributing clothes and speaking, and was about to turn around and go back to the government office, when the army suddenly burst into overwhelming slogans: "Long live the commander! Long live handsome!" Hearing these words, Shi Jingtang and the imperial envoys were all shocked at the same time.The imperial envoy stared at Shi Jingtang in astonishment and suspicion, and Shi Jingtang immediately broke out in sweat on his forehead.The army didn't thank the imperial court, but thanked Shi Jingtang, and shouted long live Shi Jingtang!This is treason! Shi Jingtang gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, cursing in his heart: "His grandma, what bastard is such a bastard! Isn't this pushing me into the fire pit?" Shi Jingtang shouted: "Liu Zhiyuan, find out who is bewitching the morale of the army, and punish him on the spot !" Liu Zhiyuan didn't dare to hesitate, so he had to behead the thirty-six people who took the lead in shouting slogans.Pity these dozens of stupid guys who were loyal to Shi Jingtang, but they didn't know the current affairs, and ruined their lives for nothing. After the "Long Live Incident", Emperor Tai of the Qing Dynasty became more suspicious of Shi Jingtang. Once suspicion arises between the monarch and his ministers, nine out of ten it will end in life and death.This is the saddest scene in Chinese feudal history, and it is also a knot that many wise or stupid monarchs and ministers cannot break free from.In this political environment, there is no verifiable magic weapon to ensure mutual trust.Only the elimination and anti-elimination of the physical body is the ultimate choice. Now that the suspicion has intensified, Emperor Qingtai decided to do something. Be the first to strike first. Law of the jungle. Less than a year after Shi Jingtang returned to Taiyuan, Li Congke dispatched Wuning Jiedu envoy Zhang Jingda as the deputy head of the northern camp to station in Daizhou, with the purpose of splitting Shi Jingtang's power. Just after the Spring Festival in 936 AD, the land of the Central Plains was still immersed in a joyous atmosphere. From the emperor's clan to the common people, they were still visiting relatives and friends, setting off fireworks and cannons.Emperor Li Congke of the Qing Dynasty held a family banquet in the palace, drinking and watching plays with the empress dowager, princess, empress, and close relatives of the royal family.Shi Jingtang's wife, the eldest princess, made a toast to Li Congke's birthday. After saying the words of blessings, golden safety, and longevity, the eldest princess got up to bid farewell to Li Congke and prepared to return to Taiyuan. Although Li Congke became the emperor, everyone in the palace had their own secrets, and no one believed anyone.The so-called banquet for the New Year is just a fake article for outsiders, just going through the motions. Shi Jingtang was avoiding disaster in Taiyuan, and his daughter-in-law, the eldest princess, couldn't stay in the palace, so she was in a hurry to leave.Li Congke saw what the eldest princess was thinking, and couldn't help but sneer: "Sister, why don't you stay in the capital for a while longer? Are you in such a hurry to return to Taiyuan, are you going to meet up with your brother-in-law Shi Jingtang and plot rebellion together?!" Li Congke's words were too direct, too provocative, and too merciless. The eldest princess broke out in a cold sweat.Shi Jingtang also broke out in a cold sweat in Taiyuan when he heard the news.Although Li Congke said this at a banquet, it was different from ordinary drunken talk and jokes, and it meant that Li Congke and Shi Jingtang were torn apart. Li Congke reprimanded Shi Jingtang in front of the eldest princess, and afterwards Li Congke also felt a little reckless.But the words that are spoken are the water that is poured out.The matter has come to this point, there is no need to hide it.Li Congke, Emperor Tai of the Qing Dynasty, conspired with the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs to get rid of Shi Jingtang. Duanmingdian scholar, Li Song and Lu Qi discussed the matter and came up with an idea. They believed that Shi Jingtang would definitely rebel, and decided that if Shi Jingtang rebelled, he would definitely collude with Khitan.If Hedong and Khitan united, the Central Plains would be no match for it anyway.It would be better for the Central Plains court to take the initiative to unite with Khitan first, cut off Shi Jingtang's foreign aid.Li Song and Lu Qi also discussed a way to unite the Khitans. The imperial court would return the Khitan generals captured a few years ago to the Khitans, and then send Khitans 100,000 year-old coins. The Khitans would definitely accept the invitation of the Later Tang court. Li Song and Lu Qi estimated that they were not strong enough, so they contacted Minister of Finance Zhang Yanlang, and the three hit it off.Zhang Yanlang believed that in this way, Shi Jingtang could not only be restrained, but also he could make peace with Khitan and save eighty-nine out of ten military expenditures on the frontier. After the three discussed, they made a suggestion to Emperor Li Congke.When Li Congke heard this, he clapped his hands and applauded, and also thought it was a good plan.Having been affirmed by the emperor, the three officials rolled up their arms and sleeves and drafted a letter of friendship to Khitan. The next day, Emperor Li Congke of the Qing Dynasty told the privy envoy secretary Xue Wenyu about this strategy and asked for his opinion.Unexpectedly, Xue Wenyu sneered at this.Xue Wenyu thought it was the orthodox dynasty who condescended to bow and bow to Khitan, which was too embarrassing and humiliating.Not only that, Xue Wenyu also used the allusion of Zhaojun going out of the fortress to scare Li Congke, saying what if Khitan accepts the repair and asks to marry the royal princess? Li Congke was speechless after being scolded by Xue Wenyu, but felt that Xue Wenyu's words were reasonable, and regretted listening to Li Song, Lu Qi and Zhang Yanlang's words.Not only did he no longer approve of their clever plan, but turned his face and angrily denounced the three of them for encouraging the emperor to become a traitor.The three ministers were so frightened that they kowtowed on the ground like garlic, and repeatedly apologized for not pleading guilty.From then on, no one was willing to wade into this muddy water, and they all kept silent, and you can do whatever you like about the imperial affairs.Anyway, if a dog bites a dog, there is no good thing. In fact, the confrontation in this debate is very representative, and has been affecting the foreign policy of the next century and the views of history for hundreds of years.The Central Plains dynasty at this time is no longer the Zhuliang period, nor is it the prosperous Tang period. All industries are withered, politics is abolished, discipline is degraded, armaments are weak, and people's hearts are scattered. In the era of China, it is just a regime that occupies a relatively large area on both sides of the Yellow River.Even such a regime that is gradually deteriorating and declining does not think of a good strategy for revitalization and restoration, but clings to the old orthodox concepts of the Celestial Dynasty, which fully reflects the lustful and illusory mentality of some Central Plains scholar-bureaucrats. At this time, the Central Plains has begun to decline, while Khitan is becoming stronger, and the balance of power between the two is changing.The Central Plains scholar-bureaucrats seem to be able to defeat the Khitan cavalry with a little orthodox fairy spirit of their ancestors.In the following hundreds of years of historical research, the scholar-bureaucrats who had the right to write history were still unwilling to believe that the Central Plains lost to the Khitan, and found all kinds of plausible excuses to defend this regime and the later exhausted Central Plains regime. .It seems that only the sons and grandsons of their direct roots are qualified to rule this land, even if their rule is a mess, even if they bring disaster to the country and the people, it seems sacred. This is an extremely unrealistic attitude, blindfolding yourself. Of course, the so-called ingenious plan of Li Song, Lu Qi, and Zhang Yanlang may not be feasible, because Khitan may not accept their wishful thinking of "preferential" conditions.If the Khitan only focused on the land, or wanted both land and money, or had a greater appetite, then this clever plan could only be "shaving the head and picking one's head." The problem does not lie in the feasibility of this strategy, but in the attitude of this foreign policy, which is often labeled humiliating and traitorous in the political and historical studies of subsequent generations.National power is the foundation of diplomacy.Whether a foreign policy is weak or tough, whether it is defensive or offensive, all cannot do without the support of national power.Abandoning the gains and losses of the actual national interests, talking about the nobility of the main war faction and the humiliation of the peace faction are nothing but corrupt Confucianism. Shi Jingtang was in a passive situation, repeatedly forbearing, repeatedly showing weakness, and repeatedly probing.He used the last solution to test the hole card of Emperor Li Congke.Shi Jingtang voluntarily applied to be transferred from Hedong, saying that he was too weak and sick to bear the burden, and asked to be transferred to a smaller feudal town to recuperate. Shi Jingtang's memorial was delivered to Luoyang Palace.Li Congke also knew very well what Shi Jingtang was thinking, and understood that it was Shi Jingtang who was testing him.But since Shi Jingtang had already made a move, how would the emperor accept it?Li Congke consulted Li Song and Lu Qi, representatives of the "Dove Faction", and they strongly advocated not agreeing to Shi Jingtang's application for redeployment.Because once the imperial court agrees, it means that both sides have come to a dead end, the war will break out immediately, and there will be no room for maneuver.However, Xue Wenyu, the representative of the "Eagle Faction", believes that the matter has come to this point, and people's hearts can see that it is a blessing or a disaster, and the disaster cannot be avoided.Simply agree to Shi Jingtang's application and see what he does.If you obediently adjust the defense, that's all. If you are not obedient, then the court can justifiably launch a crusade. In the end, Qingtai Emperor Li Congke adopted Xue Wenyu's opinion, and ordered Shi Jingtang to be the governor of Tianping, to go to Shandong to take official sick leave, and set off immediately.The hot potato thrown by Shi Jingtang was thrown back by Li Congke.On the contrary, Shi Jingtang was unable to get off the tiger. The imperial court's order was like a blockbuster, and the civil and military officials in Hedong who exploded talked a lot, expressing their opinions, as if a pot had been boiled.In the end, Shi Jingtang adopted Du Ya Liu Zhiyuan's opinion and used troops to fight.Then he adopted the opinion of Sang Weihan, the secretary in charge, and joined Khitan as a backup. Shi Jingtang did what he said, in order to save his life, his grandma did the opposite. In May 936 AD, Shi Jingtang, the governor of the four towns of Hedong, rebelled and issued a declaration of war, accusing Li Congke of killing the king and usurping the throne.Li Congke was so angry when he saw Shi Jingtang's call to action.He continued to kill all of Shi Jingtang's family members in Luoyang.Zhang Jingda was sent as the envoy to recruit from all sides in Taiyuan, and Yang Guangyuan was the deputy envoy to crusade against Shi Jingtang. Hearing that Shi Jingtang had rebelled, the prefectures and counties near Hedong responded one after another and defected to Shi Jingtang.It seems that Shi Jingtang still has a certain appeal. Although Shi Jingtang had some strength, but he still felt that he had no idea when he really confronted the court.After all, being a thief has a guilty conscience, and I feel that I lack confidence.In fact, Shi Jingtang was more powerful than when Li Congke started his army, but the opponent Shi Jingtang faced was also stronger.Li Congke is much stronger than Li Conghou.What's more, Li Congke and Shi Jingtang were originally on par, both military strongmen.So Shi Jingtang didn't dare to be careless at all, and even felt a little afraid of Li Congke in his heart.After all, Li Congke is the emperor and can mobilize resources from all over the country to deal with him. In order to ensure nothing goes wrong, Shi Jingtang came up with an unprecedented so-called "smart plan".He decided to offer favorable conditions to unite with Khitan to fight against the later Tang court.In order to save his life, Shi Jingtang promised to win this battle, but he spent a lot of money.The Central Plains has been in chaos for decades, and no one has ever invited and united Khitan.Shi Jingtang suddenly turned his eyes to the outside. Shi Jingtang sent Sang Weihan to write an alliance letter to Khitan Emperor Yelu Deguang. In the letter, Shi Jingtang sent two generous gifts, one was a political gift, proclaiming himself a minister to Khitan, and calling Yelu Deguang his godfather.The other is a material gift. After the agreement is completed, the sixteen state capitals from Youzhou to Yanmenguan will be ceded to Khitan. Shi Jingtang called Yelu Deguang godfather, which seems to make sense in terms of seniority.Yelu Abaoji and Li Keyong were allied brothers, and Li Cunxu once called Yelu Abaoji his uncle.Yelu Deguang was the son of Yelu Abaoji, who was once comparable to Li Keyong's godson Li Siyuan brothers.As Li Siyuan's son-in-law, Shi Jingtang is one level lower than Yelu Deguang, which seems reasonable.But the problem is, Shi Jingtang calls Yelu Deguang a godfather, which is unbelievable.Because Yelu Deguang is younger than Shi Jingtang, no matter what, it is not his turn to be a "father". From Shi Jingtang's point of view, ceding the land was a blank promise, without any actual loss, and it was much more cost-effective than sending money.After the matter is completed, I don't know what to do, it is important to let the Khitan send troops first. However, Shi Jingtang's general Liu Zhiyuan didn't think so. He thought it was enough to show respect to Khitan, why bother to recognize his godfather?To lure Khitan to send troops, all you need is some money, why promise to cede the land?Because money is like flowing water, you can get it back after spending it, but if the land is cut off, it will not be easy to get it back.Once the land changes hands, re-disputing for land will involve a fundamental conflict of interest in space-time sovereignty.Besides, Yanyun Sixteen States will be the bridgehead for Khitan to attack the Central Plains in the future.It can be seen from this that Liu Zhiyuan has far-reaching insights than Shi Jingtang.At the same time, it also reflects that Shi Jingtang was sick and went to the doctor and took medicine indiscriminately, disregarded the sovereignty of the land, and put his own safety above the interests of the world. He has no longer cared about many consequences. Khitan Emperor Yelu Deguang was overjoyed after receiving Shi Jingtang's distress letter.I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a big fat meat sent to my door.Yelu Deguang took this letter and rushed to the harem to meet his mother, Empress Dowager Shuluping.Yelu Deguang said to the queen mother: "Son, I dreamed last night that Shi Jingtang asked me for something, and I received a letter from him today. It's God's will." The Empress Dowager Shulu said calmly: "What is so exciting?" Yelu Deguang replied: "The year before last, Li Congke of the Later Tang Dynasty usurped the throne, killed his younger brother Li Conghou, and became the emperor. But Shi Jingtang made great achievements. Li Congke suspected Shi Jingtang, and pressed him every step of the way, intending to put Shi Jingtang to death. It is urgent to raise troops to rebel. Shi Jingtang asked us to send troops to help him fight against Later Tang." The Empress Dowager Shulu nodded, and said slowly: "The Central Plains is in chaos, and the flames of war are not extinguished. In just thirty years, a huge Tang Empire has been torn apart and dilapidated. It's all because of the dark politics, the monarch's lack of effort, and the officials' lack of effort. , People have selfish interests and compete with each other. The central government is exhausted and incompetent, the feudal towns are divided and arrogant, the road is out of balance, and the cart is turned upside down. This is the case. You must be vigilant!" Yelu Deguang didn't expect the specific event that his mother surpassed Shi Jingtang, and talked about the truth of the rise and fall of the world, he was sincerely convinced, and couldn't help nodding deeply. The Empress Dowager Shulu looked at her kneeling son. It has been ten years, and the emperor has grown from a young man to a mature politician.The empress dowager Shulu's hard work for many years was finally not in vain.She asked: "Shi Jingtang invited me to send troops, what conditions did he give?" Yelu Deguang replied: "Although Shi Jingtang has fought against me on the frontier for many years, this time he is very humble and voluntarily surrendered his status to call his son a godfather. More importantly, after his promise is fulfilled, he will divide the land from Youzhou to the north of Yanmen Pass. Offer it to me Khitan." When the Empress Dowager Shulu heard this, her eyes shone brightly, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She subconsciously stroked the severed wrist of her left arm with her right hand, and said, "Finally, this day has come. Although the court of the later Tang Dynasty declined, , but the military combat power in the past few years is still not to be underestimated. Now they are fighting among themselves and consuming themselves, and finally brought us a godsend opportunity for Khitan. In this way, our Khitan can get the land along the Great Wall at our fingertips, saving millions of soldiers and horses from fighting, and more There is no need to run the risk of dragging down the country's power with military force." Yelu Deguang said cautiously: "The mother's plan is far-reaching, and it is beyond my son's understanding. Now things are as expected by the mother, and we can enjoy the success, all thanks to the mother's decision." The Empress Dowager Shulu was obviously also proud of being rewarded for her foresight. She said firmly: "If you don't take the gift from God, you will be blamed instead. Send troops to the Central Plains." In September, the autumn is high and the air is crisp, the grass is long and the eagle is flying, and the horses are fat and the cattle are strong. Emperor Taizong of Khitan, Yelu Deguang Yujia personally led a cavalry army of 50,000 royal special forces, claiming 300,000, and entered the pass to help Shi Jingtang.The Khitan iron cavalry descended from Yangwu Valley to the south, galloping like lightning, with flags unfurling, horn belts fluttering, the sound of horns and drums shaking the earth, and the sound of people shouting and horse neighing heard from hundreds of miles away. The strange thing is that the Khitan entered the pass in a large scale, and the defenders of the Later Tang Dynasty who guarded the Daizhou and Xinzhou fortresses were ordered by the court to not intercept the Khitan.Because, the court of the later Tang Dynasty mobilized one hundred thousand troops in Taiyuan, thinking that it was enough to deal with Shi Jingtang and Khitan, and they were confident that they would be able to complete their achievements in one battle.后唐朝廷的这个决策失误造成了战局的决定性后果。 耶律德光意在速战速决，不听石敬瑭劝告，派猛将渤海人高谟翰率领精锐部队挑战张敬达的唐军。契丹派出小股部队引诱唐军北过汾河，然后伏兵四起，将唐军切断为两截。对北岸渡河的唐军猛攻猛打，几乎全歼。对南岸的唐军也展开了强悍的攻击，一番激战之后，唐军溃败逃回晋安的营寨之中。 耶律德光用兵果然高明，初战告捷，提振了石敬瑭和契丹军的士气。 契丹军和石敬瑭军合兵一处，绕道张敬达唐军背后，切断了唐军营寨和洛阳之间的联络。这时候，后唐朝廷大惊失色，才后悔所谓“诱敌深入、放契丹入关”策略的失误。清泰帝李从珂紧急布防，四面八方调集兵马，从西南、南、东南、东北几个方向派出四路大军，紧急驰援张敬达，作为第二梯队向太原前线全面压上。 调集二路兵马支援张敬达之后，清泰帝李从珂仍不放心，忍着眼睛疾病的折磨，不得不挂帅亲征。李从珂督军作为第三路兵马，兵发洛阳。 从表面看起来，后唐李从珂做出的军事部署似乎很全面很强大，但色厉内荏。有三大要素制约了后唐军事部署的质量，直接导致了后唐各路兵马的解体。 一是李从珂的主力部队自从凤翔起兵以来，骄纵不法，只知道要封赏，不愿意卖命。上自李从珂下至将佐没人能管得了这些骄兵悍将。 二是李从珂朝廷内斗愈演愈烈，避难宰相赵延寿后来被李从珂重新启用为枢密使，惹得朝廷内很多人不服气，很嫉恨，想把赵延寿排挤出中央。这次出兵之际，很多人建议由赵延寿率领中央军去和他父亲幽州节度使赵德钧会合，共同讨伐石敬瑭。可是赵德钧另有图谋，一直打着趁乱获利的小算盘，极大破坏了二路兵马合击的计划。由于朝廷内部意见分歧斗争激烈，还有一些其他的破敌计策胎死腹中。 三是皇帝李从珂本身对石敬瑭具有畏惧情绪，亲征路上总是瞻前顾后，不愿意直接面对强敌。 李从珂朝廷中有一个人事部副部长名叫龙敏，提出了一个计策，他建议由后唐册封耶律倍为契丹皇帝，派兵护送耶律倍从东部的幽州北归契丹都城临潢府。以此制造契丹内部的猜疑和分裂。既可以动摇契丹内部的统治，又可以从背后钳制契丹的军事行动。 要说起来龙敏的这条计策很有杀伤力，也是后唐最后一张可用也应该用的王牌。耶律德光无论如何贪图燕云十六州的土地，也不会比皇帝宝座的安全更重要。他一定会暂且罢兵回师，处理国内政治斗争为先。 可是龙敏人微言轻，李从珂暗弱缺乏决断力，没有采纳龙敏的计策。 再说赵德钧此人原本是刘守光手下一名小校，在晋王李存勖征伐幽州后，被收编并入晋军。赵德钧作战还算勇猛，曾受到晋王重用，承担驻扎镇州抵御契丹的重任。赵延寿是赵德钧的干儿子，读过几年书，性情“妍柔”，有些男不男女不女，可是李嗣源挺喜欢他，将其招为女婿。赵延寿和石敬瑭为一担挑，同为李嗣源的女婿。现在天下大乱，赵德钧暗地里怀有异心，想乘乱做皇帝。 赵德钧打着讨伐石敬瑭的旗号，从幽州出发一路向西，以整合兵力为名，吞并了易州、镇州、泽州以及赵延寿等各路兵马，还要吞并魏博的兵马。魏博兵马由枢密使范延光统领。范延光觉察到赵德钧心怀叵测，拒绝接受赵德钧节制。 十一月，赵德钧屯兵团柏口，磨磨蹭蹭不再进发。无论后唐皇帝李从珂如何督促，赵德钧就是不走了，驻军一个多月只是观望。团柏口距离晋安张敬达被困营寨不到一百里，可是赵德钧坐视不救。 日子一天一天过去，冬季来临。 一旦大雪封山，契丹军队将陷入困境。因此，契丹军心开始动摇，每天傍晚都要打点行李，准备好铺盖卷，随时准备撤军。耶律德光深知此次南下机会难得，只许成功不许失败。可是后唐援军从四面八方包围上来，战争一旦陷入胶着状态，后果难以预料。契丹毕竟不是来给石敬瑭做炮灰的，耶律德光急着要把空头支票兑换成硬通货。为了巩固契丹军心和石敬瑭晋军军心，以便于把石敬瑭开出的条件巩固下来，耶律德光做出了一个重大决策。 在战争还没取得胜利的时候，契丹皇帝耶律德光决定扶植石敬瑭做中原的皇帝。石敬瑭做了皇帝，既可以进一步凝聚人心，又可以把割让燕云十六州的条约合法化。 在契丹支持下，又经过部属文武的反复劝进，又经过几番假模假式的推让，最终石敬瑭把小舅子许王李从益甩在一边，自己直接做了皇帝，建国号晋。 石敬瑭为什么要改国号呢？因为李存勖建立国号唐，后来没有血缘关系但能扯上点姓氏关系的李嗣源继位，勉强还用唐国号，再后来李嗣源的干儿子李从珂继位，虽然关系越来越“干”，因为李从珂毕竟还姓李，也还继续沿用国号唐。石敬瑭离李存勖的亲缘关系就差得太远了，十八竿子打不着，无论如何也攀附不上了，只有另立国号。 石敬瑭做了后晋皇帝，为了回报契丹，答应将幽、蓟、瀛、莫、涿、檀、顺、新、妫、儒、武、云、应、寰、朔、蔚十六州给契丹，不仅如此，在原来商定好的条约上，又增加了一项，每年后晋要向契丹进攻布帛三十万匹。 耶律德光和石敬瑭的条约以国家权力写在了纸上，但是要兑现还要继续打仗。