Chapter 16 9. Revenge

Forty years ago, Zhu Quanzhong held a Hongmen Banquet, and Li Keyong almost died in Kaifeng.Li Keyong never forgot this hatred until his death, and told his son Li Cunxu to take revenge.His words came true.Zhu Quanzhong said in his later years that his son was like a pig and dog compared to Li Cunxu.His words were also verified. February 921 AD.The Hutuo River in the north flooded, and the roaring water broke through the dams, flooding farmland and villages with a radius of hundreds of miles, and the deepest part of the river did not reach half of the city gate.The flood caused a huge disaster, destroying thousands of hectares of fertile land and drowning thousands of people.The area around Zhen'an has become a land of swamp.

There are floods on the ground, and there are disasters flying in the sky.In the northwest sky, there was a huge meteorite, which entered the atmosphere. After friction and burning, it formed a big fireball, roaring and rushing towards the earth. The meteorite rain scattered all over the place, injured many people and livestock, and burned many houses. The double disaster of flood and meteorite made people panic, not knowing what ominous things will happen this year. In the chilly spring, Li Cunxu of the Weizhou army was drinking and watching a theater with his generals.Li Cunxu, the star king, also has another hobby of watching theaters and fighting.Li Cunxu was familiar with rhythm since he was a child, loved singing and dancing, and often participated in various costume performances.He also loves fighting, and he doesn't allow his companions to cheat, he has to be shirtless to tell the winner.The generals in Hedong sat around the lobby of the palace, watching the music and dance performances, drinking while watching.When everyone was half drunk, yelling and drinking, shaking their heads and immersing themselves in the joy of graceful singing and dancing, a guard hurried up to Li Cunxu's side and whispered something in Li Cunxu's ear.

Suddenly, Li Cunxu shattered the white jade wine glass with a bang, and the blue wine splashed everywhere.The lively banquet stopped suddenly, and there was no sound in the lobby.Those who drank, watched the opera, sang, danced, served food, and poured wine all stared at Li Cunxu blankly, not knowing what had happened.Li Cunxu stopped entertaining, covered his face with his left hand and sobbed. Li Cunxu wiped away his tears, and said with a choked voice: "King Zhao was killed. He and I have made an alliance with each other, with one heart and one mind. He is a good man. I don't know what he has done to others? Why did he suffer such a disaster? It's really amazing." What a pity!"

Wang Rong, the king of Zhao Kingdom, died unexpectedly! This is explosive news. There was an instant chaos in the hall, there was a lot of voices and discussions. what on earth is this kind of happenings? It happens for a reason. We have explained to Wang Rong, the prince of Zhao State, many times in the previous article.Wang Rong inherited the position of Chengde Jiedu Envoy when he was young. He used to love chasing dreams when he was young, and he used to rush forward with all his heart, and once wanted to become king and contend for hegemony.But later I found out that I was not this material, and was scorched by Zhu Quanzhong, Liu Rengong, Li Keyong, and Liu Shouguang successively.In the end, he had to accept his fate, obediently lived in a corner, and formed an alliance with the rising star Li Cunxu in order to protect himself.

Wang Rong was smart and had a high IQ since he was a child, but he was not good at managing military and political affairs, and the power of the feudal town was controlled by eunuchs.Wang Rong was also happy to have a leisurely time. He built the mansions and houses into carved beams and painted buildings, decorated and decorated the pavilions and terraces, and took a small shovel every day to cultivate exotic flowers and weeds. He was always excited when he bred a new variety. On a daily basis, Wang Rong likes to make friends with so-called elegant celebrities, hold salons, and hold parties. Everyone shakes their heads and talks about poetry.In good weather or a festival or something, Wang Rong rode in a spacious and gorgeous carriage, with a five-foot-diameter yellow canopy towering in the air, and pulled a group of people out for fun, traveling in the mountains and rivers amidst the sound of drums and music.

As he grew older, Wang Rong gradually became obsessed with alchemy and medicine in order to live forever.Many monks, Taoists, witches and gods took advantage of his weakness, either teaching scriptures and chanting or writing talismans.The palace is full of strangely shaped small medicine stoves, whistling with smoke and fire, and making alchemy and medicine to make secret recipes. Under the influence of drugs and spirits, Wang Rong became dizzy and intoxicated all day long.In order to please the monks and priests, and to pay the highest respect to the Buddhas and gods, Wang Rong mobilized huge financial funds to carry out large-scale construction projects to expand, repair, strengthen and renovate the temples and Taoist temples in Zhao State.

In today's terms, Wang Rong is simply a big player, idle and not doing business, but a player with a little bit of culture and taste.He thought, "Anyway, I can't beat Zhu Quanzhong and Liu Rengong, and I can't beat Liu Shouguang and Li Cunxu. Li Cunxu likes to fight, so let's fight. If he wins a piece of fat, I'll drink some broth. It doesn't matter." Wang Rong devoted all his attention to playing and playing, and there was a huge vacuum and loophole in the performance of the country's government affairs.Many people with evil intentions and lust for profit jumped up and down in the Zhao country's political system, speculating and gaining profits, and made the Zhao country's political environment into a mess.

In December last year, there was heavy snow in the cold winter. Wang Rong travels again.On the way back, his entourage had a disagreement.Wang Rong's confidant eunuch Shi Ximeng persuaded Wang Rong to continue playing outside for a few more days and not return home in a hurry.Another eunuch, Li Honggui, objected. He persuaded Wang Rong to work hard and not to waste any more, and asked Wang Rong to return to the mansion as soon as possible, so as not to be left empty for a long time, and treacherous people take the opportunity to make trouble. In order to continue to deceive Wang Rong, Shi Ximeng resolutely opposed Li Honggui's opinion, and accused Li Honggui of bad intentions.In a rage, Li Honggui decided to remonstrate. He led some of his own troops into Wang Rong's tent, and strongly demanded that Wang Rong return to the mansion.Wang Rong didn't listen to Li Honggui at all.Li Hong asked for his life to cut off Shi Ximeng's head directly.Frightened by the scene in front of him, Wang Rong had no choice but to give in, so he had to follow Li Honggui's advice and go back home.

Li Honggui originally had good intentions, but he was too immature politically, and he didn't have any precautions and self-protection measures at all.After returning to Zhenzhou government office, Wang Rong launched revenge. Wang Rong sent his son Wang Zhaozuo and general Zhang Wenli to lead the troops to surround Li Honggui and the families of officers and soldiers who participated in the remonstrance. Regardless of men, women, old or young, they slaughtered all who were breathing.This massacre not only killed a few loyal ministers, but also wiped out dozens of families of these people's neighbors.This retaliatory action triggered a series of purges in the Imperial Guard of the Zhao Kingdom, and an atmosphere of terror immediately permeated the air.These imperial guards are in constant panic, always worrying about moving their heads.

The conflict between Wang Rong and his subordinates was brewing and facing intensification. Although Li Honggui died, what he said was true. Zhang Wenli sensed a bloody opportunity, and he took advantage of and manipulated the internal conflicts within Zhao's military group. Most people have probably watched programs like "Animal World". After a large group of herbivores were surrounded by lions, under extreme panic, they became restless and tried to resist but did not dare to start.At this moment, if there is a breakthrough, they will rush out desperately, no matter whether this time they choose to survive or fall into a new desperate situation, they will make a choice.They don't know what the future holds, they only know that the present must get out of danger.

The Zhao Guo Imperial Guards are currently in the state of these herbivores.And Zhang Wenli is still taking advantage of his status as a master of high-level information to spread rumors and create greater terrorist pressure.He said that King Zhao wanted to kill all these imperial guards.The nerves of Zhao Guo's imperial guards completely collapsed, and they hoped that Zhang Wenli could save them from the desperate situation. Zhang Wenli did not give an answer, but the answer is self-evident. The best way to eliminate danger is to eliminate the source of danger. After several months of conflict, one day in February 921 A.D., a few courageous and simple-minded and ruthless guys in the Imperial Guard of Zhao State broke into Zhao Wang's mansion in the dark to take Wang Rong's life. At this time, Wang Rong, who had eaten dinner, was wearing a label with spells all over his body, kneeling on the ground, chanting words, and burning incense to receive the energy from heaven.Several imperial guards rushed straight to Wang Rong without saying a word, raised their knives and dropped them, a cold light flashed, blood spattered five steps, and the head of a generation of princes and kings fell to the ground.Wang Rong's body fell down with a "plop" at the feet of the portrait of the Immortal God Taishang Laojun.Wang Rong was forty-eight years old.The monarch, who pursued too much spiritual freedom and sexual experience but had a very underdeveloped political mind, ended his life in the prime of his life. After succeeding, the imperial guards wrapped Wang Rong's head in their sleeves, and began to murder, set fire and rob money.The huge Prince Zhao's Mansion suddenly fell into a raging sea of ​​flames, and the families, servants, wives and children who were running around cried and shouted together.The Wang family, which had been in charge of Chengde for nearly a hundred years, was completely destroyed. Except for a young son in his teens who escaped, hundreds of other members of the family were killed. It is a heinous crime for the chaos army to kill the master.A few of their Imperial Guards couldn't stand up to such a big crime.In order to find a backer, the rebel army fled to Zhang Wenli's house that night with fear, and unanimously supported Zhang Wenli to take charge of Zhao Guo's military and political power after making Deliu.There is a boss standing in front of him, so if the sky falls, hit him first.Isn't the boss used to deal with disasters and difficulties?They didn't know that this was exactly what Zhang Wenli wanted. Zhang Wenli succeeded. He did nothing, but he got what he wanted. Although Zhang Wenli is supported as a posthumous candidate, he still needs to be recognized by a stronger regime, otherwise he is still illegal and cannot take up his new post openly.So Zhang Wenli thought of Jin Wang Li Cunxu.He sent a "request for instructions" to Li Cunxu, asking Li Cunxu to officially grant him the post of Jiedushi. Li Cunxu has not recovered from the grief of Wang Rong's death.After receiving Zhang Wenli's letter, Li Cunxu cursed, not only did not recognize Zhang Wenli, but also vowed to avenge Wang Rong. Someone in the Jin army's staff advised Li Cunxu that he is now fighting Zhu Liang, and the battle is at a crucial point, so he should bear with it to avoid accidents.After this reminder, Li Cunxu calmed down, suppressed his anger, and admitted Zhang Wenli's status against his will. One wave has not yet passed, and another wave is coming. Blessings never come, but misfortunes never come singly. Chengde had an accident, and Yiwu also had an accident. Although Zhang Wenli was temporarily recognized by Jin Wang Li Cunxu, he always felt uneasy as a thief.He knew very well that Li Cunxu accommodated him out of helplessness, and once Li Cunxu freed up his hand, he would definitely come to clean him up.It is better to take the initiative to attack than to sit still.In order to consolidate his position, Zhang Wenli thought of Khitan and planned to form an alliance with Khitan to fight against Li Cunxu.At the same time, Zhang Wenli secretly communicated with Emperor Zhu Youzhen of Zhu Liang, asking Zhu Youzhen to launch a counterattack against the Jin army from the south, and he joined forces with Khitan to attack the Jin army from the north. Zhao Guo suddenly changed, and the situation in Hebei was reversed. Since the situation of the enemy and friends was unknown, Zhu Youzhen hesitated for a while after receiving Zhang Wenli's invitation.At this time, Jingxiang suggested: "If Your Majesty does not seize this opportunity to restore Hebei, then the Jin people will be even more invincible. You should accept Zhang Wenli's invitation, and this opportunity must not be missed." Contrary to Jingxiang's point of view, Zhu Youzhen's brother-in-law and brother-in-law believed that the main army of the Liang Empire could not defeat the Jin army on the front line of the Yellow River, so how could it be possible to allocate some troops to assist Zhang Wenli?What's more, Zhang Wenli is on two boats, and the authenticity is unpredictable. They don't advocate forming an alliance with Zhao. It was time to test Zhu Youzhen's courage and insight, and Zhu Youzhen believed the words of her brother-in-law and brother-in-law and stood still. Time passed day by day. Zhu Liang Empire did not act. They are still watching. Li Cunxu is also watching. Test each other's psychological bottom line. Zhang Wenli frequently sent letters from south to north, and the information was finally intercepted by the Jin army.Li Cunxu remained calm and exercised great restraint.He knew very well that he could not take any action at this time, because the situation began to turn against him, and he was worried that the Zhuliang Empire in the south and the State of Zhao in the north would join forces to attack him.But Li Cunxu was also very shrewd. He sent the intercepted information intact to Zhang Wenli, implying, "You have to take care of yourself, I know what you are thinking." After waiting for a few months, Li Cunxu found out that Zhu Liang had no intention of joining forces with Zhang Wenli, so he felt relieved.He decided to strike first, and in August 921 AD, he ordered General Tianping Jiedu Envoy Yan Bao and Xiangzhou Governor Shi Jiantang to lead the army out of Xingming to attack Zhao State in the north. Before the Jin army reached the border of Chengde, Zhang Wenli fell ill with stomach sores. The Jin army had just captured Zhaozhou, and Zhang Wenli was so sick that he was afraid of death. After Zhang Wenli's death, his son Zhang Chujin took over the military power and organized preparations for fighting against the Jin army. In September, Jin soldiers crossed the Hutuo River and surrounded Zhenzhou, where Zhao Guozhi was located.As soon as the Jin army came, they used fierce tricks, digging rivers to divert river water to irrigate the city. It is not unreasonable for Li Cunxu to tolerate Zhang Wenli again and again, because he knows that the Zhao army is fierce and brave in battle, and has a tradition of being good at fighting.The development of things also proved this point. In this battle of Zhenzhou, the Jin army paid a heavy price. As soon as the Jin and Zhao armies fought, Shi Jiantang, a general of the Jin army, was shot and killed by Zhao Jun's arrows.The Jin army was unfavorable, and Jin Wang Li Cunxu planned to lead troops to attack Zhenzhou himself. Li Cunxu attacked Zhao Guo, but he didn't expect to offend Wang Chuzhi, his old in-law Yiwu.In the rush of people's hearts, a crisis of trust among multi-level and multi-groups has occurred.Civil strife broke out in Yiwu, which made Li Cunxu worse. In October 921 AD, Wang Chuzhi, the governor of Yiwu, was overthrown by his godson Wang Du and placed under house arrest. Wang Du replaced Wang Chuzhi as the governor of Yiwu himself. Who is the king?Why is there civil strife in Yiwu? Wang Du's original surname was Liu, and his nickname was Yunlang.When he was a child, he was adopted by a demon named Li Yingzhi.Since he was a child, Wang Du was good at observing words and demeanor, and he won the favor of Li Yingzhi with his clever words. Once Wang Chuzhi fell ill, and there was no cure for it, and it was very painful.He went to the doctor in a hurry, Wang Chuzhi ordered people to find Li Yingzhi.Li Yingzhi made a folk prescription for Wang Chuzhi to use.By coincidence, Wang Chuzhi recovered from his illness.Therefore, Wang Chuzhi trusted Li Yingzhi very much, almost to the point of worshiping him, and regarded him as an immortal. The demon Li Yingzhi pretends to be a god and plays ghosts and evil ways, and has many crooked ways, which makes Wang Chu confused and fascinated all day long.From then on, Wang Chuzhi gradually devoted his mind to alchemy, medicine, chanting and practice, praying for the spiritual sustenance of immortality, and handed over all military and political affairs to Li Yingzhi.In this environment, Li Yingzhi gradually stole the power of Yiwu Fanzhen.In order to further gain Wang Chuzhi's trust, Li Yingzhi introduced Wangdu to Wang Chuzhi.Wang Chuzhi, who is several dozen years old, has no children and his function has degenerated. It is estimated that he will not be able to give birth.Wang Chuzhi saw that Wang Du was cute and clever, and he liked him very much, so he adopted Wang Du as his adopted son. In the chaotic times of the Five Dynasties, people's beliefs were in crisis, and they could not see the way out of the world. They often pinned their painful and empty spirits on gods and Buddhas. Gao Pian, Wang Chuzhi, and Wang Rong were all like this. After Li Yingzhi took control of the real power, he built a government office, opened a mansion, recruited soldiers and bought horses, and started a new one, using black magic alone.The entire Yiwu shogunate is filled with the atmosphere of ghosts and monsters. Today exorcising demons tomorrow, worshiping on the first day of the lunar new year, and performing rituals on the fifteenth day, the generals and soldiers were panicked and at a loss.The original team of Yiwu Army Mansion were tired of Li Yingzhi, but there was nothing they could do. One year, Liu Shouguang, king of Yan, wanted to attack Zhenzhou by way of Dingzhou.Under the half-truth and half-false intimidation of the Youzhou Army, Yiwu was very nervous and actively prepared for the battle, and stationed the school troops outside the city to stand ready.However, in the end Liu Shouguang did not come to Dingzhou, and Yiwu made a false alarm. Although the troops stationed outside the city did not encounter the Yan army, a major incident was brewing from these assembled regular troops.They got together to discuss to get rid of Li Yingzhi.So these soldiers with knives and guns rushed into the city, went straight to Li Yingzhi's Taoist temple and government office, and slashed wildly, chopping up this person who claimed to be an immortal.Li Daxian raised his braids. The red-eyed Dingzhou army was still angry, and then went to find the fake son, the little demon, Wangdu, and demanded Wangdu's life.It just so happened that the king's capital was in Wang Chuzhi's mansion, after Wang Chuzhi tried every means to get rid of his wing protection, and spent a lot of money to work for the army, he finally saved the life of the king's capital, quelled the rebellious army, and avoided a catastrophe. Wang Chuzhi's confidant Li Yingzhi was killed, and his adopted son Wang almost died. Although the rebel army did not dare to challenge Wang Chuzhi, they clearly pointed at Wang Chuzhi's desolation and abolition of government.Wang Chuzhi held a grudge against the mutiny, and secretly wrote down the names of the leading generals in the rebellion in a small notebook.After that, Wang Chuzhi carried out a 20-year revenge campaign.He used various explicit or covert reasons to kill the people in the small book one by one.Speaking of which, this Wang Chuzhi is narrow-minded and vindictive enough, and he is doing everything he can to get rid of it. Time flies, and Wangdu gradually grows up.Wang is very good at fooling Wang Chuzhi and is very happy.Wang Chuzhi believed that he had raised a precious son, not only smart, but also "bringing" several sons for him, which made the old Wang Chuzhi spirited and gave birth to several children himself.Although Wang Chuzhi had his own children, these children were still young. Therefore, Wang Chuzhi entrusted the government affairs of the general's government to the king's capital.Wang Du became Yiwu's Deputy Jiedu envoy. The heart of a tiger and wolf can be hidden for a while, but it will be revealed after a long time. Jin Wang Li Cunxu's large-scale northern expedition to Zhao State originally wanted to quell the rebellion caused by Zhang Wenli and consolidate the core alliance of Jin, Zhao, and Wang.Unexpectedly, Li Cunxu's strong strategy frightened Wang Chuzhi. Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, Chengde and Yiwu have always suffered in the struggle for hegemony among the various feudal vassals and towns. In order to hold the territory in the cracks, Chengde and Yiwu had to form a close alliance, and successively fought against Li Keju, Li Kuangwei, and Xingyu in Youzhou. Meng Fangli in Zhouzhou, Liu Rengong and Liu Shouguang in Youzhou, Li Keyong in Hedong and Zhu Quanzhong in Bianliang.The two have become a close relationship.Now Li Cunxu is attacking Zhang Wenli in the name of revenge for King Zhao and Wang Rong. In fact, he wants to annex Chengde, the last of the three towns in Heshuo.Chengde sells the account, can Yiwu still get better?Maybe Li Cunxu beat the rabbit with grass and took Yiwu away. The so-called alliance of Jin, Zhao, and Wang is nothing more than a limited cooperation, sharing the same bed with different dreams.No one trusts anyone completely. In desperation, Wang Chuzhi planned to ask Khitan to help.Seize Zhenzhou with the help of Khitan forces to fight against Li Cunxu.The Khitan in the east of the river fought with each other, and Yiwu made a profit.This is the intrigue and deceit. How can Wang Chuzhi's wishful thinking come true?Wang Chuzhi himself had no friendship with Khitan for many years, and Khitan would not trust him easily.Wang Chuzhi thought of one person, one of his sons.Wang Chuzhi and this son have not seen each other for many years.Wang Chuzhi's son was named Wang Yu, and he was born to Wang Chuzhi's concubine.But Wang Yu didn't like Wang Chuzhi since he was a child. In desperation, Wang Yu defected to Li Keyong in Hedong.Therefore, Wang Yu still had some contacts with Khitan.Wang Chuzhi got in touch with Wang Yu, and after a while of asking about the warmth, Wang Chuzhi asked Wang Yu to contact Khitan. Wang Yu's return to the political arena of the Yiwu shogunate naturally annoyed Wangdu.Wang Du was originally a godson, and his status was not high.Wang Yu always believed that it was the royal capital that made trouble, and that he was excluded.Therefore, taking advantage of Wang Chuzhi's enthusiasm, Wang Yu claimed that he wanted to kill Wangdu, and he wanted to take back the Wang family's property in the name of Zhenggener. In this dangerous, complicated and changeable situation, and the truth and falsehood were unknown, Wang Du took the risk and took advantage of Wang Chuzhi's meeting with the Khitan envoys to put Wang Chuzhi under house arrest.Wang Chuzhi was so angry that he yelled and scolded the rebellious officials and thieves in the capital for being ungrateful.The old man Wang Chuzhi was furious and lost control of his emotions. Since he didn't have swords, sticks and other weapons at hand, he simply rushed up and hugged Wangdu, punched him violently, and even bit off Wangdu's nose.Wang Du was also frightened, he struggled hard, tore his clothes, finally broke free from Wang Chuzhi's hand, and fled in despair. Wang Chuzhi hated, annoyed, angry, afraid, regretful, and annoyed. He suffered a cerebral thrombosis due to high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, and died of exhaustion. After Wang Du killed Wang Chuzhi and his family, in order to protect himself, he immediately pledged allegiance to Li Cunxu.In order to stabilize the out-of-control situation, Li Cunxu agreed to take charge of military and political affairs after the king's capital stayed in Yiwu Fan. In November, Jin Wang Li Cunxu left some troops to guard the Weizhou base, and personally led some troops to the front line of Zhenzhou. In such a difficult situation where the north and the south are attacking, how is the strength of the Jin army deployed? Those staying in Weizhou were Li Cunshen, No. 2 in the Jin Army, and Li Siyuan, No. 3.After Zhou Dewei's death, Li Cunshen succeeded him as the general manager of the Jin army's Fan Han inner and outer horse infantry, and Li Siyuan succeeded Li Cunshen as the deputy chief of the Fan Han inner and outer horse infantry.In order to attack Zhenzhou and fight against Khitan, in addition to sending Yan Baoshi Jiantang from Weizhou, Li Cunxu also transferred Li Sizhao, a famous general from Luzhou, and Li Cunjin, the envoy of Zhenwu Jiedu from Datong.The configuration of the main force of the Jin army can be described as painstaking.It can also be seen that Li Cunxu is under great pressure at this time. The Jin army arrived in Zhenzhou under the leadership of Li Cunxu, and the Khitan also marched southward to Youzhou.Youzhou could not hold on, so the Khitan detoured to attack Zhuozhou and captured Li Sibi, the governor of Zhuozhou alive.Li Sibi is the eldest son of Li Kexiu.After Li Cunxu heard that Khitan was going south, he dared not be careless, and personally led five thousand cavalry from Zhenzhou to Zhuozhou for rescue. In the first month of spring in 922 AD, Li Cunxu and Khitan met in Xincheng. Li Cunxu had only a few thousand cavalry, while Khitan had tens of thousands of horses.There is a huge disparity between the few and the few.Many generals of the Jin army were afraid and planned to retreat.However, Guo Chongtao, the director of Jinwang's office, and Li Sizhao, the general, advocated fighting.In the end, Li Cunxu made up his mind that since he met him, he would fight to the death.There is no way to hide, if you retreat, the consequences will be disastrous, and the front line of Hebei may fall apart. After four or five battles between the Jin army and the Khitan, Li Cunxu was heavily surrounded by the Khitan.Later, heavy snow fell from the sky, and the snow covered people's legs deeply.The Khitan laborers marched far away, lacking clothes and clothing, and countless people died of freezing and starving.God helped the Jin army.Khitan suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw from the Central Plains and return to the mainland. Zhao Jun has always been strong and good at fighting, and his combat effectiveness is very strong.The Jin army can't take advantage of it for a while.So the Jin army began to prepare for a protracted war. General Yan Bao built a circle of blockhouses outside Zhenzhou City and surrounded Zhenzhou City tightly. As the days went by, the food in Zhenzhou City was exhausted, and a small group of troops had to be sent out to find food.One day, the gate of Zhenzhou City was quietly opened, and about 500 Zhao troops walked out of the city.Yan Bao planned to let these small groups of Zhao troops pass through the bunkers, and then carry out an ambush.After Zhao Jun left the city, he saw that the Jin army didn't pay much attention to them, and their guards were not strict.The five hundred Zhao Jun, who were chopping firewood and looking for food, suddenly attacked the Jin army's camp as they walked.If there are only these five hundred people, it is not terrible, the Jin army is enough to deal with it.What the Jin army didn't expect was that thousands of troops rushed out of the city and attacked the Jin army camp frantically. Zhao Jun's attack was too sudden, Yan Bao didn't have any plan, and he didn't have time to mobilize the troops from all camps to fight.Under Zhao Jun's dashing from left to right and setting fire to it, the Jin army's camp fell to pieces and was killed to pieces.The Zhao army looted the Jin army's food, grass and luggage, and supplemented the supplies in the city.The Jin army was forced to retreat to Zhaozhou. Li Cunxu was very annoyed when he learned that Yan Bao had lost the battle carelessly. In a rage, he dismissed Yan Bao as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition and replaced him with Li Sizhao to lead the Northern Expedition. Li Sizhao hurried to Zhenzhou.At this time, Zhang Chujin was still directing people to move things from the camp abandoned by the Jin army outside the city.Like hardworking little ants, this group of Zhao Jun went back and forth between the city and Jinying in groups, all sweating profusely with excitement.Seeing this scene, Li Sizhao's lungs were about to explode.Li Sizhao ordered the Jin army to approach the Zhao army quietly, and lay in ambush around the abandoned bunker, firing arrows indiscriminately, killing most of the Zhao army.The remaining few Zhao Jun hid in the ruins of the ruins. Li Sizhao was a famous general of the generation, with superb martial arts skills, a bold man with high skills, and also shouldered the mission of saving Yan Bao from defeat, therefore, Li Sizhao pursued him relentlessly. The so-called poor should not pursue, but Li Sizhao committed a big taboo. Li Sizhao galloped on his horse and shot and killed Zhao Jun who was fleeing and hiding behind the broken wall.Li Sizhao was in the light, and Zhao Jun was in the dark.After the wall was suddenly broken, an arrow with carved feathers shot out of the air, and shot at Li Sizhao at lightning speed, hitting Li Sizhao's forehead.Li Sizhao yelled, fell twice on the horse's back and swayed twice, almost falling off the horse.After Li Sizhao stabilized his body, resisting the great pain, he raised his hand and struggled to pull out the arrow from his head, then put it on his hundred-dan bow, aimed a little and shot it suddenly.Li Sizhao's arrow pierced through the earthen wall, and the Zhao Jun behind the earthen wall was killed immediately. At this time, Li Sizhao was bleeding all over his face and had to retreat back to the camp on his horseback.That night, Li Sizhao died in front of the two armies due to the bleeding and the rescue was ineffective. The sad news of Li Sizhao's death in battle spread to King Jin's camp. Li Cunxu slammed his head and sat down on a chair without saying a word for a long time. Li Sizhao was killed in battle, and Li Cunxu did not eat meat for several days.In the eyes of outsiders, Li Cunxu is very sad for Li Sizhao.But in the eyes of Li Sizhao's sons, it is a different feeling. They think that Li Cunxu is a fake compassion. Li Cunxu instructed to escort Li Sizhao's body back to Jinyang for burial, and it is common sense for fallen leaves to return to their roots.Li Sizhao had seven sons, but they did not agree to go to Jinyang.Li Sizhao's fifth son, Li Jineng, took the lead and escorted his father's coffin back to Luzhou with his brothers.Jin Wang Li Cunxu was not only puzzled but also very angry. He believed that Li Jineng and others disobeyed orders and violated human feelings.So Li Cunxu sent his younger brother Li Cunwo to gallop to intercept Li Sizhao's coffin.As a result, Li Sizhao's sons were enraged, and they were about to kill Li Cunwo on the spot.Li Cunwo was frightened and ran back to Zhenzhou to report to Li Cunxu. Why did Li Cunxu and Li Sizhao's sons have such a big disagreement about the burial of Li Sizhao? Things happen for a long time. In the early years, Li Keyong adopted a large group of sons.These adopted sons are all good seedlings who can be used to fighting. Li Ke used his efforts to train them and formed the elite troops of Hedong with these adopted sons as the main force.There are two series of Li Keyong's adopted sons, one is the generation of descendants, including Li Sizhao, Li Siyuan, Li Siben, Li Si'en, etc.; .Among these adoptive sons, Li Cunzhang is the oldest. He used to be good friends with Kang Junli and Xue Zhiqin. Li Cunzhang was among the people who supported Li Keyong to seize Datong.Li Cunzhang is actually no younger than Li Keyong.Li Cunzhang has also received the support of Li Keyong, and is one of the core figures of the Li Cunxu Group. After Li Cunxiao's death, Li Sizhao was the best at fighting. He was basically the number one general of the Hedong Army.Li Keyong's own sons Li Cunxu, Li Cunwo and others were young, and they had not yet formed a climate when Li Keyong was conquering the world.Therefore, Li Keyong loved and relied heavily on Li Sizhao and others. When Li Keyong was dying, Li Sizhao was besieged by Zhu Quanzhong's troops in Zezhou, and he was in danger and could not escape.Li Keyong never forgot, and once asked Li Cunxu to rescue Li Sizhao. After Li Cunxu succeeded to Hedong, he recruited and cultivated a group of backbone forces of his own, and gradually alienated Li Sizhao and other old school real power figures.Because, Li Cunxu felt that his uncle Li Kening and this godbrother Li Sizhao were the most threatening to his status.Li Kening was later assassinated by Li Cunxu.Although Li Cunxu did not harm Li Sizhao, he no longer reused him. Instead, he took the highest position in the Hedong military circle from Li Sizhao and transferred it to Zhou Dewei who had come over to join him. Zhou Dewei had been Li Sizhao's deputy for many years, and there was still some rift between the two.Li Sizhao's power was actually weakened.Since then, Li Sizhao has been basically idle and confined to Zelu's Zhaoyi Jiedu envoy.Li Sizhao basically did not participate in various large-scale battles later.Li Cunxu really had no one under his command in this expedition against Zhao, so he recruited Li Sizhao from Zelu to fight.In the past ten years, what kind of mentality do you think Li Sizhao and his son should have towards Li Cunxu? Li Sizhao and his son no longer regard Jinyang as their home, things are different, so why go back?Therefore, after Li Sizhao's death, the conflict between Li Sizhao's sons and Li Cunxu broke out completely. After Li Sizhao's death, the seven sons fell out with Li Cunxu, and the sons also fell out.In order to compete for Li Sizhao's hereditary position, it was also for the sake of reputation.Now that he has fallen out with Li Cunxu, what about the post of Zhaoyi Jiedushi after Li Sizhao's death?Do we have to wait for Li Cunxu to send newcomers?The boss, Li Jichou, is cowardly and dare not speak out.The second eldest, Li Jitao, was courageous and had some tricks, so he simply put the eldest brother under house arrest. He claimed that Zhaoyi stayed behind, and notified Jin Wang Li Cunxu.Li Cunxu had no choice but to deal with the Li Jitao brothers when he was at the end of the war, and he had no time and energy to deal with the Li Jitao brothers, so he had to let them go. Li Jitao knew that Li Cunxu would not let him go after all, so he simply formed an alliance with Zhu Liang.In order to be ready to resist Li Cunxu's encirclement and suppression at any time, Li Jitao recruited troops to expand his army and prepare for war.One day a man named Guo Wei came to apply.Li Jitao thought Guo Wei was brave and liked him very much, so he took him in.Everyone must remember Guo Wei, who later became the emperor.Therefore, the beginning of a person is not very important, but the choice of the development process is important. Li Sizhao died in battle and is still a hero. Not long after Li Sizhao died, Yan Bao also died, but he died at home, entirely out of cowardice. Yan Bao was dismissed from his post in Zhenzhou because of his subjective carelessness which led to the defeat of the war.It didn't take long for sores to develop on his back and he died of poisoning. After Li Sizhao's death, Li Cunxu transferred Zhenwu Jiedu envoy Li Cunjin to continue attacking Zhenzhou.As we mentioned above, after Li Cunxu took Weizhou by chance, the law and order in the city was in chaos, and it was only thanks to Li Cunjin's iron-fisted governance that order was restored. On September 14th, Zhang Wenli's son Zhang Chujin sent people to attack Li Cunjin's camp.Li Cunjin had just arrived outside the city of Zhenzhou, and the army had not gained a firm foothold, and the sergeants were sweating profusely setting up camp.7,000 Zhao soldiers in Zhenzhou City suddenly killed them.Li Cunjin responded hastily.Li Cun couldn't mount his horse in time, so he had to stand on the Suspension Bridge at the Yuanmen Gate, brandishing his sword to block Zhao Jun.At this time, there were only a dozen people around Li Cunjin.He sent out other elite cavalry to attack Zhenzhou. Coincidentally, the Jin army who attacked Zhenzhou and the Zhao army who attacked the Jin army did not meet, but each arrived at their destination smoothly. As soon as the cavalry of the Jin army arrived at the town of Zhenzhou, they got the news that Zhao Jun had fought with Li Cunjin. The cavalry of the Jin army were forced to give up their plan to continue attacking Zhenzhou City and rushed back to aid Li Cunjin.Seven thousand Zhao Jun was caught at the head of the suspension bridge.It's a pity that these Zhao troops could not advance forward, and had no way to retreat backward, and were slaughtered by the Jin army. The Jin army happily cleaned the battlefield, celebrating this coincidental surprise encounter and victory in the ambush and annihilation battle.Sweeping and sweeping, the Jin army swept to the Yuanmen Suspension Bridge.After removing the piles of corpses of the Zhao army, they found more than a dozen corpses of the Jin army. After removing the corpses of the Jin army, the middle one turned out to be General Li Cunjin! Li Cunjin guarded the suspension bridge until he exhausted his last breath and died in battle! Generals died in battle one after another, which dealt a huge and heavy blow to Li Cunxu. He didn't care to think more, and the situation didn't allow him to think more.Li Cunxu understood that Zhenzhou was at the end of its strength, and as long as the Jin army persisted a little bit longer, the State of Zhao would collapse.Li Cunxu immediately transferred from Weizhou Li Cunshen, the commander of the horse infantry inside and outside the Han Dynasty, to command the front enemy. Sure enough, as Li Cunxu expected, it didn't take long for the food and grass in Zhenzhou City to be exhausted, and everything that could be eaten was eaten up, including bark and grass seeds.There are strong enemies outside, but there is no food and grass inside. There is a split in Zhenzhou City, and some generals and schools rebelled and acted as internal support for the Jin army.The city of Zhenzhou was destroyed, and Zhang Chujin's family was killed. In November, Zhang Chengye, who stayed behind in Hedong, the director general of the Jin Army Group, and Li Cunxu's adviser, died of illness. 922 AD was Li Cunxu's unlucky year. A large number of civil servants and generals died, which was tantamount to breaking his hands and feet in the struggle for hegemony. Regardless of whether the old backbone is due to natural or unnatural reasons, it is a huge and common test for a monarch to withdraw in batches.The key is whether there are new replacements available. When the Jin army exhausted its main force to attack Zhao in the north, there was a defensive vacuum in Weibo and the Yellow River.The Zhuliang Empire took advantage of this opportunity to achieve some partial victories. In 919 A.D., He Gui, Zhu Liangbei's recruiter, died of illness, and Wang Zan, governor of Kaifeng, served as Liangbei's recruiter.Afterwards, when Li Cunxu was distracted by Chengde, Yiwu and Khitan, the army commanders on the front line of Zhu Liang did not fully listen to Zhu Youzhen's words. They seized the opportunity to take the initiative and regained a lot of lost ground.For example, Liu Po, who was dismissed from the northern battlefield and transferred to the southeastern battlefield, regained his hometown of Yanzhou after hard work.Wang Zan ruled the army strictly, fought several tough battles, and repeatedly won small victories.But once he was defeated by the Jin army in Puyang, Zhu Youzhen replaced Wang Zan with Dai Siyuan.Dai Siyuan also has many achievements.In 922, Liang Jun recovered Chanzhou, Xiangzhou and other places one after another, playing a prestige and morale, and Liang Jun's situation gradually improved. Even though Li Cunxu became emperor of the Later Tang in the spring of 923, the war situation became more and more unfavorable to the Jin army. Due to more than ten years of continuous war and natural disasters, the supply in the area ruled by the Jin army was in crisis.In order to support the operation of the huge war machine, the Jin army group implemented a heavy tax collection policy, the common people suffered terribly, the people were in dire straits, and the economy was almost on the verge of collapse.The political and military situation of the north-south attack is also rapidly eroding the sphere of influence of the Jin Army Group north of the Yellow River.The large number of deaths of important generals and civil officials in the Jin army greatly weakened the combat effectiveness of the Jin army.These pressures mixed together, causing divisions within the Jin Army Group. Many people advocated recuperating and reconquering Zhu Liang in a few years.Li Cunxu was also troubled by this. 但历史偏偏发生了意外，历史的意外和偶然也是历史值得玩味的地方之一。 朱梁好景不长。朱梁帝国在东北黄河一线的重镇郓州发生叛乱，奸细投靠了晋军，并向后唐皇帝李存勖陈述了郓州空虚的重要情报。 李存勖力排众议，当机立断，派出李嗣源孤军深入长途奔袭郓州。晋军集团内之所以有人反对攻打郓州，是因为此时的晋军势力范围距离郓州还较远，郓州处于朱梁东北的版图之内。即便将郓州攻打下来，晋军也没有精力和力量治理。李存勖不这样认为，凭他敏锐的政治嗅觉，他感到这是一次难得的机会，而且可能是战略性机会。 李嗣源星夜兼程，在大将高行周和李从珂协助下，以闪电战术攻下了郓州。为了守住这个战略要地，李存勖将李嗣源留在了郓州，兼任天平节度使。 郓州失守，朱梁罢免了戴思远，换上了段凝。 郓州失守极大地震动了朱梁朝野。 朱梁元老敬翔心急如焚，忧国之未来，强撑着病弱的身躯，颤巍巍来到朝堂觐见梁帝朱友贞。敬翔对朱友贞说：“先帝打天下的时候，不认为老臣我无能，对我的建议无不采纳。现在大敌当前，可陛下您却不重视我的意见。既然老臣已经没什么用，还不如死了算了。”说完之后，敬翔从靴子里掏出早已准备好的麻绳，套在脖子上，要在皇帝面前自杀。 朱友贞被敬翔的话和行动吓了一跳，慌忙起身拉住敬翔，说道：“老卿家，你别自杀，有什么话尽管说。” 敬翔喘了口气，说道：“现在情势紧急，非启动大将王彦章为统帅不可，否则战事毫无希望。” 这次朱友贞听从了敬翔的意见，一来是被敬翔吓的，二来是的确再没有人可以用了。 王彦章绰号“王铁枪”，手持双枪，有万夫不当之勇。王彦章刚刚上任，就命人召集战船顺流东下，船上满满地装着大铁炉子、火炭、巨斧等物。随行军兵不明所以，问王彦章这是干什么用的？王彦章笑而不答。 到了晚上，在滚滚黄河面上，梁军船上摆起酒宴，顶着漫天星斗，迎着徐徐微风，王彦章和众将开怀畅饮。酒过三巡，菜过五味，王彦章起身去上厕所。王彦章没有去厕所，而是召集了几百人，划动拉着炉子斧子的战船，向晋军德胜营寨悄悄驶来。 晋军完全没有防备，正沉浸在酣畅的梦乡中。王彦章命人将大铁炉子点着火，架在晋军黄河浮桥之下，烈焰不一会儿就将浮桥木板和铁索烧断了。然后，梁军抡起巨斧嘁哩喀喳，将连接黄河南北两岸的桥梁砍断拆除。 王彦章弃舟登岸，杀入晋军南岸营寨。梁军的大斧子寒光所至，将熟睡中晋军的脑袋切了下来。一盏茶的功夫，数千晋军丧命。黄河北岸的晋军发觉梁军偷袭后，准备救援南岸晋军。可是桥梁毁坏，他们只能乘小舟快艇赶来增援。王彦章这时候调集来大战舰，横冲直闯，把晋军打得一败涂地，几乎全军覆没。 王彦章以奇袭战术收复了黄河重镇德胜及所属三四座渡口营寨，摇摇欲坠的梁军起死回生，声势大振。 梁军收复德胜要塞，准备进攻另一个要塞杨刘。如果再收复杨刘，那么郓州不攻自破。黄河就又完全回到朱梁帝国控制范围内，晋军将不得不退回河北。 兵贵神速，王彦章毫不耽搁，直接将德胜南岸的营寨城池拆除，做成战舰木船攻城战具等，顺流东下。李存勖闻听德胜失守，大惊失色，急忙命令唐军（现在晋王变成了唐帝，晋军变成了唐军）拆除德胜北岸营寨城池，将木材做成战舰木筏，载运城内物资，全速顺流东下，增援杨刘守军。 梁军沿着黄河南岸顺流东下，唐军沿着黄河北岸顺流东下，犹如两条巨龙在黄河之上竞赛。时间就是生命，时间就是胜利。谁抢先到达杨刘，谁就有可能获得战争的胜利。两支队伍边赶路边交战，黄河之上千帆竞渡，万箭齐发，战鼓雷动，喊杀震天。打烂的船只木筏横七竖八地漂流在河面，战死的军兵尸体拥堵了河道，搏杀的鲜血将黄河水染红。 经过两天两夜的激流大战和赶路，唐军和梁军同时抵达了杨刘。 梁军誓死要攻下杨刘。 唐军誓死要守住杨刘。 杨刘城破，梁帝国将转危为安，可能会绝地大反攻。 杨刘失陷，后唐帝国将转入被动局面，在河北辖区可能会土崩瓦解。 这是关系两个帝国生死存亡的战役，这是改写历史的战役，这是扭转乾坤的战役，这是建立不世奇功或者身败名裂的战役。 王彦章抵达杨刘后，人不卸甲马不离鞍，立即向杨刘的唐军发起了猛烈的攻势。王彦章一边打一边在杨刘周围修建堡垒，把杨刘围了个严严实实。为了断绝唐军水路救援通道，王彦章把巨型战舰用铁索绑在一起，堵在河道中央。杨刘变成了一座孤城，孤立无援的孤。 和王彦章同期抵达杨刘的唐军及原驻守在杨刘的唐军会合在一起，想尽一切办法加固城池，修筑防御工事，找到一切可以用的灰瓶炮药滚木雷石弓箭机弩等，向城外仰攻的梁军劈头盖脑砸下去。 梁军咬紧牙关锲而不舍地强攻。 唐军咬紧牙关死死支撑苦守。 在巨大而密集的战斗破坏下，杨刘城池已经面目全非，到处是缺口，到处是火光。一天之内，梁军登上杨刘城头四次，眼看着就要冲进城去，歼灭唐军近在咫尺。可是唐军顽强抵抗，又把梁军挤出城外。 杨刘城顶不住了，派出八百里加急信使，到魏州向李存勖求援。 顶不住的不仅仅是杨刘唐军，郓州的唐军也发生了动摇。 王彦章苦战杨刘不下，就又分出一部分兵力去攻打郓州。郓州原本距离魏州遥远，和唐军大后方没有任何连接。现在王彦章又切断了水陆要道，郓州城立即变成了一座孤军深入的据点。驻守郓州的虽然是名将李嗣源，可是李嗣源只有五千骑兵，哪里是几万梁军的对手？ 杨刘郓州一线的唐军形势十分严峻，危急存亡迫在眉睫。唐国枢密使郭崇韬向唐帝李存勖建议，事不宜迟，必须打通魏州、杨刘至郓州的支援通道，否则杨刘陷落，郓州陷落，河北全线将崩溃。 郭崇韬主动请命，招募一千敢死队和一万士兵日夜兼程，赶赴杨刘以东郓州以西一个叫做马家口的地方。在马家口，郭崇韬组织人紧急修筑一座城池，作为援助郓州的据点。若在平时修一座城池本不算什么难事，可现在是十万火急的两军阵前。要抢在梁军达到之前把城池修起来，这需要时间和胆魄。 李存勖从魏州出发，赶赴杨刘救援。到达杨刘后，李存勖命令唐军一边坚守，一边拖住梁军，能拖几天算几天。郭崇韬原本想让杨刘唐军拖住梁军十天，十天之内他可以抢筑一座城池。可是杨刘的唐军实在坚持不住了，只拖住梁军六天。 王彦章率领几万梁军掩杀到了马家口。这时候，郭崇韬的城池主体工程刚刚站立起来，沙子泥灰还是软的，夯筑的土墙还没有板结，箭楼、火炮口、子城等辅助工程还没建起来。这种城池有什么用？随时都可以被梁军踏平。郭崇韬身先士卒，冒着枪林弹雨指挥唐军坚守。唐军和梁军短兵相接，为了一座还没有坚固成型的土城，鏖战得难解难分。 毕竟梁军数倍于唐军，郭崇韬一边苦苦支撑，一边向李存勖告急。马家口的一万唐军就和这些刚刚垒砌起来的土城一样，随时都会崩溃被王彦章吃掉。 身在杨刘的李存勖闻警之后，立即率领兵马驰援郭崇韬。见李存勖率领大军前来增援，面前的郭崇韬抵抗又十分顽强，王彦章担心腹背受敌吃亏，只好暂时撤兵。马家口解围，郭崇韬死里逃生。 就在梁唐两军交战激烈，杀得难解难分的时候，又有一个粱国的地方刺史向李嗣源投降。粱国内部屡屡出现叛变现象，这不能不说粱国内部政治管理存在巨大的漏洞。梁人的叛变，马家口筑城，这些对李嗣源是重大利好，郓州的威胁暂时解除了。 放弃马家口之后，王彦章率军再次围打杨刘。李存勖不得不回师杨刘驻守。 就在这个节骨眼上，梁军内部发生了比叛逃更严重的事情。 主帅王彦章和副帅段凝之间发生了矛盾。 王彦章性子急，直率，作战勇猛。段凝嫉妒王彦章后来居上，屡立战功，他面子上很挂不住。因此，段凝处处与王彦章作对，故意阻挠王彦章的军事计划。如果没有段凝的捣乱，或许杨刘和马家口已经被王彦章攻下了。 不仅段凝嫉恨王彦章，后院老板朱友贞的亲信更恨王彦章。王彦章在挂帅出征之时曾放出狠话，待到扫荡河北，班师回朝之时将平定内贼。内贼就是赵岩张汉杰等皇亲国戚。王彦章放出这些狠话，表明王彦章在政治上的不够成熟，过早地暴露了政治意图，得罪了当权实力派奸臣。这为他在前线作战埋下了隐患。赵岩张汉杰见王彦章旗开得胜，似乎大有一战而定河北的架势。如果真是那样这些奸臣的末日也就不远了。为了保全自己，赵岩张汉杰一天到晚对朱友贞说王彦章的坏话，甚至诋毁王彦章已经投敌叛变。 粱国内部互相陷害，发生内讧。朱友贞听信谗言，在梁唐战事吃紧的节骨眼上，把王彦章从前线调回来，派去西面打泽州了。 在任用北面招讨统帅方面，朱友贞已经完全失去了判断力，对将帅失去了基本的信任，走马灯一般，换了一个又一个，个个都不称心如意。原本胜败乃兵家常事，可朱梁的军事主帅稍有过失就会被免职。这种情况下，军心很不稳定，根本没有心思团结在一起，难以凝聚起战斗力。至于频繁发生叛变投敌的情况就不足为奇了。 王彦章调走，杨刘战事停了下来。唐军保住了杨刘，李存勖把心放到了肚子里，班师回了魏州。 挤走了王彦章，段凝独自执掌粱国北伐重任。没有人和段凝争功，这下他应该放心放手大干一场了吧，那么他行不行？ 他还真不行。 不是一个人说他不行。 很多人都认为段凝不行。 第一个认为段凝不行的人就是敬翔，敬翔极力主张用王彦章，为此他还闹过自杀。朱友贞不得不将段凝降为副帅，将王彦章升为正帅，这也是段凝对王彦章怀恨在心的一个理由。粱国还有一个大佬级的人物看不上段凝，此人便是李振。李振的地位几乎可以和敬翔匹敌，在朱全忠时期也是红极一时的人物。大家是否还记得张全义这个人，曾是朱全忠的铁杆盟友，名誉地位仅在皇帝之下的人，他也反对段凝出任北面招讨使。他们反对段凝的主要理由是段凝太年轻，没有什么业绩，能力不能服众，在如此险恶的战况下，不具备统帅三军调动将佐的能力。 可是段凝自己不这么认为，他觉得自己有天大的本事。为了得到北面招讨使这个位子，段凝重金贿赂赵岩张汉杰等权贵，请他们向皇帝施加影响。 梁帝朱友贞最终还是听信了赵张族亲权贵的意见，命段凝出任北面招讨使。段凝一上任就放弃了王彦章制定的作战方略，他从杨刘撤军，转而向西攻打澶州。 王彦章在西面打了胜仗，夺取了泽州。朱友贞为了平衡各方势力，又征调王彦章向东去收复郓州。这原本是件好事，可朱友贞却派出了小舅子张汉杰出任王彦章的监军使。张氏一族和王彦章水火不容，天下皆知，把他们放在一起，这不是制造矛盾嘛！ 此时又有粱国大将康延孝投奔了唐国。经郭崇韬引见，李存勖亲自接见康延孝，并与康延孝密谈，了解粱国虚实。康延孝的一席话把粱国现状剖析的透彻无比，完全是一副CT扫描图。 康延孝说，粱国版图不算小，物产经济应该说实力雄厚，兵多将广，这些都是粱国的优势。可是粱国一定会失败。有几大原因，一是梁主朱友贞暗弱，没什么见识和才能；二是以赵张两族为代表的皇亲国戚占据权要，对内把持朝政，对外大肆收受贿赂，把政治搞得乌烟瘴气；三是粱国用人政策存在严重弊端，选官择将，不是看能力和业绩，也不看道德品质，而是看谁进献的贿赂多少；四是当今前敌主帅段凝无勇无谋，大失众望，在军队中横征暴敛，聚集货财巴结权贵；五是粱国君主不信任将帅，稍有过失就撤职查办，而且派身边的近臣监军，导致主将无专征之权，行军打仗处处受制约；六是现在粱国又改变了战略布局，将兵力分散在东中西四条战线上，约定在十月份一起进攻，梁军如果聚集起来实力可观，可一旦分散哪支部队都不强大。 康延孝的六大论点一一击中粱国要害，别说同时患上这六大疾病，就是沾上一两条也够要命的。梁国的病患已经从大脑传遍了四肢。连康延孝这种中层军官都能洞若观火，看得清清楚楚，由此可见梁帝国的内部危机已经到了积重难返的程度了。 形势已经十分明了。 李存勖现在什么都不用做，等待十月份梁军分散之后，集中唐军优势兵力，突袭粱国一个地方，或许可以一战而定江山。 接下来的一个难题就是要突袭哪里？ 唐军现在的处境也并不乐观，唯一的主力就只剩下李存勖的中军和李嗣源父子了。唐军集中在一起对梁军并没有绝对优势，只是在气势上还稍稍站在上风。 此时唐军内部又出现了意见分歧，很多人认为农业欠产欠收，军心浮动，粮草辎重接济不上，不应该再穷兵黩武，应以防御自保为上策。唐军主战派以郭崇韬和李嗣源为主，他们认为现在战争处在关键时刻，成败的风险总是难免的，不过主动进攻或许可以博取胜利，如果退缩保全却可能引发连锁反应。唐帝李存勖最终采纳了主战派的意见，他坚定地下了决心：“胜者为王，败者为寇，在此一举！” 在进攻地点的选择上，李存勖组织高层会议，经过反复对比分析，他们决定在郓州陆路进攻。因为，经过与王彦章的恶战，船只战具损失殆尽，水上进攻还要冒着黄河天险，难度太大。既然已经占据了郓州，那就以郓州为突破口，充分发挥唐军骑兵突击的优势，长驱直入，奔袭开封汴梁。郓州到开封之间距离不远，几乎没有高山深水大城市等军事阻碍。这样既可以避开其他各路梁军的围剿，也可以出奇制胜。 战略制定之后就是行动。 李存勖深知这一仗意味着什么。他将一家老小送回都城魏州，诀别之际李存勖毅然决然怅然地说道：“天下霸业成败在此一举，若果失败，你们就在魏州皇宫举家自焚吧！”料理完后事，李存勖点炮出征。 王彦章这次攻打郓州很不顺利，被李嗣源几次击败。唐军主力在李存勖率领下到达郓州后，梁军力量弱小，寡不敌众，被唐军完全击溃，王彦章被俘。 李存勖十分喜爱王彦章之材，有意招降他，钦赐金疮药给王彦章疗伤。可是王彦章铁骨铮铮，拒不投降，不卑不亢地表示：“我原本一介武夫，深受粱国恩典，官拜上将军。与皇帝你打仗打了十五年。现在力屈势穷兵败被俘，本应该以死效节。即使皇帝你爱惜我重用我，可我有什么面目活在世上？朝为梁将，暮为唐臣。这种事我王彦章不做！” 李存勖又让李嗣源前去说降王彦章。李嗣源被王彦章嘲弄谩骂一番，碰了一鼻子灰。为了进一步了解敌情，李存勖问王彦章梁军虚实，王彦章吓唬李存勖不要轻易进军，拒绝透露任何有价值的信息。李存勖明白王彦章是不肯投降了，他是有气节的大将，只好将王彦章斩杀以成全忠烈王彦章的美名。 占据了郓州之后，唐军以李嗣源为前锋，率领一千精锐铁骑日夜兼程杀奔开封汴梁而来。李存勖自率主力部队后续跟进。唐军一路上没有遇到任何抵抗，粱国州城府县要么望风而逃要么举城投降。 唐军自郓州曹县长驱直入打来的消息迅速传到了开封，朱友贞把一家老小召集起来，痛哭流涕的哀叹说：“国运要完了。”光哭也不解决问题啊，朱友贞把在京的文武群臣全部召集起来，研究对策。这些梁帝国的大臣们个个耷拉着脑袋，默不作声，没有了主张。 朱友贞问敬翔：“我以前总是忽视你的意见，老卿家你别计较以前的事了。现在大难临头，你有什么好办法？” 敬翔也是老泪纵横，说道：“臣受先帝厚恩，已经经历了三朝，对待陛下如同大家庭里的少爷一样。老臣三番五次向陛下提建议，都是肺腑之言。在任用段凝问题上，我一开始就反对，一帮小人奸臣从中作梗，以导致今天的灾难。现在唐军近在眼前，段凝远在黄河以北，远水救不了近火。老臣请陛下出巡避一避敌人的锋芒，你肯定不听。老臣请陛下出奇兵决战，你也下不了决心。这样即便是张良陈平在世，也没有更好的主意了。老臣愿意先自杀，不忍心见到社稷沦陷的惨状！” 敬翔一番话可以说是末路真言。这时候的朱友贞也深刻认识到了自己所犯的错误，更有穷途末路的悲痛。君臣二人抱头痛哭。 唐军势如破竹杀奔开封而来的消息满天飞，遭此恐吓，朱梁朝廷乱成了一锅粥。无论是大人物还是小人物都人心惶惶，全成了没头的苍蝇。 朱友贞派大舅哥张汉伦赶去滑州通知段凝回师救援，可是张汉伦慌慌张张走到半路，从马上掉了下来，摔断了腿，前面更有黄河阻隔过不去，只能望河兴叹。 段凝指望不上，只有自救。朱友贞命令开封府尹王瓒驱赶全城的男人，登上城头充当防御守军。