Chapter 18 11. Expansion
Li Cunxu has an extraordinary keen sense of war.He once again smelled the exciting smell, and the opportunity to expand the territory came.
Under the rule of Wang Jian, the wars and turmoil in the Kingdom of Shu basically subsided within ten years, and production and life tended to be stable. Although it was not a prosperous and prosperous world, the common people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the treasury was well-off.Wang Jian is not too greedy to expand the borders and establish some outstanding martial arts. He just repairs and repairs the old warlord Li Maozhen when he has spare time and money. Besides, there is no big external war.
As long as society stabilizes, everything will be fine.
Although Wang Jian is an old man who came from a martial arts background, he has a lot of knowledge and likes to chat with educated people who can read and write, and comment on the principles of the rise and fall of the past and the present.Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, there have been continuous social wars. In order to escape the flames of war, the gentry and literati of the Tang Dynasty fled to Sichuan one after another.Therefore, Sichuan has gathered many old and young survivors of the former dynasty, and these people constitute the basic strength of the cultural class of Shu.With the prosperity of social production, culture and art are also lively.This is closely related to Wang Jian's attitude.
Wei Zhuang has the highest official position in the Shu Kingdom among cultural people. He has become the servant of the sect, Tongping Zhangshi, that is, the chief prime minister.Wei Zhuang likes to write poems, and many of his poems are collected in the anthology of Tang and Song poems. "Qin Fu Yin" is Wei Zhuang's well-known representative work, with a length of more than 1600 characters, describing the ins and outs of Huang Chao's occupation of Chang'an, and thinking about many political and social issues.We are not here to discuss Wei Zhuang's poems in a special topic, and without elaborating too much, we will only extract an excerpt from "Jiangchengzi", which can embody his style.
The bun is messy and the eyebrows are long.
Go out of the orchid room, don't be Tanlang.
The horns whimpered, and the stars faded away.
Lu Lengyue's disabled people are still alive, and they can't stay, crying a thousand lines.
Wei Zhuang's contemporary poets include Wen Tingyun, who are all representatives of the Huajian Ci School.The language style is fresh and beautiful, and the content is mostly parting sorrow and leisure life.
Wang Jian later established a prince named Wang Yuanying.The prince eats, drinks and plays all day long, and has a bad temper. He always gets into trouble with the veterans and heroes of the Shu Kingdom.Wang Jian felt that this was not good, so he chose a well-educated master for the prince.But it didn't work, the prince still went his own way.In the end, the prince and the prime minister Tang Dao attacked a falling out, and a fire broke out between the two sides.Wang Jian hurriedly sent people to quell the chaos.Unexpectedly, among the rebellious army, Tang Dao was attacked and died, and the prince was also killed.
Losing a capable minister and a troubled son, Wang Jian was very depressed.
After Wang Yuanying's death, Wang Jian had to establish a new crown prince.
Prince disputes have always been complex, cruel and dramatic.After a competition of talent, ability, connections, style, feng shui, age, and health, and a super selection contest, finally the youngest son Wang Zongyan, relying on the strength of his young and beautiful mother, ascended to the position of prince under the control of the officials.Although Wang Jian didn't like Wang Zongyan very much, although he understood the inside story of the manipulation of the harem and the officials, he was powerless to veto the opinions of the crowd, so he turned a blind eye and agreed.
Wang Zongyan, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, grew up to be a typical prodigal son of the "second generation of rich" and "second generation of officials". He fights cocks, walks dogs, plays football, gambles, listens to music and dances every day.One day, Wang Jian was walking in the palace and passed by the Prince's East Palace. Through the courtyard wall, he heard the sound of the Prince and a group of servants yelling and playing football. It must be Wang Zongyan who was holding his "Prince Cup" football match.Wang Jian shook his head, and said helplessly to himself, "How can I maintain the foundation that I have built through many battles, with such descendants?"
Another son of Wang Jian, Wang Zongjie, is smart and capable, and often takes the initiative to talk to Wang Jian about his thinking and views on the current situation.Especially when Wang Zongyan was messing around, Wang Zongjie even tried to ask Wang Jian to take the initiative.Wang Jian felt that Wang Zongjie was more like himself, worthy of training and promising.Just when Wang Jian was preparing to abolish Wang Zongyan and replace him with Wang Zongjie as the crown prince, Wang Zongjie suddenly fell ill and died.At that time, medical science was underdeveloped, security and investigation methods were primitive, and forensic identification was also unreliable, and it was impossible to trace someone who was killed casually.
Wang Jian only became more depressed.
Wang Jian encountered the same problem as Zhu Quanzhong, and his successor was not ideal.Look at how easy Li Keyong is, he doesn't care about anything, his son is alive and well, studying hard and making progress every day.
Age is not forgiving, and Wang Jian is also gradually getting old. He is troubled by senile disease "faintness", which roughly means dim vision, lack of energy, and decline in thinking ability.In April 918 AD, Wang Jian came to the end of his life.
Although Wang Jian's handover was not as tragic and bloody as Zhu Quanzhong's, he also experienced a heart-pounding struggle.
Wang Jianyuan was going to explain the funeral in an orderly manner. After he arranged the ministers to suitable positions according to their talents, he told them: "Prince Wang Zongyan is playful and weak. Since the ministers insist on Wang Zongyan's succession, I can't forcefully go against everyone's wishes. You can't go beyond the order of seniority and replace with a new one. If the crown prince really can't take on the burden of the country, you can abolish him. As long as you replace it among Wang's descendants, you can replace it with anyone. It is okay to abolish Wang Zongyan, but you must preserve him The life of the prince, give him a bite to eat. The prince's mother Xu Concubine and her relatives can enjoy generous offerings, but they are not allowed to interfere in the government affairs or take military power, otherwise they will be harmed. They are not that material. This is also for They are good."
When a person is about to die, his words are also kind.Wang Jian is such a talented and strong king, when he was dying, the last words he uttered were so affectionate, reasonable and humane.
Wang Jian will die, and some people will be chaotic.
The treacherous official Tang Wenli felt that it was time to fish in troubled waters, and he wanted to seek wealth and wealth in danger, so he took the opportunity to make trouble.Tang Wenli's official position at this time is the Inner Flying Dragon Envoy, commanding the Imperial Army, controlling the security and confidentiality of the palace.Seeing that Wang Jian would die at any time, Tang Wenli sent heavy troops to guard the palace gates to isolate internal and external news, and perfunctorily prevented any ministers and relatives of the emperor from approaching Wang Jian.
In order to completely control the dying Wang Jian, Tang Wenli can be said to have tried his best.But he had a problem in one link, Baimi Yishu ruined his life.A guy Tang Wenli sent to inquire about the outside world betrayed him and took refuge in the side of the princes and ministers.
Wang Zongbi, commander of Ma Budu, heard that Tang Wenli was about to make trouble, so he directly led people to break open the palace door, broke into the palace, and exposed Tang Wenli after seeing Wang Jian.At this time, Wang Jian still had three breaths left.Panting heavily, Wang Jian scolded Tang Wenli for his wolfish ambition.Because of being too excited, the veins on Wang Jian's forehead twitched violently, his thin face was flushed, and his chest heaved violently.
Wang Jianqiang endured Yuanshen to stay in the hole, and immediately made a decision to let the prince enter the palace to serve him, exile Tang Wenlu to Yazhou, temporarily hand over finance, official management, judicial proceedings, and documents and archives to Yu Ningji, and put the defense of the capital, marching and fighting , Internal and external military dispatch and other work are temporarily handed over to Song Guangsi.At the same time, Song Guangsi served as the secret envoy of the inner privy in the posthumous edict, and jointly assisted the government with Wang Zongbi, Wang Zongyao, Wang Zongwan and Wang Zongkui.
The Kingdom of Shu abolished the old disadvantages of the Tang Dynasty, and the privy envoys and flying dragon envoys were no longer held by eunuchs, but by educated people.But this time Tang Wenli's rebellion made Wang Jian worry that the old department of Xuzhou who fought with him would not accept the leadership of the prince and would cause disasters in the future.Because eunuch Song Guangsi has always had a good relationship with Prince Wang Zongyan.Therefore, Wang Jian decided on his deathbed that the eunuch would serve as the privy envoy.
In June, Wang Jian passed away.Wang Zongyan succeeded to the throne as the emperor of Shu.After succeeding to the throne, Wang Zongyan exterminated Tang Wenli's family.
The era of Wang Jian ended, and the era of Wang Zongyan began.
Wang Zongyan liked to have fun, so he entrusted the management of internal and external affairs to two people, one was Zhongshu Ling and Julu King Wang Zongbi, and the other was Song Guangsi, a privy envoy.Wang Zongbi was greedy for money and took bribes, and Song Guangsi was flattering. These two guys made a mess of the prosperous and powerful Shu Kingdom.
Wang Zongyan was a big player when he was the prince. After becoming the emperor, he let go of his hands and feet more unscrupulously. He could play whatever he wanted. The level of playing broke out of Sichuan and went to the whole country.The emperor of the Shu Kingdom has several major hobbies, such as playing football, playing games, playing with women, traveling in mountains and rivers, drinking, reciting poems and prose, spending money and spending money, and wearing famous brands.
Wang Jian's body was still cold, but Wang Zongyan was impatient.Not only Wang Zongyan is fun, but his aunt and mother love to play.Wang Zongyan's aunt is Empress Dowager Xu, and his younger mother is Concubine Xu. Empress Dowager Xu and Concubine Xu were originally the daughters of Xu Geng, the governor of Meizhou in the Tang Dynasty.After Wang Jian won Sichuan, he fell in love with the two sisters of the Xu family and married them both into the palace.Later, the eldest son became the queen, and the second son became the imperial concubine.The three most powerful people in the Kingdom of Shu are like-minded, and they travel in groups every once in a while, sometimes visiting the homes of princes and ministers, and sometimes visiting famous mountains and rivers as donkey friends.
If the emperor goes on a trip, the situation will be very grand.Not to mention blowing, blowing and hitting, the yamen at all levels along the way must make preparations for the reception ten and a half months in advance, and prepare the best local rare treasures, mountain delicacies, and high-end hotels.The emperor loves to play, and he doesn't know how to buy equipment, look up maps, invite tour guides, or bring instant noodles. There must be a group of people who are good at trying to figure out the master's mind and actively handle affairs before they can be implemented.This bunch of sycophants and foxes pretend to be powerful, and things within a range of ten miles can be extravagant and extravagant hundreds of miles away.
Once Wang Zongyan visited the north, in fact, he was traveling north.Han Zhao, a scholar of Wensi Temple, said to the emperor: "Master, you are going on tour. There are no good stations along the way. We need to build some palaces for the temporary residence of the master and the empress dowager."
Wang Zongyan said: "Okay, you can do it."
Han Zhao looked distressed, and said hesitantly, "Money is needed to build a house, but the master spends the money from the national treasury, which is too large."
Wang Zongyan glanced sideways at Han Zhao and asked, "Then how to fix it?"
Han Zhao smiled strangely, and said, "Master, you can sell the official positions of governors in Tongzhou, Quzhou, Bazhou, Jizhou and other states along the way from Chengdu to the north, so that you can earn a lot of money. All regions are responsible for building the palace, which is convenient and saves trouble.”
Wang Zongyan stared at Han Zhao for five seconds.Han Zhao felt hairy from being stared at by Wang Zongyan, and sweat dripped from his forehead.Suddenly, Wang Zongyan laughed and said: "Han Zhao, Han Zhao, you are a talent, you can come up with such a good idea. Let's do it like this, you go to the specifics."
Han Zhao put his worried heart in his stomach, and then burst into joy.This is a good job. It can not only work for the emperor to please the emperor, but also can embezzle and collect money in the process of selling officials, and can also form a party for personal gain under the guise of public welfare.
The preparations for the tour are ready, and the emperor will set off in August.
On this day, the sky was clear and the north gate of Chengdu opened slowly. After the twelve gun salutes of "dong dong", thousands of people from the emperor's honor guard, drum team, flag flag team, motorcade team, and horse team left the city one after another.Although Wang Zongyan is the king of a country, he has no sense of security at all, so he insists on riding a horse to show off.Today, the emperor is dressed in a yellow dragon robe, a golden armour, a pearl crown on his head, a bow in his left hand and a bridle in his right.Empress Dowager Xu and Concubine Xu also lifted the window curtains and waved their hands outside the car.This large tourist group is extraordinary, and the team stretches for hundreds of miles.
Emperor Wang Zongyan of the Shu Kingdom not only likes to travel in groups, but also likes to go shopping alone.Regardless of whether it is sunny or rainy, day or night, as long as he is happy, he will immediately change into civilian clothes and run out of the palace, either to have a drink at a tavern, or to a hot pot restaurant, or to do some shopping at a silk shop. , Tired of playing, they would go to brothels to play wild game.
Although there were no TV newspapers at that time, the emperor had no chance to be photographed.But Wang Zongyan has come out so many times, some people can still recognize him.In order to keep a low profile and hide his identity, Wang Zongyan ordered the people of Shu to wear a hat with a big brim, and he also wore it, so that most of his face could be covered.
Searching for novelty and hunting for beauty is a fault of many emperors, and Wang Zongyan brought this technical expertise to the fullest.He went to visit his grandfather Xu Geng's house, and accidentally saw Xu Geng's granddaughter, who was as beautiful as a flower, couldn't help but feel excited, and brought her into the palace.His father, Wang Jian, married Xu Geng's daughter, and Wang Zongyan took in Xu Geng's granddaughter, which was quite a match.With new ones and tired of old ones, the royal concubine Gao was retired by Wang Zongyan and returned to her natal family.
During a trip, Wang Zongyan's travel team met a wedding team.Wang Zongyan stepped forward and lifted the curtains of the sedan chair, and the bride was sitting inside.Wang Zongyan probed and tore off the red hijab.The bride was terrified and hid in the corner of the sedan chair, not daring to say anything.Wang Zongyan's eyes were straightened, and the halazi flowed down half a foot long. He immediately asked the bride to be brought into the palace, and gave the groom a hundred pieces of silk and satin in exchange for condolences.It was a disaster, the couple's family cried together, and the groom's official was so angry that he died on the spot.
Wang Zongyan doesn't care whether the official women or civilian women are single or married, as long as they like it, they must get it.If it is easy, it will be directly included in the palace, if it is difficult, it will remain in an adulterous relationship.He fell in love with the wife of the minister Wang Chengxiu, and because the minister's wife could not blatantly enter the palace, Wang Zongyan often went to Wang Chengxiu's house to inspect and condolences.
Wang Zongyan was very creative. He used silk and satin to wrap the rockery, trees and canals in the back garden of the palace, and named it Jinbuzhang.Play football, hide-and-seek, boat, drink, and play with women in it.In order to create a super atmosphere, the court ladies and eunuchs lit all kinds of precious spices, and the smoke was like a fairyland.At night, giant candles are lit, the light and shadow are graceful, and the sky and water are clear.There is a flaw in this brocade barrier. Once it is windy and rainy, the entire amusement park will be dilapidated.So it was refurbished and reopened for production and operation.
Wang Zongyan's extravagant extravagance and weird gameplay consumed a huge amount of Shu's wealth, ruined the military and state affairs, and seriously hurt the feelings of tens of millions of people in the land of Shu.The upper beam is not upright and the lower beam is crooked. The general ministers of civil and military affairs headed by Wang Zongbi and Song Guangsi are colluding, corrupt, buying and selling officials, fighting for power and profit, harming public and private interests, abolishing political discipline, military, civil, administrative and financial chaos.
The foundation of the Kingdom of Shu, which Wang Jian worked so hard to build for ten years, was tossed and scrapped by Wang Zongyan in three to five years.
There are also wise and upright officials in the Kingdom of Shu, who once suggested to Wang Zongyan that they should practice politics internally and not eat, drink and have fun so endlessly, and be alert to the aggressive ambitions of the Central Plains.Wang Zongyan couldn't listen at all.
Li Cunxu sent several groups of envoys to the Shu Kingdom to detect the reality of the Shu Kingdom.After several exchanges, I basically understood the current situation of the decline of the Shu Kingdom.
Li Cunxu is a perfect war machine, he once again smelled the opportunity to launch a war and conquered Shu.
In September of the third year of Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty (AD 925), Li Cunxu called Guo Chongtao, the chief adviser, and the monarch and his ministers had another strategic dialogue.This was also the last time their monarchs and ministers talked and met for the last time.Why is it the last time?Please read below.
Guo Chongtao didn't know what the emperor wanted him for, and the emperor hadn't approached him so seriously for two or three years.Under normal circumstances, it is Guo Chongtao who seeks out the emperor, and puts forward suggestions on personnel arrangements, financial policies, and military policies to the emperor, and advises the emperor not to be too extravagant, discourages mistakes in decision-making, and saves money for entertainment. The emperor is always perfunctory and not serious. Listen to Guo Chongtao's words.In the past few years, even if the emperor occasionally came to him on his own initiative, it was because the treasury was not making ends meet, and the emperor's money was tight.These things are no longer difficult since Kong Qian became the deputy envoy of Zuyong Diao.Because Kong Qian is very capable, he was very capable when he was in Weizhou. In order to climb up in the new empire, he became even more capable. He searched everywhere and invented various strange methods.Although Guo Chongtao didn't fully agree with Kong Qian's approach, he had no choice but to let him go in order to fill the big financial hole.
This time the emperor Li Cunxu personally sent someone to discuss the matter with Guo Chongtao. It must be that a major incident has occurred or is about to occur.Guo Chongtao rushed from the prime minister's mansion to the palace with suspicion.
When Guo Chongtao arrived at the meeting room of the Wenhua Palace of the Imperial Palace, there were already four or five prime minister-level figures or department heads waiting.Guo Chongtao stepped into the hall majestically, and the officials who arrived earlier stood up and saluted Guo Chongtao, and took the initiative to say hello to Guo Chongtao.Guo Chongtao nodded slightly, walked towards the head chair of the train, and then sat down slowly.After Guo Chongtao sat down, everyone dared to take their seats one by one.
A moment later, Li Cunxu, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, came out from behind the screen, with his hands inserted in the gap of Peiyu's belt, his chest raised and his head held high, walking like a dragon or a tiger, with piercing eyes, and a neatly trimmed short and bushy beard surrounding the square mouth.At this time, Zhuang Zong was in the prime of life, and he was in his prime in his forties. Among the founding emperors of China's thousands of years of feudal history, this age group was the golden season.
Seeing Zhuang Zong's arrival, the civil and military ministers hurriedly stood up and said: "Long live my emperor." Zhuang Zong glanced at the officials with his lightning eyes, and waved his hands to signal everyone to calm down.
Zhuang Zong sat on the high-legged dragon chair, and said in a low and dignified manner: "My dear friends, today I want to discuss something with you." , all over the world. I see that China is still torn apart, people are dying, and I am determined to unite the world, unify China, and restore my great Tang Dynasty.”
When the ministers heard such a grand plan from Zhuang Zong, all of them seemed to be stunned. They looked up at the emperor, their mouths open and speechless.They don't know what stimulated their tireless master. After a few days of peace and stability, he is going to fight in fear?
Zhuang Zong didn't seem to see the astonished expressions of the officials, and continued to talk about his ideals: "Sichuan Wang Zongyan is arrogant and extravagant, the government is abolished, the monarchs and ministers are unethical, the people are full of grievances, and the power of Shu is exhausted. This is an opportunity given to us by God. If we If you don’t take it, you will be blamed. Besides, he has a lot of high-quality silk brocades, but he is forbidden to sell them to us in the Central Plains, which is really annoying.”
Guo Chongtao quietly listened to the emperor's impassioned exposition of his opinions, and thought to himself, the emperor, you have seen Wang Zongyan's shortcomings, why can't you see your own shortcomings?How is your situation better than Wang Zongyan?This is a crow landing on a pig, seeing others being black, but not being able to see oneself being black.
After Zhuang Zong finished talking about his thoughts, all the ministers looked at each other and no one dared to express their opinions first. Everyone looked at Guo Chongtao, hoping that he would talk about his opinions first.Guo Chongtao found that Zhuang Zong was also looking at him, so Guo Chongtao asked slowly, "Why does Your Majesty attack Shu?"
Li Cunxu had a calm demeanor, and said with a slight smile: "Hang the people and punish crimes, and restore the territory of the Tang Dynasty."
Guo Chongtao continued to ask: "Shu is far away, do we know about it?"
Li Cunxu said: "Although Shu is remote, it has frequent exchanges with the Central Plains. I have sent several groups of official or non-governmental missions to Shu to find out the truth. Li Yan, the envoy of the Hakka Province, visited Shu twice this year with my secret orders. The high-level people have a clear understanding of the military, political and people's livelihood of the Shu Kingdom. The Shu Kingdom is rich in gold and jade, but it is ruined and decayed."
Guo Chongtao asked again: "Does Your Majesty think the time is ripe?"
Li Cunxu said without hesitation: "That foolish boy Wang Zongyan thought that Tang and him were friendly envoys, and he had no defense against our country. He had already dismantled dozens of garrisons in the east and north. If you don't attack at this time, the opportunity Hard to get again."
Having said that, the matter is already very clear. Li Cunxu has long been thinking about conquering Shu. It is no longer a sudden whim yesterday and the day before yesterday, but has been secretly prepared for several years.Now that the emperor has made up his mind, there is nothing to discuss, and it is necessary to attack Shu.
Guo Chongtao looked at the crowd, and asked: "The attack on Shu is a big matter, who can be handsome?"
Li Shaohong, the envoy of Xuanhui, said: "Li Shaoqin can take on this great job. This man has a world-class talent. Even Sun Wu and Wu Qi are not as good as him."
Li Shaoqin is Duan Ning.During the Five Dynasties, changing names became common practice, especially when superiors liked to change names for subordinates, and the emperor also liked to change names for himself.After Duan Ning surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, Li Cunxu changed Duan Ning's name to Li Shaoqin to show his trust.There are many people who have changed their names. In order to facilitate the connection with the above, we use their original names.
Guo Chongtao sneered. He knew that Duan Ning had a high EQ and was good at currying favor with Li Shaohong and other high-ranking officials. This was Li Shaohong's opportunity to find a way for Duan Ning.Guo Chongtao said: "Duan Ning is a defeated general, treacherous and flattering, morally corrupt, and cannot be trusted." When Guo Chongtao refuted, Li Shaohong blushed and had a thick neck, but he was afraid of Guo Chongtao's authority and dared not fight, so he sat aside and shrank.
At this time, someone suggested that Li Siyuan, the chief of the horse infantry of the inner and outer Han Dynasty, should be in command.After Li Cunshen passed away due to old illness last year, Li Siyuan was promoted from deputy general manager to general manager and became the number one figure in the Tang army.With Li Siyuan's record, ability, status, and prestige, he is competent enough to be the commander of the Conquest of Shu.
But Guo Chongtao still shook his head, and even Emperor Zhuang Zong looked at him strangely.Guo Chongtao said: "The Khitans in the north are becoming stronger and stronger, and the frequency of invasions to the south is increasing year by year, which has caused great harm to our north. Chief Li Siyuan still needs to stay in Zhending to fight against the Khitans. It is impossible to leave him there."
Now everyone was dumbfounded. During the ten-year decisive battle between Tang Liang and Yellow River, the great generals of the Tang Kingdom fell one after another, and only Li Siyuan was able to take charge of it alone.If Li Siyuan still can't leave, who else can?
Guo Chongtao looked very embarrassed and said: "Your Majesty, although the internal affairs of Shu are in chaos, we are not prepared enough. If wars are launched in the north and southwest at the same time, the military strength will definitely not be enough. In the past few years, the Central Plains experienced ten times. Years of war, the national treasury is empty, and the economic supply can't keep up. It's better to wait until the fight against Khitan has a prospect, and then make plans."
When Zhuang Zong Li Cunxu heard what Guo Chongtao said, his face showed displeasure.He said in a questioning tone: "According to what you say, there is no hope for my great cause of unifying the world."
Guo Chongtao hurriedly stood up, he could hear the weight of Li Cunxu's words.Although Guo Chongtao was high and powerful, he was deeply trusted by Emperor Zhuangzong.However, this position is not unbreakable, but on the surface it looks beautiful and calm.Because eunuchs, actors and a group of unsatisfactory officials often spoke ill of Guo Chongtao in front of Li Cunxu, some powerful factions were also fighting Guo Chongtao openly and secretly.Guo Chongtao once felt precarious.Guo Chongtao is well versed in the routines of official circles, sometimes scheming, sometimes playing hard to catch, sometimes beating cattle across mountains, sometimes killing people with knives, sometimes besieging Wei to save Zhao, and trying his best to barely keep safe.
The reason why Guo Chongtao was able to survive all kinds of dangers in the officialdom was mainly because Li Cunxu trusted him.If Guo Chongtao annoys Li Cunxu and this last big backer no longer trusts Guo Chongtao, then Guo Chongtao's ending will be unimaginable.
The Khitan in the north is a formidable enemy, so you must not be careless.Now we want to use troops against the Shu Kingdom in the west, how can we divide our forces?Although the Kingdom of Shu is in decline, after all, it has been established for more than ten years, and the road to Shu is dangerous and far away, which has always been a headache for military strategists.Emperor Zhuangzong Li Cunxu was very happy with his achievements, he insisted on going his own way, and insisted on conquering Shu regardless of his own ability, and no one was good to forcefully stop him.
Guo Chongtao didn't dare either.
The difficulty in defeating Shu lies in the selection of generals. The generals below Li Siyuan are either immature newcomers from Hedong, or surrendered generals from Zhu Liang. These people did not form a subordinate relationship.If there is no effective commander in chief, not only may the efforts be in vain, but it may also lead to internal strife or even rebellion.This is what Guo Chongtao worries about.
In desperation, Guo Chongtao suggested: "Looking at the country, the only one who can control the generals at present is the King of Wei besides His Majesty and General Manager Li. The King of Wei has a noble status as the prince. According to the tradition of the previous dynasties, the prince needs to make great achievements in order to win It has achieved prestige and has been widely recognized. Therefore, King Wei can be in charge of this attack on Shu. This is also a good opportunity for training."
Zhuang Zong Li Cunxu was surprised by Guo Chongtao's suggestion.It will be one way of thinking to be elected, and a completely different way of thinking to be selected outside. This reflects Guo Chongtao's broad vision and ability to plan the overall situation, which is indeed better than ordinary ministers.Li Cunxu thought Guo Chongtao's words were reasonable, but he felt uneasy in his heart.After all, my precious son Li Jiji has not experienced wind and rain, and his ability to take on great responsibilities has not yet appeared.
While pondering, Li Cunxu said: "Jiji just became king of Wei two days ago. Although his status is precious, he is still young and it is difficult for him to take on such a heavy burden. Well, Jiji can be in command, so he can use it to practice, but it still needs to be done." A competent person is more appropriate as a deputy."
Guo Chongtao did not expect that the emperor needed a deputy to assist Li Jiji. When he was thinking about who would be suitable, Zhuang Zong said: "This deputy is none other than you, Guo Aiqing." Guo Chongtao opened his mouth, hesitated to speak, and finally said: "I obey."
The "Old History of the Five Dynasties" suspects that Guo Chongtao, in order to strengthen his position, after eliminating the candidates for the commander of the war against Shu, deliberately promoted Wei Wang Li Jiji, and then obtained the opportunity to be the deputy of the war against Shu, in order to make great contributions Increase prestige.I don't quite agree with this point of view.Although the Kingdom of Shu is in decline, it is a good opportunity to annex it.But the Kingdom of Shu is not a threat after all, and eating the Kingdom of Shu is not a top priority.What matters is that the north resists Khitan's invasion.
The establishment of the country in the later Tang Dynasty was still in its infancy, and the economy was scarce for years of fighting, so it was incapable of fighting on two fronts.Guo Chongtao has repeatedly emphasized the difficulty of selecting a commander for the war against Shu, probably because he intends to prevent Li Cunxu from launching a war.
As for Guo Chongtao's status being threatened, it's not just a matter of a day or two. He should know how to hide his ingenuity and keep his clumsy. Besides, he has already filed an application for resignation and discharge of power.Guo Chongtao should understand the principle that high merits can shake the master and a tree can attract wind. His status is already below one person and over ten thousand people, and he will not seek any great merits to improve his status.He suggested that Wei Wang Li Jiji be the commander-in-chief, entirely from the perspective of ensuring the effective organization of war resources.If there is a capable coach, it can not only organize the greatest strength, but also avoid internal friction.Guo Chongtao was selected by Li Cunxu as the envoy (deputy commander), more because of Li Cunxu's trust in his ability, rather than Guo Chongtao's intentional self-appointment.
That's the way it is, as it should be.
Guo Chongtao had to take on the important task of conquering Shu.
In order to effectively implement the strategy of conquering Shu, Li Cunxu mobilized all the forces he could mobilize.
The main attacking force facing west is Li Jiji, king of Wei, who is the commander of the camps on all sides of Xichuan (that is, the commander), and Guo Chongtao is the envoy (executive deputy commander) of the camps in the northeast, who are fully responsible for all military affairs of marching and fighting.The emperor also decreed that Jingnan Jiedu envoy Gao Jixing was recruiting envoys for the camp capital in the southeast, Li Jiyan, the son of Qi Wang Li Maozhen, was appointed as the envoy for the transfer of the army, and Tongzhou Jiedu envoy Li Lingde (Zhu Youqian's son, at this time Zhu Youqian Li Jilin, who was renamed Li Jilin), was the deputy envoy of the battalion, Li Shaochen (Kang Yanxiao), the governor of Shanzhou, was the envoy of the Han and horse infantry, and the commander of the horse infantry. Mao Zhang, the governor of the state, was the Marquis of Mabu on the left side, Dong Zhang, the governor of Binzhou, was the Marquis of Yu, the capital of Mabu on the right side, and Li Yan, the envoy of the Hakka Province, was the envoy of Xichuan.Later Tang sent a grand army, 60,000 soldiers from all walks of life marched towards Sichuan in mighty strength.
Before Guo Chongtao went west, he also made arrangements for the follow-up work in the future.He suggested to Li Cunxu that if Sichuan is conquered, please transfer Beidu (Taiyuan) to stay behind and Meng Zhixiang to guard it.If something unexpected happened to Guo Chongtao himself, Zhang Xian, the deputy of Weizhou, could be the prime minister.It can be seen from this that Guo Chongtao is thoughtful and sophisticated in seeking the country.
Just when the Later Tang Dynasty was actively preparing to send troops to attack Shu, the emperor of Shu Kingdom Wang Zongyan was about to tour the east.Fudged by a bunch of sycophants, Wang Zongyan organized a large tour group to travel to Qinzhou.Minister Wang Zongbi and others tried their best to dissuade the emperor from running around, and the country should be the most important thing.Wang Zongyan refused to listen and must go to Qinzhou for a stroll.The reason why Wang Zongyan was determined to go to Qinzhou was another reason he couldn't explain. He fell in love with the wife of Wang Chengxiu, the Tianxiong Jiedu envoy of the Kingdom of Shu, and he was anxious to use it in the past.
Under the command of Guo Chongtao, the Tang army adopted the correct offensive strategy, aiming at occupying the fortress, not pursuing to annihilate the Shu army; The purpose of raising and fighting to obtain food, grass and supplies is not to count on the supply of the domestic rear area; to spread the message that Shu is about to perish in order to disintegrate the hearts of the people and prevent the enemy from organizing an effective resistance force.
Wei Wang Li Jiji had complete trust in Guo Chongtao and fully delegated authority. All matters such as marching and fighting, strategic planning, appointment of officials, and military supply dispatching were left to Guo Chongtao to decide on his own.Many people are greedy for power and position, and are jealous of their achievements, which leads to internal strife and discord, destroys unity, and even ruins the entire war.From this point of view, it is not easy for Li Jiji to fully delegate power to Guo Chongtao.
The Tang army was as powerful as a broken bamboo, attacking the city and conquering the land with the momentum of destroying the dry, driving straight in, crossing the mountains, avoiding the fog and smog, and hitting all the way to Chengdu.The Shu army either fled in anticipation of the wind, or surrendered the city, or collapsed at the first touch, or avoided fighting with their own ghosts.Tang Jun entered this land of abundance, with beautiful mountains, water, people, wine and food, as if entering a land without people.
In November, the emperor of Shu Kingdom, Wang Zongyan, had just arrived in Qinzhou, and had just used his long-cherished beauty, when he received an urgent report that the Tang army had broken through and killed all generals and came to Chengdu.Wang Zongyan was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a "gudong" from the beauty's body, and ran back to Chengdu to organize the fight against Tang Jun.As soon as Wang Zongyan stepped into the gate of Chengdu, he was held hostage by Wang Zongbi's group of surrender and incompetent ministers. In bewilderment and helplessness, he left Chengdu with a white flag and surrendered to the Tang army.
It took only 70 days from the time Tang sent troops to the fall of Shu.Occupying ten Jiedu feudal towns, sixty-four state cities, and two hundred and forty-nine county houses, captured 30,000 Shu soldiers, and seized countless armors, weapons, money, food, and brocades.
The Tang Dynasty destroyed Shu, and the world was shaken.Vega is everywhere, mighty.
Guo Chongtao never expected that, under his actual command, he won the victory in conquering Shu and established extraordinary feats, but the footsteps of death were approaching.