Chapter 222 Chapter 221: Last Emperor Li Congke

Li Congke, originally surnamed Wang, was born in Zhenzhou (now Zhengding, Hebei).He was born in Pingshan in the first year of Guangqi (886 A.D.).During the Jingfu period of Emperor Mingzong (892-893 A.D.), his mother Wei was captured by Li Siyuan as his wife, and he became Li Siyuan's adopted son. After Ke became an adult, he was strong in stature and extraordinary in strength. From then on, he followed Siyuan to fight everywhere, brave and resolute in front of the battle.After Emperor Mingzong proclaimed himself emperor, Congke served as Jiedu envoy of Hezhong, and later lived in Qinghuali, Luoyang because of the fall of An Zhongjiao.Recite the Buddha's name and fast every day, and don't ask about the government, hoping to avoid disasters.After An Chonghui's death, Cong Ke soon became the left-behind in Xijing, and then changed to Fengxiang Jiedu envoy and granted the title of King Lu.When Emperor Min came to the throne, he was very suspicious of him. He released his son Chongji as governor of Bozhou, and called his daughter into the palace as a hostage.In the first year of Yingshun (934 A.D.), Cong Ke received an order from the Privy Council to leave Fengxiang and serve as Jiedu envoy of Hedong.His subordinates advised him not to leave Fengxiang lightly, thinking that if he went to Hedong, it would be a disaster.Cong Ke decided to overthrow Emperor Min.He sent envoys to various places to distribute proclamations, claiming: "In order to prevent our country of Tang from being overthrown, Cong Ke will enter the court and be on the side of the Qing emperor. Please help all the vassals."

At the beginning of March of this year, various armies and horses dispatched by the imperial court gathered under Fengxiang City and attacked the city on a large scale.Fengxiang's Dongxiguan City was lost again and again, and the generals in the city were seriously injured.However, Zhang Qianzhao, who presided over the siege, made Zhang Qianzhao eager to seek merit, and led his own troops to drive away the soldiers to attack the city. Those who retreated were beheaded immediately, which aroused the anger of the soldiers and turned against them one after another.Commander Yulin Yang Siquan was already at odds with Emperor Min, so he saw the opportunity and shouted: "I would like to follow me." Cong Ke is the oldest among the Mingzong masters, so he is called the great minister.Almost all the soldiers dropped their weapons and entered the city from the west gate, and King Lu greeted him at the gate in person.

With Fengxiang's great victory, King Lu's momentum was greatly boosted, and he immediately marched eastward with his troops.As far as Chang'an, Liu Suiyong, the deputy guard of Xijing, had placed the treasures of the government treasury by the roadside, and the soldiers followed them to reward them. After receiving the rewards, they continued to march eastward without entering the city.King Lu happily said to Liu Suiyong: "With the help of Qing and others, I will achieve great things." By the eighth day, King Lu had led his army out of Tongguan to Lingbao County.The soldiers and horses sent by the imperial court to fight surrendered as soon as they met Lu Wang's army, without exception.On February 28, King Lu entered Shanzhou.First send people to Luoyang to spread proclamations and comfort the people, declaring that except for Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun, the rest of the family are safe and sound.On this day, Kang Yicheng, the last resistance force sent by Emperor Min, also surrendered.On the 30th, King Lu traveled eastward from Shanzhou.On April 3rd, entered Luoyang City.Feng Dao led a hundred officials to persuade them to come in, and King Lu said to them: "I have no choice but to go this trip. When the emperor returns and the late emperor is buried, I have to return to Fengxiang. The words of the gentlemen are really boring."

On the third day after entering the city, the Empress Dowager ordered King Lu to take the throne, and on the fourth day, he was in front of Mingzong's coffin.Using the Empress Dowager's decree to cover people's eyes and ears is better than the trick of persuading all officials, so King Lu adopted the latter.In this way, Lu Wang Li Congke became the last emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty - the last emperor. In the third year of Qingtai (AD 936), Shi Jingtang, a feudal general, rebelled and defeated the Tang army. Seeing that the situation was not good, many feudal towns began to move closer to Shi Jingtang.The conquering generals sent by the last emperor sometimes defected to the other party.In such a situation, he had no choice but to issue an imperial edict to conscript himself.

After the last emperor arrived in Heyang, he refused to go north for a long time, drunk and elegiac all day long, ignoring military affairs, and if his ministers persuaded him to go north, he said, "You don't say anything, Shi Lang made my heart fall to the ground." In the first month, Shi Jingtang joined hands with Khitan to defeat the Tang reinforcements from all over the country one after another, and all the prefectures and towns surrendered Shi Jingtang one after another. Seeing that things had come to this, the last emperor had no choice but to return to Luoyang in a state of embarrassment.As soon as he left, the defender of Heyang surrendered Shi Jingtang.Seeing that the situation was over, the last emperor had to take Chuanguo Yuxi, Empress Dowager Cao, Empress Liu, and son Chongmei to the Xuanwu Tower to set himself on fire. He died at the age of 51.The ashes were buried in Huiling area.