Chapter 12 Lecture 10: The Miao-Liu Mutiny

The Jin army went south, but Song Gaozong Zhao Gou chose to flee all the way south. At that time, there were many generals who followed him. Why didn't he resist?Because Zhao Gou has always regarded generals as people who may threaten his life at any time.The reason why Zhao Gou had such an idea was that when he was in Hangzhou, two officers of the Yulin Army, Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan, launched a mutiny, which was called "Miao Liu Mutiny" in history. Why did these two people dare to carry out such a rebellious and immoral thing when foreign enemies invaded and the mountains and rivers were changing day by day?To put it bluntly, the reason is that they are dissatisfied with the treatment.After Zhao Gou escaped from Yangzhou, he lost trust in Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan. He dismissed them from their official posts, appointed Zhu Shengfei as prime minister, and Wang Yuan as privy envoy and commander of the imperial camp.Wang Yuan was a military general in the Northern Song Dynasty, and made many military exploits in the war against Xixia.When Zhao Gou was the general of the world's soldiers and horses, Wang Yuan led his troops to vote. Because Conglong had made great contributions, Zhao Gou trusted him very much.

Wang Yuan has a problem, that is, he is extremely greedy for money.During successive years of battles, Wang Yuan saw that so many military generals either died for their country, surrendered to the Kingdom of Jin, or were killed by rebels.Therefore, he felt that accumulating wealth and setting up some property for his descendants was the most important thing.In fact, among the military commanders in the Song Dynasty, not only Wang Yuan was greedy for money, Tong Guan, Gao Qiu and others all had this problem.The general's greed for money will inevitably affect the combat effectiveness of the army.When Song Gaozong asked Yue Fei how we could be saved in the Great Song Dynasty, Yue Fei's answer was "Civil officials don't love money, and military generals don't fear death."

Wang Yuan carried a large amount of gold and silver with him when he marched and fought. If he couldn't carry it himself, he asked others to carry it for him. Naturally, his combat effectiveness would not be guaranteed.What is particularly infuriating is that in order to protect his own treasure, Wang Yuan put the life and death of his soldiers at risk.When Zhao Gou fled from Yangzhou to Hangzhou, he asked Wang Yuan to lead an army in charge of cutting off the rear.As a result, Wang Yuan actually used more than a dozen large ships to transport his belongings across the Yangtze River first, causing tens of thousands of soldiers to cross the river without boats, and were stranded on the river bank to be slaughtered. .For the Song Army, which was already at a disadvantage, this loss was very heavy.

However, Wang Yuan committed such a serious crime. After Zhao Gou fled to Hangzhou, he was only dismissed from the post of deputy privy envoy to Wang Yuan, but he was not punished.Wang Yuan still served as the commander of the imperial camp, commanding the imperial forest army following Zhao Gou.In this way, the soldiers were naturally dissatisfied. They thought, why should a cowardly and incompetent person who is greedy for life and afraid of death lead us?We are also people who have meritorious service from Conglong Hujia, why did he get the reward, but we didn't get anything?At this time, two generals, Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan, jumped out, further aggravating the dissatisfaction of the soldiers.

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan were the first group of generals who followed Zhao Gou to escape from the north to the south, and they had made military exploits before.The two of them feel that their contributions are not inferior to Wang Yuan, especially Liu Zhengyan, whose father died in the war against Xixia.According to what we say today, Liu Zhengyan is the son of a martyr and a general of two generations.They believed that Wang Yuan was able to receive the reward because Wang Yuan made friends with his servant Kang Lu, and Kang Lu was a person whom Emperor Zhao Gou relied heavily on. He often whispered small reports in the emperor's ear, so Wang Yuan's guilt was not questioned.Therefore, Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan incited among the soldiers, saying, do you know why the Lord did not punish Wang Yuan?It is because he made friends with the servants.We were born and died for the Song Dynasty, and now the military shoes are broken, the bowstring is loose, the sword is rusted, and we can’t get supplies every day after eating the last meal, but Wang Yuan transported more than a dozen ships for himself What's the matter with your treasure?Many of the soldiers who followed Zhao Gou were from Hebei. They followed Zhao Gou all the way to the south, farther and farther away from their hometown, and their homesickness became more and more intense.Parents Gao Tang, his wife and children fell to the enemy, and he ran all the way, when will he be able to return to his hometown, and whether he will see his parents in this life is unknown.The dissatisfaction of the soldiers reached the extreme under the instigation of Miao and Liu, and they wanted to kill Wang Yuan soon.

These soldiers lay in ambush at the place where Wang Yuan went to court.As soon as Wang Yuan arrived, the rebel army rushed forward, dragged Wang Yuan out of the sedan chair, beat and kicked him, and scolded him for harming the country and the people, greedy and incompetent, and deserved to die.Seeing that the situation was not good, Wang Yuan knew that public outrage would be hard to offend, so he quickly ran away with his head in his arms, and the soldiers behind him chased after him.At this moment, Wang Yuan saw Liu Zhengyan walking towards him, thinking that he finally saw the savior, so he shouted, Liu Tongzhi, save me!Wang Yuan originally thought that Liu Zhengyan was single-handedly picked up by him, so he would definitely rescue him at this time.What Wang Yuan didn't expect was that Liu Tongzhi repaid Wang Yuan in a different way. He rushed forward and chopped off Wang Yuan's head with one knife.Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan are under the control of Wang Yuan, and now they have killed the commander-in-chief, and this matter will become a big problem at once.

Miao and Liu are two old men with no political foresight.After they killed Wang Yuan, they planned to lead their soldiers to rob Wang Yuan's house and divide Wang Yuan's dozen or so boats of treasure.At this time, some of their strategists told Miao Liu, General, don't do this, let's not rush to grab things.The reason why Wang Yuan gained the Lord's trust is because he made friends with the servants. We have to enter the palace and kill all the eunuchs before we can eradicate the grass.Otherwise, the Lord will take revenge on us when he gets angry in the future.When the second general Miao and Liu heard it, he thought it was reasonable, and immediately led troops into the palace to kill the eunuch.When General Miao and Liu Er led their troops to the gate of the palace, the local officials and prime ministers in Hangzhou heard that there had been a change, and hurriedly led their troops into the palace to escort them.However, the second general Miao and Liu led all the soldiers of the imperial camp. These people were originally responsible for the protection of the emperor, and the soldiers in Hangzhou usually assumed the functions of the police today, mainly doing fire prevention and catching robbers. Things are not the opponents of the Imperial Battalion at all.Therefore, the prime minister and the local officials in Hangzhou were helpless, so they had to invite the emperor Zhao Gou out.

Emperor Gaozong was very shocked when he learned of Miao Liu's mutiny. He rushed to the top of the city gate and asked Miao Liu, what do you want to do?The second general Miao and Liu replied in this way: "Miao and Liu will live up to the country and only eliminate harm for the world." That is to say, we definitely did not intend to rebel, but killed Wang Yuan for the sake of eliminating harm for the world.The emperor said, since Wang Yuan has been eliminated, can you retreat?Miao Liu resolutely refused, saying that the eunuch was still there, and Kang Lu must be killed.When Song Gaozong heard that Miao Liu was going to kill Kang Lu, he couldn't bear it very much, and said to himself, killing him, I don't have anyone around me, this is not possible.The prime minister was in a hurry, thinking what time it was, the emperor was still thinking about an eunuch, if he didn't die, we'd all have to finish the game.Of course, the prime minister couldn't say this directly, so he winked at the other eunuchs around the emperor, meaning that if Kang Lu died, wouldn't you have a chance to come up?At this time, someone whispered behind the emperor: "Your Majesty is not alone with Kang Lu." Gaozong had no choice but to cover his face with his sleeves and acquiesced.

So the prime minister ordered that Kang Lu be sent to the city immediately.Everyone quickly tied up Kang Lu and put them in a basket along the city wall.The rebels charged up and cut Kang Lu in two with one blow.It is said that when Kang Lu was cut in half, his upper body was still on the ground begging and pleading.His favorite servant was killed by the rebels in the blink of an eye. Gaozong couldn't bear to see this bloody scene anymore, turned around and wanted to leave.At this time, Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan had lost their minds, and they were going to take action against the emperor.Of course, they didn't dare to kill the emperor, they just yelled at His Majesty to go slowly.Emperor Gaozong asked, what else can Aiqing do?The two of them clasped their hands together and said, "Wang Yuan did not fight when he met the enemy in Yangzhou, harming the country and the people, because he and Kang Lu were good friends, and got such a high-ranking post as a privy envoy; Isn't your majesty a fifth-rank official position like this?Emperor Zhao Gou thought about it, it seems that these two people are easy to deal with, don't they just think they are petty officials?So, what kind of officials do you want to be?I asked the prime minister to decree to appoint you officials.The two thought about it for a long time, and said that they should give us Wang Yuan's official.After hearing this, Emperor Gaozong immediately ordered that Miao Liu Er will be the governor of the capital and the deputy governor of the capital.From this point, we can see that Miao and Liu really don't have a long-term plan and don't have much ambition.If you really want to rebel, you should hold the military power of the whole country in your hands and order the world.The two were promoted, very happy, and prepared to let the rebellious army disperse.At this time, a Chinese military commander named Wu Zhan gave Miao Liu another idea, saying that the second prince must not retreat, and then he yelled at Emperor Gaozong, meaning that the emperor is still there.

Miao Liu slapped her thigh, thinking right, this matter is not over yet.So he summoned his subordinates again and came back and said to Emperor Gaozong, you can't do it anymore, you have to abdicate.Gaozong looked at the prime minister and wanted the prime minister to say a few words.The prime minister said to the two rebels, kill all the ones you want to kill, and all the officials you want to be appointed, don't push the master too much, can you take a step back?At this time, Miao Liu was already dizzy, and he opened his mouth and said a sentence: "Your Majesty's throne is not right, and Yuan Sheng has returned, what should we do?" Yuan Sheng is Emperor Qinzong. The upper emblem is "Xiaociyuan Holy Emperor".They asked Gaozong, what would you do if Qinzong came back?After hearing this, Emperor Gaozong stood there dumbfounded.This kind of words was his most taboo, although many people thought so, but no one dared to shout out like Miao Liu.Gaozong was so angry that he trembled all over, and the prime minister didn't dare to speak at this time.

After a moment of stalemate, Miao Liu's subordinates came up with another idea, saying that now that the Empress Dowager Meng is in court, she is the empress dowager of the previous court, and she should be invited to preside over the state affairs.Therefore, Miao Liu told Zhao Gou that you must abdicate, be the Supreme Emperor like Huizong, and let the crown prince succeed you.But the Crown Prince was only three years old at this time, so the two said that the Empress Dowager Meng could listen to the government behind the curtain.At this point, Zhao Gou had no choice but to send a servant to invite Queen Mother Meng.It was winter, and the weather on the tower was cold. Zhao Gou rushed to see the rebels, but he didn't have time to put on a cloak. At this moment, his clothes were thin, his stomach was empty, and he was angry and afraid, and began to shiver.It was an emergency, and the servants didn't have time to bring the emperor's daily necessities. There was only one bamboo chair above the city gate, and Zhao Gou couldn't care less, so he sat down on the bamboo chair and waited for the Empress Dowager Meng to come.Sitting on a bamboo chair in the cold weather is not a good feeling. When the servants invited Empress Dowager Meng, Zhao Gou got up quickly and gave the bamboo chair to Empress Dowager.After the queen mother sat down, she asked the rebellious army, why did you come here?The second general Miao and Liu said that the country is in trouble, the second sage has not returned, the lord does not think about making progress, and he favors traitors, so we suggest that the lord abdicate and let the queen mother assist the crown prince to listen to the government behind the curtain.Empress Dowager Meng refused to agree, saying that this is not acceptable, how can she do this?Miao Liu drew out his sword and threatened the queen mother, saying that this is the idea of ​​the soldiers, and this intention has been decided, so please obey the queen mother.When the Queen Mother heard this, she was also annoyed, saying that the country is in danger now, what can I do as an old lady with a three-year-old child in my arms?The emperor is just in his twenties, and he is in the prime of his life. Do you think it is appropriate for him to be the Supreme Emperor?Has there been such a thing in all dynasties?The Second General Miao and Liu didn't care about these things, saying that we were born in martial arts, we don't understand history, we know how to fight, and we only know how to speak with swords. If you agree or disagree, you can just say it!The Empress Dowager Meng was so angry that she said that I can't talk to you, and I don't care what you like, so she stood up and walked away. As soon as the queen mother left, the situation became even more embarrassing. At this time, the prime minister Zhu Shengfei told the emperor, what do you think about this matter?Emperor Gaozong pondered for a while, saying that what Qing and others played was very true. I was indeed immoral, causing the people to suffer, and the subjects to be separated. I am sorry for my ancestors. I am not worthy of this throne.After speaking, the emperor left.Thus, the mutiny Even if the farce is over.Zhao Gou was imprisoned in a temple that night, the crown prince was established as emperor, and the queen mother listened to the government behind a curtain, and her reign name was changed to Mingshou.Therefore, in addition to being called "Miao Liu Mutiny" in history, this mutiny was also called "Ming Shou Mutiny". Song Gaozong was imprisoned in the ruined temple. The prime minister came to see him and said that the minister had talked with Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan that they were illiterate and should be easy to deal with.Your Majesty must be patient, and there must be a long-term plan in the future.It means let's take it easy and let the two of them toss about it, and we'll settle the score with them another day.Zhao Gou said, I understand what Qing played, so I stayed in the temple. Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan used the name of Emperor Mingshou to issue imperial edicts, and the first imperial edict was issued to Zhang Jun's army.Zhang Junhu occupies one side, and his troops are very heavy.When he received the imperial decree, he saw that he was demoted to be the deputy commander of the Huangzhou regiment training, which was equivalent to being demoted from the commander of the large military region to the deputy commander of the provincial military division.After Zhang Jun finished reading, he rubbed the imperial decree into his arms and said nothing.He understood that if the generals knew that the commander-in-chief was demoted, the entire army would be ruined.So when the general asked Zhang Jun what happened, Zhang Jun only said that there was a change in the court, and the emperor called us to send troops to suppress the rebellion.When the generals heard this, they hurriedly prepared.Because they haven't paid their troops for a long time, if they send troops to suppress the rebellion, the things in the waists of the rebels will naturally belong to them.As a result, armies from all walks of life rushed to the capital to put down the rebellion. When the counter-insurgency army was getting closer and closer to the capital, Miao Liu was still busy grabbing things there.At this time, a subordinate came to report that the troops of Zhang Jun and Han Shizhong were approaching the capital.Miao and Liu suddenly realized that these generals did not listen to the "sacred decree".They didn't even think about it, this "imperial decree" was a false edict at all, who would listen to it?Therefore, people under Miao Liu came up with the idea that Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun thought we were rebels, wasn't it because we forced the emperor to abdicate?Let's just support Zhao Gou's restoration, so that they have no reason to suppress the rebellion. Isn't this the end of the matter?When Miao Liu heard this, he thought it was a good idea, and immediately invited Zhao Gou out of the temple, saying that we were ignorant before, and you don't remember the mistakes of villains, and you are still your emperor.So Gaozong was restored.Miao Liu also has a little bit of insight, knowing that if the rebellious army enters the city, there will be no good fruit for the two of them, so he asks to leave the capital.Gaozong wished that these two people would leave quickly, so he immediately appointed Miao Fu as the envoy of Huaixi Zhizhi, and Liu Zhengyan as the deputy envoy of Zhizhi.After thanking them for their kindness, they turned around and left, thinking that they had left this place of right and wrong.But the two of them turned back after thinking about it, and asked the emperor, can you write us a letter of guarantee that we will not be held accountable for the crimes we committed before, lest the rebel army come in and attack us.The emperor thought that as long as the two of them could leave, they could do whatever they wanted, so Zhu Bi wrote down the oath, the first sentence of which was "I will not ask any questions except for the great treason".Miao and Liu Erjiang thought that it would be all right now, and walked away happily with the oath.How did they know that Emperor Gaozong's oath had other meanings. Miao and Liu had just left with a bad check from Emperor Gaozong, and the rebellious army entered the city immediately.Han Shizhong's troops arrived first. As soon as he saw Song Gaozong, he bowed his head and bowed.Han Shizhong said that the minister deserved death for being late to rescue him.At this time, Song Gaozong whispered to Han Shizhong that Wu Zhan, the commander of the Chinese army at the door, was with Miao Liu. If he hadn't opened the door, Miao Liu would not be able to enter the palace. Can Aiqing help me eliminate harm?Han Shizhong said, rest assured, Your Majesty.Seeing Wu Zhan when he went out, Han Shizhong stepped forward to bow to Wu Zhan, grabbed Wu Zhan's wrist, broke it, and threw Wu Zhan to the ground.Han Shizhong's personal soldiers came up and hacked Wu Zhan to death with a single knife. Miao and Liu fled to other places, and Emperor Zhao Gou ordered rebellion.The two took out the affidavit and read it, only then did they understand that what the emperor meant was that they conspired against each other, and the crime was unforgivable.This time, Miao Liu's subordinates were also dumbfounded and gradually dispersed.Miao Liu was later captured and died at an inch. Although the Miao Liu mutiny was put down, the shadow left by this mutiny on Song Gaozong's heart can never be erased.In particular, the words "Your Majesty's throne is not in the right place, if Yuan Sheng comes back, what should I do with myself" shouted by Miao and Liu, like a heavy hammer, knocked on Song Gaozong's heart all the time.After this incident, Song Gaozong became more convinced that military generals are not good things. The rules set by the ancestors were too correct. The court should emphasize civility over military affairs, and the generals must not be allowed to have too much power, let alone be integrated with their subordinates.In the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial court used the method of changing the number of troops. In the same place, changing the commander did not change the troops, and changing the troops did not change the commander.At this time, Song Gaozong became more aware of the necessity of implementing this policy. After the Miao Liu mutiny subsided, Song Gaozong did not have a good time in Hangzhou for a few days, the Jin army went south again, and Emperor Gaozong began to escape again.When Song Gaozong fled to Mingzhou, another incident happened. A guard broke into the palace at night with a knife to assassinate Gaozong but failed.There is no record in the history books about why this guard broke into the palace with a knife.It is estimated that because he is from the north, he watched the emperor flee all the way south, and he was getting farther and farther away from his hometown. Out of despair or anger, he wanted to kill the emperor.This incident, coupled with the Mutiny of Miao and Liu, brought great excitement to Gaozong, so that he thought that no one around him could be trusted. When Gaozong escaped from Yangzhou, he lost his fertility because of excessive fright.And his only prince, Emperor Mingshou, who was enthroned for a short time, became seriously ill due to the ups and downs along the way, and was frightened.One day, a palace servant came into the house to deliver something, and accidentally kicked over the large burning copper stove. The prince was asleep, but was frightened to death by the loud noise.Zhao Gou's only biological son died, and he was unable to have another child. Song Taizong's line of heirs was cut off, and there was no successor for Sheji.This is the eternal pain in Emperor Gaozong's heart, and it has become a knot in his heart that no one can touch. Later, some tragedies of generals in the Southern Song Dynasty were related to this knot.