Chapter 10 A person who loves Li Tang

On October 11th of the fourth year of Yuanhe, Emperor Xianzong issued an edict depriving Wang Chengzong of his official rank, and appointed Zuo Shence Lieutenant Tutu Chengcui as the military envoy of Zuo Shence, Hezhong, Heyang, Zhexi, Xuanshe and other Taoist battalions. , He also recruited and disposed of envoys, led the Central Shence Army, and joined forces with the surrounding towns of Chengde to crusade against Wang Chengzong. As expected, Emperor Xianzong appointed the eunuch as the commander-in-chief. After the appointment letter, the public opinion in the DPRK and China was in an uproar.

Just as Xianzong expected, the previous silence of civil servants did not mean acquiescence, but just pretending not to know.Their strategy is to stand still for the time being, to gather their strength secretly, and wait for the official announcement of the appointment by Xianzong, and then rush forward and go crazy together. The first person to go to Shuli to remonstrate was Bai Juyi, who was a Hanlin scholar at the time. He said: "The country should send real generals for conquests. Since ancient times, it has never been seen that the soldiers of the world are recruited, but they are handed over to an eunuch. I am afraid that the four sides will hear it, and they will despise the court; Laughing at China. Your Majesty has the heart to pass it down from generation to generation, saying that the eunuch was ordered to be the commander-in-chief of the army started from His Majesty? I worry about Liu Ji of Lulong, Zhang Maozhao of Yiwu, Fan Xichao of Hedong, Lu Congshi of Zhaoyi, Even all the generals will be ashamed of accepting the eunuch's command. If the army's morale is not uniform, how can great achievements be made? Your majesty's move is simply a great favor to Wang Chengzong. If your majesty thinks that Tu Tucheng is hardworking, you can award an official title; Loyalty can be rewarded with money. As for the military and state power, it is related to the safety of the country; the court system is determined by the ancestors. Would your majesty prefer to favor eunuchs and destroy the legal system and self-destruct the sage?"

At the end of the memorial, Bai Juyi said a very important sentence: "Your Majesty, please think carefully for a while, so as not to make people laugh at all generations." Xianzong was very displeased. Immediately afterwards, the admonishers and censors in the court also went up one after another, opposing the granting of such important military power to Tutu Chengcui. However, Emperor Xianzong turned a deaf ear to all the advice and ignored it. On October 16, at the Yanying Hall, Xianzong's appointment was unanimously opposed by a group of important court officials including Duzhi envoy, Yantie envoy, Jing Zhaoyin, and Yushi Zhongcheng.

Xianzong had a headache. The war against vassals and towns is a "systematic project" that affects the whole body, and requires the joint efforts of the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, especially the full support of financial officials.If he insists on appointing Tutu Chengcui and annoys most courtiers, it will definitely have a great adverse effect on the upcoming war.In desperation, Xianzong had no choice but to make a concession, dismissing Tutu Chengcui from the post of envoy of the four soldiers and horses, and at the same time changed "disposition envoy" to "announcement envoy".

On the surface, Xianzong seems to have compromised, but anyone who is familiar with the history of this dynasty knows that the so-called "Xuan Consolation Envoy" is actually changing the soup but not the medicine, and Tutu Chengcui is still the supreme commander of the crusade army. Xianzong was playing tricks with the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, so Li Jiang had no choice but to continue admonishing him, emphasizing the disadvantages of reusing eunuchs.He told Xianzong that eunuchs lack principles in doing things, they are the easiest to be pampered, slander loyalty, and often corrupt the government in the end.But Xianzong didn't take it seriously: "How dare they slander me? Even if they slander, I won't listen."

Li Jiang smiled wryly: "The eunuchs are around the emperor day and night. For a long time, His Majesty will definitely feel that what they say sometimes makes sense. Since ancient times, the fact that eunuchs have corrupted the country has been recorded in the annals one by one. How can Your Majesty not guard against it? " However, Xianzong did not accept the advice of the officials in the end. In fact, why didn't Emperor Xianzong know the eunuchs in the past dynasties?But the reason why he still resists all opinions and insists on going his own way is not because he does not understand history, but precisely because he understands history too well.In all dynasties and dynasties, the generals of the army supported their own self-respect and their tails were too big to lose their troubles. Isn't it fierce?Isn't the trouble of civil officials in the past dynasties arbitrarily taking power and forming cliques for personal gain not severe?Let’s take this dynasty as an example. Since the Anshi Rebellion, the disasters caused by the empire in these two aspects are probably no less harmful than the eunuch’s chaos in government, right?

Therefore, Xianzong Li Chun had to reuse eunuchs.In his view, only by cultivating eunuchs as a third force—a force that checks and balances with generals and civil servants—can the emperor take advantage of this delicate balance, calmly control the overall situation, and govern the world safely and efficiently. Of course, Li Chun also knows that there is a price to be paid for reusing any power.But he firmly believes that he can control this cost to a minimum. However, it is regrettable that Li Chun is too confident after all. When we look at Li Chun's life from this moment on, we find that he actually didn't control it very well.Because soon, he will pay a heavy price on the battlefield for reusing the eunuch, and eleven years later, he will pay an even heavier price for it-died at the hands of the eunuch for no reason.

Of course, these are things for later, and it is impossible for Xianzong Li Chun to realize all this at this time. At the end of October in the fifth year of Yuanhe, Tutu Chengcui, who was proud of the spring breeze, led the Shence Army to the east with the ardent expectations of Xianzong.Xianzong issued an edict on the same day, ordering all the feudal towns around Chengde to send troops to crusade against Wang Chengzong. At the same time, Wu Shaocheng, the governor of Huaixi, who had been ill for a long time, finally turned his head. General Wu Shaoyang killed Wu Shaocheng's son, and at the end of November, he became the heir apparent.

The scene that Xianzong least wanted to see appeared again. However, the imperial court had just launched a war against Chengde, and it was impossible to free up its hands to deal with Huaixi, so Xianzong could only pretend to be deaf and dumb, and temporarily put Huaixi affairs on hold, and everything will be discussed after the peace of Chengde. After hearing the news that the imperial court sent troops, Wei Bo Tian Ji'an immediately held a military meeting and said to the generals: "The Central Army has not crossed the Yellow River for 25 years. Now once it crosses Wei Bo, we will destroy Chengde (Wei Bo was in Chengde south of the south), Wei Bo's fate is also in jeopardy, what do you think should be done?"

Immediately someone among the generals stepped forward and said, "As long as you give me five thousand cavalry, it will surely relieve the general's worries." Tian Ji'an was overjoyed and said loudly to the generals: "Excellent! The army will set out immediately, anyone who dares to obstruct will be killed!" Wei Bo sent troops, of course, to help Chengde fight the court.For many years, these brothers and sisters in Hebei have been like this. When they are free, they often point to each other with knives and guns, but once the court makes any moves, they will immediately unite and turn their guns to the outside world.

However, not all the people in the three towns of Hebei are rebels, there are still a few people who are still loyal to Li Tang. For example, right now, a Lu Long general named Tan Zhong is the one who loves Li Tang. When Tian Ji'an was about to send troops to block the Central Army, Tan Zhong happened to be sent to Wei Bo by the order of Lu Long Jiedu envoy Liu Ji.He realized that if he didn't try to stop Tian Ji'an, the Central Army would be greatly restrained, and the hope of winning would be greatly reduced.Therefore, Tan Zhong immediately went to see Tian Ji'an and said, "Commander, if you send troops to attack the central army, you will definitely attract troops from all directions to Weibo, which is really not a good thing." Tian Ji'an gave him a squinting look: "How do you say?" "Now, the Central Army is going to cross Weibo to attack Chengde, but instead of sending a veteran general, it sends an eunuch; instead of sending out all the soldiers of the world, the Shence Army is the main force. Do you know whose idea this is?" "Who did you say?" "This is the emperor's own idea." Tian Ji'an sneered: "Can you tell me something new?" Tan Zhong ignored Tian Ji'an's mocking gaze, and continued: "Since it is the emperor's own idea, the purpose is of course to boast of his magnificence, so that the government and the public will respect and admire him. Then imagine, commander, if the central army has not yet arrived. The boundary between Chengde and Germany is just at Weibo. It is like a slap in the face of the emperor. How can he bear the ridicule of the people in the world? Once the emperor becomes angry, he will definitely adopt a wise strategy and send strong generals and elite soldiers to cross the river again. At that time, the Central Army will learn the lesson of failure, and will definitely not attack Chengde across Weibo, but will concentrate all its forces to attack Weibo. What should the commander do then?" Tian Ji'an twisted his body uneasily, and stared at Tan Zhong: "In your opinion, what should Wei Bo do now?" An imperceptible smile flashed across the corner of Tan Zhong's mouth, and he said: "After the Central Army entered Weibo, the commander-in-chief should not only not fight with them, but should reward them heavily. : "If Wei Bo attacks you, the righteous men in Hebei will say that Wei Bo betrayed his friends; but if he helps you, people all over the world will say that Wei Bo betrayed the court. Whether it is betraying friends or betraying the court, Wei Bo is not willing. Therefore, if your Excellency If we can secretly disarm and let Wei Bo win the city of Chengde, Wei Bo can use this to report to the emperor and show his loyalty to the imperial court. In this way, Chengde will only suffer a small loss, but Wei Bo will be able to win forever. Zhi'an, don't you want this in exchange for Wei Bo's friendship?' After saying this, Cheng De will definitely not refuse. At that time, won't the commander-in-chief be as stable as Mount Tai?" Tian Ji'an laughed heartily, "Great! Sir, it's God's favor for Wei Bo that you are here." Afterwards, Tian Ji adopted Tan Zhong's plan in a safe way. First, he secretly communicated with Chengde, then pretended to "conquer" Chengde's Tangyang County (now Xinhe County, Hebei), and then stood still. After Tan Zhong successfully persuaded Tian Ji'an, he immediately set off to return to Youzhou. He knew that at this moment Jiedushi Liu Ji must be having a headache about the same thing.What Tan Zhong wants to do is not only to let him remain neutral like Wei Bo, but to try to persuade Liu Ji to cooperate with the Central Army and send troops to attack Chengde. Of course, it must be difficult to persuade Liu Ji to send troops, and Tan Zhong might even have to pay for his own life.However, Tan Zhong has put his own safety aside, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, he will fight for it with all his strength. On the day Tan Zhong returned to Youzhou, Liu Ji happened to call a meeting of the generals to discuss the current countermeasures.Liu Ji said to the generals: "The Son of Heaven knows that we have a grudge with Chengde (Wang Wujun and Zhu Tao often fought in the past), so he will definitely order us to send troops to attack, and Chengde will also be on strict guard against us. What to do is more beneficial to us. , let’s talk about it.” As soon as Liu Ji finished speaking, Tan Zhong answered first: "The emperor will definitely not order us to send troops, and Chengde will definitely not be on guard against us." Liu Ji was furious when he heard the words: "You just say that Wang Chengzong and I conspired together!" Then without further ado, he ordered Tan Zhong to be thrown into prison. Later, Liu Ji sent someone to investigate the military situation on the border of Chengde, but the result surprised him—Chengde did what Tan Zhong said, and showed no signs of strengthening his guard.Another day later, the imperial court really issued an edict to Lu Long, in which Emperor Xianzong said to Liu Ji: "You only need to concentrate on protecting the northern border, and don't let me worry about the barbarians in the north, so that I can wholeheartedly deal with Wang Chengzong. " Liu Ji panicked. Neither situation is good news for him.Because, if Cheng De did not take precautions against Lu Long, it was tantamount to showing the world that Lu Long and Cheng De were secretly colluding; and the emperor himself issued an edict telling him not to send troops. It was clear that he suspected that he was not loyal to the court and believed him Having an affair with Wang Chengzong.Isn't this a great injustice?Once Chengde is wiped out by the court, Liu Ji must be the one the emperor will clean up next. The more Liu Ji thought about it, the more astonished he became, he quickly let Tan Zhong out, and said, "Your judgment is very accurate, but how do you know?" Tan Zhong smiled in his heart.He knew that Liu Ji had already looked at him with admiration now, as long as he poked Liu Ji's sore spot again, Liu Ji would definitely obey him.So, Tan Zhong said calmly, "How does the commander-in-chief think of Lu Congshi, the envoy of the Zhaoyi Festival?" Liu Ji looked at Tan Zhong in confusion, and said, "Lu Congshi and I have a good relationship, why do you mention him?" "The commander-in-chief doesn't know something." Tan Zhong shook his head and smiled wryly, "Lu Congshi appeared to be friendly with Lu Long, but in fact he harbored evil intentions; on the surface he broke with Chengde, but in fact he secretly colluded." "How did you see that?" "According to reliable information, Lu Congshi once said to Wang Chengzong, 'Although Lu Long and Chengde have old grievances, Chengde is Lu Long's southern barrier after all, so Lu Long will not help the court beat Chengde, Chengde De naturally does not need to guard against Lu Long.' Wang Chengzong adopted Lu Congshi's strategy, so he was not on guard against us. Then, Lu Congshi secretly reported to the court, saying: 'Everyone in the world knows that Lu Long has enmity with Chengde. But Chengde did not take any precautions, which shows that Lu Long has also betrayed and joined forces with Chengde in secret." Therefore, the emperor will naturally doubt us, so he will issue an edict that the commander-in-chief does not need to send troops. In this way, Chengde will be relieved. The threats from the north, and we took the blame for Chengde." Liu Ji's expression changed in horror: "Then what do you think should be done?" "Lu Long and Chengde have enmity, and everyone in the world knows it. Now that the imperial court is attacking Chengde, you have a large army in your hand, but you have not sent a single soldier to join the battle. This is enough for Lu Congshi to insist that Lu Long colluded with Chengde. , betrayed the imperial court. The result is——Lu Long, with his heart of loyalty in vain, has to bear the infamy of rebellion. He can neither get the gratitude of Chengde, but also end up with a notoriety. There is nothing more important in the world than this Injustice? Please think twice, Marshal." Liu Ji never expected that Lu Long's current situation would be so dangerous. If Tan Zhong hadn't reminded him, wouldn't he have been sold and paid for it? On the same day, Liu Ji issued an order to the three armies: "Within five days, the whole army will set out to attack Chengde, and anyone who fails to advance will be chopped into meat paste for public display!" In this way, with his loyalty, tact and eloquent eloquence, Tan Zhong successfully helped Li Tang's court do two major things: first, turned Wei Bo from a rebel army into a neutral one; The faction has become a crusade army. Through the efforts of Tan Zhong alone, the three towns in Hebei, which were huddled together at every turn, were quietly divided, which undoubtedly created extremely favorable objective conditions for the imperial court to crusade against Chengde.In other words, Wang Chengzong has become a loner at this time, and as long as the crusade army encircled on all sides is commanded properly, Wang Chengzong can be easily dealt with. However, what is unexpected is that even if Tan Zhong cleared the obstacles for the court, the mighty Central Army still couldn't handle Wang Chengzong in the end. Where is the problem? It came from Tutu Chengcui, the supreme commander appointed by Emperor Xianzong. Because he doesn't know how to fight at all.