Chapter 18 Uighurs who took advantage of the fire to loot

Shi Chaoyi nominally became the emperor of the Yan Dynasty, but life was not easy.In the more than a year since he ascended the throne, he has fought several times with Tang armies from all sides, but basically he has never won a single battle. Not only did he not make the situation bigger, but he made the territory smaller and smaller. Shi Chaoyi felt intensely frustrated. However, in the summer of Tang Baoying's first year, Shi Chaoyi's mood suddenly improved a lot. Because Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty and Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty raised their braids one after another in just a dozen days, Li Tang's court was busy with internal power games and reorganization of interests, and they were too busy to take care of themselves. They would definitely not be able to deal with Shi Chaoyi in a short time.

Shi Chaoyi decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity-go straight into Guanzhong and attack Chang'an. Of course, relying on Shi Chaoyi's own strength alone is definitely not enough, he must find a strong ally. Looking around the world, who can be his ally? Shi Chaoyi's answer is: Huihe people. Yes, Huihe people.Although Huihe has been Li Tang's ally in the past few years, and has caused heavy damage to the Yan army on the battlefield many times, Shi Chaoyi firmly believes that there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. The only reason why the Huihe formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty in the first place was to covet the Tang Dynasty's children of gold and silk.That being the case, why couldn't Shi Chaoyi also use this to lure them to become allies with him?

Thinking about this, Shi Chaoyi immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Dengli Khan in Huihe, saying: "There have been great funerals in the Tang Dynasty, and now there is no one in the Central Plains. It is best for Khan to send troops quickly and attack Chang'an with me. Receive the treasury." As expected by Shi Chaoyi, Dengli Khan's eyes lit up immediately when he saw the word "treasury". Actually, long before Shi Chaoyi sent the letter, Dengli Khan already knew about Xuan and Su's deaths.His reaction was the same as Shi Chaoyi's, he was itchy and ready to move.Now that Shi Chaoyi offered to join forces with him, of course Dengli Khan would not miss this great opportunity to take advantage of the fire.

In the summer of the first year of Baoying, Dengli Khan personally led an army to the south, pointing directly at Guanzhong. At this time, the Tang Empire was ruined and devastated due to successive years of wars.The Huihe army went south all the way, and they saw almost all ruins along the way, which reborn the "ambition of light Tang". However, when Dengli Khan led his troops into the three surrendered cities (the three cities are located in the northwest of Wuyuan County, Baotou City, and south of Tuoketuo County in present-day Inner Mongolia), an embarrassing scene happened to him.

At the same time that he was going south in a big way, Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Yu also sent an envoy Liu Qingtan to go north, preparing to restore the old relationship with Huihe, and asked to send troops to conquer Shi Chaoyi together.But when Liu Qingtan traveled thousands of miles to Huihe Wangting (now Harhelin City, Mongolia), Dengli Khan had already sent troops south.Liu Qingtan hurriedly turned around and rushed back, and finally caught up with the Huihe army in the Sanshou surrendered city area.He immediately presented the letter of credence to Dengli Khan, saying: "Although the first emperor abandoned the world, he is now the successor to the throne. He is the former king of Guangping and the one who took over the two capitals with Ye Hu." (Volume 222)

Dengli Khan was Prince Yehu back then, and he had become brothers with Li Chu, the then King of Guangping.Although the so-called brothers sworn for political purposes are worthless, Dengli Khan at this time can't help but feel a little embarrassed-after all, he has just ascended the throne, and he brazenly invaded the bandits. However, then again, it is precisely because Li Yu has just ascended the throne and his power is not stable, this is a good opportunity to take advantage of the fire!Thinking of Chang'an's "Treasury", Dengli Khan's eyes are always shining with gold.If he didn't take this opportunity to give him a hard vote, Dengli Khan would really be unwilling.What's more, he almost pulled out all the elites from Huihe this time. These brothers are all eagerly waiting to share the spoils. They can't let them go back empty-handed, right?

People don't kill heaven and earth for themselves, it doesn't matter whether he is famous or not! With his decision made, Dengli Khan immediately ordered the army to move on, and at the same time put Liu Qingtan, the envoy of the Tang Dynasty, under house arrest.Liu Qingtan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and finally managed to avoid the surveillance of the Huihe people, and sent a fast horse back to Chang'an to report, saying: "The Huihe people are here!" Upon receiving this urgent battle report, Li Tang's court was shocked.Daizong hastily dispatched Yao Ziang, the supervisor in the palace, with a considerable amount of gold and silk, and hurried northward to "labor the army".

Not only has Pugu Huai'en been the bridge between Li Tang and Huihe, but now he also has an extraordinary identity. He is Dengli Khan's father-in-law. After Huihe Khan helped Suzong regain the two capitals, he proposed to his son Ye Hu, and Suzong decided to marry Pugu Huai'en's daughter.After Ye Hu came to the throne, the daughter of Pugu Huai'en became the queen of the Huihe people—Deng Li Ke Dun. Therefore, apart from Pu Gu Huai'en, I am afraid that no one can stop the Huihe soldiers. When Pugu Huai'en was ordered to go north, the Huihe army had already reached the south of Xinzhou (now Xinzhou City, Shanxi), and was within easy reach of the important town of Taiyuan.After seeing his son-in-law, Pugu Huai'en analyzed the current situation in detail for him, telling him that although the Tang Dynasty suffered many changes, its foundation was still strong, and the people of the world were still in Li Tang; A clown who jumps on the beam will be defeated in a blink of an eye.In short, it is obviously unwise to form an alliance with such a person and make an enemy of the Tang Dynasty.

Now that the father-in-law has come forward and his analysis is sound, Dengli Khan has no choice but to give up his plan to rob Chang'an.He immediately sent an envoy to express his willingness to help the Tang Dynasty conquer Shi Chaoyi. Of course, the reason why Dengli Khan made such a 180-degree change was not just for the face of the old man.If Pu Gu Huai'en and the Daizong court hadn't promised him some benefits, he would definitely not give it to anyone.In other words, it's okay not to rob Chang'an, but you have to give him a place to rob. Where? Luoyang, Tokyo. In order to keep Chang'an, the Daizong court will sell Luoyang to the Huihe people again.Anyway, Li Yu sold it once a few years ago, why not sell it again now?

After the efforts of Pu Gu Huai'en, the Li Tang court finally reached an agreement with Huihe.However, the route along which the Huihe army would attack Luoyang has become the focus of disputes between the two sides.Dengli Khan planned to cross the Yellow River from Puguan (east of today's Dali County, Shaanxi), enter Guanzhong, pass through Shayuan (south of today's Dali County), and then exit Tongguan to the east. Yao Ziang, the special envoy of the imperial court, felt that something was wrong when he heard it, so he quickly suggested: "Guanzhong has suffered repeated wars, and the prefectures and counties are in depression, so there is no way to support the army. I am afraid that you will be disappointed. Now the rebels are all in Luoyang, please go east." Taihang Mountain, going south from Tumen (to the west of today's Luquan City, Hebei), attacked Xingzhou (today's Xingtai City, Hebei), Mingzhou (today's southeast of Yongnian County, Hebei), Weizhou (today's Weihui City, Hebei), and Huaizhou (today's Henan Province) Qinyang City), and finally advance to Luoyang, so that the rebel funds can be obtained for the needs of the army."

At first glance, it seems irrelevant which route the Huihe people take, but in fact there is a lot to be said here.The reason why the Huihe people want to go to Guanzhong is of course to take the opportunity to plunder the wealth of Guanzhong in the name of preparing for "military supplies". The reason why Yao Ziang suggested that the Huihe people go south from Hebei is because Xing, Ming and other prefectures belong to the Yan army. For the territory, if this route is followed, it can not only protect the territory under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty from being harassed by Huihe, but also allow the Huihe people to clean up the nests of the Yan army and regain the lost land of the Tang Dynasty. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone. However, Dengli Khan is no fool.He traveled thousands of miles from the desert to the Central Plains, not to work for the Tang Dynasty, but to make a fortune.Therefore, which way to go is to serve as cannon fodder for the Tang Dynasty, which way to make a fortune easily, he is like a bright mirror in his heart. Therefore, for Yao Ziang's suggestion, he only answered one word: no. Yao Ziang had no choice but to give in, and put forward another suggestion: Let the Huihe army go out of Taihangxing (the second of the eight Xingxing of Taihang, now north of Boai County, Henan Province), go south to capture Heyin (northwest of Zhengzhou City, Henan Province today), and strangle the Yan army throat. Obviously, this suggestion still wants to send the Huihe people to fight tough battles.Because guarding Heyin is tantamount to blocking the Hebei Yan army who might come to help, and cutting off Shi Chaoyi's retreat.If Shi Chaoyi was pushed into a hurry, wouldn't he have to fight for his life with the Huihe people?Dengli Khan didn't want to be taken advantage of.So, his answer is still one word: no. Yao Ziang is gone. It seems that the Huihe people are not as easy to fool as he imagined.This group of guys who don't see rabbits and don't scatter eagles will never do anything for Tang Chao before they get obvious benefits; and even if they do, they will never be alone for Tang Chao. It's just the door, knocking on the side drum. In the end, Yao Ziang had to take another step back and came up with a third plan: ask the Huihe army to cross the Yellow River from Dayangjin, Shanzhou (now the North Yellow River Ferry in Sanmenxia City), and the Taiyuan Cang (west of Sanmenxia City) will be responsible for supplying grain and grass. And all the military supplies, and then marched eastward with the troops of the Tang Dynasty. For the sake of "Taiyuan Warehouse", Dengli Khan reluctantly accepted this plan. In October of the first year of Baoying, Emperor Daizong appointed his eldest son Yong Wang Li Shi as the Marshal of the army and horses of the world, with Yao Ziang and Wei Ju as the envoys of the soldiers and horses of the left and right chambers, Wei Shaohua, a member of Zhongshushe, as the judge (executive officer), and Li Jin as the commander in charge of the matter. Marching Sima ordered him to go to Shanzhou on the same day, join up with the Jiedu envoys and Huihe troops, and attack Luoyang in a certain period. Originally, Daizong wanted to use Guo Ziyi as the deputy marshal, but was strongly opposed by Cheng Yuanzhen and Yu Chaoen. Commander-in-Chief of the Dao Task Force), as the deputy of King Yong Li Shi. In late October, Yong Wang Li Shi led his troops to Shanzhou.At that time, the Huihe army had entered Hebei County (now Pinglu County, Shanxi). King Yong led his subordinate officials and dozens of cavalry across the Yellow River out of courtesy, and went to visit Dengli Khan on his own initiative. At this time, Li Wei certainly didn't expect that it was this meeting aimed at enhancing feelings that caused a moderate "etiquette disturbance". When the two sides met, King Yong and Li Shi presented Dengli Khan with an equal ceremony, but the other party was furious and accused him on the spot of why he did not meet him with the ceremony of worshiping and dancing.The so-called ceremony of worshiping and dancing refers to a kind of solemn etiquette that courtiers should perform to the king on formal occasions.As the eldest son of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, King Yong implicitly had the honor of the prince, so of course it was impossible to worship and dance to the Huihe Khan. As soon as the host and guest met, before they had time to say some polite words, Dengli Khan gave the young King Yong a blow, and the atmosphere at the scene was extremely embarrassing. Yao Ziang immediately stood up to stand in the way of King Yong, claiming that King Yong's identity was not suitable for the ritual of worshiping and dancing.Dengli Khan was full of anger, but said nothing.The general under his tent, Che Bi, knew that Khan wanted to make use of the problem, so he went straight to Yao Ziang and said sternly: "Since the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and Khan are brothers, Khan is equivalent to the uncle of King Yong. How can he?" Can you dance?" Yao Ziang refused to give an inch: "King Yong, the eldest son of the emperor, is now the marshal. How about a Chinese prince worshiping and dancing to foreign khans! Besides, the two palaces (Xuanzong and Suzong) are in funerals, so there should be no dancing." (22 two) The two sides came and went like this, arguing with each other, but they were still at a stalemate.In the end, Che Bi became furious and ordered that the officials Yao Ziang, Wei Ju, Wei Shaohua, and Li Jin brought by King Yong be pulled out of the tent, and each of them could be whipped a hundred times; He was expelled from the camp and sent back to Shanzhou. Yao Ziang and the other four were all beaten to death.After only one night, Wei Ju and Wei Shaohua died of their injuries, and both died. Undoubtedly, such a result is an intolerable shame and humiliation not only for King Yong Li Shi, but also for the entire Li and Tang Dynasties. However, King Yong could only endure it, and so could the Li Tang court. Because they want something from others. Because the Tang Dynasty can't afford to provoke Huihe at all. On the surface, this incident seems to be a simple matter of etiquette, but in fact it involves the dignity of a court and a country.Because Yong Wang Li Shi is not an ordinary prince, but a potential imperial prince, the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty.With such an identity, how can he bow his knees to a mere Huihe Khan and perform the ritual of worshiping and dancing? In fact, if the person who came this time was not Prince Yong, but another ordinary Prince Li Tang, Dengli Khan might not be interested in emphasizing etiquette.It was precisely because the person who came was King Yong, the eldest son of Daizong, that Dengli Khan deliberately made a fuss out of a molehill and made use of it. His purpose was to prove the strong position that Huihe had over the Tang Dynasty, so that the Li Tang Dynasty could never be lifted up in front of Huihe. In the beginning, always take the place of the weak. Although in this turmoil, several court officials of Li Tang were flogged for no reason and died in humiliation, but in any case, Yong Wang Li Shi and Li Tang court at least kept their own bottom line-the bottom line related to the dignity of the court and the country.Although since the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, this bottom line has been repeatedly challenged by internal and external troubles, and it can even be said that it has been broken more than once.However, just because it has been broken through, or will be broken through, we must not give up our spiritual persistence! This principle is the same as if a person is killed by the enemy, he will never kneel to the enemy.Zilu, a student of Confucius, once used his actions to leave a famous saying for later generations: A gentleman is crowned after death.It means that even if a gentleman dies, he cannot lose his crown and dignity. The insistence of Yong Wang and Li Shi on the issue of etiquette is actually the same as this. In other words, a person (or a country) can lose to an opponent due to lack of strength, but it does not mean that he (it) should surrender to the opponent spiritually.These two things must not be equated, let alone confused. Shouldn't King Yong, who is "completely at a disadvantage" in terms of strength, "still put on a posture" when it comes to matters related to personal dignity and national dignity?Could it be that the Uighurs, who have all the advantages, should "strive for dignity" from the Tang Dynasty, which is always tolerant, but shouldn't the Tang Dynasty, which is "completely inferior", fight for dignity from the aggressive Uighurs? It seems that Yao Ziang and the other four should be whipped, and Wei Ju and Wei Shaohua should also die—why did you offend Dengli Khan, who represents justice? In fact, what kind of stuff is Dengli Khan? He is a bandit who plunders in the name of aid!This bandit not only wants to take advantage of the material, but also tries to take advantage of the spirit!If the robber's wanton abuse and extortion against the Li and Tang Dynasty can also be called justice, then what else in the world is injustice?