Chapter 37 Lee Hee Yeol Rebellion

The dazed Dezong Li Shi was hit again at the beginning of the new year. ——At the beginning of the first month of the fourth year of Jianzhong (AD 783), Li Xilie sent troops to capture Ruzhou (now Ruzhou City, Henan Province), and then captured Weishi (now Weishi County, Henan Province), and then surrounded Zhengzhou. The cavalry looted everywhere, and the vanguard had reached Pengpo (now Pengpo Township in the northeast of Yichuan County, Henan Province), posing a serious threat to the eastern capital Luoyang. According to the battle report from the Eastern Capital, the local government and army repeatedly sent troops to conquer, but they always returned without success; the Eastern Capital was "shocked by the people and the people", and many people fled Luoyang with their families and hid in the deep mountains and old forests.

Dezong was extremely shocked. What made Dezong particularly angry was that Ruzhou, the southern barrier of the eastern capital, surrendered to Li Xiyeol almost without resistance. why? The problem lies in Li Yuanping, the guard of Ruzhou appointed by Dezong himself. Li Yuanping, originally an ordinary mid-level official in Hunan, "has talent, is arrogant, dares to speak big, and is good at talking about soldiers." (Volume 228) By chance, the prime minister at that time heard him talk about the art of war on the broadcast, and he was astonished as a heavenly man, so he strongly recommended him to Dezong, saying that he had "a general's weapon" and could be of great use. .De Zong believed it was true, so he quickly sent Li Yuanping to the front line in Henan, and asked him to guard against Li Xilie who was about to make a move.

With the ardent expectations of the emperor and the prime minister, Li Yuanping came to Ruzhou with great ambition, ready to do something big.As soon as he took office, he couldn't wait to post a notice at the gate of the city, saying that he would recruit craftsmen to repair the city wall and strengthen the fortifications. It stands to reason that there is nothing wrong with Li Yuanping doing this, but the problem is that his notice was seen by Li Xilie. Li Xilie smiled, and said to his subordinates: Let's also send some people over to support Master Li's work. Afterwards, hundreds of soldiers from Huaining disguised themselves as migrant workers and walked into Ruzhou City openly.A few days later, Li Xilie suddenly dispatched several hundred cavalrymen to the city of Ruzhou.Before Li Yuanping could react, a group of "migrant workers" swarmed up, knocked him to the ground, tied him into a rice dumpling, and opened the city gate at the same time.The Huaining cavalry outside the city drove straight in, and the leaderless Ruzhou defenders obediently surrendered.

Li Xilie took Ruzhou without bloodshed. Ironically, when Li Yuanping, who was hailed by the prime minister as "the weapon of a general, can be of great use" when he was brought in front of Li Xilie, he was so frightened that he lost control of his feces and urine, and his whole body was filthy.Li Xilie didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "The damn prime minister is so blind that he regards you as my opponent, how could he despise me to such an extent!" Li Xilie was right in scolding, to be able to pick someone like Li Yuanping from the thousands of officials at the lower levels of the empire, the prime minister's vision is indeed "extraordinary".

So, why did the Li Tang court shut down such a blind prime minister? The answer is simple - he was recommended by Chief Prime Minister Lu Qi. To put it bluntly, Guan Bo is a marionette in Lu Qi's hands. At the beginning, after Lu Qi got rid of Yang Yan, he knew that Dezong would definitely promote one or two more courtiers to be ministers, so he took the initiative to recommend Guan Bo, who was then the Minister of the Ministry of Officials.His positioning for Guan Bo is very clear, it is a puppet.Not only did he not allow Guan Bo to intervene in government affairs, he even forbade him to speak casually.

Once Dezong summoned the prime minister to discuss matters, Lu Qi talked eloquently, Guan Bo couldn't help but wanted to speak freely, but just as he was about to speak, he saw Lu Qi's chilling gaze, so he swallowed the words forcefully .After the meeting, Lu Qi immediately gave him a serious warning, saying: It is because you are respectful and quiet that I recommend you to be the prime minister. How could you have the urge to speak just now?From then on, Guan Bo sewed his mouth shut. With such two prime ministers occupying the center, one can imagine the affairs of the world.What's worse is that Dezong Li Shi has a lot of trust in Lu Qi, and he discusses and makes decisions with him on every detail.This time was no exception: when news of Li Xiyeol's rebellion came, Dezong's first reaction was to ask Lu Qi for advice.

Lu Qi said confidently: "Li Xilie is young and energetic, and takes credit for his pride. The generals will not dare to persuade him. If there is a highly respected minister who carries His Majesty's edict and goes to Li Xilie to analyze the disasters and benefits in person, Li Xilie will definitely change his mind and start anew. Be a man. At that time, the central government can subdue him without abolishing a single soldier. Yan Zhenqing is a veteran of the four dynasties. He is loyal, upright, resolute, well-known in the country, and trusted by others. He is really the best candidate for this trip."

Dezong nodded frequently, feeling that Lu Qi's words made sense. On the 17th day of the first lunar month, Emperor Dezong ordered Yan Zhenqing to go to Xuzhou (now Xuchang City, Henan Province) to comfort Li Xilie.After the edict was promulgated, all the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty were eclipsed.Everyone felt that what Lu Qi did was tantamount to sending Yan Zhenqing, who was over seventy years old, to his death. That's right, Lu Qi just wanted him to die. Since the day when he became the chief prime minister, Lu Qi's main concern has been how to get rid of those who have prestige, qualifications, and level in the court one by one, so that he can stay in the position of chief prime minister forever.

Unfortunately, Yan Zhenqing, the patriarch of the four dynasties, was such a prestigious, experienced, and capable person.If such people are not eliminated, Lu Qi will have trouble sleeping and eating. After receiving the edict, Yan Zhenqing set off without hesitation.Before leaving, he left a letter for his son, with only six words written on it: Fengjiamiao, Fu Zhugu. Obviously, this is a last word. Yan Zhenqing knew Lu Qi's intentions, and also knew that this action would be dangerous, but he didn't hesitate at all, let alone complain.Because, from the moment when the Anshi Rebellion broke out, he had already put his family and life aside. It is really lucky to be able to live to this day; no regrets.

When they arrived in Luoyang, Uncle Zheng, who stayed behind in Dongdu, tried his best to persuade Yan Zhenqing to stay in Luoyang for a while to see if the emperor would change his mind.Yan Zhenqing declined his kindness, saying: "This is an imperial decree, how can we escape!" When Yan Zhenqing arrived in Xuzhou, after seeing Li Xilie, just when he was about to read the emperor's edict, Li Xilie secretly ordered more than a thousand soldiers to rush into the Jiedu envoy's mansion, unsheathed their swords one by one, and surrounded Yan Zhenqing.Yan Zhenqing's expression did not change, his heart did not beat, and he read out the imperial edict calmly.

Seeing that the intimidation failed, Li Xilie quickly changed his face, stood up in front of Yan Zhenqing, made an expression filled with righteous indignation, and sternly repelled the soldiers, and then respectfully sent Yan Zhenqing to the post. Li Xilie did not kill Yan Zhenqing, nor did he want to let him go back, but put him under house arrest. He knew that Yan Zhenqing was of great use value.As the only surviving veteran of the four dynasties at that time, Yan Zhenqing has always enjoyed a high prestige in the hearts of the people of the world. If he can be forced to betray the court and join him, Li Xilie can use his prestige to order the four parties and strengthen the legitimacy of rebelling against the Tang Dynasty. . However, Lee Hee Yeol made a mistake in his wishful thinking. If Yan Zhenqing was really the kind of person he thought he was, he would have rebelled as early as when An Lushan raised troops, why wait until today? Not long after Yan Zhenqing arrived in Xuzhou, Zhu Tao, Wang Wujun, Tian Yue, and Li Na also sent envoys to Xuzhou to persuade Li Xilie to proclaim himself emperor.Li Xilie said triumphantly to Yan Zhenqing: "Now the four kings are all sending envoys to persuade them to advance. It can be said that they coincide with each other. The grand master (Yan Zhenqing was the prince and grand master at the time) must have seen it. Right now, he is being excluded by the court, and he is full of merit and does not reward him. I, Li Xilie, are not the only ones who are afraid?" Yan Zhenqing sneered: "I only see the 'Four Heroes', not the 'Four Kings'. If the commander-in-chief doesn't protect himself, but joins with the rebels and thieves, the result can only be destroyed with them!" Li Xilie suppressed his anger and ordered someone to help him out.A few days later, Li Xilie hosted a banquet for the envoys from the four towns, and specially invited Yan Zhenqing to the banquet together.During the banquet, under the instruction of Li Xilie, the envoys of the four towns persuaded Yan Zhenqing with the position of "Prime Minister", saying: "I have heard for a long time that the Grand Master is highly respected, and now the Grand Marshal is about to take the position and be honored. Give the founding prime minister to the commander-in-chief?" Before everyone could speak, Yan Zhenqing sternly reprimanded: "What prime minister? Have you ever heard of Yan Gaoqing who scolded An Lushan and died? That is my elder brother! I am nearly eighty years old, and I only know how to die by observing festivals. , How can I be threatened and lured by you?" The four messengers were speechless, so they had to shut up resentfully.Li Xilie was furious, and ordered people to dig a big hole in Yan Zhenqing's post that day, threatening to bury him.Yan Zhenqing said to Li Xilie calmly: "I know that death and life are already settled, so why do you have to play so many tricks? Just give me a sword, wouldn't the commander be satisfied?" Li Xilie gritted his teeth with hatred, but thinking of Yan Zhenqing's use value, he still held back and did not kill him.Over the next year or so, Li Xilie used all kinds of means to coerce Yan Zhenqing, but he was still unable to succeed. In August of the first year of Xingyuan (AD 784), after being under house arrest for one year and seven months, Yan Zhenqing was finally hanged to death in Caizhou (now Runan County, Henan Province) by Li Xilie at the age of seventy-seven. In the second year, when Li Xilie's rebellion was settled, Emperor Dezong mourned for Yan Zhenqing, stopped court for five days, and gave Situ a posthumous title of "Wenzhong".In the imperial edict to mourn Yan Zhenqing, Emperor Dezong said such a sentence: "Material talent, outstanding public loyalty, going to and from the four dynasties, and being steadfast." ("Old Tang Book·Biography of Yan Zhenqing") Being able to receive such mourning and honor after death, Duke Yan should be able to rest in peace under the Nine Springs. Although Emperor Dezong sent Yan Zhenqing to comfort Li Xilie, he did not give up military conquest. At the end of the first month of the fourth year of Jianzhong, Emperor Dezong estimated that Yan Zhenqing's trip would not have any results, so he appointed Zuo Longwu General Ge Shuyao (son of Ge Shuhan) as the envoy of Dongdu and Ruzhou Jiedu, and ordered him to lead his troops to the expedition. Conquer Li Xilie with all parties.In late February, Geshu Yaoke returned to Ruzhou.In March, Li Xilie ordered his trusted general Zhou Zeng to lead 30,000 people to attack Ge Shuyao. Li Xilie did not expect that Zhou Zeng had already been rebelled by Li Chengce, the governor of Shannan.Zhou Zeng led the army halfway, and then conspired with several other generals who had been instigated together to attack Li Xilie, and then supported Yan Zhenqing as Jiedu envoy.However, Li Xilie learned of the conspiracy of Zhou Zeng and others immediately, and Li Xilie immediately sent someone to kill Zhou Zeng and others. In April of the fourth year of Jianzhong, Ge Shuyao led his troops to Yingqiao Town (now northeast of Xiangcheng County, Henan Province), and suddenly encountered heavy rain, so he had to retreat to Xiangcheng.Li Xilie ordered his general Li Guanghui to send troops to attack, but was repelled by Ge Shuyao. Although Ge Shuyao restrained Li Xiyeol's momentum and temporarily relieved Li Xiyeol's threat to the eastern capital Luoyang, in the following months, the government and army failed to make any progress on the two battlefields of Henan and Hebei. The various towns formed a confrontational situation, and the entire battle situation was chaotic. The increasingly quagmire of the war first brought huge military expenditures.At that time, the four armies of Hedong, Zelu, Heyang, and Shuofang were stationed in Wei County (now southwest of Daming County, Hebei) for a long time to confront the towns in Hebei, while the Shence Army, Yongping, Xuanwu, Huainan, West Zhejiang, Hunan, and Jiannan The armies of more than ten towns, including Huaining, Lingnan, etc., all surrounded the Huaining theater and confronted Li Xilie.With so many troops participating in the war, their food, salaries and logistical supplies are already a heavy burden. In addition to the old system, as long as the troops of various provinces leave the town, all expenses will be provided by the Central Finance Department. Expressing sympathy for the soldiers who participated in the war, they also subsidized an additional amount of "wine and meat money".This is tantamount to worsening the already stretched central finance.What's more, the armies of various provinces also made a lot of money by using these policies. They always left the country in the name of countering the rebellion, but once they left the border of their own provinces, they stood still. They didn't actually participate in the war, but they still enjoyed several times more than usual. military pay and subsidies. Dezong Li Shi found helplessly that the deteriorating financial situation was turning into a terrible black hole that was about to swallow the entire empire. Of course, the court always has a way. No matter which dynasty or generation, the country's financial deficit can always be passed on to the common people in the end. In June of the fourth year of the founding of Central China, Zhao Zanzou, the chief financial officer, invited Dezong to promulgate two new tax laws: "Tax inter-tax framework" and "Remove Moqian".The so-called "tax room frame" is actually a real estate tax. It is stipulated that each house should be the width of two beams. Paper-and-pencil abacus goes door-to-door and conducts on-the-spot surveys. If anyone conceals the report, he will hit sixty sticks for each concealed room, and the whistleblower will be rewarded fifty coins (one thousand coins per coin). The so-called "Chumoqian" is equivalent to a transaction tax. Regardless of public and private gifts or various commercial income, a tax of 50 yuan is levied for each amount; Those who have money will be hit with sixty sticks and fined two thousand; if there is a report, there will be a reward of ten coins, which will be borne by the tax evader. After the promulgation and implementation of the new tax law, although the financial pressure has been alleviated to a certain extent, the people are full of complaints. Of course, the voices of the people have always been weak, and the emperor generally cannot hear them. Unless these faint voices gather day by day and finally merge into the thunderous sound of regime change, the ruler will not be aware of its existence. Therefore, at this moment, Dezong Li Shi couldn't hear it at all. Right now, Li Xilie and the four towns of Hebei are clamoring to be king and hegemony, which is enough to give him a headache. At the beginning of August of this year, Li Xilie personally led 30,000 elites to storm Xiangcheng, and Ge Shuyao asked the court for help.Dezong urgently ordered Huaixi recruiter Li Mian to send troops to reinforce him.Li Mian believed that Xuzhou, the headquarters of Li Xilie, must be empty this time, so he told Dezong: General Liu Dexin of the Shence Army and General Tang Hanchen of the Xuanwu Army took Xuzhou directly, and the siege of Xiangcheng would be resolved by itself. In order to seize the opportunity, Li Mian ordered the second general to send troops before the imperial court issued an edict.On September 12, when the Liu and Tang armies arrived at Xuzhou only a few dozen miles away, the eunuchs sent by Emperor Dezong caught up with them and accused them of disobeying the edict and acting without authorization.The two generals were at a loss, so they had to return in frustration. On the way, they were suddenly ambushed by Li Kecheng's troops in Huaining. More than half of the soldiers were killed or injured. After the army's reinforcements were broken, Li Xilie became even more rampant. While continuing to besiege Xiangcheng, he sent guerrilla cavalry to loot all the way in the direction of Luoyang. The troops went straight to Yique, ten miles south of Luoyang. Seeing successive defeats in the Central Plains battlefield, Xiangcheng, which was the barrier of the eastern capital, was also in jeopardy, so Emperor Dezong Li Shi had to mobilize all the troops in the pass to leave the pass urgently to reinforce Xiangcheng. Among the various armies who were ordered to leave the customs, there was a unit from Jingyuan (the government of Jingzhou, now north of Jingchuan County, Gansu). At this moment, Dezong Li Wei certainly doesn't know that this army is about to bring a catastrophe to Chang'an...