Chapter 40 Sukjong ascends the throne

After the Yan army conquered Tongguan, An Lushan never expected that Xuanzong would run away immediately.He thought that there must be a fierce battle between the Yan army and the Tang army in Chang'an, so he did not dare to attack rashly, but ordered Cui Qianyou to temporarily guard Tongguan, waiting for the army to gather. It wasn't until Cui Guangyuan's son ran to Luoyang with a surrender watch that An Lushan learned that Xuanzong had fled away long ago, and Chang'an had become an undefended city. An Lushan couldn't help laughing wildly. He never expected that Li Longji was such a cowardly person, let alone that Chang'an would fall into his hands so easily!

Subsequently, An Lushan ordered his confidant general Sun Xiaozhe and Zhongshu ordered Zhang Tongru to lead the army to receive it. On June 23, the fifteenth year of Tianbao, that is, ten days after Xuanzong fled, the Yan army occupied Chang'an without bloodshed.An Lushan appointed Zhang Tongru to stay behind in Xijing, still let Cui Guangyuan serve as Jing Zhaoyin, ordered general An Zhongshun to lead troops to the imperial palace, and at the same time let Sun Xiaozhe rule the generals in Guanzhong.Because of Sun Xiaozhe's cruel nature, he killed people without blinking an eye, so the civil and military officials of the Yan Dynasty were afraid of him, and even Zhang Tongru, the prime minister and left behind in Xijing, had to be restrained by him.

Since Chang'an fell into the hands of a warrior like Sun Xiaozhe, one can imagine its fate. In the days that followed, all those princes and generals who fled with Xuanzong, and their family members staying in Chang'an all suffered a catastrophe. Both men, women, and children were hacked to death, and even infants were not spared.Soldiers of the Yan army searched and arrested Chang'an city day and night, and every day they captured a batch of civil and military officials from the Li and Tang courts, as well as concubines, eunuchs, and court ladies hiding outside the palace.In those days, hundreds of prison cars were escorted from Chang'an to Luoyang by heavily armed Yan army soldiers every day.Some of the men and women on the prison van cried, some begged, some cursed desperately, and some looked numb, but no matter how many different expressions and reactions they had, they all had the same two words written in their eyes: despair.

Of course, there is another kind of people in Chang'an City who will not be put in a prison van, let alone feel hopeless. They are apostates. Headed by former prime minister Chen Xilie, son-in-law Zhang Yi and others. Ever since Yang Guozhong came to power, Chen Xilie had stood aside, so he had always held a grudge against Xuanzong; and his son-in-law, Zhang Jie, had received Xuanzong's verbal promise to make him prime minister, but it was never fulfilled, so he was full of complaints.For such frustrated people of the old regime, the fall of Chang'an was not a disaster, but a good opportunity for them to stand up and feel proud.Therefore, as soon as the Yan army entered Chang'an, they rushed to swear allegiance to the new court, and became "Tang traitors" without hesitation.

However, it's not easy to be a traitor if you want to.People like Chen Xilie and Zhang Yi belonged to people with special identities. An Lushan needed them to advertise the new dynasty and make people give up on the Li and Tang dynasty, so they accepted them.In other words, if you want to be a traitor, you must be qualified. If there is no use value, the only thing waiting for them is a prison car and a guillotine. An Lushan warmly welcomed Chen Xilie, Zhang Yi and others' move of "abandoning the dark and turning to the bright", and immediately appointed them as prime ministers of the Yan Dynasty.In addition, some more prestigious Li Tang courtiers and celebrities in the field were also awarded corresponding official positions by An Lushan.

In a blink of an eye, An Lushan established a brand new imperial court in Chang'an, and the tower of the Daming Palace was filled with the flags of the Yan Dynasty. This is the first time in more than a hundred years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial capital Chang'an was lost, and the political heart was gouged out for the first time. However, this is not the last time. In the next hundred years, flags of different colors will be planted on the tower of Daming Palace again and again, and those flags will also hurt the eyes of Li Tang's subjects again and again.

At this moment, only eight months after Fanyang’s rise of troops in Anlu Mountain, the Yan Dynasty had already occupied two capitals, and "threatened Qian and Long (eastern Gansu and western Shaanxi) in the west, invaded Jiang and Han (central China) in the south, and cut Hedong (Hebei) in the north. , half of Shanxi), it seems to have occupied half of Li Tang's country. An Lushan seems to have reason to believe that the remaining half of the wall will soon fall into his hands.But the facts have proved that An Lushan will not succeed. Because although his ambition is great, his structure is not directly proportional to his ambition.

It is said in history that after the Yan army occupied Chang'an, they "thought they were successful, indulged in drinking day and night, focused on sensuality and bribery, and had no intention of returning to the west. Therefore, the emperor (Xuanzong) was able to travel to Shu in peace, and the prince went north without the danger of being chased. .” (Volume 218) Obviously, both An Lushan himself and the civil and military officers under his command lack a far-sighted strategic vision, and even less a courage and mind to embrace the world and control the people. In this sense, even if An Lushan ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, he would definitely not be able to become a real ruler.

Even if he occupies half of the eastern and western capitals and Li Tang, he is still just a grass-headed king with troops and land. In his heart, there is only territory, but no world; only power, no politics; only hegemony, no kingly way! Therefore, we will soon see that entering Chang'an is not only a sign of An Lushan's victory, but a turning point for his failure. While the Yan army was drinking day and night in Chang'an, Xuanzong and his party had crossed Sanguan (now southwest of Baoji City, Shaanxi Province) and arrived at Hechi (now Fengxian County, Shaanxi Province) on June 24.On the same day, Cui Yuan, deputy governor of Jiannan, also rushed to Hechi to welcome Shengjia with a memorial.His memorabilia is eloquent, but the central idea is only eight words: "Shu is rich and rich, and the armored soldiers are in full bloom." Xuanzong Longyan was very happy, and promoted Cui Yuan to Zhongshu Shilang and Tongping Zhangshi on the spot.

After resting in Hechi for several days, Xuanzong set off for Shu under the escort of Cui Yuan. Almost at the same time when Xuanzong entered Shu, Prince Li Heng also arrived in Pingliang (now Gu County, Ningxia) and entered the jurisdiction of Shuofang.After Shuofang stayed, Du Hongjian got the news, and immediately realized keenly that the prince divided his troops to go north, and his intention to establish his own family was very obvious. The minister of the first meritorious service. He was overjoyed and said to the left and right: "If you welcome the prince here, gather soldiers from the cities in the north, send rivers and dragon horses to the west, and go south to fix the Central Plains, it will be a moment in all ages!" (Volume 218)

Afterwards, Du Hongjian immediately sent people to Pingliang, and presented a report to Li Heng, detailing Shuofang's reserves of soldiers, horses, weapons, grain, cloth, and various military supplies.A few days later, Du Hongjian went to Pingliang to meet Li Heng in person, and said, "Shuofang's army is a mighty force in the world. Now that Tubo has invited peace and returned to Neihe, most of the counties and counties in Sifang are standing firm, waiting for the moment of revival. Your Highness only needs to go to Ling Wu (Shuofang's office), train the army, and at the same time spread the word to the four directions, gather people's hearts, and bring down the rebels just around the corner." It should be said that when he went north from Mawei Station, Li Heng still had doubts about the loyalty of Shuofang's generals.After all, this is an extraordinary time when everyone is in danger.Although there are many counties in Sifang who are still holding on, there are probably more who open the door to surrender the thief or abandon the city!Especially on the way out from Chang'an, what he saw and heard made Li Heng feel chilling.These days, Li Heng's heart has actually been shrouded in a cloud of pessimism and doubt.Because of this, when he passed by Xinping and Anding a few days ago, he angrily killed the two prefects who were greedy for life and afraid of death.Rather than saying that Li Heng did this to defend the court and kill everyone, it would be better to say that he was venting his inner depression and resentment. But now, Li Heng finally felt a little relieved. Because Du Hongjian's enthusiasm and loyalty were beyond his expectations, which changed his pessimistic and depressed mood to a certain extent, and at the same time strengthened his confidence and hope for the future. On July 9th, accompanied by Du Hongjian, Li Heng and his party finally arrived safely in Lingwu (now southwest of Lingwu City, Ningxia). However, as soon as he arrived in Lingwu, one thing caused Li Heng's displeasure. It turned out that when Du Hongjian got the news that the prince had arrived in Pingliang, he had already ordered his subordinates to set up a temporary palace. The decorations, utensils, curtains, etc. inside were all imitated of the Chang'an Imperial Palace, making it quite luxurious.After Li Heng arrived in Lingwu, delicacies from mountains and seas, delicious wines and delicacies were prepared for every meal, and its specifications and ostentation were almost no less than those of the emperor's imperial meal. From Li Heng's point of view, Du Hongjian's behavior was outrageous. Why are you doing so many tricks when the country is in crisis?This obviously goes against the spirit of hard work, and it is not conducive to Li Heng's winning hearts; secondly, it is understandable that you, Du Hongjian, want to flatter you, but you can't make it so untechnical!Can't you be more pragmatic and stop playing with these imaginary things? Li Heng was very angry, and immediately ordered Du Hongjian to remove all these useless decorations. Li Heng doesn't want to put on airs, because he wants something real. This thing is the throne, the position of the Son of Heaven that he has been longing for for eighteen years. From a personal point of view, Li Heng was already forty-six years old, and he didn't have much time to waste; judging from the general situation of the world at that time, Li Heng must also be the emperor.If he is not the emperor, Li Heng is not qualified to order the Quartet, and he is not qualified to lead Li Tang's subjects in this unprecedented counter-insurgency war! However, although Xuanzong had several verbal orders to pass the throne in Chang'an and Maweiyi successively, they were oral after all, and did not form a formal succession edict.Under such circumstances, if Li Heng ascended the throne on his own in Lingwu, he would be suspected of "establishing without authorization", and would not have the legitimacy of the transfer of power at all. You have no father" infamy. Therefore, what Li Heng needs most now is not these fancy and useless things that Du Hongjian made for him, but real support and persuasion! Although it seems that it is not legal enough to sit in a big position like this, but Li Heng can't control so much anymore.Now he can only set up the banner of commanding the world first, and as for those legal things, he will find opportunities to make up for them later. Get on the train first, pay the fare later! Du Hongjian slapped the horse's ass on the horse's leg, and was really embarrassed for a few days, but he was very smart, and immediately realized what the prince really wanted. Afterwards, Du Hongjian and another official, Pei Mian, jointly signed and led all the civil and military officials in Shuofang to write a letter to the prince, asking Li Heng to "follow Mawei's order, that is, the emperor's throne". (Volume 218) Of course, their petition was immediately rejected by the prince.But they persevered, and Pei Mian came out and said to the prince: "The soldiers who followed His Highness are all from Guanzhong. The reason why they followed His Highness all the way to this desert frontier is to hope to make great contributions to the country. If they can't gather in time Once the hearts of the people are separated, it is difficult to restore them. Therefore, for the sake of the safety of the country and the great cause of peace and rebellion, please listen to the public opinion and follow the hearts of the people!" Afterwards, Pei Mian and others continued to persuade them to come in, but of course Li Heng refused them one by one.It wasn't until they handed in the fifth persuasion letter that Li Heng reluctantly nodded in agreement. In ancient China, when many people wanted to become emperors, they needed their subordinates to play this persuasive game of "Want to welcome or refuse, sing three sighs" with them.An emperor who ascended the throne abnormally like Li Heng, of course needs this set of things to make up for the lack of legitimacy.Others often move their ass to the throne of the emperor after "three persuasions", but Li Heng has "five persuasions"! On July 12th in the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756 A.D.), that is, three days after arriving in Lingwu, Li Heng held a modest and even slightly shabby enthronement ceremony in the south building of Lingwu County City, officially becoming the The new emperor of the Tang Empire.Later generations called it Tang Suzong according to its temple name. At the enthronement ceremony, the officials danced happily, and Li Heng also shed tears with mixed feelings. On the same day, Li Heng changed the Yuan to "Zhi De", and respected Xuanzong, who was far away in Bashu, as the Supreme Emperor. Xuanzong Li Longji, who had no knowledge of this, was "abdicated" in this way, and the Tianbao era that belonged to him has thus become history.Of course, apart from the soldiers and civilians in Shuofang, basically no one knew that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty had changed from Li Longji to Li Heng, let alone that the title of the year had changed from "Tianbao" to "Zhide". On the day of his accession to the throne, Emperor Suzong appointed Pei Mian as Zhongshu Shilang and Tongping Zhangshi, Du Hongjian as Zhongshu Sheren, and other generals also had their own appointments.When the system was first established, everything could only be simplified.At that time, under Suzong's command, there were only more than 20 civil and military officials. When he went to court, the officials were all standing sparsely. No matter how you look at it, it is a copycat version of the imperial court. At that time, there was a Shuofang general named Guan Chongsi, who didn't take this copycat court seriously at all. When he went to court, he actually sat with his back to Suzong, and joked with other people.Upon seeing this, Li Mian, the supervisory censor, immediately initiated impeachment and imprisoned Guan Chongsi in Yushitai Prison.Suzong Li Heng immediately praised the censor who dared to enforce the law, saying: "I have Li Mian, the court is respected!" But even so, he released Guan Chongsi that day. In this extraordinary period, Li Heng would not dare to punish generals anyway.No matter how much contempt the emperor's dignity has received, he can only endure it; no matter how difficult and embarrassing the current situation is, he can only hold on. As an emperor who lived in troubled times and ascended the throne abnormally, Li Heng had no choice. Interestingly, just three days after Suzong Lingwu came to the throne, Xuanzong, who did not know that he had been "abdicated", issued an edict in Pu'an (now Jiange County, Sichuan), appointing Li Heng as "Marshal of the World's Soldiers and Horses" He also served as "Jiedu Envoy of Shuofang, Hedong, Hebei, and Pinglu" and ordered him to "take Chang'an and Luoyang from the south"; at the same time, he appointed several other sons Yongwang Li Lin, Sheng Wang Li Qi, and Feng Wang Li Gong as Jiedu in various aspects. The ambassadors (each of whom is in charge of several roads), and granted them the right to "place officials and county magistrates of this road".In other words, at this time Xuanzong was still making overall strategic deployments as the emperor, and was still trying to lead the counter-insurgency forces in the Quartet by remote control. This is quite a dramatic scene in the history of the Tang Dynasty. The son ascended the throne on his own without waiting for the succession of the throne, and respected his father as the Supreme Emperor; but the father still regarded himself as the emperor, and named his son the Marshal of the World's Soldiers and Horses.At the same time, there were two emperors, two courts, two centers of power, and two governance systems in the empire.Thus, an embarrassing question arises - who should listen to whom? When Xuanzong fled Chang'an in a hurry, the subjects in all directions did not know where the emperor had gone. It was not until this edict was issued that people knew where the emperor was.However, at the same time that Emperor Xuanzong's edict was received, the news of Prince Lingwu's ascension to the throne had spread all over the world, and Li Tang's subjects couldn't help wondering—who should we listen to in the days to come?