Zhou Chong is a non-famous and non-mainstream scholar.
There is no record of his participation in scientific examinations in historical materials, and there is not even the honorable title of "failed in repeated examinations". There is only one sentence: "Those who have great authority are always proud of their talents."
Confucius said: If you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are rich, you can help the world.
As a scholar, you should stick to the bottom line of morality, know good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and know etiquette, justice and integrity. They sacrifice their lives to be benevolent and sacrifice their lives for righteousness. They cannot be moved by poverty or humbleness, and cannot be surrendered by force, such as Wen Tinghao.
Zhou Chongzhi had great ambitions but little talent. He thought that his talents were not recognized, and he was extremely indignant at the world that buried talents.
Judging by today's standards, Zhou Zhong suffers from a mental illness and is mentally sub-healthy. He has some antisocial tendencies and is mildly delusional.
The specific external manifestation is that he speaks openly and firmly believes that he has the talent to navigate the world and the strategy to stabilize the country. At the same time, he expresses strong hostility to all existing orders.
He has to destroy the world to expose the ugliness of the old world, and he has to reshape the world to reflect the value of his life.
It is a disease and must be cured.
None of the core members of Pang Xun and his group are scholars, they are all martial artists. But Pang Xun knew that if he wanted to do great things, he must have a think tank who could make suggestions and be educated. So he also acted like a polite corporal, and releasing Wen Tinghao was just a show.
And Zhou Zhong just suited Pang Xun's taste. People can say "What a shame!" for a long time and say things that we don't understand. They know astronomy, geography, and people. They understand yin and yang, know the Eight Diagrams, know the Qimen, and know Dunjia. They can make strategic plans. , a decisive victory thousands of miles away...
In short, people talk about benevolence, justice and morality.
Pang Xun had a very happy conversation with Zhou Zhong, and he thought that getting Mr. Zhou Zhong would be an even more powerful thing for him. God was really helping me. Zhou Chong was immediately treated as an honored guest.
Zhou Chong, wearing a feather fan and silk towel, finished writing the memorial while talking and laughing.
The structure of the memorial is as follows: it starts with the usual sophistry and puts the blame for the rebellion on the imperial court; then reverses the black and white, describing the siege as maintaining public order; and finally issues a naked military threat to the imperial court.
Putting aside the writing skills (which are actually really lackluster and barely passable), his emotional intelligence and political acumen are incredibly low.
We can't help but wonder if Zhou Zhong is a senior spy who successfully broke into Pang Xun's group, because he really spared no effort in leading Pang Xun to destruction.
Usually, after a mutiny or civil uprising, the correct steps are as follows: first confess to the court, saying that you were really confused for a moment, how could you accidentally embark on a criminal path? Now, I know that I have caused a huge disaster, but I don’t dare to die because I am in charge of a place. I heard that the emperor’s grace is great and the saint’s grace is lenient, so I boldly ask the court for forgiveness. You might as well go with the flow and let me take care of it. One party affairs.
This is the tone of the memorial, seizing the moral high ground.
However, this is only the first step. The second step is to pay bribes to neighboring provinces and vassal towns and ask them to petition for mercy. This is called taking advantage of the situation.
Of course, bribes to civil and military officials of the central court had already followed the memorial to the capital.
Well, the courtiers quoted from many sources, discussing the disadvantages of military conquest and the advantages of peace in peace. The local vassal towns also interceded for Shangzhang, how could they refute their face? Now that that prefecture and county has been actually controlled by him, then... the imperial court just wants to do a favor, just grant him official positions such as governor, observer, and defense envoy. What a big deal.
This has always been the case in ancient times when people stole land and sealed borders.
And what about Pang Xun and Zhou Zhong?
Instead of admitting his mistakes and repenting, he instead uttered excrement, denounced the imperial court as fatuous and corrupt, and issued military threats to the imperial court.
Where is the face of the imperial court? Even if I want to pardon you and recruit you, there is no way to go.
This memorial has pushed the situation to an irreversible situation, and Pang Xun's next actions are even more reckless.
Pang Xun sent his trusted generals to attack from all sides and capture the surrounding states and counties. He wanted to further expand his sphere of influence and let the court know how powerful he was!
His strategy was to use war to force peace and exchange military advantages for political bargaining chips. This seems to be Zhou Zhong's handiwork.
The Pang Xun Group spread rumors that the imperial court had appointed Pang Xun as the military governor of Xuzhou, and that the letter of appointment was on the way. Unilateral political whitewashing. To disguise being a traitor as serving the country.
And his other rumor was even more sensational: he first forged a memorial to the court from Cui Yanzeng, claiming that he would kill all the Xuzhou soldiers and punish the local people as slaves, so that the Xuzhou problem could be permanently solved; and then he forged another The court's reply: it's accurate.
Inciting hostility between the masses and the court.
With the three-pronged approach of military strikes, political propaganda, and demagoguery of public opinion, Pang Xun's gangster power surged, affecting today's Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other surrounding areas. Xuzhou has become a holy place in the hearts of bandits and bandits from all over the world, and they come to make pilgrimages and join the bandits regardless of distance.
Pang Xun sent "Xu Thief's Four Dogs" and "Five Tiger Thief Generals" to attack Haozhou and Sizhou, two important strategic locations.
Kaicheng, the governor of Haozhou, surrendered.
The enemy is in full swing, and Xuzhou City welcomes an important guest - the eunuch sent by the imperial court to comfort him.
Not long ago, Cui Yan sent a letter to the court to report the situation in Xuzhou, and truthfully reported the situation of his military suppression.
When the imperial court received the news, it immediately sent eunuchs to Xuzhou to convey the high-level officials' spirit of conciliation and appeasement.
There are various indications that the court's attitude has always been to resolve the conflict peacefully at the local level and not to escalate the conflict. Therefore, the so-called "secret edict" that the Pang Xun Group has repeatedly promoted is simply false and baseless nonsense.
Pang Xun cordially received the eunuch Xuanwei, and the majestic guard of honor stretched for thirty miles to show off his military power to the eunuch Xuanwei.
Along the way, Pang Xun arranged for thousands of his men to act as bandits (acting in their true colors, with outstanding acting skills), and wreaked havoc. I saw Pang Xun looking calm and well-organized. After a while, good news came from various directions, talking about how to pacify the bandits.
Pang Xun was chatting and laughing with the eunuch and said, "Look, the ground in Xuzhou is not very flat. If I hadn't pressed it down, how would it be possible?"
He was served delicious food and drinks, and before leaving, he was given a heavy bribe. I begged the eunuch to speak kindly.
Wherever Xu Thief passed, the city looked down on the wind, and a group of thieves gathered and swarmed, but a discordant sound came from Sizhou.
Du Xun, the governor of Sizhou, first showed weakness to the rebels and pretended to surrender. He lured the vanguard of the rebels into the city and killed them all. The thief general Li Yuan led his troops to attack the city, and hundreds of people were killed. He was forced to retreat and camp, asking for help from the rear.
Sizhou guards the throat of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, and at the same time connects Xuzhou to the north and controls Huainan to the south. It is a battleground for military strategists. Only by occupying Sizhou can Pang Xun sit back and relax in Xuzhou. He can not only rule the roost, but also advance into Huainan and expand his situation.
With a wave of his hand, Pang Xun directly added 10,000 troops (only 1,500 were sent to attack Haozhou) to overwhelm the small city of Sizhou with the power of Mount Tai.
