【Chengdu Mutiny】
When Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty first arrived in Chengdu, he behaved like a distinguished guest and rewarded each Xichuan officer and soldier with three guan of money as a greeting gift from the guest to the host. All the sergeants in Xichuan were overjoyed and were bathed in the mighty emperor's favor.
However, tributes from all directions continued to arrive in Chengdu, but the Xichuan officers and soldiers never received any rewards.
The times are difficult and the situation is special, so it is understandable to be stingy with rewards.
If there is a way, the people will not suffer from disparity. In Tian Lingzi's distribution plan, the officers and soldiers of the "Chang'an Gang" can still enjoy a large number of rewards, while the officers and soldiers of the "Aboriginal Gang" in Xichuan can only stare.
The officers and soldiers of Xichuan originally had great opinions on the officers and soldiers of the "Chang'an Gang". In fact, the whole world had great opinions on them, just because the salary of the forbidden army was three times that of the local army, and the daily rewards were more generous. In peacetime, they were pampered, and Once the bandits invaded the capital, they retreated without a fight and gave up Chang'an.
Raise an army for a thousand days, use it for a while. What's the use of raising them?
Since they fled to Xichuan, they should be treated equally and be on an equal footing with these losers. But the imperial court still loved them very much and ignored the presence of Xichuan officers and soldiers.
The huge contrast made the Xichuan officers and soldiers extremely psychologically unbalanced and generated a lot of resentment.
Half a year after the Tang government-in-exile settled in Chengdu, this resentment finally broke out at a banquet hosted by Tian Lingzi.
The wine glasses used at the banquet were all made of gold and were valuable. Tian Lingzi was drinking happily and casually ordered that these golden wine glasses be awarded to the generals present. The generals knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude. Only a general of the Yellow Head Army refused to accept it, let alone kowtow.
The smile on Tian Lingzi's face gradually solidified, "What, are you too young?"
Everyone held their breath, barely daring to breathe, and turned to look at the general who did not know whether to live or die.
The general stood up, cupped his hands and said: "I don't dare to hold such a humble position. The monthly salary and material supplies from all the generals are enough for us to support our families. For this, we are always grateful. We are afraid that we will not be able to repay the emperor's kindness. How can we dare to be greedy?" Asking for a huge reward for no reason? It’s just..."
"Go on." Tian Lingzi's face was ashen and his tone was stern.
"General Nishikawa, like the officers of the Forbidden Army, is also responsible for the work of royal guards. However, equal work is not paid at the same time, and the treatment is very different. This makes us quite chilled. I am afraid that if the resentment is not alleviated, one day There was a mutiny..."
This sentence shocked everyone, and his colleagues were also sweating for him. Brother, you are threatening the Central Committee! Based on this sentence alone, it would be frivolous to dismiss you from your post or investigate, but it might even cost you your life! What's more, the opposite side is Quan Gaotian Lingzi.
This dear friend was also outspoken. He probably regretted his words as soon as he said them, so he changed his tone to a sincere tone and continued: "I hope that the commander-in-chief, Mr. Tian, can reduce the rewards for the soldiers of the Forbidden Army and give us Xichuan on an equal basis." Soldiers make us feel that the central government and local governments are as close as one family, which is beneficial to both the army and the country."
Tian Lingzi looked him up and down and asked coldly: "Which army are you from?"
"Yellow Head Army."
Tian Lingzi was even more unhappy. The Huangtou Army was founded by Cui Anqian, and Cui Anqian was a thorn in Tian Lingzi's side. He was very disrespectful to himself, so he was excluded from the court. There are shameless masters, and there are ungrateful slaves.
"Who are you?"
"Guo Qi."
"What credit do you have?" Tian Lingzi's soul asked three times.
At this point, Guo Qi took the risk and replied calmly: "I grew up in Shandong (east of Mount Wei). I have been stationed on the border of the empire for a long time. I have fought against the Dangxiang people seventeen times and the Khitan people more than ten times. My body is covered with scars. . During the battle against Tuyuhun, my ribs were injured and my stomach was broken and my intestines came out. I stuffed my intestines back, sewed up the wound with thread, and continued to fight!"
In a word, I have been wounded for the Empire. Fighting hero.
Tian Lingzi had nothing to say, so he used another jug to pour a glass of wine for Guo Qi himself, "Thank you for your hard work. Here, drink it."
This is a poisonous drink.
Guo Qi knew it was poisonous, but couldn't shirk it. He had no choice but to kowtow in thanks, raise his neck, and drink the poisonous wine in one gulp.
After the banquet was over, Guo Qi hurried to his home, killed a maid, and drank her blood to detoxify.
At that time, it was widely rumored that the blood of virgins had miraculous effects, clearing away heat and detoxifying, prolonging life, nourishing yin and nourishing yang...it was just like the health products in the advertisements. Many powerful people have a hobby of sucking the blood of their maids. For example, Yelu Bei (a Khitan native and the eldest son of Liao Taizu Yelu Abaoji) of the same era often sucked the blood of his concubines.
The origin of "vampires" in the West may be inextricably linked to this rumor.
After drinking the blood, Guo Qi vomited out several liters of black slurry.
If you don’t do one thing, you won’t stop doing the other thing. I have drunk the poisonous wine, can Tian Lingzi spare me? Either way, it's a dead end, so I'll just do the opposite!
The next day, Guo Qi led his troops to launch a mutiny, smashing, looting, and burning in Chengdu.
The number of troops participating in the mutiny was not very large, but they were the Yellow Head Army and the elite of the Xichuan Army, so their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated.
The mutiny shook the emperor's palace. Under the protection of Tian Lingzi, Emperor Xizong of Tang Dynasty temporarily fled to the East City, hid in the city tower and closed the city gate tightly.
Guo Qi's original intention of launching the mutiny was to vent his anger and express his dissatisfaction. It can be seen from his previous heroic deeds that he had no intention of assassinating the king at this time. Tang Xizong was not Guo Qi's main target.
We can try to guess Guo Qi's inner struggles and struggles. As a fighting hero who shed blood for the country, he was forced to die by a traitor. At this time, Guo Qi was very similar to Lin Chong who went to Liangshan on a snowy night. It’s so hard to be a good person!
He didn't want to kill the emperor, he just wanted to kill one person, Tian Lingzi. Just like Lin Chong just wanted to kill Gao Qiu.
He rebelled, and he just wanted to express his anger and give the court a warning.
All armies began to gather to suppress the rebellion, and Guo Qi broke out at night.
The troops around Guo Qi were getting fewer and fewer, and when they reached the riverside, there was only one assistant left.
The two stopped to rest.
Guo Qi said to his assistant: "Chen Jingxuan knows that I am innocent and can fully understand our demands. It's just that I made too much noise and alerted the Holy Master. If you don't punish me, it won't be enough to convince the public. You You have been loyal to me, and I should repay you."
As he spoke, Guo Qi took off his sword and seal - two tokens that could prove the identity of an officer. "Take them, go back and see Chief Chen, and tell him that when you were chasing me, I fell into the river and drowned. was washed away, and only my sword and seal were seized. By then, Chief Chen will definitely believe your report, hang the seal and sword in the market, and post the peace notice to calm the people. You will be rewarded heavily. And my family will no longer be implicated. I plan to go to Huainan to seek refuge with the old chief Gao Pian. After a while, you can secretly tell my family the truth to reassure them."
The two parted in tears.
As Guo Qi expected, Chen Jingxuan rewarded the assistant heavily, posted a list of people to be rehabilitated, and pardoned Guo Qi's entire family.
Guo Qi also disappeared in the long river of history. As for what happened to him later, no one knows.
Although the Chengdu Mutiny ended without any danger, the conflict between the "Chang'an Gang" and the "Aboriginal Gang" has not been alleviated.
Tian Lingzi's suppression of the "native gangs" became more logical. He no longer had to resort to elaborate conspiracies. He could take advantage of the situation and use this mutiny to carry out a systematic purge of the Xichuan Army.
The openness of the contradiction between the "Chang'an Gang" and the "Aboriginal Gang" caused the "Aboriginal Gang" to be completely stepped on by the "Chang'an Gang" and lose the last trace of dignity.
Guo Qi was once a loyal warrior, but now he is a passionate man. When his life was threatened, he rose up to resist and wanted to use his actual actions to give a warning to those in power. This warning is not just a simple call for clear distinction between rewards and punishments, but also a hope that those in power can seriously reflect on their actions.
Chengdu mutiny, the hero's death is not guaranteed. This is the tragedy of Guo Qi, and it is the tragedy of the Tang Dynasty. In this era, besides resisting, he had two other options. One was to join forces with Tian Yu, just like most people; the other option was to die to clarify his ambition, just like Yue Fei in later generations.
Guo Qi was desperate for the future and for this country. His integrity did not allow him to collude with treacherous ministers and villains, and his staunchness did not allow him to die unjustly.
He will break out in silence, he will send out his cry!
The country, the country, the ancestral foundation, the three-hundred-year-old country... Now, a group of gangsters selling smuggled salt have easily occupied Chang'an and claimed the title of emperor. Even we ministers feel sorry for it. How can you, who hold the divine weapon in your hands, not reflect on yourself?
I, Guo Qi, will not go into the palace to kill the king and bring chaos to the country, but who can guarantee that all the soldiers in the world will be like me, Guo Qi? Just in case there are those who have treasonous intentions, there were An Lushan and Zhu Si in the past, and now there are Pang Xun and Huang Chao... Your Majesty, can you really guarantee that every time there will be no danger?
Tian Lingzi, you have brought disaster to the country and the people, and you have done all the evil things. I, Guo Qi, am unable to kill the thief, but you don’t think about it yourself. If the Tang Dynasty dies, can you still dominate and do good? Could it be that Huang Chao also calls you "Father" and serves you like his young master Xizong? If you don't think about others, even if you think about yourself, you should do something useful for Datang!
This may be his inner monologue.
Guo Qi was alone, anonymously, and traveled down the river.
He was heartbroken and heartbroken, but he was not reconciled. He wanted to use his own way to send a cry to the Tian Lingzi party members and to the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Xizong was indeed shocked and discussed it with important people. The important personnel were, of course, the eunuch group headed by Tian Lingzi.
It is conceivable that the final conclusion about this mutiny is of course that the soldiers had evil intentions and took advantage of the weak situation of the country to rob them, which is really hateful.
"Eunuch Tian is right." The eunuchs said in unison.
How should we prevent it in the future?
Unify our thinking and hand over military power to trustworthy comrades, such as Comrade Tian Lingzi.
"Eunuch Tian is right." The eunuchs praised each other.
The purge of Xichuan officers and soldiers became a matter of course.
After the mutiny occurred, Zuo Shiyi and Meng Zhao Tu wrote Shu Zhi admonishment, saying that when the emperor fled Chang'an, you did not notify the civil and military officials, resulting in a large number of high-ranking officials loyal to the empire being massacred by thieves. During the mutiny in Chengdu a few days ago, you were also Only Tian Lingzi, Chen Jingxuan and a group of eunuchs hid in the city tower, closed the city gate tightly, and once again abandoned the civil and military officials to the hands of the rebels outside the city. Fortunately, Guo Qi did not act recklessly, and all the officials saved their lives...
As an admonisher, Meng Zhaotu severely criticized Tang Xizong for various inappropriate behaviors and advised him to be close to virtuous ministers and far away from villains. In this way, there is still hope for the revival of the empire.
Meng Zhaotu unceremoniously pointed the finger at Tian Lingzi, and even shouted that the Tang Empire was the empire of the great ancestor Li Yuan and Taizong Li Shimin, not the empire of the eunuchs; the emperor was the emperor of the four seas and nine states, not the emperor of the eunuchs.
Meng Zhaotu knew that Tang Xizong was not Tang Taizong, and he was not Wei Zheng. He also knew that Tian Lingzi controlled the government and controlled the court.
What he didn't know was how much control Tian Lingzi had.
What the emperor can see is what Tian Lingzi wants him to see; what the emperor can hear is what Tian Lingzi wants him to hear. All memorials must first pass through Tian Lingzi and be screened before they can be delivered to the emperor.
Meng Zhaotu's memorial was of course withheld by Tian Lingzi. The emperor did not see this memorial at all.
The next day, Tian Lingzi falsely conveyed the imperial edict and demoted Meng Zhaotu to the position of chief minister of Jiazhou. He also sent someone to throw him into Tooyijin on the way and drowned him alive.
From then on, no one dared to challenge Tian Lingzi's status.
Meng Zhaotu predicted in advance that he would be killed, so he assigned a loyal slave a task: collect my body to prevent me from dying without a burial place. When he was drowned by the eunuchs, the slave, with tears in his eyes, went through many hardships and dangers and finally recovered Meng Zhaotu's body and buried it properly.
Whether it was the Chengdu mutiny launched by Guo Qi or Meng Zhaotu's life-saving remonstrance, they were all easily suppressed by Tian Lingzi's party, and the political purge was carried out smoothly.
Perhaps in Tian Lingzi's view, only Shu in the world is impregnable.
