Li Keyong did not attack Chang'an this time for the same reason as he did not attack Bianzhou during the "Shangyuanyi Incident".
Wang Chongrong and Li Keyong jointly asked the emperor to return to the palace. At the same time, they listed Tian Lingzi's crimes and asked the emperor to kill the traitor Tian Lingzi.
Li Keyong did not enter Chang'an, leaving Tian Lingzi passive. Public opinion began to deflect, the lie of "taking orders to punish thieves" was exposed, and the calls for "clearing the emperor's side" became louder and louder.
Tian Lingzi's behavior of stealing power and harming the country is known to everyone and can no longer be concealed. The only remaining political advantage has disappeared, and the situation is not optimistic.
Zhu Mei and Li Changfu also saw that Tian Gong's party was strong on the outside and cadre on the inside, especially the loss of its political advantage, which made them shaken and began to secretly flirt with Li Keyong and Wang Chongrong.
Fengxiang couldn't stay any longer, so Tian Lingzi decided to leave Dasanguan and go to Xingyuan first to avoid the limelight.
Tang Xizong was already a 23-year-old young man and knew some things. Tian Lingzi's attitude towards him had also changed a long time ago. With the concentration of military and political power, Tian Lingzi was too lazy to continue pretending and coaxing, and became more arrogant and violent. Intimidation and threats were commonplace.
Tang Xizong saw clearly the true face of his godfather, but he was unable to change everything. He could only secretly complain to the attendants around him, often crying while talking. Xizong of the Tang Dynasty looked very much like Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month in the second year of Guangqi of the Tang Dynasty (886), Tian Lingzi asked the emperor to move to Xingyuan Mansion, but Xizong of the Tang Dynasty flatly refused.
That night, Tian Lingzi led his warriors into the emperor's bedroom and forcibly took Tang Xizong away. No one in the civil or military officials knew about it.
Hanlin Chengzhi Du Ranneng (son of Du Shenquan) happened to be on night shift. After hearing the news, he chased on foot for more than ten miles outside the city and picked up an abandoned horse without a rein. Du Rangneng took off his belt, tied it around the horse's neck, continued to chase, and finally caught up with Shengjia in Baoji.
On the second day, some officials came to report one after another. Most of the officials were robbed by bandits on the way, and all their official uniforms and other luggage and materials were stolen. Even the tablets of emperors in the royal ancestral temple were also taken away.
Tian Lingzi temporarily settled down in Baoji, promoted Kong Wei to the rank of censor, and ordered him to go back to the rear to summon civil and military officials to form a government-in-exile in Baoji.
Forming a government-in-exile was Tian Lingzi's last straw.
Although there was an imperial edict, everyone knew that it came from Tian Lingzi. Moreover, the Emperor's Holy Emperor was illegally held hostage, and the legality of the "Baoji Government-in-Exile" is highly questionable.
So when Kong Wei arrived in Fengxiang with the imperial edict, he was unexpectedly unanimously rejected by all central officials. Prime Ministers Xiao Yuan and Pei Che claimed to be ill and refused to meet Kong Wei. Other civil and military officials also refused to report to Baoji for various reasons.
Kong Wei was filled with grief and anger, bursting into tears, and cried: "Even if ordinary people, relatives and friends encounter difficulties, we must find ways to help them. What about the emperor? The emperor is away from home and is humiliated. You ministers , how can you stand idly by and watch!"
The officials knew they were in the wrong, so they agreed to go to Baoji according to the imperial edict, "but... give us a few more days, we have to clean up..."
Kong Wei was so angry that he was shaking all over and said angrily: "My wife is seriously ill and will die soon, so I have left her alone and busy with business. How can you be so shameless and say goodbye!" He walked out with a wave of sleeves.
Kong Wei found Fengxiang Jiedushi Li Changfu and asked him to send cavalry to escort him back to Baoji to resume his life.
Li Changfu was moved by Kong Wei's loyalty, so he gave him luggage and travel expenses, and sent elite cavalry to escort him on his journey.
The prime ministers avoided Kong Wei and the imperial edict because they had other plans.
【Rescue the Emperor】
Prime Minister Xiao Tuan, many of his ancestors had served as prime ministers. Wang Duo of Yizong Dynasty knew the tribute, and Xiao Tuan and Wei Baoheng were promoted to the throne in the same year. Later, he was excluded by Wei Baoheng. When Emperor Xizong came to the throne, the "Baoyan Party" was destroyed, and Xiao Yuan was able to rise again and enter the imperial court. When Emperor Xizong was in Shu, he became prime minister.
Xiao Yu understood that the "Baoji Government-in-Exile" was illegal, and only the "Fengxiang Government-in-Exile" was legal. The top priority should be to send troops quickly to rescue the emperor.
Officials at all levels of the central government reached a consensus that while they wanted to snatch the emperor back to Fengxiang, they could not "resist the decree." The specific method is to instruct neighboring vassal towns to send troops to seize the emperor, and for the "imperial edict" from Baoji, the "two no's" principle must be strictly implemented, that is, "no envoys are not seen, and no edicts are received."
It happened that Li Songnian, the judge of Pizhou, was on a business trip to Fengxiang. Xiao Tao, as prime minister, asked Li Songnian to convey an order: let Pining Zhu Mei send troops to welcome the emperor back.
Therefore, Zhu Mei was ordered to send five thousand cavalry to Fengxiang to report and wait for the prime minister's orders.
Kong Wei and Zhu Mei's 5,000 infantry cavalry were led by Feng Xiang, who arrived front and rear. This is the reason why Xiao Yu and other prime ministers avoided Kong Wei.
It was inconvenient for Xiao Yu and others to meet him, let alone explain to him, which caused Kong Wei's misunderstanding.
Just misunderstand, it's important to save the emperor.
Under the persuasion of Prime Minister Xiao Yu and others, Zhu Mei and Li Changfu joined forces to rescue Tang Xizong who was kidnapped by Tian Lingzi. The army defeated the Shence Army who came to intercept them in one fell swoop. The pursuers and Tang Xizong were close at hand, and the sound of drums and shouts could be clearly heard.
Tian Lingzi led Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty southward in a hurry, and sent the imperial army to guard Shibi east of Baoji to delay the pursuers.
The road leading to Bashu was narrow and rugged. The fleeing armies and fleeing refugees mixed together, blocking the road and making it difficult to move.
Tian Lingzi appointed Wang Jian and Jin Hui to act as "Qing Dao Killing Envoys" to cut a bloody path with swords.
Wang Jian led 500 soldiers and cut down everyone they saw, regardless of soldiers or civilians, old, weak, women or children. The 500 soldiers were like bloody bulldozers, striding forward, killing people and killing Buddhas.
There was no road ahead, but after killing many people, it became a road.
Tang Xizong was forced to move forward in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
In order to prevent Tang Xizong from escaping into Shu, Fengxiang's pursuers set fire to the plank road. When Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty arrived, the plank road was burned down and was about ten feet long. It was already crumbling and in danger of collapsing at any time.
Wang Jian tied the imperial seal tightly around his waist, supported Tang Xizong, and jumped through the blazing flames and billowing smoke.
At night, Tian Lingzi used a few wooden boards to build a temporary shack, which could be regarded as the palace of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty. This is the highest standard of treatment under current conditions, and others can only sleep in the rough.
This broken shack only serves as a symbol to show the difference between the emperor and the common people, but has no practical significance, because it does not even have the most basic function of sheltering from wind and rain.
There was not even a straw mat or pillow under the dilapidated shack.
Wang Jian knelt on the ground and let Tang Xizong rest on his lap. Throughout the night, Wang Jian did not rest or eat.
That picture is so beautiful.
After Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty woke up from his sleep, he was deeply moved. He took off his royal robe and gave it to Wang Jian, saying, "I really have nothing else to give you. There are my tears on it (this sentence in the original text), and also I have your tenderness (but without this sentence), so just take it as a souvenir."
Hurrying slowly, Tian Lingzi and his party had just passed Dashan Pass when they received news: the entire Shibi defense line collapsed and Zhu Mei had already chased Dashan Pass.
Zhu Mei and Li Changfu sent people to block all dangerous roads, burned stage carriages, and chased after them. Tian Lingzi and his party had no choice but to find another way and continue their escape by taking a detour. Three or four times, Emperor Xizong of Tang Dynasty was almost caught by the pursuers. Finally, under the protection of Wang Jian and other "five capitals", he successfully crossed the Qinling Mountains and arrived at Xingyuan Mansion.
Tian Lingzi ordered the "five capitals accompanying him" to garrison troops at dangerous passes, and sent people to repair the plank roads and restore traffic.
At this point, the plan to rob Tang Xizong by force failed. Even if the Kansai Allied Forces invade Xingyuan Mansion, Tian Lingzi can continue to hold Tang Xizong hostage to Chengdu, not to mention that the emperor is in Tian Lingzi's hands and the Kansai Allied Forces will throw a rat weapon.
Prime Minister Xiao Yu's approach was to lead all civil and military officials to go to public meetings, expose Tian Lingzi's crimes, and ask the Holy One to kill Tian Lingzi.
Everyone knows this is self-deception. Otherwise, do they have any other options?
have.
Zhu Mei found Xiao Yu and told her her new plan: to support a new king.
"It has been six years since the emperor left Chang'an. The soldiers sacrificed their lives and blood to regain Chang'an with great difficulty. Unexpectedly, the emperor actually attributed the credit to the eunuchs and handed over the power to the castrated people, causing chaos in the world. Now, the transfer of the vassal town for no reason has caused a huge disaster, and I have to flee again. A few days ago, I followed your order to pick up the driver, but I was accused for no reason, as if I wanted to hijack the driver. In my opinion... yes Can’t we think of another way to solve the problem?”
"What is Mr. Zhu's advice?"
"There are still many descendants of the royal family surnamed Li. Now that the matter has come to this, we might as well support another one..."
Xiao Yuan said sharply: "Nonsense! The Holy One has been in power for fourteen years and has made no major mistakes. It's just that Tian Eun has the power. Every time the Holy One talks about the loss of power, he will shed tears. And this time, the Holy One has no intention of running away. Tian Gong led his soldiers to forcefully coerce him, and all the blame lies with Tian Lingzi. Who in the world doesn't know?"
Zhu Mei lowered her head, knowing that her set of fallacies could not fool the prime minister, but the expression on her face also showed her dissatisfaction.
Xiao Yu continued: "There is only one way before you, and that is to lead your troops back to the town and ask the emperor to return to the palace. As for abolishing the establishment, don't open your mouth!"
Zhu Mei is determined to become Dong Zhuo. The reason why he proposed to support the new king was because he captured a member of the royal family surnamed Li in Shibi, Sixiang King Li You.
Li You was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty. Due to illness, he stayed in Shibi and was captured by Zhu Mei.
As if Zhu Mei had found a treasure, she suddenly wanted to abolish the establishment.
I thought that the war had reached a stalemate, and Tian Lingzi frequently issued orders in the name of the emperor, which made everyone miserable. The support for the new emperor would be responded to by hundreds of people, but I did not expect that the civil servant group represented by Xiao Yu would be so stubborn.
If the soft one doesn't work, then the hard one will do. Move quickly to avoid a long night and many dreams.
Zhu Mei summoned all civil and military officials and announced: "I support a prince from the royal family named Li to inherit the throne and rebuild the empire. Anyone who dares to oppose will be beheaded!"
Zhu Mei asked Xiao Yu to write a memorial for Li Yun to proclaim himself emperor, but Xiao Yu refused to draft it, saying that his literary talent had declined. So Zhu Mei forced Zheng Changtu to write.
Li You accepted the memorial signed by hundreds of civil and military officials supporting him as emperor, and under the protection of Zhu Mei, returned to Chang'an.
It should be mentioned that Cui Anqian submitted a letter of allegiance to Li You at this time. This became a major stain in Cui Anqian's life.
Tian Lingzi wanted to ease the relationship with Wang Chongrong, give him an official position, and asked him to allocate 150,000 dendrobium grains. Wang Chongrong replied: If Tian Lingzi is not killed, no food will be given.
Before supporting Li Yuan, all the civil and military officials kept asking for Tian Lingzi's death.
Warlords from all over the world also went to court one after another, requesting that Tian Lingzi be killed.
Now, calling for Tian Lingzi’s death has become a fashion, politically correct, and a manifestation of the loyalty and patriotism of the major keyboard warriors.
The butterfly effect, a series of misfortunes that cause the situation to get completely out of control. Driven by desire, the chess game evolved spontaneously, exceeding the expectations of the top designers.
Tian Lingzi initially just wanted to compete with Wang Chongrong for salt profits, but just a few months later, Tian Lingzi fell off the altar, covered the sky with one hand, and almost had no foothold. The emperor, the only political resource in his hands, also suffered a fatal blow from the new king Li Yuan.
No, there is still a chance. Tian Lingzi will not sit still and wait for death.
