In terms of armed forces, Zhaozong still had the same idea: the prince prepares troops.
Putting the military power of the Forbidden Army into the hands of the prince and letting the royal family control the Forbidden Army was an important transition for the emperor to take charge of the army himself.
Having learned the lessons of the previous times, Zhaozong did not directly attack the left and right Shence armies this time. Instead, he chose the method of internal disintegration and differentiation and starting anew within the system. In addition to the establishment of the left and right Shence Army, newly established battalions such as Ansheng, Baoning, and Xuanhua were established, and tens of thousands of people were carefully selected from the Forbidden Army to be incorporated into them, and then princes were ordered to serve as their commanders.
In this way, it not only avoids the problem of low combat effectiveness in recruiting new soldiers, but also weakens the resistance of the leaders of the left and right Shence Army, getting the best of both worlds.
Under Zhaozong's instructions, King Yan Li Jiepi and King Qin Li Sizhou privately recruited thousands of soldiers to expand their military strength.
Every move Zhaozong made to consolidate imperial power would arouse alertness and backlash from those who did not want the imperial power to be consolidated, especially his actions on military power. This time, the person who rebounded the most was of course Fengxiang and Li Maozhen.
Li Maozhen had a guilty conscience and was a frightened bird. He was very sensitive to Zhaozong's firm and efficient military actions. He believed that Zhaozong was going to attack him, so he took a preemptive strike and led his troops to "go to the palace to complain."
Li Maozhen has five seconds to reach the battlefield!
The capital was frightened, and the people fled into the valley to hide.
So Zhaozong ordered all the princes to lead the armies and stationed them west of Chang'an to prepare for the attack. At the same time, a signal was sent to Li Keyong in Hedong, "Li Maozhen is here again! Please hurry up and be diligent."
Li Maozhen encountered the troops of King Qin Li Sizhou in Louguan (now west of Xingping City, Shaanxi Province). The prince's troops were hastily created and had no combat effectiveness at all, and the military command level of the princes was difficult to compete with Li Maozhen. King Qin Li Sizhou was defeated, and Li Maozhen approached the capital.
King Yan Li Jiepi persuaded Zhaozong to cross the Yellow River from Yanzhou to the east and join Li Keyong in the east of Hedong. Zhaozong acted according to the plan.
Zhaozong and his party escaped from Chang'an and had just crossed the Wei River. Han Jian of Zhenguo sent his son Han Congyun to bring a memorial to meet Zhaozong and suggested that Zhaozong move to Huazhou (the headquarters of Zhenguo Army).
Han Jian was also one of the culprits of the "Three Towns Offenses" and could not be trusted by Zhaozong. Zhaozong preferred to go to Taiyuan Prefecture in Hedong, so he declined Han Jian's request.
However, Han Jian did not give up and kept writing to persuade Zhaozong to stay. The civil and military officials around Zhaozong were also afraid of the long journey to Taiyuan Prefecture, and they all expressed their unwillingness to abandon the near and seek the far. Where can the loess not bury people? Stay.
So Zhaozong ordered Han Jian to come to see him and discuss the next step.
Han Jian knelt down, kowtowed, and cried: "Now that the world is not at peace, Li Maozhen is not the only one who is arrogant, domineering, and disloyal. I am afraid that once your Majesty crosses the Yellow River, you will never return. The ancestral tombs of the royal ancestral temple are all here. It is not suitable for your Majesty to travel far away. Although there are few soldiers in Huazhou, I have been here to encourage farming and military training for more than ten years. Controlling the Guanfu area is not a problem, and it is only less than 200 miles away from Chang'an. , I hope your majesty will visit the town in order to revive it!"
Zhaozong then moved to Huazhou with his civil and military officials.
After Li Maozhen entered Chang'an, he ordered arson and burned Chang'an to the ground.
In the third year of Zhonghe (883), Huang Chao burned down the city of Chang'an, and more than half of the houses were burned down (the residences of Fenfu Temple were even 167). In the following year, Wang Zheng, the "half-time prime minister", carried out rough repairs, and less than two-tenths of them were restored ( Only completed one or two); in the first year of Guangqi (885), when Emperor Xizong fled for the second time, Chang'an was burned down by rebel soldiers again, and that time it was completely destroyed (with almost no survivors); the following year, Wang Xingyu killed Zhu Mei, and "the armies burned and plundered the capital." ; Last year (895), "three towns invaded" and burned and plundered the capital again; now (896), Li Maozhen burned Chang'an City again, and all the palaces, markets, and residences in Chang'an City were "burned to the ground."
Yang Xingmi asked Zhaozong to move the capital to Huainan; Wang Jian asked Zhaozong to move the capital to Chengdu.
Hearing that there was a proposal to move the capital, the third seed Zhu Pu quickly expressed his opinion. With a stroke of his pen, he wrote a perfect argumentative essay:
First, a basic rotation is given: the capital cannot remain static and must change at any time according to the rise and fall of heaven and earth; then it is pointed out that Chang'an has gone through wars and can no longer be the capital of the empire; then a solution to the problem is given, and the capital is moved to Xiangzhou; and then a large section is devoted It elaborates on the benefits of Xiangzhou as the capital from multiple angles; at the end, it does not forget to refute the idea of moving the capital to Huainan and Taiyuan; finally, it returns to the theme and reiterates that moving the capital to Xiangzhou is the best choice.
(Special note: Zhu Pu is from Xiangzhou)
The central idea is clear and runs through the whole text; the logic is clear and well organized; the details are appropriate; the rhetorical techniques and word choice are impeccable.
From the perspective of argumentative essay alone, it can be called a perfect essay for middle school students.
But strictly speaking, this essay can also be boldly given a score of "0", because the three views are incorrect, the central idea is seriously fallacious, and it is fundamentally off track.
The capital is the foundation of the country; moving the capital will shake the foundation. The emperor would not move the capital lightly unless absolutely necessary.
During the "Anshi Rebellion", Xuanzong and Li Longji came to Shu; Huang Chao invaded the capital, and Xizong came to Shu; Li You usurped the throne, and Xizong came to Xingyuan... They didn't even discuss moving the capital, but now it's just Li Maozhen, so why should we discuss moving the capital? Why does the capital have to be changed at any time? Have you read history books? Since ancient times, unless there was a change of dynasty, how many times has it been moved in total?
Zhaozong was angry and disappointed, and ignored Zhu Pu at all (not reporting), even omitting the word "read".
If you stay under someone else's fence, you will be able to rely on others.
All the civil and military officials living in Huazhou were obedient to their master Han Jian. They didn't know Han Jian's likes and dislikes, so they all kept silent for fear that any words they said might lead to death. Everyone tacitly understood each other and gradually formed a tacit understanding: everyone must ask Han Jian for instructions first.
Although Han Jian did not force the central government to exile, after countless previous lessons, government officials were all very well-behaved (those who were not well-behaved had long been eliminated), and Han Jian had already taken control of the government without any nonsense.
Zhaozong still had some political skills, so he changed from passive to active, pierced the window paper, and directly issued an edict, ordering Han Jian to participate in the central government's decision-making. Dig a hole for Han Jian.
Han Jian's words were sparse and firm, and he avoided the pit of eternal destruction.
This was thanks to a great counselor beside Han Jian, Li Juchuan.
Li Juchuan, the great-nephew and grandson of Li Fengji, the Prime Minister of the Mid-Tang Dynasty. When Emperor Xizong was a Jinshi, it happened that Huang Chao was in trouble, so he fled the capital and went to Wang Chongrong in Hezhong. All the letters and petitions written by Wang Chongrong against Huang Chao were written by Li Juchuan. His quick thinking and clear organization are commendable;
After Wang Chongrong's death, Li Juchuan was demoted to Xingyuan Mansion. Jiedushi Yang Shouliang was overjoyed and exclaimed "God gave me this", so he also reused Li Juchuan;
During the "Operation to Destroy Yang", Yang Shouliang and others were captured by Han Jian, and Li Juchuan was also shackled and prepared to be taken to Chang'an for execution. Li Juchuan wrote an inscription on the leaf, begging Han Jian for his life. Han Jian was deeply moved by just a few words, so he kept him by his side and continued to be a counselor. Since then, Li Juchuan has become an important think tank of Han Jian.
The reason why Han Jian was able to "hold the emperor to order the princes" and was able to escape disaster afterwards and not make the same mistakes as Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu was entirely due to Li Juchuan's guidance.
Li Juchuan warned Han Jianqian and urged him not to interfere directly in government affairs! For example, they are not allowed to express any views or make any statements on government affairs, nor are they allowed to enter the Central Committee, participate in, or observe Central Committee meetings.
Furthermore, if you want to interfere in government affairs, you can do it indirectly. As for how to do it indirectly, there was no need for Han Jian to work hard. All civil and military officials were actively trying to speculate on Han Jian's inner world, and they were sensible. Han Jian only needed a look.
This was a key factor in Han Jian's ability to escape unscathed after "holding the emperor hostage" because there was no evidence to show that he had interfered in government affairs, and there were no charges related to "holding the emperor hostage to order the princes".
Han Jian is one of the few real and nameless kidnappers in history who "hijacked the emperor".
Li Juchuan's wisdom was far more than this. He asked Han Jian to spread the word to the world: transfer the tribute to the palace in Huazhou; raise troops to serve the king.
In this way, Han Jian could firstly get rid of the accusations of being detained and holding the emperor hostage, secondly, he could put the world's tribute into his own pocket, thirdly, he could use the power of others to attack Li Maozhen, and fourthly, he could gain a reputation as a protector. Get four benefits with one fell swoop, no capital, no loss, no loss.
As for the so-called King Qin, Han Jian could have refused to go to the front line in the name of protecting the emperor's palace. Unless Li Maozhen fought in Huazhou, Han Jian could sit in the back row and eat with peace of mind.
After Li Maozhen's defeat, no one from King Qin's army dared to pick him up, otherwise it would be a "hijacking". Of course, escorting the emperor back to the capital is my responsibility, Han Jian, so I won't bother you all. Otherwise, Can you help repair Chang'an?
When he was not there when he was working hard, he still took all the benefits.
When Li Keyong received the news, he lamented and sighed: "Last year, I said that I would kill Li Maozhen and Han Jian in one spoonful, but the emperor refused to listen. So what, is it weird? Han Jian is such a fool. Donkey, sooner or later, either Li Maozhen will capture him alive, or Zhu Wen will capture him alive!" Then Shangshu said that he would unite all the feudal lords and towns in the world to raise troops to serve the king.
It was at this time that Wang Jian of Xichuan received the edict from the commander-in-chief of the Western Front to conquer Fengxiang.
