【After low tide】
"Jingnan is a small country with a narrow territory and weak troops, between Wu and Chu." - "Spring and Autumn of the Ten Kingdoms"
The land of Jingnan originally had eight subordinate states ("New History of the Five Dynasties" said ten). It was definitely vast, densely populated and rich in resources. The reason why it is said to be "narrow in territory and weak in military strength" is because since the Huangchao Rebellion, many heroes have emerged, and various Taoists have encroached on it. When Gao Jichang led Jingnan to control Jingnan, it was "only one city in Jiangling." Although Gao Jichang had the title of Jiedushi, he was still working as a governor.
After Gao Jichang arrived in Jingnan, he appeased the refugees and encouraged farming and mulberry cultivation, which restored a certain vitality, but the overall strength was still weak.
Jingnan is also a typical place of the Four Wars. Zhu Wen of Bianzhou in the north, Yang Clan of Huainan in the east, Ma Yin of Tanzhou in the south, Wang Jian of Xichuan in the west, and Lei Yangong of Langzhou were gradually mentioned above. The clown who annexed power. Gao Jichang was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, surrounded by a group of jackals, tigers and leopards. The isolated city of Jiangling is in danger.
Blessings and misfortunes depend on each other. Although Jingnan is small, it is an important transportation hub, and being surrounded by powerful enemies provides Gao Jichang with a geopolitical game stage. During Gao Jichang's time in Qi and Chu, he maneuvered vertically and horizontally, and was able to maneuver among the major powers with ease, turning the Jingnan region from a coveted piece of meat to a popular one that everyone woos.
Things are divided into high and low, and people are divided into three, six or nine grades. In the circle of friends in the feudal town, the political status of the big guys is also clearly stratified. Before the fall of the Tang Dynasty, this stratification was still relatively vague, and the chain of contempt was relatively mild. However, after Zhu Wen usurped the Tang Dynasty, the circle of feudal towns was immediately completed. The division of classes, which is higher and which is lower, is clear at a glance:
The most senior boss openly founded a country and proclaimed himself emperor, and was on an equal footing with the Later Liang, such as King Jian of the former Shu;
The second level has a high degree of autonomy and refuses to submit to Houliang, such as Hedong and Huainan;
The next level is a high degree of autonomy, subordinate to the Later Liang Dynasty, such as Hangzhou Qian Liu;
The lowest level, the loyal servants of the Later Liang Dynasty, such as Gao Jichang of Jingnan;
In addition to these four levels, there is another kind of person who speaks the harshest words and receives the most vicious beatings. He is so mediocre yet so confident. He is clearly ranked third or fourth, but insists on doing first-class things, such as You Zhou Liu Shouguang.
After the tide goes out, you will know who is swimming naked.
Gao Jichang of Jingnan, who is ranked fourth, is not only looked down upon by his peers in the top three, but is also discriminated against by ordinary people. For example, Liang Zhen, a scholar who won the first place.
Liang Zhen, originally named Liang Ai, was born in Qiongzhou, Xichuan. He had quick thinking and fluent writing. When Emperor Xizong visited Shu, he brought his poems to pay homage to Liu Xiang, the great poet who followed Emperor Xizong to Shu (10 of his poems were recorded in "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty"). After seeing it, Liu Xiang was very impressed, saying that he will definitely become a great person in the future, but his name - "Ai" will become a stumbling block on his road to success.
Liu Xiang explained that "Miao" means paying homage under the rain, so it cannot be seen. It is better to change its name to "Zhen". "Chen" means dragon. If there is rain in the dragon's movement, you will be prosperous. So Liang Ai changed her name to Liang Zhen. Sure enough, after changing his name, he became a Jinshi.
At that time, the Tang Dynasty was in a precarious state. Liang Zhen, who passed the imperial examination, did not have the opportunity to become an official, but was forced to become a "Beidiao" (living in the capital) while waiting to fill the vacancy. He waited until the fall of the Tang Dynasty.
In desperation, Liang Zhen could only pack his bags and leave the capital, preparing to return to his hometown and try his luck in Qianshu. When passing through Jiangling, he was enthusiastically retained by Gao Jichang.
Although Gao Jichang was illiterate and was an illiterate man from the army, he attached great importance to cultural education and respected scholars very much. Gao Jichang offered very generous treatment and hired Liang Zhen as his staff with a high salary.
Liang Zhen had the aloofness and aloofness of a scholar, and he looked down upon the small land of Jingnan, and even more looked down upon Gao Jichang, a fourth-class vassal (he considered himself a minister of the Tang Dynasty, and was ashamed to be a subordinate of a powerful vassal). It cannot be used by the central court (Tang and Houliang), so it must be the second best and serve the first-class vassal town (former Shu).
Moreover, Gao Jichang was born as a slave, and being treated as an official would be a "slave under a slave", which was regarded as a great shame and humiliation by scholars.
Liang Zhen did not want to be Gao Jichang's staff, but he was worried about his revenge. So he came up with a compromise. He said to Gao Jichang: "I have never wanted to be an official (Zhensu does not admire Ronghuan). If you don't dislike me as a fool and insist on letting me participate in political discussions, , then please let me participate as a civilian."
This is the final arrogance of scholars. It can be practiced in practice, but it cannot be named. For example, they say they can live together and hold wedding banquets, but they just won’t get a certificate and register with you.
Scholars pursue fame, but Gao Jichang emphasizes reality. As long as you can advise me, the rest of the problems are not problems. After several trials, Gao Jichang understood that Liang Zhen was not being conceited or pretending to be polite, so he agreed.
Liang Zhen devoted himself to assisting two generations of leaders in Jingnan (Gao Jichang and Gao Congjie), but never accepted official appointments from Jingnan. He always called himself a "forward scholar", and Gao Jichang also called him "ancestor".
Liang Zhen became Gao Jichang's chief adviser, giving correct opinions on many major issues, and made great contributions to Jingnan's final independence and founding of the country.
A soldier who doesn't want to be a marshal is not a good soldier. Gao Jichang also has great ambitions. He is not willing to be at the bottom of the fourth class. He also wants to be the first class and become a high-level boss that everyone envies.
As early as the second year of Qianhua (912), Gao Jichang "hidden the ambition to occupy Jingnan". He expanded the city, widened the trenches, and built new watchtowers. Among them, a new "Xiongchu Tower" was built in the north city, named after Du Fu's poem. "The northwest tower has become the capital of Chu, and the mountains and rivers are scattered far away."
In order to meet the construction deadline, Gao Jichang mobilized more than 100,000 people to "carry all the students and friends to earth." It can be said that he mobilized people from all over the country. All cemeteries within fifty miles outside the city were excavated and their tomb bricks were used to build the city.
After the project was completed, it was said that the cries of wild ghosts were often heard in the middle of the night, and will-o'-wisps were often seen. People said this was because Gao Jichang forcibly demolished their haunted house, leaving the ghosts homeless.
During the construction period, construction materials such as earth and stone were piled north of Yingcheng. After the project was completed, the abandoned sand turned into a small mountain. People named this mountain "Jigong Mountain".
At that time, Zhu Wen was fighting a fierce battle with Hedong in Heshuo, and the battles were unsuccessful. Gao Jichang petitioned to expand the city, but Zhu Wen was unable to control it. Therefore, Gao Jichang had to rush to meet the construction deadline and complete it before Zhu Wen could recover. By then, the work was done and Zhu Wen could not Do not accept this fait accompli.
After Zhu Wen's death, Gao Jichang became more courageous. He witnessed the decline of the Later Liang Dynasty, so he became more determined in his ambition to separate himself and rule the roost, and was unwilling to be controlled by the Later Liang Dynasty.
Ideals do not equal strength. Many ambitious young people have made this mistake, and Gao Jichang is no exception. He was ambitious and set the first target of military invasion as Qianshu.
Gao Jichang went upstream and launched a tentative attack on the former Shu. Wang Zongshou, the general of the former Shu, taught him to start a new life every minute. After realizing the power of Qianshu, Gao Jichang had nowhere to vent his ambition, which made him dizzy. He even pointed the finger at his backer, Houliang.
Gao Jichang announced that he was going to Hebei to help Houliang conquer Hedong. When passing through Xiangzhou, Gao Jichang showed his fangs of pretending to destroy Guo and launched an attack on Xiangzhou. However, he was defeated by Kong Qing, the military envoy of Nandong Road in Houliangshan (headquarters in Xiangzhou).
The ideal is very full, but the reality is very basic. Gao Jichang was so ashamed and angry that he bit back and accused Xiangzhou Kong Qing of preventing him from going north to support the Hebei war and intercepting his Northern Expeditionary Force. He used this as an excuse to refuse to pay tribute to the Liang Dynasty.
After Zhu Youzhen ascended the throne, he named Gao Jichang King of Bohai as a sign of appeasement. On the surface, Gao Jichang returned to the embrace of the Later Liang Dynasty, but in fact he secretly communicated with Huainan and Qianshu, recruited surrenders and rebels, and expanded his army to prepare for war. There were 500 warships alone. Zhu Youzhen could only turn a blind eye.
After the relationship with Houliang eased, Gao Jichang continued to make territorial claims to Qianshu, saying that the four states of Kui, Wan, Zhong and Fu originally belonged to Jingnan and had been an integral part of Jingnan's territory since ancient times and should be returned to Jingnan. Then he sent his invincible fleet to take over Kuizhou by force.
Gao Jichang sent a fire boat to burn the pontoon bridge in Qianshu. The former Shu troops set up layers of large iron chains in the river to block the way of the fire ships. At this time, the wind direction suddenly reversed. Gao Jichang's invincible fleet was swallowed up by his own fire ships. The Jingnan navy collapsed in an instant, burning and drowning. Countless others, Gao Jichang's flagship was also under heavy fire, with flying rocks raining down, even smashing the stern of the ship. Gao Jichang had to flee the battlefield in a small boat.
When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares into you.
The decline of the Later Liang Dynasty also made Tanzhou Ma Yin, who also belonged to the Later Liang Dynasty, become restless. Gao Jichang of Jingnan, who had suffered repeated military setbacks, fell into Ma Yin's design.
In the fifth year of Zhengming (919), Mayin from Tanzhou invaded Jingnan. Gao Jichang asked for help from Huainan. Huainan's reinforcements surrounded Wei and rescued Zhao, and sent general Liu Xin to attack Tanzhou. Ma Yin hurriedly returned to his home base from Jingnan.
This "Jingchu War" was very short and very absurd.
First of all, Gao Jichang in Jingnan and Mayin in Tanzhou were both vassals who professed vassalage to the Later Liang Dynasty, and they were both "our own people";
Secondly, when conflicts arise between "own people", it should be arbitrated and mediated by the central government of Houliang, the boss, but Gao Jichang invited "outsiders" and Huainan, the hostile force of Houliang, to act as mediator. Regardless of the outcome, the high-profile intervention of the Huainan forces was in itself a ruthless mockery of the authority of the Later Liang Dynasty. How embarrassing is Hou Liangqing?
Finally, if there is no benefit, it will not be early. Huainan will not serve the "Jingchu War" for free. His mediation fee was Fuzhou (today's Tianmen City, Hubei Province). While Liu Xin led his troops to threaten Tanzhou, Huainan general Li Jian led his troops to attack Fuzhou. Fuzhou was the territory of Houliang.
In other words, the two vassal towns within Houliang were in internal strife. One of them seduced a foreign enemy and ceded his master's land to the enemy as a reward.
The decline of the rear beam can also be seen from this.
