【End of Qianshu】
1. King Jia and Wang Xiancheng
When the Later Tang Dynasty invaded on a large scale, Suizhou Wuxin Army Jiedu Envoy and Jia Wang Zongshou wanted to fight the Tang army, but their morale collapsed, and the tribesmen enthusiastically surrendered. The general trend was that they had to surrender.
When I heard that Wang Zongyan had surrendered as a tribute to his country, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
When Wang Zongyan and his party were moved to Luoyang and reached the ground in Fengxiang, Wang Zongshou bribed the soldiers responsible for guarding with a lot of money to gain access to Wang Zongyan.
Wang Zongyan burst into tears and thought of "King Jia's wine is sad". He felt regretful and ashamed. He cried and said to Wang Zongshou: "If I could have listened to your advice earlier, why would I be here today!"
People are fighting for their lives, and others are fighting for their lives. To this day, Wang Zongyan finally shed tears of regret. And Wang Zongshou didn't say a word, he just cried and cried with Wang Zongyan.
What could he say? In his mind, an emoticon may flash across. On it, Wang Zongyan is smiling with an indescribable secret, and below it is a line of words: Pull it down, my Shu is dead, what's the use of saying this?
Later, at Wang Zongshou's request, the Later Tang Dynasty court named Wang Zongyan "Shun Zhenggong" and reburied him with vassal rites. A total of 18 Wang family remains were found and reburied.
On the day of burial, Wang Zongshou walked with the coffin, and the people praised him. The rulers of the Later Tang Dynasty were also moved by Wang Zongshou's loyalty.
In the Later Tang Dynasty, Wang Zongshou first served as the governor of Zizhou, and later as the military governor of Pinglu Army in Qingzhou. As a general who surrendered to the former Shu, Wang Zongshou was low-key and introverted. He did not make friends with powerful people, but was only willing to lecture on Buddhist scriptures and Taoism with monks. He usually entertained himself with calligraphy and poetry. , many of his calligraphy treasures are collected by Taoist temples. Wang Zongshou also died a good death.
However, Wang Zongshou also had a slight flaw. He killed a man named Wang Xiancheng.
Wang Xiancheng appeared in the previous article. He was originally a scholar in Shu. He joined the army in troubled times and was just an ordinary soldier. At that time, Wang Jian attacked Yang Sheng in Pengzhou and could not capture it for a long time. Wang Xiancheng recommended himself, met with General Wang Zongkan, stated the fatal shortcomings of "Taolu", and offered strategies to defeat Pengzhou. After Pengzhou was successfully captured, Wang Xiancheng was promoted to the governor of Kuizhou.
In the fourth year of Qianhua (914), Gao Jichang of Jingnan launched a navy to attack Kuizhou. Previously, the four prefectures of Kui, Wan, Zhong, and Fu were the territory of Jingnan. After they were taken away by the former Shu, the former Shu set up the "Zhenjiang Army" in the four prefectures, with Zhongzhou as its headquarters, and the Zhenjiang Army Jiedushi was King Jia. Wang Zongshou.
Wang Xiancheng was arrogant and rude because of his contribution to defeating Pengzhou. Wang Zongshou was very disgusted with this.
Facing Gao Jichang's invasion, Wang Cheng first asked for help from his superior Wang Zongshou, asking for armor support. Wang Zongshou only gave him a batch of white cloth robes. If someone wants plate armor, you give him cloth armor.
Later, under the resistance of "Lock Gorge Hero" Zhang Wu, Gao Jichang was defeated. Wang Chengxian secretly reported Wang Zongshou's behavior of not giving him armor, passively confronting the enemy, killing people with a borrowed knife, and avenging private revenge. Unexpectedly, the messenger was captured by Wang Zongshou, so Wang Zongshou deceived Wang Cheng to Zhongzhou and then killed him on the pretext of convening a military meeting.
2. Loyal ministers and righteous men
Pu Yuqing
He repeatedly advised Wang Zongyan and wrote a two-thousand-word letter to advise Wang Zongyan on his northern tour of Qinzhou. As a result, he offended many powerful people, and Han Zhao threatened to throw him into prison. When Wang Zongyan moved eastward, Pu Yuqing was also among the "one party" and followed him into Luo. After Wang Zongyan was killed in Qinchuan Post, Pu Yuqing burst into tears and wrote a poem on the post gate:
"My king has given the title of Bi and has proclaimed himself a minister. Why do we have to kill our whole family at the same time?"
The name of Han Shezi Ying is still there, and the affairs of Wei and Liu Chan are still fresh.
Unless you are ignorant in a big country, there is no one in the Central Plains.
I go to Chang'an alone with all my melancholy. How can I repay your kindness with little strength? "
After finishing writing the inscription, Pu Yuqing threw the pen on the ground, rolled up his sleeves and left, his whereabouts unknown since then. I don't want him to die for his country by throwing himself off a cliff, but I also hope that he can live in seclusion in the mountains and temples.
Ma Quan
During the two dynasties of Wang Jian and Wang Zongyan, he served as an official and an envoy to the Yongping Army, and was also among the "Wang Zongyan and his entourage". After Wang Zongyan suffered the disaster of Qinchuanyi, the remaining civil and military officials finally arrived in Luoyang in June, and the court of the Later Tang Dynasty All of them were pardoned, and those who responded were given official positions, rewards and comfort. From the Prime Minister Wang Kai down, everyone was happy and grateful, but Ma Quan looked up to the sky and sighed, saying that I am worried about the humiliation of my ministers, and I am worried about the humiliation of my ministers and their death. The country has been destroyed, and our ministers are worse off than dead! So he went on a hunger strike and died.
Niu Xiji
He was a scholar of the Hanlin Academy of the former Shu Dynasty and Zhongcheng of the Yushi Dynasty, and was among the "Wang Zongyan and his entourage". One day, the then emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty, Mingzong Li Siyuan, announced that the former Shu prime ministers Wang Kai, Zhang Ge, Yu Chuansu and Hanlin scholar Niu Xiji had entered the palace, and then each was given a rhyme and ordered to compose a seven-character rhymed poem with the theme "The Lord of Shu surrendered to the Tang Dynasty" ".
Thousands of people beat the drum, and the poems written by Wang Kai and others were all sarcastic remarks about the old master Wang Zongyan, accusing him of arrogantly proclaiming himself emperor and being dissolute and immoral...like licking dogs wagging their tails begging for mercy, licking the chrysanthemum with all their strength in the later Tang Dynasty.
Only Niu Xiji did not slander the old master. He only said that the former Shu had exhausted its power and had returned to his destiny.
The end of the poem says:
"It has been the same throughout the ages, with laughter and tears at times."
Reading it carefully, not only does it not criticize Wang Zongyan, but it also means admonishing the current saints. It seems to have a charm of "future generations will grieve and ignore it, which will also make future generations grieve for future generations again."
Emperor Mingzong Li Siyuan deeply appreciated Niu Xiji's loyalty and integrity, and praised him as a rare loyal and filial person in the world. He immediately worshiped him as the deputy envoy of Yongzhou Jiedu.
Niu Xiji was good at poetry, and one of his poems, "Linjiang Immortal", was most praised by the world. It chanted the ancients and expressed feelings, and opened up a new path for the development of poetry.
A poor family has a virtuous wife, and a country in ruins has loyal ministers. Ma Quan went on a hunger strike and died in Shu. Niu Xiji did not disgrace his old master. Although he was a minister of the country's subjugation, he still left his name in history.
When the historian concluded the coffin of the former Shu monarchs and ministers, he bluntly expressed his regret for the former Shu. He believed that the former Shu could have lived on for a few more years because Li Cunxu was far inferior to Sima Zhao, and neither were Li Jiji and Guo Chongtao. Deng Ai, Zhong Hui, and the Later Tang Dynasty only controlled half of China, and their strength was relatively weak. There were also strong vassal regimes such as Huainan, and they also had fatal contradictions such as political darkness and corruption.
Even the Shu people said that although the Later Tang Dynasty aggressively attacked Shu, even the Tang people did not have full confidence or even a firm belief.
We have also laid the groundwork in the previous article. The Later Tang Dynasty only sent 60,000 troops and horses, and there was insufficient food and grass. In fact, the situation of the Later Tang Dynasty did not support launching a large-scale war to destroy the country. Li Cunxu also knew this, so his original intention was to rob the country in the name of destroying the country, but the actual purpose was to rob the gold and silver silk and satin of Shu. (Although the intention was to conquer Shu, there was no definite plan. He only wanted gold, silk and brocade to satisfy his desires).
It's just that Later Tang never expected that there was no resistance, and the former Shu army rushed to surrender, and was ushered into Chengdu in such a confused way, and accidentally destroyed a country...
In Li Cunxu's biography, the most common word is "hunting", and he hunts endlessly all day long. In Wang Zongyan's biography, the most common word is "you", who is a hardcore travel enthusiast. The two of them are really as good as each other, eating meat with open mouths - not to mention fat.
The historian even said obscenely: "If Wang Zongyan can be diligent in political affairs, bribe his neighbors with money, and improve good neighborly relations, he may be able to postpone the state of Zuo until his destined emperor comes to deal with it..." The former Shu should die, but it shouldn't. Destroyed by Li Cunxu.
The war between the Later Tang Dynasty and the former Shu Dynasty was a miracle in the history of human warfare. It was very confusing and strange. For example, in its process, the original intention of the Later Tang Dynasty was to plunder homes and houses, just like the Khitan harassed Hebei.
The weirdest thing is its ending and impact. This war lasted very short, and the casualties were almost negligible. It was by no means a quagmire of war, but it still brought down the victorious Later Tang Dynasty. After the former Shu was destroyed, the Later Tang Empire was immediately on the verge of collapse. , less than half a year later, Li Cunxu died in the mutiny, and the country changed hands.
