[The Death of Guo Chongtao 3 Flaws in Beautiful Jade]
Ever since Guo Chongtao became one of the "Three Giants of Zhongmen Envoys" and experienced the pleasure of high authority, he was out of control and became obsessed with the pursuit of power. After all, with a higher position and greater power, we can better serve the people.
In the process of Guo Chongtao's efforts to climb up, there will inevitably be some intrigues, overt and covert fights, mild or brutal political struggles, which will trample some people under his feet and offend a considerable number of people.
In order to protect his own rights and interests from impact, Guo Chongtao squeezed out and suppressed potential threats one by one, including his "old superior" Li Shaohong (described in detail later), as well as generals Li Cunshen and Li Siyuan. In short, anyone who can threaten Guo Chongtao's status will be attacked by him indiscriminately.
1. Li Cunshen
Li Cunshen was originally a general under Li Han. In the second year of Guangqi (886), he was adopted by Li Keyong as his adopted son and led the "Yi'er Army". He fought with the army for nearly 40 years and experienced the two generations of lords Li Keyong and Li Cunxu. , is the first echelon of the generals of the Hedong Group, and is as famous as Zhou Dewei, Li Cunxiao, Li Cunjin, Li Sizhao, Li Siyuan and other famous generals.
Liu Wei, who "measures hundreds of things in one step," was beaten by Li Cunshen, "as if a baby were in the palm of a person's buttocks."
It has been introduced in detail in the previous article and will not be expanded upon. Only one small thing is mentioned, which is enough to prove Li Cunshen's qualifications and military achievements - Yicu Jiezi.
Li Cunshen has a collection of more than a hundred arrowheads. He often shows them to his children and grandchildren, warning them that I came from a humble background. I have been in the army since I was a child. I have been injured countless times and passed death many times. Only then did I become what I am today. Glory, these arrows were taken out of my body. You must not be greedy for comfort and enjoyment. You must always think about the hard-earned family fortune!
When Zhou Dewei, Li Sizhao and others passed away one after another, the only remaining veterans in the Hedong Group who could take charge of their own affairs were Li Siyuan and Li Cunshen.
In other words, the biggest threat to Guo Chongtao is the two meritorious veterans Li Cunshen and Li Siyuan.
In March of the third year of Longde (923), Li Jitao rebelled against Luzhou, and the Khitan went south to respond. At this juncture, Guo Chongtao reported that Li Cunshen took command to resist the Khitan, "The Bian invaders have not been defeated, Jitao betrayed, and the north is defending, and Cunshen cannot do it." .”
In the ranking of generals given in "New History of the Five Dynasties", Li Cunshen is as famous as Zhou Dewei, and slightly higher than Li Siyuan. Letting Li Cunshen take command of the Northern Khitan seems to be the best option.
However, Li Cunshen was already ill and bedridden at the time. After receiving the appointment, he wrote a letter saying that of course he did not dare to refuse the appointment and that he would go through fire and water for the Hedong Group without hesitation. However, he was seriously ill and could not stand firm. Rui, I'm afraid it will be difficult to take on the important task, so please choose another good general to avoid delaying important events!
Under Guo Chongtao's operation, Li Cunxu insisted on appointing Li Cunshen as the governor of the Lulong Army in Youzhou, and went to Zhenbei Xinjiang to "force him". Li Cunshen had no choice but to take office despite being ill.
In October of that year, the Later Tang Dynasty destroyed Liang and Zhuangzong entered Bian. Li Cunshen fought for the Hedong Group for forty years and made countless meritorious deeds. However, he lost the battle to destroy Liang and was absent from the most important and historic battle of the Hedong Group. This is a great regret. This kind of blow is common for ordinary people. Incomprehensible. Li Cunshen's old illness relapsed and his life was in danger.
When Li Cunxu was critically ill, he requested to go to Beijing to see the saint, hoping to see Li Cunxu again before his death. Guo Chongtao secretly obstructed Li Cunshen from entering the palace.
Later, Li Cunxen's wife Guo came to Guo Chongtao and complained, saying that my husband has worked hard for the country all his life, and he has achieved a little bit of merit. You and I are from the same hometown, and we are more or less related. You can't bear to let my husband go. Throw this old body in the barren wilderness? You are too heartless!
Guo Chongtao was ashamed and ashamed, but he still refused Li Cunshen to return to Beijing.
A few months later, in March of the second year of Tongguang (924), Li Cunshen's condition worsened, and he was about to die soon. He once again went to Shu to request an audience. His words were sincere and moved people to tears, and he just wanted to see the emperor again before he died. .
Guo Chongtao still refused.
Li Cunshen sighed while lying on his pillow, and said: "I have lived through the two masters for forty years, and finally saw the unified Central Plains. However, those distant barbarians and former mortal enemies could also come to see the Holy Spirit, but I was actually blocked from it. , is this fate?" After saying this, the old man burst into tears and was filled with sorrow. His condition deteriorated seriously and he was already on the verge of death.
Maybe Guo Chongtao really couldn't stand the condemnation of his conscience and the torture in his heart. Maybe he really believed that Li Cunshen was about to die, so he finally agreed to Li Cunshen's request to come to Beijing.
In April, Li Cunxu lowered his authority and transferred Li Cunshen from Youzhou back to Bianzhou.
However, Li Cunxun did not wait for that day after all. Before the edict was delivered to Youzhou, he closed his eyes forever. He never fulfilled his wish to see Li Cunxu until his death, and passed away with regret at the age of 63.
Before his death, Li Cunshen dictated a letter stating his regret of not being able to attend the pilgrimage. The words were sincere and desolate, making people cry when reading them.
After Li Cunxu read the testament, he was deeply moved and "mourned him for a long time". He ordered a posthumous order to be sent to the minister and abolished the court for three days.
In addition, "New History of the Five Dynasties" and other historical books recorded it as "Fu Cun Shen" and restored his original surname. As Li Keyong's most proud adopted son, he was not included in the "Biography of Yi Er" because his descendants later became abnormal. Developed and extremely noble, at that time, it was a shame to change one's name (unless the emperor gave the country a surname), so adopted sons often chose to restore their original surnames after they became successful, such as Gao Jichang and others. He doesn't change his name when he's working, or his surname when he's sitting down. He is an upright and aboveboard man, so Lu Bu gets furious when he hears "house slaves with three surnames".
So to what extent have Li Cunshen's descendants developed?
According to records, Li Cunshen gave birth to nine sons. The lowest official of the nine sons was also a Jiedu envoy. Among them, the fourth son was named Li Yanqing (Fu Yanqing), who would become the most prominent in the future because he had three daughters, two of whom were married to later generations. The other daughter of Zhou Shizong Chai Rong, namely Queen Xuanyi and Queen Xuanci (Queen Mother Zhou), married Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi, also known as Queen Yide.
There were three queens in one family, so Li Cunshen's sons and grandsons enjoyed an unparalleled high status in the Northern Song Dynasty.
2. Li Siyuan
Guo Chongtao was quite polite to Li Cunshen, but they only physically separated him and did not allow him to meet Li Cunxu. As for Li Siyuan, Guo Chongtao's methods were even more vicious.
The first is to create public opinion and spread rumors.
Guo Chongtao once told people around him that Li Siyuan had great ambitions, was courageous and knowledgeable, and was not a person who had been under others for a long time. Since all the princes were ineffective, Li Siyuan would definitely threaten the country and the country in the future.
It sounds reasonable at first glance. However, if this sentence was not imposed on Guo Chongtao from the perspective of God by later generations, then it was Guo Chongtao's malicious slander of Li Siyuan.
Because Li Siyuan was more than 20 years older than Li Cunxu, he was Li Cunxu's elder brother in terms of seniority. However, looking at their actual ages, they were almost one generation apart, and Li Siyuan was completely an uncle.
When Guo Chongtao said this, Li Cunxu was just over 30 years old, young and strong, and Li Siyuan was already in his sixth year and nearly sixty years old. What Guo Chongtao meant was that after this strong man in his thirties died, this man in his sixties would rebel... It was completely inconsistent with common sense.
Li Cunxu is young and strong, loves sports, is in great shape, and eats delicious food. How did you know that he would die an unexpected death or be in trouble? If he lived in good health until he was fifty or sixty years old before passing away, then Li Siyuan would have been seventy or eighty years old...
I personally think that Guo Chongtao really didn't say that sentence, but that later generations borrowed Guo Chongtao's words in order to prove that Li Siyuan was the destined emperor, just like many chicken soups for the soul now borrow from Mr. Lu Xun. Mr. Lu Xun said, I really never said that.
Whether Guo Chongtao said it or not is no longer important. The important thing is that Guo Chongtao did attack Li Siyuan, and he used both soft and hard tactics to persecute him in a fancy way.
For example, he first encouraged Li Cunxu to kill Li Siyuan. He almost succeeded, and Li Cunxu was almost persuaded by him, just because Li Siyuan's counterattack was not clear, and it was a taboo in the army to kill a general who had worked hard and meritoriously without sufficient evidence. Think about the consequences of Zhu Wen's killing of Wang Zhongshi.
When discussing the candidate for the commander-in-chief of the expedition against Shu, Li Siyuan, the only remaining first-tier veteran of the Hedong Group, received unanimous support. However, Guo Chongtao was unwilling to let Li Siyuan make meritorious deeds again, so he "praised" him, saying that only Li Siyuan could resist the Khitans. , so Li Siyuan could not leave Hebei.
Perhaps when Guo Chongtao blocked Li Siyuan from taking command, he did not expect that the important task of conquering Shu would fall on his shoulders.
Blocking Li Cunshen, ostracizing Li Siyuan... The world is full of reincarnation, who can God bypass? Guo Chongtao thought he was proficient in power and was a roly-poly in the political arena and a trend-setter in the turbulent waves. However, he was self-defeating and replaced Li Siyuan to attack Shu, quickly annihilating his clan.
