【Operation "Breaking Pot"】
On the eleventh day of the first month of the fourth year of Tongguang (926), the eunuch Ma Yangui returned to Luoyang to resume his duties. Li Cunxu immediately issued an edict to announce Guo Chongtao's "crime" and ordered the execution of his son who stayed behind. Guo Chongtao had five sons in total. Guo Tingxin and Guo Tingjie died with him in Shuzhong. Guo Tingshuo was killed in Luoyang, Guo Tingrang was killed in Weizhou, and Guo Tingyi was killed in Taiyuan. His family property was confiscated. Guo Tingjie and Guo Tingrang each had a son, who was saved by the full rescue efforts of relatives and was brought and raised by Guo Chongtao's wife in Taiyuan. A generation of heroes finally left a bloodline and did not cut off their descendants.
Guo Chongtao was loyal and diligent, and he was ignorant of the hardships. He helped the Tang Dynasty destroy the Liang Dynasty and pacified Bashu. His contribution was indispensable. After the news of his death spread, everyone in the world complained about him, not only the people of the Central Plains, but also the people of Shu and Shu who were conquered by him. Foreign friends all believed that he died unjustly and was "an injustice to Yi and Xia".
Later historians accused him of being "arrogant and lawless" after entering Chengdu, accepting bribes on a large scale, and there was an endless stream of vehicles transporting treasures and goods every day. There were mountains of gold and silver in his home. When his home was finally ransacked, the mud of these treasures was The seal was not even completely dry (the mud seal was still wet on the day the book was lost). This means that Guo Chongtao was not safe in his later years, and he quickly became corrupted in Shu, leaving people with a handle to frame him.
This statement is very one-sided.
First of all, there were only two sons who followed Guo Chongtao into Shu, Guo Tingxin and Guo Tingjie, the so-called "philosophers".
Secondly, what we have repeatedly emphasized is the explanation that Guo Chongtao accepted bribes. Even Li Jiqi believed that Guo Chongtao was protecting the country's wealth and stabilizing the surrender of generals and ministers in Shu was an important part of the united front work. This can also reasonably explain why when the house was searched, the "mud seal was still wet". No matter how much money was "corrupted" or "bribed", Guo Chongtao never touched a penny from beginning to end and left it there intact.
Finally, from the time Guo Chongtao entered Chengdu to the time he was killed, there was only a short period of two months. If most of them were in a state of "mud is still wet", then there is another situation that is extremely scary when you think about it - - Framed. Before the house was ransacked, someone rushed the treasure to Guo Chongtao's residence to increase the amount of "stolen money."
In fact, we have already sorted out and summarized the appearance of Guo Chongtao's murder in the previous article. It just offended almost everyone, and his political allies, such as Meng Zhixiang, when they learned that the emperor had murderous intentions, they could only He tried to postpone this idea as much as possible, advised Li Cunxu not to kill people in Shu, and requested that Guo Chongtao be escorted back to Luoyang; but when he learned that Queen Liu had issued an order to kill Guo Chongtao, he could only look up to the sky and sigh.
Of course, if Meng Zhixiang can do this, he has done his best to benevolent and righteous. He understood that he could still resist in front of Li Cunxu, but in front of eunuchs, actors, and queens, he could only be like a frog shaking a tree or a mantis acting as a chariot.
History books say that Guo Chongtao made too many enemies and the opposition was too broad. "Internally, he was an official and a minister, and his eyes and teeth were gnashing with anger; externally, he was a veteran general, and his halberd-hand was heartbroken." The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty were offended many times, so they suffered the disaster of annihilation of their clan. , which is also reasonable.
Finally, the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" gave the final conclusion, "Success comes with fame, great reputation comes with danger." Guo Chongtao, who destroyed Shu, did not learn from Fan Li, who destroyed Wu, and Le Yi, who destroyed Qi. He could not retreat bravely and could not protect himself wisely. It is worth taking this as a warning for future generations.
Guo Chongtao held a high position, had a large tree and attracted attention, and offended the eunuchs. So... was Guo Chongtao's death really so superficial? Not really.
There is actually no essential difference between the eunuch group and other political forces. Taking the civil servant group as an example, the intuitive feeling between the "South Yamen and the North Division" seems to be that water and fire are incompatible and incompatible. In fact, this is just a common misunderstanding. Civil servants and eunuchs also had a honeymoon period when they worked together and collaborated. Everyone got what they needed and coexisted peacefully.
The reason for this misunderstanding is that only when there is a fierce battle between the two sides, some shocking cases will occur, and will leave a colorful chapter in the annals of history, becoming the historical flow of that period; and when the two sides When flirting with each other, even if some conspiracy is used, it will be done flawlessly and will not leave any waves. On the contrary, it will not attract people's attention.
The relationship between the Southern Yamen and the Northern Division is very delicate. Neither party has the will to completely eliminate the other, and basically does not have the ability to do so. Because everyone knows that the court cannot be without civil servants, and the emperor cannot be without eunuchs to serve him. Therefore, neither party can be completely eliminated. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, He Jin, Yuan Shao in the late Han Dynasty, and Cui Yin in the late Tang Dynasty all made efforts to kill all the eunuchs, and the final results are obvious to all.
Therefore, all pragmatic and long-term eunuchs and civil servants are working hard to build an ecological balance, that is, while maintaining cooperation, both parties try to let their own forces gain the upper hand and have more say in order to maximize the interests of the group. , the most stable.
In most cases, the battles between the "South Yamen and the North Division" are also fought over the right to speak and the initiative.
In the three years since Li Cunxu entered Bian, the two camps of civil servants and eunuchs have emerged one after another. After the two have completed the unification within the group, friction and collision will inevitably occur in the process of further external expansion. This requires the bosses of both sides to formulate Create a new order.
Generally, the two sides will have trials and confrontations of varying sizes during this period. After several rounds of competition, a new order of the South Yamen and the North Division will naturally be formed according to the level of strength, and then within the next period of time, they will Volume, the last party rises or weakens, the balance of power is broken, and then a new order is redrawn... In this way, any historical period and any political entity is true everywhere.
The eunuch group of the Later Tang Dynasty became dominant with the secret support of Li Cunxu, while Guo Chongtao used various means, some of which were fair and honest, and some of which were dirty and despicable. In short, Guo Chongtao also rose rapidly within three years, and there were many cases where he could challenge the entire eunuch group by himself. The eunuch group broke the momentum of ecological balance in which eunuchs had the right to speak. However, this was only a cause of dissatisfaction among the eunuchs, not the cause of the final break.
In fact, the eunuch group has been waiting for Guo Chongtao's "spoils sharing agreement", that is, Guo Chongtao, who has the initiative, will redraw the boundaries of interests between the "South Yamen and the North Division" and standardize the new order. During this period, small conflicts may break out. The purpose is bargain.
However, the eunuchs never expected that Guo Chongtao, who wanted to be the second Cui Yin, actually encouraged Li Jiji to kill all the eunuchs after he ascended the throne. The asking price was too high, forcing the eunuch to fight back.
Like He Jin, Yuan Shao, and Cui Yin, Guo Chongtao, who held high the banner of "Kill the Eunuchs," was finally killed by the three reactionary forces of eunuchs, actors, and queens.
The execution of Guo Chongtao was the most important political event in Li Cunxu's era, and had a huge impact on the Later Tang Dynasty. It was a Pandora's box that released a group of demons, and it was a domino that caused the empire to collapse.
Less than half a year after Guo Chongtao's death, Li Cunxu, Li Jiqi, Empress Liu, etc. died unexpectedly one after another, and the country was easy to fall into the hands of others.
