[The case of Zhu Youqian’s murder]
Political struggle is ruthless and bloody, and its cruelty is reflected in the use of points to bring out the surface, and the pulling out of carrots to bring out the mud. The so-called "cutting off the grass and rooting out" means killing everyone at every turn, and those who are close to him cannot escape being implicated. Often when one person causes trouble, hundreds or even thousands of lives are lost.
After the destruction of Shu, the eunuchs of the Later Tang Dynasty started a crazy "pot-breaking" mode, expanded the targets of attack, completed rectification and cleansing, and allowed the eunuch power to regain the initiative.
After Guo Chongtao's death, the eunuchs immediately targeted their next target - Zhu Youqian in the river.
Zhu Youqian, formerly known as Zhu Jian, was from Xuzhou. Both his father and ancestors were junior officers of the Zhongwu Army. During the Huangchao Rebellion, Zhu Jian served in Mianchi, and in his spare time, he blocked roads and robbed near Shihao. Later, he could be regarded as reforming his evil ways. He served under Wang Gong, the governor of Shaanzhou Province, and was promoted to a junior officer based on his merits.
Wang Gong is Wang Chongying's son and Wang Chongrong's nephew. The Wang family's father, brother, son and nephew have the same character and temperament, being mean, ungrateful and cruel, especially Wang Gong, who has been introduced before. After Wang Chongying's death, Wang Gong and Wang Ke fought over the river, known as the "Hezhong Heritage Competition". Wang Gong was defeated repeatedly, morale was low, and the morale of the army was shaken. General Li Fan launched a mutiny, killed Wang Gong, and paid money to Zhu Wen of Bianzhou. After surrendering, Zhu Jian launched a second mutiny and expelled Li Fan. After taking control of Shaanxi Province, he also surrendered to Zhu Wen and was appointed as the governor of Shaanxi Province by Zhu Wenbiao.
Hezhong and Shaanzhou areas are important corridors between Bianzhou and Chang'an, so Zhu Wen attaches great importance to them, so he tried his best to win over Zhu Jian. In the subsequent "Siege of Fengxiang", Zhu Jian was promoted to a high-ranking official because of the same surname. Zhu Wen was an elder of the same clan, so Zhu Wen happily recognized him as his adopted son, included him in the clan's registry, and changed his name to Zhu Youqian. Consensus, each gets what he wants.
After Zhu Wen proclaimed himself emperor, he was granted the title of King of Ji, and he was still treated with great favor. After Zhu Wen was murdered, Zhu Yougui summoned him to Beijing for pilgrimage. Zhu Youqian was frightened and politely declined. Zhu Yougui then sent troops to conquer, but Zhu Youqian surrendered to Hedong in anger.
After Zhu Youzhen ascended the throne, he offered her kind words of comfort, and Zhu Youqian resigned from the Jin Dynasty and returned to Liang Dynasty.
Later, Zhu Youqian annexed the Kuangguo army in Tongzhou without authorization, and proposed that his son Zhu Lingde be the governor of Tongzhou. However, Zhu Youzhen rejected it, and in anger, he rebelled against Liang again and entered the Jin Dynasty. Li Cunxu named him King of Xiping.
Zhu Youqian led the land in Hezhong to surrender to the Jin Dynasty, which enabled the Hedong Group to form a pincer offensive against the Houliang. It was precisely because of Zhu Youqian's containment in the northwest that Li Cunxu confidently and boldly transferred the main force to the east, and then suffered major defeats in the battlefields of Hebei and Shandong Rear beam. Without Zhu Youqian's support, Li Cunxu's great cause of destroying Liang would have been delayed for many years.
Therefore, after the fall of the Later Liang Dynasty, Zhu Youqian came to Luoyang for pilgrimage. Li Cunxu personally poured wine for him and toasted him, saying: "It is thanks to the power of the public that I can become a great businessman!" After that, Zhu Youqian was given the title of Taishi, Shangshu Order, and a living estate of 18,000. Thousands of households, almost double king standard; he was also given an iron coupon for alchemy, a gold medal for immunity from death, and he was adopted as an adopted son, named Li Jilin, and included in the clan registry.
In the Later Liang Dynasty, he was the godson of Taizu Zhu Wen, and in the Later Tang Dynasty, he was the godson of Emperor Zhuangzong Li Cunxu. Godsons are also divided into three, six or nine grades. Some are just adopted sons but are not registered in the clan. However, "Zhu Youqian" and "Li Jilin" are both registered in the clan. His Royal Highness Yuerqian in the two dynasties is the top godson.
By the time of the war against Shu, his sons Zhu Lingde was the military governor of Suizhou, and Zhu Lingxi was the military governor of Xuzhou. There were three military governors in one discipline, sixty-seven of them were governors, and five were generals. Six people, the amount of grace is unparalleled.
He was born as a general with a volatile and dark past, and now he was in an important town, enjoying the highest level of treatment... Needless to say, he would definitely be considered fat in the eyes of eunuchs, actors, etc. The greedy eunuchs and actors demanded bribes from Zhu Youqian endlessly, so that Zhu Youqian was in short supply. And once the appetite of the eunuchs and actors cannot be satisfied in time, threats and intimidation will be incurred.
The eunuchs and actors no longer asked for bribes, but outright extortion, and no ministers of the later Tang Dynasty were spared.
Zhu Youqian really couldn't satisfy their bottomless pit appetite. Since he was going to offend them sooner or later, he might as well not give them a penny as long-term pain as short-term pain. So Zhu Youqian became worried and said, "The land in the river is barren and the people are in poverty. Please forgive me for being unfilial!"
Let the storm come more violently!
The eunuchs were angry. This was simply challenging the bottom line of the eunuchs' power! People who dare to openly break the rules must be severely punished and killed to serve as a warning to others! So the eunuchs and actors began to slander Zhu Youqian.
The army of conquering Shu set out from Luoyang to the west. Along the way, it first passed through the Hezhong area, and then turned south from Fengxiang. Zhu Youqian asked his son Zhu Lingde to lead his troops and follow the king's division into Shu to fight. This certainly made Li Cunxu very happy. Who would have thought that this would become a major crime that the eunuchs and actors falsely accused Zhu Youqian of.
They fabricated rumors and told Li Cunxu: "When Wang Shi was gathering in Luoyang, Zhu Youqian thought that the imperial court was trying to kill Guo by false means to plot against him, so he quickly raised troops to defend himself and was ready to resist the order. Later, he pushed the situation and let the troops go out with the king's division. It can be seen that he is still wary of the imperial court. It is a time bomb. If the imperial court is in trouble, it will inevitably change. It is best to eliminate this hidden danger now. "
After Guo Chongtao was killed, the eunuchs tied Zhu Youqian and Guo Chongtao to each other and slandered them, saying that Guo Chongtao and Zhu Youqian secretly colluded. The reason why Guo Chongtao dared to be domineering and disobedient in Shu was because of the protection of Zhu Youqian in the river. He blocked Master Wang.
When the news reached Zhu Youqian's ears, Zhu Youqian was greatly frightened and planned to rush to the capital to explain it to Li Cunxu in person. His staff tried their best to dissuade him, saying that the capital was dangerous and that there were minions of the eunuchs inside. You were throwing yourself into a trap. Besides, you had done great service to the empire. Why bother with a little slander? You are upright and are not afraid of shadows. Rumors will stop. A wise man, in a few days, the rumors will be self-defeating. Don't go to the capital easily!
Zhu Youqian disagreed and said that my contribution was great? Guo Chongtao's contribution was several times greater than mine. Even he died at the hands of eunuchs. How could I escape? I can only meet the Holy Spirit as soon as possible, explain it clearly to him in person with gongs and drums, and avoid disaster.
In Zhu Youqian's view, Li Cunxu had always treated him with courtesy and tried his best to appease him. As long as he could prove his innocence, Li Cunxu would definitely kill the slanderer to appease his heart.
So, on the sixth day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Tongguang (926), Zhu Youqian came to Luoyang for pilgrimage.
As expected, Li Cunxu entertained Zhu Youqian warmly and comforted him with kind words, saying that he had great trust in him and would never listen to slander, and asked him to keep his heart in his heart. Having banquets and parties every day is a no-brainer.
Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction, but something unexpected happened within half a month.
The incident of the imperial court's execution of Guo Chongtao and his son became a trending topic during the New Year of the Later Tang Dynasty. Everyone in the world was wronged. From civil and military officials to ordinary people, everyone was shocked and discussed a lot. Li Cunxu wanted to grasp public opinion and sentiment, so he sent his cronies to secretly investigate people's opinions. Naturally, his cronies were eunuchs.
Soon, the eunuchs sent back important information: Li Cunyi, the envoy of the Baoda Army in Yanzhou, was an associate of Guo Chongtao!
Li Cunyi is the half-brother of Li Cunxu and the son-in-law of Guo Chongtao.
At that time, there was a "master" named Yang Qianlang, who claimed to be proficient in Mozi's art and could exorcise gods and ghosts. He became famous for a while. After Li Cunxu witnessed several miracles, he was convinced of Yang Qianlang's magic and rewarded him generously. Yang Qianlang and his wife were allowed to enter and leave the palace without restriction, and they were extremely favored for a while. Many people who needed to move their relationship and smooth their joints also chose to bribe the Yang and his wife. Li Cunyi, Li Cunwo and others often stayed at Yang Qianlang's home and had many activities with his wife (having sex with their friends at his home).
Since Li Cunyi was Guo Chongtao's son-in-law, because of his close relationship with Yang Qianlang, the eunuch's rival, it was appropriate to use the "pot-breaking" operation to wipe out all of them.
So, the eunuch reported that on a certain day of a certain year, Li Cunyi went to Yang Qianlang's house to drink. After he got drunk, he cried loudly, saying that Guo Chongtao died unjustly, and even shouted to his generals, threatening to avenge Guo Chongtao... …
On the 23rd of the first lunar month, Li Cunxu ordered Li Cunyi to be arrested and placed under house arrest and not allowed to leave the house. However, he soon ordered his beheading. Yang Qianlang was also killed.
The eunuchs killed two birds with one stone, eliminating Guo Chongtao's associates and competitors in the bribery industry.
Even his own brother must be suspicious and killed. Who else would Li Cunxu not be suspicious of?
Actor Jing Jin took the opportunity to make a last-ditch attack on Zhu Youqian and reported to Li Cunxu, saying that the informants in the Hezhong area had returned the latest important information: Zhu Youqian had indeed conspired with Guo Chongtao to rebel. After Guo Chongtao's death, Zhu Youqian joined forces with Li Cunyi to rebel.
The eunuchs also urged Li Cunxu to eliminate hidden dangers. My younger brother Li Cunyi can kill him, so why should Zhu Youqian, who is not of my race, be trusted?
Li Cunxu completely lost his mind. On the day he killed Li Cunyi, Li Cunxu issued an edict to transfer Zhu Youqian to serve as the governor of the Yicheng Army in Huazhou. That night, he sent his confidant Zhu Shouyin to lead the army to kill Zhu Youqian.
Just killing Zhu Youqian is not enough. Li Cunxu mobilized his troops and generals to attack in many places and on multiple routes at the same time, killing Zhu Youqian's entire family: Xia Luqi was ordered to set out from Luoyang to Hezhong Prefecture to massacre Zhu Youqian's entire family; Wang Sitong was ordered to set out from Zhengzhou to Xuzhou to kill Xuzhou Zhongwu Army Festival The eunuch Zhu Lingxi and the eunuch Shi Yanqiong set out from Weizhou to Chanzhou to kill Zhu Jianhui, the governor of Chanzhou. Li Jiji, who was in Shu, was ordered to kill Zhu Lingde, the military envoy of Suizhou Wuxin Army. Zhu Lingde, Zhu Lingxi and Zhu Jianhui were all sons of Zhu Youqian.
Xia Luqi was ordered to lead the army to surround Zhu Youqian's official residence in Hezhong Prefecture. Zhu Youqian's wife Zhang led her family of more than 200 men, women, old and children to greet Xia Luqi. Zhang said to Xia Luqi: "The Zhu family has committed a crime and deserves to be executed. I just want to I hope the general will not implicate innocent people." The innocent people she mentioned were the servants at home.
Zhang selected a hundred maids and slaves from them, and asked Xia Luqi not to kill innocent people indiscriminately, but to lead more than a hundred members of his family to die generously. Sharuch agreed tearfully.
Before leaving, Mrs. Zhang took out the iron coupon of the alchemy book and the gold medal for immunity from death, and showed it to Xia Luqi, "This is a reward given to my husband by the emperor the year before last. I am a woman and illiterate. I don't know what is written on it. Please trouble me." Please explain it to me."
Talk a lot.
Xia Ruqi's eyes were filled with tears, his face was full of shame, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl in. Who doesn’t know that Zhu Youqian was wronged? Who doesn’t know that Guo Chongtao was wronged? It's not that I, Xia Luqi, have trouble with your Zhu family, it's the emperor who wants to kill... Hey! Why should I, Sharuch, do such a dirty and dirty job?
Seven of Zhu Youqian's former subordinates, including Shi Wu, are now governors and have also suffered the genocide. The eunuchs wanted to wipe out all of Zhu Youqian's "accomplices" and uproot them.
Zhu Youqian's story is scattered in the previous article. I will summarize and list it here, which will be more shocking. You can fully understand the historical records' evaluation of his "conspiracy against his will and his virtues". The final conclusion is that "he is also a pure criminal." "Chen" can be said to be a very low evaluation, and it is a complete replica of "Three Surnamed House Slaves".
Although he was full of misdeeds, he was still promoted to a higher position in later generations, almost whitewashing him into a model leader of loyalty and patriotism, and making him a tragic hero.
The reason is simple. Who lifted him up to heaven? The answer is Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty - Li Siyuan, the successor to the throne of Emperor Li Cunxu. The succession process was a mutiny.
Li Siyuan seized power through a mutiny, and denying Li Cunxu was a political necessity, just as Li Cunxu demonized Hou Liang. In order to highlight the darkness of Li Cunxu's era, it is necessary to emphasize the injustice of Zhu Youqian and others. After Li Siyuan ascended the throne, he first announced that he had rehabilitated and restored the reputation of Zhu Youqian and others, and then portrayed him as an old minister loyal to the Later Tang Dynasty and loyal to Li Cunxu. Liang Yingxiong.
At the Baimen Tower, Lu Bu also vowed to unswervingly support Cao Cao.
Zhu Youqian's "firmness" is mainly reflected in the fact that he did not have time to betray again.
In short, only by emphasizing Zhu Youqian's loyalty can we highlight Li Cunxu's innocence and explain Li Siyuan's obedience to nature. Starting from Li Siyuan, the entire Later Tang Dynasty must implement this propaganda tone, and the same is true for the Later Jin Dynasty that replaced the Later Tang Dynasty. Because the founding emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty was Li Siyuan's son-in-law, he also had to emphasize that he had legitimately inherited the mantle of Mingzong Li Siyuan, so he also had to hold high the title "Li Siyuan is great." , glorious and correct” political banner.
Since the Song Dynasty, the political influence of "Li Siyuan" has been equal to zero. There is no need for historians to be secretive and unconscionable, and there has even been a retaliatory backlash. Previously, the evaluation of Zhu Youqian was "Although he was inconsistent in his early years, after all, he died unjustly and his whole family was executed, which is indeed a bit miserable."
In this regard, the historians of the Song Dynasty were actually a little cynical. Why are they so miserable? What did you do? Don’t you have any ideas in mind? The sky has eyes, you deserve it! (It’s not the ghosts and gods that cause harm, but the evil of heaven?) - "Old History of the Five Dynasties: Biography of Zhu Youqian"
