【Beizhou Mutiny】
Time has entered February of the fourth year of Tongguang (926). A group of Weibo soldiers who were previously transferred to Waqiao Pass to defend the Khitan (this time has been renamed "Tianxiong Army", for the convenience of memory, we will use its old name) soldiers After the expiration of the term, he changed defenses and returned to Weizhou under the leadership of commander Yang Renzhu. When passing through Beizhou, he was ordered by the court to station on the spot and wait for further instructions.
Because Weizhou was very empty at this time, and the main troops had been deployed to the front line to conquer Shu. They were still on their way to reorganize their troops. Weizhou was empty. Li Cunxu was worried that these border guards would cause trouble in Weizhou, so he asked them to stay in Beizhou on standby. .
At that time, Guo Chongtao was killed, and rumors spread that Guo Chongtao had killed the prince Li Jiqi and wanted to separatize Bashu and become king, so he was executed all over the family. In fact, this kind of rumor spread from the eunuchs. The purpose was to guide public opinion, stimulate Li Cunxu, and make Li Cunxu firm in his belief in killing Guo Chongtao.
The cost of spreading rumors is very low, but the cost of refuting rumors is extremely high. What's more, it's impossible for the eunuchs to show up to refute the rumors, so how can they refute them? We can’t declare to the outside world, “We deliberately framed Guo Chongtao, so everyone should stop believing and spreading rumors,” right? This statement is recognized by the broad masses of the people.
Soon, Zhu Youqian's entire family was massacred again, and his court sent multiple groups to massacre Zhu Youqian's son's branch. As mentioned earlier, there were two groups that caused trouble, one was Li Jiji from Shu, and the other was Shi Yanqiong, the eunuch who oversaw the army in Weizhou.
Shi Yanqiong, the eunuch who oversees the army in Weizhou, followed Li Cunxu's secret order and went to Chanzhou to kill the assassin Zhu Jianhui. It was already midnight when Shi Yanqiong received the secret order. Without further ado, Shi Yanqiong acted decisively and immediately mounted a fast horse and galloped to Chanzhou. Shi Yanqiong is the eunuch who supervises the army in Weizhou. On the surface, he is a cadre on an equal footing with the local highest military and political officer, the Jiedushi. When leaving the city, the city gate officials dare not stop them.
The city gate officer could only wait for him to fly out of the city before reporting to the military and political commander Wang Zhengyan who stayed behind in Yedu.
"Report - Shi Jianjun went out on horseback late at night. He looked flustered and moved in a hurry. He didn't know where he was going, let alone what official business he was going to do."
Now, the rumor has been updated: Empress Liu put the blame for Li Jiji's murder on the emperor's head and had the emperor killed, so she urgently ordered Shi Yanqiong to come to Beijing to discuss the funeral!
It's said that he has a nose and an eye. Everyone believed it to be true and became more and more frightened and fearful, thinking that the world was about to be in chaos.
Coincidentally. Yang Renzhu's troops stationed in Beizhou had nothing to do. The soldiers were bored and had to gamble and make money for entertainment. On this day, a soldier named Huangfu Hui gathered a crowd to gamble and lost a lot of money. Gamblers who are eager to lose are crazy. He took advantage of the turmoil of people's hearts to instigate a mutiny and kidnapped the general Yang Renzhu, saying:
"The reason why Li Cunxu was able to conquer the world is all due to our Wei Bojun! We have never taken off our armor or saddled our horses. We have been going through life and death for more than ten years. But today the world has been decided. Li Cunxu not only does not reward us for our past achievements, but is deeply suspicious of us. They guarded us like thieves and sent us to a distant frontier for more than a year. Now we can happily return to our hometown, but they prevent us from returning home for no reason. Is there any justice? Now, the Queen is killing Your Majesty, the capital is in chaos, and the soldiers are willing to return to their hometown under your leadership!"
Simply put, it is to return well. Like Pang Xun, he returned armed without permission.
Yang Renzhu disagreed and said that if the emperor was really killed, it would not affect our affairs. Even if the dynasty changed, it would not prevent us from going home.
Therefore, Huangfu Hui expressed his true thoughts, "If the emperor is not dead and wants to punish us for returning without permission, then Wei Bojun is also capable of protecting the country and the people. Maybe you and I can take advantage of this opportunity to gain more glory and wealth." Woolen cloth!"
I really want to learn from Pang Xun. Return first, then segregate the territory, wait for recruitment and negotiate terms.
"Oh - it turned out that I wanted to rebel. I'm sorry for not obeying my orders!" Yang Renzhu refused to take the lead and was beheaded by Huangfuhui.
Later, Huangfuhui supported another officer, who also refused and was also killed.
Zhao Zaili, the commander of the Silver Spear Army, had no time to put on his trousers after hearing the news of the mutiny. He put on a coat in a panic and was about to climb over the wall to escape. Huangfuhui quickly caught up to Zhao Zaili and grabbed Zhao Zaili's ankle. "Get down here!" He threw Zhao Zaili to the ground, and then showed him the heads of Yang Renzhu and the officer. "Either be our head, or put your head here."
Faced with the threat of death, Zhao Zaili succumbed and was supported by Huangfu Hui as the leader of the rebel army. The rebel army first set fire to the city of Beizhou and looted wantonly. Then they marched south from Beizhou towards Weizhou, burning, killing, looting and committing all kinds of evil along the way.
On February 5, the fourth year of Tongguang (926), the eunuch Shi Yanqiong had killed Zhu Jianhui and returned to Weizhou. In the evening, someone who escaped from Beizhou reported the mutiny in Beizhou and warned that the rebel army would arrive in Weizhou City in five seconds, so be prepared.
General Sun Duo and others hurriedly went to the eunuch Shi Yanqiong to explain the matter, and asked Shi Yanqiong to distribute weapons and armor and arrange for soldiers to go to the city to guard the city.
Shi Yanqiong suspected that Sun Duo and others had impure motives and were unwilling to distribute weapons and armor, so he said: "According to the intelligence, the rebel army has just arrived in Linqing. Calculating the itinerary, it will not arrive here until tomorrow night at the earliest. We will wait until the day tomorrow." Bar."
In addition to being suspicious of Sun Duo and other generals, Shi Yanqiong also saw Zhang Xian's mistakes. Without Li Cunxu's order, who would dare to privately distribute weapons and armor?
When Li Cunxu punished Zhang Xian for giving Li Siyuan private armor, he certainly would not have thought that the butterfly effect of this matter would be so ironic.
Sun Duo said: "The rebel army has launched a rebellion. They will definitely launch a surprise attack before we have completed our preparations. How can they continue to march at the usual speed? They will definitely speed up and travel day and night. Please lead the main force to the city to defend it. I will recruit The young warriors ambush the Wangmang River (a tributary of the ancient Yellow River) to give the rebels a head-on blow and dampen their morale first. Once their morale is dampened, they will scatter and flee. Otherwise, when they swagger down to the city, everything will be lost. If there are traitors in a city acting as internal agents, the situation will be difficult to predict.”
Shi Yanqiong still refused and said: "We only need to defend the city tightly, why go out to fight?"
Sure enough, that very night, the vanguard of the mutinous army galloped to the north gate of Weizhou, yelling and shouting, and fired random arrows at the gate tower.
When Shi Yanqiong and his men heard the sound, they immediately dispersed. Shi Yanqiong himself escaped from Weizhou City alone and headed straight for Luoyang.
Early the next morning, the rebel army entered Weizhou City. Sun Duo and others led his troops to resist, but the thieves were so powerful that the morale of the defenders collapsed. Sun Duo knew that he was defeated, so he could only lead his troops to move.
Zhao Zaili took control of Weizhou, and then asked Huangfu Hui and others to plunder and loot the city of Weizhou.
Under Shi Yanqiong's demonstration of heroic retreat, the Weizhou garrison collapsed at the first sign of attack and fled in all directions. No one had time to notify Comrade Wang Zhengyan who was left behind.
At this moment, Wang Zhengyan was still working hard at his job, handling official duties, and needed a clerk to draft a memorial. However, he called several times in succession, but no one came to report, so he was very annoyed, "It's too shameful. I'm not at work." Time, you actually left your job without permission! It’s just one person who left, but they all left, how unbecoming it is!”
Wang Zhengyan was furious, and his family members hurriedly ran in, "The rebel army has entered the city and is killing people and setting fires on the streets. All the officials have already fled!"
Wang Zhengyan was shocked, "Why didn't anyone tell me? Come here - prepare your horses quickly!" He shouted several times and slapped his forehead, "I forgot, they are all gone."
The rebel army has implemented martial law in the city and there is no way to escape. So Wang Zhengyan walked into the headquarters building and paid a visit to Zhao Zaili. As soon as the two met, Wang Zhengyan knelt down and kowtowed, begging for forgiveness.
Zhao Zaili hurriedly knelt down, kowtowed to Wang Zhengyan, and said, "The soldiers just miss their hometown. Marshal Wang is a highly respected man, so don't be so condescending!" He helped Wang Zhengyan up, comforted him for a long time, and then sent him home with gifts.
Subsequently, after the Bianjun recommended Zhao Zaili to be retained by Wei Bojun, he reported to Li Cunxu and requested for a formal appointment.
Zhang Xian's family members who were left behind in Taiyuan were all in Weizhou. Zhao Zaili treated them very favorably and sent envoys to send letters to Zhang Xian to persuade him to surrender. Zhang Xian did not open the envelope, beheaded the envoy who delivered the letter, and then sent the surrender letter intact to Luoyang.
Shi Yanqiong, the eunuch who oversaw the army, was as frightened as a bereaved dog and as anxious as a fish that had slipped through the net. He fled back to Luoyang in one breath and reported Wei Bo's rebellion to Li Cunxu.
Li Cunxu asked the eunuch Li Shaohong who could take command to suppress the rebellion.
Li Shaohong, who is dedicated and dedicated, once again recommended Duan Ning. Before the expedition to Shu, Li Shaohong tried his best to recommend Duan Ning, but Guo Chongtao rejected it. Now, he strongly recommended Duan Ning again. Now that Guo Chongtao was gone to cause trouble, Li Cunxu finally agreed and decided to let Duan Ning take command to put down the rebellion.
But in the battle plan drafted by Duan Ning, all those nominated and appointed were former Houliang generals, with the "Houliang Gang" as the core, holding heavy troops and regaining important towns in Hebei... Li Cunxu was furious, "What does Duan Ning want to do?" Withdrew his orders and revoked Duan Ning's appointment.
Empress Liu said: "It's just a few petty thieves from Wei Bojun who are causing trouble. Sending Yuan Xingqin is enough!"
Li Cunxu then transferred Yuan Xingqin and led 3,000 cavalry to Weizhou to recruit surrender and pacify them. At the same time, he mobilized other armies to prepare for the failure of negotiations and a comprehensive suppression of the rebellion.
Yuan Xingqin arrived at Weizhou City, carried out a shocking attack on the south gate, and at the same time sent people with the imperial edict to recruit people to surrender.
The leader of the rebels, Zhao Zaili, rewarded Yuan Xingqin's army by giving him good meat. Zhao Zaili knelt down and kowtowed to Yuan Xingqin on the city gate tower, and explained: "The soldiers missed their wives, children, and children in their hometown, so they just came back without permission and had no other intentions. If the commander-in-chief is willing to report to the emperor on our behalf and plead for mercy, we can be spared." How dare we not repent, rehabilitate ourselves, and make meritorious deeds if we die?" Then he handed over the emperor's edict of recruitment to his subordinates for circulation.
Things are developing in a good direction. If nothing unexpected happens, the outcome will definitely be that the emperor comforts them with kind words and pardons all, the rebels rejoice, the mountains shout long live, and Kaicheng surrenders...
But if "no accidents occur", we don't need to pave the way and emphasize it so much. This rebellion has the most profound impact in Li Cunxu's era.
Zhao Zaili and Huangfuhui rebelled from Beizhou and launched a surprise attack on Weizhou. Shi Yanqiong, the eunuch who oversaw the army, bore the unshirkable responsibility. At the very least, he was derelict in his duties and had poor command and response. Even if the recruitment was successful, Shi Yanqiong would not be able to escape accountability. Therefore, the person who hates this group of rebels the most in the world is the eunuch Shi Yanqiong.
At the critical moment when the situation was about to turn around, the eunuch Shi Yanqiong pointed at the tower and cursed: "You damn thieves, I will cut you into pieces when the city is broken!"
Huangfu Hui said to the soldiers: "Look, listen, the emperor will not let us go!" The crowd was furious, everyone shouted, grabbed the edict of recruitment, tore it into pieces, then climbed to the city to defend it, and also attacked the dead eunuchs under the city. Swearing.
Yuan Xingqin looked at Shi Yanqiong helplessly, sighed, and then ordered the attack. Yuan Xingqin had a small number of people and lacked siege equipment, so he would definitely not be able to capture the city, so after his defeat, he retreated to Chanzhou and reported to Li Cunxu.
To tear up the edict is to slap the emperor in the face. Li Cunxu was very angry, and the consequences were very serious. He ordered to expand the scope of mobilization, mobilize a large army to conquer, and gave the highest instruction: "On the day the city is broken, no one, old or young, will be left alive!"
