Another prince, Li Cunli, and Li Cunxu's four sons - Li Jitong, Li Jisong, Li Jichan, and Li Jiyao, historical records record that "their fate is unknown." I guess the truth is that they were killed by no one.
The slightly controversial one is Li Cunmei. Both "Old History of the Five Dynasties" and "New History of the Five Dynasties" state that he "unknown where he ended up", while "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" records that he was recuperating in Taiyuan to avoid disaster. This Li Cunmei was in poor health and had been paralyzed for a long time, so he stayed in his hometown of Taiyuan, unlike other princes who were under house arrest in Luoyang. This hemiplegic prince did not pose any threat to Li Siyuan, so it was reasonable to avoid being poisoned.
At this point, the historian recorded with great regret: "After Taizu, he died." The Taizu here refers to Li Keyong. As of the time of the "Xingjiaomen Mutiny", there were 11 living descendants of Li Keyong, 4 of whom were clearly recorded as being killed, and the whereabouts of the rest are unknown.
Zhu Wen massacred Tang Zhaozong's entire family, Li Cunxu massacred Zhu Wen's entire family, Li Siyuan killed Li Keyong, and Li Cunxu's entire family... This is the cruelty of political games. The winner wins the world, and the loser dies his entire family.
Li Siyuan didn't get the news until a month after Li Cunji and Li Cunque were killed. According to historical records, Li Siyuan was very sad about the death of his two brothers, and was very angry at An Zhongjie's blatant disobedience of orders and killing the prince without permission. He severely criticized An Zhongjie: "How can you do this? You won't be allowed to do this in the future. That’s it.” (It’s hard to give in to repeated teachings, but I regret them for a long time)
What kind of punishment will An Zhongjie receive? He holds the position of both general and prime minister (private envoy, minister of the Ministry of War, and governor of Shannan East Road), and is highly regarded.
Since Li Siyuan's uprising in Weizhou, An Chongjie and Huo Yanwei have always been important figures in Li Siyuan's group and participated in all major decisions (all major plans were decided by Chongjie and Huo Yanwei).
It’s not a boast, we don’t need to blame Li Siyuan too much. Although he was mainly responsible for massacre of Li Cunxu’s entire family, people can’t help themselves when they are in the arena. This is the rule of the game. No matter it is Li Siyuan, Li Sifang or Li Sifang, this will happen. Do. But Li Siyuan did not kill the hemiplegic Li Cunmei, which was the most benevolent thing.
However, the struggle for the right to inherit the throne is only part of the political dilemma, and it is also a relatively easy part to deal with. As long as the people under his command are shrewd and capable enough, like An Zhongjie and Huo Yanwei, it will be solved soon.
The highlight of the political dilemma is how to gain support from all political forces. This is a required course for every emperor, whether it is legal inheritance or illegal usurpation.
"Emperor" is more like the result of mutual games, compromises, and concessions between various political forces. It is the fulcrum of the competition between various forces. What the emperor has to do is to make his fulcrum a balance point and maintain the overall balance of the intricate political factions. . To maintain this state, sometimes it is necessary to introduce external forces. This is a double-edged sword. If used properly, it will help the emperor fish in troubled waters. If used correctly, it will cause the entire system to collapse.
Whether it is a legal inheritance or a change of dynasty, it is a change of fulcrum. At the same time, all parties have also re-evaluated the weight of their own weights and proposed new prices that are more beneficial to them.
Speaking in human terms, all civil and military officials, eunuchs, local princes, vassal towns, etc. all hope to have an agent who can maximize their own interests as the emperor. For example, eunuchs arbitrarily deposed and made the new emperor their puppet; for example, local princes and vassals simply became emperors themselves.
Even today, some countries that claim to be advanced and civilized, when flaunting their political superiority, use the election of their president as an example to illustrate their political enlightenment. In fact, those large financial groups, or political investors, that sponsor elections are also using a simpler, more direct, transparent, and lower method to elect interest agents. The new president who is invested will definitely formulate corresponding policies in return. own supporters. Election bribery, and vote bribery in disguise, is the greatest darkness.
In order to have a profound understanding of Li Siyuan's situation, we might as well analyze Zhu Youzhen and Li Cunxu first.
Zhu Youzhen is a legal successor. Although it is also accompanied by a coup, the "legal" here refers to his qualifications to become the legal heir. Regardless of whether he is the first heir or not, in short, he has the right to inherit legally. For example, he is the late emperor's. A son, or a brother of the late emperor, or even a nephew of the late emperor. Therefore, Zhu Youzhen's succession to Hou Liang's class is a legal inheritance.
Zhu Youzhen is very representative because he is a typical weak successor. Although it was a legal inheritance, he did not hold real power. Therefore, as mentioned above, after he came to power, he pretended to be a grandson and worshiped all the gods. Unless you are born a bitch, no one wants to pretend to be a grandson. Zhu Youzhen also wanted to make money while standing, but her strength did not allow it.
Li Cunxu is also very representative, because he is a strong illegal usurper. By using the most drastic means (war) to break the old order and then forcibly establishing a new order, any reactionary elements who try to go against the trend will be mercilessly attacked. The process of usurping was painful, with more than ten years of bloody battles along the river, but the feeling after the successful usurpation was so satisfying that Li Cunxu forgot about himself, lost himself, and continued playing music and dancing.
After comparing Zhu Youzhen and Li Cunxu's ascension to the throne, you will have a new understanding of Li Siyuan's current situation: he obviously belongs to the latter, usurping illegally, but he did not go through a long and painful usurpation process, and did not engage in a long-term military struggle. The foundation of cultivating direct lineage strength is shallow, weak, and weak, so Li Siyuan is very weak and passive.
This is Li Siyuan's embarrassment: a weak and illegal usurper.
Zhu Youzhen is weak, but he is legal; Li Cunxu is illegal, but he is strong. Li Siyuan is both illegal and weak, miraculously killing two birds with one stone.
Among all the political forces, the one Li Siyuan feared the most was the Crown Prince Li Jiji. At this moment, the legal heir to the imperial throne was leading tens of thousands of elite main troops towards Luoyang. Li Jiji and his godfather had a feud with each other. He was probably hurrying on his way while muttering "your uncle" at the same time.
In addition to the more abstract political dilemma, Li Siyuan also faces a visible and tangible economic dilemma - lack of money.
There is a lack of money and food, and the state machine cannot operate. Because of this, Li Cunxu rebelled against his relatives. Now, this mess is taken over by Li Siyuan. Li Siyuan not only has to face the huge deficit left by his predecessor, but also rewards his supporters. This is a huge expense. However, Li Siyuan has not made any income so far. .
Economically, Li Siyuan's predicament was no less than that of Li Cunxu. If this situation cannot be reversed in time, Li Siyuan will become the second Li Cunxu at any time.
Political difficulties will aggravate economic difficulties, and economic difficulties will in turn contribute to political difficulties. The two encourage and feed each other. Once they are not contained or resolved in a timely, correct, and powerful manner, Li Siyuan will become a flash in the pan.
How should Li Siyuan deal with this difficult challenge?
