For military defense reasons earlier, Gao Jichang built Xiongchu Tower, Wangjiang Tower, and Gao's Dike, especially Gao's Dike, which effectively controlled floods in Jingnan and "residents relied on it." No matter how much we criticize him, Gao's Dike The embankment is one of the achievements that cannot be forgotten.
As for Gao Jichang's faults, historians gave the answer, saying that he made two major mistakes: entering Luojing and persuading Tang to conquer Shu.
Jingnan is in a small corner, in a war-torn place, with a small territory and weak troops, but he can always make full use of geopolitics to leverage his strength. On the surface, he may seem capricious and despicable, but in fact he is a weak Gao Jichang. He used his own power to fight against powerful neighbors, and there were wars and peaces during the period. Historians commented that "the origin of the play is based on the palm of the hand, and he is also deeply involved in the art of vertical and horizontal movements!"
I am truly ashamed to be able to describe despicableness, capriciousness, and forgetfulness of self-interest in such a fresh and refined way.
Of course, the reasons why Gao Jichang and his son were awarded the honorary title of "Gao Laizi" are slightly different. For example, Gao Jichang gave us an intuitive feeling that he was a professional robber for thirty years and would dare to rob anyone's belongings. In the past, he used his geographical location as a transportation hub to rob the tributes of the southern vassals. Recently, he simply robbed the emperor directly. He also robbed Li Siyuan's Shu spoils, and also robbed the BMW and beautiful women that Li Siyuan gave to Ma Yin... The only thing that makes people feel a bit rogue is that whenever the victims come to defend their rights, he returns the stolen money and goods in full, and "and No shame."
His successors really showed their "capriciousness" to the fullest, professing vassalage to the central court at one time and vassalage to Nanwu at another.
Not only does Jingnan have a small territory and weak troops, but it is also always a dwarf in politics. Neighbors around it have successively proclaimed themselves emperors and established countries. Only Jingnan has always professed vassalage to other forces, and the reason why he professed vassalage to other countries is "to benefit from their gifts." , when you give me milk, you call me mother, when you give me money, you call me daddy. "Therefore, all the countries that despise him regard him as a high-ranking scoundrel, also known as a high-ranking scoundrel." The meaning of Laizi is "He who seizes and seizes Gou without shame is called Laizi."
The wonderful performances of his successor will be presented later.
Gao Jichang was also good at employing people. One time, he ordered General Ni Kefu to supervise the project. As a result, the construction period was delayed. Gao Jichang was furious and beat Ni Kefu in public. Afterwards, Gao Jichang found his daughter (Ni Kefu's daughter-in-law) and asked her to go home and give Ni Kefu a message, saying that she did it deliberately to show others how to show her prestige, not really to humiliate him, and asked him not to think too much about it. He asked his daughter to bring one hundred gold ingots to his beloved general and father-in-law as compensation.
This is Gao Jichang's management art and way of employing people.
There is another beautiful legend about Gao Jichang - the old woman welcomes the king:
It is said that when Gao Jichang was young, he followed Zhu Wen on an expedition. On the way, an old woman held a candle and served her in a very respectful manner. Gao Jichang was puzzled and asked her why she was like this.
The old woman said that she just dreamed of someone knocking on my door and saying: "Get up, get up, someone who breaks the earth and becomes the king is coming!" I got up quickly, and just after washing, you came here with your troops, so you He is the man who the gods say will tear apart the earth and make him a king. Of course I don't dare to neglect him.
Gao Jichang was overjoyed when he heard this, and he later led the town of Jingnan, gradually rising to the rank of king.
The most indispensable thing in troubled times is this kind of story. For example, there is a legend about Wang Jian who hid in a tomb and was called "King of Shu" by a ghost.
If the story of "the old woman welcomes the king" is not a fabrication, it should be the wisdom of the old woman. At that time, the harassment of the army on the ground was not news but routine. The old woman made up a beautiful reason, used the mouth of the gods to flatter the commander of the soldiers, and bowed to him in a high-sounding manner in exchange for the warlord's mercy. This was How to survive in troubled times.
Regardless of whether it is true or not, Gao Jichang's authorities will of course vigorously publicize it and tell people that Gao Jichang's decision to break the earth and become king was destined to be a disaster.
Especially when Gao Jichang broke with Later Tang and was rejected by Huainan, as mentioned above, in those months, Gao Jichang lost the legal basis for his legal rule in Jingnan area. Since it doesn't make sense in legal terms, he can only ask gods to endorse him.
Gao Jichang and his descendants never proclaimed themselves emperors from beginning to end. They always submitted tribunals to the central government in turn. During this period, they also professed tribunals to Nanwu. However, later generations still regarded it as a complete and independent local separatist regime and ranked it as one of the "Ten Kingdoms".
Since the Gao family never changed the name of their country, later generations also called their regime differently. Ouyang Xiu's "New History of the Five Dynasties" called it "Nanping" because Li Cunxu named Gao Jichang "King of Nanping" in the second year of Tongguang (924); The "Nine Kingdoms" did not regard it as a "country", so it only compiled the other nine countries; Zhang Tangying added it and called it "Northern Chu", a total of two volumes; "Ten Kingdoms Spring and Autumn" adopted the It was named "Jingnan" in "Annals of the Ten Kingdoms" and "History of the Song Dynasty".
However, no matter which history book it is, there is a unanimous consensus on the duration of the regime change, that is, it lasted for 57 years from the first year of Kaiping in the Later Liang Dynasty (907) to the fourth year of Jianlong in the Northern Song Dynasty (963).
In the first year of Kaiping (907), Zhu Wen established Houliang and appointed Gao Jichang to be in charge of Jingnan; in the second year of Tongguang (924), Li Cunxu named Gao Jichang King of Nanping. Therefore, it is indeed inappropriate to call this security "Nanping". Therefore, this book adopts the more logical "Jingnan".
In the fifty-seventh year, the Gao family's regime in Jingnan spanned the entire "Five Dynasties" and was born at the same time as the Later Liang Dynasty. Then it survived the Later Liang, the Later Tang, the Later Jin, the Later Han, and the Later Zhou, and lasted until the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, going through four generations and five dynasties (Gao Jichang , Gao Congjie, Gao Baorong, Gao Baoxu, Gao Jichong).
Gao Jichong took the initiative to surrender his land, and the Jingnan area was peacefully taken over by the Northern Song Dynasty. The people of Jingnan were spared the suffering of war, and the descendants of the Gao family were able to have a good death.
Looking back at the historian's evaluation of the Gao family, I can't help but feel enlightened and sigh at the foresight of Gao Jichang and his successors! Throughout the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" period, their territory was the smallest, and they were surrounded by powerful neighbors. It was definitely not a good thing that everyone was eyeing them. However, they still existed for 57 years, second only to the Qian family of Wuyue.
He was spurned by others, ridiculed by others, and ridiculed by others...but he defeated everyone except Qian Liu with just a small amount of effort.
His capriciousness and shamelessness are precisely his political wisdom. It is said that small countries have no integrity and big countries have no doctrines. Gao Jichang's scoundrels were also forced by the cruel reality, and had to maneuver around, make full use of geopolitics, drive tigers and wolves, and let powerful neighbors fight each other, while the weak Jingnan reaped the benefits.
I have to admit that Gao Jichang's great wisdom is hidden under the rogue appearance.
If you can't make money standing up, then make money while kneeling. Make money, business, not shabby.
