At the end of Li Siyuan's reign, there were undercurrents surging in the palace. Looking at this political change, it is really difficult to clearly identify a clue that can directly point to the BOSS behind the scenes.
Zhu Wen was killed, Zhu Yougui came to power briefly, and then Zhu Youzhen set things right. After analysis, we can confirm that the biggest suspicion of the "foreign relatives gang" is logically feasible even if it is a coincidence; Li Cunxu's "Xingjiaomen Change" can also be Find out the hidden boss Li Siyuan.
Only in the late period of Li Siyuan, Li Congrong was killed in a coup, and Li Conghou was quickly overthrown by Li Congke after he came to the throne... Even if we stand from a God's perspective and infer the causes when the results are known, we still find that we are powerless, and it seems that everything is really just a variety of things. Coincidences and "conspiracy theories" rarely come into play, and the invisible hands are always confusing.
Is the big boss behind the scenes hiding too deeply, or does this pair of black hands simply not exist? Or is there more than one BOSS that is evenly matched, and after several battles, both of them lose in the end?
I personally support the last point of view, which is that multiple forces secretly competed and finally reached a fragile compromise. This fragile relationship is also extremely unstable, so Li Congke was just a flash in the pan.
Internal forces were unable to decide the winner. They had been secretly competing for several years, with severe involution and a deadlock. Therefore, effective intervention by external forces was necessary to break the deadlock and make a breakthrough. This external force was the Khitan, an old friend of the people of the Later Tang Dynasty.
After annexing the Bohai Kingdom, it solved its worries and completed the transition of supreme power. After several years of digestion and absorption, the Khitan, under the leadership of its second-generation leader, Taizong Yelu Deguang of the Liao Dynasty, interfered in the internal affairs of the Central Plains dynasty and intervened forcefully. , and supported the most famous puppet emperor and child emperor in Chinese history - Shi Jingtang.
The above is the logical golden key under the chaotic appearance of this historical period (Li Siyuan's critical illness - Li Congrong's coup - Li Conghou's accession to the throne - Li Congke's rebellion - Shi Jingtang's rebellion). It also serves as an outline for a large section that follows, and is also the selling point of this book.
Now, although Mingzong Li Siyuan is still in power, the "Mingzong Prosperity" can logically come to an incomplete end. From the moment Li Congrong stepped onto the stage of history, Chinese history entered a new chapter, which we rightly call "Who Rules the Central Plains".
Below, from God’s perspective, we review the great shock in the late Tang Dynasty:
Focusing on the core issue of Li Siyuan's successor, we have briefly sorted out and summarized the information of several of the most powerful candidates in order of age:
1. Li Congke
Election advantages: Older age; great achievements
Disadvantage in the election: adopted son, not Li Siyuan’s biological child
2. Li Congrong
Election advantage: First heir of "primogeniture"
Disadvantages of the election: bad reputation, not supported by ministers
3. Li Conghou
Advantages in the election: He looks most like Li Siyuan, "his appearance is similar to that of Mingzong, and he is especially fond of him", "Mingzong's appearance is similar to his own, and he loves him especially"; supported by all ministers
Disadvantage in the election: the second heir of "primogeniture"
4. Li Congyi
Advantages in the election: "This son was born in the palace, so he is particularly beloved"; adoptive mother Wang Defei is the most favored
Disadvantages in the election: Not a direct descendant, young
Li Siyuan had never made a clear candidate for the crown prince. When he first ascended the throne, he ordered Li Congrong to go out to control Weibo and Tongping Zhangshi. At the same time, he also ordered Li Conghou to be the mayor of the capital, Tongping Zhangshi, and judge the guards of the Sixth Army. In other words, Li Conghou lived in the capital and controlled the Central Forbidden Army.
Li Congrong was very dissatisfied with this. Generally speaking, being in the capital and holding military power is a common way to inherit the throne, but being sent to a local place is a very dangerous political signal.
For example, the Khitan crown prince Yelu Bei was placed in the Dongdan Kingdom, while his younger brother Yelu Deguang stayed in the center and still held military power. Therefore, after the death of Yelu Abaoji, the deposed chief appeared without any suspense. At the time of his birth, the second son Yelu Deguang ascended the throne and sat in the palace, but Yelu Bei was forced to abandon the country and leave the country, and came to the Later Tang Dynasty.
Li Congrong was full of doubts and resentment, so he became more arrogant and irritable, and even stopped handling official duties out of anger.
Li Siyuan was very worried about this, so he selected a person who had the strongest relationship with Li Congrong among his attendants and sent him to Taiyuan Prefecture (at this time, Li Congrong had moved to Hedong) to live with Li Congrong so that he could always advise him.
Li Congrong was even more suspicious, because in the name of persuasion and service, wasn't it actually surveillance? Send me supervisors and spies? Does your father distrust me that much? Are you going to attack me?
The sent attendant also naively believed that friendship could continue in the political field, so he said to Li Congrong: "Li Conghou is respectful, cautious, courteous and popular, and his words and deeds are very young and mature. As an elder brother, you should work harder and not let your reputation be surpassed by your younger brother."
These are words from the bottom of my heart, and also words that are hard to hear. Li Congrong was very unhappy when he heard this, and tried not to get angry with him. After sending him out, Li Congrong called for his confidant, the infantry commander Yang Siquan, and said to him: "Everyone in the central government is praising Li Conghou, and he tried his best to If you belittle me, does that mean I will be deposed? What should I do?"
Yang Siquan's thoughts were simpler. He first advised Li Congrong: "You have a powerful army, occupy the most important town in the empire (Hedong), and have brave generals like me to serve you. What else do you have to worry about?" Then he suggested that Li Congrong step up his efforts. Make weapons and armor, recruit troops, and train soldiers.
After retreating, Yang Siquan found the attendant again and warned him: "You always praise Li Conghou and suppress Li Congrong. What on earth do you want to do? Why can't we think in one place, exert our efforts in one place, and support him well?" Protect Li Congrong?"
When the man heard this, he was shocked and said to himself that you are still asking me what I want to do, but I want to ask you what you want to do. So he hurriedly reported these words to Feng Yun, the deputy left behind.
When Li Siyuan appointed Li Congrong to take charge of Hedong, he appointed Feng Yun as deputy left guard and Yang Siquan as commander-in-chief of the infantry to assist Li Congrong. In other words, Feng Yun and Yang Siquan were also Li Siyuan's eyes and ears. The difference is that Yang Siquan is very stupid and naive, so stupid that he forgets his responsibilities.
Feng Yun immediately reported these matters secretly to Li Siyuan.
Li Siyuan immediately summoned Yang Siquan to Beijing and changed his appointment to the general of the Forbidden Army, which is often said to rise up and down secretly. In short, he could not stay with Li Congrong. However, because he was worried about further irritating Li Congrong, Li Siyuan did not punish Yang Siquan too much, nor did he mention his advice to Li Congrong to organize the army and prepare for war.
This small incident reflected the fierce competition between Li Congrong and Li Conghou, indicating that in the court at that time, there was a huge energy pushing Li Conghou to succeed to the throne, or, more accurately, it should be to prevent Li Congrong from succeeding to the throne. From the subsequent development of the story, we can see that few of the so-called civil and military officials or local vassals truly supported Li Conghou.
Li Congrong vaguely felt this crisis, so he was eager to establish his identity as the crown prince, and his frivolous and irritable character became the biggest stumbling block on his way to the throne.
