【The Last Emperor Rules the Country】
Li Congke sat on the emperor's throne easily, but it was not easy.
Two major problems faced him: lack of money and weak claims.
All operations during Li Congke's period also revolved around these two core issues.
The money problem is easy to understand. Although there are certain difficulties in solving it, the direction of the solution is clear. The so-called future is bright, but the road is tortuous. It is also easy for us to analyze, which will be described in detail later.
The latter question is the golden key to exploring Li Congke’s court. Li Congke's path to seizing power is very much like a replica of Li Siyuan. By comparison, we can easily understand Li Congke's current situation.
If we enlarge the pattern and broaden our horizons, we will find that the successor of Li Congke is not Li Conghou or Li Siyuan, but Li Cunxu. In other words, the Later Tang Dynasty failed to resolve the most basic contradiction from beginning to end: the power of the vassal town.
Of course, this sentence is a bit of hindsight, because it has not been solved for five generations, and the feudal system has continued throughout the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. If the kings of the Five Dynasties were in a strong position and had certain strategies, they would also create a relatively peaceful, stable and prosperous era in troubled times. If you are in a weak position, you will need to rely on more powerful strategies to balance various interest groups and maintain the balance of the political ecology.
What will Li Congke do?
The top priority is obviously to solve the money problem.
When Li Congke set out from Fengxiang, he promised the soldiers that as long as they entered Luoyang, each of them would be rewarded with a hundred guan!
They say Qian is a bastard, but he is so good-looking. Historical records say that Li Congke "disregards money and likes giving". If you don't want to be a boy who spends money, who will bear the name of a traitor and follow you? They were all forced.
However, when Li Congke asked Wang Mei, who was in charge of finance (the third envoy), he found that there were less than 30,000 taels of gold and less than 30,000 pieces of silk in the treasury, which was not enough to fulfill Li Congke's promise.
If the national treasury had so much money, Li Conghou would not be driven away easily.
Without money, it's time for these sergeants to mutiny and rebel again! Li Congke was anxious, so he took the medicine according to the prescription, treated Luoyang like Fengxiang and Chang'an, plundered the people, and forced them to make "voluntary" donations to help the court tide over the difficulties.
After a few days, tens of thousands of guan were collected, but it was still not enough to fill the hole. what to do? tax!
Li Congke ordered the collection of "property tax" (tax frame), which was a tax established during the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty. All people's houses, whether they are needed for self-occupation or renting, whether they are used for residence or production and operation, must be paid to the government. Tax. This time Li Congke asked people to prepay taxes for the next five months.
The imperial court used high pressure to collect money, exploited and plundered it, put those who couldn't pay into jail and tortured them severely. Some poor people were forced to throw themselves into wells or hang themselves, and suicides abounded. When officers and soldiers walked on the street, they were often surrounded and abused by the people.
The national treasury was exhausted, the people squeezed out the last drop of blood, and the tributes from various tributaries were exhausted. Even Empress Dowager Cao and Wang Defei had to sell off their jewelry and treasures... It was still not enough.
Li Congke was almost desperate.
That night, his confidant Li Zhuanmei was working the night shift, and Li Congke had a long chat with him about the most difficult issue at hand.
To solve the money problem, there are only two ideas: increase revenue and reduce expenditure.
Now that the first road has come to an end, we can only think about the second road. So, Li Zhuanmei gave Li Congke an idea, which can be summed up in one word: default. If you are a shabby guy and take credit based on your ability, why should you pay it back?
Li Zhuomei suggested that regardless of how big the hole is, you only have the money in your hand, so you don’t want it.
On April 23, Li Congke issued an edict: The soldiers who surrendered from Fengxiang, starting from Yang Siquan and Yin Hui below, would be rewarded according to their rank. Among them, Yang Siquan and Yin Hui would each be rewarded with two horses, one camel, and seventy coins. The soldiers were each rewarded with twenty guan of money; those who surrendered in Luoyang were rewarded with ten guan of money.
Once the edict was issued, the soldiers were greatly disappointed and even made up a song to express their dissatisfaction: "Drive away the Bodhisattva slave and welcome the iron rooster." Li Conghou's nickname was "Bodhisattva slave".
In any case, the money issue was barely managed. Another core issue - politics, is what troubles Li Congke the most.
We can further split this problem and clarify our thinking:
First, Li Congke needed to legitimize his regime and find legal basis for ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor.
1. To express God’s will
1.1 It is said that when Li Congke was in charge of Fengxiang, there was a blind man named Zhang Meng in Fengxiang. He claimed to be able to pinch and count, and he knew the fortune of the sky. He also said that he was a disciple of the Taibai Mountain God and was very virtuous. "No.") believed what he said. One day, Fang Hao invited Zhang Meng to play in the commander's mansion. As soon as Zhang Meng entered the commander's mansion, he heard Li Congke's voice talking inside. He was immediately horrified and said, "You are not a human minister!"
Fang Hao then asked him why he said this, and Zhang Meng tried to make things confusing and said a verse: "Three pearls combined with one pearl, no one drives the donkeys and horses, the years are Jia Geng Wu, Zhongxing Wuji Land."
"What do you mean?"
"The secret must not be revealed."
In May of the fourth year of Changxing (933), many doors of the government office opened their doors for no apparent reason, and everyone was quite frightened. Could it be that the mansion was haunted? So Li Congke sent Fang Hao to ask the master Zhang Meng for advice.
Zhang Meng said: "Don't be afraid, good things will happen within three days."
That night, Luoyang sent an envoy to confer Li Congke the title of "King of Lu".
Not long after, Li Congke was ordered to move to the east of Hedong. Li Congke was greatly frightened, so he asked the master Zhang Meng again. Zhang Meng looked relaxed and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I promise everything will be fine."
When Wang Sixing's army came to the city, Li Congke hurriedly questioned him.
Zhang Meng calmly said: "The king wants to be the emperor, and these soldiers from the court are here to welcome the emperor. If you don't believe it, you can take my only son as a hostage."
Now, Li Congke has really been crowned emperor, and the beginning of the book is: "In the first year of Wei Yingshun, the year of Jiawu, Gengwu in April, Yihai in June..."
Li Congke suddenly realized it and turned back to look at Fang Hao, "Do you still remember Zhang Meng's verse? 'Years and Gengwu', isn't this the time to receive the canon?"
"Yes, yes, it's so magical!"
"So... what about the other three sentences?"
Fang Hao asked experts from all walks of life to compile it together, and finally found the correct answer: "The three pearls are the three emperors; the donkeys and horses have no one to drive them, so they lose their position."
Li Congke promoted Zhang Meng to a higher rank and gave him generous rewards.
1.2 It is said that when Li Congke was first crowned King of Lu, an expert said: "With the word "Lu", one foot has already entered Luoyang." With one foot entering Luo, the other foot has already entered Luoyang.
1.3 It is said that when Li Congke was in Fengxiang, a common man named He, who was over seventy years old, suddenly died one day. After his death, he went to the underworld. The Lord of Hell said to him: "Please go back and tell King Lu for me," I will be emperor in March next year for twenty-three years." Then a miracle happened, and the seventy-year-old man came back to life.
After returning to Yang, the old man remembered the instructions of Lord Yama, but was too afraid to say anything. A month later, he died suddenly again. When he came to the underworld again, the Lord of Hell became anxious and shouted angrily: "Why don't you do as I say? I'll give you another chance, go away -"
The old man is alive again.
After being resurrected again, he plucked up the courage, came to the government office, and reported it to Li Congke's confidant Liu Yanlang, who in turn reported it to Li Congke. The old man vowed that he was willing to be a hostage. If what he said was wrong, he would be killed.
Later, someone analyzed and said that "Twenty-three" was Li Congke's nickname because Li Congke's birthday was on the 23rd of the first lunar month.
