The timing of Yelu Deguang's showdown is questionable, and he has lost patience. He knew that this move would inevitably force Liu Zhiyuan to rebel, but he was very confident in the strength of the Khitan. He would fight sooner or later, and he would fight sooner or later. It would be better to take advantage of the fact that after destroying Jin, the power was still there and let the storm come more violently. Some.
Yelu Deguang's words tore off Liu Zhiyuan's last fig leaf. He must make his attitude clear as soon as possible.
Liu Zhiyuan invited his cronies to conduct war games.
His confidant and beloved general Guo Wei has a clear attitude: Even if you sincerely serve the Khitan, the Khitan will never trust you, so go ahead!
Wang Jun, who had just returned from Bianzhou, had the most say. He said that the Khitans were greedy and cruel and had lost the support of the people. They would never stay in the Central Plains for a long time. There was nothing to be afraid of. Let's do it!
Liu Zhiyuan's group determined the general direction of anti-Liao Dynasty, so the radical generals asked for war one after another, hoping to go south to conquer the Central Plains.
Liu Zhiyuan was very wise and said that when fighting a war, we need to use our brains, pay attention to priorities, and pay attention to the timing of combat. Now that the Khitan has just annexed hundreds of thousands of elites from the Later Jin Dynasty, and the main force of the Khitan is concentrated in Bianzhou, we should avoid the enemy's edge and not compete with it. The Khitans are now busy plundering the Central Plains people's wealth. When they can no longer squeeze out the wealth, they will inevitably return north. Now that spring has begun, the weather will be warmer by then, the ice and snow will melt, and the roads will be muddy. If we send troops to intercept them halfway, we will definitely get twice the result with half the effort!
During this period, Jing Nan Gao persuaded the emperor to advance, and Liu Zhiyuan's staff and generals also jointly urged the emperor to advance. According to the general procedure, Liu Zhiyuan must of course be humble and polite over and over again, saying that he is a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty, and his moral character is not enough. In short, he is embarrassed to be the emperor; then, civil and military officials at all levels must continue to persuade him to join. The people within the jurisdiction and the state and county officials also have to constantly report auspiciousness. Today, a unicorn is found in a certain place, tomorrow a white dragon rises to the sky, and tomorrow there is green smoke from the mountain... In the end, the officials will force each other to death...
It was too late, the current situation was too turbulent, and Liu Zhiyuan could no longer play according to the routine, so he omitted the intermediate link and went straight to the point.
Liu Zhiyuan summoned his staff and generals, with a sad face, and sighed: "The barbarians dominate the Central Plains, the Han Dynasty has no owner, and the military strongholds have surrendered to neighboring countries (referring to the Qinzhou Jiedu envoy He Jianjian and rebelled against Hou Shu). It is really heartbreaking. I ——As a high-ranking official and a high-ranking official of the empire, I feel really ashamed!"
Everyone understood, so they followed what he meant and suggested that he proclaim himself emperor immediately, issue orders to the world, integrate the anti-Liao forces in the world, and twist the scattered forces into a rope.
"Oh, you misunderstood. I meant to send troops to rescue Emperor Shi Chonggui."
Liu Zhiyuan mobilized his troops and declared to the outside world that he would leave Jingxing Pass in the east and rescue Shi Chonggui in the Zhenzhou area. On the one hand, he would rescue Shi Chonggui, and on the other hand, he would cut off the Khitan people's retreat route so that they would not be connected from end to end.
This is just a political gesture by Liu Zhiyuan to pave the way for his claim to be emperor, or it can be said to be a crisis public relations. Because the first question Yelu Deguang asked him was to accuse him of being disloyal to the Later Jin Dynasty. What did you do in the three major battles? Hiding in the west of Taihang Mountain, refusing to save anyone, and watching the later Jin Dynasty perish?
This is a mountain of public opinion weighing on Liu Zhiyuan, just like the "traitor" reputation on Shi Jingtang. Liu Zhiyuan must excuse himself and declare in a high-profile manner that he will rescue the king of Qin... Who publishes newspapers, tweets, and refines his route of advance and strategic goals before launching a sneak attack?
Stop the mouths of the world.
Liu Zhiyuan's "rescue" was, firstly, to create a public opinion basis for proclaiming himself emperor, and secondly, to legitimately integrate military, political and other resources to enhance his prestige and power.
On February 11, Liu Zhiyuan gathered troops from all walks of life and announced that they would leave Jingxing Pass in the east and cross the Taihang Mountains. Under the leadership of his confidant Shi Hongzhao, all the officers and soldiers shouted in unison: "The barbarians captured the capital, the emperor was covered in dust, and the Central Plains was without a master. The country cannot live without a king for a day, and the one who can be the king now is our king (the King of Peking). My Majesty! Please ascend the throne and proclaim yourself emperor first, so that we can go out in a legitimate manner." Then he shouted long live.
All his cronies on the left and right advised Liu Zhiyuan to take advantage of this atmosphere and quickly proclaim himself emperor. Liu Zhiyuan still refused, saying, "What do you know?" The Khitan is still very powerful now. We must first establish our merits and overwhelm the Khitan in terms of momentum.
On February 13, a mutiny broke out in Shaanzhou.
Previously, Yelu Deguang sent his general Liu Yuan to serve as the deputy envoy of the Shaanzhou Baoyi Army. Liu Yuan relied on human power and was a typical traitor. After taking office, he was corrupt and cruel. In only about half a month, the people of Shaanxi Province were living in dire straits and resentment boiled over.
The generals Zhao Hui, Wang Yan, and Hou Zhang secretly conspired to say that the Khitan was causing trouble in the Central Plains and causing strife in the world. As the saying goes, heroes emerge from troubled times. Now, Liu Zhiyuan from Hedong is the most respected and powerful man, and people are convinced. Why don't we set an example for the people of the world? If Liu Yuan is killed and money is sent to Hedong, glory and wealth will be at your fingertips.
The three of them hit it off immediately, so they secretly gathered a few dead soldiers, sneaked into the weapons warehouse at night, stole the weapons and armor, and then assassinated Liu Yuan and hung his head outside the door of the mansion. Then they killed the supervisors sent by the Khitan, and everyone supported them. Zhao Hui became the queen of Shaanzhou.
The Khitan immediately appeased Zhao Hui and others, recognized their legal status, and appointed Zhao Hui as the retainer of the Shaanzhou Baoyi Army, Hou Zhang as the commander-in-chief of the Shaanzhou Army (the commander of the Ma Bu Army), and Wang Yan as the deputy commander-in-chief ( Deputy Commander of the Ma Bu Army). The three refused and killed the Khitan envoys and burned Yelu Deguang's edict.
Liu Zhiyuan did not have enough confidence to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. Although he skipped many intermediate links, he was still waiting and watching. When Zhao Hui and others launched the Shaanzhou mutiny and paid money to Hedong, Liu Zhiyuan could no longer wait.
Liu Zhiyuan's general (Marching Sima) Zhang Yanwei and others submitted three petitions in a row, imploring Liu Zhiyuan to proclaim himself emperor as soon as possible.
Liu Zhiyuan was still hesitating. At the critical moment, Guo Wei sent Yang Pi to persuade Liu Zhiyuan, saying that the whole world is looking forward to your coming out. If you don't take advantage of this opportunity and just humble yourself, I'm afraid people's hearts will change. And once there is a change, it will change. bring disaster to us.
"Then I'll just have to do it."
On February 15, Liu Zhiyuan officially ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor in Taiyuan.
According to historical records, after Yelu Deguang heard the news that Liu Zhiyuan had proclaimed himself emperor in Taiyuan, he was "very scared, because he had no intention of staying south of the river for a long time." It was like a thunderbolt from the blue, and the people stood up and became the masters.
We who have God's perspective can of course amplify Liu Zhiyuan's cry in Taiyuan infinitely, but at that time, Yelu Deguang really had no "fear", nor did he leave the Central Plains because Liu Zhiyuan became emperor.
This record appears in the "Old History of the Five Dynasties, Hanshu, The Benji of Emperor Gaozu", which is the biography of Comrade Liu Zhiyuan. Of course, the iconic event of him firing the first shot of the revolution must be appropriately beautified.
