After Liu Zhiyuan's solemn promise, Zhang Lian led his men to surrender.
However, when they came out, Liu Zhiyuan immediately ordered dozens of Youzhou officers including Zhang Lian to be killed, and only the remaining Youzhou soldiers were released.
When this group of Youzhou soldiers was about to leave the ground in Weizhou, they smashed, looted and burned in the border area before running back to Youzhou.
Guo Wei suggested to Liu Zhiyuan that Du Chongwei's closest confidants, totaling more than 100 people, should be killed, and all of Du Chongwei's property should be confiscated to reward soldiers and supplement military supplies. Liu Zhiyuan readily accepted it.
Subsequently, Du Chongwei was appointed as the Grand Master of the School, the Grand Master of the School, the Imperial Secretary, and the Duke of Chu. There is no real power, a lot of empty titles, the property is gone, and the party members have been uprooted.
Although Du Chongwei is alive, he has been sentenced to death politically, and his era of jumping left and right is over. The people could finally vent their anger against him. According to records, whenever Du Chongwei appeared on the street, passers-by would pick up bricks and tiles on the ground, smash them at him, and yell at him. But he didn't dare to fight back when he was hit or scolded, so he could only run away with his head in his arms.
After the war, Liu Zhiyuan appointed Gao Xingzhou as Weizhou's remaining governor and Wei Bojun's military envoy. However, because Murong Yanchao was the governor of Chanzhou and did not want to be adjacent to him, Gao Xingzhou resolutely resigned. Liu Zhiyuan moved Murong Yanchao to Yunzhou, and still let Gao Xingzhou sit in Weizhou to guard the northern gate of the Later Han Empire.
On December 6, Liu Zhiyuan drove back to Beijing. Halfway through, bad news came from Bianzhou: Comrade Liu Chengxun, the crown prince, died on December 11 at the age of 26 due to ineffective treatment for illness.
On December 13, Liu Zhiyuan returned to Bianzhou.
Liu Chengxun's untimely death hit Liu Zhiyuan so hard that he bought one and got one free, taking Liu Zhiyuan away with him.
Liu Chengxun is Liu Zhiyuan's eldest son. He is "kind-hearted and handsome", handsome and has a good character. Liu Zhiyuan "especially loves" this son and loves him the most. When Liu Zhiyuan left Taiyuan and went south, he appointed him as the inspector of Taiyuan. After entering Bian, he immediately called him to Beijing and granted him the title of Kaifeng Prefect, Inspector of Schools, and Tongping Zhangshi, and he was appointed as the successor.
Liu Zhiyuan placed high hopes on Liu Chengxun and worked hard to make him the heir to the throne. When Liu Chengxun was buried, Liu Zhiyuan was devastated and "wept so much that he didn't even hesitate." After three days of abolishing the dynasty, Liu Chengxun was posthumously named King of Wei and buried in his hometown in Taiyuan.
The white-haired man gave the black-haired man a gift. Liu Zhiyuan cried so hard at his son's funeral that he simply said "no hesitation".
A few days later, on the last day of the year, New Year's Eve, Suzhou reported: There was a severe famine in the country, and 867 people died of starvation.
The next day was the New Year's Day of the Thirteenth Year of Tianfu (948). On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Liu Zhiyuan was not congratulated by the imperial court. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the system was reduced, amnesty was granted, and the Yuan Dynasty was changed. The "Thirteenth Year of Tianfu" was changed to "The First Year of Qianyou".
On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Liu Zhiyuan's condition worsened;
On the twenty-seventh of the first lunar month, Liu Zhiyuan was seriously ill and dying. His close relatives knew that his end was approaching, so they secretly stepped up the internal stability maintenance work of the new regime.
Liu Zhiyuan's cousin, Liu Xin, currently works as the commander-in-chief of the cavalry of the bodyguards (the commander of the cavalry of the bodyguards and horses). He also serves as the military commander of the Zhongwu Army in Xuzhou, and his position as the local military commander is only a distant one. Now that Liu Zhiyuan was critically ill, his close confidant Yang Bin ordered Liu Xin to quickly go to Xuzhou to take up his post.
According to custom, when officials from the capital are sent abroad, they must bid farewell to the emperor. Liu Xin's request to bid farewell to Liu Zhiyuan was rejected by Yang Bin, "Stop talking nonsense and leave quickly. You're so smart."
Liu Xin probably understood the meaning, so he burst into tears and cried like rain from Bianzhou to Xuzhou.
Liu Zhiyuan urgently summoned his cronies, Su Fengji, Yang Bin, Shi Hongzhao, and Guo Wei, and announced his will. Liu Zhiyuan was already out of breath on the hospital bed, his voice was weak and intermittent, "I'm dying, and now I can't even breathe. Chengyou is still young, so you have to help me!"
Several people had tears in their eyes and nodded vigorously.
Liu Zhiyuan closed his eyes slightly, took two breaths with great effort, suddenly opened his eyes again, and added weakly but firmly: "Be careful of Du Chongwei!"
"We understand, brother, go on your way with peace of mind."
On that day, Liu Zhiyuan passed away in the Long Live Hall at the age of 54.
Su Fengji and others strictly blocked the news and continued to issue orders in Liu Zhiyuan's name.
On the 30th of the first lunar month, an edict was issued in the name of Liu Zhiyuan: During my illness, Du Chongwei and his son committed adultery, spread rumors and slander, incited the masses, and shaken the morale of the army... The verdict was as follows: Du Chongwei and his sons Du Hongzhang, Du Honglian, and Du Hongcan were to be beheaded; Du Chongwei's wife Shi (Shi Jingtangmei) and other relatives and friends are not implicated.
At first glance, the criminal suspect Du Chongwei is simply heinous, but if you look closely at the verdict, you will find that it is full of groundless accusations that "just want to incriminate." In short, Du Chongwei must die.
After beheading, Du Chongwei's body was dragged to the market, his limbs were cut off, and displayed to the people. The common people rushed forward and tore at Du Chongwei to express their hatred for him. The officers and soldiers at the scene could not stop him. After a while, Du Chongwei was reduced to a skeleton.
On February 1, "Liu Zhiyuan" issued another edict: Granting the emperor's second son Liu Chengyou the title of special Jin, Taiwei of inspection, title of King of Zhou, and Tongping Zhangshi.
A few days later, the news of Liu Zhiyuan's death was officially announced to the outside world, and the "edict" was read out at the same time: King Liu Chengyou of Zhou ascended the throne in front of the coffin and succeeded to the throne. Liu Chengyou immediately sat on the throne of emperor with the support of civil and military officials and became the second emperor of the Later Han Dynasty. He was known as the "Hidden Emperor of the Later Han Dynasty" in history.
Liu Zhiyuan was expected to be emperor for less than a year, and for the first four months he only controlled a corner of the river east of the river. He was named the emperor of Jin, but was actually a military governor. He only took control of Bianzhou in June. He nominally owned the world, but in fact he still did not gain effective control over the country until his death six months later.
Later historians did not think highly of him.
"Taking advantage of a weak point to take the divine weapon, there is an emperor's plan due to chaos. Although it is a human conspiracy, it is a revelation from heaven." Liu Zhiyuan's throne was obtained by taking advantage of the situation. It was mainly due to his good luck that he caught up with the great turmoil when the Khitan destroyed the Later Jin Dynasty.
"I have always failed in my material hopes... I am not tired of people's hearts... I am eager to stop the killing, but I have no time to respect benevolence." Liu Zhiyuan did not gain widespread support from the people of the world. The "Junior Sect" each had its own agenda, and people allied with him just like the Khitan generals allied with Yelu Ruan. , which is nothing but political speculation. When the Liu Zhiyuan Group dealt with the messy internal affairs, it was more eager for quick success and reckless and arbitrary, which gave people a very bad impression. This will be discussed in detail later. The Later Han Dynasty regime was famous for its "harshness and cruelty".
