Why?
Why did Li Rubai resign from the Ningxia Army Corps "due to illness" four months before Li Rusong's death? Why is Yang Yuan about to be executed? Why did the imperial court recommend three candidates as the new commander-in-chief of Liaodong, but in the end it was Li Rusong who went to Liaodong to take up the post?
The original text of the history book is "Three people were recommended by the imperial court, and the special purpose was like a pine tree." It can be seen that Zhu Yijun still valued Li Rusong at this time, and allowed him to return to Liaodong after he made achievements in Korea.
But the matter was not that simple, because Li Rusong's title was later passed to his eldest son Li Shizhong, but Li Shizhong died soon after and had no sons. The second son Li Xianzhong was supposed to succeed him, but surprisingly he was not awarded a title for a long time. The history of the Ming Dynasty records that "Shizhong died not long ago and had no children. His younger brother Xianzhong was Yinli, the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong, who became the heir apparent. However, the courtiers hated the Li family and did nothing to say anything."
Here is a piece of information revealed: Li Xianzhong failed to inherit the title because "the courtiers were hostile to the Li family".
Why did the courtiers "hate the Li family"? The biggest possibility is that the Li family's military group is too powerful, and many courtiers regard it as a serious threat to their rule. "The Li family's military power is too strong...especially domineering. If you don't plan for it early, you may be afraid of other changes."
The word "bossy" clearly refers to Li Rubai in this memorial, but it probably does not refer to him. Because among the five tigers of the Li family, the one who can truly be called domineering is precisely the eldest son of Li Chengliang, a famous general in the world - Li Rusong!
Later generations called him Li Rusong, and most of them praised his outstanding performance in the Ningxia and Korean Wars, but rarely talked about his personality and style of life. But in fact, his ultimate tragedy may have been due to his personality.
In Gao Jingshi's previous life, his understanding of Li Rusong came from paying attention to Li Chengliang, and his interest in Li Chengliang came from the "Declaration" published by Zhang Taiyan in Japan in 1902. There is a paragraph in it: "I hope that we, the people of Yunnan, will never Don't forget Li Dingguo; May we, the people of Fujian, never Don't forget Zheng Chenggong; may we, the people of Yue, never Don't forget Zhang Huangyan; may we, the people of Gui, never Don't forget Qu Shichun; may we, the people of Chu, never Don't forget He Tengjiao; may we, the people of Liao, never Don't forget Li Chengliang."
After Gao pragmatically read history, he began to look for information on Li Chengliang, then noticed Li Rusong, and even read through "History of the Ming Dynasty: Biography of Li Rusong". It has now been more than twenty years since he traveled to the Ming Dynasty. Based on his current understanding of the Ming Dynasty, and looking back at "The Biography of Li Rusong", he realized that the reason for Li Rusong's death has actually been written in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
Let’s take a look at what “History of the Ming Dynasty: Biography of Li Rusong” writes about him:
"Rusong, courtesy name Zimao, was the eldest son of Liang Dynasty. With his father's influence, he served as the commander of the capital and served as the honor guard of Ningyuan Bo. He was brave and courageous in fighting. He followed his father for a long time and was familiar with military maneuvers. He was later moved to the governor's office and became the Shenji camp. Right Lieutenant General."
This section is nothing special. It probably records the history of the promotion of Yin Guan, the son of a famous general. Although he was evaluated as "resolute and courageous in fighting" and "well versed in military maneuvers", I am afraid that most of them are based on hindsight.
Because during this period of time, Li Rusong was Li Chengliang's "honored guard" at the beginning. I'm afraid the court couldn't figure out whether he was "resolute and courageous in fighting" and "proficient in military maneuvers"; after that, he was promoted to the Shenji Camp and served as the right deputy general. , Shenji Camp is one of the three major battalions in the Beijing Camp. There is no war at all, and Li Rusong cannot get any military exploits. The only use of his going to Shenji Camp is to gain seniority.
However, after this paragraph, the record begins to become more detailed: "In the eleventh year of Wanli, he was appointed as the chief military officer of Shanxi. During the incident, Huang Daozhan and others said that Rusong and his son were improperly living together in a strong town. University scholar Shen Shixing asked for preservation So, I summoned Qian to write a letter to the right government. I asked the admiral to patrol the capital. In this matter, Shao Shu tried to impeach Rusong and his younger brother, deputy general soldier Rubai, for their illegal conduct. Please hold back for a moment and start with the whole thing. I won't accept it."
The situation described in this paragraph starts to get a bit interesting. First, Li Rusong was promoted from the right deputy general of the Shenji Battalion to the Shanxi Commander-in-Chief! You must know that Li Rusong was only thirty-four years old this year, and had no outstanding military exploits before that.
It is relatively rare to reach the rank of commander-in-chief at the age of thirty-four, but there are still some, such as Qi Jiguang and Ma Gui. However, their promotion to the rank of commander-in-chief depends on their clear military merits, not just kindness. Li Rusong had no merit worth mentioning before that, but he became the commander-in-chief in one step, and he was also the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Town, one of the nine sides. This was of course amazing.
As a result, impeachments came to the door, and some were relatively mild, persuading the emperor that at least "Rusong and his son should not live together in a powerful city." That is to say, Li Chengliang cannot control Liaodong, and Li Rusong can control Shanxi - one on the left, one on the right, one on the east and one on the west. The father and son hold powerful troops to sandwich the capital in the middle. If there is any emergency, what should I do?
But Shen Shixing came out to protect the situation, so the emperor first appointed Li Rusong, the governor of the right army governor's office, and then the admiral to patrol the capital - then he should not stay in Shanxi, but recall him to the capital.
However, some people were still worried and impeached Li Rusong and Li Rubai for illegal acts, asking the emperor to "hold back a little and start with the end in mind." However, this time the emperor's attitude was very clear: he would not accept it, that is, he would not listen.
You think his father and son have too much military power. Now that I have taken away Li Rusong's military power and transferred him back to the capital, why are you still holding on to him?
After a period of time like this, things started to happen: "In the fifteenth year, the general military officer was restored to control the Xuan Mansion. The governor Xu Shouqian reviewed the exercises and sat down like a pine tree. The king who participated in the political affairs learned from the book but said nothing, and they exchanged arms with each other. According to the censor Wang Zhidong, he was accused of being arrogant and arrogant and slandering scholars, so the emperor took away his salary for two reasons."
As we all know, the Ming Dynasty valued literature over military affairs. As the commander-in-chief, Li Rusong sat in rows with the governor. This was actually very impolite and unruly. But strangely, the effect of Wang Yushi's impeachment was very poor this time, and he was even criticized. Salary deduction.
But this matter is obviously not over yet. How can the dignity of civil servants be ignored? So "it has been discussed again, and I asked him to change his position in the early spring of the year. He ordered Li Ying'en of Shanxi to change the town. After that, he collected the military and political remains and gave them a review, and he was impeached several times. The emperor finally loved him and did not move. Call Qian Shufu."
Look, as expected, Li Rusong began to be impeached in various ways, so much so that the emperor had to let him swap places with Shanxi Commander-in-Chief Li Yingen. Even in the Military and Political Supplements (that is, the scientific investigation of civil and military officials), Li Rusong was cited several times as a typical critic.
It's a pity that the emperor wants to protect him, but no one can move him. The civil servants worked hard for a long time, and Zhu Yijun summoned Li Rusong back to the capital to serve as the governor of the Chinese Army Governor's Mansion - this was another protection.
The favor was not over yet. In the next twenty years (Wanli), Kuai worshiped and rebelled against Ningxia. Mei Guozhen, the imperial censor, recommended Rusong as a general. His younger brothers Rumei and Ruzhang were young heroes. It was appropriate to order him to fight against the thieves. He ordered Rusong to serve as the general. The admiral is the chief military officer of Shaanxi's rebellion against rebellion, and he is supervised by the state. The military ministers have admirals, and they are as comfortable as Songshi. We have ordered all the reinforcements from Liaodong, Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi."
This is amazing. Li Rusong became the first military general in the history of Yuming Dynasty to be awarded the title of admiral! [Note: Does not appear in this book. ]
However, an accident happened, "... arrived in Ningxia in June. Rusong felt that he had great power and responsibilities, and did not want to be controlled by the governor, so he always acted in his own way. Xu Honggang of the military department and others thought it was not controlled, and Shangshu Shi Xing also said that Rusong was under the control of the governor. When it comes to discipline, one must not be self-absorbed, so the emperor issued an edict."
What this paragraph talks about is that Li Rusong's domineering temper was still not contained in Ningxia. He actually "did not want to be controlled by the governor and always did things his own way" - he did not listen to the governor's orders and did whatever he wanted.
Is this a military commander from the Ming Dynasty? Not to mention being immediately impeached and criticized by the Ministry of War, even the emperor, who had been protecting him, couldn't help but issue an edict to accuse him. There is no need to go into details about the aftermath of this battle. In short, we won the battle and everyone was promoted together.
Then came the battle to aid Korea. "We met the Japanese Japanese invaders in Korea, and ordered Rusong to supervise the armies of Ji, Liao, Baoding, and Shandong to march eastward. My younger brothers Rubai and Rumei also led their troops to aid and suppress the attack. Rusongxin made meritorious service. , Qi is getting more and more arrogant, and he is as good as Song Yingchang of Jingluo. The story is that the commander-in-chief met the supervisor for the first time. He wore armor and went to the court to pay a visit. He changed his hat and belt and became more polite. Rusong used the supervisor to pay a visit to the supervisor and fuyi, and he just sat sideways in plain clothes. "
Look, in the early years, I had to sit in rows with the governor, but now I even have to compete with the governor (supervisor).
There is no need to elaborate on the description of the battle in the next few paragraphs, only after the war, "At the beginning, the officers and soldiers defeated Pyongyang, and they were so sharp that they no longer asked about the tribute. When the blue hoof was defeated, it was like a loose air and a big rope, Yingchang, Ru The pine was anxious to rest, but the Japanese were also eating cud and running out of food. They wanted to punish Pyongyang for their defeat and wanted to return, so they paid tribute and agreed to resume their journey."
This paragraph is a bit interesting. It says that the Battle of Biti Pavilion was regarded as a defeat by the Ming Dynasty, or at least the tactical goal was not achieved, so Li Rusong was "very angry" - very discouraged. So Song Yingchang and he were eager to rest. Fortunately, the situation in Japan was also very bad, so the two sides hit it off and began preparing for peace talks.
Next, "On April 18th, the Japanese abandoned Wang Jing and fled. Rusong and Yingchang entered the city, sent troops to cross the Han River to chase the Japanese, and then attacked them and returned home. The Japanese camped step by step, divided into groups, and the officers and soldiers did not dare to attack. The Japanese camped in Busan in order to stay for a long time. At that time, Shi Xing, the minister of the Ministry of War, advocated for the tribute and proposed to withdraw the troops, leaving Liu Wei alone to refuse to defend. Rusong Nai led the army in December. In terms of merit, he added the crown prince and Taibao, which increased his annual salary by a hundred stones. Those who spoke slandered him and his relatives, insulted the country, and repeatedly attacked him. The emperor did not ask."
The situation on the Japanese side was worse than imagined. After withdrawing from Wangjing of Korea, Song Yingchang and Li Rusong led their troops to station and sent troops to pursue them. However, Japan retreated in an orderly manner and the Ming army did not dare to attack deeply. So Shi Xing, the Minister of War, left Liu Wei's troops to guard North Korea alone, while Li Rusong's division was rewarded.
However, the Ming Dynasty was what later generations called the "strong Ming Dynasty", so such a "victory" was seriously controversial within the court. So many people began to impeach Li Rusong, thinking that it was because he did not fight well that he "humiliated the country" - I want to emphasize again that the thinking within the Ming court has always been "except Mongolia, anyone who fights should win." ".
So, why did the Japanese slaves actually negotiate for peace until the end? What's the matter with you, Li Rusong? Aren't you so awesome that you want to compete with the manager? That's all you have?
However, "the emperor does not ask", the emperor pretended not to hear these words.
Not only that, "In the winter of the 25th year, Dong Yiyuan, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, was dismissed. Three people were recommended by the imperial court, and the central purpose was to use Rusong. He fought hard for his words, but the emperor refused to repay him. Feeling the emperor's knowledge of Rusong, he became more energetic. "
At that time, the Liaodong Commander-in-Chief was withdrawn and three candidates were selected. Zhu Yijun made it clear that he would choose Li Rusong. This obviously angered the civil service group, so they "struggled to renew their relationship", that is, they fiercely opposed this decision. However, "the emperor will not repay the consequences" and continue to ignore it. As a result, Li Rusong was moved, conceited and still the same.
But what happened next was not good. "In April next year, the barbarian bandits invaded Liaodong. Rusong led his light cavalry to attack the nest, and died in the battle. The emperor mourned and ordered the clothes to be buried, and presented them to Shaobao and Ning Yuanbo. A temple was erected and he was given the posthumous title Zhonglie."
Looking back now, was Li Rusong's death still so "unexpected"? What he offended was not a certain governor, nor a certain manager. What he did was actually provoking the entire civil servant group, the tradition and reality of the noble and the powerful!
During this period, Zhu Yijun's performance is also worth pondering.
At first glance, Zhu Yijun was protecting Li Rusong from the beginning to the end, and the protection was so strong that it made later people doubt who was Li Rusong's biological father, between him and Li Chengliang.
If Gao pragmatic thought that Zhu Yijun was just an average emperor, then his performance would not be a big problem. But is Zhu Yijun’s “average level”? Obviously not ordinary.
An emperor who has not seen his ministers for thirty years but can firmly control the government and win three major conquests, is this ordinary?
So, doesn't Zhu Yijun know that the Li family's army is too strong and has become the last force in Liaodong? He obviously knew it, because if he didn't know, how could Li Chengliang explain the first time he went out?
Li Rusong was so arrogant and domineering that he didn't deal with it, but Li Chengliang, who at least appeared to be honest on the surface, just suffered a few small defeats after Wanli's seventeenth year, was beaten to the end, and was recalled to the capital to be promoted. Is this reasonable?
Therefore, Gao pragmatically concluded that Zhu Yijun not only knew about it, but also took measures. This method is to praise Li Rusong, make him think that he is favored by the emperor, let him fight everywhere, and let him consume the strength of the Li family army without limit!
At the same time, Zhu Yijun also asked Li Rusong to ignore the civil service group because of such favor, making the Li Jiajun and the civil service group go further and further apart, and regarded each other as enemies!
How could the Li Jiajun, who was being stared at by the civil service group, become even more powerful? How could Li Rusong, who was regarded as an enemy by the civil service group, not die!
Do not believe? If you don’t believe it, wait and see later. After Li Rusong's death, Liaodong's commander-in-chief couldn't handle the Liao affairs despite repeated changes, so Zhu Yijun decided to let Li Chengliang control Liao for the second time.
Does this approach seem completely wrong? Li Chengliang is almost eighty years old, and you still doubt him, the Li Jiajun, so what the hell are you doing to the town?
actually not. Before Li Rusong's death, the elite members of the Li family's direct line had been exhausted. At this time, the strength of the Li family's army had dropped to the lowest point since Li Chengliang's rise to power. Moreover, Zhu Yijun knew that Li Chengliang was "cowardly and courageous", and he knew very well that Li Chengliang already understood his thoughts.
Sure enough, this time Li Chengliang "lost all his energy" after taking office again. Not only did he have no intention of rebuilding the Li family's army, but he decisively abandoned Kuandian Six Forts soon after, almost making it clear that "I have no strength anymore."
At the same time, he did not even dare to offend Gao Huai, the eunuch guarding Liaodong. Instead, he colluded with Gao Huai and helped Gao Huai raid Liaodong.
Isn't this a ghost? No matter how old Li Chengliang is, he has money and power. Is it difficult to recruit new troops and form a Li family army? It’s impossible that you’ll forget your own housekeeping skills when you get older, right?
Of course not, he just knew his situation. He knew that after Li Rusong's actions, everyone in the court regarded the Li family as worthy of death. Therefore, at this time, Li Chengliang neither dared to strengthen his strength nor could he go back to embrace the civil servant group. He could only follow the emperor obediently - the emperor was not here. If you are around, then listen to the guarding eunuch. This is called leadership. Those around you should be treated as leaders.
Facts have proved that Li Chengliang's guess was correct. Even though his second campaign to suppress Liao was almost a complete mess and he was impeached countless times, he was always safe and sound and finally died.
Was Li Chengliang wrong? Of course, but it's not all his fault.
Was Li Rusong wrong? Of course, but it's not all his fault.
Is Zhu Yijun wrong? Of course, but it's not all his fault.
Are the civil servants at fault? Of course, but they can't all be blamed...
Everyone is at fault, but from their respective standpoints, no one can say that they should bear full responsibility.
Li Chengliang cannot be fully responsible, because he may not have thought about separatism or chaos in the first place. He just wanted to be rich and noble for the rest of his life and to live with his country.
Li Rusong cannot take full responsibility. He has been loyal and brave from beginning to end. However, as a typical second-generation official, his character is too domineering and he even ignores "honor and inferiority".
Zhu Yijun cannot take full responsibility. From his standpoint, he not only protected the Li family and his son, but also eliminated the threat to the rule of the Zhu Ming Dynasty by the Li family's army.
Even the civil service group should not be fully responsible, because warlords and chaos occurred not once or twice in Chinese history, and even in the late Ming Dynasty, warlords also caused chaos. It cannot be said that the civil service group was responsible for the strength of the Li Jiajun and Li Rusong. If you are very domineering, you must be wrong.
It can only be said that when all the mistakes are concentrated together, this mistake is inevitable. At the same time, the consequences are so severe that they are irreversible.
Of course, the Ming Dynasty at that time did not expect that the Jurchens, who had been suppressed and beaten for more than two hundred years, would actually become their own gravediggers. If they were highly pragmatic, there must be ways to avoid these situations.
But they are not, so only high pragmatism can avoid it.
Li Rusong is now the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu. He was transferred to Liao Commander and wanted to return to Beijing to see the emperor. Gao pragmatic has decided that he must see him.
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your monthly ticket support, thank you!
PS: Although these two chapters are not directly plotted, they are things that I wanted to write very much before I started the book. After writing them, I felt completely refreshed. I have always felt that when reading history, one cannot just look at the surface, so when writing time travel stories, one cannot just follow superficial history.
Every historical figure has his own thoughts, and everything he does has his own purpose. Without understanding their thoughts clearly, it is impossible to deduce a reasonable plot.
