Meng Zhixiang was a general in the Later Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In the third year of Tongguang in the Later Tang Dynasty, the army of the Later Tang Dynasty destroyed the former Shu. Zhuangzong Li Cunxu of the Later Tang Dynasty appointed Meng Zhixiang as the governor of Chengdu and the governor of Jiannan and Xichuan.
After taking control of Jianmen Pass, Meng Zhixiang gradually became determined to rely on Shu for self-reliance. He disobeyed the imperial orders and raised his troops to rebel. In the fourth year of Changxing, he led his army to annex Dongchuan, occupied all the land in both rivers, defeated the imperial expeditionary force, worshiped Chengdu Yin, and was granted the title of King of Shu. In the first month of the first year of Yingshun, he officially proclaimed himself emperor, established Hou Shu, and changed the name of Yuan Dynasty to Mingde.
There have always been no meritorious officials in the peace of Shu. That place is just a country behind closed doors. At this time, there are internal and external troubles. Do you believe that the wrong person was sent? In the Later Tang Dynasty, Meng Zhixiang supervised theft and occupied the Shuchuan to establish the former Shu. What happened again?
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, it has adhered to the policy of "defending the internal and external areas" in order to prevent local vassal towns from growing larger and affecting the court's control of the local area.
Zhao Guangyi pinched his forehead and said with a headache: "My lords, please step aside first and let me think about it." After hearing this, everyone in the hall bowed their hands and exited the hall.
After everyone retreated, Zhao Guangyi kept thinking about how to find someone who knew soldiers well and could reassure the court to go to Shu to quell the rebellion. A number of personal names came to his mind, but he rejected them one by one.
At this time, his eyes inadvertently glanced at Wang Jien who was standing beside him, and his heart suddenly moved, thinking about this possibility.
Although Wang Jien was an eunuch, he was also quite knowledgeable about military affairs. During the two Northern Expeditions of the Song Army to Khitan, Wang Jien led troops to fight with the army many times and achieved quite good results.
Moreover, he is still a eunuch, so he does not have the ambition or conditions to cede territory and become king, and he does not need to worry about his great achievements and great achievements.
The more Zhao Guangyi thought about it, the more satisfied he became. He smiled and said to Wang Jien who was standing by: "Jien, you have been following me for many years and you have served me well. Now there is a rebellion in Shu. After thinking about it, I still have to rely on you." You go and help me share my worries. This time when we go south to quell the rebellion, how about I let you be the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army?"
Wang Jien was stunned when he heard the words, and then felt a burst of joy. He understood what the emperor meant and hurriedly knelt down and knelt down and worshiped: "The official has been kind to the old slave. Now that the official has an errand, the old slave should go to pieces to repay the official." A great favor."
This is not because Wang Jien is very dedicated to the country and the people, but because as a commander, not to mention his credit after putting down the rebellion, he can make a lot of money from the rebels' money alone. After all, as a eunuch, the only thing he can pursue is money. . What's more important is that he is a eunuch, which can reassure the emperor.
Zhao Guang seemed to see Wang Jien's thoughts, smiled and nodded, and said: "Just work hard, I will not treat you badly." Then he said seriously: "This counterinsurgency is no better than before, the rebels There are many people, and you are waiting for work at ease, so you can't take it lightly." Wang Jien quickly nodded in agreement.
During the morning court meeting on the second day, Zhao Guangyi disclosed this idea to the ministers, and no one had much objection. However, Lu Mengzheng reminded Zhao Guangyi that eunuchs should be used while limiting their excessive power, etc. Zhao Guangyi He also agreed wholeheartedly.
In this way, Wang Jien was appointed as the Xichuan Recruitment Envoy to command the army and put down the rebellion in Shu.
The Imperial Guards decided to dispatch from the capital in five days and head to Shu. Wang Jien was ordered to take the lead in the army and rushed to Shu with 3,000 elite Imperial Guard cavalry in advance. He also sent a message to the Shu rulers on flying horses to ensure the safety of Jianmen Pass before the imperial army arrived.
Just when the emperor and his ministers were discussing sending troops to quell the rebellion, in the county government hall of Jiangyuan County, thousands of miles away, Li Shunduan, who had just become the leader of the rebel army, was sitting in the main seat of the hall, with two rows of civil and military personnel.
Civil officials include Chu Lihan, Huo Ji, Wu Yun, Ji Ci and others. The generals include Zhang Yu, Wang Cormorant, Xianggui, Nangong Wu, Meng Nan, Dou Shengxing, Li Taotao, Meng Yiyi, and Leng Qixian.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Shun spoke first and said: "Now Jiangyuan has been captured. How will our next action be carried out? I have little knowledge and I hope you will give me some advice."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yun, who was in charge of the internal affairs of the rebel army, was the first to come out and said: "My lord has newly ascended the throne and should extend his kindness to calm the people. Now that all the prefectures and counties in Xichuan are under my ownership, I have formed a siege on Chengdu Prefecture. The situation is excellent. I think that my lord should publicly proclaim himself king, so that he can be justified and attract talents."
Rumors that Li Shun was the relic of the Hou Shu royal family had long spread throughout Shu. Wang Xiaobo also used this banner to recruit troops during the uprising.
Now that Li Shun has succeeded to the throne, there are many rumors in private that Li Shun is the one destined by fate and the one expected by the public, and the voices within the rebel army to persuade him to advance are gradually increasing.
Seeing Wu Yun persuading him to become king, Li Shun was also moved in his heart, but on the surface he still pretended to be calm and noncommittal. He then looked at the rest of the people and asked for their opinions.
"The lower official thinks that we should slow down the title of king. Jiangyuan County is a small city and it is difficult to become the foundation of the king's industry. After capturing Chengdu Prefecture, using Chengdu Prefecture as the capital and then proclaiming the king is the best strategy." Chu on the side. Li Han came out and said.
Not only Chu Lihan, but also Huo Ji, who was standing by, couldn't stand this situation of being crowned a king and a lord as soon as he had some achievements, being complacent and content with the status quo. He was planning to stop him with words, but Chu Lihan opened his mouth. After that, he endured it and did not speak.
Zhang Yu and others also suggested that they should consider proclaiming the king after capturing Chengdu.
Seeing that most of the people had this attitude, Li Shun sighed in his heart and was a little angry, but he said: "Yes, I think so too. So how should we march next? You all should know everything." "
Hearing this, Huo Ji stepped forward and said: "Now that we have basically controlled the counties in Xichuan, we will attack Shuangliu, Wenjiang, Pixian and Yongkang's army next. Completely clean up the area around Chengdu Prefecture, and then concentrate our forces to attack Chengdu Prefecture. "
Chu Lihan nodded in agreement when he heard this, while Wu Yun suggested attacking Chengdu directly. His reason was that Chengdu was an important city in Shu. Once Chengdu was captured, the other states and counties would be like "boiling soup and throwing snow." He surrendered without a fight.
Li Shun preferred Wu Yun's strategy, but Huo Ji, Chu Lihan and others insisted on their own opinions, believing that they should first clear up the surrounding areas before attacking Chengdu.
Seeing that everyone was expressing their opinions and refusing to give in to each other, Zhang Yu said: "Don't argue, everyone. Our army now has more than 100,000 people. Even if we fight separately, the number of officers and soldiers is several times that. Moreover, the imperial army should be on the way." We are on the way. If we continue to attack the city one by one, it will waste too much time. Why don't we divide our troops into several groups and attack at the same time? This way we can buy time and capture the city quickly. Wouldn't it be nice?"
Seeing Zhang Yu's words, everyone nodded. Huo Ji, who had calmed down, suddenly thought of something and said, "General Zhang woke me up with his words. Since the imperial court has sent an army south, the only place it must pass is Jianmen." Pass, Jianmen Pass can only be opened by one man and ten thousand men. We should quickly send troops to occupy Jianmen Pass, so that the imperial army cannot easily enter Shu, and we can attack the city without any worries."
Zhang Yu, Wang Cormorant and other generals who knew how to fight suddenly realized what they were saying and nodded repeatedly, while Wu Yun also nodded. Seeing that everyone had this intention, Li Shun asked, "Who should be sent to attack Jianmen Pass?"
Zhang Yu pondered for a while and said: "Jianmen Pass is the key defense against attacks from outside the pass to the inside. It is much easier for us to attack Jianmen Pass from the inside. Besides, there are not many defenders at Jianmen Pass. There are only three to five hundred people, we only need to send five thousand people. As for who will be the general, I think we should send General Dou and his wife." Zhang Yu glanced at Dou Shengxing and Li Taotao and said.
Because the others all had missions, and both Meng Yiyi and Leng Qixian were women and could not lead troops, they had no choice but to send Dou Shengxing and his wife to attack Jianmen Pass.
