There are twelve beaches in Qutang, and the roads among them have always been difficult.
Everlasting hatred makes people's hearts worse than water, waiting for nothing to make waves.
——"Nine Poems on Bamboo Branches" by Liu Yuxi (Tang Dynasty)
…
Bai Fu said to the scholar: "Xiucai, can you check Liu Zhan's resume?"
The scholar said: "There are very few files about Liu Zhan in the files of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War. Judging from the existing files, Liu Zhan joined the army in Chenliu and was promoted to the governor of Songzhou within a few years. He was extremely noble.
It is speculated that Liu Zhan should be a local general in Henan who rose to prominence during the Anshi Rebellion. He first joined the Qinwang army as Chen Liu, and later served as the governor of Ruzhou due to his meritorious service in battles.
After the defeat of the nine Jiedushi envoys in Yecheng, in May of the second year of Qianyuan, the imperial court appointed Xu Shuji as the governor of Bianzhou, concurrently serving as the governor of Huazhou, Bian and other seven states; at the same time, the imperial court appointed Liu Zhan, the governor of Ruzhou, as the governor of Huazhou and served as the governor of Huazhou.
Xu Shuji's deputy envoy.
The Hua-Bian area under Xu Shuji's command was the Tang army's forward position to prevent Shi Siming's army from moving south, and Huazhou, which was close to the Yellow River, was the bridgehead in this front line.
Therefore, as the governor of Huazhou, Liu Zhan also served as deputy envoy at that time, which shows that the imperial court attached great importance to him.
However, Liu Zhan was quickly transferred to Songzhou, another important town slightly to the south. Therefore, we did not see Liu Zhan's army during Shi Siming's battle south in September, and we did not have a more accurate assessment of his ability to lead troops in combat.
Judging from the military reports sent by the scouts at the front, Liu Zhan had a bad relationship with his superior, Huaixi Jiedushi Wang Zhongsheng. However, it is not necessarily clear whether Liu Zhan harbored treason because of this."
Tie Chui said to the scholar: "Why haven't you heard of the position of 'Capital Commander of the Jianghuai River' before?"
The scholar said: "'Jianghuai Dutong' is an original creation in modern times. It was first placed in the first year of Qianyuan. In December of this year, when the Tang army and An Qingxu were fighting fiercely in Yecheng, His Majesty called Li Adu, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
He served as the governor of Huainan, Jiangdong, and Jiangxi, and served as the envoy for Xuanwei, observation, and disposal.
When the imperial army was fighting fiercely with the rebels in the north, His Majesty made adjustments to the military and political arrangements in the Jianghuai region, and added the title of Jianghuai Capital Commander to the various military governors of the Jianghuai region. The purpose was very clear:
First of all, it echoes the battle of the nine Jiedu envoys of Henan Province besieging Yecheng.
Secondly, we began to pay attention to and overall plan the military deployment of the Jianghuai River and Huaihe River basins with "wars, food and resources, and only two ears in the south of the Yangtze River".
Or, even if the purpose of setting up the Jianghuai capital was not to support Henan Province, it could at least prevent the recurrence of Yong Wang Li Lin's rebellion in the Jianghuai area.
Iron Hammer replied: "Since the Jianghuai Governor is responsible for controlling the Jianghuai towns, then the person who holds this position must be extraordinary, right?"
Bai Fu nodded and said: "Li Xuan, the governor of Jianghuai, is a member of the Li Tang clan. When Xuanzong was in Shu, he was Xuanzong's escort hero. He was the prefect of Shu County at that time and the interview envoy of Jiannan Festival.
When Xuanzong was in Chengdu, the Tang army general Guo Qianren plotted a rebellion. It was Li Xi and Chen Xuanli, the military envoy of the Sixth Army of Beiya, who put down the rebellion.
However, another identity of Li Xian is more noteworthy. He is the brother of the former prime minister Li Xian.
When An Lushan rebelled, one of the two brothers defected to His Majesty and the other was loyal to Xuanzong.
His Majesty Kuang Yi's Li Xian later became the prefect of Fengxiang.
After the two capitals were recovered, the two emperors both returned to Luan. Due to their special achievements in serving the two emperors, the Li brothers were promoted to imperial censors at the same time. They both adjudicated Taiwan affairs and jointly established official titles.
In December of the first year of Qianyuan, Li Xian was appointed by His Majesty as the first Governor of Jianghuai. In March of the following year, his younger brother Li Xian was promoted to Prime Minister from Jing Zhaoyin. His Majesty was particularly kind to Li Xian, and he was responsible for many major military and state affairs.
It depends on Li Xian.
The Li brothers, one in the outer town and the other in the court, became the most important and trusted ministers of His Majesty at that time."
The scholar said: "This makes sense. The person who provoked Liu Zhan's incident was Huaixi Jiedushi Wang Zhongsheng, but the one who dealt with Liu Zhan was Li Long, the governor of Jianghuai.
Considering that Liu Zhan had strong troops and Wang Zhongsheng's main responsibility was to guard against Shi Siming, if the court asked Wang Zhongsheng to punish Liu Zhan, it would probably be detrimental to the suppression of the rebellion.
At present, in the Jianghuai area, except for Wang Zhongsheng, only Li Xian is your Majesty's confidant. The others, such as Tian Shengong and Shangheng in the east of Henan Province, are either rebel generals who surrendered to the imperial court or local rebel leaders in Henan Province. Your Majesty obviously
We cannot rely on them to deal with Liu Zhan.
From this point of view, the imperial court can only place the heavy responsibility of punishing Liu Zhan on Li Xi."
Bai Fu waved his hand and asked: "Xiucai, have you read the "Thanks to the Envoys of Western Zhejiang Province" that Yan Zhenqing played to the court in June of the second year of Qianyuan?"
The topic suddenly shifted from Liu Zhan to Yan Zhenqing. The scholar didn't know what he meant for a moment and looked at Bai Fu in confusion.
Bai Fu stood up, walked around the hall, and said: "Liu Zhan started his troops to go south in November of the first year of Shangyuan (760), and Yan Zhenqing was in charge of the Western Zhejiang Festival in the second year of Qianyuan (759).
year) to the first month of the first year of Shangyuan (760).
In "Thanks to the Jiedushi Envoy of Western Zhejiang Province", Mr. Yan has this sentence: "I will go to my own way today to take the command of the Jiedu Observation Envoy Li Xuan. After the punishment is completed, I will go to Shengzhou to repair the armor and soldiers."
Follow the officers and men, observe the key points, and be prepared for any danger...Fake your majesty's heroic majesty, follow your majesty's plain principles, work hard with one heart, and respond to the mercy of heaven.'"
The scholar was stunned and said: "Is it possible that His Majesty had a plan to get rid of Liu Zhan in the second year of Qianyuan?"
Bai Fu said: "I checked the transfer order appointing Mr. Yan as the minister of the Ministry of Justice from the household records. There is such a note in it: 'In June of the second year of Qianyuan, Yan Zhenqing, the governor of Raozhou, was appointed the governor of Shengzhou to serve as the governor of Zhejiang West Road.
The envoy was also the defense envoy of Bodu in the Song Dynasty. Liu Zhan's rebellion had been revealed, and Yan Zhenqing was concerned that he would invade the south of the Yangtze River, so he selected generals to train his soldiers and prepare their weapons for land and water warfare. The commander-in-chief Li Ao thought that Yan Zhenqing's plan was too early, so he reported it secretly
.His Majesty issued an imperial edict to pursue him. Before he reached the capital, he paid homage to the Minister of Punishment.'
Judging from the location of western Zhejiang, Master Yan's "Repairing Armor Soldiers, Fu Xun Officers, and Observing Vital Points to Prepare for Unexpected" in "Thanks to the Envoy of Western Zhejiang" is probably not a preparation for facing Shi Siming.
Moreover, if Mr. Yan's subsequent plan to "order the troops to divert troops, use five sharp swords, prepare for land and water warfare, and add more troops as time goes by" is to deal with the threat of the rebels moving south, then Li Long, the commander-in-chief of Jianghuai, may not think that Mr. Yan's move is too premature.
', he was suspected of "over-preparing to frighten the masses", and secretly reported to His Majesty to transfer him away from western Zhejiang, and appointed Hou Lingyi, the governor of Hangzhou, as the governor of Shengzhou, replacing Lord Yan as the governor of Zhejiang West Road and the military envoy to Jiangning.
From this it can be seen that Mr. Yan seems to know about Liu Zhan's rebellion, and also knows about His Majesty and Li Xi's plan against Liu Zhan.
Master Yan's imperial edict to pay homage to the governor of Shengzhou and his subsequent imperial edict to Beijing were all related to preparing war preparations for Liu Zhan's benefit."
The scholar said in shock: "Bailong, you can deduce the situation so clearly based on some clues in the court official's memorial without going through military reports, aren't you too aggressive?"
In Bai Fu's mind, General Wang Zhongsi's voice and smile flashed past.
Bai Fu took a deep breath and temporarily put aside his memory of General Wang Zhongsi.
Bai Fu continued: "At the same time, according to the records of the Ministry of War, in the second year of Qianyuan, the imperial court established the five armies of Danyang in Runzhou, Jiangning in Shengzhou, Changzhou in Suzhou, Yuhang in Hangzhou and quarrying in Xuanzhou in Jiangdong, and established five quarrying armies in Hongzhou, Jiangxi. The state established the Nanchang Army.
Just like the rebellion of King Yong Li Lin, the establishment of county armies is no accident. Especially when multiple armies are established in the same area at the same time, there must be a reason behind it.
From this, we can roughly surmise that Lord Yan went out to the west of Zhejiang Province in the second year of Qianyuan (759) to prepare for the waterway war and to plot against Liu Zhan.
Based on the scholar's statement on Liu Zhan's resume, Huazhou was the front line of the battle between the Tang Army and Shi Siming. One month after Liu Zhan was appointed as the governor of Huazhou, he was suddenly transferred to Songzhou. It was probably because the imperial court did not trust him.
If this speculation is true, then we will find that there is a problem with the theory that Liu Zhan's rebellion was caused by his conflict with Huaixi Jiedushi Wang Zhongsheng.
Because in May and June of the second year of Qianyuan when His Majesty transferred Liu Zhan to be the governor of Songzhou and appointed Yan Zhenqing as the military governor of western Zhejiang, the imperial court had not yet appointed Wang Zhongsheng as the military governor of Huaixi. What happens after the month.
So, who first predicted that Liu Zhan might rebel?
After all the calculations, I'm afraid there are only two people: Li Long, the commander of the Jianghuai River, and Xing Yanen, the eunuch who oversees the army in Huaixi!
The origin of Jianghuai Governor Li Xuan has just been mentioned, he is from the Li Tang clan.
This eunuch Xing Yanen is also extraordinary. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, Li Fuguo has been the highest-ranking eunuch in the palace, and Xing Yanen was once the highest-ranking military supervisor in the Tang army.
At the beginning of His Majesty's arrival in Lingwu, he ordered to pursue Shuofang in Hebei Province. The envoy of Hedong troops was Xing Yanen. In the first battle against the rebels after His Majesty came to the throne - the Battle of Chen Taoxie, it was also Xing Yanen who served as the supervisor. In fact, Xing Yanen's initial status was even higher than that of the eunuch Yu Chaoen.
However, due to the failure of the Battle of Chen Taoxie, His Majesty appointed Yu Chaoen instead of the more senior Xing Yanen as the envoy to observe the army during the Battle of Yecheng.
However, Xing Yanen was able to continue to serve as the military supervisor of the Huaixi Jiedu Envoy, and was able to advise and influence His Majesty's strategy in the Liu Zhan incident, which shows that he is still a favorite minister whose status cannot be underestimated.
After Wang Zhongsheng took office, Wang Zhongsheng, who was eager to take sole control of the military power in Huaixi, stood on the same side as Xing and Li because of their related interests.
As His Majesty's closest confidants, Wang, Xing, and Li jointly plotted against Liu Zhan, influencing His Majesty and the court's judgment of Liu Zhan."
At this point, Eagle Eye also understood. He slapped his thigh and interjected: "In other words, Liu Zhan was forced to rebel. It seemed that the court made a mistake in judgment. In fact, it was quite the opposite. There was a clear strategy of the court hidden behind it:
That is, the court relied on local generals to quell the rebellion and revitalize the Tang Dynasty. In fact, it did not trust these generals and was even full of suspicion and suspicion. It was always wary of these local generals who held military power.
When necessary, the imperial court would even suppress these local generals at the expense of weakening its own military strength.
Therefore, although on the surface, the direct trigger of Liu Zhan's rebellion was the conflict between the army generals, in the final analysis, I am afraid that His Majesty was worried about the local generals becoming powerful, so he tried his best to curb their mentality."
An Lushan almost overthrew the entire Li and Tang Dynasties with just three towns in Hebei Province. Today, a certain Jiedushi wields significant military power overnight, and may also have the ambition to become an emperor.
Therefore, His Majesty is more willing to trust the eunuchs and even hand over the terrible power of military power to the eunuchs. This is by no means a whim, but the result of careful consideration.
These slaves have been with the emperor day and night for many years, and they make the emperor feel more at ease than those generals who fight and kill."
Bai Fu nodded and said: "Yes, as long as the slanderers are sure of your Majesty's lineage, they can get rid of the generals who hold military power openly and openly!"
Luo Tuoer shook his big head and muttered: "What are you talking about? Are you saying that Xiao Bailong can't go to Jianghuai to lead troops to fight?"
The hammer finger flicked Camel's forehead and spat: "Camel, as the saying goes, tall people don't have brains, and I'm talking about you!
If Bai Long doesn't find the traitor and rashly leads troops to Jianghuai to quell the rebellion, Bai Long will be the next person falsely accused of treason!"
Luotuo'er said: "Isn't Bailong the emperor's son-in-law? The emperor doesn't even believe in his son-in-law, right?"
The scholar snorted coldly and said: "Once the emperor suspects this kind of self-respect and rebellion, he will not be able to defend himself. Not to mention the prince-in-law, even brothers and sisters and biological sons will not be spared.
Not to mention the emperors of the past dynasties, since this dynasty, King Yong Li Lin and King Jianning Li Tan all died because of this kind of thing."
Lone Wolf crushed the copper wine baron in his palm into a copper ingot, took a long breath and said: "Everyone talks about gold, but it's hard to tell the difference between loyalty and treachery!
At that time, General Cai Xide was outspoken and could not understand the noble behavior of Zhang Tongru and Zhang Tongru, so he repeatedly advised An Qingxu. This offended Zhang Tongru, and Zhang Tongru soon found an excuse to kill him.
General Cai was extremely loyal and devoted himself to assisting An Qingxu, but he was misled by others. This is how he was framed by traitors.
Bailong, we must be on guard!"
Bai Fu narrowed his eyes and smiled, and said: "Jianghuai is a game, a killing game. Please enter the urn and kill me if you lead me to the neck."
However, he has a good plan, and I have a ladder. It is not certain who will set up a trap for whom. Since you have seen through their plan, you might as well use it to make a trap within the trap!"
bibliography:
"Crisis and Reconstruction—The Tang Empire and its Local Princes", Li Biyan, BJ Normal University Press, published in January 2015