"The History of the Old Five Dynasties" records: (Li Keyong) and Zhuang, for the cloud to guard and capture, and to defend the envoy. With the same column of the morning assembly house, because of the drama to ascend to the county pavilion, standing in the seat of Mo, Mo did not dare to question.

The above passage vividly shows us the unruly character of the young Li Ke, who became the deputy mayor of Yunzhou City and the commander of the military division before the age of 20. But he is not like an official as an official, and often frolicks and fights with his subordinates and friends.

One morning, they gathered at the Datong Military Office. Li Keyong sat on the seat of the defense envoy, and all the friends stood on the left and right, only to hear "Bang!" With a bang, Li Ke slammed the shocking wood, and games such as promotion, point general, and trial began. At this time, there were already many people watching outside the door.

Zhi Mo came to work, and when he saw this scene at the door, he was stunned and smiled bitterly. He thought: Should I dissuade myself? Or should we dissuade it? After thinking about it, I still don't want to take this risk, and my heart is very entangled. At this time, Li Keyong was like no one around, and he acted correctly. Maybe he was thinking: You only became an official by nepotism, what qualifications do you have to be my leader? What have you done? What battles have you fought? This is my lovely hometown, why not do we have a home, relax, and have fun?

In this regard, Comrade Zhimo has something to say, but he can only talk to his family. This is his family is full of righteous indignation, and when they see the Shatuo people, they roll their eyes and scold them for not understanding the rules and being a wild species. This kind of dissatisfaction can be clearly seen from the epitaph of Zhimo unearthed during the Republic of China: "At that time, Shatuo was often difficult to tolerate and arrogant. Poison the North. ”

Just a few sentences are extremely ugly, and there is not a single example. Such derogatory terms abound in epitaphs. Li Guochang and his son led the Shatuo soldiers to quell Pang Xun's rebellion and made great contributions. However, the epitaph of Zhimo says that the Shatuo people relied on insignificant merit and were arrogant and tyrannical. Poison the people of the north. This is obviously a slander and untruth, and it also shows the depth of the Zhimo family's prejudice against Li Ke.

Zhimo had been in office for less than half a year as the Datong Defense Envoy when he resigned from his official position due to the death of his stepmother. After guarding the tomb for three years, he served as the general of the right Jin Wuwei and the governor of the street in the capital (Zheng Sanpin, equivalent to the commander of today's armed police corps). After participating in the crusade against Li Keyong, this is a later story.

As mentioned in the previous book, since Li Guochang was based in Luyan, the Uighurs, Dangxiang, and Tuyuhun could not take advantage of it, so they turned to harass Tiande (present-day Inner Mongolia's **Shinan and Lingel). Among these three forces. The Uighurs are the boss. In fact, they are not entirely here for money, but to vent their grievances to a large extent.

Because not long ago, the new Uighur Khan succeeded to the throne, and sent people to Chang'an many times to ask for the canonization of the Tang Emperor. When Yizong Li Yi sent envoys with jade books and national letters, he couldn't find the north. Whoever told you that the Uighurs were attacked by the remnants of the Tibetan forces, and the army was defeated and fled, and the matter of canonization was over. However, the Uighurs did not know about it, and thought that the current emperor did not regard him as a state cadre, so they were discouraged and repeatedly violated the situation.

After the alarm of the German army reached the imperial court that day, Prime Minister Lu Yan and Wei Baoheng immediately thought of a person - Li Guochang.

In the early morning of July 19, 873, the 14th year of Xiantong. Yizong Li Yi died in Xianning Palace. On the same day, Liu Xingshen, a lieutenant of the left army, and Han Wen, a lieutenant of the right army, supported Li Yi's fifth son, Li Yi, to ascend the throne for Tang Xizong. In the late Tang Dynasty, who was appointed emperor was decided by the eunuch who held the forbidden army. Because the eunuch is looking for glory and wealth. is not interested in governing the country, and because Li Yi is only a twelve-year-old child, the daily affairs of the government of the outer court are naturally said by the prime ministers at the time, Lu Yan and Wei Baoheng.

Tian Dejun's tight alarm was sent to the central government. Zhongshu made Lu Yan dare not slack off, and hurriedly came to the mansion of Wei Baoheng, the horse and the servant under the door. Presented his thoughts to him: "It is not easy to find people who can fight and obey at the moment. But there is a ready-made one not far from Tiande, and this person is Shatuo Li Guochang. He is the best candidate to succeed Duan Wenchu. Give him Lingyan Erzhou again, and I believe he will definitely comply. As for Duan Wenchu, he happened to fill the vacancy left by Zhi Mo after he left office. Considering that he is Duan Xiushi's descendant, what do you think of adding a fat difference to it? ”

When Wei Baoheng heard this, he couldn't help but applaud the case, and said: "Looking for Li Guochang is the right person." ”

The two hit it off, and the personnel transfer plan in the Daibei region was soon introduced and put into practice: Duan Wenchu, the former Tiande defense envoy, was transferred to Yunzhou, and he was appointed as the Datong defense envoy and the acting northern water and land transportation envoy. No one knew that the fat shortage given to Duan Wenchu turned out to be "a Lu horse of the pit master". Li Guochang, the original envoy of Luyan Jiedu, was transferred to Tiande to serve as the envoy of Zhenwu Jiedu, and the establishment of Luyan Town was revoked, and the two prefectures of Lingyan were placed under the jurisdiction of Zhenwu Town.

This is the last time that Lu Yan and Wei Baoheng will give orders in the imperial court, and it is undeniable that this arrangement itself is flawless, understandable, and indeed clever. It has achieved the effect of killing three birds with one stone: first, it has solved the urgent need for the imperial court, second, it has not only filled the gap in local administration, but also taken care of the related households, and the third is to give Li Guochang a hot potato, and he also said thank you. This is called the equalization of interests, win-win cooperation, and great joy.

The territory is a good thing, so good that there is no feudal town in the world that does not put it in the first place. Li Guochang is no exception, while he is happy, he always has a feeling of being dumb and eating coptis. I've moved three places in less than a year since I became the envoy of the festival, and God knows how long I can stay in Tiande? What's next? Thinking of the demotion of his old leader Kang Chengxun, it is certain that the rumors about traitors and disorderly government in the imperial court are by no means rumors.

Why is Li Guochang's news so smart? Didn't the emperor give him a villa in Qinrenli? His two sons have settled down as citizens of Chang'an and are officials in the court.

Tiande, like Lingyan Erzhou, is a place where robbers often haunt. Shatuo is not stupid, he will not be unaware, but at this time Li Guochang was still an honest man, abiding by the creed of "soldiers take obedience to orders as their duty". He went, and he went to that place full of turmoil and hardship without hesitation.

For a while, it went viral on the Internet that "Du Fu is very busy", and asked me to say that Li Guochang was a hundred times busier than Du Fu. In addition to maintaining social order, stabilizing the people, and resuming production. It is also necessary to patiently "persuade and educate" the Uighurs, the party, and the lawless elements of the Tuyuhun. His work is said to have been fruitful and immediate.

Shatuo people like to be in the limelight, and they don't want to be used as soy sauce. But when they find out that their loyalty is being desecrated, their discontent erupts like a volcano!

China in 873 AD. Entering the late Tang Dynasty stage (marked by the Huangchao Rebellion), our Tang Dynasty is about to face the most severe test since the founding of the country! This year's central political arena was also turbulent and unpredictable.

In September, Wei Baoheng was demoted to the history of Hezhou Thorn. A month later, it was demoted to the county order of Chengmai (now in Hainan Province), Yazhou. A few days later, he was posthumously given to his death. In November, Lu Yan served as the envoy of Jingnan Festival. A month later, he was demoted to the title of Assassin of Xinzhou, and in the first month of 874, he traveled to Jiangling, where he was posthumously deposed from all his official titles and exiled to Danzhou (in present-day Hainan Province). A few days later, he also followed Wei Baoheng and went to Jiuquan. When he was about to hit the road, he called out sadly: "O saint (the title of the emperor)! Can you give the minister a good time? He has been in politics for many years. There is no credit and hard work, this game of cat and mouse is very enjoyable, right? ”

Soon, Comrade Kang Chengxun, who had been persecuted by the two of them and was demoted and exiled, was rehabilitated and served as a military officer in the imperial court. With the planting of Lu Yan and Wei Baoheng, a pair of old power combinations, a new power combination has come into people's field of vision.

In May of the first year of Qianfu (874), the thirteen-year-old child Li Yi took Zheng Zheng, the servant of the Ministry of Officials, as the squire of the Ministry of War and the bachelor of Hanlin to undertake the decree; With Lu Xi as the head of the household department, and the same Zhongshu Men under the Ping Zhangshi, both of them are the chief prime ministers.

These days, don't complain that this pair is not a golden combination. Even if Song Jing Yao Chong is reincarnated, he will only sigh in vain: Creation makes people. "Helpless flowers fall"!

In general, the two of them still have their own characteristics and complement each other. I don't want to say anything more about Zheng Jinqi, the comments given by historical celebrities. Definitely more convincing than what I said.

Liu Huan said: "(Zheng) Jin's literature is profound, and his instruments are forgiving. ”。

Ouyang Xiu said: "For example, (Zheng) Ji and (Wang) Duo are all talents of the society, supporting the royal family, and almost becoming prosperous." ”

Huang Zhen said: "The ministers of the late Tang Dynasty. Only (Zheng) is excellent! ”

Cai Dongfan said: "Zheng Zheng advocates righteousness first, and he will succeed and fail. After Li Keyong went to help. The soldiers worked hard to succeed. The loyalty of non-Yi is also used to be a scholar. Although lonely and loyal, he is a Confucian. Thinking that it is inspiring by will, can it last for a long time? ”。

Here, Mr. Cai Dongfan felt the success or failure of Zheng Zheng and Li Ke to beg the thief (Huang Chao) and sighed: "Zheng Zheng is not as loyal as Li Ke, because he only acts with the spirit of the book business, and he doesn't understand tactics, how can he be invincible for a long time?" ”

In fact, this is not necessarily true, from the future battle of Longweipi, we can also get a glimpse of Zheng Jin's military talent and know the whole leopard.

Lu Xian's behavior is much more sleek than Zheng Jin, he is everywhere to the eunuch Tian Lingzi's favor, and he agrees with everything that Tian Gonggong says. When dealing with government affairs, he often thought about the interests of the common people, and advocated suspending tax collection in the disaster areas and releasing grain to help the hungry.

After Huang Chao led the army to the south, he wanted to reach out to the imperial court to ask for the envoy of the Guangzhou Festival. The courtiers unanimously objected, saying that Guangzhou was an international trade center, a place rich and oily, and also the hope of the Tang Dynasty, how could Huang Chao be ruined. Zheng Zheng advocated Zhao'an in order to end the civil strife as soon as possible. But Guangzhou couldn't give it to him, so let him be the envoy of the Lingnan Festival.

Lu Xian expressed his resolute opposition, because he was thicker with General Gao Yu and wanted to fulfill his fame. The two disagreed and got into an argument. Li Yi's children were very angry, and the consequences were also very serious, and both of them were removed from the post of prime minister at the same time. That's an afterword.

After introducing this pair of newcomers, let's briefly introduce Li Yi, the son of the Tang Dynasty:

Li Yi has been a big player since he was a child, and he plays everything from hunting, goose fighting, polo, etc. He was especially aggressive, and bet fifty dollars at a time. He also likes to play karaoke, and embezzles a large amount of gold coins from the state treasury to reward his friends. Shi Zai: "Those who give the song are said to be huge, and the country is exhausted." ”。 It seems that Li Yi has a great tendency not to defeat the old bottom left by his ancestors and will never give up.

And this is exactly what the eunuch Tian Lingzi likes to see, Li Yi respects him as his "father", and entrusts him with full authority to handle political affairs. Tian Lingzi said to him with a smile on his face: "Play, play, Your Majesty, play to your heart's content!" If you can't eat, there are old slaves walking around! ”。

In the first year of Qianfu (874), when Li Yi was playing in the dark, the sun and the moon were dark, Wang Xianzhi, a native of Puzhou, Shandong, gathered a crowd to rebel in Changyuan (in present-day Henan Province), with thousands of people. In the second year (875), Puzhou and Caozhou were conquered, and the team grew to tens of thousands. In the same year, Huangchao, a native of Yiju County (north of Caozhou, Shandong), gathered thousands of people to respond to Wang Xianzhi, conquered the city and conquered the city, and it was in full swing.

At this point, Li Yi seemed a little nervous. He looked at Tian Lingzi with blank eyes and said, "Father, didn't you say that I can't eat it, and you will walk around for me?" What now? ”

Tian Lingzi pretended to be deaf and dumb: "Ahhh Let me think, did the old slave say this? ”

Prime Minister Zheng Zheng and Lu Xi hurriedly led their subordinates to work overtime and create a thick stack of Qinwang edicts. Then, the two of them carried it in front of Li Yi and asked him to sign.

This edict of King Zhang Qin flew like snowflakes all over the country, especially calling on all the feudal towns in the Central Plains: those who have money to contribute, those who have powerful forces, and those who have guns to shoot their guns, work together to fight against the grass thieves!

For Wang Xianzhi, Huang Chao and their army, there are very different theories in ancient and modern times. The Tang Dynasty officially called it the "grass thief", while the modern popular name is the "peasant rebel army".

Since the main members of the army are peasants, do they necessarily represent the interests of the broad masses of peasants? Not necessarily! If even a slaughterer like Huang Chao who kills innocents indiscriminately is called a "peasant rebel army", does it tarnish this title? If we insist on using "class" to characterize an army, then what should the Tang government army be? The members of the official army are mainly from peasants, herdsmen, and handicraftsmen, and this is not an out-and-out proletarian army?

There has never been a "class struggle" in the world, only right and wrong, good and evil!

Therefore, I took the golden mean, calling the armies of Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao "rebels" or "grass army", which I think should be fair and appropriate.

This time, the most positive and rapid response to the edict issued by the imperial court was Shatuo Li Guochang and his son. Although Li Guochang served in Tiande (near ** City, Inner Mongolia), he insisted that there is no distinction between north and south, and no distinction between old and young, all of them have the responsibility of sending troops to serve the king and the will to serve the country loyally! He sent his son Li Kerang to lead his division south to the Central Plains.

According to the "History of the Old Five Dynasties", "Kerang (Li Keyong's brother) is good at riding and shooting, and he is known for his bravery." Xiantongzhong, from Pang Xun, to the merit of Zhenwu Colonel. In Qianfu, Wang Xianzhi was trapped in Jingxiang, the imperial court conscripted troops, and Kerang led the division to be called. Thief Ping, meritorious general Jin Wuwei, stay in the guard. Since then, Li Kerang has stayed in the imperial court and lived in Qinren, Chang'an. (To be continued......)