According to the epitaph of Zhimo, "Wang Xianzhi was trapped in Jingxiang, and the imperial court sent soldiers from all states to arrest him." Guochang sent Liu Qian to unify the clouds and chase away the thieves, and the number was meritorious. "Look at it, even the Zhimo family, who have a prejudice against Shatuo Li Keyong, evaluate them truthfully, "Chase thieves, count meritorious." ”

Yunzhong is Yunzhou, that is, the seat of Datong Military Town. After Duan Wenchu took over as the defense envoy of Datong, Li Keyong served as the envoy of Yunzhong and the deputy envoy of the Shatuo tribe (the envoy of the soldiers and horses was a man named Li Quanzhong), stationed in Ulzhou.

I speculate that the "Guochang sent Liu Qiantong Yunzhong to chase the thieves" mentioned in Zhimo's epitaph was actually sent by Li Keyong. Later facts also proved that from this time on, Li Keyong's appeal in the Shatuo tribe was gradually replacing the position of his father Li Guochang.

In the third year of Qianfu (876), a famous event in the history of the Tang Dynasty, like a hurricane swept through Daibei, pushing Li Keyong to the forefront in an instant, regardless of whether he was mentally prepared or not, this is fate! Since then, Li Keyong has started a legendary life of ill-fate, majestic ups and downs, and dominating storms!

There is a figure who is at the center of this incident, and his name is Duan Wenchu.

Duan Wenchu's fame in history is not very big, but when it comes to his grandfather, everyone is familiar with it. He is a loyal and righteous man of the Tang Dynasty, and his image is impressively hung in the Lingyan Pavilion. He once followed the famous general Gao Xianzhi to dominate Central Asia, and he also executed more than ten soldiers under Guo Ziyi's son in order to strictly enforce military discipline, and it was rumored to be a good talk. Later, when Zhu Jun usurped the throne, he refused to serve him and scolded the thief and died. The famous sentence in "Song of Righteousness" "Or to fight the thief's wat and break the reverse vertical head." It was him, and Wen Tianxiang listed him as one of his twelve shining role models in the poem. He is Duan Xiushi!

Duan Wenchu, the defense envoy of Datong, also has a position that makes people swallow their mouths: acting as the envoy of the North Water and Land (equivalent to the current director of the Provincial Department of Communications). But Duan Wenchu is unlucky. At the beginning of his tenure, he happened to catch up with a natural disaster that has not been seen in a century. The history books are like gold for this, and there is only a short sentence: "Daibei famine." Luck does not continue. ”。

The word "not continued" may probably be due to the fact that the imperial court's disaster relief materials are not in place. It is also possible that the waterway is blocked for some reason. In short, Duan Wenchu can only rely on self-reliance and hard work, and there is no other way. "Land and water delivery", which is the envy of many people, has now become a burden to him.

After consulting with Judge Liu Hanzhang and others, Duan Wenchu decided to cut expenses in the Datong Army—mainly to cut the salaries, clothing, and food of the soldiers. In this case, as a leader, it is not only necessary to take the lead in enduring hardships, but also to keep up with the ideological work.

I think Duan Wenchu should first convene a mobilization meeting to explain the current situation to the cadres and fighters. Spread the word about the far-reaching significance of cutting back on food and clothing – that is, to save oneself and keep everyone alive. However, his working methods were too simple, and he only knew that he relied on strict punishment and strict laws, but he did not know that it would not work in that era, and the danger factor was also extremely high.

How did the military people in Datong react to this measure? Some people understand, some don't, and some even have resentment. This is a normal thing, however, once this seemingly normal thing is taken advantage of by careerists. It is very easy to brew into a terrible political storm - mutiny!

In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, restless arrogant soldiers and fierce generals were everywhere and grabbed a handful. Unfortunately, Duan Wenchu's subordinate generals Li Quanzhong, Kang Junli and others belong to this category. "Zizhi Tongjian" recorded: "Yunzhou soldiers and horses envoy Li Quanzhong and the generals Kang Junli, Xue Zhiqin, Cheng Huaixin, Li Cunzhang and others conspired and said, 'Today there is a big chaos, and the imperial court orders will not be carried out in all directions. This is the autumn of heroes' meritorious service and wealth. Although our subordinates have a large number of soldiers, Li Zhen's martial arts are high and well-known all over the world, and his son is brave and crowned all the armies. If it is supplemented by an example. Daibei is not enough to be flat. And so it was. ”

In a word: it is to use the divine martial arts used by Li Ke to divide the north. Become the king of the mountain in the style of Shuibo Liangshan. Li Quanzhong quickly sent Kang Junli with a dozen entourages to set off from Yunzhou overnight to Ulzhou to meet Li Keyong. He told him how Duan Wenchu reduced military salaries and abused the criminal law. and discontent in the military. In the end, he said: "At this time, the army is a matter of course, and a few of our brothers have conducted a poll in Yunzhou, guess what?" The brothers unanimously elected you as the new envoy of the Datong Festival, and from now on, you will be our great leader. Hey! ”。

Li Ke said with a positive color: "The Son of Heaven is here, the country has its own rules and regulations, and you must not treat rebellion as a child's play." ”

Kang Junli flashed with a sly gaze and said, "Lord, what age is it?" Can't you see that the entire Datong military and civilians are your loyal fans! In my mind, you are Jay Chou and Beckham, when did you see Jay Chou and Beckham refusing to take photos with fans? Now, you can't chill the hearts of all the brothers! ”

Li Ke bowed his head and was silent, he seemed to smell the smell of gunpowder, and secretly thought: If I don't agree, will they stop doing it? It's impossible! In the event of a fight with them, what are your chances of winning? I'm really not sure! Some of my fierce Shatuo soldiers and horses are in Li Qianzhong's hands, so let's hold them down first.

Thinking of this, Li Ke pretended to be helpless: "My father is in Zhenwu, if you want to do it, I have to tell my father first." ”

Kang Junli was anxious when he heard this, and he was expecting Ai Ai to speak: "Oh, oops! Now that the public opinion has been investigated, it has been done, do you think there is still a secret to speak of? If it is late, it will change, and it will be urgent, and it will not be delayed! By the time you go back and forth thousands of miles to tell and tell your father, the heads of our guys will already be hanging on the heads of Yunzhou City.

After speaking, Kang Junli observed Li Keyong's face and couldn't see any reaction. Then he said: "My head is not worth a few dollars anyway, and if I lose it, I will lose it, but you are different." Now in the streets and alleys of Yunzhou City, even three-year-old children know that the future festival commander of Datong is Li Keyong. If you don't do it, do you think the court will believe it? Besides, it is difficult to mix the knots and make it difficult to go to the sky, and now that it has been sent to the door, you are like throwing a torn garment. What a pity! The hero is the world, and he is willing to be a rookie in the little Ulzhou. ”

Kang Junli's agitation method really worked, and Li Keyong was moved in a few words. He sighed: "Brother Kang, I have been hurt by you. But I have one condition, just say yes. If you don't say yes, nothing is possible. ”

Kang Junli heard that there was a play. Hurriedly asked: "My lord, what conditions do you say?" ”

"You must not harm the lives of Duan Wenchu and his subordinates, and leave them to me to dispose of, how about it?"

Kang Junli thought to himself: What does this mean? Could it be that he wants to stay and retreat? Leave it alone for the time being, let Li Ke use the army first. So he said, "That's fine, just wait for our good news." After speaking, he said goodbye, and hurriedly returned to Yunzhou to return to Li Quanzhong.

Out of the back room came a young woman with a dignified appearance, who was she? It was Li Keyong's main wife who had married last month, on the eve of the New Year, and her name was not recorded in history. Only called Liu's. Seeing Li Keyong's frowning and frowning, she smiled faintly: "I heard this just now, and I see that your husband is worried." ”

Li Keyong said: "I am also a member of the Li Tang clan, and the Son of Heaven treats our family well. Rebellious, not what I want! ”

"Does the husband really want to learn from Lei Feng?"

"That's not it, after all, the official position of the Jiedu envoy is too tempting, so it's very tangled. Dear, what are your good ideas? ”

"What General Kang said is not unreasonable. Miss this opportunity, you can only survive the Year of the Monkey and the month of the horse? However, we have to think of a way to do both. Is that okay? On the day of the incident, let's not rush into Yunzhou City. stationed outside the city, and asked Li Qianzhong to escort Duan Wenchu and them over. Then, we sent a capable man to lead a team of elite cavalry to escort Duan Wenchu to Chang'an. Explain the situation to the imperial court. After we enter the city, let's wait patiently for good news. ”

"What's the good news?"

"You don't have to ask. Don't you want the emperor's edict and the envoy of the Datong Festival? ”

Li Keyong nodded frequently and said yes, since he couldn't stop the rebellion. I had no choice but to settle for the next best thing - a peaceful succession. He felt a lot more comfortable, and hugged Liu Qingqing and me for a long time, and he went to the back room......

Li Keyong was a literate young man who "read the Bible and history since he was a child, and when he grew up, he also had the power to strategize." He and Song Jiang lived in different eras, but they had similar experiences, and they both took the road from rebellion to Zhao'an, which can be regarded as the same end. But their final outcome was very different, and Li Keyong died a good death because he was born in the Tang Dynasty.

Kang Junli returned to Yunzhou City and reported to Li Qianzhong, and several people discussed the plan of action.

Duan Wenchu is destined to be in a catastrophe, the tooth soldiers are the defense envoy guards, they want to capture their commander, isn't it like probing to get something? On the night of this day, Kang Junli and other tooth generals led a group of tooth soldiers to pounce on the defense envoy's mansion viciously. The few guards in the palace put down their weapons as soon as they saw them, and Duan Wenchu and the cadres below quickly became prisoners.

Li Quanzhong sent people to Ulzhou to inform Li Keyong that he would come to Yunzhou City to preside over the political situation.

In February of the fourth year of Qianfu (877), Daibei, it was an early spring morning. Snowflakes fluttered in the sky, and as far as the eye could see, the hundreds of pheasants, mountains and rivers were covered in thick silver everywhere. Li Keyong left a part of the soldiers to defend the city, and rushed to Yunzhou with thousands of Ulzhou defenders in the wind and snow. Along the way, he recruited troops and horses, and when he arrived at the city of Yunzhou, the number of troops had reached 10,000.

According to the original plan, Li Keyong stationed troops under the fighting platform (Datong Xiwang Mountain). On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Li Quanzhong sent someone to send a letter of military talisman from the Shuaifu, asking Li Keyong to serve as the defense envoy of Datong to stay behind. On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Li Quanzhong, Kang Junli and others used torture tools to escort Duan Wenchu and Judge Liu Hanzhang and other five people to Li Keyong's tent.

In front of the tent, a handsome platform was temporarily erected. In front of the handsome stage, the sky is raised and the ground is agitated. Li Keyong sat on the stage, and more than a dozen warriors stood on both sides (there were no thirteen Taibao at this time). Li Quanzhong stood in the audience and saluted: "Hello Dashuai, the prisoner Duan Wenchu and his party of five people have brought it, please deal with it!" ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kang Junli beside him waved his hand vigorously, only to see five shiny big knives raised in unison, and where the knife flashed, five bloody human heads rolled down on the snow.

Before Li Keyong could open his mouth to speak, he was stunned by the scene in front of him, and his mind was blank with a "boom". When he came back to his senses, he realized that he was simply "a little witch" in front of Li Qianzhong and Kang Junli. Now, I, Li Ke, use the notoriety of killing ministers of the state and loyal martyrs, I am afraid that I will not be able to wash it away even if I jump into the Yellow River.

Looking at the imperceptible smiles on the faces of the two of them, Li Ke was speechless with half a burst of anger. After a long silence, he said: "Presumptuous! What do you want? ”

Li Qianzhong's reply had already been thought of: "Please forgive the recklessness of the last general, Duan Wenchu is corrupt and perverts the law, the heavens are angry and the people are resentful, and if you don't kill, you can't convince the public." The subordinates are afraid that the handsome man has the kindness of a woman, so he made this decision, which is really a last resort. ”

Li Keyong does not know the evil intentions hidden in this high-sounding palace, but he must face the reality. Duan Wenchu's head has fallen off, people can't be resurrected after death, the matter has come to this point, and it is useless to say more. Just think that Li Qianzhong is saying from the bottom of his heart, rigid but not soft and easy to break, compromise is not necessarily synonymous with weakness.

Two days later, Li Keyong entered the defense embassy to handle affairs. In the name of all the officers and soldiers of Datong Town, he asked the important officials of the government to listen carefully to the voice of the people of Daibei, and officially appointed Li Keyong as the envoy of Datong Jiedu (Note: The defense envoy and the jiedu envoy are only different in name, and their ranks and powers are the same. ）

However, it was not only Li Keyong's subordinates who said to him with actions, "No! This time, the central government of the Tang Dynasty, headed by the sixteen-year-old son of heaven Li Yu, also opposed the normal state of forbearance in the feudal towns, and stubbornly said to Li Keyong, no! And in response to Daibei's rebellion, a whole set of countermeasures were played!

Li Qianzhong and Kang Junli laughed, laughing very happily, and the black pot was easily placed on Li Keyong's back. Li Yi said in the edict: "If Duan Wenchu is really mean, he will have a grudge, but he can argue and must carry out the court." It is terrifying to maim his life, pick his skin, and be cruel and vicious! After the martyrs, the gate of righteousness and righteousness caused the death of the people, especially terrifying to watch. ”

Look, the emperor is convinced of the "masterpiece" of these two.

"Three people become tigers"! Rumors about how Li Keyong killed Duan Wenchu quickly spread throughout Daibei, Guanzhong, and even the whole country. The most positive people are naturally the people of the Zhimo family, and in their hearts, they have long greeted Li Ke with his ancestors for eight lifetimes. Not for anything else, just for the fact that he once frolicked to defend the court. Zhimo's epitaph: "Zhu Xie Ke used Tu to defend a door, leading ten thousand households in Yanbo River. ”

As early as a few years ago, the family had already entered the Tang family and was surnamed Li. However, the people of the Zhimo family turned a blind eye to their royal status, and still called them "Zhu Xie", and their small belly and chicken intestines were nothing more than that.

The news of the change of the big colleague and the petition concocted by Li Keyong, together with Li Guochang's insincere words, reached Chang'an almost at the same time. At that time, Li Yi was playing a fierce polo game on the polo field next to the Daming Palace. (To be continued......)