In April 948, the Later Han court sent a three-way counterinsurgency army. Guo Congyi led the guards to fight against Zhao Siwan, and after the peace, Guo was the new Yongxing Festival envoy; And the new Fengxiang Jiedu made Zhao Hui to be able to go to the station, and he must first eliminate Wang Jingchong's rebels. Facing Li Shouzhen, the head of the three rebellions, Liu Chengyou sent the 73-year-old veteran Bai Wenke. This not only raises the question of 'can still eat', but Old General Bai has to hand over all the military power to Wang Jun, the superintendent. So from summer and April to autumn and August, Zhao Sijuan in Chang'an City climbed the city tower and saw the same scene almost every day: Guo Congyi, who crusaded against himself, and Wang Jun, who rushed to crusade against Li Shouzhen, were incompatible with each other in their own cities. And Zhao Hui, who rushed to crusade against Wang Jingchong, was also stationed in his own city, and his daily thing was to write a note to the little emperor: Wang Jingchong is a rebel, please ask the emperor to officially issue an edict to punish him!

The three rebel towns and the three-way counterinsurgency army struggled for four months, and not a single good news came. Finally, someone in the court couldn't sit still. On August 6th, Guo Wei, one of the four major ministers, was ordered to go on the expedition, and the three armies were all subject to Guo Wei's festival! So there was Guo Weiye in the previous scene, and he recruited troops. At this time, some people persuaded Guo Wei to make it easy and then difficult, and first leveled the two roads of Chang'an Zhao and Fengxiang Wang, but was opposed by Hu Congke, the envoy of Zhenguo Jiedu: three rebellions and horizontal rebellions, and Li Shouzhen was the main one. Self-reliance should come first. If you give up the near and far attack, there is Wang Zhao in front and Shouzhen in the back, which is a dangerous road. Guo Wei listened to this discussion, and personally led the army to the city of Hezhong Mansion (at this time, our protagonist Zhao Kuangyin is estimated to be an insignificant pawn among them), and besieged Li Shouzhen. and ordered Zhao Hui to march into Fengxiang as soon as possible.

Among the three people, the first to be unable to support Zhao Sijuan was Zhao Sijuan, at this time, Chang'an City had gone through several catastrophes since the Anshi Rebellion, and it was no longer the capital of all countries in the Han and Tang dynasties. After eating all the food, Zhao Siwan began to eat human flesh, and this gentleman is good at eating human liver and gallbladder, and often says to humanity, "If you swallow a thousand human galls, you will be invincible", and there is no way to verify whether he really swallowed a thousand human galls, but on July 3, 949, the first of the three rebels to rebel was also the first to surrender. Guo Congyi wrote a secret letter to Guo Wei's boss, and after getting tacit approval, he decisively made a black hand on the 11th, ending the criminal life of this cannibalistic demon.

On July 21, after holding on to Guo Wei's army for more than a year, Li Shouzhen finally declared her defeat in the way of the whole family. Among Li Shouzhen's family members is such a person: she is the granddaughter of Li Keyong's Ninth Taibao Li (Fu) Cunju, who was famous at the time, and the wife of Li Chongxun, the son of Li Shouzhen. A scholar once said that this woman should be the mother of the world. It is estimated that Li Shouzhen's disobedience germinated at that time: My daughter-in-law will be able to honor the world in the future, so do I need to say it? Li Shouzhen made the same mistake as Wei Bao when Chu and Han were fighting: when he heard that his wife could be the queen mother in the future, he rebelled against Han Gaozu; The other heard that his daughter-in-law could be the queen in the future, so he had the intention of confronting Zhou Taizu in the future. It's just two, have you asked the scholars again: Who was the son of the emperor born to the queen mother? Who is the empress's emperor husband? In the end, this Miss Fu dodged her husband's sword and her father-in-law's fire, and shouted loudly to the rebels who rushed into the city, "My father and Guo Gong are righteous brothers, how can you be rude" (about the story of the three sisters of the Fu family and their father, who is not inferior to Fu Yanqing, the first father-in-law in the world, Dugu Xin', this book will also have a special article)

In December, Wang Jingchong of Fengxiang also followed in the footsteps of Li Shouzhen, and was helpless after waiting for reinforcements from Houshu and Southern Tang to no avail.

In July, Li Shouzhen was pacified, and on August 27, Guo Wei returned to Daliang in triumph. In September, the little emperor who was about to reward his meritorious deeds never expected that Guo Wei would be crowned with treasures, official positions, and privileges...... Nothing is wanted. Not only that, but he also proposed that all ministers should line up and share candy. For example, Shi Hongzhao, the chief of public security in the capital, is committed to maintaining stability and tranquility, Wang Zhang, the third secretary, works hard to run the government's finances, and Yang Wei, the privy envoy, is the first to be praised by Guo Wei. send troops to feed food, and fund the feudal towns; Expose the battle, it lies in the soldiers; And the merit belongs to the ministers, how can the ministers be worthy" So on September 5, at the request of Guo Wei, Emperor Yin of Han rewarded the ministers. Everyone eats and drinks well, has fun and takes it well. Even Zhao Hui, who was far away on the Fengxiang front line to quell the rebellion, was rewarded. And the old general Zhao Hongyin also re-inducted in the forbidden army and was assigned to Zhao Hui's subordinates to participate in the counterinsurgency. In this atmosphere of universal celebration, the psychology of two people has quietly changed. The first is the 19-year-old little emperor, looking at the ministers below hugging Guo Wei and cheering, Liu Chengyou can't help but think: This reward is issued by me, and the purpose is mine. But everyone: why do you only remember Guo Wei's goodness, and forget to thank Lord Longen? The second is Su Fengji, the only prime minister among the four major ministers who was not praised by Guo Wei. But to be honest, it's really no wonder Guo Wei. Because it is indeed not easy to praise a person who only knows how to make money. Of course, after the last, Liu Chengyou still gave Su Feng the little red flower he wanted for the guitar. But the contradiction between the monarch and the minister, the civil and military forces ended in this way. This scene of 'rewarding merit' is also the first lesson that 23-year-old Zhao Kuangyin learned in his life.

In October 949, King Jingchong of Fengxiang was still resisting, but the northern border of the Later Han Dynasty was full of smoke, and Liao soldiers were raging in the land of Hebei. No matter how suspicious Liu Chengyou was of Guo Wei, he could only send this 'highly respected' first soldier of the Later Han Dynasty to the north to Yuliao on the 20th. At the same time, Emperor Yin of Han sent Wang Jun as a supervisor. A year later, he will regret his decision.

950, the last year of the Later Han Dynasty. The 20-year-old Emperor Yin of Han finally came of age with a weak crown. He decided to give himself a rite of passage with the lives of three people. Little did he know, however, that the price of this rite of passage would be his life and his dynasty.

In all fairness, such an ending was already doomed before Liu Zhiyuan's orphan bed. Liu Zhiyuan, like all fathers in China, always wanted to leave all the best to his son, but forgot to ask his son if he wanted it. In Chinese history, due to the hereditary system of the imperial throne of 'family under the world', there have been many minor emperors. And when these little emperors were young and could not handle government affairs alone, someone had to act as regent for the emperor, which was the auxiliary system. However, when the little emperor grows up, his relationship with this auxiliary minister will be in a very awkward situation. Throughout history, the relationship between the emperor and the auxiliary ministers can be roughly divided into the following three types: first, the auxiliary ministers usurped the throne and changed the dynasty after the most reluctant: before Liu Chengyou, there were Jin Sima Yan and Sui Yangjian, and then there would be Song Zhao Kuangyin; The second is that the emperor killed the auxiliary ministers when he became an adult: before Liu Chengyou, Qin Shi Huang killed Lü Buwei, and after that, there would be Qing Kangxi to punish Aobai; The third is that the auxiliary ministers were fully trusted by the emperor during their lifetimes, but after their deaths, their families were liquidated by the emperor's counterattack. Before Liu Chengyou, there were Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty and Huo Guang, and after that, Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty and Zhang Juzheng. And a famous minister like Zhuge Liang can be said to be unprecedented, and this is the only one. Liu Chengyou is not Liu Chan, and the four ministers are not Zhuge Liang. So when the contradiction inevitably erupts, which path will the 20-year-old adult Emperor Han Yin and the four ministers of Tuogu take?

In fact, it was not Liu Chengyou who wanted to do it alone, and many other people also wanted to help the emperor do this. For example, Su Fengji, one of the four ministers of Tuogu. At this time, the division of labor in the Later Han court was like this: Yang Wei was in charge of the government, Shi Hongzhao was in charge of public security, Wang Zhang was in charge of finance, and Guo Wei was in charge of military expeditions. He was squeezed out of the ruling Gang of Four, but who is to blame? Let's take a look at the performance of Prime Minister Su:

Because Prime Minister Su sold too many officials, Yang Wei repeatedly went to the Empress Dowager Li to complain, demanding that Su Fengji's shameful behavior of selling officials be stopped. Su Fengji, who was cut off from his wealth, could only wander around idly in the government office, "Lord Yang, I'll help you look at the documents." You're tired," Yang Wei rolled his eyes, "Xie Luxie." I can also see it" helplessly, he came to Wang Zhang again, "Lord Wang, I'll help you make a plan" Wang Zhang despised him, "Plan a plate, high-tech and skillful." Will you count" He didn't dare to ask to help Guo Wei, if Guo Wei agreed to let him go to the front line to fight, it would be a loss of his head. On April 15, Fu Jia, who had just entrusted Guo Wei with an official position, proposed that Guo Wei take the post of privy envoy to the feudal town. Su Fengji strongly objected: "It is normal for our central cadres to be in charge of the localities, but if Guo Wei goes out with the post of privy envoy, then it will not be the local cadres in charge of the central government?" But Prime Minister Su is already a bare pole in the court, and the Manchu Dynasty despises him: Guo Wei is a good person, how can you think so, Lord Su? So Su Fengji's words became air, and they had no effect. At a dinner party with colleagues on the 16th, the more Shi Hongzhao thought about yesterday's incident, the more angry he became, probably because he drank too much wine, and shouted at Su Fengji at the banquet, "Stabilizing the country depends on spears and swords." What's the use of asking for a brush? Boss Shi's blow was too wide. At the same time, Wang Zhang, who was hit at the same time, said indignantly, "There is no brush, where do you get what you eat and wear?" Master Su has successfully turned into a-stirring stick, stirring up the civil and military forces of the Later Han Dynasty into two completely opposite sides. However, Wang Zhang's timely appearance covered up Su Fengji's embarrassment. If you want to pay attention to it in the future, it may be fine. But it shouldn't be, Master Su once again provoked Boss Shi.

On May 16th, this banquet was set by Wang Zhang, originally thinking that he could adjust the contradiction between Su Fengji and Shi Hongzhao, but he didn't expect to be spoiled by a wine escort named Yan Jinqing at the banquet. After three rounds of drinking, he began to play boxing entertainment. Shi Hongzhao didn't know how to draw boxing, and he was repeatedly defeated in the contest with Su Fengji. At this time, Yan Jinqing was sitting next to Master Shi. In order to tie up with Boss Shi, he taught a few good teachers. The smart Shi Hongzhao learned it and turned defeat into victory. Su Fengji, who lost many handfuls in a row, blurted out, "Master Shi has the surname Yan next to him, of course, you don't have to worry about being punished for drinking" Woe comes from the mouth! Shi Hongzhao's wife is an escort lady, and she used to accompany men to drink and fight. And it's a coincidence: Mrs. Shi's surname is Yan! Shi Hongzhao was suddenly furious, and he wanted to draw his sword and split this Su Dazui. At the critical juncture, Yang Wei stood in front of him, "Master Shi, please let Su Fengji go." He was the prime minister of the dynasty. Kill him, you and I can't explain to the emperor" Of course, their discord still alarmed Emperor Han Yin in the end. The little emperor put peace wine. But Shi Lao Lian didn't give it to the emperor, and vowed to split the person who laughed at his wife. In this case, Su Fengji couldn't stop worrying, and he could only sip the little emperor and get rid of it.

On November 13, 950, Yang Wei, Shi Hongzhao, and Wang Zhang were killed on their way to work by a soldier sent by Liu Chengyou. The implementation of this plan was the little emperor's new Gang of Four think tank: Li Ye, Nie Wenjin, Hou Kuangzan, and Guo Yunming. Before acting, Liu Chengyou went to ask his mother, Empress Dowager Li. Empress Dowager Li was taken aback, although she also hoped that her son could be pro-government, but she didn't expect to use such extreme means. She tentatively asked, "Do you want to discuss this matter with Prime Minister Su?" Liu Chengyou thought that this was also a member of the Old Gang of Four left by his Lao Tzu. What if he leaks the news? Uncle Li Ye inherited the tradition of the Later Han Dynasty and despised the literati, "No!" The first emperor said: You can't plan with scholars for major political events! Scholars have always been timid and afraid of things, and they will definitely make mistakes" Liu Chengyou inherited his father's thoughts and carried forward "national affairs, not known to the boudoir"

There are all kinds of signs that before the incident, the three ministers vaguely received the news, but they didn't look down on these little people, thinking that these little shrimp are difficult to make big waves, but they forgot that elephants are sometimes killed by small mice. They asked themselves that everything they did was for the prosperity of the dynasty and for the fulfillment of the important task entrusted by the previous emperor. but ignored that the little emperor had grown up. They are successful people, but they ignore the first rule of successful people: know how to advance and retreat, and can give up. They were murdered, but they also died from their own pride and prejudice. And Liu Chengyou used bloody means to declare to the world: I have grown up, and I am the real master of the world from now on. In order to achieve this grand wish, Liu Chengyou wants to implement the most important second step of this plan: kill Guo Wei!

First of all, what he did was to send Liu Bao to kill Guo Wei and Wang Jun's families in Kaifeng (which also laid the groundwork for Chai Rong's ascension to the throne and Zhao Kuangyin's rise in the future). Then Liu Chengyou sent his uncle, Li Hongyi to kill Wang Yin, a close confidant of Shi Hongzhao stationed in Lanzhou. However, Liu Chengyou never expected that these two people could unite and write a secret letter to Ye Du to stay behind Guo Wei. As a result, Houhan entered the last month and a half of the countdown.