Chapter VII: The New Deal

In that year, Zhu Wen usurped the Tang Dynasty as emperor, established the Later Liang, and set the capital in Bianzhou. Li Keyong refused to recognize the Later Liang regime, and still used the name of the Tang Dynasty's Tianyou year, confronting the Later Liang in the name of reviving the Tang Dynasty, becoming the biggest threat to the north of the Later Liang. Zhu Wen sent troops to attack Cangzhou, and Liu Rengong, the envoy of Youzhou Jiedu, sent an envoy to Li Keyong for help. Li Keyong was annoyed that Liu Rengong was capricious, and under the persuasion of Li Cunxuan, he sent the second Taibao Li Sizhao to lead an army to capture Luzhou (now Changzhi, Shanxi), forcing Zhu Wen to withdraw his troops from Cangzhou. In May of that year, Zhu Wen sent 100,000 soldiers and horses to besiege Luzhou and build a village. Li Ke used Zhou Dewei to rescue Luzhou. Zhou Dewei and Liang Jun confronted each other for more than a year, but they never lifted the siege of Luzhou.

On this day, Li Cunqiao convened the civil and military forces to discuss the rescue of Luzhou. Opinions are divided into two kinds, one is that most of the civil and military say that the Jin State has just changed its new king, and there are many domestic affairs, and it can only be used after further consolidation; The other few said that they could use soldiers. Li Cunqiao said: "At this moment, the Liang State must think that this king is young and has just succeeded to the throne, and the Jin State is still in the period of national mourning, so he will not use soldiers. But I wanted to do the opposite, but at this time, I sent troops and caught Liang Guo off guard. The king will personally lead the troops to aid Luzhou. Guo Chongtao and Zhang Chengye persuaded: "You are the king of a country, and you can't go to war easily." Li Cunqiao smiled and said: "The new king succeeds to the throne, of course, he should go out to fight to boost morale." ”

Li Cunqiao personally led his army to rescue Luzhou and arrived at Huangdian in the north of Luzhou on 29 April. Sure enough, Liang Jun thought that Li Cunmiao had just succeeded to the throne when he was young, and he would not dare to go out to the army, so he was defenseless. On the second day of the first month of May, Li Cunqiao ambushed his troops at the foot of Sanzhuigang, took advantage of the fog to attack the village, and broke the Liang army by surprise, completely lifting the siege of Luzhou. After this battle, the Jin soldiers were greatly inspired. Zhou Dewei, who confronted Liang Jun, and Li Sizhao, the second Taibao who was besieged in Luzhou, increased their trust in Li Cunqiao.

In that year, Li Keyong once went to Luzhou to hunt in Sanchuigang, set up a banquet in front of the Ming Emperor Temple on the Gang, and listened to the Lingren play and sing the "Hundred Years Song". The lyrics describe the aging of people, and the tone is sad and sad, only to hear Li Ke with old tears. At that time, Li Cunqiao was five years old and was also on his side. Li Keyong pointed at Li Cunqiao and said to the generals: "The old man is old, and his ambition has not been paid. But in twenty years' time, this son will be able to fight here on my behalf and accomplish my unfinished work. Nineteen years later, Li Cunmiao, who had first attacked the throne, really defeated the Liang army at Sanchuigang, laying the foundation for the rise of the Jin Kingdom.

Li Cunqiao asked the second Taibao Li Sizhao to continue to guard Luzhou, and rewarded the subordinates of the second Taibao Li Sizhao. That night, Li Cunqiao and the second Taibao Li Sizhao had a long talk and drank happily, and the second Taibao Li Sizhao said: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin." Li Cunmiao interrupted him: "In the future, in private, we will still be brothers, you are not only my brother, but also my brother-in-law." Li Sizhao, the second Taibao, was moved: "Then brother, I'll drink this cup first." Li Cunqiao clinked glasses with him, and both of them drank toasts. Li Sizhao, the second Taibao, put down his wine glass and said: "Brother, do you know that in the past, some people in the Thirteen Taibao coveted the throne of King Jin and were dissatisfied with you. Li Cunqiao nodded: "Just because I am the biological son of my father, do you think I relied on this to obtain the throne?" Li Sizhao, the second Taibao, said: "Mainly because of this, you have to be more vigilant." Li Cunqiao said: "I believe that after a while, they will be convinced." "What are your plans?" Li Cunmiao asked rhetorically: "Why has the Jin State been weaker than the Liang State?" Li Sizhao, the second Taibao, pondered for a moment and said: "The military discipline is not strict, the officials are corrupt, the punishment is harsh, and the thieves are rampant, causing the people to be discordant to the Jin Kingdom. Li Cunqiao slapped his thigh: "That's right!" This is the reason why the Jin State has been weak for many years. Although the territory of our Jin Kingdom is smaller than that of Liang State, as long as we work hard, we will definitely be able to expand our territory and exterminate Yan and Liang. Li Cunmiao was full of spirits, and said: "Brother, you are guarding Luzhou, sandwiched between Liang and Yan, but at the same time, you are also a wedge between the two countries, and I hope that my brother can become a dead nail between the two countries, making it difficult for them to move." The second Taibao Li Sizhao said firmly: "Brother, rest assured, with my second Taibao Li Sizhao here, Liang Guoyan will not have a good time." The two of them had another drink.

The next day, Li Cunmiao's class returned to the court, and the second Taibao Li Sizhao sent him off, and the two brothers hugged tightly to say goodbye, and Li Cunmiao got on the horse and returned to Jinyang. After Li Cunmiao returned to Jinyang, he rewarded the soldiers who went out on the expedition. During the Battle of Luzhou, Zhu Wen went to Luzhou to inspect the battle situation on the front line, and learned that Li Keyong had died. He despised Li Cunxuan, who was young and took the throne, and thought that the overall situation of attacking Luzhou had been decided, so he returned to Bianzhou by himself. Zhu Wen was shocked when he received the battle report that Li Cunmiao had defeated the Liang army, and sighed: "Giving birth to a son should be like Li Yazi, and Li Keyong is still alive even though he is dead." My sons are like pigs and dogs compared to him. “

After Li Cunmiao returned to Jinyang, he punished and deposed a number of corrupt officials and boldly appointed a number of talented and virtuous officials.

At the same time, the ministers were asked to revise the previous punishments, abolishing some heinous tortures such as severance of vertebrae, Ling Chi, castration, and women's punishment, and relaxing the punishment for crimes committed by starvation of the people.

Decrees were issued to encourage the people to open up wasteland for farming and reduce taxes. Subsidies and bereavement pensions will be given to the dead and disabled non-commissioned officers and their families, orphans, widows, and children.

Li Cunmiao also rectified military discipline, strictly forbade the army from harassing the people, severely punished ineffective combat, and rewarded the enemy for meritorious service.

Protecting civilians, agricultural and industrial practitioners, and severely cracking down on bandits and thieves, the people's customs in the Jin State greatly improved, and some of the people who were victims of the Liang State, the Yan State, and the Khitan State fled to the Jin State one after another.

Although Xue Yumei hadn't seen Li Cunmiao for some days and missed it very much, she knew that Lang Jun was busy with national affairs, and she was very proud of Lang Jun when she saw and heard the discussions of the people and some changes in the city.

Li Cunmiao was finally busy for a while and took the time to see Xue Yumei. Yumei hurriedly poured tea and water, asked Li Cunmiao to sit down, and beat his shoulders to relieve his fatigue. Li Cunmiao asked strangely: "What's wrong with the lady?" I haven't seen you for a few days, but instead of complaining, you have taken care of me so diligently. Yumei smiled and said: "My husband is a Ming monarch, these policies you promulgated, the people are praising your husband, and my face is also bright." Li Cunmiao smiled and grabbed Yumei's hand and said, "Then how do you reward your husband?" Yumei hugged Li Cunmiao's neck from behind and kissed him heavily on the face: "Husband, are you satisfied with such a reward?" Li Cunmiao reflexively hugged Yumei's soft and boneless body, and said with a smile: "How is this enough, I haven't seen you for many days, how can I spare you so easily." Yumei said shyly: "The husband knows how to bully the little girl, I don't follow!" "I don't follow it, but my body is tighter. Li Cunmiao couldn't hold it back, picked up Yumei and put it on the bed.

In November 910, Zhu Wen sent 3,000 Liang troops to Shenzhou and Jizhou in an attempt to capture the towns of Chengde and Yiwu. Chengde Jiedu envoy Wang Rong and Yiwu Jiedu envoy Wang Chuzhi successively sent envoys to the Jin king Li Cunqiao for help, and expressed his willingness to form an anti-Liang alliance with the Jin State and jointly promote Li Cunqiao as the leader of the alliance.

Above the court of the Jin State, most ministers did not approve of sending troops, on the grounds that the Jin State was now recuperating and recuperating, and the national strength was gradually becoming stronger, and the use of troops at this time would inevitably damage the strength. And the sergeants and the common people have been fighting for many years, and they also hope for a truce.

Li Cunqiao said: "It is important to recuperate and recuperate, but it is impossible for the enemy country to let us make a truce. We can only seize production in the post-war intervals, and avoid war by war, and only by defeating the enemy country can we win the opportunity to recuperate. If we don't save Chengde and Yiwu, the Liang State will inevitably destroy the two towns, and then the Liang State will be stronger, and if we turn around and deal with our Jin State, the Jin State will be even more dangerous. So this is a good opportunity to send troops. ”

He personally led the Jin army to the east again, so in December of that year, he entered the north bank of the Yehe River, five miles away from Baixiang, and confronted the Liang army across the river. In the first month of the second year, Li Cunqiao discussed with Guo Chongtao to lure the enemy deep and encircle and annihilate the Liang army. Li Cunqiao ordered Zhou Dewei to lead 300 elite cavalry to challenge in front of the Liang military camp, deliberately angering the Liang general Wang Jingren and luring the Liang army to the plain wilderness area south of Shanyi.

He took advantage of the terrain, set up an ambush in advance, waited for work, and led the cavalry to assault when the Liang army was tired, broke the Liang army, captured 285 Liang army generals, and beheaded 20,000 people. In this battle, the Liang army ambushed the corpses for dozens of miles, and the elite forbidden army of the Liang State was annihilated, and the Liang generals Wang Jingren, Han Qing, and Li Si'an only led dozens of horsemen to flee overnight. Chengde Town and Yiwu Town have completely fallen to the Jin State since then.

When Li Cunmiao's class returned to the court, some officials made a twist and persuaded Li Cunmiao, as the king of a country, not to easily lead his troops to the battle. Li Cunmiao smiled lightly when he saw these twists and turns and put them aside. On the second day, several ministers advised the king of Jin not to go out easily in the future, and Li Cunqiao replied: "The kindness of the ministers, this king understands it." But this king bears the heavy trust of his father before his death, and the three arrows of revenge are still stored in the Taimiao, and the revenge has not been avenged. All the ministers of civil and military affairs were moved, and the mountains called Chitose.

Li Cunmiao consulted with his ministers about the next strategy of the Jin Kingdom. Guo Chongtao said: "Although our Jin State has recently won the victory against the Liang State, the Liang State is still strong, and it is still slightly stronger than me, and our country is harassed by the Khitan in the north and threatened by the Yan State in the east. Therefore, at present, it is necessary to take a defensive approach to the Liang State in the south and the Khitan State in the north, focusing on attacking the weakest Yan State in the east. Zhang Chengye, Li Siyuan and others also agreed with this opinion. Li Cunqiao said: "Your suggestions are very good, this king is also thinking about this issue these days, the Yan country is the weakest among the Liang countries, Khitan and Yan countries around us, with our current strength, we can only be sure of defeating the Yan country, and it is advisable to take a defensive position against the other two countries." Now that Liu Rengong, the king of Yan, is imprisoned by his son Liu Shouguang, the domestic political situation is unstable, and it is a good opportunity to officially send troops. Therefore, our strategy is to advance eastward, reject northward, defend southward, and expand westward. The future of the Jin Kingdom depends on your dedication. Everyone said in unison: "The ministers must do their best!" Work hard! ”

Li Cunqiao got off the court, changed out of his court clothes, and went straight to Yumei's courtyard, where he went on an expedition for a few months, but he didn't see his sweetheart, and he was extremely worried in his heart. Li Cunmiao did not find Xue Yumei and Xue Ziang in the courtyard. The servant told him: "These days, His Royal Highness King Jin is not at home, the lord and the young lady go to the theater every day to sing, and a few times the old man asked the young lady to rest, and the young lady said that the king of Jin is not at home, she is bored and panicked alone, so it is better to go to the theater to sing." Li Cunqiao looked at the sky, there was still more than an hour to go to the end of the theater, he couldn't wait, so he took the guards from the courtyard gate to the street and walked towards the theater garden.

Since Li Cunmiao succeeded to the throne, he has never been to the theater. When the shopkeeper Hu saw Li Cunmiao, he was so surprised that he wanted to shout out, and Li Cunmiao shook his hand at him. Shopkeeper Hu hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, "Lord Jin, you haven't been here for a while." Li Cunqiao smiled and said: "Yes, I've been very busy all the time, and I don't have time to watch the show." When the shopkeeper Hu saw Li Cunmiao's eyes staring at the stage, he came to his senses: "The front is already full, so Lord Jin will follow me to the backstage." "I'll just go myself."

Li Cunqiao entered the backstage, and the guards stood guard at the door of the backstage. Li Cunmiao walked through the corridor, walked to the innermost small dressing room, and gently pushed the door open, only to see Yumei staring in the mirror in a daze. Li Cunmiao gently covered the door and stood behind Yumei, covering Yumei's eyes with his hands. Yumei was stunned for a moment, and was about to shout, touching her blindfolded hand to know that it was her husband's hand, Yumei asked in surprise: "Husband, is it really you back?" Li Cunmiao kissed Yumei's hairline, then picked up her delicate cheeks, kissed Yumei's warm lips deeply, Yumei put her hands around Li Cunmiao's neck, closed her eyes tightly, and kissed Lang Jun passionately, Li Cunmiao hugged Yumei's waist tightly, tightly pressed against Yumei's soft body, and her lower body couldn't help but harden, against Yumei's lower abdomen. Yumei gently pushed Li Cunqiao away: "Husband, this is the opera garden, don't be like this, let others see the shame of death." Li Cunmiao gently scraped Yumei's pink face with his fingers and said, "Then I'll wait for you to finish and go home together." You have to comfort your husband. Yumei playfully: "The king of Jin has worked hard and made great achievements, and the concubine obeys orders." Li Cunqiao kissed Yumei on the face lovingly. Yumei touched up her makeup and prepared to appear, Li Cunmiao left the backstage and came out, and the shopkeeper Hu gave up the seat in the middle of the VIP seat and asked Li Cunmiao to take a seat.