Chapter 139 Later Tang
Tang Dynasty, Zhenguan period.

Seeing Zhu Wen, the usurper of Tang Dynasty, and Li Shimin of Later Tang Dynasty trying hard to remain calm, after all, if you want to live longer, you have to be in a good mood.

If you really ask him if he has any thoughts now, he might say: "Are all the dynasties after the Tang Dynasty so unique?"

Not to mention the Khitan and the Liao Dynasty, Tianmu has repeatedly emphasized that they were a nomadic people, different from the Central Plains dynasties; and they had just transitioned from a tribal alliance to an imperial system, so naturally they retained many of the Khitan ethnic characteristics.

But what about this Later Tang? - Although they were Shatuo people, considering that the emperor Li Cunmao had the surname Li, and this surname was most likely bestowed by the Tang Dynasty, they must have joined the Tang Dynasty, or lived in the Tang Dynasty for quite some time.

So, why did your Later Tang emperors have so many adopted sons? It would be fine if they had adopted sons, but why did they ascend the throne so many times when they had biological sons?
As for the Song Dynasty, although it did stabilize, it also had its own characteristics.

He sighed, and turned to the matter of "The Princess of the Human Emperor as Regent of the Eastern Dan Kingdom" and said, "So, the Liao Dynasty has always had a tradition that when the husband is unable to govern or handle the affairs of the territory due to death or other reasons, and the heirs are young, or he is on a military expedition, or he has no children, or in other circumstances, the wife can directly take over the relevant power and affairs - at least at the level of the Liao Dynasty nobles?"

Yelu Bei fled, and aside from the question of whether Yelu Deguang would vent his anger on his wife and children, the Emperor's wife Xiao took over the government of Dongdan until her death. This was also a tradition.

Therefore, when Shulü Ping was in charge of military and national affairs, she was able to take control of the situation very quickly - because this was in line with their tradition to a certain extent.

Ming Dynasty, during the Hongwu period.

Zhu Bo was shocked: "Yelü Bei is not dead! His princess can actually take over the Dongdan Kingdom! His son can still be brought by Liao Taizong! Ah, he even ascended the throne and became Liao Shizong."

This was a real political enemy, an enemy that could threaten the rule - although Yelu Bei was no match for Yelu Deguang now, he was dealt with so easily... How could he not be shocked when he knew that he was forced to self-immolate by his good nephew in that future?

"Yes, yes," Zhu Su said dimly, "He lives a really happy life." Although he did run away to the Later Tang because he was unhappy, overall, he was much better off than the others.

Zhu Chong did not have this experience, after all, he died before Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, so he said: "This may also be the tradition of the Liao Dynasty. At that time, the brothers of Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji rebelled, but didn't Liao Taizu kill them?" After thinking for a while, he added, "Later, there were several rebellions in the Liao Dynasty, and many of the rebels did not die."

So why is this?
The princes looked at each other with eyes full of confusion and curiosity.

——Why?
——Can we also have such treatment?

——Although it seems inappropriate for them to discuss this topic, they have already discussed many inappropriate topics anyway.

Zhu Di said slowly: "Maybe it's because they are Khitan."

After saying this, which was even more nonsense than nonsense, he looked at his brothers with unfriendly eyes and continued, "Didn't Tianmu always say that they had just changed, and before that it was still a hereditary election system? Maybe because of this, no matter whether it was the parties involved, the emperor and the rebels, or other nobles, they didn't think those things were a big deal and needed to be executed."

Previously, it was a system of alliance hereditary election, and theoretically any noble with the surname Yelu could compete for the position of Khan. In this case, replacing the Khan with the emperor, and everyone wanting to compete to become the emperor, what's wrong with that?

Although this logic is not quite correct, it is normal to have such thoughts during the initial transition phase.

……

The princes and nobles all became dispirited at once. There is no way to learn from this situation!
Although they had no intention of rebellion, they just wanted their old father to be more tolerant of them.

[The civil strife during the Later Tang Dynasty was a godsend opportunity for the Khitan to take a real step toward becoming an empire similar to the Central Plains.

This kind of opportunity is rare in a century, because the final result of this event is to bring the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitan - its military and geographical significance is crucial, but it brings Khitan not only military and geographical help, but also population, land, culture, technology...

If there had not been this opportunity, if Yelu Deguang had not seized this opportunity, then whether Khitan would have become the Liao Dynasty and how long it would have taken would have been a question. 】

Song Dynasty, Kaibao period.

When Zhao Kuangyin heard Tianmu mention this matter, his teeth began to chatter.

He admitted that the Song Dynasty had its own problems. Not only that, but some of these problems were things he was unwilling to change or were difficult to change.

For example, in terms of military and political issues, the Later Tang Dynasty had strong military power, but it was far behind in terms of political governance. In order to maintain order, rule, and restrain the generals who had been overly indulged during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Song Dynasty formulated a series of policies.

Regarding these policies, he can only say that they will be improved, but it is impossible to change them completely.

But no matter what the Song Dynasty’s own problems were, Shi Jingtang’s use of Yanyun in exchange for Emperor Taizong of Liao’s military assistance was the main culprit for the current division of the world!
Just as Tianmu said, even if the Khitan could develop on their own, without the land, population and various technologies of Yanyun as a driving force, their development pace would at least be slower, and their strength would not be as strong as it is now.

Khitan, the second year of Tianzan.

Upon hearing that the Khitan had taken possession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, Yelu Abaoji and Shulü Ping were ecstatic.

That's the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun!
"This is the blessing from God to our Khitan! It is God who is protecting Khitan!" Yelu Abaoji said immediately. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, a place he had always dreamed of, finally came into the arms of Khitan. Isn't this the God who is protecting Khitan?

After all, the premise of this incident in Tianmu - the civil strife in the Later Tang Dynasty, Li Congke's regicide and self-establishment, is not something that Khitan can control. Khitan is still developing and has not yet reached the level of being able to influence the core politics of the Later Tang Dynasty.

Yelu Abaoji and Shulü Ping were both very clear that if the current situation continued to develop, even if the Khitan could obtain the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun one day, it would surely be after a long time - Yelu Abaoji had always wanted to expand the territory of the Khitan, and naturally had fought with the Later Tang army, but his winning rate was not high.

It would be even more difficult to capture a fortress like Yanyun.

Shulü Ping smiled and said, "We should also thank Shi Jingtang. I didn't expect that such a brave general who followed Li Siyuan to destroy the Later Liang would eventually contribute to the demise of the Later Tang."

It was now the second year of Tianzan in Khitan and the first year of Tongguang when Li Cunmao proclaimed himself emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty. Shi Jingtang had just followed Li Siyuan in pacifying the Bian River.

In the eighth year of Tianxian, Li Siyuan, the Mingzong of Later Tang, passed away, and his son, Li Conghou, the Prince of Song, was proclaimed as the successor. However, Li Conghou was not able to truly grasp the situation. He wanted to work hard to govern the country, but he did not have enough experience, let alone enough manpower; the old ministers left by Li Siyuan controlled the government, but some of them did not have enough talent for governing the country. Although they held great power, they could not handle the various problems existing in Later Tang.

The combat effectiveness of the Later Tang army was still guaranteed. Therefore, the main problem at that time was internal problems, that is, the contradictions between several powerful military governors at the central and local levels.

The representative figures of these Jiedushi were Li Congke and Shi Jingtang.

But Shi Jingtang was of a different surname after all, while Li Congke was an adopted son and also had the status of Prince of Lu, so he was quite feared. His eldest son was transferred to another place, and his daughter was summoned to the capital.

After Li Conghou ascended the throne, he changed the reign title to Yingshun. In February of the first year of Yingshun, he followed the advice of powerful officials and relocated the governors of Fengxiang, Hedong, Chengde, and Tianxiong (Weibo), and Li Congke was the governor of Fengxiang.

Therefore, Li Congke claimed that "Zhu Hongzhao and others took advantage of the late emperor's illness to kill the elder and establish the younger, monopolizing the power of the court, alienating their own flesh and blood, shaking the vassal state, and fearing the overthrow of the country", and began to rebel in the name of "clearing the emperor's side".

Tang Dynasty, Kaiyuan period.

Perhaps sensing Emperor Taizong's anger, Li Longji felt embarrassed and angry as he faced the Jiedushi issue which would still exist even after the demise of the Tang Dynasty. Under the vague gazes of his ministers, he felt a little embarrassed and angry.

He would never set up Jiedushi like this again!

How could he know what he was thinking? Anyway, he definitely didn't think that way now - so could you please stop looking at me secretly? I can feel it!
Song Dynasty, Kaibao period.

Zhao Guangmei lamented: "Once the problems of the Jiedushi begin, they cannot be reversed."

The problem with the Jiedushi is not just that once a Jiedushi starts to rebel, they will fight to the end, but also that once a Jiedushi starts to rebel, people will become increasingly wary of other Jiedushi - no matter if he is the original emperor or the emperor who was succeeded by a Jiedushi.

Li Congke was successful, but because of this, he became more wary of the various Jiedushi, especially Shi Jingtang, who was also powerful.

"And it seems that Li Congke and Shi Jingtang have always been at odds with each other." Zhao Defang said. He remembered that there was such a saying. The relationship between the two was not good.

[Soon, Li Congke headed straight for Luoyang, the capital of the Later Tang Dynasty.

Faced with a hopeless situation, Li Conghou chose to flee, and on the way he ran into Shi Jingtang, who had been summoned to the court to resist Li Congke. But at this point the outcome had already been decided, and Shi Jingtang was unwilling to confront Li Congke for Li Conghou, so he placed him under house arrest.

In April of the first year of Yingshun, Li Congke entered Luoyang, ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, and then sent people to kill Li Conghou. But the chaos of the Later Tang Dynasty officially began.

Li Congke was very wary of Shi Jingtang and was unwilling to let him go. Shi Jingtang was worried every day. In the end, it was his wife Princess Yongning who asked Queen Dowager Cao to mediate and only then did she let Shi Jingtang go back.

However, even so, the relationship between the two sides became increasingly tense. In the third year of Qingtai, the minister Xue Wenyu suggested to Li Congke that "Shi Jingtang will rebel if he is removed, and he will rebel if he is not removed. It is better to deal with him first."

Therefore, Li Congke appointed Shi Jingtang as the governor of Yunzhou and promoted him to Duke of Zhao.

When Shi Jingtang saw the imperial edict, he was sure that Li Congke was going to attack him - how could he sit there and wait for death? So he decided to hold on to Taiyuan. If Li Congke did not force him, he would continue to serve him as his master; if he could not tolerate him, he would "tell the neighbors and make a strong enemy in the north. The fate of success or failure is clearly in the hands of God."

It is exactly the same saying: The emperor should be the one with the strongest soldiers and horses, no matter how kind he is! 】

(Child Emperor Shi Jingtang)
(You really deserve Shi Jingtang's death!)
(Calling a minister “father” was not a custom in ancient times, but Shi Lang still has a bad reputation today.)
(Shi Jingtang begged for mercy from foreigners without shame. He was also a vassal. Why didn't he rebel? Since he was already an emperor, why did he accept the title? Although he was forced by the Tang court and had to do something against the will of the Tang court, his reputation was at stake and he should not be destroyed lightly!)

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Liu Che felt that he had truly witnessed the extent of the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty - the emperor should be the one with the strongest soldiers and horses, what a pity!
Although it is true that the emperor can be said to be of noble character, the Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty rose from humble beginnings, but this is not the case! Of all the emperors who inherited the throne from the Liu family, which one was not a descendant of the Liu family?
In other words, even if one wants to change the emperor, such as those people in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, one needs a reasonable reason and conditions, which can be a bloodline, popular support, or good governance... But, in the final analysis, one can't just say "the one with strong soldiers and horses should do it"!

Don’t you even plan to put on a layer of skin?
What kind of chaotic, disorderly, and reckless environment could have formed such a trend? The real disaster left by the chaos of the Tang Dynasty lies here.
-
Not only him, but also the rulers and ministers of the Han Dynasty, including those at the end of the Han Dynasty, were quite shocked when they saw such a straightforward and undisguised statement.

Even though Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty and various regions were divided in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, everyone still had to find some reasons to prove the Mandate of Heaven. When did they ever use this to prove their own correctness?
Such words are almost the same as the Sima family's killing of the king in the street.

——Correctness is not just about having strong soldiers and horses. The authority of the emperor and the inheritance of the dynasty are also not just about having strong soldiers and horses.

We need strong soldiers and strong horses, but we cannot just have strong soldiers and strong horses.

[Li Congke naturally could not tolerate Shi Jingtang's self-determination and wanted to strip him of his official position and title.

So, with the support of Sang Weihan and Liu Zhiyuan, Shi Jingtang sent an envoy with a memorial written by Sang Weihan to ask Yelu Deguang for help.

The Khitan had always been eyeing the Yanyun region. In the fifth year of Tianxian, Yelu Honggu, the younger brother of Yelu Deguang and the third son of Yelu Abaoji, had captured Huanzhou (Shuozhou, Shanxi) and looted people and food.

How could Yelu Deguang miss such a good opportunity? Moreover, Shi Jingtang also offered a very tempting condition: ceding the Yanyun area as a reward. Compared with this, the name of father and son was secondary.

Therefore, Yelu Deguang readily agreed to the request for sending troops and agreed to send troops to provide assistance in autumn.

As for Shi Jingtang, since he was going to rebel anyway, he simply submitted another petition, accusing Li Congke of illegally occupying the throne and declaring that the throne should be given to Li Siyuan's own son, Prince Xu Li Congyi.

At the same time, he personally led his troops to defend the city of Taiyuan, never going out, just waiting for the Khitan reinforcements to arrive.

(You will surely succeed after traveling three thousand miles to face the danger. Judging from your bearing and knowledge, you are truly the ruler of the Central Plains. I want you to be made the Son of Heaven.)

(End of this chapter)