Chapter 93 Li Jiqian

In the third year of Taipingxingguo, Li Guangrui died and his son Li Jiyun succeeded him. However, Li Jiyun died after only two years in office, and his son was still young, so Li Jiyun's younger brother Li Jibang inherited the position.

As you can imagine, this transfer greatly intensified the internal conflicts of the Li family. The first lord's offspring was young, and his younger brother succeeded to the throne - why could Li Jibang succeed to the throne? We don't accept it!
Li Jibang was unable to convince the people. In addition, the Li family was originally a Tangut noble family, and the nobles within the family still had certain power, so Li Jibang was never able to maintain his position after he came to power.

Some people even led troops to attack Xiazhou, while others submitted a memorial to Zhao Guangyi, arguing that Li Jibang "was not suitable for the position and might cause unrest", and demanded that Li Jibang's position be abolished and someone else be elected. This person was Li Jibang's uncle, Li Kewen, the then governor of Suizhou.

Faced with all these situations, Li Jibang knew very well that he could not keep his position. At the same time, Zhao Guangyi, who had received Li Kewen's memorial, also sent an envoy with an imperial edict to order him to enter the court. In this case, it would be better to simply return to the Song Dynasty so that he could continue to be rich and prosperous.

So in the seventh year of Taiping Xingguo, Li Jibang rushed to the capital with his family and offered the five states of Dingnan to express his submission to the court.

Zhao Guangyi thought this was a great opportunity to eliminate the separatist regime, so he changed Li Jibang's title to Zhangde Jiedushi, and at the same time required all the close relatives of the Li clan to move to the capital, and sent officials to directly govern the rebellion.

Song Dynasty, the first year of Kaibao.

"This doesn't seem to be a problem," Zhao Dezhao wondered. "It's right to take advantage of the internal conflicts within the Li family, expand their divisions, weaken their strength, and take back the five states of Dingnan while taking advantage of their internal chaos." Besides, it was Li Jibang who donated the land himself, and he didn't make it known to others without the Song Dynasty's pressure.

"Li Jibang surrendered to the Song Dynasty, so it seems that the future Western Xia will be in the hands of those Li clan members who disagree with Li Jibang." Especially since Zhao Guangyi ordered the Li clan to migrate, there must be some people who were unwilling to do so, and they must have taken this opportunity to break away from control.

However, who did Zhao Guangyi send to accept the Dingnan Five States and escort the Li clan members to migrate?

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Like everyone in the early Song Dynasty, most people did not think there was anything wrong with this approach.

Sang Hongyang was good at finance, and he proposed another perspective: "This approach itself may not be a problem, but they underestimated the situation of the Li family and the five states of Dingnan. It was mentioned earlier that the Pingxia tribe had settled here since they migrated here, and during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, they legitimately governed the five states of Dingnan. The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms that followed can be described in this way, and the time was probably several decades. By the time of the Song Dynasty... the Li family had governed Dingnan for at least a hundred years."

Two hundred years was enough for the local people to get accustomed to their rule. Besides, many of the local people were probably Tanguts, who were more willing to be under the Li family. Even ordinary people might not be willing to make sudden changes.

Another minister suddenly remembered: "Yes, and their governance is probably better. It was said before that the people are quite supportive."

As a result, it became even more difficult for the Song Dynasty to regain the land and people's hearts.

Sang Hongyang nodded. Seeing that Liu Che had no intention of interrupting him, he continued, "And since the Li family only belonged to the Song Dynasty in name, but was still autonomous in reality, their taxation and trade policies would probably be different from those of the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty, after taking back the land, would inevitably implement its own taxation and trade policies." Speaking of his area of ​​expertise, he was more confident. "After all, for a country, taxation and finance are the top priorities. At this time, can the local people immediately accept new regulations that are different from what they have seen for hundreds of years?"

He shook his head. "It's very difficult. If the policies of the Song Dynasty are very different from those of the locals, it will be difficult to accept them. If it is easier than before, it may be faster. I am afraid that it will be more arduous than before..."

Wei Qing went on to analyze: "The people would certainly be willing to support the Li family. Even if they did not support them directly, they would repeatedly resist. In addition, some people in the Li family did not want to lose their independence. It was natural that the Song Dynasty failed to recover the land and the Western Xia emerged instead."

"Moreover, their court does not really support military power!" Huo Qubing mentioned the fundamental problems of the Song Dynasty itself.

[There is nothing wrong with Zhao Guangyi's behavior, but to the rest of the Li family, it can be said that Li Jibang was selling land for fame and fortune, and Zhao Guangyi was not a human being.

At this time, the problems of the Song Dynasty were once again exposed - an imperfect foreign intelligence system, a lack of sufficient and correct information, and a sense of arrogance.

These problems had already caused considerable adverse consequences during the previous attack on Youzhou, but the Song Dynasty did not realize this. At this time, in the matter of Li's Dingzhou, these problems once again caused the Song Dynasty to stumble.

After the Song Dynasty sent people to take over the five states of Dingnan, it did not give enough transition time, but directly implemented the Song Dynasty's tax and service system on this area. However, the Song Dynasty's tax and service system was relatively harsh, and the local people did not have much sense of belonging to the Song Dynasty. As a result, the Song Dynasty's rule over the five states was not actually consolidated and was like a castle in the air.

At the same time, after learning that the Li clan was going to be relocated, Li Jiqian, a cousin of Li Jibang and the then governor of Dingnan Army, became rebellious and said to his confidants: "We have been managing this place for more than 300 years since our ancestors. If we move to the capital, our life and death will be decided by others, and the separatist rule of the Li clan will be cut off."

Li Jiqian was the future Taizu of Western Xia.

Finally, after discussion, he decided to "escape to the northern desert, settle down a family, contact the local tyrants, and make a comeback."

In order to avoid being blocked by the stationed Song army, Li Jiqian pretended to be the mother's deceased and ordered dozens of his subordinates to hide weapons in the coffin, disguising themselves as a funeral procession. After leaving the city, they headed straight for Dijinze.

This place is more than 300 miles away from Xiazhou, with abundant water and grass, and is an oasis in the desert, a good place to establish a base. Li Jiqian used this as a base, taking advantage of the influence of the Li family and the loopholes of the Song Dynasty's failure to stabilize its rule, to gather the Dangxiang tribes and strengthen his own power.

Song Dynasty, the first year of Kaibao.

"...I see." Zhao Kuangyin exhaled slowly, "The Song Dynasty's own external intelligence was incomplete, and was it too arrogant?"

Indeed, the Liao Dynasty did not even have a clear understanding of the basic intelligence, and the situation of the five states of Dingnan was not fully understood either.

In addition to the arrogance, let's not talk about Li Jiqian. Didn't the court know that the customs and systems of the five states of Dingnan were different from those of the Song Dynasty? Didn't they know that there were many other ethnic groups in the area? Didn't they know that the locals had long been accustomed to self-government? No matter how imperfect the intelligence was, they should have known these.

But they didn't take it seriously.

The Song Dynasty was the orthodox dynasty in the Central Plains and a country of sages. Both the government and the people were proud of this and were somewhat disrespectful of the Liao Dynasty. What’s more, what about the Dingnan Five Prefectures which seemed to be as small as it could be?

Perhaps, Zhao Guangyi and his ministers at that time felt that it was natural to implement the Song Dynasty's taxation system, and that the Five States of Dingnan should instead celebrate their return to the embrace of the Central Plains with joy.

He felt a little disappointed. After all, the Song Dynasty was a unified country, so naturally some people would develop arrogance. Didn't he have a little bit of arrogance at all?

"Do you think that in recent years, people in and outside the court have begun to become arrogant?" He looked at Zhao Guangmei and the other two. Of course they have! The three of them thought about it carefully and came to a conclusion.

But that's not the case. Zhao Guangmei said, "There are indeed such situations. But with the unification of the Song Dynasty and the prosperity under its rule, this kind of mentality is bound to arise. Well, a complete ban is not feasible. We should require officials to act cautiously when facing national affairs..."

Zhao Kuangyin nodded. He needed to think about it again, so he asked another question: "Regarding the intelligence, I previously established the Wude Division, but now it seems that we still lack a dedicated external intelligence system."

Han Dynasty, the fourth year of Yuanshou.

Liu Che shook his head: "It is certainly a good thing to be able to take advantage of the civil strife, but sometimes it is not easy to take advantage, you always have to be prepared." Just like the miracle said, the Song Dynasty was too confident and was blinded by this advantage that fell from the sky.

As for Li Jiqian taking the opportunity to escape under the pretext of attending a funeral, he looked at Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, who were more professional in this regard.

Huo Qubing said directly: "Guan Tianmu said that Dijinze is a good base. Li Jiqian led his people here, and the people in Dingnan and the five states are unstable. He must have someone supporting him. At this time, the main forces of the Song army are preparing to attack Liao or are attacking Liao. After the defeat of Liao, the Song army may not be able to control him." He secretly despised the fighting effectiveness of the Song Dynasty.

Wei Qing said, "Li Jiqian was able to flee without hesitation, which shows that he is an ambitious and courageous person. Such a person...will never stop easily." After talking about Li Jiqian, he also thought about the environment in which the Song Dynasty was in, "Besides, even if Li Jiqian's power is not enough, he may seek help from the Liao Dynasty."

In short, Western Xia was finally established and Li Jiqian was still the Taizu.

Song Dynasty, the third year of Taipingxingguo.

Zhao Guangyi deeply remembered the name Li Jiqian. It was he who made me lose face, led the five states of Dingnan to rebel against the Song Dynasty, and later established his own country...

He looked at his ministers, suppressed his restless thoughts, and planned to send people to Dingnan Wuzhou after the curtain fell to kill Li Jiqian without anyone noticing. If that didn't work, he would bring him back to the capital first.

As for Li Jibang, he is also an incompetent guy.

[Since the end of the seventh year of Taipingxingguo, Li Jiqian, who had gradually gained a force, has been constantly attacking the Hexi states garrisoned by the Song army. However, he has basically been conducting small-scale operations, and most of them have been defeated.

Especially in the first year of Yongxi, he led his troops to attack Wangting Town in Xiazhou and captured tens of thousands of prisoners. This was the first victory since the anti-Song campaign.

But before he could be happy for long, the Song Dynasty's Xiazhou governor Yin Xian and the inspector general Cao Guangshi sent elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Dijinze for two consecutive nights. Li Jiqian and his brother Li Jichuang broke out of the siege, and his mother and wife were captured. More than 400 tents were lost, and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep were lost.

However, although Li Jiqian was defeated repeatedly, his supporters did not decrease, but instead grew in number. This was also one aspect that the Song Dynasty underestimated Li Jiqian.

Why did Li Jiqian gradually become more powerful?

On the one hand, it was the interests of the people. The ethnic groups in the border areas were not only dissatisfied with the Song Dynasty and wanted greater benefits, but also the Dangxiang Miewei tribe, etc. In addition, Li Jiqian's marriage with various tribes consolidated the connection between the parties.
On the other hand, it is the legacy of the Li family, "the Li family has been benevolent for generations", and the common people and nobles in Hexi have many feelings for the Li family, and often want to provide relief and submit to them. 】

Song Dynasty, the first year of Kaibao.

Zhao Kuangyin silently watched the sky. Li Jiqian fought again and again despite repeated defeats. He became more courageous and gathered more people to arouse the people's hearts in Hexi. "Li's legacy, this kind of thing was indeed underestimated by Zhao Guangyi and his court officials."

Favors are a gamble on people's hearts. Sometimes people may not be willing to remember the favors of the past, but once long-term favors can take effect, they will be a force that causes the enemy the most headaches, especially when it comes from the gratitude of a large number of people. That is the will of the people!
Although the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were full of people coming and going, and the people in charge of the army were always on the stage, but as long as these people understood the situation, which one of them did not pay attention to the people's feelings? Even if they were not too good to the people, they would not insist on driving them into the hands of the enemy.

Of course, those who are simply brutal are not included in the discussion.

Song Dynasty, the fourth year of Xining.

Song Shenzong Zhao Xu sat at the top, and the prime ministers and important officials were also present.

Everyone present knew about Li Jiqian's affairs, including Zhao Xu. However, he had not previously studied the psychology of the common people under the Li family's century-long management.

Seeing this, I felt like I had found a proof: "The people remember the grace, and it was with this help that Li Jiqian was able to hold on. What do you think?"

The ministers, led by Wen Yanbo, all shook their heads and sighed, "Your Majesty, these are unruly people who refuse to obey the king's rule! They are helping Li Jiqian, which means they are aiding the enemies of the Song Dynasty. How can you say they are good?"

So what if the people remember your kindness? The Song Dynasty shares the world with the literati, not the people!
[Afterwards, Li Jiqian conquered Yinzhou, but felt that he was too weak, so he sent Zhang Pu to the Liao Dynasty to express his allegiance.

Faced with an opportunity to bring Hexi to his side, although Emperor Shengzong of Liao believed that Li Jiqian was not sincere, he finally agreed to his request, appointed him as the governor of Dingnan Army, and married him to Princess Yicheng, a member of the royal family.

Faced with the alliance between Li Jiqian and the Liao Dynasty, and the frustration of being unable to eliminate Li Jiqian, the Song Dynasty did something that later seemed to have a significant counterproductive effect.

In the fifth year of Chunhua, the Song Dynasty imposed an economic blockade on the Xiazhou area, strictly prohibiting the entry of "blue and white salt".

The Dangxiang people, who were engaged in animal husbandry, obtained their food mainly by exchanging the naturally abundant local pond salt with border residents.

Zhao Guangyi's salt ban policy was intended to cause a food crisis among the Dangxiang people, but in reality it affected not only those who were hostile to the Song Dynasty and followed Li Jiqian.

The people of Guanlong border area of ​​Song Dynasty were in turmoil because of the lack of salt, and the other nomadic tribes who did not follow Li Jiqian were in turmoil because of the food panic, which in turn fueled Li Jiqian's turmoil and even strengthened his power. Finally, the Song Dynasty had to lift the ban.

(End of this chapter)