First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 247
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Luoyang Dongshi was originally an extremely bustling and lively place. After Gao Chong’s overnight propaganda, he dispatched patrols along the street to beat gongs and drums. At this time, the streets of Luoyang Dongshi were already full of people. It was really a sea of ​​people. .

Under heavy guards, Li Shimin climbed onto the high platform, facing the dark crowd, full of voices and chaos, Li Shimin didn't say much, and ordered people to bring the false Zheng officials directly.

Hundreds of people, including Wang Tai, King of Pseudo-Song, Wang Jundu, King of Yue, Wang Qianshou, King of Cai, Wang Daoxun, King of Zhao, Situ Duan Da, Minister of the Ministry of Officials Yang Wang, General Shan Xiongxin, General Yang Gongqing, Guo Shiheng, Zhang Tongren, etc., tied their hands , was pressed to the scaffold.

Following Gao Chong's reading of the Tang Army's Announcement to the People, the supervisor came to the stage, read the names and responsibilities one by one, and finally asked Gao Chong whether he should be killed or not at Gao Chong's suggestion.

Undoubtedly, without exception, from noon to evening, the people shouted "Kill" resounded through Luoyang City, and blood flowed all over the streets of Dongshi.

Hundreds of puppet Zheng officials, except for Li Shimin's special Wei Jie, Changsun Anshi and others, were not spared. The scene is extremely bloody, but it is extremely hate-relieving.

Quite a few people got their revenge, knelt down and wept bitterly. The nameless hill outside the city where Gao Chong ordered people to bury the bones has been lit with incense every year since then.

With the defeat of Wang Shichong, the situation in the world has become clear. In this battle, Qin Wang Li Shimin defeated the Zheng Xia Alliance in the first battle. [-] Xuanjia troops seized Hulao Pass, defeated the Xia army of [-] people, and captured Xia Wang Dou Jiande alive. The forced landing of Wang Shichong wiped out the two top separatist regimes in one fell swoop, unified the north, and laid the foundation for the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

The unification of the Tang Dynasty seems to be a foregone conclusion. At the same time, Xiao Xian, who ruled Jingchu separately, is inexplicably terrified.

In the third year of Wude, when Li Shimin pacified Liu Wuzhou, Li Yuan did not let Xiao Mian go. He ordered Li Xiaogong, the governor of Kuizhou and the king of Zhaojun, to go down the river to conquer Xiao Mian.

Li Xiaogong drove straight in, conquered Tongzhou, Kaizhou and other places in one fell swoop, beheaded Xiao Jiti, the false Liang Dongping king, and forced Xiao Xian to send envoys to make peace. Referring to Zheng Xia, Li Yuan stopped his troops to avoid fighting on two fronts.

Logically speaking, the Tang army focused on Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong. At this time, Xiao Mian had a chance to breathe, and he should prepare his troops hard, train his troops diligently, and even send his troops northward. Zheng Xialiang's Three Kingdoms Alliance against Datang may still have a few days left. odds.

However, Xiao Mian was tolerant on the outside but jealous in his heart. When Li Xiaogong came to attack, Xiao Mian saw the arrogance of the various forces in the Liang Kingdom, and often listened to the advice and refused to listen to it. He only attached himself to him as the Emperor of Liang in name .

In the first year of Wude, after Xiao Xian proclaimed himself emperor, he followed the old rules of the Liang Dynasty. His father Xiao Cong was named Emperor Xiaojing, his grandfather Xiao Yan was King Zhonglie of Hejian, and his father Xiao Xuan was King Wenxian.

It is normal and human nature to chase after posthumous ancestors, but Xiao Xian was a little unwise when he made a great contribution to the meritorious officials.

Xiao Xian was originally the magistrate of Luochuan County in the former Sui Dynasty. Dong Jingzhen, Lei Shimeng, brigade commander Zheng Wenxiu, Xu Xuanche, Zhang Xiu and others conspired to rebel against the Sui Dynasty and elected Dong Jingzhen as the leader.

But Dong Jingzhen came from a humble background and was quite self-aware, so she declined and said: "I came from a humble background. Although I used a false name, I was afraid that I would not be able to convince the public. The legacy of Emperor Wu, besides, I heard that when the emperor rises, there must be a talisman. The Sui Dynasty's crown belt is called "Qi Liang". become".

Dong Jingzhen has always had prestige, and everyone responded after hearing the words.

After receiving the letter from Dong Jingzhen and others, Xiao Mian was overjoyed. He immediately set up the banner of Xiao Liang and recruited troops. Among them, Shen Liusheng, a bandit from Yingchuan, was the first to lead his troops to join him. Xiao Mian appointed Shen Liusheng as the general of chariots and cavalry.

Dong Jingzhen and others sent envoys Xu Deji, Guo Hua and hundreds of people to welcome Xiao Mian into Baling County, which aroused Shen Liusheng's dissatisfaction, and said to his subordinates: "Duke Liang raised an army, I will be the first to join, and meritorious service should be the first." , Now that Baling has many generals and is more powerful than me, he must not be willing to be in my place. It is better to strike first, kill the envoys, and embrace Duke Liang to enter the city, so no one can be in front of me."

After all, it was bandits who started their business. Shen Liusheng was so reckless and arrogant that he actually beheaded Xu Deji and Guo Hua, the envoys, on the way. I can't just take this big responsibility", after saying that, she was about to quit, Shen Liusheng was shocked, and hurriedly begged for mercy.

After entering the city, Dong Jingzhen was furious and said angrily: "Second General Xu and Guo advocated righteousness and did his best. Today, Shen Liusheng committed suicide and killed the hero. If he does not subdue the law, how will Liang Gong convince the public? And if he lives with such thieves, sooner or later disaster will happen." , a group of Baling soldiers will join in one after another.

Seeing this, Xiao Mian had no choice but to execute Shen Liusheng, and Shen Liusheng's old troops fled. This was the first time Xiao Mian beheaded a general, laying hidden dangers for future defeat.

Xiao Mian did not rely on his own efforts to gather people to raise troops like Li Yuan, Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong and others. Xiao Mian relied entirely on the generals to recommend him, because the land of Jingchu was the old land of Xiao Liang, and Xiao Liang’s regime was in Jingchu. The influence on the earth is far-reaching, and Xiao Xian is the orthodox descendant of the Xiaoliang royal family, his great-grandfather is Emperor Xuan of Liang Xiao Jian, and his great-grandfather is Xiao Tong, Prince Zhaoming.

Relying on such a background and being recommended by the generals, Xiao Mian was able to secure his position as the leader of the Jingchu uprising army and rebuild the Xiaoliang regime. However, in fact, Xiao Mian's direct lineage was not many troops.

Therefore, after Xiao Xian moved his capital to Jiangling and proclaimed himself emperor, he enshrined many meritorious officials, including many kings of the opposite sex, such as Dong Jingzhen as Jin, Lei Shimeng as Qin, Zheng Wenxiu as Chu, Xu Xuanche as Yan, Wan Zan as Lu, Zhang Xiu is the king of Qi, Yang Daosheng is the king of Song and so on.

These Xiaoliang kings were indeed quite powerful. Later, Yang Daosheng, king of Song Dynasty, captured Nanjun, and Zhang Xiu, king of Qi, captured Lingbiao.

Conquering east and west, Xiao Liang's power increased greatly. Sui generals Wang Renshou, Ning Changzhen and others led their crowds to vote, reaching Jiaozhi in the south and Hanshui in the north. .

But such powerful soldiers and horses are all in the hands of the kings of the opposite sex, and the kings of the opposite sex are more and more indulgent because of their support.

Xiao Mian looked tolerant on the outside, but he had a plan in his heart. After Li Xiaogong's dismissal, Xiao Mian pretended that the soldiers were exhausted and the farming was barren, so he cut down his troops and dismissed many generals of the kings, including Dong Jingzhu, the younger brother of Jin Wang Dong Jingzhen.

Elder brother Dong Jingzhen had a chance to become the leader, and he gave up to Xiao Mian, which made Dong Jingzhu very dissatisfied, and now he has been dismissed as a soldier under his command. How could Dong Jingzhu bear it? Dong Jingzhen is the main one.

This idea is very good, but Xiao Xian, who is lenient on the outside and taboo on the inside, has long been keeping an eye on the generals, and Dong Jingzhu was killed for leaking.

(End of this chapter)