Song Xiu

Chapter 112 The Crimes of the Southern Mutual Protection Agreement Are Obvious
Inside the temporary palace in Nanchang Prefecture, Li Jing, the ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty, was looking angrily at Tang Hao, the Privy Councilor.

"Zhao Kuangyin entrusted Zhao Dexiu with full authority over my country's diplomatic affairs."

"The King of Wu is in Huainan; what use is it for you to send an envoy to Bianjing!"

After speaking, Li Jing threw a memorial impeaching Tang Hao heavily at him.

Sensing Li Jing's anger, Tang Hao was so frightened that he knelt down and repeatedly confessed his sins:
"I know my crime, I know my crime!"

"Your Majesty, I have ascertained that Cao Bin is a subordinate of Zhao Dexiu. I believe that the act of coercing the Prince of Wu was done by Zhao Dexiu alone, and Zhao Kuangyin may not have been aware of it."

"I sent an envoy to Bianjing to plead with Zhao Kuangyin, hoping he would issue an edict to release Zhao Dexiu and return him to the Prince of Wu."

Tang Hao explained his good intentions.

Unexpectedly, Tang Hao's explanation only fueled Li Jing's anger.

Who is Zhao Dexiu?
He was nominally the Prince of Taiyuan, but in reality, he was the Crown Prince of Song.

Even if Zhao Kuangyin was unaware of this matter, how could he possibly reprimand Zhao Dexiu because of matters concerning the outer court?

"Have you gone mad from reading so much history of the early Tang Dynasty?!"

Enraged, Li Jing threw all the other memorials on his desk at Tang Hao.

The pedantic Tang Hao was not unaware of Zhao Dexiu's status in the Song Dynasty.

However, being well-versed in the history of the former Tang Dynasty, he believed that there must be a conflict between the crown prince and the emperor.

Tang Hao then devised a plan: he wanted to send someone to Bianjing to complain about Zhao Dexiu's excessive behavior, hoping to arouse Zhao Kuangyin's suspicion.

This plan might have worked in the early Tang Dynasty, but it's a joke in today's world.

During the chaotic Five Dynasties period, there were many incompetent and foolish rulers.

Even the most incompetent ruler would not be so foolish as to rashly suspect an adult heir.

Li Jing himself is the ruler of a country, how could he not understand this point?

After venting his anger, Li Jing glared at Tang Hao and rebuked him:

"Quickly seek out rare treasures and beautiful women from Jiangnan."

Then send another envoy with these to Huainan, making sure to pay utmost respects to Zhao Dexiu.

Please beg him to release the King of Wu!

After speaking, Li Jing slumped weakly onto the throne.

Not long ago, Li Jing had just upgraded Hongzhou to Nanchang Prefecture and designated it as the secondary capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty when he received an urgent report from Han Xizai.

Upon learning that Li Congjia had been coerced by the Song Dynasty envoys to travel north, Li Jing's first reaction was anger.

However, amidst his anger, Li Jing was filled with fear for the future.

His health had deteriorated significantly since the Battle of Huainan.

It was precisely because of this concern that he had previously purged Li Congjia of his political opponents so that Li Congjia could smoothly succeed to the throne in the future.

Just when everything was ready, their own crown prince was abducted?

Which monarch wouldn't be furious in this situation?

At that time, he entrusted the entire matter of rescuing Li Congjia to Privy Councilor Tang Hao.

But Tang Hao's incompetence angered him once again.

Under Li Jing's angry rebuke, Tang Hao nodded obsequiously and was about to get up to do so.

Just then, a palace attendant outside the hall reported:
"Minister Han, carrying a letter from the King of Wu, requests an audience."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing's body immediately regained its vitality:
"Quickly, let Han Xizai in."

Not long after Li Jing finished speaking, Han Xizai's anxious figure appeared in the hall.

For the past few months, Li Jing has frequently traveled around, and his whereabouts are uncertain.

Zhao Dexiu was too lazy to search for Li Jing's whereabouts, so he directly sent Li Congjia's letter back to Jinling City.

Let the Southern Tang ministers in Jinling go find their "tourist monarch".

As soon as Han Xizai entered the hall, Li Jing's gaze fell upon the letter in his hand.

"Send it over quickly!"

As soon as Li Jing finished speaking, a palace attendant quickly stepped forward and handed the letter from Han Xizai to Li Jing.

With a "rip," Li Jing tore open the envelope, took out the letter, and began to read it carefully.

Upon first glance, Li Jing noticed the vigorous strokes of Li Congjia's calligraphy and, realizing that Li Congjia was temporarily safe, breathed a deep sigh of relief.

The more he looked, the uglier Li Jing's expression became.

"This is really unreasonable!"

Li Jing slammed the letter heavily onto the imperial desk in front of him.

Seeing that Li Jing was angry because of the letter from home, Han Xizai realized that Zhao Dexiu might have made an excessive request through Li Congjia.

Having discerned this, Han Xizai bowed deeply and advised:

"Your Majesty, with the Crown Prince away from court, the foundation of the nation is insecure."

For now, even if Zhao Dexiu makes some unreasonable request, it's best to grant it for the time being.

Although Li Jing had relinquished his imperial title before the Song Dynasty, he still used imperial etiquette within the country.

In Han Xizai's view, in order to maintain the dignity of the superior state, Zhao Dexiu should not take the opportunity to make requests such as ceding territory.

As long as it's not about ceding territory, most other things can be agreed to.

Gold, silver, grain, beautiful women, and antiques—Jiangnan has them all.

Li Jing snorted coldly at Han Xizai's words.

A look of resentment appeared in his eyes as he said:
"What if Zhao Dexiu wants the elite troops I use to conquer Hunan and Hubei?"

As soon as Li Jing said this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly dropped several degrees.

The faces of the officials in the hall were filled with shock.

Those currently in the palace are all important officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

They knew that Li Jing intended to move the capital, ostensibly to "avoid the sharp edge of the Central Plains," but in reality, he wanted to seize the opportunity to swallow up the wealthy Hunan region in one fell swoop.

If the Southern Tang could acquire the Hunan and Hubei regions, it would be able to quickly recover from the loss of Huainan.

Li Jing's ambition intensified after learning of Li Chongjin's rebellion and the Song army's defeat at Lai'an.

Seeing that the Song army was about to get bogged down in the war in Huainan, this was truly a golden opportunity for the Southern Tang to revive!
Before Li Jing could even take any action, Zhao Dexiu, who lived far away in Huainan, wanted to cut off this golden opportunity from afar.

How could Li Jing be willing to accept this?
What many ministers didn't know was that his insistence on conquering the Hunan region stemmed from a letter Meng Chang had given him some time earlier.

The great victory at Luzhou also surprised Meng Chang, who was immersed in the pleasures of love.

Meng Chang, who occasionally managed to get up from the beautiful woman, sent a letter to Li Jing:
"The Central Plains are powerful and wish to form an alliance with your country to mutually protect our prosperity!"

Similarly, Meng Chang also sent letters to the Southern Han, Wuyue and other states.

The chaotic Five Dynasties period was largely similar to the Warring States period.

During the Warring States period, there was the strategy of "vertical alliance," and during the Five Dynasties period, there was the strategy of "mutual protection in the south."

Li Jing was clearly tempted by Meng Chang's suggestion.

To best implement the "Southern Mutual Protection" strategy, the Southern Tang Dynasty must first conquer the Hunan and Hubei regions.

In this way, the territories of Southern Tang and Western Shu could be more closely connected.

Li Jing's ideas were impressive, but no matter how impressive they were, they were useless.

Because Zhao Dexiu held the Southern Tang's lifeline firmly in his hands.

Li Jing was not too worried that Zhao Dexiu would foolishly harm Li Congjia.

Li Jing was worried that Zhao Dexiu, while holding onto Li Congjia, was pleading with Zhao Kuangyin to appoint another prince of the Southern Tang as heir apparent.

The current base of power in the court is support for Li Congjia; if other princes were to usurp his position...
The thought of the impending chaos in the Southern Tang Dynasty made Li Jing feel a pain in his chest.

Whichever is the lesser of two powers that harm each other!
If a balance of power cannot be guaranteed during the transition of power, what use is it if he conquers a vast empire today!
After intensely considering the pros and cons, Li Jing, filled with grief and indignation, couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh:
"The Tang Dynasty's revival was cut short halfway through!"

The Tang Dynasty's revival was ultimately thwarted by Zhao Dexiu.

After uttering these words in anguish, Li Jing, his face ashen, said to Han Xizai:
“Send an envoy to Huainan to meet with the King of Taiyuan.”

I can grant his request, but after it is done, I would like to ask the Prince of Taiyuan to facilitate the Song Dynasty's investiture of the Prince of Wu as Crown Prince.

If the Prince of Taiyuan disagrees with this, then I will not compromise any further!

Left with no other choice, Li Jing had to agree to Zhao Dexiu's request.

At the same time, Li Jing kept a watchful eye. If Li Congjia were officially appointed as the Crown Prince of Southern Tang by the Song Dynasty, Zhao Dexiu would no longer be able to use Li Congjia to act recklessly.

Han Xizai clearly saw the ashen look on Li Jing's face.

But things have come to this, and all that can be done is lament.

Zhao Dexiu, who was outside Chuzhou, soon received an envoy from the Southern Tang Dynasty.

From the messenger, Zhao Dexiu learned of Li Jing's firm stance.

Zhao Dexiu expressed his understanding of Li Jing's attitude.

The Southern Tang still possessed considerable strength. Li Jing might yield due to practical considerations, but he would never be so foolish as to allow himself to be manipulated.

Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall.

Furthermore, keeping someone with the "talent of an emperor" like Li Congjia around is useless; it would be better to send him back to continue causing harm to the Southern Tang.

Before the envoy, Zhao Dexiu solemnly promised:

"By my command, I will urge Your Majesty to appoint the Prince of Wu as the Crown Prince of Southern Tang."

Because of their past actions, the reputation of the "Song Dynasty Imperial Family" for always keeping their word is now widespread throughout the land.

The good reputation delighted the Southern Tang envoys.

Next, the Southern Tang envoy requested to meet Li Congjia.

Zhao Dexiu readily agreed to this request.

After the Southern Tang envoy left, Zhao Dexiu ordered someone to summon Pan Mei.

When Pan Mei arrived, Zhao Dexiu informed him of the latest news:
"His Majesty sent an edict yesterday."

These words immediately brought a look of anticipation to Pan Mei's face.

With Pan Mei's expectant gaze upon him, Zhao Dexiu smiled and said:

"In the imperial decree, His Majesty entrusted me with all matters concerning the south."

Upon hearing this, Pan Mei excitedly slapped her fist in the palm.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Unbeknownst to Pan Mei, Zhao Kuangyin also sent an envoy with an oral decree:

"Do it! Do it!"

Although he was unable to meet Zhao Kuangyin in person, Zhao Dexiu could sense Zhao Kuangyin's joy from this oral edict.

What father wouldn't be happy if his son wanted him to get a good night's sleep?

Pan Mei was so agitated because the imperial edict stated that "all matters concerning the south are entrusted to him," which represented considerable power.

This power not only means that from this day forward, Zhao Dexiu can seize the opportunity to conquer the Hunan region, but also that Zhao Dexiu has the right to control the diplomatic affairs of the two kingdoms of Wuping and Nanping.

With this power, whether Zhao Dexiu can successfully pacify the two kingdoms in the future depends entirely on his personal abilities, and there will be no other obstacles.

Amid Pan Mei's excitement, Zhao Dexiu said:

"Your Majesty trusts me, and I cannot fail you."

I will entrust the mission to Nanping and Wuping to Zhongxun.”

Ostensibly an envoy mission, its true purpose was to gather intelligence on the enemy.

If the enemy situation is well scouted, and we can successfully capture Hunan and Hubei in the future, it will be a great achievement.

Pan Mei was somewhat surprised when she heard Zhao Dexiu's instructions.

Today, Zhao Dexiu has a wealth of talented people under his command.

Logically, Zhao Dexiu should have given this credit to his subordinates first.

Seeing that Pan Mei hesitated, Zhao Dexiu pondered for a moment and figured out the reason.

"As fellow ministers of the state, Zhongxun should have no reservations."

Zhao Dexiu's words put Pan Mei at ease.

"My lord, take your orders!"

After saying this, Pan Mei got up and left the tent.

Watching Pan Mei's departing figure, Zhao Dexiu recalled Zhao Kuangyin's admonition:
"Li Cunxu is not someone to be emulated."

To avoid becoming like Li Cunxu, the key is to learn how to share the spoils.

The current military governor of Wuping is Zhou Xingfeng.

Although Zhou Xingfeng did not officially establish a state and declare himself emperor after becoming the military governor of Wuping Army, his political and military orders were independent within the sphere of influence of Wuping Army.

At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin had no time to attend to the south.

In addition, Zhou Xingfeng presented his memorials very frequently, so Zhao Kuangyin followed the example of Emperor Shizong of Zhou and issued an edict acknowledging Zhou Xingfeng's separatist rule in Hunan.

After successfully becoming a vassal state of the Song Dynasty, Zhou Xingfeng thought he could finally rest easy.

Unexpectedly, as September arrived in the first year of the Jianlong era, Zhou Xingfeng received a message:
"The Prince of Taiyuan is in Huainan and wants to summon troops from various vassal states to jointly suppress the rebels in Huainan."

This news came from the Kingdom of Nanping.

As small countries, Nanping and Wuping have always maintained close exchanges.

The Song Dynasty envoy Pan Mei is currently within the territory of Nanping Kingdom and will soon enter the sphere of influence of Wuping Kingdom.

When Zhou Xingfeng first heard this news, he felt quite disgusted.

Zhou Xingfeng was not the founder of the Wuping Kingdom. The way he inherited the Wuping Kingdom's power was a typical example of a ruler who overthrew his predecessor after the Five Dynasties period.

Zhou Xingfeng, who seized power in this way, did not have a solid foundation within Wuping.

If he leaves the country, there is no guarantee that there won't be a second "Zhou Xingfeng" within the country.

Zhou Xingfeng was even more uneasy about handing over military power to someone else.

For the reasons mentioned above, Zhou Xingfeng subconsciously wanted to decline Zhao Dexiu's summons.

"The Prince of Taiyuan is focused on Huainan; how could he possibly have any intention of looking south?"

Having made this judgment in mind, Zhou Xingfeng feigned illness after Pan Mei entered the country.

As soon as Pan Meigang entered the country, he heard that Zhou Xingfeng had fallen ill, but he refused to believe it.

However, Pan Mei did not directly expose Zhou Xingfeng.

Zhou Xingfeng avoided Pan Mei like the plague, but the others in Wuping Kingdom were overjoyed at her arrival.

For example, Zhang Wenbiao, the prefect of Hengzhou.

Zhang Wenbiao had long harbored rebellious intentions towards Zhou Xingfeng. Now that Zhou Xingfeng was neglecting Pan Mei, Zhang Wenbiao saw it as a golden opportunity to replace Zhou Xingfeng and rise to power.

After bringing Pan Mei to Hengzhou, Zhang Wenbiao, in front of Pan Mei, directly accused Zhou Xingfeng of "immorality".

"The emperor was unaware that during his travels he encountered a country that outwardly respected the superior nation, but inwardly there were many treacherous and rebellious elements."

In June of this year, Zhou Xingfeng's old injury flared up again. In an attempt to heal himself, he even ordered people to perform a suburban sacrifice to heaven and earth to pray for blessings!

Zhang Wenbiao was indignant when this was mentioned.

Pan Mei was overjoyed upon hearing this exciting news.

Offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth has always been the exclusive right of the emperor.

Pan Mei understood the deeper meaning behind Zhang Wenbiao's conversation about this matter.

"Rumors should not be believed entirely."

If this is not a rumor, I will report it to the Prince of Taiyuan.

Pan Mei's face showed disbelief.

Zhang Wenbiao became anxious upon hearing this.

If Pan Mei didn't believe it, how could he have used the Song army to bring down Zhou Xingfeng?
“I can personally write a letter and hope that the envoy will deliver it to the King of Taiyuan.”

Rumors are not credible, but as the governor of a prefecture, his accusation should be considered evidence of his guilt.

Zhang Wenbiao's words finally convinced Pan Mei to "reluctantly" believe them.

"please!"

Pan Mei pointed to the writing brush and ink on the table and said calmly.

He feigned illness and refused to send troops to assist the clan leader.

The two criminals, as vassals, presumptuously used imperial etiquette.

Their crimes are obvious and deserve condemnation!
(End of this chapter)