How did Li Maozhen, an inconspicuous envoy of the Wuding Army, grow from a small vassal lord to a powerful vassal challenging the dynasty in the turbulent years of the late Tang Dynasty, and finally establish the Li Tang regime and proclaim himself emperor in Chang'an?
In this era of warlords fighting and dynasties weakening, if you want to stand out among the princes, force is the first priority. So, we might as well start with the key starting point of Li Maozhen's quelling of Li Changfu's rebellion and capturing Fengxiang.
In 887 AD, Li Maozhen was ordered to escort Tang Xizong from Shu to Chang'an. At this time, the Tang Dynasty was at the end of the crossbow, and the Huangchao Rebellion in the past few years had lost all the vitality of the country. For example, when the prince came to Guanzhong today, he wanted to revive the prestige of the royal family, but he expected that there were already feudal towns eyeing him and preparing to go.
On the way back, the group passed through Fengxiang, where the feudal town of Jiedu made Li Changfu leave the Son of Heaven in the city. He had long been rebellious in his heart, fearing that the imperial court would crusade against him. This move caused dissatisfaction among the Su Guard Forbidden Army, and there were frequent clashes between the two armies.
In the end, Li Changfu's subordinates were defeated and had to retreat to Longzhou. When the Son of Heaven learned of Li Changfu's rebellion, he was furious and immediately issued an edict to crusade. At this time, the imperial court was weak and urgently needed the help of the feudal town, so Li Maozhen was appointed as the envoy of Longzhou.
Li Maozhen was overjoyed when he heard the news and immediately led his army to besiege the city. His move was undoubtedly to establish military merits and gain the trust of the imperial court. More than a month later, the defenders of Longzhou saw that the general trend had gone and surrendered Kaicheng. After Li Maozhen entered the city, he executed Li Changfu and put down the rebellion. Fengxiang, a strategic place, returned to the control of the imperial court, and Tang Xizong Longyan Dayue named Li Maozhen as the envoy of Fengxiang Festival, and rewarded countless people. Obtaining the fertile land of Fengxiang, Li Maozhen's strength has been greatly improved.
Fengxiang is geographically important, not only close to the Qinling Mountains, but also controls the main road to Bashu. Among the garrisons, there are not only the abundance of war horses, but also the benefits of silk, which can be said to be a great opportunity to gain a foothold in Guanzhong and annex Bashu. Li Maozhen's acquisition of this place is like a phoenix getting water, and it will become a big disaster in the future.
In the winter of 888 AD, Tang Xizong died, and Li Ye succeeded him as Tang Zhaozong. A new monarch who is determined to reform is located in the dragon chair, and the contradictions between the power of the eunuchs and the power of the eunuchs quickly intensified. At that time, Yang Fugong, the eunuch who controlled the forbidden army, leaned towards the government and the opposition, not only controlling the military and political power, but also often intervening in the government and politics. He widely adopted martial artists as adopted sons to expand his sphere of influence, and these adopted sons were all important positions in military towns.
Yang Fugong was so arrogant and domineering, which aroused Zhaozong's disgust. The two engaged in a fierce struggle for control of the government. Zhaozong tried to win over Yang Fugong's henchman Yang Shouli to his side, and the battle between the two sides became increasingly fierce.
In 891 AD, Zhaozong finally had enough of it and ordered a crusade against this unscrupulous eunuch and his henchmen. Yang Fugong had to go to the south and west of the mountain, and raised troops with Yang Shouliang and others to rebel. Soon his power collapsed, and he had to flee Shu in a hurry. At this time, the vitality of the imperial court was greatly damaged, and it was difficult to control the foreign domain.
Li Maozhen has accumulated strength in Fengxiang Town in the past few years and is waiting for a good opportunity. In the winter of 892 AD, he united with Han Jian and other feudal towns, accused Yang Shouliang of hiding traitors in the southern and western provinces of Qianshan, and wrote to the imperial court to crusade. The real purpose of this move is to annex it in the name of rebellion. Shannan West Road is a key traffic point to control the throat of Shu. Once obtained, the road to Guanzhong to Shu is under control, and Li Maozhen can be connected into a world.
Tang Zhaozong knew that Li Maozhen was plotting against him, and he reconciled repeatedly. But how could the powerful feudal towns obey their orders? Li Maozhen kept asking for the position of envoy, and his words were already disobedient. Zhaozong had no choice but to appoint him as the envoy of Shannan West Road. Li Maozhen, who obtained this position, soon led his army south, and he was planning to win Guanzhong and control Shujing.
Sure enough, he connected several Shannanzhou counties and captured the four towns of the Ganyi Army, the Wuding Army, the Shannan West Road, and Longjian. The Yang clan collapsed and fled to Shu; Li Maozhen leaned to one side, and the situation began to emerge. From now on, Li Maozhen will be the brightest star in this era of warlord melee and dynasty afterglow. He will definitely set foot in Guanzhong, call the emperor in Chang'an, and establish his own dynasty!
Ultimately, however, history is driven by people. We can't help but ask, what is Li Maozhen like? As the warlord of the north who finally established a unified regime, what kind of courage and courage did he have? It is necessary to take a look at the mental journey of the leader of the feudal town.
Li Maozhen was born in the reign of Tang Yizong and was born in a poor family. When he was young, his family was poor and he was forced to run in a liquor store as a handyman. This job is hard and humble, and every day I face the laughter and scolding of the superior people. Li Maozhen has a strong personality and strong self-esteem. He secretly swore in his heart, I must turn over and be the master, and let these guys who deceive people too much taste the pain of running away!
In order to change her fate, Li Maozhen gave up her stable job and chose to join the army. After being trained in frequent wars, he was soon promoted by virtue of his bravery and good fighting qualities. At this time, Tang Xizong was extravagant and politically corrupt, and Li Maozhen saw it in his eyes and was even more dissatisfied in his heart.
He decided to find an opportunity to establish his own power, why not be called the king and the emperor! As a result, Li Maozhen began to cultivate his cronies among his subordinates and accumulate strength. After quelling Li Changfu's rebellion, he obtained the fertile soil of Fengxiang, and was ambitious and ambitious.
In 892 AD, Li Maozhen united with Wang Xingyu of the Jingnan Army to defeat the Yang forces in Shannan West Province. At this time, he has endured for many years and is already ready to go. Getting the opportunity to recruit Shannan, Li Maozhen immediately sent troops south. He knew that the rescue was delayed, and he deliberately slowed down the march, just to make the land south of the mountain stormy and panicked.
In the end, Li Maozhen easily took Shannan County. Standing on the tower of the dilapidated Xingyuan City, he looked at the area around Guanzhong, and a burst of excitement surged in his heart: This country is finally under my control! Next, Li Maozhen began a series of expansion actions. He recuperated, trained the army, and searched for fighters. And used the strength in his hands to exert pressure on the imperial court many times to coerce Zhaozong to make concessions.
In several battles for results, Li Maozhen had the upper hand. This made him see the weakness and incompetence of this dynasty, and his ambition was even more inflated. Since then, Li Maozhen has openly acted arrogantly and disturbed the court. He is the true master of this era!
In these years of conquest, Li Maozhen saw that this dynasty was already at the end of the crossbow. As long as you have enough strength and courage, building a new empire is just around the corner! So, he began to win people's hearts openly and secretly. Whether it was officials, soldiers or ordinary people, he bought them with huge profits. At the same time, it fights against dissidents and clears the troubles of henchmen. Li Maozhen was as meticulous as a hair, laid an invisible net, and firmly controlled the key points of the military and politics.
At the same time, Li Maozhen's draft is more long-term - he wants to imitate Li Jing in history and dominate the world! I have even planned the future era name in my heart, which is "Wuyi". To this end, he began a large-scale conscription in the Guanzhong area. Each time he returned from an expedition, the number of troops increased. Li Maozhen would also choose young and strong people from the captives to enrich the forbidden army. Accumulating a large amount of strength is a manifestation of bad intentions.
In the past few years, Li Maozhen's power has been unmatched. He occupied important places in Guanzhong, supported his own troops, and had already become an independent kingdom. At this time, the Tang Dynasty was in decline, although the name was justified, but in fact it was slaughtered. In the face of a dynasty that has already existed in name only, who can stop the ambition of Li Maozhen, a person with bad intentions?
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the heroes competed for hegemony, and in the end, could they point to Chang'an and claim the emperor to dominate the world? How will this inconspicuous Wuding military envoy fight his way through turbulent times and eventually establish his own empire?
The Tang Dynasty was an era of heroes. Li Maozhen is the final winner who can finally claim the title of king and emperor in the war. He was not born into a high-ranking family, but with extraordinary perseverance and eloquence, he gradually accumulated strength. The weak political situation of the dynasty has long been clearly seen. Li Maozhen seized the opportunity to constantly expand her sphere of influence. In the end, he got his wish, ended this ** era, and established a unified regime.
Li Tang Tianxia, inheriting the past and opening up the future, has ensured the peace and health of China for two hundred years. As the founding father of the country, Li Maozhen's position in history is unquestionable. He is definitely a legendary figure through the ages, worthy of our respect and learning!