The most rogue regime in ancient China, which made a living by blocking roads and robbing and calling vassals everywhere, became the laughing stock of the world
Countries or regimes, like people, have their own different ways of survival, generally speaking, the development of large countries depends on strength, and small countries survive and fight for intelligence. Of course, in some extreme cases, for the sake of survival needs, some countries or regimes often put aside their "face" and instead use some despicable means. For example, as the smallest and weakest regime in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Jingnan (Nanping) has always lived by blocking roads and robbing and asking for rewards everywhere, which can be called the most rogue regime in ancient times.
Zhu Wen Image
The founder of the Jingnan regime, Gao Jixing, whose original name was Gao Jichang, was a member of the Late Tang Dynasty Shaanzhou Jiaoshi people, who in his youth worked as a domestic slave under the door of the rich man Li Rang of Fenzhou, and by chance he would attach himself to the great warlord Zhu Wen and be adopted by him as an adopted grandson. After that, Gao Jichang began to follow Zhu Wen in his conquests of the north and south, and was promoted from a low-level general to a defensive envoy of Yingzhou, and restored his original surname. After Zhu Wen usurped the Tang dynasty as emperor, Gao Jichang was enshrined as the envoy of Jingnan Jiedushi and became a major warlord who divided the side in 907. This year is also regarded by historians as the beginning of the actual founding of Jingnan (Nanping).
Although Gao Jichang was Zhu Wen's adopted grandson and had a close relationship with the Later Liang imperial family, after the fall of Later Liang and the entry of Later Tang Zhuangzong Li Cunxun into Luoyang (923), as the first vassal to enter the capital to worship, he showed loyalty to the new dynasty and avoided the name of Later Tang's ancestor Li Guochang (Li Cunxun's grandfather) and changed his name to Gao Jixing. When Li Cunxun saw that Gao Jixing was so aware of current affairs, he was immediately overjoyed, and not only did he appoint him as the King of Nanping, but also set up banquets to entertain him every day, doing his best to do his best.
Five Generations and Ten Kingdoms Situation Map
Jingnan was located in the central part of present-day Hubei Province, with its seat in Jingzhou, and had long-term jurisdiction over 8 prefectures, including Jing, Li, Lang, Xia, Gui, Chu, Zhong, and Wan. However, due to the great wars at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the prefectures under jingnan were divided up by the surrounding major forces, and Gao Jixing's territory was only 1 city in Jingzhou, which was barely expanded to 3 states (Jing, Gui, and Xia) shortly before the fall of Later Liang. Not only that, because Jingnan has been in war for a long time, the population has fled in large numbers, and the city is dilapidated, which is completely a sign of decay, and the annual tax revenue is simply not enough.
In order to make up for the lack of fiscal revenue, Gao Jixing racked his brains and finally thought of an excellent way to "increase income", taking advantage of Jingnan as a convenient condition for the transportation routes between jiangnan countries to and from the Central Plains, and frequently intercepting the tributes offered to the Central Plains by Machu, Southern Han, Fujian and other countries, which were no different from the robbers who blocked the road and robbed them. If the plundered country protested or threatened war, Gao Jixing would return the intercepted tribute as it was, but when the wind passed, he would commit the crime again, without the slightest guilt or remorse.
Portrait of Li Cunxun
In addition to plundering the southern countries, Gao Jixing, who was wise and dim, also knocked on the "bamboo bar" of the Later Tang. Originally, after the fall of Former Shu, the commander of the Later Tang Expeditionary Force, Li Jiquan, plundered more than 400,000 gold in Shu land, and then sent a ship down the east of the river to Luoyang, and the news of Li Cunxun's murder came halfway through the road. After Gao Jixing heard the news, he actually intercepted the treasure ships and killed the officers and men escorting them. After Emperor Mingzong of Tang ascended to power, the imperial court asked Jingnan for the treasure, and Gao Jixing pretended to be stupid in front of the emissary and asked them to ask the river god for advice.
Gao Jixing saw that Li Siyuan did not ask for the guilt, and soon took a more bold move, demanding from the imperial court that Fu Prefecture and Xia Prefecture be used as subordinate counties. In order to co-opt Gao Jixing, Li Siyuan agreed to his request, but still insisted that the imperial court appoint two states to assassinate Shi. Unexpectedly, after Gao Jixing got the two states, he actually expelled the assassin appointed by the imperial court and replaced him with his own son and nephew. Li Siyuan was completely angered by Gao Jixing's series of provocative actions, so in the second year of Tiancheng (927), he sent the generals Liu Xun and Xi Xiyi to attack Jingnan, and conquered Kuizhou, Chungju, and Wanzhou in succession.
Image of Lee Tsug-yuan
Gao Jixing was unable to resist the imperial court's offensive, so he sent envoys to Southern Wu to seek refuge, and with the assistance of the other side, he reluctantly repelled the Later Tang army and saved Jingzhou, Guizhou, and Xia prefectures. After this battle, Gao Jixing not only lost a large amount of territory, but also completely offended the Later Tang, and was in danger of being destroyed at any time, so he was terrified and remorseful, and soon died of an attack of beriberi, in December of the third year of Tiancheng (January 929). After Gao Jixing's death, his eldest son Gao Congzhi succeeded to the throne, and Jingnan quickly adjusted his foreign policy and re-declared himself a vassal of Later Tang.
Compared with his father, Gao Congzhi was even more rogue and had more "tricks". In addition to plundering the tributes of the southern countries, Gao Congzhi also submitted to the surrounding powers in order to ask for rewards. During the 20 years of Gao Congjie's reign, Jingnan not only claimed the title of vassal to the Central Plains Dynasty, but also showed great loyalty to the regimes of the Southern Han, Min, Southern Wu, Houshu, southern Tang and other claimed emperors, and even once called the Liao state, which occupied the Central Plains, "Daddy", without any discipline. All countries felt that Gao Congzhi was too despicable, so they simply gave him a nickname of "rogue" or "Laizi", and their hearts were full of contempt.
Portrait of Gao Congjie
Jingnan lived between Hunan, Lingnan, and Fujian, and the land was narrow and weak, and since the time of King Jixing of Wuxin, those who had paid tribute to their territory had plundered their currency. And the various ways to cross the book to give way, or to be soldiered, had to return to it, and was not ashamed. And from The Tang, Jin, Khitan and Han dynasties were based on the Central Plains, and the Southern Han, Min, Wu, and Shu were all called emperors. From the gift of profit, to the subjects, to the kingdoms, to the lowly, called "high scoundrels." See Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 287.
Portrait of Song Taizu
Although "eating" is ugly and humiliating, as far as the principle of means serving the end is concerned, Gao Congzhi did indeed lead Jingnan to achieve the goal of maintaining survival and development, which can really be described as a great "merit". Of course, the reason why Jingnan was not annexed was that it actually played the role of a "buffer zone" between the north and the south, and no regime would do anything about it unless it was absolutely necessary, as did the Central Plains Dynasty, as did the powerful regimes in Southern Wu, Machu, and Southern Tang.