Today, the History Encyclopedia editor brings you an article about Li Congke. Welcome to read it~
Li Congke, born into poverty, lost his father at a young age and has been relying on his mother Wei for survival ever since. The appearance of Li Siyuan completely changed his fate. On that day, Li Siyuan passed by Pingshan and was attracted by Wei’s outstanding appearance. He took her back as his wife, and ten year old Li Congke was also taken away. Li Congke, originally surnamed Wang, changed his surname to Li only after becoming the adopted son of Li Siyuan.
Li Congke is tall and robust, with a deep and introverted personality. He is always silent, and when he followed Li Siyuan to fight on the battlefield, he was the champion of the three armies.
Once, Li Cunxu and the Later Liang army were fighting on the banks of the Yellow River. The Later Liang army couldn’t bear it and began to retreat. Li Congke cleverly led more than ten brothers to infiltrate the enemy. When they arrived at the enemy’s gate, he shouted loudly, and the enemy was suddenly killed. Then he waved his axe and cut off the enemy’s lookout post. Finally, he calmly returned to his camp. Li Cunxu’s blood was boiling with excitement as he shouted, “Wow, Ah San!” and personally gave him a glass of wine.
In order to overthrow Later Liang, Li Siyuan and Li Congke devoted themselves wholeheartedly and ultimately helped Li Cunxu ascend to the throne of God. However, being too outstanding always attracts jealousy.
Not long after Li Cunxu ascended to the throne, he was killed by rebels. Li Siyuan took over the throne, but a few years later, Li Siyuan died of worsening illness due to shock. The throne was passed on to his biological son Li Conghou.
It’s only because Li Congke is so capable that Li Conghou has suspicions about him, fearing that his throne will be unstable. He began to take action against the people around Li Congke, and Li Congke’s son was transferred from Kyoto and removed from the power of the imperial guards. Li Congke’s daughter, who had her hair cut off, was summoned to the palace. Finally, it was Li Congke’s turn, and he was transferred from Fengxiang Jiedushi to Hedong Jiedushi.
Li Congke was furious and didn’t want to obey orders, but he felt anxious every day because he didn’t have money or soldiers. It was his subordinates who gave him the courage to rebel. They said, “The emperor is still young, and the government is controlled by Zhu and Feng. Your achievements have greatly impressed the emperor. If you leave Fengxiang, it will definitely bring bad luck
Li Congke, under the guise of “eliminating treacherous ministers around the king,” rose up in Fengxiang and invited other military governors from various regions to join him. In order to boost morale, he promised to reward each person with 100 coins if he attacked Luoyang in the future. Li Congke still arrogantly named Wang Sitong to come and attack him. The two armies fought, and Wang Sitong was always on top. If this continued, Li Congke’s entire Fengxiang would be breached. Standing at the top of the city, he regretted deeply, only blaming himself for not being fully prepared in the first place.
I thought Li Congke would split his family this time, but I didn’t expect him to immediately sing a bitter drama. He quickly took off his shirt and exposed all the scars on his body. Standing on the city wall, he tearfully said, “Since I was young, I have followed the late emperor (Li Siyuan) to the mountains of knives and the seas of fire. It is because of these scars that we have today’s country. You all know this. Now, the emperor favors treacherous ministers and suspects his own siblings. What crime have I committed? I must bear such punishment
The generals who attacked the city were moved by his words. They stopped attacking the city and instead supported Li Congke. Finally, they joined hands with Li Congke to attack Luoyang, scaring Emperor Li Conghou and causing him to flee in panic.
Li Congke, known as the “deposed emperor of Tang” in history, sat on the throne with great reluctance. He had promised each soldier a hundred taels of silver, which should have been fulfilled. However, the money in the treasury was not enough, and he had no choice but to plunder the people’s wealth and wealth. At this time, he searched for places he could find again and almost dug three feet to find the Empress Dowager’s utensils, clothing, etc. In the end, it was not enough. He had no choice but to reduce the rewards of each soldier. The soldiers felt uneasy and composed a folk song: “Remove the Bodhisattva and support the pig iron.” This means that Li Conghou, who was driven away by them, looked like a Bodhisattva while Li Congke’s heart looked like pig iron.
This rebellion failed without being killed, yet he managed to turn the situation around and become emperor by crying. He must be the only one in history!
