noffsinger Chapter 336: 'Loyal and Courageous' Li Changjie
Chapter 336: 'Loyal and Courageous' Li Changjie
The news of the capture of the Thang Long Imperial City spread, causing the Jiaozhi people to fall into panic.
In particular, Li Changjie's army, which was fighting in the south, was facing the Champa and Zhenla armies in front, and the Song army in the rear that could attack at any time.
For a time, we were in an extremely passive situation, with wolves in front and tigers behind.
Most importantly, many soldiers' families were in the capital and the Gyeonggi region in the rear, and they were very worried about the situation at home.
As a result, they suffered repeated defeats in battles with Champa and Chenla, and they could hardly maintain their border line.
Li Changjie was also considering whether to agree to the demands of Champa and Zhenla and cede Thanh Hoa Road and Yen Chau Road to quell the war in the south so that he could lead his troops north.
Before he could make up his mind, people from the north were sent to negotiate with him, including the issue of surrender.
Li Changjie originally did not want to play cozy with the Song Dynasty, and planned to beat the people out directly.
It’s a pity that good people don’t come, and those who come are not good!
The person sent by the Song army to persuade the surrender this time was the military inspector Li Xian. Like Li Changjie, he was a eunuch and both were capable and had common topics.
Although Li Xian himself didn't want to come, the pie drawn by the cursed Han was too big for him to bear.
Xuanqingshi! A title for a eunuch in the Song Dynasty, a high-ranking official.
It was established in the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008), and other senior eunuch titles included Neike Dianshi, Yanfu Guanshi, Xuanqing Shi, Zhaoxuan Shi, etc.
Is this a pie in the sky that Han painted for Li Xian? No!
This is the pie that Emperor Shenzong painted for Li Xian through Han Ming's mouth. If you want to climb up, you have to pay something, right?
In order to get the position of Xuanqingshi, Li Xianyi went to Li Changjie's camp in the south without hesitation to meet this "colleague" who had the same physical and psychological problems as himself.
When he saw a eunuch sent from the north, Li Changjie thought that the Song army was insulting him. He was so angry that he almost went berserk, and he led his troops north to fight a decisive battle.
"Does Li Taibao want to be nailed to history's pillar of shame?!"
Li Changjie's anger instantly subsided when Li Xian saw his first words.
Then the two of them calmed down and started a serious negotiation.
After all, for a eunuch like Li Changjie, being able to leave a name in history is simply a recognition of his ability and status.
In fact, in the original history, Li Changjie not only left historical records in Vietnam, but also received considerable praise.
During the Joseon Dynasty, Li Changjie was highly praised.
The inscriptions at the time stated: "You (referring to Li Changjie) assisted the emperor, and the country prospered for many years. You can be said to be a sage minister who left a legacy of prosperity that will be passed down through the ages." "You also assisted the government for three dynasties and suppressed border rebellions. During those few years, all directions were peaceful and tranquil. Your achievements were great."
In the early 20th century, Vietnamese historian Tran Trung Kim commented in his book A Brief History of Vietnam that he "possessed military talent and mastered military strategy. He conquered the Song Dynasty in the north and conquered the South. He was truly a famous general of our country."
The "History of Vietnam" published in Vietnam in 1971 claimed that all of Li Changjie's military actions were reasonable and brilliant "self-defense" strategies.
"Li Changjie's active self-defensive offensive strategy also embodies this national spirit and will. Li Changjie is a national hero; an outstanding military strategist who combines brilliant strategic talent with outstanding political and diplomatic skills."
It is obvious that in the eyes of the Vietnamese people, Li Changjie is worthy of the title of national hero because he was able to resist the invasion of the Song Dynasty and escape unscathed, and formally declared the independence of Jiaozhi Vietnam.
However, in the Song Dynasty or in modern Chinese history, Li Changjie received mostly negative comments.
Chinese scholars Guo Zhenduo and Zhang Xiaomei believe that the massacres carried out by Li Changjie in Yongzhou, Qinzhou, and Lianzhou within the Song Dynasty were "a bloody massacre of the Chinese people in their resistance to aggression, unprecedented in the history of Sino-Vietnamese feudal society."
In addition, the author criticized the high praise of Li Thuong Kiet in the History of Vietnam compiled by the Vietnam Social Science Committee, saying, "It is really outrageous and a mockery of historical facts."
However, the same book also affirmed Li Changjie's talents, saying that he "has military talent and is proficient in strategy. He invaded the Song Dynasty in the north and Champa in the south. He was an ambitious general of the Li Dynasty."
When translating Chen Zhongjin's "A Brief History of Vietnam", Chinese scholar Dai Kelai also said that Li Changjie's attack on the Northern Song Dynasty was a "naked act of aggression" and that "the author and other Vietnamese historians' many excuses for this are wrong."
Anyway, from the perspective of the people of China and Vietnam, the positive and negative evaluations of Li Changjie are clear-cut.
However, what cannot be denied is that Li Taibao was able to leave his name in history as a eunuch and was recorded and evaluated in the historical books of both China and Vietnam, which shows that he did have some ability.
This gave the Song Dynasty an idea. Just like Li Moling who was helping Han Zhang and Han Jiang manage Liangzhou, Jiaozhi also needed a prestigious and reputable person to step forward and take the lead.
Unfortunately, the battle of Thang Long City was too brutal, and almost no members of the Ly Dynasty royal family were left, which is also frustrating.
After hearing what Li Xian said, Li Changjie finally understood where he was, and his face couldn't help but fall.
"You want me to help the Song people stabilize Jiaozhi? Isn't that ridiculous!"
Li Changjie's current toughness and "loyalty and courage" are nothing more than a desire to gain dignity after being defeated.
Knowing that the Song Dynasty would not kill him easily, wouldn't he be able to ask for a sky-high price and raise his own value?
It all comes down to two words - add money!
Li Xian immediately understood the other party's profound meaning, laughed twice, and conveyed Emperor Shenzong's will to him.
"Eunuch Judge of Thang Long Yamen, Governor of the Imperial Palace, Military Governor of Thanh Hoa Road, Inspector General, Founding Marquis..."
Most of these are honorary positions, the two most important ones are the Jiedushi of Qinghua Road and the founding marquis.
The former was given the military and political power of Qinghua Road, and the latter was a title that could be passed down from generation to generation, which was what made Li Changjie somewhat tempted.
Compared with the Jiedushi within the Song Dynasty, Li Changjie, the Jiedushi with real power, caused great controversy within the court.
They believed that a surrendered general from an enemy country should not be given such a powerful position, especially in the southernmost border area of Jiaozhi.
Who knows, in the future Li Changjie will divide the territory and become a border governor like in the former Tang Dynasty.
However, Emperor Shenzong and Han Ming valued Li Changjie's military capabilities, and based on his familiarity with the Indochina Peninsula, he would become a key figure in the future development of the entire southwest of the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, they supported Li Changjie to hold power without reservation and to take charge of the southwest, thus laying a foundation for the subsequent development of the Indochina Peninsula.
Hearing this, Li Changjie felt moved. He thought that it was not easy for him, as a eunuch, to reach a high position in the Ly Dynasty of Jiaozhi. He was also very grateful to Ly Il-jon and other emperors of the Ly Dynasty.
But unexpectedly, the emperor of the neighboring Song Dynasty was even more polite to him. Not only did he retain the title of "Taibao", but he also conferred him the title of Jiedushi and Kaiguohou. This was really a great favor to him.
Although the title of "Inspector Taibao" has become a nominal one, he is still a Taibao. Every Taibao in the Song Dynasty is a well-known person.
Guo Kui, the top commander in the active Song army, was granted the title of "Jianxiu Taibao".
As for the founding marquis who can pass down the title to the next generation, this is not a small honor. There are very few nobles in the Song Dynasty who can pass down the title to the next generation. It can basically be said that the number is close to zero.
I haven't even shown my loyalty yet, but I've already won one of the few heirloom titles since the founding of the Song Dynasty. I should be content.
We saw our "loyal and courageous" Li Changjie, also known as Li Taibao, holding the imperial edict of Emperor Shenzong, looking at it for a long time, and immediately stood up and knelt on his knees facing north.
"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song, your humble servant, Li Changjie, expresses his gratitude for His Majesty's great kindness and is willing to surrender. I hope that I can forever serve the Great Song in defending the southwest and expanding its territory."
"This heart is witnessed by heaven and earth, witnessed by both humans and gods!!!"
Li Changjie held the imperial edict in his hand and dropped it to the ground with three loud clangs.
This also made Li Xian feel relieved. He couldn't help but take out a silk handkerchief and wipe the cold sweat from his head.
Oh my god! This kind of work of going in and out of the enemy camp to negotiate is really hard to do! Next time, the emperor and the Prime Minister will definitely not come no matter what they say!
As for whether there will be a "true fragrance law" in the future? No one can tell...