During the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, when many warlords contended for power and conflicts were constant, Li Cunxu, the founding emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty, succeeded in pacifying the former Shu Kingdom with his outstanding wisdom and valiant military talents, laying the foundation for the prosperity of the Later Tang. This article will focus on how Li Cunxu pacified the former Shu Kingdom and analyze the process of this battle in detail.

I. Background: The divided situation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

During the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, many warlords contended for power and divided the Central Plains. Li Cunxu, the founder of the Later Tang Dynasty, gradually united the northern part of China through a series of wars and political maneuvers. However, the southern former Shu Kingdom remained a powerful opponent. In order to achieve national unity, Li Cunxu decided to wage war against the former Shu Kingdom.

II. Strategic Deployment: Attack the Allies of the former Shu Kingdom First

Before the war began, Li Cunxu made careful strategic deployments. He believed that to defeat the former Shu Kingdom in one fell swoop, he must first break its allies. Therefore, he successively captured the ally countries of the former Shu Kingdom, the Nanhan and Chu Kingdoms, weakening the former Shu Kingdom's strength.

III. War Process: Split the Troops into Two Routes and Strike Chengdu Directly

In 925 AD, Li Cunxu personally led a large army, splitting the troops into two routes to attack Chengdu, the capital of the former Shu Kingdom. One route was led by General Guo Chongtao and attacked along the Yangtze River waterway, while the other route was led by Li Cunshen and attacked by land. The two armies captured important cities of the former Shu Kingdom, such as Chongqing, Luzhou, and other places, and finally met at Chengdu.

IV. Moment of Decision: Surrender of the former Shu Kingdom's Monarch

As the former Shu Kingdom's army retreated step by step, the monarch Meng Zhixiang decided to surrender. At the end of 925 AD, Li Cunxu led his army into Chengdu and accepted Meng Zhixiang's surrender. At this point, the Later Tang successfully annexed the former Shu Kingdom and unified most of China's territory.

V. Post-war Influence: Consolidating the Dominant Position of the Later Tang

Li Cunxu's victory in pacifying the former Shu Kingdom not only laid a solid foundation for the Later Tang's unification of China but also consolidated Li Cunxu's dominant position. Afterwards, the Later Tang continued to expand externally, gradually eliminating other warlord forces, and ultimately achieving national unity.

Conclusion: Li Cunxu's pacification of the former Shu Kingdom was a journey of conquest combining wisdom and valor. In this war, Li Cunxu successfully defeated the powerful former Shu Kingdom with his outstanding wisdom and valiant military talents. This war not only laid the foundation for the Later Tang's unification of China but also demonstrated Li Cunxu's excellent military talents and leadership.

　　Disclaimer: The above content is sourced from the internet and the copyright belongs to the original author. If there is any infringement of your original copyright, please inform us and we will delete the relevant content as soon as possible.