The Song Dynasty was the Later Zhou Dynasty that usurped Chai Rong, but the Song Dynasty compiled the "History of the Five Dynasties" and still praised Chai Rong--the creator of the world, ren yi xianming, and the first Ming emperor in five generations. His thirty-year ideal of "ten years to level the world, ten years to raise the people, ten years to the balance" Although he died young and did not have time to complete, he still touched countless future generations.
Only the matter of "killing 70 generals" has been considered by later historians to be "excessively killed and killed too much." And look at the ins and outs of this matter, let's take a look at the 70 generals, should they be killed?
[1] The Northern Han Dynasty was in trouble
The year 954 AD was the Period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the Later Zhou Dynasty. At the beginning of the year, Later Zhou Guo wei died and passed the throne to his adopted son Chai Rong (Zhou Shizong). Liu Chong, of the Northern Han Dynasty in the north, believed that the new and old emperors of Later Zhou alternated, the regime was unstable, and the new emperor Chai Rong had no prestige and could take the opportunity to destroy Later Zhou. Chai Rong succeeded to the throne in the first month, and in February, the Northern Han Dynasty colluded with the Khitan to form a 100,000-strong army to attack Hou Zhou.
The Combined Forces of the Northern Han Dynasty, marching south from Jinyang (Taiyuan), defeated Li Jun, the envoy of Later Zhou Zelu, besieged the city of Luzhou on the one hand, and continued to attack Zezhou on the other. If Zezhou was lost, it would be more than 300 miles away from kaifeng, the capital of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and the cavalry would be able to reach Kaifeng City in a day and night. Kaifeng, which has no danger to defend, will face a huge disaster.
【2】 The Imperial Driving Conscription
Under the severe situation, Chai Rongli defied the public opinion and decided to personally march and lead his troops to Zezhou. The Northern Han Forward Army engaged the Later Zhou army in the field of Zezhou and was temporarily defeated. Chai Rong led the Later Zhou Front Army to accelerate the pursuit, leaving the rear army behind, causing a situation where the enemy was outnumbered.
When the Northern Han army saw that Chai Rong's army was small, it set up a position to prepare for a decisive battle. The rear zhou array was divided into three armies: left, center, and right. In the east, the right army, the main generals Fan Aineng and He Hui; the left army in the west, the main generals Bai Chongzan and Li Chongjin; the main generals of the Chinese army, Xiang Xun and Shi Yanchao. Chai Rong and Zhang Yongde led the Forbidden Army to supervise the front.
[III] The Right Army collapsed
The Northern Han general Zhang Yuanhui took the lead in attacking the Later Zhou Right Army Fan Aineng.com. Fan Aineng and He Hui fled on horseback when they encountered a slight setback, and the infantry of the right army did not have time to escape, and they all sat down and surrendered, and the right army of Houzhou was instantly defeated. At this time, the Left Army of later Zhou was also struggling to support. If this continues, the Army of the Later Zhou Dynasty will undoubtedly be defeated.
Chai Rong rushed out and led the Forbidden Army to personally launch a charge. The generals of the Later Zhou Forbidden Army shouted: "The emperor humiliates the subject to death" and "the emperor dies in battle, and we are not afraid of death."
[4] Reverse occupation
The Later Zhou army, led by Chai Rong, was highly morale and launched a decisive charge, and the situation on the battlefield was reversed in an instant. The Later Han general Zhang Yuanhui was shot down by the Later Zhou army and killed on the spot. The Later Zhou army launched a full-scale counterattack and pursued and killed the Later Han army. As soon as the Khitan army saw that the Han Dynasty had gone, it left its allies behind and retreated first.
After the Defeat of the Later Han Dynasty, the Later Zhou army pursued the Hundred and Ten Thousand Leagues, and the Later Han Liu Chong, led ten thousand people to flee, and when they fled back to Jinyang, only one hundred and ten cavalry remained. In this battle, the first battle of Chai Rong's ascension to the throne of Later Zhou, Chai Rong became famous in the first battle, which laid the momentum for the rise of Later Zhou and was also the most important major battle in the Five Dynasties period. From then on, Chai Rong's army could suppress the Khitans.
[5] Post-war liquidation
After the war, those who have meritorious service are rewarded, and those who have had it are punished. After the war, the main generals of the Right Army, Fan Aineng and He Hui, fled, and after escaping, they also robbed the army of materials, deceived the rear army that they had failed, and prevented the rear army from reinforcing the battlefield. Fortunately, the generals of the rear army insisted on reinforcements, or they would have missed a big thing.
Chai Rong wanted to rectify military discipline and kill the fugitive generals, but the number of fugitives was too large, and he was a little hesitant. Zhang Yongde, who was in charge of the Forbidden Army, said:
"If Your Majesty wants to level the four seas, he must establish a military law; if he fights, he will become a deserter, and a million soldiers and horses will be wasted."
Chai Rong thought this deeply and shouted, "Kill—"
The 70 who fled led by Fan Aineng and He Hui landed on the ground.
These people not only fled from the battlefield, but also spread rumors of great defeat, obstructed the reinforcements of friendly troops, and even more heinously looted supplies, leaving behind sooner or later a scourge.