It is often said that you will borrow another five hundred years from heaven, but this is actually impossible. Human life is very short, and modern society has developed science and technology to extend life. But in ancient times, when medical technology was not developed, a small wind chill could kill people, and the emperor was no exception. There will always be people who discuss that the first emperor did not die so early, and the Qin state may not die twice. In history, there is an emperor who also suffers from a short life span, if he is given 30 years, he may be able to create a prosperous empire that is no less than that of the Tang and Han Dynasties, but unfortunately the heavens only gave him five years.
This man was Chai Rong, born on September 24 of the seventh year of later Liang Zhenming (October 27, 921). The Chai family is a famous local rich family, but later the family fell in the middle of the road. However, it does not matter, Chai Rong also has an aunt Chai Who is married to his fellow villager Guo Wei, who looks handsome and has a more cautious personality. It just so happened that Guo Wei and Chai Had been married for many years and had not given birth to a child, so they adopted Chai Rong, who had no mother, as an adopted son.
Although Guo Wei was born low, he was more courageous, and Chai Rong had been following him since he joined the army. It is said that Guo Wei still succeeded in plotting rebellion by forging the Holy Will, and he changed the killing of Guo Wei and others inside to the killing of Guo Wei's generals. This provoked the anger of the army, so they rebelled in the third year of Qianyou (950). Chai Rong made a lot of military achievements with Guo Wei, and later when Guo Wei died of serious illness, he passed the throne to Chai Rong, who was raised like his own son.
On the twenty-first day of the first month of the first year of Xiande (954), Chai Rong succeeded to the throne in front of the coffin for Emperor Shizong of Zhou. Unfortunately, he only served as emperor for a little more than five years, and on June 19 (July 27) of the sixth year of Xiande (959), Chai Rong died of illness. Leaving the seven-year-old young lord Chai Zongxun, it was not long before the throne was seized by the general Zhao Kuangyin. In fact, long before he ascended the throne, Chai Rong planned to do some big things well, and asked Wang Pu, the grand master of the Left Counselor, how long he could live. Wang Pu, who probably had no real ability, told Chai Rong that he had thirty years left. At that time, it was already a very high life expectancy to be in his sixties, so Chai Rong was very happy.
Soon Chai Rong made a plan for thirty years, to use ten years to open up the world, and then to cultivate and live in ten years, and the remaining ten years would be the days of peace for the people. Therefore, Chai Rong conquered the north and conquered the north five years after he ascended the throne, and began the road to unifying the world. And he also made many measures to make the country prosperous, the first is to select talents and consult, and strive to win good ministers. Then it was clarified that officials would be heavily responsible whether they were civil or military corrupt officials.
Militarily, he was also very powerful, and his army threatened neighboring countries, and history called it "the grandeur of armor, in modern times." These various actions of his also made him known as the first Ming Emperor of the Five Dynasties by later historians. Later, Ouyang Xiu once commented that in five or six years, Sejong would be able to take Qin Long, Pinghuai Right, and Fu Sanguan, which can be described as a sage lord.
He was indeed loved by the people, and later generations of folk also called Chai Rong the Prince of Chai, and he is still worshipped by the world. However, although he set a desire to sweep the world in thirty years, God did not give him thirty years of life. In May of the sixth year of Xiande (959), Chai Rong suddenly fell ill, and died of illness on June 19 (July 27) after his return. However, even if the thirty-year plan was not completed, he became a decisive figure in ending the turbulent and chaotic world of more than two hundred years since the Middle and Tang Dynasties.
Presumably, Chai Rong was not willing to die, but in ancient times, people's life expectancy was really difficult to control. A year after Chai Rong's death, Zhao Kuangyin ascended to the throne. The Song Dynasty has always been considered a weak Song, because it has always been bullied by the Liao to pay compensation, and it has also been bullied by the Western Xia, Jin, and Meng Yuan, if Chai Rong lived for thirty years, will there still be a weak Song?
References: "Old Five Dynasties History, Zhou Shu, Sejong Benji", "New Five Dynasties History, Zhou Benji", "Records of Zhou Shizong (Fragment)"