For the identity of the founding monarchs of the "five dynasties" of Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou, there is an image depicted in the field of historiography: a Liukou, three Hu people, and a recruiter. Liu Kou refers to The Later Liang founding monarch Zhu Quanzhong (朱文), the Hu people are Later Tang Li Cunxun, Later Jin Shi Jingyao, Later Han Liu Zhiyuan, the servants are all Shatuo tribes, and the recruiters are Later Zhou Guowei. The difference in Guo's origin can be seen here.
Guo Wei also has a name: Chang Wei, yes, the name of the number one villain in "Nine Pin Sesame Officer".
Guo Wei was born in the grassroots, his father Guo Jian was a general of li keyong (Li Cunxun's father) the King of Jin, but he died in the battlefield in his prime; then the orphan and widowed mother waded through the mountains and waters to join relatives, but on the way, his mother Wang Shi unfortunately died of illness, and Guo Wei, who was only a few years old, was pulled up by his aunt. At the same time, due to his poor family, Guo Wei was once attached to the Later Tang Dynasty's envoy Chang Si, so some people also called him "Chang Wei".
With a tragic childhood, but tenaciously formed an open-minded, free personality, guo Wei when he grew up, is most likely the prototype of a famous literary figure: Lu Zhishen.
At the age of 18, Guo Wei enlisted in the army and served as a pro-soldier under Li Jitao in Zelu Jiedu, which is the origin of the above "recruiting emperor".
Guo Wei's appearance and personality are very similar to the good guys in "Water Margin": he is tall and brave, likes to fight, drink, and gamble, but he is not a bad person by nature. One day, when he was wandering in the street, he encountered a butcher bullying and bullying the city, so he deliberately went forward to make things difficult, while instructing the butcher to cut meat, while looking for stubble to scold him; the butcher knew Guo Wei's coming, at first he swallowed his anger, and then he really couldn't bear it, so he ripped open his clothes and pointed at his stomach and shouted: "If you have the courage, you will stab him here!" ”
At that time, Guo Wei was a second-in-command, and he actually took the knife and fell to meet the requirements of the butcher.
Isn't this "Guo Ti's knife stabbing the town of Kansai"? However, Guo Wei's luck was much better, and within a few days of being arrested and imprisoned, Li Jitao was released by Li Jitao, who had always admired his moderation.
In the chaotic world, Guo Wei's luck has always been relatively good.
In the Great War between Zhu and Li, his superior Li Jitao betrayed Li Cunxun and defected to Zhu Quanzhong, so after the fall of Later Liang, Li Jitao was killed, and the remnants were all incorporated into the Later Tang army, and the little famous Guo Wei became Li Cunxun's personal soldier "From Ma Zhi";
Because he was good at learning, Guo Wei gradually emerged in the grassy army, first because he could write and calculate, he was promoted to a military official, and later because he liked to read military books and knew a little about the art of war, he was promoted to a guard officer.
During this period, he met Liu Zhiyuan, who was waiting for the guards at the time, and the two became close friends at first sight, and gradually followed each other. In 947, Liu Zhiyuan raised an army to claim the title of empress dowager in Taiyuan, and the old man Guo Wei naturally flew huang Tengda and was promoted to deputy envoy of the Privy Council (equivalent to deputy prime minister).
In 948, Liu Zhiyuan fell ill and died, and before his death, he was left alone with Guo Wei, Shi Hongzhao, and others, and ordered them to assist his son Liu Chengyou.
In that era, whenever this time was a time when the military generals were ready to move, soon, The Hezhong Jiedu made Li Shouzhen, Yongxing Jiedu made Zhao Sixuan, and Fengxiang Jiedu make Wang Jingchong rebel one after another, and Liu Chengyou first sent Bai Wenke, Guo Congyi, Chang Si and others to fight, but they did not return, so they had to invite Guo Wei and let him lead the generals.
The veteran general was out of his horse, and Guo Wei rushed to the river, first besieging without fighting and depleting the rebels' grain and grass; then suddenly launched a full-line onslaught, and Li Shouzhen died of exhaustion and self-immolation. Subsequently, Zhao Sixuan and Wang Jingchong surrendered one after another, and the Later Han regime survived the greatest crisis.
In the winter of the same year, the Khitan made a major attack on the side, and Guo Wei was ordered to go out on horseback, simply and neatly repel the enemy, and once again made great military merits. It was also for this reason that Guo Wei gradually became a master of shock, causing Liu Chengyou to be jealous.
In 950, under the planning of his close confidant Li Ye, Liu Chengyou suddenly attacked, first killing the auxiliary elders Yang Ying and Shi Hongzhao, and even their relatives and friends, and then secretly ordering Zhenning Jiedu to make Li Hongyi get rid of the guards and infantry to command Wang Yin, and let the Capital of Yixing command Guo Chongwei, and the infantry command cao Wei to find an opportunity to kill Guo Wei and the supervising army, and Xuanhui to make Wang Jun.
As for Li Ye, he was even more impatient, and he immediately sent someone to kill all the family members of Guo Wei, Wang Jun, and others who remained in the Beijing Division, and Shi said that "it was extremely cruel and poisonous, and there were no babies and children who were spared."
However, Li Hongyi and others did not comply, and he told Wang Yin the news, and Wang Yin immediately asked Guo Wei for an emergency. Seeing that there was no way back, Guo Wei made a plan and forged an edict claiming that Liu Chengyou had ordered him to purge the generals, thus successfully arousing the anger of the people, and the generals were indignant and supported Guo Wei's army "Qing Jun's side".
Subsequently, Guo Wei left his adopted son Guo Rong (Chai Rong) to guard the capital of Yidu, and he himself led a large army south, all the way to the point of breaking bamboo and defeating the general Murong Yanchao and others sent by the imperial court. Liu Chengyou paid the price for his recklessness, and the people of the capital were panicked and had no fighting spirit, and he fled in the middle of the regret, but died at the hands of the rebel army.
Next, Guo Wei first supported Liu Yun as emperor, but then on the pretext of leading his army north to resist the Khitans, he suddenly launched a mutiny in Liaozhou, and the soldiers tore off the yellow flag and wrapped it around Guo Wei, and then the mountain roared and killed back to Kaifeng. In the first month of 951, Guo Wei was officially called emperor, with the state name of Great Zhou and the history of Hou Zhou.
This yellow robe plus body drama was later copied completely by Zhao Kuangyin.
Although Guo Wei was born in the grassroots and joined the army as a recruiter, he was a hot-blooded man full of chivalry. In the chaotic world, he was good at learning, studying the art of war, rich in combat experience, and sharing weal and woe with the soldiers, winning the hearts of the people, and finally relying on his own strength and extremely good fortune. In contrast to other usurpers, his rebellion in the face of the ineffectual disaster of high merit and destruction of the door attracted some sympathy.
After becoming emperor, Guo Wei also showed a vision beyond the reality of class. He set an example by example, strictly practiced frugality, straightened out the administration of officials, severely punished corrupt officials, reduced taxes, encouraged production, and at the same time abolished many cruel laws from the late Tang Dynasty and five generations, so that the central plains, which had been devastated by war and cruel officials, gradually moved toward stability, laying the foundation for Chai Rong's successful reforms later. As Fan Wenlan put it: "[Guo Wei] began to reform the barbaric politics of the Shatuo people, which gave some hope to the people who groaned under the tyranny of war. ”
As for Chai Rong, he is the nephew of Guo Wei's wife Chai Shi. Because of the family's fall in the middle of the road when he was young, he defected to his uncle and aunt's family, and he had a kind personality and was diligent, and he was soon loved by Guo Wei, and the two fell in love with father and son; it was precisely because Chai's failure to give birth that Guo Wei adopted Chai Rong as a son.
Around Guo Wei, Chai Rong gradually grew into an outstanding politician and military figure with both literature and martial arts, a long-term temperament, and excellent vision, and also became the only successor in Guo Wei's mind who could inherit his great position and create a career.
In 954, Guo Wei fell ill and died, and Chai Rong succeeded to the throne; this Zen made it unique, and the subsequent historical direction proved it right.