Why is the "Chen Qiao Mutiny" a myth? I can hardly believe it's a "mutiny."
The cause of the "Chen Qiao Mutiny" was that Zhao Kuangyin took all the main forces of Later Zhou and went north to meet the Khitan and Northern Han. Zhao Kuangyin and his men and horses had just arrived at Chenqiao, and there was a historical event of "yellow robes and body", and Zhao Kuangyin, who was proclaimed emperor, immediately took his subordinates to kill a hui horse gun and took over the power of Later Zhou. In the history books, Zhao Kuangyin's political behavior has always been taken as an accident, and the following arrangements have been made for the combined forces of the Northern Han and Khitan dynasties, which should have fought fiercely with Zhao Kuangyin: "The Khitan and Northern Han soldiers all retreated on their own. ”
However, there are some perverse references in the literature. Murong Yanzhao (also the second in command under Zhao Kuangyin), the former deputy capital of the Later Zhou Dynasty, was appointed as the vanguard of this northward march, and Murong Yanzhao had already set out ahead with a group of men and horses before Zhao Kuangyin's Chinese army was mobilized. Murong Yanzhao's route of action was straight, and he did not detour through Chen Qiao at all, but went directly to Dingzhou and Zhenzhou. From this historical data, we can see that Murong Yanzhao was the top military general of later Zhou.
However, the relationship between Murong Yanzhao and Zhao Kuangyin had two theories:
It is said that Murong Yanzhao and Zhao Kuangyin have known each other since childhood, and they are small haired people who grew up wearing a pair of pants, and they are brothers and sisters. If this statement was true, why did Murong Yanzhao leave Zhao Kuangyin and set out first? Shouldn't he have assisted Zhao Kuangyin in completing the mutiny? So, another
One theory is more credible, that is, Murong Yanzhao was not a concubine of Zhao Kuangyin, and the relationship between the two was not harmonious. Because Murong Yanzhao and Zhao Kuangyin were at odds, Old Zhao would take away this potential threat.
If this is the case, then there are many doubts about the records of the historians. Murong Yanzhao, who arrived in Zhenzhou and Dingzhou, was bound to be aware of these three facts:
First, the combined forces of the Khitan and the Northern Han Did Not Go South at all, and the news of the enemy's attack was false.
Second, the Later Zhou Dynasty he defended had been replaced by the Northern Song Dynasty.
Third, the commander of the army that had separated him had become the new emperor.
Murong Yanzhao, who knew this, had almost no choice. From here, we can see that there were many conspiracies in the birth of the Great Song Dynasty.
It has to be admitted that the process of replacing houzhou by the Great Song was relatively peaceful, and there was almost no bloodshed. Under the meticulous deployment and preparation of Zhao Kuangyin and others, the Chen Qiao Mutiny was successfully launched, and no battles were heard of during this period.
Zhao Kuangyin, who did not have a bloody blade, obtained the throne from Chai Shichan and became the orthodox emperor. Such a situation has hardly happened in feudal history. As a large dynasty spanning more than three hundred years, its beginnings were so smooth that it completed its founding overnight, which is simply incredible.
Before the Song Dynasty, whenever the regime changed, it always had to go through a period of war, and the situation of soldiers without bloodshed almost never happened. Moreover, every time the dynasty changes, it is a world chaos. "Fight for land and fight, kill people and win the wilderness; fight for the city, kill people and win the city." Mencius's words perfectly explain the essence of war. From the perspective of population alone, the change of dynasty often means a tragic demographic decline.
According to historical records, during the Warring States and even the Qin Dynasty, Yingzheng annexed the Six Kingdoms, turning the Original 30 Million People's Central Plains into a hell on earth with only 13 million people left. The transformation from the Western Han Dynasty to the Eastern Han Dynasty evaporated the human world with a population of 28 million. The Yellow Turban Rebellion of the Eastern Han Dynasty explained what a human disaster was, with at least 40 million people dying in the war. Which of the subsequent Rebellion of the Eight Kings and the War of the Late Sui Dynasty was not the scourge of millions of people disappearing out of thin air?
In contrast, the establishment of the Song Dynasty is simply a myth.
During the Five Dynasties period, almost all rulers had the problem of slaughtering cities or plundering. But whoever raises an army into the city must plunder it in a big way before he is willing to give up. At that time, the most "moderate" approach of the soldiers after the siege was to "ram the city", that is, to rob. As for the slaughter of the city, it is even more endlessly historical. When Zhao Kuangyin was dressed in yellow robes, he made an agreement with the soldiers in the army: "No robbery is allowed in either the Imperial Treasury Or the Shishu Family." "Therefore, when Zhao Kuangyin's men and horses took over the dynasty, Qiu did not commit any crimes.
Kaifeng City, which should have undergone a bloody purge, did not experience the bloodshed that everyone imagined, but "the city is not easy to wantonly". Merchants should open their doors to do business, and ordinary people should go to the streets, just like there has been no change of dynasty at all. Those Mao thieves who tried to take advantage of Zhao Kuangyin's takeover of the Zhou Dynasty were all taken advantage of by "the traitors in Lu Lane often took advantage of the situation, so they were beheaded in the city for several generations." Merchants or residents who have been robbed by lawbreakers have also been compensated by "those who have been plundered, and the officials have paid their capital".
From these details, we can hardly believe that this is a "mutiny".
Of course, history is written by the victors, and we cannot confirm whether the scene when Zhao Kuangyin was founded was as harmonious as described in the historical records. However, since there is no wild history to say that there was any bloodshed at that time, it can be said that Zhao Kuangyin was more benevolent and lenient than the former founding emperors of the dynasty who killed indiscriminately.
Therefore, even if there are conspiracies and doubts in the Chen Qiao Mutiny, Zhao Kuangyin's behavior is still ancient and modern.
Resources:
[History of Song", "The Conspiracy of the Chen Qiao Mutiny"]