China has experienced the prosperous Tang Dynasty and the rich Song Dynasty, but if you do not understand the history, it is easy to think that the Tang Dynasty directly entered the Song Dynasty after it. The chaotic period of division between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is a combination of the Five Dynasties (907-960) and the Ten Kingdoms (902-979).
The five dynasties refer to the five regimes located in the Central Plains that were replaced in turn after the fall of the Tang Dynasty
1. Later Liang: Zhu Wen (usurper of Tang)
2. Later Tang: Li Cunxun (Later Liang)
3. Later Jin: Shi Jingtang (Tang Dynasty)
4. Later Han: Liu Zhiyuan (Later Jin)
5. Later Zhou: Guo Wei (Annihilation of the Later Han)
The Ten Kingdoms refer to the many separatist regimes that existed outside the Central Plains after the fall of the Tang Dynasty
Former Shu, Later Shu, Southern Wu, Southern Tang, Wuyue, Min, Chu, Southern Han, Nanping, Northern Han
Shi Jingtang was an ethnic minority in the northwest, his father was called The Chicken, and he was a general used by Li Keyong, the founding monarch of the Later Tang Dynasty. Shi Jingtang took such a name to show that he was an authentic Han Chinese. Shi Jingtang grew up in the army and entered Li Siyuan's army when he grew up. He was taciturn, had a city government, liked to read the art of war, and worshiped the ancient famous generals Li Mu and Zhou Yafu. Li Siyuan liked the young man very much, regarded him as a confidant, and later simply married his daughter to him. On the battlefield, Shi Jingtang was a fierce general. Later Tang Zhuangzong Li Cunxun was attacked by the Later Liang general Liu Xun during the Great War in Hebei, and suffered heavy losses. At the critical moment, Shi Jingtang wielded a large mallet in his hand, led more than a dozen horsemen and horses into the enemy group, and rushed east and west, stopping the other side's attack and saving the entire army.
Shi Jingtang not only saved Li Cunxun, but also repeatedly saved Li Siyuan in many years of conquest, so Li Siyuan valued him more and more. Later, Li Siyuan was jealous of Li Cunxun and was sent to quell the rebellion in Wei Bozhen. Just after arriving in Weibo, the headquarters mutinied again. Li Siyuan was in a dilemma, so he wanted to return to Luoyang to plead with Li Cunxun. Shi Jingtang resolutely opposed Li Siyuan's practice, saying in his words: "Is there a leader outside, a mutiny among his subordinates, and a commander who has nothing to do?" Hesitation is bound to take its own fault. For now, it is better to go south. I am willing to lead three hundred troops to attack the capital first, this is the key to the world, if you succeed, great things can be accomplished! Li Siyuan was enlightened by his son-in-law, suddenly realized, and made up his mind. He ordered Shi Jingtang to go first, and after unifying the army, he finally entered Luoyang and won the world. Shi Jingtang was therefore named "Meritorious Hero of Dedication to Building and Reviving".
Shi Jingtang, who is a love general, a horse, and a hero, who combines these three special names, has a prominent position in the new dynasty and is highly respected. He first went to Shaanxi to become the supreme military and political chief, and established the government with honesty and honesty, but within a year, the territory was convenient for the people to govern. Later, he went to Weibo Town to take charge. This is the land of ancient Hebei, the people's customs are fierce, and the accumulation of various cases is innumerable. After Shi Jingtang took office, he acted vigorously and quickly reduced the incidence rate. Shi Jingtang's officials were getting higher and higher, but he sensed that the imperial court was unstable and there would be infighting, so he lobbied the ministers and obtained an official rank of Hedong Jiedushi envoy to go to the town to guard Taiyuan. Taiyuan is an important town in the north, and it is the place where Li Ke started with his father and son. After Shi Jingtang took office, he presided over the defense of the Khitan while being clean and honest. He lived frugally, not close to the voice, and did not set up banquets. After the end of the office, he often summoned his staff to talk about the sufferings of the people and the gains and losses of the government. In handling the case, it is shrewd and decisive, and the decisions made can convince both the plaintiff and the defendant. In short, Shi Jingtang, as a member of the party, has won the hearts of the people and his reputation has risen.
Shi Jingyao not only saved his father-in-law Li Siyuan on the battlefield, but also analyzed the situation for Li Siyuan when he encountered political difficulties. The most prominent in this regard was to persuade Li Siyuan to adapt to the situation of the times and pursue the throne in times of military turmoil. In the fourth year of Tongguang (926), when Zhao Zaili mutinied against Wei Bo, the imperial court sent Yuan Xingqin to surrender without success, and everyone was talking about it, believing that li Siyuan could not surrender Zhao Zaili, so Li Cunxun appointed Li Siyuan as commander and sent him to suppress it, but when he arrived at Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Damingbei, Hebei), his own army also mutinied and asked Li Siyuan to claim the title of emperor in Hebei. Li Siyuan had no second thoughts about Li Cunxun, accepted Huo Yanwei's advice, and then wanted to go back alone to confess his true feelings to Li Cunxun. Shi Jingyao vigorously opposed his unwise approach, saying, "Is there any reason why the commander of the army who is leading troops outside and after the army mutiny occurs, its commander is all right?" Moreover, hesitation is a big taboo for soldiers, so it is better to take advantage of the situation and quickly go south. I am willing to lead three hundred cavalry to attack Bian Prefecture first, which is the key point of winning the world. If you get it, big things can be done. Li Siyuan woke up at this time and immediately sent him to lead the troops first, and then he followed up. Shi Jingyao crossed the Yellow River at Liyang (present-day Xun County, Henan) and occupied Bian Prefecture. When Li Siyuan entered The City of Biancheng, Emperor Zhuang personally led his army to the northwest of the Five Mile Road from the City of Bicheng, and Emperor Zhuangzong ascended to Gaocheng and sighed, saying, "I can't accomplish great things!" Therefore, the soldiers who followed Zhuangzong dispersed in large numbers and came to submit to Li Siyuan. Li Siyuan immediately sent Shi Jingyao to lead his soldiers as a forward and rushed to Shuishui Pass, and not long after, Emperor Zhuang died in civil unrest. In the same month, Li Siyuan entered Luoyang, rewarded Shi Jingyao for his merits, and was promoted from the governor of the capital to the post of soldier and horse of shaanzhou. In the end, Li Siyuan finally ascended to the throne as Shi Jingyao expected. Shi Jingyao was also awarded the title of Guanglu Grand Master and Inspector Situ for his merits, and was awarded the title of "Meritorious Servant of the Restoration of The Restoration of The Faithful" in Shaanzhou (present-day Sanmenxia, Henan).
In February of the second year of Tiancheng (927), Shi Jingyao was given the title of Inspector Taifu and deputy envoy of the Sixth Army, and was knighted as the founding uncle. In October, he was appointed as an envoy to the imperial camp and quickly quelled the rebellion of Zhu Shouyin, the envoy of The Bian Prefecture. For his meritorious service, he was promoted to the post of envoy of Xuanwu Army, the commander-in-chief of the Horse Infantry Army of the Guards and the deputy envoy of the Six Armies, and was knighted as the founding duke, and was given the title of "Yao Zhong Kuang Ding Bao Festival Meritorious Man". In the third year of Tiancheng (928), he was given the title of Inspector Taifu (太傅), Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), Xingtang Yin (興唐尹), Yi Du (邺都) remained behind, tianxiong junjun (天雄軍節度使), and was also given the title of Lieutenant Ma Du (驸馬都尉). In the first year of Changxing (930), he was appointed as a lieutenant of the inspection school. In September, Dongchuan Jiedu caused Dong Zhang to rebel, and Shi Jingyao was appointed as an envoy to the Dongchuan camp and also managed the affairs of the Dongchuan government. The following year, because the Shu Road was dangerous and difficult, and the grain transportation could not be supplied, Emperor Mingzong ordered Banshi to return to the dynasty. In April, he also served as the deputy envoy of the Sixth Army. In June, he was reappointed as the envoy of Heyang Jiedushi, and still held military power at the same time.
In the fourth year of Changxing (933), the Qin king Li Congrong played the northern Khitan, Tuhun and Turkic borders, and needed a general to command the border army, and the ministers believed that only Shi Jingyao and Kang Yicheng could take charge. Shi Jingyao was originally reluctant to be the deputy commander of the Forbidden Army and voluntarily went north. On November 4, Shi Jingyao was also appointed as the envoy of Shizhong, Taiyuan Yin, Beijing, and Hedong Jiedu, and also concurrently served as the commander-in-chief of the Army of Datong, Zhenwu, Zhangguo, and Weisai, and was given the title of "Meritorious Hero of the State of Ningguo", and seized the military and political power of Hedong, which originated in the Later Tang Dynasty. The next day, at the Zhongxing Hall, Shi Jingyao held a cup to wish Emperor Mingzong a happy birthday, and took advantage of the music to say: Although I am a little cowardly, I think of major border events, how can I not do my best to be loyal, but I am far away from Kyoto, I have not seen the emperor for a long time, and I cannot declare at any time." Shi Jingyi bid farewell again, And Emperor Mingzong wet his clothes with tears, and his close ministers were surprised that Emperor Mingzong was overly sad, and later he did not see Shi Jingyao again.
In December of the fourth year of The Later Tang Dynasty (933), after Li Siyuan died of illness, Shi Jingyao heard the news, such as the funeral of a concubine, and was grieving. In the first year of Ying Shun (934), Li Conghou succeeded to the throne as Emperor Min of Later Tang. Shi Jingyao was given the title of Zhongshu Ling (中書令) and was transferred to Zhenzhou (镇州, in modern Zhengding, Hebei) as an envoy to the German army, and Li Congke (李從珂ke) in Shaanxi as an envoy to Hedong Jiedushi. Li Congke therefore launched the Qiyang Mutiny, and finally with tears, Li Conghou sent his soldiers to suppress him surrendered to him, and then led the troops to Luoyang. Li Congke then asked Shi Jingyao to discuss military affairs, and Shi Jingyao met Li Conghou who had escaped from Luoyang on the road, and Li Conghou's entourage suspected that Shi Jinghou did not protect Li Conghou, and after a short engagement, Shi Jingyao killed all of Li Conghou's entourage, and then imprisoned Li Conghou and went to ask Li Conghou for merit. In the end, Li Congke sent someone to kill Li Conghou.
After Li Congke succeeded to the throne, he appointed Shi Jingyao as the envoy of Hedong Jiedushi and the remainer of Beijing, and served as the commander-in-chief of Datong, Zhenwu, Zhangguo, Weisai and other military forces. Although Shi Jingyao helped him get rid of Li Conghou's troubles, he did not trust him, but instead treated Shi Jingyao as the biggest threat. Every effort was made to transfer him away from the base area of Hedong. After Shi Jingyao went to the capital to attend Li Siyuan's funeral, he did not dare to propose to go back, afraid that Li Congke would be suspicious, so he frowned all day, plus he was sick at the time, and finally he was skinny and bone-skinned, not like a person. His wife Li hurriedly pleaded with her mother, Empress Cao, and asked Li to release Shi Jingyao back from Keke. Although Li Congke was not Empress Cao's biological son, Empress Cao treated him like a biological child from an early age, and seeing that Shi Jingyao was ill like this, it was estimated that it would be difficult to pose any threat, so she pushed the boat along the water to make a personal love, and let Shi Jingyao return to Hedong. Unexpectedly, this time it was actually a tiger returning to the mountain, and Later Tang died at his hands.
After Shi Jingyao went back, he was even more careful, and his wife Li Shi once went back to Attend Li Congke's birthday party and wanted to come back early, but Li Congke was drunk and said to her: "If you are in such a hurry to go back, are you going to rebel with Shi Lang?" Li Shi came back and told Shi Jingyao, which made Shi Jingyao more convinced that Li Congke was very suspicious of him, because drunk people often said things that they usually did not want to say. Since then, Shi Jingyao has begun to make full preparations for the future. On the one hand, he pretended to be sick in front of the visitors from the capital, saying that he did not have the energy to manage local government affairs, so as to paralyze Li Congke; on the other hand, he demanded a large amount of military food from Li Congke several times under the pretext of Khitan invading the border, saying that he was accumulating to prevent the enemy from invading, but in fact he was planning for the future. Li Congke was kept in the dark by him and was repeatedly deceived, but Shi Jingyao's subordinates saw that when the imperial court sent people to comfort the soldiers, some people shouted long live and wanted to support Shi Jingyao as emperor and invite him for his merits. Shi Jingyao was afraid that the matter would be revealed, so he killed a total of thirty-six of his generals.
In order to prevent the future change of time from being caught off guard, Shi Jingyao decided to test Li Congke, so he wrote a letter pretending to resign from the post of commander of the horse infantry and asking him to go to another place to serve as an envoy, if Li Congke agreed, he proved that he doubted himself, and if he was appeased to stay in office, it showed that Li Congke had no intention of harming him. However, Li Congke listened to the idea of the chancellor Xue Wentong, who said: "Hedong's mobilization must also be reversed, and if it is not mobilized, it will also be reversed, and the time will not be too long. In May of the third year of the Later Tang Dynasty (936), he was renamed Shi Jingyao as an envoy of Yun Prefecture, and was enfeoffed as the Duke of Zhao, and was given the title of "Zhongzheng Meritorious Servant of the Futian Qiyun".
He then urged Shi Jingyao to go to Yun Prefecture to take up his post, which stimulated Shi Jingyao to send Sang Weihan to collude with the Khitan to become emperor, leaving a hundred generations of infamy. Shi Jingyao first pretended to be ill and did not leave, and then asked Li Congke to give way to Li Siyuan's own son Li Congyi, saying that Li Congke was an adopted son and should not inherit the throne. Li Congke ordered shi jingyao to be removed from all official positions, and then sent troops to fight and ordered Zhang Jingda to lead an army to attack Taiyuan. An Chongrong, An Yuanxin, and An Zhenxin led an army to help, and Zhang Wandi and others led an army to surrender. This month, the attack of the army on the outskirts of the city was very fierce, and Shi Jingyao personally resisted the flying arrows and flowing stones, and although the people's hearts were firm, the grain in the warehouse was gradually scarce.
Cracking support
Shi Jingyao had already made a plan, and when he saw that the soldiers were approaching the city and his own strength was insufficient, he planned to ask the Khitan Emperor Yelü Deguang for help, and promised him: Cede youyun Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitans, pay tribute to a large amount of property every year, and call himself a son of the country. Liu Zhiyuan (later Han Gaozu) believed that the conditions were too humiliating and there was no need to promise so much, but Shi Jingyao, with the support of Sang Weihan, insisted on going his own way.
Yelü Deguang, who was worried that he would not have the opportunity to go south, was overjoyed, and immediately led his troops down from Yanmen Pass south to rescue Shi Jingyao, and finally sneaked up on the Tang army after the great defeat, killing more than 10,000 people. In November of the first year of the Later Jin Dynasty (936), Emperor Taizong of Liao, Yelü De, made Shi Jingyao emperor, changed his name to Yuan Tianfu (元天福), and the state name Jin (晋) was given to him by the Khitan lord. Shi Jingyao was located in Liulin (柳林, in present-day southeast of Taiyuan, Shanxi). Shi Jingyao ceded large areas of Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, present-day Hebei and northern Shanxi, to the Khitans. The sixteen prefectures were: You (present-day Beijing), Ji (present-day Jinji County), Ying (present-day Hejian, Hebei), Mo (present-day Renqiu, Hebei), Zhuo (present-day Zhuo County, Hebei), Tan (present-day Miyun, Beijing), Shun (present-day Shunyi, Beijing), Xin (present-day Zhuolu, Hebei), Concubine (Yingui, formerly belonging to Huailai, Beijing, now flooded by the Guanting Reservoir), Ru (present-day Yanqing, Beijing), Wu (present-day Xuanhua, Hebei), Wei (present-day Lingqiu, Shanxi), Yun (present-day Datong, Shanxi), Ying (present-day Ying County, Shanxi), Huan (present-day Dongmayi Town, Shuo County, Shanxi), and Shuo (present-day Shuo County, Shanxi). Shi Jingyao called Yelü Deguang, who was ten years younger than him, his father emperor, and he received 300,000 horses a year. What was condemned by posterity was mainly the cession of land, which not only deprived the Central Plains of a large area of territory, but also allowed the Khitan to easily occupy the prominent areas around the Great Wall, after which the Khitan could drive straight into the Yellow River Valley, without a natural barrier of resistance in the middle, bringing endless disasters to the people of the Central Plains. Not only were 16 prefectures actually lost, but Pingzhou was lost during Li Siyuan's reign, and Ningzhou and Yingzhou were seized by the Khitan during the Battle of Later Liang after the Tang Dynasty. In addition, after the surrender of Du Chongwei of the Later Jin Dynasty, Yelü Deguang sent Geng Chongmei to lure him to surrender, Yizhou assassinated Shi Guogu, and Yizhou was also occupied by the Khitans.
Even his cronies expressed their opposition to this kind of act of confessing to being a thief as a father and betraying the country and seeking glory, saying: Calling a vassal can be done, taking the father's deeds too much, taking bribes with gold, and being self-sufficient to serve as a soldier, there is no need to allow his soil to be landed, and he is afraid that the next day will be a great trouble for China, and he will not be able to regret it." However, Shi Jingyao did not comply, and still insisted on going his own way. The Khitan lord Yelü Deguang was overjoyed and aided him with troops, and after the great defeat, Tang Zhang Jingda was defeated. [9]
It is called the founding of the empire
Shi Jingyao claimed that the empress dowager was very trustworthy, cutting the sixteen states of Youyun to the Khitan and promising to give the Khitan 300,000 horses a year. The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were a natural barrier in the north, and the Central Plains were completely exposed to the Khitan iron hooves.
Shi Jingyao was proclaimed emperor in Liulin Village, Liujiabao Township, Xiaodian District, Taiyuan (now Liujiabao Township, Xiaodian District, Taiyuan City), and at the beginning of his reign, Lu Longjie made Zhao Dejun, the king of Beiping, bribe the Khitan with gold, and also wanted to rely on the Khitan to take the Central Plains, but still allowed Shi Jingyao to be the town of Hedong. The Khitan lord, because of the difficulties at that time, wanted to grant Zhao Dejun's request. Shi Jingyao was greatly frightened when he heard the news, and urgently ordered the scribe Sang Weihan to see the Khitan lord. Sang Weihan knelt in front of the Khitan main account, weeping from dan to dusk, and begged the Khitan to abandon Zhao Dejun's request. The Khitan lord obeyed him and said that Sang Weihan was loyal to Shi Jingyao and should be the prime minister. Shi Jingyao then made Sang Weihan a Zhongshu waiter and Tongping Zhangshi. In the same month, Shi Jingyao attacked Luoyang, and Later Tang died.
In the second year of the Later Jin Dynasty (937), the car entered Bizhou, and the following year (938), Shengbei Prefecture was the capital of Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo. When the Jin Dynasty was newly conquered, many of the feudal towns did not obey, there were many soldiers, the treasury was empty, and the people were poor, but the Khitan was still greedy. In order to solve the financial crisis and consolidate the political power, Shi Jingyao adopted Sang Weihan's suggestion, pushing out resentment and abandoning resentment in order to soothe the town; training soldiers to repair military equipment; farming and mulberry, with real warehouses; trade with Jia, with goods and wealth; humble and generous gifts, to serve the Khitans.
Shi Jingyao was very cautious about the Khitan Baiyi Baishun, and used a table in each letter to indicate that the kings and subjects were different, calling Taizong "Father Emperor" and calling himself "Emperor Chen" and "Emperor Er". Whenever the Khitan envoys arrived, they prayed to the edict, and in addition to losing 300,000 cloth veils, they would give away curious things from time to time whenever they were celebrating, so that they would give away strange convoys one after another. Although Shi Jingyao pushed for sincerity to soothe the town, the town was still dissatisfied, and he was particularly ashamed to submit to the Khitans. Datong Jiedu made the judge Wu Luan close the city and was not ordered by the Khitans. Guo Chongwei, the commander of Ying Prefecture, stepped forward and returned to the south.
In the second year of Tianfu (937), Tianxiong Jiedu made Fan Tingguang rebel against Wei Prefecture, and Shi Jingyao ordered Dongdu to inspect Zhang Congbin's crusade, but Zhang Congbin rebelled with him. A mutiny ensued in Weizhou. In the same year, the Khitan changed the name of the country to "Great Liao". The bodyguard general Yang Guangyuan prided himself on heavy troops, interfered in the politics of the dynasty, and repeatedly resisted. Shi Jingyao often obeyed. In the fourth year of Tianfu (940), Yang Guangyuan killed Fan Tingguang, and Shi Jingyao, fearing Yang Guangyuan, did not dare to ask questions.
In the sixth year of Tianfu (942), Chengde Jiedu made An Chongrong accuse Shi Jingyao's father of doing things to the Khitan and besieging the Central Plains, and said that he would fight with the Khitan to the death. Shi Jingyao sent troops to behead An Chongrong and send his head to the Khitans.
Died of grief
In his later years, Shi Jingyao was particularly suspicious and disliked people, and served as a full-time eunuch. By is the eunuch Dasheng. Due to the corruption of the officials, the government was disordered, and even the people's resentment was rife. The nomadic Tuguhun tribe north of Yanmen, because of the reluctance to surrender to the Khitans, the chief Bai Chengfu fled to Hedong with his men and returned to Liu Zhiyuan.
In the seventh year of Tianfu (942), the Khitan sent envoys to ask Tuguhun Zhiding, Shi Jingyao did not dare to offend Liu Zhiyuan, who had a heavy army, nor did he dare to offend the "Father Emperor", so he became depressed and died in humiliation in June, at the age of 51, and was buried in Xianling (northwest of Yiyang County, Henan).