Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou Chai Rong was the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Taizu of Later Zhou, Guo Weinei. During the Five Dynasties period, the style of adopting children prevailed. Warlords have adopted outstanding talents as adopted sons, which not only enhances political and military strength, but also helps stabilize the internal military and popular support. Sejong Chai Young's aunt was the empress of Taizu Guo Wei. The Chai family was a member of the Wangclan, Xingzhou (present-day Longyao, Xingtai, Hebei).
Guo Wei was made a privy deputy (zheng erpin) for assisting the founding of the Later Han dynasty, and Liu Zhiyuan, the ancestor of the Later Han dynasty, died of illness, Guo Wei and Su Fengji took over as ministers of Gu Ming at the same time, supporting the succession of Liu Chengyu, the emperor of Later Han Yin, and Guo Wei paid tribute to the privy envoy and took charge of the military power of the whole country. In the third year of Qianyou (950), Liu Chengyou conspired with his henchman Li Ye and ordered the Ma army to command Guo Chongjian to kill the Xuanhui envoys Wang Jun and Guo Wei. Guo Wei was forced to rebel, but Guo Wei's remaining family members in the capital, including Guo Wei's infant son, were killed by Later Han.
After Guo Wei's defeat at the Battle of Qilipo, the Han army was killed by Guo Yunming while fleeing. Guo Wei led troops into Beijing, made Empress Dowager Li of the Later Han Dynasty obey the government, and pretended to support the Liu clan and Wuning Jiedu to make Liu Yun emperor. Subsequently, the imperial court suddenly received a military report from the Khitan going south, and Guo Wei led his army north to resist. When the army passed through Zhaozhou, the soldiers mutinied, and Guo Wei was added to the yellow robe (not Zhao Kuangyin's original), and Guo Wei returned to Kaifeng to seize the state. In the first year of Guangshun (951), Guo Wei was officially declared emperor.
During Guo Wei's reign, the reform of the dynasty's maladministration and the use of meritocracy began to turn to unification in the late Tang Dynasty, gradually showing signs of a prosperous people and a strong country, laying a solid foundation for the unification cause of Chai Rong of Zhou Shizong and Zhao Kuangyin of Song Taizu.
When Chai Rong was a teenager, living in Guo Wei's house, Guo Wei felt that Chai Rong was cautious and sincere, so he arranged government affairs for Chai Rong, and Chai Rong carefully studied and solved Guo Wei's dilemma at the same time. Guo Wei appreciated and liked Chai Rong very much, so he adopted him as a righteous son. In the Later Han Dynasty, Chai Rong relied on his strength and status to step by step to the left prison guard general, the Tianxiong army Yanei commander, Guizhou assassination, inspection right servant shooting, etc.
In the first year of Guangshun, Guo Wei ascended the throne, and Chai Rong was awarded the title of Jiedu Envoy of Zhaozhou and Inspector of Taibao for his merits and status as a prince, and was made Marquis of Taiyuan County. Because of Chai Rong, Zhaozhou was "cleansed for the government and did not violate the border", and the people were able to rest and recuperate.
In the second year of Guangshun, the Taining army caused Murong Yanchao to rebel, and when the war was unfavorable, Guo Wei once said to the prime minister and courtiers: "Kou is not playful." If this is not feasible, let the son of Zhaozhou fight the thief and do my business. "It means that Chai Rong can suppress the rebellion when he goes to war, and at the same time, he also wants to establish Chai Rong as his heir. However, due to the obstruction of the powerful minister Wang Jun, the matter was abandoned. In the first month of the third year of Guangshun, the powerful minister Wang Jun was demoted, and without Wang Jun's obstruction, Chai Rong was crowned King of Jin in March of the same year, and was incorporated into the dynasty as Yin and meritorious envoy of Kaifeng Prefecture. At this point, Chai Rong was determined to be the heir to the throne.
Sejong Bunji:
clarifying the rule of officials and selecting talents;
Equal land endowment, construction of water conservancy.
Sejong Martial Arts:
In February of the first year of Xiande (954), at the beginning of Chai Rong's succession, Liu Chong, the ancestor of the Northern Han Dynasty, took advantage of the funeral of the Later Zhou state to lead 30,000 troops and attract more than 10,000 cavalry of the Liao state to invade the south. Chai Rong's army was not afraid of Yaishi and risked death to supervise the battle, defeated the Northern Han Dynasty, and forced the Liao army to retreat;
In the second year of Xiande, Xiande conquered Later Shu and recovered the four prefectures lost by the former dynasty: Qin (modern Qin'anbei, Gansu), Ji (southeast of present-day Wudu, Gansu), Cheng (present-day Cheng County, Gansu), and Feng (northeast of present-day Fengxian County, Shaanxi);
Xiande personally conquered the Southern Tang three times from the second to the fifth year, seized all the lands of Huainan north of the Yangtze River, and forced the Southern Tang to submit;
In the sixth year of Xiande (959), he personally conquered the Liao state, and within forty-two days he took three passes and three prefectures, a total of seventeen counties. The history book says: "In the last years of Emperor Sejong, he made a big move to take Youzhou, and when the Khitan heard of his personal conquest, the rulers were afraid, and they all looked down along the border fortresses, and all those who were in Youzhou also fled overnight." ”
Sejong Chai Rong reigned for just over five years. If God let him live for twenty more years, he might be able to retake the sixteen states of Yanyun that Shi Jingyao ceded, and end the history of hundreds of years of division and frequent wars after the Tang Dynasty, and achieve great unification.
The history book "History of the Old Five Dynasties" records that when Sejong drove to Waqiao Pass, more than 100 people from his father held ox wine to offer, and Sejong asked them: "What is the name of this place?" The elder said, "From generation to generation, this place is called the Sick Dragon Terrace. Sejong was sad and rode away. That night, Sejong was unwell, and the next day, his condition worsened, and he immediately sent an edict to return to the dynasty, and drove before he reached Guan. When Sejong was originally a common man, he often dreamed that the gods abandoned the big umbrella to him, and the big umbrella was like a tulip, plus a volume of the Taoist Sutra, so Chai Rong had to have the world later. When the tile bridge was unwell, he dreamed that the god man came to ask for the return of the umbrella and sutra, and Chai Rong returned it to the god man in the dream, and then suddenly became alarmed and told the courtier: "My dream is ominous, is it not the destiny of heaven to go!" "Then summon the minister and arrange the aftermath. At first, Youzhou heard that Sejong's car was coming, and his father secretly said, "Don't worry about this matter." The surname of the Son of Heaven is Chai, Youzhou is Yan, and Yan also means fireworks, this firewood is unlucky, how can it be successful. "That's exactly what it says.
History will always have the evaluation of posterity:
Song Shenzong Zhao Yiyu: Sejongcheng entrepreneurship and meritorious master. In the year of the day off, its merits are comparable to those of Han Gaozu.
Sima Guangyu: If Zhou Shizong, it can be described as benevolent! Love the people not for their bodies; If Zhou Shizong, it can be described as clear! It is beneficial not to waste the benefits. Emperor Sejong sent a message to the imperial courtiers to blame the kingdoms with justice, Wang Huan was rewarded for not surrendering, Liu Renzhao was praised for perseverance, Yan continued to survive with loyalty, Shu soldiers were repeatedly reprimanded, Feng Dao was abandoned for being unruly, and Zhang Mei was neglected with private kindness. If Jiangnan does not obey, he personally offends Yashi, expecting Bike, and if he obeys, he loves him like a son, pushes his words sincerely, and thinks far for it. Its grandeur and generosity are not as Japanese as Zhuangzong! The book says: "Unbiased and without party, the royal road is swinging." He also said: "The big state fears its strength, and the small state cherishes its virtue." "Sejong is near!
Zhu Yuanzhang said: The way of the emperor is not against the times. The kings of the three generations have times to do it, Hanwen has times to do it, and Zhou Shizong has no time to do it.