Author: Zhao Xinfang
In order to become "Emperor Er", Shi Jingyao ceded Youyun Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitans. Becoming one of the most notorious figures in Chinese history has been known to many people throughout the ages. However, shi Jingyao's early years, the reasons for the cession of land, and what impact on China's future historical process, etc., may not be too many people who know. I'm going to talk about these things in this article.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > (1) Shi Jingyao's early years</h1>
Shi Jingyao (892-942), according to historical sources, was a member of the Shatuo tribe (a branch of the Western Turks) and the second son of the nie lie chicken. According to the "History of the Old Five Dynasties" compiled by Xue Juzheng, Shi Jingyao was a taiyuan native, a descendant of the Weiguo grand master Paraffin wax in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Han Jing Emperor Shi Fen, who drifted to the western remote areas after the death of the Han Dynasty and settled in Ganzhou. Ouyang Xiu said: "His surname is Shi, but I don't know the beginning of his surname." The author believes that the relevant historical materials do not have a clear definition of their national nature.
He grew up simple and steady, and was not willing to smile. He liked to read military books and admired Li Mu, a famous general of the Zhao state during the Warring States period, and Zhou Yafu, a famous general of the Western Han Dynasty. It was the horse of Li Siyuan of the Later Tang Dynasty. He participated in the historical "Liang and Jin Struggle for Hegemony", charged into battle, and made outstanding achievements. After the late Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Congke ascended the throne, he worshipped him as an envoy of Hedong Jiedushi, made him the Duke of Zhao, and gave him the title of "Zhongzheng Meritorious Servant of Futian Qiyun".
The person who can dominate in the chaotic world is certainly not a mediocre person. He made his first appearance after relying on Xiao Yong and good fighting, and did not immediately act recklessly, and was relatively clean and reasonable.
According to Ye Shizai, when he was governing Hedong, many things, especially some difficult cases, were handled by him personally.
Once, the lady in charge of a small shop went to the government and said that she had been eaten a lot by a sergeant's horse in the barnyard outside the courtyard. The sergeant said he had been wronged. Because there was no circumstantial evidence, the official in charge of the trial of the case was difficult to ride the tiger and reported it to Shi Jingyao. Shi Jingyao laughed and said that if he killed the horse, he would kill the sergeant if there was millet in his intestine, and he would kill the woman without the grain. After killing the horse, there was no grain in the horse's intestines, so Shi Jingyao ordered the woman to be executed.
From the perspective of modern people, the punishment is indeed too heavy. But this was how the law was made in the fifth generation, and the torture of the people at that time was often used. In the area under his jurisdiction, social security is relatively good.
Shi Jingyao's judgment case is sometimes handled with reason, so that some thorny matters can be solved, and the parties on both sides are also convinced.
There was a younger brother who was ready to sell his land to his brother who had divided his family, and the brother was reluctant to buy it because of the high price. The younger brother asked the older brother to write a document agreeing to be resold by himself, so as not to cause the two brothers to quarrel in the future. My brother was reluctant to write. The younger brother sued the county magistrate, and the county order believed that both brothers were reasonable and prepared to adopt the method of "hitting fifty big boards each", but both sides were not convinced.
In the end, it had to be handed over to Shi Jingyao for adjudication. Shi Jingyao said that the elder brother got a good land, the younger brother sold a good price, and both sides benefited, and neither side suffered losses after blowing the lamp. Such an alarm has alarmed the government, as the elder brother should be more reasonable, should beat the brother a board. As for the land, it is only sold to those who are willing to pay the highest price. As with today's auctions, it is of course best to be open and fair. Many people, including the two brothers, admired his ability to deal with difficult cases quickly.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > (ii) to be the "child emperor" by any means</h1>
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-979) was the second period of great division in Chinese history, beginning with Zhu Wen's establishment of Houliang in the Central Plains, ending with Zhao Kuangyin's launching of the Chen Qiao Mutiny and the usurpation of the Later Zhou Dynasty to establish the Northern Song Dynasty.
Shi Jingyao grew up in this chaotic world, and has served three emperors with three surnames and four emperors, so it can be said that all kinds of acts of incest against brothers, such as turning against brothers and seizing the throne by raising troops, are not only commonplace, but also actively participated. Hearing about it, moving forward and acting later, and doing whatever it takes to be emperor himself finally happened to him.
After the late Tang Emperor Li Congke succeeded to the throne, he knew that Shi Jingyao had always harbored ambitions and might rebel with military power in his hands, so he changed his position to the Tianping Army's Jiedushi envoy, and zhen defended Yun Prefecture to divide his military power. Shi Jingyao is a wise man, don't you understand Li Congke's intentions? After consulting with his adviser Anderson Sang Weihan, he rebelled against Hou Tang.
Li Congke was not a fuel-saving lamp, and immediately sent tens of thousands of generals to fight and surround Shi Jingyao's garrison of Jinyang. Shi Jingyao, who was slightly less powerful, raised his troops to meet the battle, and at the same time sent a letter to the Khitan for help. In the distress book, Shi Jingyao said that he not only submitted to the Khitan but also treated the Khitan emperor Yelü Deguang, who was 11 years younger than himself, with courtesy to his father. After promising to help him tide over the difficulties, he ceded youyun Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitans.
Yelü Deguang, who had long harbored ambitions for the Central Plains, grinned and immediately led 50,000 cavalry, claiming to kill 300,000, and lifted the siege of Jinyang in one fell swoop. A few days later, Yelü Deguang personally sealed the documents and decreed that Shi Jingyao was made emperor of the Jin Dynasty. The history is called later Jin Gaozu. Shi Jingyao also made a document on the same day, promising to be "Emperor Er" forever and immediately cede the sixteen prefectures of You, Ji, Ying, and Mo to the Khitans.
In November 936, Shi Jingyao, who became the "Er Emperor", led an army south to Luoyang. Luoyang fell in the same month, and the late Tang Emperor Li Congke set himself on fire and died. Shi Jingyao became the supreme ruler of the Central Plains.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > (iii) "child emperor" is not good</h1>
Although Shi Jingyao established the Later Jin Dynasty with the support of the Khitan and became the "Son Emperor", his life was not good.
Internally, although the civil and military officials and the townsmen did not say anything in their mouths, they all looked down on him in their hearts. From April of the following year after the establishment of the Later Jin Dynasty, rebellions began one after another. Shi Jingyao successively sent four roads of soldiers and horses to suppress it, but two of them defected one after another, and it took more than a year to quell the chaos before it was declared over.
On the external side, Shi Jingyao had to obey the "Father Emperor"'s orders and obey them. Occasionally, the "Father Emperor" would reprimand him greatly, and Shi Jingyao felt very embarrassed, and his civil and military officials felt that they had become "turtle grandsons".
Chengdu Jiedu made An Chongrong, openly opposed Shi Jingyao's slave Yan and openly opposed the Khitans. The "Father Emperor" was very angry and ordered Shi Jingyao to severely punish An Chongrong. Shi Jingyao reprimanded An Chongrong at the "Father's Order". An Chongrong did not buy it at all, and wrote to Shi Jingyao: You are the son of heaven in a noble country, so you are so slave to your knees, and you are willing to be your son, which is a shame for me to be a son.
Then An Chongrong began to rebel against jin. Shi Jingyao worked until the winter of 941 to quell the An Chongrong Rebellion, and An Chongrong was killed. But since then, Shi Jingyao's psychological burden of shame and embarrassment has become heavier and heavier. In the end, he accumulated worries and died of illness in June of the following year, at the age of 51.
Shi Jingyao died of illness after six years on the throne, and was succeeded by his adopted son (nephew) Shi Chonggui, who was the emperor of Jin. Five years later, Shi Chonggui was captured by the Khitan and sent to the north, and the Later Jin Dynasty died out.
Zhen Ge is: a "child emperor" dream, left infamous for eternity.
What kind of historical figure is Shi Jingyao? As a writer who loves to study literature and history, I will not dwell on the vain comments, but only to see: Shi Jingyao ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitan and brought extremely far-reaching influence to future generations, on the one hand, enabling the northern peoples to grasp the military convenience of driving straight into the Central Plains; on the other hand, because the agricultural economy of the Yanyun area and the nomadic economy in the north formed a benign complement, it greatly promoted the social and economic development of the north, and became a fierce enemy of the Central Plains Dynasty.
【About the author】Zhao Xinfang, pen name Zhao Shi, is a member of the Chongqing Miscellaneous Literature Association and the Chongqing Nan'an District Writers Association.
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