When it comes to the worst emperors in China's history, some people may think that they are the kings of xia, shang, and western three dynasties, Xia Jie, Shang, and Zhou You, or The absurd monarchs of Northern Qi, such as Gao Yang and Gao Zhan, who are known for their brutality and absurdity. Of course, the stupid emperors led by Emperor Hui of Jin and The Lord of Shu were often ridiculed and criticized by posterity.
However, if you want to say that one of the most humiliating and shameless emperors in history, I believe that the vast majority of people will target the same emperor, who is Shi Jingyao, the founding emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty.
As a famous emperor, Shi Jingyao has appeared in the eyes of the world as a negative image since ancient times, he is vicious and shameless, he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and even sell his dignity for the sake of profit. Because of this, it is really no wonder that people have always been critical and critical of him.
Shi Jingyao was born in the first year of Emperor Jingfu of Tang Zhaozong (492) and was a native of Taiyuan, Shanxi. As a Shatuo, Shi Jingyao's father was named "Zhen Zhi Chicken", as to why he was surnamed Shi, Ouyang Xiu said that he had no way of knowing, but the "History of the Old Five Dynasties" recorded that Shi Jingyao was a descendant of Shi Jiao, the Grand Master of the State of Wei during the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, and Shi Fen, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.
For this kind of forcible recognition of historical celebrities as ancestors, perhaps the Li Tang royal family that recognizes Li Er as the ancestor and the Ming Dynasty royal family that recognizes Zhu Xi as the ancestor will call the insider directly, but obviously, the credibility is not very high.
Putting aside the discussion about the origin of the surname, let's look at the situation of Shi Jingyao himself. According to historical records, he was silent and taciturn from an early age, but he liked to study military books, and he also regarded the famous generals Li Mu and Zhou Yafu as idols. However, li mu and Zhou Yafu both fought tirelessly to defend their families and defend the country, but Shi Jingyao later became a traitor to the country and sought glory.
Shi Jingyao grew up in the last years of the Tang Dynasty, and he was proficient in Tao Strategy, which was appreciated by Li Siyuan, the assassin of the contemporary state, and even married his daughter. In the chaotic era of the late Tang Dynasty, Shi Jingyao's bravery and military ability made him stand out and make great achievements. After Li Cunxun established the Later Tang dynasty, Shi Jingyao, as a great hero, did not receive a prominent official title, which may have led to his persuasion of his father-in-law Li Siyuan to take advantage of the mutiny a few years later to establish himself, and eventually replace Li Cunxun.
When Lao Zhangren became emperor, Shi Jingyao was naturally promoted, and he was awarded an important position and held a military power. In the fourth year of Later Tang Changxing (933), Li Siyuan died of a serious illness and was succeeded by his son Li Conghou, however, at this time, Li Siyuan's adopted son Li Congke coveted the throne and secretly joined forces with Shi Jingyao to overthrow his rule. Li Congke behaved decently after becoming emperor, but he was jealous of Shi Jingyao's prestige and ability, suspected that he would plot a rebellion, and even accidentally said what he thought in his heart in a joking way after a drunken drink.
Seeing that he was so distrusted, Shi Jingyao simply made up his mind to get rid of Li Congke, and immediately began to accumulate strength. At that time, Shi Jingyao's hard power was obviously inferior to that of Li Congke, who ruled the entire dynasty, so he did not hesitate to secretly contact the Khitans, expressing his willingness to contribute to the strategic yuyun sixteen states, contribute a large amount of treasure every year, and honor the Khitan as his father country in exchange for reinforcements from the other side.
At that time, in fact, the Khitan in the north had long intended to go south, but had always been unwilling to bear the consequences of a complete war with Later Tang, and now that Later Tang was in civil strife, Shi Jingyao took the initiative to invite him to take advantage of it, and he was naturally very willing.
At that moment, the Khitan sent an army to assist Shi Jingyao in defeating Li Congke's army, and the Khitan Emperor Yelü Deguang "registered" Shi Jingyao as the Later Jin Emperor. In order to become emperor, Shi Jingyao did not hesitate to cede the land and demoted himself to recognize Yelü Deguang, who was ten years younger than himself, as his father, which was really disgraceful.
In fact, the most hated point of Shi Jingyao was the cession of Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, a land of extremely important strategic position that had been a barrier for the Central Plains Dynasty to defend against strong enemies in the north since ancient times, and was of great significance to the peace and stability of the Yellow River Valley. However, Shi Jingyao thought that he would be able to sit back and relax after confessing to being a thief as his father, so he generously dedicated this land to Yelü Deguang, which was really the work of traitors and traitors.
Of course, as mentioned above, Shi Jingyao was originally a Shatuo, so we can't seem to call him a "Traitor", but he has been influenced by Han culture for a long time and has received the help of many Han people, but he did such a sinful and wrong thing at a critical moment, and it is most reasonable that he was scolded and disliked by people.
However, just as the so-called "good has good rewards, evil has evil rewards", after Shi Jingyao became the son of heaven, he was under pressure from the "Father Emperor" Yelü Deguang, and at the same time, he was under the pressure of ministers and the people. The former was bent on extracting more value from him until it was lost, while the latter was dissatisfied with the rule of the court and the humble attitude towards the Khitans.
In the seventh year of Tianfu (942), Shi Jingyao was coerced and rebuked by the Khitans, and internally oppressed and criticized by powerful ministers, and finally ended his life of humiliation in sorrow and anger. In the first half of his life, Shi Jingyao may have done a good job, he had military talent, and he also made good military achievements, but in the second half of his life, his deeds were really disgusting, calling him the most shameless emperor in Chinese history, which was really "deserved".