(Portrait of Wang Anshi)
The first year of Taikang, 1075 AD.
According to the chronology of the stem branch, it is the year of the second lunar calendar.
In this year, Wang Anshi, a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, was edicted by Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, compiled three classics of "Poems", "Books", and "Zhou Li", and promulgated them to the world, and since then, these three classics have become the only designated reference textbooks for the Northern Song Dynasty.
In the Western Xia Dynasty, Emperor Yizong of Xia Yizong, who had been fighting all his life, died of a violent illness, and his seven-year-old son suddenly ascended the throne without any preparation, and the lord was suspicious of the country, and the power of the imperial government was firmly in the hands of the Empress Dowager Liang.
It was also in this year that the protagonist of this article, the Liao Tianzuo Emperor Yelü Yanxi, was born.
His father was Yelü Jun, the Prince of Zhaohuai of the Liao Dynasty, and his grandfather was none other than the Liao Emperor, Yelü Hongji.
The Great Liao dynasty passed on nine emperors, wise and divine martial arts, such as the founding emperor Yelü Abaoji, Wenzhi Wugong, such as the Holy Emperor Yelü Longxu, who pushed the Liao Dynasty into its heyday, these emperors have their own styles and characteristics, but Daozong Yelü Hongji is in these emperors, but it seems very embarrassing.
Although he is not a useless faint lord, in his 46 years of rule, there is almost nothing too bright, the political performance is mediocre, the professional ability is mediocre, the level of governance is even more average, the emperor's only fame in the "imperial circle" may only appear frequently in Jin Yong's martial arts novels.
But after all, fiction is fiction and false, and history is about removing falsehood and preserving truth.
Therefore, based on the historical data, I can only draw one conclusion: Comrade Yelü Hongji is really a very mediocre emperor.
(Yerushalayim image)
In 46 years, he failed to make the Liao Dynasty develop steadily, let alone let the Liao Empire climb to the peak, all he could do was to watch this once powerful steppe dynasty fade day by day.
But fortunately, although Emperor Daozong was not capable, he was very self-aware, first, he understood that he could not lead the dynasty to the peak on his own two sons, and second, more than forty years of imperial years, day after day of life, one letter after another, one national event after another, seemed to be endless, and the emperor had already felt tired.
Therefore, he made his son Yelü Jun the prince very early, and he waited for his death to let his son carry the banner of the empire again.
The history books record that Comrade Yelüjun was a gentleman, an extraordinary speaker, very knowledgeable, a good ruler of the world, and a general and a martial artist, and on the whole, he was a very qualified heir.
But unfortunately, Yelü Jun's fate was not too good.
There was a minister in the imperial court named Yelü Yixin, and this old comrade was a heavy minister of the dynasty and was deeply trusted by the emperor.
He and the prince YelüJun had never been at odds, and he actually fabricated rumors and falsely accused Yelüjun of plotting rebellion.
Enraged, the emperor directly deposed Yelü Jun as a commoner and imprisoned him.
From the position of prince to an ordinary commoner, YelüJun no longer had any protection, and was soon persecuted to death by Yerushalayim.
The minister's persecution of the prince seemed to be a very strange thing.
The prince, although not the emperor, is still in the monarchy system, and the ministers are just working for the king, the king is the king, the subject is the subject, since ancient times, only the king wants the subject to die, the subject has to die, when did the minister press the king to the ground and pound it?
There is no doubt that this thing really exists.
The reason is that Emperor Daozong of the Liao Dynasty was an emperor who knew people and was not sophisticated.
The Great Liao especially liked the Central Plains Han system, and the Han officials and Khitan nobles in the court were basically five or five, each accounting for half, and among these people, whether they were really talented and learned, or those with good character, or benevolent people, loyal and good generals, were not in the minority.
But the emperor seems to be a "loyal insulation machine", and in his lifetime, only two ministers were reused.
One Jeroboam, one Jeroboam.
(Jeremiah and Jeremiah)
These two benevolent brothers can be said to be the traitors in the history of the Liao Dynasty who have never been in the history of the Liao Dynasty before and have never come after.
The two benevolent brothers were extremely trusted by the emperor, the former was in the first half of the emperor's reign, and the latter was in the second half of the emperor's reign, which basically filled the schedule of our emperor.
They are in the same party, suppress the ministers, every day when there is nothing to do, they run to the emperor to make a small report, today say this is guilty, tomorrow say that that is guilty, the emperor does not want to think, all nodded in agreement, handed over to justice.
It seems to me that Yelü Hongji had already felt a deep weariness in his many years of imperial life, and he had long since given up pondering, giving up thinking, preferring to put the fate of the dynasty in the hands of two treacherous villains rather than look at it himself.
Under such circumstances, many ministers were persecuted by these two men, and the butcher's knife was hanging from the neck of Zhongliang, and countless people died of unwarranted crimes.
Comrade Yelü Chongyuan, who was once ill at home, wanted to lure the emperor to visit his own palace, so as to catch turtles in an urn, assassinate the emperor, and establish a new monarch.
Comrade Yelü Yixin specialized in royal heirs, and the front foot killed the prince Yelü Jun, and the back foot was marked with the idea of the emperor's grandson Yelü Yanxi.
In the fifth year of Taikang, Emperor Daozong went out hunting, and was originally going to take his grandson to the vast grassland to hang out, but Yelü Yixin, who stayed in Shangjing (the capital of the Liao Dynasty), strongly demanded that the grandson stay in the capital city when he was young.
(Liaoshangjing ruins in BalinZuoQi, Inner Mongolia)
Yelü Yixin said that he was protecting the Emperor's grandson, but in fact, everyone knew exactly what kind of heart he had.
The Crown Princess Yelü Yanxi was the only heir to the throne after the crown prince Yelü Jun, and in time, he would always become the new king of the Liao Dynasty.
At that time, when Yelü Yanxi became emperor, he would definitely want to avenge his father Yelü Jun, and would he still have good fruit to eat?
Better to take advantage of your young age, I will clean you up first.
But it was a pity that although the Taoist Yelü Hongji had been a fool all his life, he was wise enough to understand that he had to protect the only heir of the Yelü family who had his own pure bloodline.
A king is not a king, but if he can't even have an heir, then he really is nothing.
Therefore, the emperor resolutely refused Yelü Yixin's request and personally took Yelü Yanxi on a tour.
And after this, the emperor specially arranged six biao-shaped big men as full-time bodyguards of Yelü Yanxi to protect the safety of the emperor's grandson at all times.
In this way, in this overcast steppe dynasty full of devious intrigues at all times, Yerushalayim was protected.
This protection lasted until the death of Emperor Daozong Yelü Hongji.
We know that it is actually necessary to suffer a little when you are young and see the dangers of the world.
Because only by constantly experiencing can people have an independent and sober understanding of the world.
But it is clear that the layers of protection of Jeroboam did not have such an experience.
He grew up carefree in the Daliao Palace, and in his eyes, the world was so simple and pure.
In the seventh year of Shouchang, in 1101 AD, the emperor of the Liao Dynasty, Yelü Hongji, who had been mediocre in his life, died, and he completed his own life without light and color, and was incomparably bleak.
Yelü Yanxi ling ascended the throne before ascending the throne, becoming the ninth emperor of the Liao Dynasty, known in history as the Liao Tianzuo Emperor.
(Liao Tianzuo Emperor image)
It is reasonable to say that the country is tired, a hundred wastes are waiting to be revived, the emperor has just ascended to the throne, he should exert great efforts to govern and develop national strength, not to mention the restoration of the Liao in one fell swoop, but how to think of ways to drag this rapid downward dynasty back to the right track.
However, the emperor did not pay any attention to the affairs of the government, and after he ascended the throne, he did not stop and ran directly to the banquet.
The feast to which the emperor went was called: the feast of the head fish.
This is a long-standing folk custom handed down by the nomadic peoples of northern China.
After the cold winter, in order to celebrate the arrival of spring, people meet at the lake, cut open the ice cave, and catch the first fresh fish of the year.
This is a relatively heavy explanation, to put it simply, that is, the emperor traveled around in the territory of Daliao, and everywhere he went, the monarchs feasted, ate him for three days and three nights, and drank him for three days and three nights.
(Head Fish Feast)
Of course, just eating and drinking is a little too boring, so there must be a program at the banquet.
What program?
dance.
Of course, you readers and friends don't want to be crooked, the dance here is not the hot dance of the hot girls as we understand it, and even finding some women in the folk to dance in the group is not.
The people who danced at the banquet were men.
Not only men, but also not those who have a female appearance and a beautiful posture, but they are all rough men.
So where did these men come from?
From some scattered Jurchen tribes around the Liao Dynasty.
At that time, the Jurchen tribe had not yet developed and grown, and was still enslaved by the Liao Dynasty, and the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty traveled to the border and often summoned the chiefs of these tribes to dance and cheer.
The emperor wants to dance, so let's dance.
If we dance happily, the emperor will be happy, the emperor will be happy, the Jurchen tribe under his command will be able to avoid being oppressed by the Liao army, and the people of the Jurchen tribe will be happy.
Since they are all very happy, there is nothing to call it.
But among the chiefs who had been called, there was a very special existence.
He is the chief of the Jurchen Complete Yanbu, and his personality is very stubborn, and the other chiefs "dance", but he stands where he is, dead or alive.
I'm the leader of the Yanbu, you can kill me, but let me dance for you, no way!
The head can be broken, the blood can flow, but the dignity of the boy must not be lost.
At that time, this maverick Jurchen chieftain was unknown and not well known, but in the future, his name would become a presence that resounded throughout the ages.
Yes, he was the founding emperor of the Later Jin regime who overthrew the Liao Dynasty.
(Portrait of Yan Ah Bone)
Emperor Yelü Yanxi of Tianzuo also did not know that this young man in front of him, whose appearance was not proud, would become his mortal enemy in the future, and even the entire Liao Dynasty.
At that time, the joy and laughter at the head fish feast will become the last lament of the Liao Dynasty.
In the fourth year of Tianqing, in 1114 AD, Yan Akuta officially raised an army to rebel against the rule of the Liao Dynasty.
In the first month of 1115 AD, the Jin Dynasty was established by The Completed Yan Dynasty, the Northern Steppe, and a more powerful dynasty rose up.
From 1117 to 1124 AD, the Jin army was like a broken bamboo, beating Comrade Yelü Yanxi to a chicken flying dog jumping, holding his head and scurrying, and the Liao Dynasty was splendid for thousands of miles, and all the rivers and mountains were lost.
We have to marvel at how quickly this Khitan dynasty, which once dominated the steppe, declined so quickly.
Looking through the historical materials, it is even difficult to find the real reason for the demise of the Liao Dynasty.
Although Jeroboam was a dimwitted monarch, he did not reach the point of heinousness.
The Liao Dynasty still had a rich treasury, a strong army, and a talented ruler.
But in the face of foreign enemies, it is like a shy woman, tearful eyes, no power to fight back.
Rome was not built overnight, but the Liao collapsed almost overnight.
Jeroboam was defeated and captured, humiliated, and finally killed by the enemy.
Daliao, just died.
(Fall of the Liao Dynasty)
At that time, Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji, one man and one horse and one bow, galloped on the grassland, creating the myth of "one arrow to Beijing".
This nomadic regime that dominates the northern steppes has a sword pointed at the north, a famous general in the battlefield of bloody battles, and even a loyal and loyal person who has bowed down and died.
It has had an unparalleled emperor, and it has had a legendary queen.
It has created its own unique splendor.
But now, the empire is overthrown, the glory is gone, and everything is over.
The empire died so quickly, so calmly, so uneventfully.
It turns out that when a dynasty falls, not all of them will make a violent loud noise, and some will only emit a low whimper.
It's over.
When the sun shines again on the prairie land, it is announced: a new era has begun.