(Dang Xiang Clan)
The sixth year of Xianping, 1003 AD, the fifth day of the first month of May.
In a party aristocratic home in Lingzhou City, a baby was quietly born.
The baby's surname is Li, and his name is Yuanhao.
In the second year of his birth, his grandfather, Li Jiqian, the leader of the Dangxiang clan, was killed by an arrow while fighting another ethnic minority, the Tubo clan, and his father took over his grandfather's position and became the new leader of the party.
Unlike Li Jiqian, who was obsessed with war, his father Li Deming was a very left-right person.
On the northern steppe, the Liao Dynasty looked at the party with a tiger's eye, Li Deming could bow down to the subordinates, and the Liao Emperor (Yelü Longxu) was happy, and various kings were knighted.
The Northern Song dynasty regime on the northern plains also rubbed its fists at the party, and Li Deming also showed a heart of submission.
As a result, the Emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty (Emperor Zhenzong of Song) was much more generous than the Liao Dynasty, and not only did the high-ranking official Houlu arrange a bunch of them, but also kept pouring money into Li Deming's account.
Many people scoffed at Li Deming's set of policies of "linking up with the Liao and the Song Dynasty."
Because in most historical documents, the party members are born good at war and do not die and do not surrender, Li Deming's begging on both sides and all kinds of behaviors of asking for money are obviously very humiliating.
But when we look at history, we can't just look at individual behavior, but also look at the background of the times.
From the background point of view, the Dangxiang people straddled between the Liao Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty, and the geographical location was very bad.
The Liao Dynasty cavalry was brave and wanted to confront the Khitans, which was estimated to be a bit xuan.
The Northern Song Dynasty was a kingdom with abundant property and financial resources, and if you wanted to touch the Northern Song Dynasty, it was basically no play.
For the Dangxiang people, the Liao Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty were like two standing peaks, and Li Jiqian, the ancestor of Xia Taizu, did not consider his own situation, nor did he care about the three seven twenty-one, pulling his neck was to work with others, and as a result, he lost soldiers and generals, repeatedly defeated battles, and came and went, and destroyed all the family foundations that Dangxiang people had saved in the early years.
According to some historical records, Comrade Li Jiqian frequently sent offensives against the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty in his early years, taking the initiative to attack, and the result was nine defeats in ten battles, and he hung up the lottery all year round.
When Li Deming led the party, he soon discovered that Li Jiqian's blind climbing of the mountain was tantamount to finding his own death, so he resolutely changed his strategy, complimented the two eldest brothers of the Liao Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty, and became a little brother who ran errands in a disciplined manner.
The so-called errands are to send envoys to the Liao Dynasty today to get some money, and tomorrow to send envoys to the Northern Song Dynasty to get some money.
The Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty have always been at odds, and the Liao Dynasty hopes to unite with the Party Xiang and put pressure on the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Northern Song government also does not want to miss the Party Xiang as a political ally.
Li Yuanhao, on the other hand, lives in such a historical background.
His grandfather, Taizu Li Jiqian, moved to the Jinge Iron Horse and sought a piece of land for the Dangxiang people to survive.
His father, Emperor Taizong Li Deming, was obscure, silently forbearing, and making good use of the art of checks and balances, and developed the dangxiang nation to a peak of prosperity.
(Li Jiqian and Li Deming)
And now, the future of the Dangxiang clan is about to be handed over to the young Li Yuanhao, and what kind of place will this heroic young man bring the Dangxiang clan to?
To answer this question, we must first start with Li Yuanhao himself.
And long, round face high accuracy, body length of more than five feet. - "Western Xia Shushi, Vol. XI"
According to the historical records, Comrade Li Yuanhao in his youth, his face was round, cute and loving, but his eyes were shining with spirit, he was born with an eagle hook nose, his figure was well-proportioned, but he inexplicably had a majestic and unofficial posture.
To sum up a sentence: looks very cute, but not handsome, the eyes are very sharp, and it is quite scary to look closely.
According to the history books, Comrade Li Yuanhao loves to read books, astronomical geography, terroirs, military books and art of war, literary classics, religious books, everything to see, everything is exquisite.
Throughout Chinese history, we can find a very simple basic law, that is, the emperor who loves to read is basically not too bad.
Because Comrade Li Yuanhao read thousands of volumes, he was talented by literature, and he also loved to read military books and strategies, and actively followed his father to participate in military operations, which allowed him to quickly lay the foundation of "Wen Neng's pen to settle the world, and Wu Neng to ma Ding Qiankun".
If you are an excellent young person, the fame will soon spread in the ten miles and eight townships.
Cao Wei, a Song Dynasty general stationed at the border of the Dangxiang people's forces, heard that there was a young talent in the Dangxiang clan, who could do everything in the Dangxiang clan, who could do all kinds of things, but he had never been able to see it, so he sent people to mix in the territory of the Dangxiang people, secretly painted Li Yuanhao's appearance, and took it back to Cao Wei to see, Comrade Cao Wei called out to Cao Wei, saying that this young man was a cruel man at first glance, and the future was unlimited, and if he did not do well, he would pose a threat to the Great Song Dynasty.
(Northern Song Dynasty general Cao Wei )
No one cared about this prophecy of the fan's behavior at the time, but soon, Li Yuanhao will make this prediction a reality.
In 1032, Emperor Taizong died of illness, and before his death, he passed on his son Li Yuanhao.
When the Liao Dynasty heard that Li Deming, an old and good man, had died, he immediately sent an envoy, indicating that although your father was dead, our Friendship between Liaoxia and Xia had endured, and our Liao Dynasty's treatment of you remained unchanged, and you were still the "King of Western Xia" who they personally crowned.
When the Northern Song Dynasty heard that the Liao Dynasty had sent people, they could not be idle, and they also sent envoys to contact Li Yuanhao, send generous gifts, and planned to crown Li Yuanhao as the "King of Xiping".
Both Song and Liao threw olive branches, but Li Yuanhao was not very happy.
The Liao Dynasty has always been stingy, and replied that every time people were sent, in addition to arranging a bunch of false titles for themselves, they were not willing to give a penny.
Although the Northern Song Dynasty gave a lot of money in real money and silver, these Northern Song envoys had an arrogant attitude, as if they were a master and a house slave.
Therefore, Li Yuanhao's attitude toward the envoys of the two countries was very general, in the past, when he was called to the throne, he all bowed down and bowed, and Li Yuanhao was not only undefeated, but straightened his waist, saying that you love the land, love the seal, love to give (money) and not give, when the matter is done, you will hurry to give me the egg.
Li Yuanhao's meaning is obvious, father Li Deming bowed to you before, because the party members want to make a living, to develop, to engage in peaceful compromise is a stopgap measure, now it is my turn to be the master, the party members have also developed, why should I still bow down to you?
Comrade Xiao Li's heart has long been unable to hold back, he not only does not want to bow to the Liao and Song anymore, but also to make a big turn, to be the master himself, he wants to call the emperor the founding of the country, sit on an equal footing with the Liao and Song, and even override them.
But establishing a new dynasty and becoming a new emperor is not a simple matter, and Li Yuanhao needs to do a lot of preparatory work before officially becoming emperor.
The first thing to do is cut your hair and change your hairstyle.
Yuan Hao wanted to revolutionize silver and summer old customs, and first balded his hair. - "Western Xia Shushi, Vol. XI"
Li Yuanhao believes that the Dangxiang clan is said to be a minority, but in dealing with the Liao and Song dynasties for many years, the national culture has long been assimilated, and there is no characteristic that belongs to the Dangxiang people themselves, and to establish a country, it is not only to be the brightest star in the night sky, but also to be the most beautiful boy in the land of China.
Only by cutting their hair can the Dangxiang people be different from the Song and Liao people.
(Portrait of Li Yuanhao)
Therefore, Comrade Li Yuanhao carried out a nationwide shaving order, requiring the people of the whole country to shave the top of their heads, keep their heads without hair, and leave their hair without their heads.
Whoever doesn't shave the top of his head will have to be cleaned up.
It is not too late to cut the hair, Li Yuanhao believes that the party members should have their own surnames.
During the Tang Dynasty, the surname given by the Tang Emperor to the Dang Xiang people was Li, and during the Northern Song Dynasty, the surname given to the Dang Xiang people by the Emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty was Zhao.
But whether it is surnamed Li or Zhao, it is a surname arranged by others, and using a surname arranged by others is not equivalent to admitting that you are someone else's domestic slave?
In order not to be a domestic slave, Li Yuanhao changed his name to "Song name Yuanhao".
Whether the fame is good or not, it doesn't matter for the time being, this ghost word alone sounds very domineering.
People are mixed up on the road, and the name is a little domineering, and there is nothing wrong with it.
After that, Li Yuanhao carried out an earth-shaking reform of the entire party, including: the creation of the Western Xia script, the establishment of the political system of the Western Xia modeled on the Central Plains system, the reform of the army, the adjustment of the official rule, and so on.
Of course, maybe you are not interested in these rules and regulations, obscure historical endorsements, then I can also tell you in a simpler way to tell you what Li Yuanhao did, that is:
Comrade Li Yuanhao, like the founding emperors of the ancient Chinese dynasties, reformed the country, and as for the content of the reform, it was much the same.
Liu Bang at that time also changed that way, and Liu Xiu also changed that year.
Li Yuan changed that year, and Zhao Kuangyin changed that year.
For great monarchs always have similar personality merits, and these similar personality virtues largely motivate them to do the same.
After taking over the career of his father Li Deming, in just six years, Li Yuanhao built a Western Xia regime that stretched from the Yellow River in the east, to Yumen Pass in the west, to Xiaoguan in the south, to the desert, and actually controlled more than 10,000 miles of the region.
(Western Xia Territory)
Everything is ready, only to ascend the throne.
In the fifth year of Song Jingyou, in 1038 AD, on October 11, Li Yuanhao ascended the throne at Xingqing Province (Yinchuan, Ningxia), with the name of the country Bactria (historically known as Western Xia).
Many years ago, Li Jiqian, the leader of the Dangxiang clan, was taken over by the Song Dynasty, and he could only leave the homeland where he was born and raised by one person and one horse.
Many years ago, Li Deming, the leader of the Dangxiang clan, bowed his knees and mediated between Song and Liao with all his dignity for the sake of the development of the Dangxiang people.
Desolate, helpless, lonely, angry.
Those once desperate and suffocating emotions have been expelled, and now, their descendants Li Yuanhao have told the world that on this land, a new dynasty has risen from the ground, and a new king has also stood in the world.
The great changes in the world, the myth of the Western Xia Dynasty, began to play out from this moment.
Li Yuanhao, who had become emperor, immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen, asking the Northern Song Dynasty to recognize the legitimacy of the Western Xia regime and his title as emperor.
Li Yuanhao's meaning is straightforward: the eldest brother is now independent on his own, and he will not mix with you in the future.
(Song Renzong, Zhao Zhen)
Zhao Zhen opened the letter and looked at it, his nose was not almost crooked, I have been working hard for so many years, real money and silver have raised you, and as a result, you have told me that you are independent, is this a matter for people?
In the eyes of the Emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Dangxiang people were always the people of the Heavenly Dynasty and originally belonged to their own part.
But party members, especially Li Yuanhao, also have the right and opportunity to pursue free will.
Such a quarrel between Song Xia and Song Xia would completely tear his face.
But Li Yuanhao seemed to like to play with fire, and he was eager to announce to the whole world the news of his founding of the country and the emperor, and he came and went, and he was also very unhappy with the Liao Dynasty.
The Western Xia regime was attacked from the belly and back, and as soon as it was founded, it fell into a dangerous situation.
It is reasonable to say that it is a great feat to survive tenaciously between the Song and Liao, and to break out of a piece of the world and establish a country and become an emperor.
With such achievements, Li Yuanhao cannot be said to be a remarkable person in Chinese history.
But he is the peak of his typical debut, and since he became an emperor, he has begun to do stupid things all day long.
In the military, the indiscriminate use of troops has led to losses and losses.
Economically profligate and extravagant.
Externally, he continued to stink the relationship between himself and Song Liao.
Internally, severe punishment, slaughter of princes and nobles, exploitation of ordinary people.
A good hand of heavenly cards was played by Li Yuanhao.
It is hard for us to imagine how Li Yuanhao, who started out like those great emperors in Chinese history (such as Tang Zong, Song Zu, Qin Emperor Han Wu), mixed up to the point where everyone shouted and beat.
He was intelligent, wise, hard-blooded, and tough.
He seems to possess the qualities and virtues possessed by the vast majority of wise monarchs.
But even so, he could no longer make the Western Xia Dynasty any better.
No matter what he did, in exchange for the gradual decline of the empire.
Moreover, in addition to his personal deeds, Li Yuanhao is still a person who is not very particular.
His lack of attention is that he is very.
Lustful things are very easy to understand, as an emperor, harem beauty three thousand, left hug right hug is normal, gentleman lustful, take it has a way.
(Western Xia Imperial Mausoleum)
But Li Yuanhao was obviously not the one with the Tao, and he liked the woman of his son Ning Lingge.
Comrade Li Yuanhao did not stop at nothing, and directly abducted his son's woman into the palace and crowned empress.
Ning Lingge couldn't help it, and broke into the palace with a dagger in his hand, directly cutting off Li Yuanhao's nose, Li Yuanhao was shocked and sick, and hung up in two days.
It's absurd, absurd and funny.
I think Li Yuanhao must have thought about a lot of ways to leave this world.
Or like his grandfather who died on the battlefield, or like his father who crushed his body in the heavy state and government affairs, he thought of countless endings, but he never imagined that he would die at the hands of his son.
Li Yuanhao died, and the prosperity of Western Xia was like fireworks that bloomed in an instant, fleeting.
No one knows what the future of the empire will look like, because the Western Xia and all the dynasties in Chinese history are very different.
Simple and mysterious, strong and fragile, it is an unparalleled country.
The Party members will continue to walk, just like the first steps taken by their ancestors.
It's just that this tomorrow no one can predict, maybe better, maybe worse, maybe nothing, it won't happen.