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<h1>Introduction</h1>
The legendary story of "Yang Family General" must be familiar to everyone, telling the tragic and touching "deeds" of Yang Ye, Yang Yanzhao and other famous Yang family generals who defended their homes and defended the country during the Northern Song Dynasty. The true story occurred in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty when Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi personally conquered the Liao Kingdom, and later spread rapidly in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, but the story became more and more mysterious, and it has deviated farther from the true story.
Kyushu with picture: Yang Jia will film and television stills
The story is set in the song-Liao war, and the war between the Song and the Liao generally refers to a series of long-term wars between the Song and Liao dynasties that began in 979 AD and ended in 1004 AD, when the Song and Liao entered into the "Alliance of The Yuan", which were dominated by territorial disputes in the Yanyun region.
The history of the Northern Song Dynasty's resistance to the Liao, Jin, and Yuan is quite detailed in the historical materials, and everyone is basically familiar with it. Today, I want to talk to you about not the history of how the Northern Song Dynasty resisted the Liao, but the real historical relics that happened within the Liao Dynasty, especially the famous Empress Xiao's amazing and extraordinary life deeds.
Kyushu picture: Statue of Empress Xiao
The Liao Dynasty was a dynasty established by the Khitans in Chinese history, with nine emperors and a total of 209 years of the country. In 907 AD, the Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji became the leader of the Khitan tribal alliance through internal annexation, and in 916 AD, the founding name was "Khitan", and the capital was set at LinhuangFu in Shangjing (present-day Balin Zuoqi Nanboluo City, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia). In 947, his son Emperor Taizong of Liao, Yelü Deguang, led the Khitan iron horse south to the Central Plains, captured Fenjing (汴京, in modern Kaifeng, Henan), and ascended the throne as emperor in Fenjing, changing the name of the country to "Great Liao" and the era name "Datong". In 983, it was renamed the Great Khitan (大 Khitan). In 1007, Emperor Shengzong of Liao moved the capital to Dadingfu (中京大定府) (present-day Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia). In 1066 AD, The Liao Daoist Emperor Yelü Hongji restored the name "Liao". Finally, in 1125 AD, it was destroyed by the Jin Kingdom established by the Jurchen leader Guanyan Akuta, who originally belonged to the rule of the Liao Dynasty.
The Liao state began with the establishment of the Khitan state by the Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji, to the liao Taizong Yelü Deguang south to establish the "Great Liao" emperor in the Central Plains, and the ancestors of the two generations were able to cut thorns and thorns and their merits were outstanding, and they could be called the male masters of Wenzhi martial arts. However, two generations later, and then to the heyday of the Liao Shengzong period, during which the Liao state experienced a period of dark decay for about 20 years between the two generations of Liao Shizong and Liao Muzong, with constant internal and external troubles and great decline in national strength, and only the Muzong Dynasty, there were 5 incidents of rebellion and defection.
In 969, Emperor Muzong of Liao was killed by his attendants, and Emperor Liao's second son Yelü Xian was elected emperor with the honorific title of Emperor Tianzan for Emperor Jingzong of Liao. In the early days of Jingzong's reign, the domestic political situation was grim and full of crises. During his reign, he was diligent in political affairs, diligently sought governance, rectified chaos, recruited talents, appeased the Yelü royal family, and reused sages such as Murong Fang and Guo Raid, so that the Liao Dynasty appeared a burst of clarity. The most important point is that he profoundly summarized the root causes and contradictions of the political instability that occurred in the past many years, actively learned from the Central Plains regime, and established the primogeniture system in the Liao Dynasty, effectively avoiding the recurrence of imperial disputes. Although the scope and effectiveness of the social reforms of the Jingzong Dynasty were limited, they laid a solid foundation for the heyday of the Liao Shengzong period. Another point that has to be mentioned is that he married a good empress Xiao Qi (formerly surnamed Bali) who was both wise and courageous and shrewd with an iron fist, a strong political woman who personally created a strong political power for the Liao Dynasty for nearly a hundred years.
Kyushu picture: Liao Jingzong and Empress Xiao film and television picture
<h1>The Lord is less suspicious and in danger</h1>
It is said that after Emperor Muzong of Liao was killed by his attendants, his close minister Xiao Siwen, that is, Xiao Qi's father, immediately blocked the news and assisted Yelü Xian, who was closely related to him, the second son of Emperor Yelü Ruan of Liao Shizong, to ascend to the throne for Emperor Jingzong of Liao. In gratitude for his kindness, Emperor Jingzong of Liao successively promoted Xiao Siwen to the position of Privy Counsellor of the Northern Yuan, Chancellor of the Northern Province, Shang Shuling, and King of Wei, and married his daughter Xiao Shu as a noble concubine, and was officially crowned empress within only two months.
Kyushu with picture: LiaoJingzong stills
Because Jingzong was frail and sick from an early age, most of the state affairs were in charge of the young empress. In the eighth year of Baoning (976 AD), Emperor Jingzong collected the history of the scholar, after which he recorded the empress's words, "also known as '朕' and 'give'", and "fixed the formula", raising the status of his wife Xiao Yu to the same level as himself. Therefore, with the acquiescence of Emperor Jingzong of Liao, most of the daily military and political affairs of the Liao state were decided by Xiao Qiangang. With the passage of time, this young empress gradually revealed a strong political mind and governing ability, and with her efforts, the Liao military became stronger and stronger, and the political economy was also on the right track.
"Jia Chen, hunting in Xianggu Mountain, the emperor does not hesitate." Nongzi, sub-jiaoshan, collapsed in the line. Chinese New Year's Eve five, reigned for thirteen years. He was the heir to the throne of Liang Wang, and the military affairs obeyed the empress's orders. ——"History of Liao. Volume V. The Ninth Chronicle
On September 24, 982 (October 13, 982), Emperor Jingzong of Liao died of illness while on a hunting expedition at the age of thirty-five. In Ye Longli's "Khitan Chronicles" volume 18, it is recorded: "Jingzong was in urgent need of illness, and Longyun did not command, and secretly summoned more than ten people, including his relatives, to go to the account. On his deathbed, he left a testament: "The king of Liliang is the emperor, and the empress is the empress dowager. So The Liang king Yelü Longxu succeeded to the throne at the age of twelve, and was the ruler of the Liao Dynasty and Empress Xiao.
"At that time, more than 200 people in the royal family supported the army and held the government, and the imperial court was clothed. Although the later dynasty was long, there were few marriages and young people, and the princes were young, and they were terrified inside and outside. --Ye Longli' Khitan Chronicles, vol. XVIII
The first thing Xiao Wei felt was the great sense of crisis of the lord and the country, how the orphans and widows responded to the threat of more than two hundred clan princes who supported the army and were self-respecting and powerful. In addition, Empress Xiao's father, Xiao Siwen, was assassinated in 970 on a hunting tour with Emperor Jingzong of Liao, leaving no heirs, so Empress Xiao had no powerful foreign relatives to rely on at that time.
<h1>How to turn the crisis into safety and stand firm? </h1>
In fact, there are many similar cases in history, such as Empress Xuan of qin who led the young lord Qin Zhaoxiang to stabilize the dynasty and open up a new situation, and for example, the Empress Xiaozhuang of the Qing Dynasty, with hard work and hardship, successively assisted Fu Lin and Kangxi in two generations of young lords to sit firmly on the throne, and even did not hesitate to marry the powerful minister Dolgun to settle the dynasty.
Kyushu with picture: Empress Xiao with the young main film and television stills
And the situation that Empress Xiao and the Young Lord Saint Sect faced at that time was also very severe, and it was even worse. Under the smooth transition on the surface, there is actually an undercurrent surging and a strange situation, and the dangers are everywhere. In this situation, we can't help but wonder, how did this woman defuse the crisis that surrounds her and turn the crisis into safety? And through what specific measures to successfully gain a foothold?
First of all, the reuse of two gu order capable generals, Wen with Han Derang, Wu Youye Yelü oblique, and at the same time the removal of a large number of courtiers, this move effectively stabilized the inner court.
In order to make the situation of the DPRK look new and at the same time stabilize the situation, Empress Xiao quickly completed the replacement of the bureaucracy or national defense, which is roughly as follows:
One is political performance. When she was just about to enter the dynasty, facing the Manchu Dynasty's civil and military officials, she suddenly cried loudly as she spoke, releasing weakness, and said with pitiful tears: "Mothers and widows are weak, clans are strong, and border defense is not quiet, so why not?" The clan relatives and nobles present were all frightened, and just at this moment, the two ministers who took care of the order, Yelü Xieyun and Han Derang, walked out of the train to comfort them and swore a solemn oath: "Trust the ministers, wait, what are the worries!" The other courtiers knew that these two were not idle people, so they all followed suit.
The second is to rule with an iron fist. With the assistance and support of Han Derang and Yelü, she successfully replaced a large number of courtiers with lightning speed, most of whom were incompetent people who occupied the pit and did not, or greedy and corrupt black sheep, or people with ulterior motives who could not faithfully serve the new dynasty.
Third, discern the talent and quickly complete the layout in an important position. In order to co-opt Han Derang and make him her right-hand man, Empress Xiao said to Han Derang privately: "I often promise to marry a son, and I wish to reconcile the old and good, then the young lord will be in charge of the country, and ruzi will also be." At this point, Han Derang was in the position of regent of the supervising state (the scandal between Empress Xiao and Han Derang was not found in the correct history, and this article does not examine and explain in detail). In the first year of reunification (983 AD), Empress Xiao, with the support of Han Derang, borrowed Han law and established a bureaucratic system similar to that of the Central Plains regime, and crowned Han Derang as the Kaifu Yi Tongsan Division, and also served as a government decree, forming a system of civil servants headed by Han Derang.
Kyushu with picture: Han Derang film and television stills
Fourth, in the administration of clan relatives, she reused the general Yelü Xieyi, who was also a minister of the Imperial Household, as the Privy Counsellor of the Northern Yuan (the capital of the country, Zhongjing Dadingfu), responsible for managing internal affairs, especially strictly managing and supervising the power of the clan and nobles. At the same time, in order to envelop and strengthen the bond with Yerushalayim, he gave his niece Xu to Yerushalayim, making her a clan relative and a foreign relative. In addition, it was also allowed the Liao Shengzong Yelü Longxu and Yelü Xieyi to exchange bows and arrows with each other in front of Xiao Qi, and to make friends, further strengthen the ties, and unite the internal forces.
Kyushu with picture: Film and television stills of Yelü Oblique
Fifth, stabilize border defense. In terms of national defense, at that time, there were frequent wars on the border between the Song and Liao, and "border defense was not yet peaceful." The main threat to the Liao border came from the Northern Song Dynasty, which had always dreamed of recovering Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, so she arranged for Yelü Abaoji's brother, the loyal and courageous military wizard Yelü Hugo, to stay in Nanjing (present-day Beijing) to take charge of the southern military and strengthen the border defense. When Yelü Hugo was stationed in Youzhou, he took two measures: one was to treat the people leniently, and the other was to strictly reorganize the army and manage the territory of Youzhou very well.
Kyushu with picture: Jericho film and television stills
Through the vigorous operation of the above five aspects, the atmosphere of the government and the opposition was renewed for a time, and an excellent situation was formed with Empress Xiao as the core of the political power and the able ministers and cadres who were able to unite in good faith.
Secondly, he strictly ordered the kings not to meet and feast privately, demanded that they should not go out without a problem, and tried to relieve them of their military powers, which effectively cut off the interconnection between the clan and the nobles, and curbed the possibility of conspiracy and rebellion between the clan and the foreign ministers.
Empress Xiao's iron fist was not only that, but one of the things that best reflected her strong characteristics was that she successfully relieved the clan nobles of their military power.
As we all know, if a political power is to be maintained for a long time, the centralization of military power must not be careless. At that time, Xiao Qi was worried about the current situation of more than two hundred clan nobles supporting their own troops, and the problem of dispersion of military power was like a fish in the throat, and he could not sleep at night. In the end, she took Han Dejang's advice and adopted a step-by-step, interlocking trilogy:
First of all, "forbidden feet": a strict decree was issued to the princes of the clan: "The kings are returned to the first place, and no private banquets are allowed", and it is forbidden for the kings to meet and feast privately, and they are not allowed to go out without the summons of the imperial court.
Immediately after the "na quality": In order to let the kings abide by the prohibition, Empress Xiao also invited the kings' relatives to play in the palace, but in fact, she was temporarily detained as a hostage. At the same time, this move made the princes of the clan have some scruples and constraints, and they no longer dared to act rashly.
Finally, "cutting the troops": After completing the two steps of "grounding" and "taking quality", Empress Xiao thought that the time was ripe, so she ordered the completion of the reorganization and restructuring of the army, and successfully relieved the clan nobles of their military power.
Through the above three premeditated steps, Empress Xiao successfully eliminated the military power of the kings, solved the biggest hidden worries of internal seizure of the throne, and effectively curbed the possibility of conspiracy and rebellion between the clan and the foreign ministers who supported the army, which can be called Qi Wei's move.
Third, amnesty for the world, civil and military officials each promoted to the first rank, effectively winning the hearts of the subjects, this move to a certain extent stabilized the social scholar clan and the bottom of the masses.
After completing these divine operations mentioned above, Empress Xiao achieved key results in stabilizing her power. But in fact, those deposed officials, as well as the princes of the clan who have been stripped of their military power, are still very likely to incite and influence and even influence the people's hearts and minds in the country. Therefore, after completing the construction of the superstructure, Empress Xiao announced the change of Yuan Unification and Harmony in the second year of the reign of Emperor Shengzong of Liao, that is, in 983 AD. Emperor Taizong of Liao, Yelü Longxu, led a group of ministers and hundreds of officials to honor the empress dowager as empress dowager, and the group of ministers to the emperor with the title of Emperor Tianfu, and at the same time announced a general amnesty for the world, and all the civil and military officials were each promoted to the first rank of knighthood, and appointed the privy councillor deputy envoy Yelü Xieyi as the guardian of the situ.
Kyushu with picture: Amnesty world
Don't underestimate this trick, for ordinary people, amnesty is the emperor's great favor to the people at the bottom; and for hundreds of officials, adding officials to the knighthood means a further improvement in power, glory and glory. To a certain extent, this move has effectively gathered the hearts of the subjects, stabilized the social scholars and the bottom mass base, and made it impossible for those who instigate and want to use the people's hearts to influence the direction of the political regime.
Fourth, the strength of the whole country to strike an all-out blow, win the war of self-defense and counterattack, completely stabilize the foundation of the political power and the people's hearts and minds of the monarchs and subjects, and lay a solid foundation for the heyday that is about to usher in.
In 986, shortly after the transition of power had just been completed within the Liao state, Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, adopted the suggestion of Xiongzhou He Lingtu, taking advantage of the fact that Emperor Liao,regent Emperor Xiao Was young and empress dowager of Chengtian, suspected of adultery with Han Derang, and internal instability, was determined to divide the army into three northern expeditions: the eastern road, with Cao Bin as the commander, led the main army out of Xiongzhou (present-day Xiong County, Hebei); the middle road was led by Tian Chongjin to lead the army out of Feihu (present-day Laiyuan, Hebei); and the western road was to order Pan Mei and Yang Ye to lead the army out of Yanmen. The attempt was made in three directions, with the eastern road to contain the main force of the Liao army, and after the central and western roads captured the shanhou prefectures, they turned to the east and surrounded Youzhou with three roads.
In fact, at that time, the Liao state had basically completed the transition of power, the monarchs and the subjects were harmonious, and the politics were wise, and there was no opportunity to take advantage of. However, Zhao Guangyi believed it to be true, and despite the opposition of Li Zhi, the counselor and governor, the lack of grain and grass, ordnance, and the lack of preparation for the Northern Expedition, and did not consult with the Qunchen, he immediately decided to use troops against the Liao, and the troops divided into three roads to attack the Liao.
Kyushu with map: Schematic diagram of the Second Battle of Youzhou between Song and Liao
Zhao Guangyi regarded the transfer of supreme power in the Liao state as an opportunity, which was actually a subjective speculation based on the "false intelligence" of the lord's young mother and widow and Han Derang's ambiguous relationship with Empress Xiao and the dissatisfaction of the people. The author even suspects that these false information was deliberately released by Yelü Hugo, who was stationed on the border of Song and Liao, in order to show weakness to the Song, paralyze the Song army, and wait for a battle.
Under such circumstances, the direction of the war situation can be imagined. In the face of a large-scale attack by the Song army, Empress Xiao of Liao plotted with the troika (i.e., Han Derang, Yelü Xieyun, and Yelü Hugo) and then moved. First of all, he personally visited Youzhou and commanded the front line of the Liao Shengzong Imperial Army. Then, taking the advantage of Cao Bin's lone army and the lack of grain and grass, he took advantage of the opportunity of Cao Bin's lone army to attack and force him to retreat, and chased him to Qigou Pass (qigou pass) (southwest of present-day Zhuozhou, Hebei), crushing it, resulting in the destruction of the main force of the Song army. This battle is the famous Battle of Qigou Pass. He then sent the capital Yelü Xieyi to lead an army of 100,000 to counterattack the Song army in the middle and west, successfully recovering the lost lands of Weizhou, Feihu, Huanzhou, and Shuozhou, and capturing the famous Northern Song general Yang Ye (Yang Ye did not want to surrender, went on a hunger strike to show loyalty, and was later cut off from the first rank to pass on the Liao army to inspire soldiers, and the Yang family will not expand the origin of the story here). Therefore, the desperate Zhao Guangyi abandoned the land of Yun and Ying, and led the remnants of the army to withdraw to Dai Prefecture, and the Northern Expedition against Liao failed.
At this point, the Liao Dynasty attacked with all its strength, won the self-defense counterattack against the Song, completely stabilized the foundation of the regime and the people's hearts and minds of the monarchs, and the prestige of Empress Xiao and Liao Shengzong rose rapidly, laying a solid foundation for the heyday that was about to usher.
<h1>Wenzhi martial arts, flourished</h1>
Through a series of "soul-destroying" operations, Empress Xiao not only straightened out the rule of officials, but also eliminated the threat of clan relatives and supporting soldiers, successfully gained a firm foothold, established a strong and powerful power order, and united and clear-headed factions in the government and the opposition, and were full of vitality.
After achieving the goal of turning the crisis into safety and consolidating the foundation of the regime, Empress Xiao and the young lord Liao Shengzong worked hard to carry out drastic reforms, encouraging nongsang, building water conservancy, reducing taxes, and strengthening the training and construction of the army, so that the people gradually became rich and the national strength was significantly enhanced. By 1009, after emperor Shengzong of Liao's reign, the Liao Dynasty had entered its peak and was celebrated through the following aspects.
Population - According to the compound interest formula in demographics, the population of liao during the Liao Muzong period was about 3.8 million, and by the eighteenth year of the reign of Emperor Shengzong (1000 AD), its national population reached about 6 million, growing rapidly.
In terms of economy, the animal husbandry industry of the Liao Dynasty was very developed, and its animal husbandry economy was further developed in the Shengzong Dynasty. The strength of animal husbandry is not only the source of livelihood for herders, but also the material conditions for the Liao Dynasty to be strong in force and to kejie. At the same time, the Holy Sect of The Holy Fathers encouraged Nongsang and encouraged the people to open up wasteland, and if they succeeded in opening up farmland, they could be rent-free for ten years, forming a unique mixed agriculture and animal husbandry economy of the Khitans. In the years of war famine and hunger, the way of reducing and exempting taxes was adopted to reduce and exempt the people's livelihood, for example, in the liao shengzong period in 991 AD, "the tax of the three capitals and the provinces was exempted, and the land was still abolished." During the shengzong period, the economic strength of the Liao state was very impressive.
Military aspects – to prevent Goryeo from allying with the Northern Song Dynasty and thus threatening the eastern Liaoning Dynasty. Between 993 and 1009, Empress Xiao launched three Liao wars to surrender Goryeo, attacking Kaesong as far as Goryeo. In 1004, Empress Xiao and Emperor Shengzong of Liao personally led a large army deep into the Song Dynasty. Song Zhenzong was so frightened that his legs were weak and he wanted to move the capital to the south and fled, which shows how strong the military strength of the Liao Dynasty was at that time. However, due to the insistence of the chancellor Kou Zhun, he personally went to Liaozhou (澶州, in modern Puyang) to supervise the battle. The morale of the Song army was greatly boosted, and the Liao army forwards were defeated, and the two sides entered a stalemate. The Liao army feared that it would be attacked by the enemy and proposed a peace treaty. At the beginning of the following year, Emperor Zhenzong of Song signed a peace treaty with Liao, agreeing that song would give Liao 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 silk horses every year, and the two sides would guard their borders and not harass each other, becoming a brotherly state, known in history as the "Alliance of The Yuanyuan", and from then on the two dynasties were reconciled for 120 years. After that, Emperor Shengzong of Liao married the Western Xia, and the Western Xia also oscillated between the Song and the Liao in an attempt to survive, forming a situation in which the three kingdoms of the Liao, Song and Western Xia were established.
Kyushu with picture: Liao, Song, Western Xia three kingdoms standing
In terms of territory, the Liao Dynasty entered its heyday in the Liao Shengzong Dynasty, and the northeast of the territory is now Sakhalin Island, north to the Selenge River and the Shileka River in the central part of Mongolia, west to the Altai Mountains, and in the south to the Haihe River in Tianjin, BaXian in Hebei Province, and Yanmenguan in Shanxi Province, which bordered the Northern Song Dynasty, and confronted the Song Dynasty that ruled the Central Plains at that time, forming a confrontation between the North and the South Dynasties, and the "History of Liao" said that "the territory is ten thousand miles".
Cultural aspects - In terms of culture and education, Liao Shengzong actively learned from the advanced system and culture of the Central Plains, implemented the imperial examination system to select outstanding talents, and compiled Buddhist scriptures, which was extremely popular. At the same time, The Taoist thought of the Central Plains was also widely disseminated during this period.
In summary, after Empress Xiao's vigorous reform and vigorous rule, the Liao state achieved a strong period of nearly one hundred years, which is an incomparably brilliant achievement in the history of the Liao state for more than two hundred years.
<h1>epilogue:</h1>
Through the above-mentioned laying out and analysis, this article restores for everyone a strong political woman who is both wise and courageous, iron-fisted and shrewd, and personally created a strong political woman for the Liao Dynasty for nearly a hundred years- Empress Xiao. Although there are mixed reviews of her in history, it is impossible to deny her great achievements in the Liao Dynasty and her contribution to enriching ancient Chinese history, and the following three historians or scholars have evaluated her relatively objectively and representatively.
Chen Daren in the History of Liao. In the biography of the later concubines, it is commented that after the Ming Dynasty ruled the Way, the good will be obeyed, so the Qunchen Xian did his best to be loyal. Xi Zhi military and political, the Battle of Liaoyuan, the pro-Imperial Army, the three armies, rewards and punishments, and the use of soldiers' lives. The Holy Patriarch called the Liaosheng Lord, and the later teachings were many.
Yuan Tengfei commented: She is an outstanding female politician in Chinese history..... Generally speaking, in the commentaries, she is portrayed as a treacherous and sinister woman in the drama, but in fact this should be said to be unfair to her image.
Wang Liqun commented: In fact, Empress Xiao is not a simple person, she is a woman who understands politics and has rich experience in politics. With her sophisticated political means, she quickly completed the transition of power.
Kyushu with picture: Empress Xiao film and television drama picture
Empress Xiao and the young lord Shengzong turned the crisis into safety and turned the tide, not only ending the wheel war of the liao dynasty's early years of the imperial throne, but also returning politics to the stable track, but also leading the Liao dynasty into its heyday through hard work, which can be called the lord of the Liao Dynasty. When we read history, we must not be too disturbed by ideology, and we should look at it as objectively as possible.
<h1>Resources</h1>
1. History of Liao
2. "Khitan Chronicle"
3. "Song Hui Wants"
<h1>statement</h1>
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2. This article is a personal point of view, if there are errors and views, please leave a message to discuss, thank you.