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In Chinese history, there has been more than one woman who has influenced the world.

There was Wu Zetian, who directly deposed the emperor and changed the country's name.

Most of them ruled the country from behind the scenes as empress dowagers, and the most courageous among them was Empress Lü.

But in fact there is another woman who also possesses extraordinary political talent, but is willing to place herself in the position of assistant to her husband and son.

From this point of view, both Wu and Lu are inferior to her.

But because she lived in an era when the Song Dynasty was the orthodox dynasty, she became a barbarian and was not recorded in Chinese history.

She is the Empress Dowager Xiao Yanyan of the Liao Dynasty, and the people have always called her Empress Dowager Xiao.

"During the Northern Song Dynasty, the biggest enemy was not the treacherous ministers within the country, but the Liao Kingdom outside."

"The Liao Kingdom in the north was a Khitan tribe. As it grew stronger, it had been eyeing the Song Dynasty and trying to annex it."

"The strength of the Liao Dynasty was closely related to a woman, the famous Empress Dowager Xiao in history."

"Empress Dowager Xiao was a man of great skill and strategic mind, and played a vital role in the development of the Liao Kingdom."

"Given Empress Xiao's political talent, some people compare her to Wu Zetian of the Liao Dynasty."

"Her ability to lead troops and the long-term peace she established with the Northern Song Dynasty after she came to power made her full of legendary brilliance."

"During her regency, the Liao Kingdom entered its most prosperous period."

"Empress Dowager Xiao, whose original name was Xiao Chuo and whose nickname was Yanyan, was of the Khitan ethnic group."

"She was born into a prominent family. Her father was the important official Xiao Siwen, and her mother was the eldest daughter of Emperor Taizong of Liao."

"Xiao Yanyan has loved martial arts since she was a child and has a strong interest in military affairs and national affairs."

"Because she works diligently and carefully, she is deeply loved by her father."

"Once, Xiao Yanyan's sisters were doing housework together, and they finished the work hastily."

"But she continued to clean carefully and put the furniture in order. Her father praised her for her great success."

"At the age of 15, Xiao Yanyan was named a noble concubine. By then, she had grown into a graceful young lady."

"Later, the Liao leader Yelü Xian married her. Yelü Xian was Emperor Jingzong of Liao."

"In 969 AD, Xiao Yanyan was made queen."

"Due to Yelu Xian's poor health, Xiao Yanyan was responsible for handling Liao's state affairs most of the time."

"Over time, all the affairs of the Liao Kingdom, including military power, were in the hands of Xiao Yanyan, and she also honed her ability to govern the country."

"At the age of 23, Xiao Yanyan already had the ability to govern the country, and her position was equal to that of Yelu Xian."

"In 972 AD, thanks to Xiao Yanyan's contribution."

"Her father, Xiao Siwen, was posthumously named the King of Chu by Emperor Jingzong of Liao, and Xiao Yanyan's grandfather was posthumously named the King of Han."

"When Xiao Yanyan was 29 years old, Yelu Xian died of illness while hunting."

"Before his death, Yelu Xian made a will, asking Yelu Longxu to succeed him and all military and national affairs to be under the orders of Empress Xiao."

"In 982 AD, the 12-year-old prince Yelu Longxu succeeded to the throne, and Xiao Yanyan became the empress dowager."

"Empress Dowager Xiao is acting as regent in accordance with the will, helping the young prince handle state affairs and making important military and diplomatic decisions."

"At this time, Empress Dowager Xiao had already honed her ability to deal with the complicated and dangerous power struggles, but she was still in a passive and disadvantaged position."

"What's worrying is that the little prince is still very young and doesn't understand political intrigue at all."

"At his age and with his ignorance of politics, he had no idea what kind of danger he was facing."

"Faced with the many princes who were armed and aggressive, he seemed weak and helpless."

"What's even more frightening is that there are signs that some princes have begun to act behind the scenes, trying to control the young emperor and then control the imperial power."

"At the critical moment, Empress Dowager Xiao stood up."

"Although she didn't have a powerful mother clan to back her up, she used her wisdom and courage to defeat the prince one by one."

"The first thing she thought of was that the country was in a state of uncertainty with a young ruler, and that the more than 200 princes of the royal family had their own troops and were very powerful, so the situation was volatile. Then she tried to find a way to stabilize these princes first."

"Soon after, she used the method of winning people's hearts to make ministers such as Yelu Xizhen and Yelu Xiuge submit to her."

"Finally, many unruly and ambitious princes were subdued."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang: There are countless empresses and concubines in history, but only Empress Dowager Xiao enjoyed a happy and complete life.

In the Xiao family of the Liao Dynasty, regardless of gender.

From the moment of birth, you are destined to shoulder the glorious mission of the family.

The Xiao family from the Yan State was an extraordinary family both in the Liao State and in the Yan State.

When Empress Xiao's mother, the princess of the Liao Dynasty and the eldest princess of the second emperor of the Liao Dynasty, gave birth to three daughters in a row.

Empress Dowager Xiao's father, Xiao Siwen, was not upset about this.

Because in the Khitan people's minds, men and women are the same, there is no difference.

Xiao Siwen loved his three daughters very much and brought them up carefully.

At that time, Empress Dowager Xiao and her sisters began to learn the necessary skills to be concubines at an early age.

They not only learn culture, but also learn how to manage the harem and how to participate in politics.

In addition to these, there are also martial arts training, leading troops in battle, etc.

Therefore, with such a powerful education, the women of the Xiao family are destined to be extraordinary.

In addition to acquired education, innate personality is also an important factor in personal success.

Therefore, Empress Dowager Xiao's father constantly observed his daughters in life to see who was most likely to achieve great things.

Finally, the father's eyes fell on his youngest daughter, Empress Dowager Xiao.

Although they are born of the same mother, these three beautiful girls have their own personality traits.

Empress Dowager Xiao was intelligent, studious, and had a calm personality.

An ability test conducted by her father allowed the young Empress Dowager Xiao to stand out among her older sisters.

One day, Xiao Siwen asked his daughters to clean their rooms and told them that they could go out to play only after they finished their work.

When the eldest and second sisters saw that their father was not at home, they were lazy and just tidied up their rooms and ran out to play.

Only Empress Dowager Xiao followed her father's request and cleaned her room meticulously.

It was precisely because of this seemingly calm incident that her father saw her calmness and self-discipline, and her virtue of never giving up until she reached her goal.

After this, father Xiao Siwen paid special attention to the training of his youngest daughter, Empress Dowager Xiao.

Generally speaking, those who can achieve great things have amazing self-discipline.

Judging from Empress Dowager Xiao’s later behavior, my father’s judgment was accurate.

In Empress Dowager Xiao's later life, no matter what happened, she behaved just as her father expected.

Be calm and persistent, and never give up until you reach your goal.

Compared with her two sisters, she is simply too outstanding.

When Empress Xiao was 17 years old, a major event happened in the Liao Kingdom.

Emperor Liao Muzong was assassinated while hunting. At this critical moment in the fight for the throne, the son-in-law Xiao Siwen took decisive action.

Xiao Siwen immediately told the news to the prince Yelu Xian, whom he had favored and had always been on good terms with, thus buying precious time for Yelu Xian to successfully seize the throne.

As the best reward for Xiao Siwen, Yelu Xian married Xiao Siwen's favorite youngest daughter, Empress Dowager Xiao.

Soon after Empress Dowager Xiao entered the palace, she was named Imperial Noble Consort, and two months later she was named Empress.

Just one year after Empress Dowager Xiao ascended the throne, her father Xiao Siwen was murdered by his enemies. Empress Dowager Xiao suddenly lost her father, her greatest support in life.

Empress Dowager Xiao applied the knowledge she had learned to the management of the court. Her extraordinary wisdom and sharp vision enabled her to see some of the ills of the Liao Kingdom under the rule of Emperor Jingzong of Liao.

So she implemented a series of bold political reforms, promoted Han officials, studied Han culture, and promoted agricultural development.

A series of reform measures made the court officials see the extraordinary nature of this woman in the temple.

Empress Xiao's ability to govern the country won the admiration and reliance of Emperor Jingzong of Liao, and also won the trust of all officials in the court.

Without the support of her father, Empress Dowager Xiao used her wisdom and extraordinary political governance ability to force herself to quickly become a mountain of power for the Xiao family.

"The last thing Empress Dowager Xiao did was enough to change her entire life destiny, which was to form an alliance with Han Derang."

"Han Derang was a great general of the Han ethnic group. Empress Dowager Xiao and he were childhood sweethearts when they were young."

"Later, due to political reasons, the two separated, and Empress Xiao had no choice but to marry Yelu Xian."

"After Yelu Xian's death, the obstacles were removed, and the two rekindled their old love and reconciled."

"Faced with the former lover, the current fierce general."

"Empress Dowager Xiao used the excuse of reconciliation to make Han Derang obey her and serve her at all times, even if it meant death."

"Due to the power of love and the warmth of love, Han Derang obeyed Empress Xiao's orders and gave her full support."

"With the support of Han Derang and the assistance of trusted generals such as Yelu Xiuguo."

"Empress Dowager Xiao gained confidence and sent her trusted generals to guard the border."

"Then she used clever means to weaken the military power of the royal family and disperse the power of these uneasy elements. These princes became hostages and pawns in her hands one by one."

"After dealing with the problem of the princes' self-reliance in the army, the Liao Kingdom became stable and powerful."

"During this period without war, Empress Dowager Xiao appointed talented people to positions of power, rectified the administration of officials, and reduced taxes."

"It actively promoted the long-term strategy of feudalizing Khitan society and carried out a series of reforms to the Liao Dynasty's political system."

"The Liao people were required to vigorously learn Han culture, which made the Liao nationality's national strength grow day by day."

"At that time, the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty was Emperor Taizong of Song."

"When Yelu Xian just died, Emperor Taizong of Song mistakenly believed that an orphan and a widow would not be able to control the overall situation."

"So we took this opportunity to divide our troops into three groups to attack the Liao Kingdom. Pan Renmei was the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, and Yang Jiye was the deputy commander, responsible for disrupting the rear of the Liao army."

"The Central Army is led by Tian Chongjin and is the main attacking force, while the Eastern Army is led by Cao Bin."

"After the strategy was arranged, Emperor Taizong of Song thought he had a sure win, but he didn't know that Empress Dowager Xiao had already arranged a pocket formation for the Song army."

"After the war began, Empress Xiao, with the assistance of Han Derang, used the troops like a god and commanded them properly."

"Step by step, they led the Song army into a well-designed trap, and ended up with a great defeat."

"In this battle, Yang Jiye, the backbone of the Yang family, was captured alive and eventually died of starvation."

"In Liao, after this battle, Empress Xiao and Han Derang became even closer."

"She even ate with Han Derang in public. You know, being able to sit on an equal footing with the empress dowager is not something that ordinary people can do."

"If it hadn't been for Empress Dowager Xiao's consent, he would have been dragged out and beheaded." "In the Liao Dynasty, everyone knew that Empress Dowager Xiao and Han Derang were lovers."

"But no one dared to speak directly in front of Empress Dowager Xiao."

"In 998 AD, Emperor Taizong of Song died and Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Zhao Huan, succeeded him."

"Han Derang believed that the Liao Kingdom was at its peak of strength at this time and could take the initiative to attack."

"After much consideration, Empress Dowager Xiao agreed with his opinion and sent out an army of 20 to lead the expedition in person."

"The army he led was invincible and directly attacked the Song Dynasty's capital, Bianliang."

"At this time, all the ministers of the Song Dynasty advocated escape, and Wang Qinruo, the vice chancellor, even suggested moving the capital to Nanjing."

"Only Kou Zhun overcame all opposition and persuaded Emperor Zhenzong to lead the army in person to fight against the Liao Kingdom."

"When Emperor Zhenzong of Song arrived at the battlefront and saw the enemy's formation, he felt something was wrong and lost his temper."

"Because the Liao army was well-organized and well-trained, giving people an unstoppable momentum, he signed the Chanyuan Alliance with Empress Dowager Xiao."

Su Shi: Empress Dowager Xiao, as a woman, was able to bring the Liao Kingdom to its peak only because she had three trump cards.

Empress Dowager Xiao herself possessed extremely strong political abilities, and she also had three trump cards in her hand that gave the Northern Song Dynasty a lot of headaches.

The first trump card is Han Derang.

Although Han Derang was a Han Chinese, his grandfather had been serving the Khitan.

While Han Derang was guarding Youzhou, Emperor Taizong of Song led his troops to the north.

He first defended the city, and then went out of the city with the reinforcements to pursue the Song army and won the Battle of Gaoliang River.

Before the death of Emperor Jingzong of Liao, Han Derang became the regent and assisted Empress Dowager Xiao in governing the country.

Emperor Taizong of Song sent an army of more than 100,000 to the north, and Han Derang followed Empress Dowager Xiao.

He defeated the Song army in one fell swoop and achieved a great victory. It can be said that Han Derang was a man who was both a general and a prime minister.

Han Derang was in charge of the Liao Dynasty's government affairs and implemented various reforms, which promoted the process of sinicization of the Liao Dynasty and made the Liao Dynasty prosperous.

Later, Han Derang followed Empress Dowager Xiao south and forced the Song Dynasty to sign the Treaty of Chanyuan.

The second trump card is Yelu Xiu'ge.

Yelu Xiu'ge was born into the royal family of the Liao Dynasty. He began fighting on the battlefield when he was a teenager. It was the Battle of Gaoliang River that made him famous.

At that time, Yelu Xiu'ge was ordered to lead a large army to rescue.

The Liao army was not outnumbered, but Yelu Xiu'ge launched a surprise attack on the exhausted Song army.

This resulted in a disastrous defeat for the Song army, and Emperor Taizong of Song was shot by an arrow and almost captured.

After Empress Dowager Xiao came to power, she trusted Yelu Xiu'ge very much.

Empress Dowager Xiao handed over all military affairs in the southern part of the Liao Kingdom to Yelu Xiu'ge, who was fully responsible for it.

Yelu Xiu'ge did not disappoint Empress Dowager Xiao's expectations and achieved many major victories in battles with the Song Dynasty.

Later, people in the border areas of the Northern Song Dynasty used Yelu Xiu'ge to scare children.

The third card is Yelu Xizhen.

Like Yelu Xiu'ge, Yelu Xizhen also came from the royal family of the Liao Dynasty, but his official career was not smooth at first.

However, there was one person who admired Yelu Xizhen very much, and she was Empress Dowager Xiao’s father Xiao Siwen.

With the recommendation of Xiao Siwen, Yelu Xizhen was valued by Emperor Jingzong of Liao and married the niece of Empress Dowager Xiao.

In the Battle of Gaoliang River, Yelu Xizhen and Yelu Xiu'ge attacked from the left and right wings respectively and defeated the Song army.

During Emperor Taizong of Song's second Northern Expedition, Yelu Xizhen served as the commander-in-chief of the army and rushed to the western front to achieve a great victory.

Han Derang, Yelu Xiuge and Yelu Xizhen can be said to be the most outstanding talents of the Liao Dynasty and they were highly valued.

In comparison, the Song Dynasty seemed to pale in comparison, which also led to its suppression by the Liao Kingdom.

"As a mature and far-sighted politician, Empress Dowager Xiao must have considered all the circumstances."

"She believed that although the Liao Dynasty won more battles than lost in the wars against the Northern Song Dynasty, it was inferior to the Northern Song Dynasty in all aspects except military affairs."

"For this reason, she decisively chose to quit while she was ahead and successfully signed the Treaty of Chanyuan with the Northern Song Dynasty."

"The two sides reached an agreement that Emperor Zhenzong of Song would respect Empress Xiao as his aunt, and Emperor Shengzong of Liao would call Emperor Zhenzong of Song his brother."

"The Song Dynasty sent 100,000 taels of Liao silver and 200,000 rolls of silk every year. The two sides used the Baigou River as a boundary and did not invade each other."

"After the signing of the Treaty of Chanyuan, the two countries have been at peace ever since."

"The benefits gained from the Chanyuan Alliance are for the Liao Kingdom."

"It is simply a big pie falling from the sky, which can enable thousands of people to live a life of plenty."

"For the Northern Song Dynasty, material things bought more than 100 years of political stability."

"Although it may be a bit embarrassing, it is also beneficial from the perspective of the people."

"So from past history, the Jin, Tatar, Mongolia, Turkic and other ethnic minorities were in the process of struggling with the Central Plains dynasties."

"People often suffered and had no place to live, and their lives were extremely miserable."

“And the royal family or the royal family are also in the painful state of dying in battle or becoming a widow.”

"One general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of men." This saying was a true portrayal of war in those days.

"Whether it was the Three Kingdoms, the Western Jin Dynasty, the Sui and Tang Dynasties, or the later Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty."

"All achievements are built on piles of bones, even fathers and sons killing each other, brothers harming each other."

"In this sense, Empress Dowager Xiao had a political vision that ordinary people could not match."

"During her 40-year political career, she demonstrated strong political courage and foresight, making the Liao Dynasty more prosperous."

"In 1009 AD, Empress Dowager Xiao, a great female hero, died at the age of 57."

"As a woman, she devoted all her intelligence and political strategies to the Liao Kingdom, adding a different legendary color to that period of history."

"After Empress Dowager Xiao died, Han Derang was so heartbroken that he passed away more than a year later."

"Yelü Longxu of the Liao Dynasty arranged a state funeral for him and buried him next to the tomb of his mother, Empress Xiao, to show the loyalty of their love."

"It's not just men who can control the world."

"After Wu Zetian, Empress Xiao also left her name in history through her own efforts."

"She is good at utilizing the Han people and Han culture, which is one of her magic weapons to win."

"During her regency, she encouraged the development of commerce and learned from the people of the Central Plains."

"She also established the imperial examination system in the Liao Dynasty to select useful talents for the Liao Dynasty, which showed her extraordinary political talent."

"It was because of her efforts that many reforms in the Liao Dynasty were promoted, the imperial power of the Liao Dynasty was strengthened, and the status and national strength of the Liao Dynasty continued to rise."

"As a rare strong woman, she created a history of her own."

Empress Ma: Having power, honor, family affection and love in her life, Empress Xiao had no regrets in her life.

There have been several periods in history when women have held political power.

Among the women who made great contributions to the country, Empress Xiao of Liao Dynasty's political achievements may be considered the best among them.

Not long after Emperor Shengzong of Liao ascended the throne, Emperor Taizong of Song, the emperor of the Song Dynasty to the south of the Liao Kingdom, took advantage of the death of Emperor Jingzong of Liao.

Thinking that the Liao Kingdom must be weak at this time, he took the opportunity to send troops to attack and try to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

However, Emperor Taizong of Song never expected that the Empress Dowager Xiao, who had just taken power in the country, was such a tough woman.

He personally led the army to fight, and using the tactic of luring the enemy deep into his territory, he defeated the Song army.

The main general of the Song army, Yang Jiye, the leader of the Yang family, died in this war.

The war lasted for a total of 25 years, after which the Liao army advanced rapidly.

The war extended all the way into the territory of Song Dynasty, forcing many Song Dynasty ministers to flee south.

Finally, Liao and Song negotiated peace in Chanzhou and signed the Alliance of Chanyuan.

This peace treaty brought the 25-year war to a successful conclusion with the Song Dynasty's retreat.

The treaty stipulated that Liao and Song would become brother countries, Song would pay annual tribute to Liao, and the Baigou River would be the border between Song and Liao.

These annual tributes and silks were almost a drop in the bucket for the wealthy Song Dynasty at that time.

From the perspective of saving money, the Song Dynasty achieved long-term stability on the border with only 10 taels of silver, which was a good deal.

However, for the diplomacy of a powerful country, paying tribute to a small country was undoubtedly a great humiliation in the diplomatic history of the Song Dynasty.

On the contrary, for the Liao Kingdom, this was a brilliant and glorious chapter in their history of defeating the strong with the weak, both in diplomacy and military.

And this stroke was drawn by Empress Dowager Xiao.

In addition to defeating the Song Dynasty, the Liao Kingdom during the reign of Empress Dowager Xiao also conquered the Jurchens in the east and the Uighurs in the west.

Not only did it make these ethnic groups submit to Liao, but it also expanded the territory of Liao, making other countries dare not underestimate it.

Looking back on Empress Dowager Xiao's life, she had extremely rich experiences.

The separation of relatives, the crisis in the court, internal and external troubles, the loving father and filial son, the harmonious husband and wife, and the support of the people.

Although there are waves, they are resolved one by one and finally return to peace. Such a life can be considered a life without regrets.

To her parents, Empress Dowager Xiao was a lovable and obedient daughter.

Being intelligent, calm and motivated is what his father hopes for him.

To the emperor, Empress Dowager Xiao was a good wife and a good queen.

She assisted her husband and made an indelible contribution to the stability and prosperity of the country.

To her children, Empress Dowager Xiao was a good mother and a good teacher.

In times of crisis, Empress Dowager Xiao protected her children from the wind and rain.

As her children grew up, Empress Dowager Xiao taught them through words and deeds to become successful.

Whether it was how her children got along with their stepfather or with the ministers, Empress Dowager Xiao set the best example for them.

Under the guidance of his mother, Empress Dowager Xiao, Emperor Shengzong of Liao was proficient in both civil and military strategies and was recognized as a holy ruler of the Liao Dynasty.

To the people, Empress Dowager Xiao was a good monarch.

During the reign of Empress Dowager Xiao, she worked hard to govern the country, built water conservancy projects, emphasized agriculture and sericulture, reduced taxes, rectified the administration of officials, and trained the army.

This series of effective measures made the Liao Dynasty peaceful and prosperous, creating a rare era of peace and prosperity since the founding of the Liao Dynasty.

Eventually, Empress Xiao became ill and could no longer handle government affairs, so she returned power to her son, Emperor Shengzong of Liao. (End of this chapter)