History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 1025

In February 969, Emperor Muzong went hunting near Huaizhou and successfully hunted a bear. Usually, when he hunted geese or ducks, he would drink all night to celebrate. Needless to say, this time he hunted a hairy bear, and Emperor Muzong got drunk.

However, perhaps because he was too excited about hunting the bear, the drunk Muzong suddenly "resurrected" and woke up in the middle of the night. He then "rushed back to the palace". After returning to the palace, he suddenly felt a little hungry, so he wanted to have a midnight snack.

When the attendants and cooks in the palace heard that Emperor Muzong had hunted a bear and got drunk during the day, they habitually assumed that he would not return to the palace within a day or two, at least tonight, so they did not keep anyone on duty. This was a disaster! You know, Dong'er was killed just because he was a step slower when passing the chopsticks. Now he was actually going to let His Majesty starve. Are you tired of living?

The cooks jumped out of their beds, trembling all over, and hurriedly started the fire and cooked.

Muzong waited angrily for a while, and the alcohol started to take effect again, so he wanted to take a nap. He was also in a hurry, and before going to bed, he said to his servants viciously: "Just wait, I will settle the score with you after I wake up!" After that, he fell asleep.

The attendants looked at each other, all of them pale. It's over. His Majesty has been particularly obsessed with cutting people into pieces recently, and he would chop them into minced meat at any time...

Since they were going to die anyway, then… a close attendant named “Xiao Ge”, a servant (washman) named “Hua Ge”, a cook named “Xingu”, and three other attendants whose names were not left, six people, armed with sharp knives and carrying food trays, entered Muzong’s bedroom in the name of delivering takeout. Muzong was murdered in this way, at the age of 39, leaving us too early.

Let me make it clear first that there are many doubts about the so-called "assassination". It is very likely not an accident but a carefully planned treason and regicide, which will be explained in detail later.

There is basically no controversy about the evaluation of Muzong in history, and all the reviews are negative. The "History of Liao" even concluded that he died beautifully (appropriately).

No gold is pure, and no one is perfect. Muzong was not completely bad. He said some human words and did some human things.

For example, after being cheated by health products, he came to his senses in time and shot the witch Xiao Gu to death; after sobering up, before getting drunk again, he warned his ministers that what he said when drunk was not counted, and asked them to persuade him more; he also abolished the punishment of tattooing the face and beheading in the Eagle House, and replaced it with corvée labor. I don’t know how the unlucky guys in the Eagle House had offended him before, but it was abolished because Muzong hunted a duck that day and was in a good mood...

Harvesting prey would turn Muzong into a boy who scatters money, while if his hunting grounds were disturbed, he would turn into a devil. So Muzong, who "loved the people like his own children", issued an edict: Wherever I plan to visit, signs must be erected in advance to warn the people to stay away, otherwise they will die.

Another time, there was a long drought, so Muzong stood on the bow of a boat and prayed for rain. He said that if it didn't rain, he would stand there until it rained or he died. As a result, the heaven was moved and it rained.

The History of Liao used twenty words to summarize the eighteen years of Emperor Muzong's reign: he was addicted to wine, insatiable in hunting, had no rules for rewards and punishments, ignored state affairs, and was bloodthirsty.

In fact, Muzong's "lying down" was just a means. He was not giving up, he also wanted to struggle to save himself. Even official histories such as "History of Liao" have certain deviations from the facts, either whitewashing or smearing, and Muzong is exactly the kind of smear. When we sort out more details later, we will find that Muzong is not that bad. After all... the person who wrote this history is the suspect of his murder. I will explain it in detail later. Let the bullets fly for a while.

The Chronicle of the Khitan Kingdom raised a question with great sorrow: Taizu and Taizong braved the wind and rain and looked at the Central Plains with a fierce eye, but why did the style suddenly change when it came to Shizong and Muzong? Then a helpless explanation was given: Maybe God did not bless the Liao Dynasty, otherwise how could such a bastard be born!
Muzong's stupidity and tyranny are appalling, but if we must dig deeper, I'm afraid the blame cannot be placed entirely on him. Perhaps the "History of the Khitan State" accidentally hit the point - the fate of the country.

This is not feudal superstition or fatalism, but a concentrated outbreak of contradictions accumulated in the early days of Khitan's entrepreneurship.

It is like a start-up company. In the initial stage of land grabbing, the crazy growth in performance covers up all hidden dangers and internal contradictions. However, when it enters the mature stage, the marginal effect becomes more and more obvious. Even if the cost investment is increased, the profit growth gradually becomes slow or even stagnant. This is the second stage of the enterprise - stock competition for interests, a zero-sum game.

However, most startup teams often die in the second stage.

This is often the case with a new regime. The Liao Dynasty provides us with an excellent research specimen.

As a nomadic people, the Khitans had to compete for living space with the Tatars, Turks, Uighurs, Dangxiangs, Tuyuhun and other ethnic groups. Internally, they were divided into eight major tribes, each of which was divided into several clans. At first, the Khitans' political system was a primitive tribal alliance system. Each of the eight tribes had a leader. These leaders met regularly (three years) and held general elections to jointly elect a great leader as the leader and decision-maker of the entire Khitan people.

After a long period of development, one clan became stronger than the other clans, so the "election" became a formality, and the real power was always in the hands of its clan members, the Yelu clan from the Diela tribe. When the Yelu clan's leadership was passed to Yelu Abaoji, he simply imitated the Han system, established a country and proclaimed himself emperor, and the Khitan leader became hereditary. This was the biggest hidden danger in the development of the Khitan.

From the "Rebellion of Brothers" during the reign of Taizu to the endless rebellions during the reign of Emperor Muzong, all of them were the result of this seed.

Other ethnic groups annexed by the Khitan constantly launched rebellions during these years, such as the Tuyuhun who often submitted to the Central Plains, the Bohai people who insisted on restoring their country, and the Great and Small Shiwei. Whenever the control of the Liao Dynasty declined, they would launch a rebellion.

And within the Khitan, especially within the Yelu clan, people were even more eager to try. Almost all of Abaoji's brothers, nephews, and grandsons rebelled, and they did so again and again.

Not to mention that you can't write two Yelu clansmen with one stroke, let's compare them horizontally with the Central Plains of the same period. The patriarchal system has been in use for thousands of years, but dynasties have changed and different surnames have become emperors? The Khitans can proudly say to the Han people: "We are honest. At least we are a family fighting for the family property. The Yelu clan is fighting among themselves, unlike you who have a hundred flowers blooming and eight surnames and fourteen emperors..."

The Han people could respond with: "Is it okay for a hen to crow at dawn?"

This is one of the significant differences between nomadic peoples and agricultural peoples, namely women's rights. In agricultural civilizations, women usually have no social status and are only dependent on men. However, due to their lifestyle, nomadic women have more rights to allocate resources than agricultural women, and they truly "hold up half the sky". They are partners of entrepreneurial teams, and their relationship with men is cooperation rather than dependence. For example, the "Queen Mother with Broken Wrists" Shulü Ping had her own army, fought in armor, killed enemies on the battlefield with her own hands, and captured enemy generals alive.

At the beginning of the business, the sturdiness of the harem brought benefits to the team, but it was also another hidden danger - the harem's interference in politics. Let's take the most representative Shulü Ping as an example. Because of her strong strength and outstanding contribution to the team, her influence on the group was also earth-shaking. She fought for power with the "Emperor Party", "Prince Party" and "Taizong Party" one after another. It was not until the "Crossing Agreement" that the deformed "Shizong Party" completely eradicated the "Queen Mother Party" and eliminated Shulü Ping's control over the Liao Dynasty.

During the reign of Emperor Jingzong after Emperor Muzong, the Liao Dynasty also had the real power in the harem. Fortunately, the "Empress Dowager Xiao" in power was not Empress Dowager Cixi. She brought the Liao Dynasty back to life, but that is another story. Simply put, the differences within the group on the issue of interest distribution were covered by the excessive profits in the early days. There was no need for internal friction. Although there were irreconcilable contradictions between the various forces, they could get along well. When external supplements could not meet internal needs, the various factions had to roll inward in order to protect their vested interests, and proposed to re-examine the interest distribution mechanism or share.

In other words, when the group enters the second stage - external expansion stagnates, incremental profits are insufficient, and resources enter the stage of stock game, internal differences will begin to emerge.

Taizu relied on the power of the Yelu nobles and Shulü Ping to establish the Liao Dynasty. In the process of continuous expansion, Taizu's prestige reached its peak and his position was unshakable. After Taizu's death, Shulü Ping tried to maintain the group and made it move forward by inertia. However, during this period, Shulü Ping also fought for personal interests and greatly harmed the interests of other nobles. Therefore, a small group represented by the "Taizong Party" began to challenge Shulü Ping's authority, and the internal troubles of the Liao Dynasty gradually emerged.

During the reigns of Emperor Shizong and Emperor Muzong, with the fall of Shulü Ping, no faction within the Liao group had an overwhelming advantage over the other factions. Everyone was evenly matched, and frictions and conflicts continued.

This is the general trend, this is the so-called "national destiny", which cannot be changed by human power. In this environment, even the Tang and Song dynasties could hardly turn the tide.

Sejong wanted to give it a try, so he was killed in less than three years; Mujong saw through the essence of the matter and chose to lie down, "I don't care, you guys fight it, and just inform me when the result comes out. I won't hinder any of you." So Mujong was so stupid, cruel, and absent from work for a long time... He was able to stay in power for 18 years, and in the end he was accidentally killed by a "villain" instead of being overthrown by a rebellion by the nobles. If Mujong had not done that, at least stopped talking so rudely, he might have lived a few more years.

If we must flatter Muzong, we can say that he achieved the Taoist principle of "ruling by doing nothing". If we compare Sejong's "doing something" with Muzong's "doing nothing", it is very obvious that "doing something" and "not doing something" are actually about whether or not to get involved in the pie of interests. Sejong wanted to share the pie, so he was killed; Muzong was sensible and did not touch the pie, so he could live.

In addition, if we bring Emperor Jingzong of Liao - or "Empress Dowager Xiao" into the comparison, it will be more illustrative: after Emperor Muzong was assassinated, the Liao Kingdom entered the Jingzong Dynasty, ruled by Empress Dowager Xiao. The weak Liao Kingdom was resurrected with full health and full buffs in a short period of time, and the Song and Liao dynasties immediately exchanged offense and defense, and the Song Dynasty never dared to talk about the "Northern Expedition" from then on.

In other words, the Liao Kingdom was just busy with internal strife, and its overall strength did not decline. Once a leader who everyone trusted emerged, the Liao Kingdom would still be the same Liao Kingdom.

For example, although Muzong was known for his cruelty and bloodthirstiness, he only killed insignificant "villains" and marginal political figures who had no background or backing. Even if the core figures involved in factional interests rebelled, he would only be criticized and educated "this will not happen again". He really did not dare to offend any force.

The waters of Liao were too deep for Emperor Muzong to control.

Some people also believe that this depressing atmosphere is also the reason for Muzong's psychological distortion. Therefore, Muzong was relatively restrained in the early stage, but as time went on, he liked killing more and more, and his methods became more cruel and bloody. This is the result of long-term repression.

The Liao Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Muzong was a period of the most intense internal power struggle. The various factions were busy with internal conflicts and unable to expand externally. This expansion not only included territorial boundaries, but also soft power such as political influence. Therefore, the Liao Dynasty was basically in shock for twenty years.

In foreign relations, especially in dealing with the affairs of the Central Plains, the Liao Dynasty behaved very Buddhistly.

For example, the Northern Han, as a puppet and geopolitical bargaining chip, became increasingly annoying to the Liao Kingdom, and turned from an ATM into a chicken rib. Since Liu Chengjun ascended the throne, he has been trying to get rid of the control of the Liao Kingdom at all times, just like Shi Chonggui in the past. For example, Liu Chengjun placed his bet on Li Yun of Luzhou and prepared a shuttle, but suffered a disastrous defeat. The Liao Kingdom finally couldn't bear it anymore and listed Liu Chengjun's "three major crimes", which directly scared Liu Chengjun to death.

Objectively speaking, from a purely economic perspective, the Liao Kingdom still made a profit. Historical records clearly record that the Northern Han paid a tribute of 1,000 kilograms of silver to the Liao Kingdom every year, and other contributions were calculated separately. However, in this epic multiplayer real-time strategy online game, the gains and losses are not as simple as bank accounts. Political interests are the biggest consideration.

From a geopolitical perspective, the Liao Kingdom suffered a huge loss. The original intention of supporting the Northern Han was to use the Northern Han to threaten the Central Plains. By the time of Emperor Muzong, the actual situation had completely deviated from the original setting. The Liao Kingdom was kidnapped by the Northern Han and was forced to be involved in military confrontations with the Central Plains powers many times.

Therefore, Liao finally betrayed Northern Han and reached a reconciliation with the Central Plains, making political changes at the most appropriate time, although this approach was criticized as short-sighted and lacking a far-sighted strategic vision.

Another example is the Southern Tang. The Liao Kingdom and the Southern Tang, including the Southern Wu, the predecessor of the Southern Tang, always maintained friendly relations. Facing the military threat from the Central Plains, the Southern Tang repeatedly bribed the Liao Kingdom with large sums of money, hoping that the Liao Kingdom could contain the Central Plains in the north. And the Liao Kingdom would accept all the gifts and say "next time for sure".

Both the Southern Tang and Liao historians openly recorded that the Liao "profited from the goods and traded with the Liao with empty words." Scumbag.

Another example is the Central Plains Dynasty. If the Liao Kingdom deceived the Southern Tang, then the Central Plains Dynasty used its own method to treat the Liao Kingdom.

During this nearly twenty years, the Central Plains gradually unified the southern vassal states through continuous strategic deception of the Liao Kingdom, and then gnawed away the Northern Han by reaching a "non-aggression treaty" with the Liao Kingdom.

The world is big enough to accommodate two powerful empires at the same time, and nomadic civilization and agricultural civilization can coexist, but the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun are a thorny problem.

When Chai Rong conquered the Three Passes in the north, Emperor Muzong once said a famous saying, saying that the Three Passes were originally the territory of the Han people, so just take them away, we have nothing to lose. Although this was heartbreaking for the Liao people, it was the best choice for the two countries to coexist for a long time.

The people of the Central Plains were not interested in land that could not be cultivated. Whether it was the Emperor of Qin, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, or Emperor Taizu of Song, they never thought of eradicating the nomadic peoples, nor did they think of expanding the territory to Siberia. They only wanted to defend the Central Plains territory south of the Great Wall. The Song Dynasty never thought of eliminating the Khitan, but only wanted to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

As the Liao Dynasty declined in strength, if the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were unfortunately recovered by the Central Plains, then Muzong's suggestion would be a constructive and pragmatic proposition. Everyone could continue to use the Great Wall as the boundary, maintain good neighborliness and friendship, and cooperate for mutual benefit.

We should bow our heads when we should, and we are all decent people. It is not so decent to be helped by others to be decent. This is the reason why Hong Kong and Macao are returned to China.

(End of this chapter)