History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 1030 The Queen Mother comes to court
【Empress Dowager’s Visit】

After Emperor Jingzong of Liao returned to Youzhou, he gave a great reward to the three armies. All the soldiers who participated in the war were rewarded, among whom Yelu Xiuguo was named "Yu Yue". In the entire history of the Liao Dynasty, during the 9 years of rule by 210 emperors, only 10 people were named "Yu Yue", and Yelu Xiuguo was one of them. It can be said that the "Yu Yue" of the Liao Dynasty was more valuable than the "Shang Shu Ling" of the Tang Dynasty (at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the "Shang Shu Ling" was inflated).

As soon as the main force of the Song army arrived, the Liao army ran away. Zhao Guangyi posted an emoticon in the international circle of friends, "You took off your pants, and you show me this?"

If you have the guts, don't run away. "The emperor wanted to advance to Youzhou because the Liao army retreated." Youzhou was too tempting. However, Hanlin scholar Li Fang and others tried their best to persuade him, and Zhao Guangyi finally listened to the advice, temporarily gave up the idea of ​​the Northern Expedition, and issued an edict to return to the army.

The main forces of both sides withdrew, but the friction and conflict in the border area did not stop. From the "Battle of Gaoliang River" to before the "Yongxi Northern Expedition", the two sides fully exchanged views and conducted in-depth exchanges in border areas such as Hebei and Shanxi, and became one in a physical sense.

After more than a year of rest, in April 982, Emperor Jingzong of Liao once again led the army in person, divided his troops into three groups, and marched southward.

However, all three armies suffered crushing defeats without exception, and the western army even had its Yanmen Pass counterattacked by Pan Mei who invaded Liao territory.

In May, Emperor Jingzong of Liao was forced to withdraw his troops.

In September, Emperor Jingzong of Liao came to Yunzhou to inspect the fragile western front. During the period, he went out hunting, but suddenly became "unwell" and died 9 days later at the age of 8, leaving us prematurely.

The Khitan people thought it was normal for him to die of illness at the age of 35, because he had been ill since childhood. He was frightened at the age of 4, and died at the age of 35. Wasn't that normal? It seemed reasonable.

Later generations called the Jingzong period "Jingzong's Restoration", which enabled the Liao Dynasty to step out of the shadows of Shizong and Muzong and laid a solid foundation for its future prosperity.

However, Jingzong exhausted the national strength to aid Northern Han, but ended in failure, which was not worth the loss; knowing that Han Kuangsi was guilty, he pardoned him several times and the rewards and punishments were unclear; Jingzong also loved hunting, and the Privy Councilor Guo Xi advised him against it, but Jingzong highly praised his spirit of speaking frankly, but he still did his own thing, and he also favored unconventional ways... In general, the ratio is 40:6, with 6 being advantages.

In fact, many things need to be viewed in context, and both positive and negative sides need to be considered. For example, Muzong’s “stupidity” is closely related to his own struggles. Similarly, many of Jingzong’s practices are not isolated.

For example, in the later years of Emperor Jingzong's reign, he loved to invade the south and led the army twice. Tip: Who was the last Liao monarch who was keen on invading the south? Emperor Taizong and Emperor Shizong.

Why did they push for the Southern Expedition? Because Taizong wanted to get rid of the "Queen Mother's Party", Sejong wanted to get rid of even more, and Jingzong wanted to get rid of the "Queen Mother's Party". When we introduce the factors of the game between the "Emperor's Party" and the "Queen Mother's Party", all problems are solved:

Jingzong's reign lasted 13 years, which can be roughly divided into two stages. In the early stage, Liao was still in a weak position, healing its wounds internally and compromising with Song without any bottom line externally; in the later stage, Liao began to actively invade the south. The dividing line between the two stages can be roughly drawn in 976, which almost divides Jingzong's reign in half.

In 976, Empress Xiao Chuo officially called herself "I", announcing the complete victory of the "Empress Party" and also marking the renewal and upgrading of the Jingzong Dynasty.

The only way for Jingzong, who was sidelined by the "Queen's Party", to save himself was to seek foreign wars, and he had to lead the army in person like Taizong did. On the one hand, he could improve his reputation by expanding territory, and on the other hand, he could cultivate his own direct lineage, especially in the army. In short, as long as the invasion to the south went smoothly, Jingzong could get rid of the control of the "Queen's Party" and regain the group's voice.

In the "Three-Way Attack on Song" in 982, the three armies of the Liao Kingdom were defeated one after another in less than a month. This was a huge blow to Jingzong. The "Hou Party" became even stronger, and his prestige plummeted, and he would never be able to recover!

Jingzong was desperate. After enduring three months of agony, this 35-year-old Khitan man in his prime finally fell ill. Han Derang, the privy envoy of the Southern Courtyard, was the first to get the news of Jingzong's critical illness - guess how he got it, and then he left his post without permission and led his trusted troops to rush to the palace without receiving an imperial edict, which was already a capital crime. Han Derang went straight to the bedroom of Queen Xiao Chuo to discuss countermeasures.

The situation at that time was rather complicated. The eldest prince was only 12 years old, and the other princes were even younger. There were more than princes of the royal family, each of whom held military power and were densely distributed in the court. In view of the glorious past of the Yelus, nothing was impossible to happen next. In addition to the more than nobles who accompanied the emperor on his travels, there were also many heavyweight princes in the capital to look after the house, and these people might also have some extracurricular activities.

Among them, "History of the Khitan Kingdom" specifically mentioned that "King Zhao" was in Shangjing, and the situation was quite critical. The doubt lies with this "King Zhao". Yelu Xiyin, the eldest son of Li Hu, was initially named King Zhao, but was later deprived of his title for plotting rebellion. After Jingzong ascended the throne, his title was restored and he was renamed King Song. Just a year ago, he was involved in the "case of two hundred surrendered Song soldiers".

Yelu Xiyin can indeed be regarded as a strong contender for the throne, but most historical data show that Jingzong sentenced Xiyin to death as early as July. Could it be that it was a suspended death sentence and it was not executed by September?
In short, there are many royal nobles who are highly respected and hold military power in the capital and the imperial palace, and they will pose a threat to the smooth transfer of the throne.

At this time, Xiao Chuo was experiencing the biggest test in her life.

At that time, Jingzong was only critically ill and rescue had not yet been declared ineffective, so his "imperial edict" was still effective, especially when the news of his critical illness was strictly sealed. Why did Han Derang get the news? Because the queen really didn't treat him as an outsider.

Han Derang responded with a combination of measures: replace ministers; require all kings to return to their homes and prohibit gatherings; act flexibly and deprive them of their military power; and "win by taking hostages" (detaining hostages).

Simply put, it is to make some personnel changes within the court, try to disintegrate some of the reactionary forces, at least to delay the time for them to do big things; "place" royal family nobles under house arrest, and temporarily seal them off to prevent unnecessary gatherings and prevent them from colluding; summon the families and children of the nobles who came to the capital (such as the "King of Zhao") to the temporary palace, hold them hostage, and prevent chaos in the capital... Whether it is personnel changes or personal restrictions, or winning by hostages, they all revolve around two core ideas: depriving them of their military power and preventing them from forming factions.

At the same time, with the help of Han Derang, Xiao Chuo actively mobilized the power of the "Hou Party". After all, the above methods were all tricks and gimmicks. In the face of absolute power, any fancy moves were futile.

A few days later, the 35-year-old Emperor Jingzong of Liao, Yelü Xian, passed away in the temporary palace. Han Derang and Yelü Xizhen, two important ministers entrusted with the care of the orphan, followed the will and supported the 12-year-old eldest son, Yelü Longxu, to succeed the throne. They also honored Xiao Chuo as the empress dowager and ruled the country.

From then on, Xiao Chuo could be called "Empress Dowager Xiao". Empress Dowager Xiao hugged the 12-year-old Yelu Longxu and burst into tears:

"A young widow with such a young son, the royal family and nobles are strong and have their eyes on the throne, and there are powerful enemies outside who are bullying her. What can she do (a widow with a young son, a strong family, and unstable border defenses, what can she do)?"

There is a sentence in the evaluation of Jingzong that "he made use of Han people". In fact, the answer is hidden in Empress Dowager Xiao's words, "the clan is strong". Would Jingzong or Xiao Chuo dare to make use of the princes of the royal family? These Yelus were ambitious and indomitable, and they fought one after another in the cause of rebellion. It's the same reason. Think about Taizong, he made use of Han surrendered generals and ministers to counter the "Empress Dowager Party". Jingzong and Xiao Chuo also made use of Han people such as Gao Xun, Han Kuangsi, Han Derang, etc. to check and balance the princes of the royal family.

Orphans and widows, facing internal and external troubles, are we going to repeat the mistakes of the Later Zhou Dynasty? The young widow Xiao Chuo cried bitterly.

Han Derang and Yelu Xizhen patted their chests and assured, "With me here, what are you afraid of?"

Therefore, Empress Xiao entrusted the important task of defending the palace to Han Derang. Yelu Xizhen and other meritorious officials were rewarded. This was the first time since Emperor Taizong that the supreme power was transferred without bloodshed, and the history of the Liao Dynasty entered the "Shengzong Dynasty".

(End of this chapter)