History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 609 Showdown
Half a year later, Liu Zhiyuan really took control of Bianzhou and controlled the Central Plains. Gao Conghui's speculation was successful, so he sent envoys to Bianzhou to congratulate Liu Zhiyuan on his ascension to the throne, and sent him generous congratulatory gifts, while reminding Liu Zhiyuan that he should fulfill his promise.

Liu Zhiyuan expressed his sincere gratitude to Gao Conghui and politely declined the request to cede Yingzhou.

But this made Gao Conghui, the "Gao Lai Zi", very angry. "Liu Zhiyuan, you are such a scoundrel!" He then announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the Later Han regime and turned to submitting to Later Shu and Southern Tang.

However, breaking off diplomatic relations with the Central Plains would hurt the enemy by 8,000 and hurt oneself by 10,000. The Central Plains could leave Jingnan, but Jingnan could never leave the Central Plains. Jingnan's economic prosperity mainly benefited from trade with the Central Plains, so Gao Conghui's breaking off diplomatic relations with the Central Plains dynasty resulted in "poverty in his territory", so he sent envoys to apologize to the Later Han Dynasty, "Brother, I was wrong."

"I beg you to pay tribute, and offer two hundred taels of Han gold, one thousand taels of silver, fifty ingots of fine brocade, six taels of embroidered brocade, two hundred ingots of rosy silk, and two catties of camphor."

The court of the Later Han Dynasty issued an edict to comfort him, "No one is without faults, but it is the greatest virtue to correct one's faults. I forgive you."

5. A Dream

When Yelu Deguang announced his accession to the throne in Bianzhou, the most disappointed and melancholy person in the world was probably Zhao Yanshou. Yelu Deguang once vowed that after overthrowing the Later Jin Dynasty, he would enthrone him as the Lord of the Central Plains and let the Khitans take care of the Han areas in the Central Plains.

Before this, when Yelu Deguang wanted to kill Du Chongwei's surrendered soldiers, Zhao Yanshou tactfully reminded Yelu Deguang that sooner or later you would have to lead the Khitan army back to the grassland, and you would definitely need someone who was familiar with the Han system in the Central Plains, had a little reputation in the minds of the Han people in the Central Plains, and was loyal to the Khitan - someone like me, to help you look after the Han area in the Central Plains.

Yelu Deguang also tactfully told Zhao Yanshou: Who said I must return to the grassland? I am the ruler of the grassland, and I am also the ruler of the Central Plains. I want to govern the Central Plains Han area myself.

Zhao Yanshou didn't dare to say anything and could only wait obediently.

After waiting for a long time, Yelu Deguang really became the ruler of the Central Plains. Zhao Yanshou was very unwilling, and asked Prime Minister Li Song to pass on a message for him: Since Your Majesty wants to take the trouble to become the emperor of the Central Plains, I dare not say anything more, but... can you make me the crown prince? I will wait patiently, and I will work hard for the Khitan again after you are gone for a hundred years...

Yelu Deguang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he asked Li Song to help convey a message: "My relationship with Zhao Yanshou is very good. Even if you ask me to give him a piece of meat, I am willing. However, the crown prince must be the emperor's son. No matter how close Zhao Yanshou is to me, he can't be the Khitan crown prince."

In order to appease Zhao Yanshou's emotions, Yelu Deguang ordered his chief strategist Zhang Li to draft an official position for Zhao Yanshou and give him wealth and honor.

The Liao Dynasty upgraded Zhenzhou to Zhongjing, so Zhang Li drafted a proposal for Zhao Yanshou as "Grand Prime Minister, Recorder of the Secretariat, Privy Councilor, Governor of Zhongjing, and Commander-in-Chief of All Military Affairs at Home and Abroad" and submitted it to Yelu Deguang for review.

Yelu Deguang took up his pen and erased the titles of "Recorder of the Secretariat" and "Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs at Home and Abroad", which meant that Zhao Yanshou's real power was removed, and he was only given a bunch of empty titles without actual power.

Zhao Yanshou was unwilling but dared not take any action until Yelu Deguang suddenly died of illness. Then he developed the ambition to establish his own regime. He claimed that he was following Yelu Deguang's will, which ordered him to "take charge of the military and state affairs of the Southern Dynasty." He mobilized the Zhenzhou army, intending to use Zhenzhou as a revolutionary base and then unify the Central Plains.

However, Zhao Yanshou's conspiracy was quickly quelled by Yelu Ruan, and Zhao Yanshou was imprisoned and died a few years later.

6. The biggest challenge - Liu Zhiyuan
After Shi Chonggui ascended the throne, Liu Zhiyuan was suspected and alienated. A blessing in disguise. Liu Zhiyuan thus jumped out of the three realms and was not in the five elements. He was able to stay out of this treacherous struggle and preserve his strength. In the entire Jin-Liao war, only at the beginning of the first battle did the Khitan feint to attack Hedong, which was repelled by Liu Zhiyuan. After that, the main attack direction of the Khitan has been around the Shandong battlefield, and Liu Zhiyuan was able to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Shi Chonggui ordered Liu Zhiyuan to go to Beijing to defend the king at the last moment.

Liu Zhiyuan's group remained stable and unmoved, on the one hand, they trained their troops and strengthened their strength; on the other hand, they tried their best to "hide from the enemy" and stay away from the war between Jin and Liao. Shi Chonggui ordered him to go east to Taihang Mountain to participate in the war, and Liu Zhiyuan agreed verbally, but in reality he made excuses for various reasons and never left Taihang Mountain.

Now, the war between Jin and Liao had preliminary results. The Later Jin Dynasty was destroyed and the Khitan took control of the Central Plains.

Shi Chonggui, Yelu Deguang, and Liu Zhiyuan are all foxes living in the same mountain, so there is no need to talk about Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.

While Yelu Deguang sent troops to garrison at the pass near Taihang Mountain, he also sent people to contact Liu Zhiyuan, expressing his hope to gain his approval.

Liu Zhiyuan sent his general Wang Jun to Beijing with three memorials to pay homage to the emperor.

The first memorial congratulated the Khitan for taking control of Bianzhou and the Central Plains. The Hedong side expressed its recognition and support for the Liao Empire and was willing to pay tribute to the Liao Empire. However -

The second memorial: The Hedong region is rather special, with mixed Han and Tibetan populations, a complex ethnic composition, and a key border town. The matter is of great importance, and I am really unable to get away. Please forgive me for not being able to go to Beijing in person to meet the emperor.

The third memorial, logically, I should pay you a generous gift along with this memorial, but the Liao army has crossed the Taihang Mountains and surrounded Taiyuan. The people in Hedong are terrified and the roads are blocked. Once Your Majesty withdraws the army, eliminates the misunderstanding and calms the people, I will naturally pay you tribute.

He is so calculating that he even saves money on gifts and doesn’t make unnecessary investments.

Liu Zhiyuan had a firm grasp on Yelu Deguang's mind, and Yelu Deguang really "treated" Liu Zhiyuan well and rewarded him with a wooden stick.

However, this was no ordinary wooden stick, because according to Khitan etiquette, only extremely honorable and favored ministers would receive this kind of reward, just like the "granting of a few sticks" in the Central Plains etiquette.

It is said that when Wang Jun returned to Taiyuan holding this broken wooden stick, "the Khitans all gave way when they saw him", giving off an air of "as if the emperor himself was present".

Wang Jun returned to Taiyuan and reported to Liu Zhiyuan what he had seen and heard along the way. Then "the emperor (Liu Zhiyuan) knew that the Khitan government was in chaos" and believed that the Khitan would definitely not be able to rule the Central Plains for long, and it was time to consider some big things.

In order to further paralyze the Khitan, Liu Zhiyuan sent the second-in-command of Hedong, Bai Wenke, the deputy governor of Taiyuan, to Bianzhou for an audience. This time, Bai Wenke did not come empty-handed, but brought a batch of silk, jewelry and famous horses to show his obedience to Yelu Deguang.

The arrogant Yelu Deguang chose to confront Liu Zhiyuan and sent someone to tell him: "You are unwilling to serve the Southern Dynasty, and you are unwilling to serve the Northern Kingdom. What do you mean?"

(End of this chapter)