History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 610 Liu Zhiyuan Becomes Emperor 1
Yelu Deguang's timing of the showdown is questionable, as he had lost his patience. He knew that this move would inevitably force Liu Zhiyuan to rebel, but he was confident in the strength of the Khitans. He would fight sooner or later, so he might as well take advantage of the remaining power of destroying the Jin Dynasty and let the storm come more violently.

Yelu Deguang's words tore off Liu Zhiyuan's last fig leaf, and he had to make his attitude clear as soon as possible.

Liu Zhiyuan called his confidants to conduct war game simulations.

His trusted and beloved general Guo Wei made his attitude clear: Even if you sincerely serve the Khitan, the Khitan will never trust you, so go ahead!

Wang Jun, who just came back from Bianzhou, has the most say. He said that the Khitans are greedy and brutal, have lost the support of the people, and will never stay in the Central Plains for a long time. There is nothing to be afraid of, so let's do it!
Liu Zhiyuan's group determined the general direction of anti-Liao, so the radical generals requested to fight and go south to compete for the Central Plains.

Liu Zhiyuan was very wise. He said that we should use our brains to fight a war, pay attention to priorities, and pay attention to the timing of the battle. Now that the Khitan has just annexed hundreds of thousands of elite troops of the Later Jin Dynasty, and the main force of the Khitan is all concentrated in Bianzhou, we should avoid the enemy's edge and not compete with them. The Khitans are now busy plundering the wealth of the Central Plains people. When they can no longer squeeze out oil and water, they will definitely return north. Now it is spring, and the weather will be warmer by then, the ice and snow will melt, and the road will be muddy. If we send troops to intercept them halfway, it will definitely be more effective!
During this period, Gao Conghui of Jingnan urged him to ascend the throne, and Liu Zhiyuan's staff and generals also jointly urged him to ascend the throne. According to the general procedure, Liu Zhiyuan had to be humble and polite again and again, saying that he was a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty and that he was not virtuous enough, blah blah, in short, he was embarrassed to be the emperor; then, civil and military officials at all levels had to constantly persuade him to ascend the throne, and the people and county officials in the jurisdiction had to constantly report auspicious signs, saying that a unicorn was born in a certain place today, a white dragon ascended to the sky tomorrow, and green smoke came out of the mountain the day after tomorrow... Finally, the officials threatened to commit suicide...

It was too late. The situation was too turbulent. Liu Zhiyuan could no longer play by the rules, so he skipped the middle steps and went straight to the point.

Liu Zhiyuan summoned his staff and generals, and sighed with a sad face: "The barbarians dominate the Central Plains, the Han land is without a master, and the important military towns have surrendered to neighboring countries (referring to Qinzhou Jiedushi He Jiancheng who rebelled and surrendered to Hou Shu). It is really heartbreaking. As a high-ranking official of the empire, I am really ashamed!"

Everyone understood, so they continued to talk along his lines, suggesting that he immediately proclaim himself emperor, issue an order to the world, integrate the anti-Liao forces throughout the world, and unite the scattered forces into one.

"Oh, you misunderstood. I meant to send troops to rescue Emperor Shi Chonggui."

Liu Zhiyuan mobilized the army and announced to the outside world that he would march eastward through Jingxing Pass and rescue the emperor in the Zhenzhou area. His purpose was to, on the one hand, rescue Shi Chonggui, and on the other hand, cut off the Khitans' retreat route.

This was just a political gesture by Liu Zhiyuan to pave the way for his own enthronement, or a crisis public relations. Because the first question Yelu Deguang threw at him was to accuse him of being disloyal to the Later Jin Dynasty. What were you doing during the three major battles? Hiding in the west of Taihang Mountain, watching the Later Jin Dynasty perish without helping?
This was a huge mountain of public opinion weighing on Liu Zhiyuan, just like the stigma of "traitor" on Shi Jingtang's head. Liu Zhiyuan had to excuse himself and announced in a high-profile manner that he was going to save the emperor... Who would publish newspapers and tweets before launching a sneak attack, highlighting their marching routes and strategic goals?
Shut up everyone in the world.

Liu Zhiyuan's "rescue" was, on the one hand, to create public opinion basis for his enthronement, and on the other hand, to legitimately integrate military, political and other resources to enhance his own reputation and power.

On February 2, Liu Zhiyuan gathered all the troops and announced that they would march eastward through Jingxing Pass and cross the Taihang Mountains. Under the leadership of his confidant Shi Hongzhao, all the officers and soldiers shouted in unison: "The barbarians have captured the capital, the emperor has been disgraced, and the Central Plains is without a master. The country cannot be without a king for a day, and the only one who can be the king now is our king (King of Beiping)! Please ascend the throne first, so that we can march out with justification." Then they shouted long live the king.

Liu Zhiyuan's close associates all advised him to take advantage of this atmosphere and quickly proclaim himself emperor, but Liu Zhiyuan still refused, saying, "What do you know? The Khitans are still very powerful now. We must first establish achievements and surpass them in momentum."

On February 2, a mutiny broke out in Shanzhou. Prior to this, Yelu Deguang sent his general Liu Yuan to serve as the deputy governor of the Shanzhou Baoyi Army. Liu Yuan relied on his superiors for power and was a typical traitor. After taking office, he was corrupt, violent and cruel. In just about half a month, he made the people of Shanzhou live in dire straits and the people were full of resentment.

The generals Zhao Hui, Wang Yan and Hou Zhang conspired secretly, saying that the Khitan was causing chaos in the Central Plains and the world was in turmoil. As the saying goes, heroes emerge in troubled times. Now, Liu Zhiyuan of Hedong is highly respected and has the strongest strength, and the people are loyal to him. Why don't we set an example for the people of the world, kill Liu Yuan, and send money to Hedong, then wealth and glory will be within our reach.

The three of them hit it off immediately, so they secretly gathered a few assassins, sneaked into the armory at night, stole weapons and armor, and then assassinated Liu Yuan and hung his head outside the mansion gate. They then executed the military supervisor sent by the Khitan, and everyone supported Zhao Hui as the governor of Shanzhou.

The Khitans immediately appeased Zhao Hui and others, expressing their recognition of their legal status, and appointed Zhao Hui as the governor of the Shanzhou Baoyi Army, Hou Zhang as the commander-in-chief of the Shanzhou Army (the commander of the cavalry and infantry), and Wang Yan as the deputy commander-in-chief (the deputy commander of the cavalry and infantry). The three refused, beheaded the Khitan envoys, and burned Yelu Deguang's edict.

Liu Zhiyuan did not have enough confidence to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. Although he skipped many intermediate links, he was still waiting and watching. When Zhao Hui and others launched a mutiny in Shanzhou and paid tribute to Hedong, Liu Zhiyuan could no longer wait.

Liu Zhiyuan's general (military commander) Zhang Yanwei and others submitted three petitions in a row, urging Liu Zhiyuan to quickly proclaim himself emperor.

Liu Zhiyuan was still hesitating. At the critical moment, Guo Wei sent Yang Bin to lobby Liu Zhiyuan, saying that the whole world is now looking forward to your coming out. If you do not take advantage of this opportunity and keep humbly declining, people's hearts may change. Once there is a change, it will bring disaster to us.

"Then I'll just have to do it reluctantly."

On February 2, Liu Zhiyuan officially ascended the throne and became emperor in Taiyuan.

According to historical records, when Yelu Deguang heard the news that Liu Zhiyuan had proclaimed himself emperor in Taiyuan, he was "very frightened and had no intention of staying south of the Yellow River for long." It was like a bolt from the blue, and the people stood up and became the masters of their own destiny.

With our God's perspective, we can of course magnify Liu Zhiyuan's cry in Taiyuan infinitely, but at that time, Yelu Deguang was really not "very afraid" and did not leave the Central Plains because of Liu Zhiyuan's enthronement.

This record appears in the "Old Five Dynasties History·Han Shu·Gaozu Benji", which is the biography of Comrade Liu Zhiyuan. Of course, the iconic event of him firing the first shot of the revolution must be appropriately beautified.

(End of this chapter)