History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 616 Sejong's Succession 3
Yelu Deguang summed up the "three mistakes" and came up with the twelve-character maxim of "controlling the Han with the Han". It was a very insightful and almost a routine for peaceful evolution. It was a pity that he could never realize it.

In fact, it was precisely because of the cruelty displayed by Yelu Deguang after he took control of Bianzhou that the people in the Central Plains no longer had any illusions about the Khitans. From then on, the Han people in the Central Plains shared a common hatred of the enemy, and the hatred was deeply imprinted in their bones, which lasted for more than two hundred years until the demise of the Liao Dynasty.

So from this perspective, we can say that Yelu Deguang overdrew the long-term interests of Khitan for his own selfish interests, which barely meets the standards of a "traitor" and a "traitor to Liao".

In short, I personally think that it has mixed reviews. It is not mediocre, but not that great either; it is not hateful, but not worthy of praise either.

Upon hearing the news of Yelu Deguang's death, Zhao Yanshou took immediate action. He said to those around him, "I will never return to the grassland!" So he led his army into Zhenzhou, intending to establish his own regime in Zhenzhou.

Zhao Yanshou suddenly mobilized the army, which panicked the Khitan army without a leader and put it at risk of self-collapse. In the emergency, Yelu Ruan and several senior generals responded quickly and followed closely with their troops to enter Zhenzhou.

Zhao Yanshou only wanted to seize Zhenzhou by taking advantage of the chaos. He was not stupid enough to break with them openly. He had no legitimate reason to refuse them entry into the city, so he pretended to be very happy and welcomed the friendly troops to enter the city to assist in defense. He said that he entered Zhenzhou first to guard against Liu Zhiyuan's sneak attack and clear the roadblocks for the Liao army.

Everyone is tacit.

Zhao Yanshou announced to the public that he was following Yelu Deguang's will to preside over the affairs of the Central Plains, because he had promised me long ago that he would make me the ruler of the Central Plains.

The keys to all the city gates and warehouses in Zhenzhou were kept by Yelu Ruan. Zhao Yanshou sent people to ask for them, but Yelu Ruan refused to hand them over.

Zhao Yanshou's confidants reported to him that in recent days, the chiefs and important leaders of the Khitan tribes have often held secret meetings and gathered to discuss. Something big might happen, and you were not notified to participate in these secret meetings. It is estimated that it will be disadvantageous to you... Now, there are no less than ten thousand Han officers and soldiers in the city, so we'd better take the initiative!
Zhao Yanshou was hesitant. Even if he could get rid of these Khitans, there was still the Khitan base headed by Empress Dowager Shulü in the north, and Liu Zhiyuan of Hedong in the south. What could he accomplish with just the small Zhenzhou and more than 10,000 troops who were disloyal to him?
On April 4, Zhao Yanshou issued a notice that he would formally implement the will of the previous emperor (Yelü Deguang) on ​​May 27, accept the congratulations of civil and military officials, and preside over the affairs of the Central Plains. He also formulated detailed standards for the "enthronement ceremony": the prime minister and the privy councilor knelt three times and kowtowed nine times on the steps, and the military governors and below knelt three times and kowtowed nine times at the bottom of the steps.

Prime Minister Li Song was a shrewd man who believed that there must be other arrangements in the Khitan country. He advised him that if he must preside over the work, it was not impossible, but he must not hold any "coronation ceremony".

Zhao Yanshou had originally "ascended the throne by forging an imperial edict" and felt extremely guilty, so he accepted Li Song's suggestion and canceled the coronation ceremony.

On May 5, Yelu Ruan held a Hongmen Banquet and invited Zhao Yanshou, Zhang Li, He Ning, Li Song, Feng Dao and other senior officials to his home for the banquet. Everyone gathered together, talking and laughing, and it was extremely relaxed and lively.

Yelu Ruan's wife, Zhen, was originally a palace maid of the Later Tang Dynasty. As Han Chinese, Zhen and Zhao Yanshou were fellow villagers and their eyes were filled with tears. They forged a deep friendship in a distant foreign country. In order to win over Zhao Yanshou, the Khitans asked Zhen to recognize Zhao Yanshou as their brother, and the two usually addressed each other as brother and sister.

When they were drunk, Yelu Ruan said to Zhao Yanshou, "My wife, your sister, has just come here from the grassland. Would you like to meet her?" Then he led Zhao Yanshou into the inner room.

Zhao Yanshou was caught off guard and quickly stood up, saying, "I want to see you." He then went into the inner room with Yelu Ruan. Zhang Li, Li Song and others continued to drink and chat in the outer room. After a while, Yelu Ruan returned to the table alone and calmly announced, "Zhao Yanshou plotted rebellion and has now been arrested."

Everyone was shocked and the scene fell into complete silence.

Yelu Ruan continued to explain: "When the late emperor was in Bianzhou, he secretly gave me a wooden sign, allowing me to preside over the affairs of the Southern Dynasty when necessary. When he passed away, there was no will. Zhao Yanshou claimed that there was a will. How audacious!"

He then ordered that all of Zhao Yanshou's followers be pardoned and no one be held accountable.

The next day, Yelu Ruan received congratulations from the civil and military officials. Yelu Ruan suddenly pointed at his chair and said to Zhang Li, Li Song and others with a smile: "If Zhao Yanshou had really sat here yesterday, my armored cavalry would have surrounded this place, and by then, I'm afraid you guys would have died."

Several people were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they were sweating profusely. They were secretly glad that they had persuaded Zhao Yanshou to cancel the coronation ceremony in advance.

Yelu Deguang's sudden death brought a serious crisis to the Khitan, which almost led to a civil war, and also gave Liu Zhiyuan a chance to clean up the mess in the Central Plains. It can be said that if Yelu Deguang had not died, Liu Zhiyuan might not have been able to establish the Later Han Dynasty.

In the Khitan homeland, there was a powerful Queen Mother Shulü. However, almost all of the Khitan's military forces were in the Central Plains and there was no leader. The handover of the Khitan's highest power was a test for all Khitan people.

Faced with this thorny problem, Comrade Yelu Ruan came into being.

Yelu Ruan was the eldest son of Yelu Bei and the eldest grandson of Yelu Abaoji. When Yelu Bei abandoned Liao and joined Tang, he only brought a Han princess with him, leaving his first wife Xiao and eldest son Yelu Ruan in Dongdan.

Yelu Deguang felt guilty for his brother Yelu Bei because his mother was partial to him and replaced the eldest son with the youngest son, forcing his brother to abandon his country and wander far away. So Yelu Deguang took his nephew Yelu Ruan with him and treated him as his own son. He not only took good care of him in life, but also took him to the army to let him gain experience and accumulate military merits and qualifications.

Later, before Li Congke set himself on fire, he sent people to kill Yelu Bei. Yelu Deguang was even more grief-stricken and burst into tears, not expecting that this farewell to the capital would be a farewell forever.

Once, Yelu Deguang came to a temple to pray. When he looked at the murals, he suddenly thought of his father and brother. He said that the late emperor and the queen mother brought him and his brother here to donate alms. Now he is the only one visiting here. He choked up and wrote a poem with tears in his eyes, remembering his father and brother and the pain of separation. All the ministers around him were moved and cried bitterly.

After Yelu Bei's tragic death, Yelu Deguang treated his deceased brother's son even better, and put all the debt he owed to his brother on his nephew Yelu Ruan.

(End of this chapter)