History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 619: Crossing Agreement 1
It is precisely because the top leaders reached a high degree of consensus in a short period of time and quickly formed an alliance into a community of interests that they were able to respond quickly and in unison when faced with emergencies. For example, Zhao Yanshou suddenly transferred his troops and stationed them in Zhenzhou, which caused quite a stir in the army.

The two military leaders, Yelu Hou and Yelu Wa, decisively led their troops to follow Zhao Yanshou into the city, which brought great psychological deterrence to Zhao Yanshou and made him dare not act rashly. Then they cooperated with Yelu Ruan to set up the Hongmen Banquet, and eliminated the biggest threat in the army, Zhao Yanshou, without spending a single soldier.

When Zhao Yanshou was eliminated, the Yelu Ruan group had already begun spreading rumors about the "last will" and creating public opinion in order to portray Yelu Ruan as the only designated heir to the throne of the Liao Empire. Now they were spreading the news of the death of the former crown prince, "Crown Prince" Yelu Lihu. As a result, it was natural for Yelu Ruan to become emperor.

Surrounded by civil and military officials, Yelu Ruan ascended the throne in Zhenzhou and proclaimed himself emperor. Afterwards, he left the civil and military officials of the former Later Jin Dynasty who were forced to go north in Zhenzhou, and only took palace maids, eunuchs, and actors with him. Next, he faced an unprecedented test, which was a showdown with Empress Dowager Shulü.

When Empress Dowager Shulü heard the news that Yelu Ruan had proclaimed himself emperor in Zhenzhou, she flew into a rage and immediately mobilized troops to intercept him and refused to allow them to return to the capital.

Keeping Shangjing was the bottom line for Empress Dowager Shulü. As long as Yelu Ruan could not return to Shangjing and did not hold a formal coronation ceremony, he would not be a true emperor in the legal sense, and Empress Dowager Shulü would have a chance to turn the tables.

Empress Dowager Shulü sent her third son Yelü Lihu and Taizong's legitimate son Yelü Tiande to lead the troops to fight. There were several reasons for sending Yelü Lihu to lead the troops:

1. Debunk rumors.

Yelu Ruan spread the "death news" of Yelu Lihu in order to maintain his legitimate status. As long as it could be proved that Yelu Lihu was still alive, the identity of "Crown Prince" would be like cutting off the fuel for Yelu Ruan.

2. Improve your qualifications.

Generally speaking, the heir to the throne must have commanded a war. Generally speaking, he must hold the post of "Grand Marshal of the Army of the Whole Country" or fight and suppress rebellions or foreign invasions in a certain place, or "Commander-in-chief of the Camp of a Certain Place". Of course, nine out of ten times, this is just a title, and the real commander of the battle is the experienced "Deputy Envoy". They gain reputation, seniority, connections, and experience.

Now, Yelu Ruan and Yelu Lihu are competing for the throne. If we don’t send Yelu Lihu to this battle, who else can we send?
Interestingly, in the first formal armed contact between the two sides, it was not Yelu Ruan’s troops that fought to the death with the "Queen Mother's Party".

It can be said that the first to go to war with the "Queen Mother's Party" were Yelu Ruan's fans. They were not in the army heading south, but stayed behind, and their battle was not in Yelu Ruan's plan at all.

The leaders of this group of powerful fans are Yelu Anduan and Yelu Liuge.

Yelu Anduan was of a very high generation, and was considered a "grandfather". His deeds will be elaborated in detail later in the text; Yelu Liuge was also of a high generation, and was the nephew of Yelu Abaoji. His father was Yelu Yindishi, the younger brother of Yelu Abaoji.

Yelu Liuge was a good-for-nothing since childhood. He was "arrogant and cruel, and liked to bully others." When he grew up, he was even worse. "He became more vicious and cunning." Yelu Deguang hated him very much and exiled him to the frontier, where he could out of sight and out of mind. Yelu Liuge had always been excluded from the court, so he particularly hated the existing power consolidation and was very eager to make a major reshuffle.

Yelu Anduan initially followed Yelu Deguang in the southern expedition, but later was transferred to the rear for recuperation due to illness and lived next to Yelu Liuge. Therefore, the uncle and nephew had close private interactions.

When the army was planning to establish Yelu Ruan, many senior politicians and military leaders were very hesitant and were not sure whether they could successfully overthrow Empress Dowager Shulü, such as Yelu Anduan, who was a "grandfather". Yelu Anduan and Yelu Liuge lived right between the forces of Empress Dowager Shulü and Yelu Ruan. This location was unique and very dangerous. The geographical location in the middle made it impossible for them to be "middlemen" in politics. They could not sit idly by and had to choose sides immediately. If they chose the right position, they would be "meritorious officials who helped the emperor", and if they chose the wrong one, they would be the chickens that were used as a warning to the monkeys.

At present, Yelu Ruan's troops are coming from the south, and Empress Dowager Shulü's troops are coming from the north. The time left for the uncle and nephew is short, and they must choose their side in a timely and clear manner.

Yelu Liuge, who was afraid of chaos in the world, firmly advocated standing on the side of Yelu Ruan. Because only by supporting Yelu Ruan could a reshuffle be achieved, and if the old order (Queen Mother Shulü) was maintained, he would never have a chance to rise.

Under the instigation of Yelu Liuge, Yelu Anduan finally decided to support Yelu Ruan.

Although Yelu Anduan's character is questionable, his attitude is still very important. After all, he is Taizu's younger brother, and his words carry great weight.

The two led their troops to the north to fight, and encountered Yelu Tiande, the vanguard of the "Queen Mother's Party" at Taidequan. A fierce armed conflict broke out between the two sides.

During the fierce battle, Yelu Anduan lost his horse and fell off. Seeing this, Yelu Tiande pulled his horse forward and stabbed him with his spear. At the critical moment, Yelu Liuge blocked Yelu Anduan with his body and drew his bow to shoot an arrow.

Yelu Liuge shot an arrow at Yelu Tiande, but because he was too hasty and the arrow was not strong enough, it penetrated Yelu Tiande's armor but did not penetrate his skin. Yelu Tiande managed to save his life, but he also lost the opportunity to finish off Yelu Anduan. Yelu Anduan changed his horse and fought again, and Yelu Tiande retreated.

This encounter ended with the defeat of Yelu Lihu, the "Queen Mother's Party".

After defeating Yelu Lihu, Yelu Anduan and Yelu Liuge turned south to meet Yelu Ruan, using the defeat of Yelu Lihu as a token of their surrender.

Yelu Ruan was overjoyed and very grateful to the two for their timely surrender. Afterwards, he made them kings and prime ministers and entrusted them with important tasks.

Yelu Lihu was defeated and retreated to Shangjing. Empress Dowager Shulü was furious and said, "You are such a loser!" So the old lady personally led her troops to fight; Yelu Ruan also led a large army to approach Shangjing. The two sides finally met at the crossing of Huangshui (now Xilamulun River), and faced each other across the river. The atmosphere was rather strange.

Both sides came with great momentum, but remained silent in unison.

Yelu Ruan had an absolute advantage in the military. He had all the elite Khitans in his hands, while the "Empress Dowager's Party"'s troops could basically be regarded as a police force. Whether in terms of quantity or the quality of their troops and combat effectiveness, they were far behind. Politically, the "Empress Dowager's Party" also did not have an advantage, because even many officials in the capital city were loyal to Yelu Ruan.

(End of this chapter)