History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 685: Battle of Jinzhou
Liu Chong explained to the Khitan the ins and outs of the civil strife in the Central Plains, saying that Liu Chengyou had unfortunately passed away and that I should have succeeded to the throne, but Guo Wei rebelled and stole the throne. He then proposed a specific cooperation idea to the Khitan: to follow the precedent of Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty.

Yelu Ruan was overjoyed and immediately agreed to the "Han-Liao Alliance", citing the precedent of Jin and Liao, and agreed to a father-son alliance.

With the support of Khitan, Liu Chong appointed his second son Liu Chengjun as commander and led an army of 10,000 to attack Jinzhou, which was controlled by Later Zhou.

The Northern Han army divided into five groups and launched a fierce attack on Jinzhou.

Wang Yan, the governor of Jinzhou, closed the city gates tightly and refused to come out. Liu Chengjun was full of confidence and thought he had a sure victory, so he ordered his soldiers to set up ladders and forcefully climb up. Unexpectedly, ambushes were everywhere and more than a thousand people were annihilated in the attacking troops. Liu Chengjun then sent An Yuanbao to burn the west gate, but An Yuanbao rebelled in front of the battlefield and surrendered to the defenders with his men.

Liu Chengjun gathered the remaining troops and turned north to attack Xizhou. Wang Yan sent his son Wang Hanlun to chase and kill him, and he chopped off more than a hundred heads.

Liu Chengjun also suffered heavy losses in Xizhou, leaving behind 500 corpses and retreating to Taiyuan in disgrace.

Although the battles of Jinzhou and Xizhou were not large in scale, their political significance far outweighed their military significance. Countless eyes were watching, especially the Khitans, who wanted to see the strength of this ally.

Shi Jingtang demonstrated his strength in the Battle of Taiyuan and the victory of Jin'an Village, which strengthened the confidence of the Khitans in assisting Hedong. The Khitans were not philanthropists, and interfering in the internal affairs of the Central Plains was a political investment, and the most important thing about investment was the rate of return.

Obviously, Liu Chong failed to submit a satisfactory answer.

The "angel investor" Yelu Ruan hesitated. At this time, Guo Wei's envoys had also arrived in Khitan, informing them of Zhou's original intention to change the Han Dynasty and expressing their willingness to improve friendly neighborly relations with Khitan.

Yelu Ruan then returned gifts such as good horses to Guo Wei, and sent envoys to congratulate him on his accession to the throne, recognizing the Later Zhou regime.

However, the political game is never a binary choice of black and white. The principle of "one Central Plains" has not become a consensus between the two sides. The Khitan recognizes both the Later Zhou and the Northern Han, so that they can become the favorite of both sides. In other words, the Khitan most hopes to see the situation in the early days of the Later Jin Dynasty: Guo Wei, Liu Chong or more forces (such as Murong Yanchao) compete to sell out the country.

After Liu Chong lost the first battle, he sent envoys to Khitan again, expressing that Northern Han agreed to the "Father and Son Country" agreement and requested his father to send troops quickly to help him conquer the world.

I don't know if Liu Chong was really confused or just pretending to be confused. Can ethical jokes be used to make a living? Do the Khitans need you to call them dad? In addition to calling them dad, Shi Jingtang also ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. What about you?

Yelu Ruan and Liu Chong made it clear: Guo Wei has also sent an envoy, and he is willing to pay me 100,000 strings of cash every year. Son, what about you?

Compared to becoming the emperor of the Central Plains, hundreds of thousands of strings of money every year were a drop in the bucket. Liu Chong readily agreed and sent his top adviser and prime minister Zheng Gong to the Khitan with gifts to ask the Liao Kingdom to formally enthrone him as the ruler of the Central Plains. In the letter, Liu Chong called himself "nephew emperor" and Yelu Ruan "uncle emperor granted by heaven".

Liu Chong's greed and shamelessness made Yelu Ruan feel very uncomfortable. It is like the Lighthouse Country's most desired thing on the issue of our treasure island is to "maintain the status quo" and not escalate the conflict, because once it escalates, they will have to make a final statement, which is not in their long-term interests.

The same is true for Khitan. The Northern Han issue can become a political bargaining chip for Khitan to threaten the Later Zhou. Recognizing the legitimacy of the Later Zhou regime, while being compatible with the rationality of the Northern Han separatist regime, shelving disputes and maintaining the status quo, is a win-win situation.

However, now Liu Chong has issued an ultimatum to the Khitan: either help me or kill me. You can only choose one between the Northern Han and the Later Zhou. Choose quickly!
In the end, Khitan chose Northern Han.

Zheng Gong, the special envoy of the Northern Han Dynasty, was Liu Chong's trusted adviser. As early as when Liu Zhiyuan proclaimed himself emperor, he had helped Liu Chong expand his power and set the strategic goal of establishing his own kingdom. After Liu Chong proclaimed himself emperor, Zheng Gong became his right-hand man. Zheng Gong was not only eloquent, but also had a good alcohol tolerance, and was simply a living treasure in a drinking party. The Khitans were very unkind and maliciously forced Zheng Gong to drink alcohol, which led to Zheng Gong's death, causing a serious diplomatic incident.

The prime minister of Northern Han died on duty at the wine table. If Liu Chong was not given an explanation, it would seem a bit unfair. Zheng Gong's death may be one of the many reasons why Khitan chose to support Northern Han.

After Zheng Gong died in the line of duty, the Khitans detained Yao Hanying and other special envoys sent by the Later Zhou Dynasty as a token of their loyalty to Liu Chong.

In June, the Khitan officially conferred the title of "Great Han Shenwu Emperor" on Liu Chong. This is the essential difference between the Northern Han and the Later Han. The Northern Han was a puppet established by the Khitan, while the Later Han was the orthodox of the Central Plains.

In July, Liu Chong sent another envoy to visit Khitan to thank his father for the enthronement. At the same time, he urged Khitan to fulfill its alliance obligations, send troops to help Northern Han, and attack the Central Plains.

After some discussion, the two sides decided to send troops together in September.

In September, Liu Chong happily sent troops south; Yelu Ruan also sent a large army south to replicate the glorious moment of his second uncle Yelu Deguang.

Just when Liu Chong was full of confidence, a piece of bad news came: a coup d'état occurred in Khitan, Yelu Ruan was assassinated, and Yelu Deguang's eldest son Yelu Jing ascended the throne, which was the "Huoshendian Incident". The story of Yelu Ruan and the "Huoshendian Incident" will be described in detail later.

Yelu Jing led the Khitan army eastward to Youzhou and sent people to express condolences to Hedong.

Liu Chong sent an envoy to offer condolences. He first congratulated Comrade Yelu Jing on his ascension to the throne. He then said that he could call anyone "dad" and that the Khitans were permanent but their fathers were transient. The agreement between the Northern Han and the Khitans was still valid. He pleaded with the Khitans to continue to fulfill their alliance obligations and assist the Northern Han in eliminating the Later Zhou.

This time, Liu Chong chose to take the middle route and attack Luzhou, but was defeated again.

Liu Chong changed his route to the west and continued to attack Jinzhou, and requested the Khitan to provide support.

The Khitan was very powerful and sent 50,000 troops in one go. Liu Chong personally led an army of 20,000. The 70,000 troops rushed towards Jinzhou with great momentum, set up camp in the north of Jinzhou city, surrounded it on three sides, launched a fierce attack, and sent rangers to harass nearby Jiangzhou and other places.

At that time, Wang Yan was ordered to transfer to Xuzhou with Wang Yanchao. Wang Yan had already left his post, but Wang Yanchao had not yet arrived. The defenders in the city, Wang Wangan, Shi Yanchao, and He Hui, worked together to hold their ground, resisting while sending letters to ask for help.

Guo Wei sent his trusted confidant, Privy Councilor Wang Jun, to lead the army in supporting Jinzhou.

However, Wang Jun led his army to stay in Shanzhou.

Guo Wei could no longer sit still, so he decided to lead the army himself and sent someone to notify Wang Jun.

(End of this chapter)