History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 779: The "Sejong Party" (Part )
4. The world is full of rebirth, and no one can escape from the fate - Khitan

Due to the lack of objective historical data and subjective prejudice, we have some misunderstandings about the Khitan. This nation should not be ignored, let alone blasphemed. They not only created a glorious history, but are also an indispensable part of our Chinese civilization.

However, to gain an in-depth understanding of the history of the Khitan people is a difficult, complicated and maddening task.

For example, the intricate relationships between their characters is the first obstacle facing us, especially before Yelu Abaoji founded the country and proclaimed himself emperor, that is, before he accepted Sinicization, we can hardly get any useful clues from the names of the Khitans.

First of all, they had no surnames. Even the "Yelü" of the Khitan royal family was the transliteration of their early residence and birthplace. At that time, the place where Abaoji's clan lived was called "Shili", which was then transliterated as "Yelü".

Secondly, they do not have generation characters or any radicals in their writing that can clearly indicate their generation.

In addition, since their names are usually transliterated, "name collision" often occurs. For example, Yelu Helu has a son named Sala, and "Sala" is the pen name of Yelu Xianechi, so the two are not related at all; and "Helu" is the pen name of Yelu Hou; similarly, Aguzhi's son is named Antuan, which is the same as Antuan.

Etc., etc.

Despite this, this book still helps people sort out the clues and find the golden key to understanding Khitan history - the struggle for power.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Khitan state, Yelu Abaoji faced tremendous internal pressure. The power struggle during this period was mainly centered on the "rebellion of the brothers". In the end, Abaoji won the struggle and successfully established the state and became emperor.

After Abaoji's death, the Khitans entered the second peak of power struggle, that is, the struggle between the "Queen Dowager Party" and the "Prince Party". In the end, the "Prince Party" was defeated, and Abaoji's eldest son Yelü Bei was forced to abandon the country and surrender to the Tang Dynasty. The second son Yelü Deguang, who was supported by the Queen Dowager Shulü, inherited the throne.

Then, there was a power tug-of-war between the "Emperor Taizong Party" headed by Yelu Deguang and the "Empress Dowager Party". Yelu Deguang could be regarded as a puppet of Empress Dowager Shulü, and the only way for him to break free from the puppet role was to conquer the Central Plains in the south. Through the "Three Major Campaigns of Jin and Liao", Yelu Deguang finally got his wish and entered Bianzhou, and had the capital to challenge the "Empress Dowager Party". However, the good times did not last long. In just one month, Yelu Deguang felt the deep malice of the people in the Central Plains, and was forced to return to the grassland in the north, and died of a sudden illness in Luancheng, Hebei.

Although Yelu Deguang died suddenly, the years of tug-of-war between the "Empress Dowager Party" and the "Empress Dowager Party" had caused the "Empress Dowager Party" to be continuously depleted of its power and damaged its vitality. As a result, the "Empress Dowager Party" which was mixed with a large number of political speculators was quickly formed. They supported Yelu Ruan and openly competed with the "Empress Dowager Party". Finally, through the "Crossing Agreement", the "Empress Dowager Party" won a complete victory.

The game between the "Emperor Taizong Party" and the "Empress Dowager Party" of the Liao Dynasty is similar to the game between the Emperor Guangxu and the Empress Dowager Cixi that we are all familiar with. Strictly speaking, Guangxu VS Cixi is the low-end beggar version, while Emperor Taizong of Liao VS Empress Dowager Shulü is the high-end rich version.

Because the "wrist-broken empress dowager" Empress Shulü's strategy and decisiveness in killing far surpassed that of Empress Dowager Cixi. She was able to pacify the world with her pen and to determine the fate of the world with her military skills. She was not only good at scheming, but also able to fight in battles with armor and weapons. She killed enemies with her own hands and could even cut off her own wrist without any ripples. Liao Taizong Yelü Deguang also led the army to fight in the south and north during the reign of Emperor Taizu, and later personally led the army to the south to destroy the Later Jin Dynasty, which was also difficult for Emperor Guangxu to match.

It's just that due to the lack of historical materials and other reasons, later generations know very little about the exciting game between the "Emperor Taizong Party" and the "Empress Dowager Party" of the Liao Dynasty, which is far less than the low-end beggar version of the late Qing Dynasty. After all, Guangxu had already entered modern history, and historical materials from all parties were numerous, providing later scholars with sufficient materials to analyze from multiple angles, and even with photos, we can get a glimpse of the true appearance of the parties involved.

When the Liao Dynasty entered the reign of Emperor Shizong, it ushered in the first darkest moment in the history of the Liao Dynasty, which lasted for more than 20 years. However, these 20 years became the golden time of the Central Plains, during which the Central Plains ended the Five Dynasties.

What kind of twenty years were these for the Khitans?
【Uncovering the "Sejong Party"】

Emperor Shizong of Liao, Yelü Ruan, was the third emperor of the Liao Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Yelü Bei, the eldest son of Abaoji, and the eldest son and grandson of Taizu.

Yelu Ruan successfully ascended the throne with the support of the "Shizong Party". However, ironically, this so-called "Shizong Party" was neither Shizong nor a party. This was the root cause of the dark politics of Shizong's reign. Not Shizong, meaning that although they supported Yelu Ruan to ascend the throne, they were not Yelu Ruan's direct confidants. The reason they supported Yelu Ruan was only because they did not support the "Queen Mother Party";
Not a party, meaning that they have never been closely united in a leadership group with Comrade Yelu Ruan as the core.

The "Sejong Party" is actually a temporary group of Avengers and political speculators who are united in appearance but not in reality, and they are divided and take what they need. In short, it is a mob.

In the previous article, "The Crossing Agreement", we have already introduced the core members of the "Sejong Party" in detail. In order to facilitate the understanding of the following text, we will briefly describe them:
"Avengers":
The so-called Avengers were the Khitan nobles who had a deep blood feud with the "Empress Dowager Party". When the "Prince Party" VS the "Empress Dowager Party", their relatives were killed by Empress Dowager Shulü because they stood on the side of the "Prince Party". As the "remnants of the Prince Party", they should have been continuously persecuted and suppressed by the "Empress Dowager Party". However, because Emperor Taizong Yelü Deguang wanted to compete for power with Empress Dowager Shulü, he deliberately reused them and granted them real power, thus forming an effective counterweight to the "Empress Dowager Party".

Emperor Taizong, Yelü Deguang, died suddenly of illness, and they lost their only support. What awaited them would be a ruthless liquidation by the "Empress Dowager Party". Therefore, whether for the purpose of revenge for their ancestors or for self-protection, they stood on the opposite side of the "Empress Dowager Party" without hesitation and became its most staunch opponents, that is, the "Sejong Party" which seemed to support Sejong on the surface.

1. Yelu Antuan
The grandfather of Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji was named Yelü Yundeshi. Yundeshi had four sons. The eldest son was named Yelü Yanmu (some say it was the second son), and the fourth son was named Yelü Sala (Abaoji's father).

Yanmu gave birth to Chubulu, and Chubulu gave birth to Dieli.

In other words, Yanmu was Abaoji's uncle or second uncle, Chubulu was Abaoji's cousin, and Dieli was Abaoji's nephew.

The Yanmu lineage was a staunch supporter of Abaoji, and made great contributions when Abaoji unified the eight Khitan tribes. Dieli was weak and sickly since childhood, and Abaoji treated this nephew with great care and often raised him. The relationship between the uncle and nephew was extraordinary.

Dieli lived up to Abaoji's love. He joined the army and made many military achievements. He was first promoted to Tiyin and then to Nanyuan Yilijin, becoming a powerful figure in the Liao Kingdom.

After Abaoji's death, Empress Shulü took power, which aroused opposition from the Khitan nobles. As a staunch "emperor's party", Dieli resolutely opposed Empress Dowager Shulü and stood firmly on the side of the "prince's party", demanding the primogeniture system and advocating that Yelu Bei should succeed to the throne.

The cruel and merciless Empress Dowager Shulü threw him into prison, tortured him severely, and used the inhumane punishment of burning him with fire, but Dieli still refused to surrender and was finally brutally killed by Empress Dowager Shulü.

Yelu Antuan was the son of Dieli. He had an irreconcilable hatred with Empress Dowager Shulü for killing his father. Therefore, "Emperor Taizong repeatedly comforted him and once said: 'This child will surely be a great talent.'" Emperor Taizong Yelu Deguang placed great importance on Yelu Antuan, hoping that he would shine in the future struggle with the "Empress Dowager Party".

As expected, Yelu Anduan played a key role in the struggle between the "Empress Dowager Party" and the "Empress Dowager Party". At that time, the main Khitan army staying in Hebei was already planning to oppose the "Empress Dowager Party", but they were intimidated by the tyranny of the Empress Dowager and did not know the true situation of the rear, so they did not dare to act rashly. At this critical moment, Yelu Anduan spread rumors about Yelu Lihu's death, which boosted the morale of the "Empress Dowager Party" and strengthened their determination to resist the "Empress Dowager Party" by force.

In terms of seniority, Empress Dowager Shulü was the grandmother of Yelü Antuan, so when signing the "Crossing Agreement", Empress Dowager Shulü asked her grandson, "Did I provoke you?"

——The Queen Mother asked An Tuan, "What is the grudge between you and me?" An Tuan replied with the memory of his father's death, and the Queen Mother remained silent.

Thanks to "江刘白" for the reward and support!



(End of this chapter)