History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 786: The Rebellion of Vulcan Pond 4
The evaluation of Emperor Shizong Yelu Ruan in the History of Liao is relatively objective and fair, with a basic 20:80 split, with 20% being positive and 80% being critical.

First, let’s summarize his life’s merits and demerits: “a master of average talent”, not smart nor stupid, just an average person;

Secondly, there was a strong condemnation of him as the leader of a country, saying that he lacked prudence and his decision to go south was too rash;

Then, he affirmed his character, saying that he was finally "filial, friendly, tolerant and kind", and had the style of a benevolent monarch, for example, he gave lenient sentences to those ministers who plotted rebellion, paying tribute to his grandfather Abaoji;

Finally, I have to put an end to him in one word - sorrow.

After the "Huoshendian Rebellion", the Liao Dynasty entered the period of the fourth emperor Muzong Yelü Jing.

As expected, Yelu Jing first canceled the southern expedition, led his troops back to Youzhou, sent envoys to express condolences to the neighbors, changed the reign title and issued a general amnesty. In order to emphasize his legitimacy, he announced that court meetings and other rituals would adopt the old system of Taizong's reign.

The Northern Han, Later Zhou, Southern Tang, as well as the Tieli (a tribe within the Bohai Kingdom) and the Bigude (a tribe within present-day Russia) sent envoys to offer condolences and congratulate Yelu Jing on his accession to the throne.

Among them, Liu Chong of Northern Han expressed his willingness to treat Khitan as an uncle and requested Khitan to continue to send troops to help him attack Later Zhou; Southern Tang once again sent generous gifts and proposed to attack Later Zhou from both the north and the south.

Imperialism has never given up its desire to destroy us.

When Emperor Muzong Yelü Jing first ascended the throne, his situation was very similar to that of Emperor Shizong Yelü Ruan, and he also did not receive widespread and substantial support. So after Emperor Muzong came to power, like Emperor Shizong, he encountered many rebellions by Khitan nobles. We will discuss the civil unrest in Liao during Emperor Muzong's reign in detail later, but here we will focus on the "Liao-Zhou relationship".

In response to the strong request of Liu Chong of Northern Han, Khitan sent 50,000 model troops to join forces with Northern Han to attack Jinzhou together. The so-called "model army" only served as a background wall.

Guo Wei of the Later Zhou Dynasty sent Wang Jun to lead the army to support Jinzhou. Wang Jun was slow and passive, which aroused Guo Wei's suspicion, so he planned to lead the army himself. Wang Jun said that he was not afraid of fighting or had any rebellious intentions, but Your Majesty had just ascended the throne and had not yet established a firm foothold in Bianzhou. If Your Majesty led the army to the west, I am afraid that Murong Yanchao of Yanzhou would take advantage of the opportunity to attack Bianzhou. I have my own plan to defeat the enemy on the front line, Your Majesty, don't worry. Guo Wei twisted his ear and sighed, "It almost ruined my plan."

Wang Jun's hesitation also paralyzed the joint forces of Northern Han and Khitan. Afterwards, Wang Jun suddenly launched a surprise attack.

This "Battle of Jinzhou" has been described in detail in the previous article. The Khitan high-level officials themselves opposed going south, only because Liu Chong of the Northern Han Dynasty treated the Khitan with the courtesy of an uncle, kowtowed and pretended to be a grandson, and the Khitan also accepted Liu Chong's tribute and formally canonized him as the "Great Han Shenwu Emperor", so they were embarrassed to ignore it. Before the 50,000 troops set out, they received secret instructions from the top: just strengthen the momentum, and run away when the situation is not good. Therefore, the 50,000 Khitan model army has been hiding in the back row as a background wall, and only the 20,000 people of Liu Chong of the Northern Han Dynasty really took action. When Wang Jun's Later Zhou army launched an attack, the 50,000 Khitan army immediately turned back and marched in unison. It should be noted that the 50,000 Khitan army did not even see the shadow of the Later Zhou army, but only heard that the Later Zhou army had broken through the first line of defense and was advancing here.

"The enemy will arrive at the battlefield in five seconds. Please be prepared to escape."

The Khitans set fire to their camp that night and returned north overnight, leaving behind the Northern Han army in disarray.

During this period, the relationship between Khitan and the Central Plains became very delicate, because neither side wanted nor had the strength to engage in a large-scale military confrontation.

Due to the existence of Northern Han, Khitan often used Northern Han as a bargaining chip, playing the "Northern Han card" to exchange political benefits with Later Zhou.

As a result, the Hebei region became a popular check-in destination for Khitan internet celebrities. For example, the famous Khitan general Gao Mohan went deep into Shenzhou and Jizhou, and the Later Zhou army was stationed in Beizhou, and the Khitan immediately withdrew.

It’s okay to steal wild monsters, but not to engage in team fights.

At the same time, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun suffered from floods, and people fled to the Central Plains. However, the Khitan local government did not stop them, nor did it ask the Later Zhou to return the fugitives.

This is the tacit understanding of both parties.

This is the Khitan before Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, ascended the throne:
The world is full of retribution, and no one can escape from the fate. Since the Central Plains Dynasty entered the Five Dynasties, the Khitan took advantage of the situation and gradually grew from a foreign country that was subject to the Central Plains Dynasty to a regional hegemon, and even made the Central Plains Dynasty (Later Jin) turn to Liao as a vassal. It even once ruled the Central Plains, bringing the Liao Kingdom to its peak.

However, Taizong's sudden death caused the Liao Dynasty to take a sharp turn for the worse. By the time Chai Rong ascended the throne, the Liao Dynasty had completed three supreme power transfers, but none of them was normal. The process of the Liao Dynasty gradually turning from a primitive tribal alliance system to a feudal monarchy was very long. The current Liao Muzong Yelu Jing was also assassinated in the end, but by then the Central Plains had already become the Song Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)