History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 845: Chenqiao Mutiny: Changing the World

Before setting off, Zhao Kuangyin issued several iron laws:

1. The Queen Mother and the Young Master are both my superiors, so you must not offend them.
2. All the civil and military officials in the court are my close comrades-in-arms. You must not infringe upon them.
3. The imperial treasury, officials and people in the city must not be violated;

4. Those who obey this order will be rewarded handsomely; those who disobey the order will be executed without mercy!

The soldiers bowed again and accepted the order. Then, this most elite army of the empire turned back and marched in unison.

Greeting the first rays of sunlight at dawn, Zhao Kuangyin, wearing a dragon robe, appeared at the foot of Bianzhou City.

The garrison officer of Bianzhou City opened the city gate without further ado and welcomed Zhao Kuangyin into the city.

After entering the city, Zhao Kuangyin ordered the imperial guards to return to their camps and not to disturb the people, and he also returned to his office, as if no mutiny had ever happened.

After a while, someone pushed and shoved Prime Minister Fan Zhi and others to Zhao Kuangyin.

When he saw Fan Zhi and others, Zhao Kuangyin burst into tears and told the horrified prime ministers about his miserable experience, which directly made Fan Zhi and others helpless.

Without waiting for Fan Zhi to say anything, Luo Yangui, a guard beside Zhao Kuangyin, put his hand on his sword and said sternly: "We have no master. Today we must elect an emperor that we can accept!"

The soldiers around him put their hands on the hilts of their swords and glared at Fan Zhi and others fiercely.

Zhao Kuangyin shouted at Luo Yangui, but Luo Yangui and others did not obey his orders and intimidated Fan Zhi even more.

Fan Zhi and others were already frightened out of their wits. After looking at each other, they immediately prostrated themselves on their knees, declaring that the emperor must be Comrade Zhao Kuangyin.

Afterwards, led by the prime ministers, all civil and military officials arrived and stood in line.

At this time, Prime Minister Fan Zhi and others had not yet completely recovered from their shock, looking around, hesitant to speak. Because he suddenly remembered a very important detail. If the scenario developed according to this, then next, Chai Zongxun would announce the abdication, so... no one had drafted the abdication edict yet.

This is embarrassing. It's like when you're holding a meeting and the leader is about to go on stage to speak, but you find out that no one has prepared a speech.

But who dares to mention this matter at this moment? Look, something big is going to happen.

As the process progressed in an orderly manner, Zhao Kuangyin seemed to realize this serious problem. This problem is not big, but it is not small either.

First of all, this is a crucial step in the change of dynasty, a moment that will be recorded in history forever. If there is no edict at the level of a college entrance examination essay with full marks, it would be too much of a joke and would be laughed at for thousands of years.

Secondly, if the Imperial Academy scholars were ordered to draft the document on the spot, let alone whether they were up to the task, what would happen if one or two fearless, pedantic and upright young men called him a "traitor" and denounced the usurper? We couldn't let Fang Xiaoru appear 400 years earlier, could we?
Zhao Kuangyin was extremely anxious and could no longer hide the emotion on his face.

Among the civil servants, there was one who looked relaxed, even a little proud, which was incompatible with the anxiety and fear of the people around him. He was so relaxed and happy. He hid in the dark, quietly watching Zhao Kuangyin's micro-expressions. When he thought the time was right, he suddenly flashed out of the train and walked straight to Zhao Kuangyin with a step that did not recognize any relatives.

Everyone's eyes were focused on him, wondering what he was up to. Zhao Kuangyin also stared at him closely, his spirit highly nervous.

This gentleman is called Tao Gu, originally named Tang Gu. When Shi Jingtang proclaimed himself emperor, he changed his name from "Tang" to "Tao" to avoid taboos. He is currently serving as a Hanlin imperial secretary. Under the gaze of the crowd, Tao Gu proudly took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said slowly, "I have prepared it for your majesty."

Everyone listened to this high school entrance exam essay with incredible expressions:
"…The second emperor abdicated the throne, and the third king took advantage of the situation to launch a revolution…"

——Yao and Shun had the virtue of giving up their thrones to the wise, while Yu the Great, Tang of Shang, and King Wu of Zhou had the power to change the previous dynasties…

"...I am a young boy, and my family has suffered misfortune..."

——I’m just a silly kid and can’t handle such a big responsibility.

"...(Zhao Kuangyin) assisted my great-grandfather, was in harmony with the will of heaven, and served the Emperor Shizong..."

——Comrade Zhao Kuangyin worked hard and made great contributions.

"Fa Yao passed on his throne to Shun, and felt relieved of a heavy burden..."

——I feel relieved to leave the country to him.

Later, with the support of the ministers, Zhao Kuangyin wore a royal robe and sat in Chongyuan Hall, announcing his accession to the throne. Chai Zongxun and his mother temporarily moved to the West Palace, Chai Zongxun was demoted to the King of Zheng, and Empress Dowager Fu was honored as "Empress Dowager Zhou".

On the next day (the fifth day of the first lunar month), Zhao Kuangyin announced a general amnesty, changed the country's name to "Song", and changed the era name to "Jianlong".

At this point, the "Five Dynasties" came to an end and the wheel of history entered the Song Dynasty.

Two years later (962), Chai Zongxun and his mother moved to Fangzhou (now Shiyan City, Hubei Province). In the sixth year of Kaibao (973), Chai Zongxun died of illness at the age of 20. After Chai Zongxun's death, Empress Dowager Zhou (Empress Xiaofu) became disillusioned and disillusioned with the secular world. She applied to become a nun and was named "Yuqing Immortal Master". She died of illness in the fourth year of Chunhua (993).

Chai Zongxun had three younger brothers: Chai Xirang, Chai Xijin, and Chai Xihui. Chai Xijin died of illness in 962, while Chai Xirang and Chai Xihui "did not know where they ended up", mysteriously disappearing in the long river of history.

The story of the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms" has not yet ended completely. On the vast land of China, there are still remnants of the "Ten Kingdoms" forces, spread across Liangzhe (Wuyue Kingdom), Jiangnan (Southern Tang), Guangdong and Guangxi (Southern Han), Lianghu (remnant forces of Jingnan and Southern Chu), Sichuan (Later Shu), Shanxi (Northern Han), and the northern part of Hebei (Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun) was also under the control of the Liao Kingdom.

Chai Rong's ambition of "Give me thirty years and I will give you a peaceful and prosperous era" fell on the shoulders of this emerging dynasty - the Song Dynasty.

From the first day of the first lunar month when the report of "Khitan invasion" was received to the fifth day of the first lunar month when the calendar was changed, in just four days, the "bloodless mutiny" advocated by "Song fans" - the Chenqiao mutiny - completed its historical mission. It must be said that it is indeed a miracle in the 4-year history of civilization.

The brief records that are concise and the ambiguous expressions have always been a topic of great interest to people.

Why was the mutiny so smooth? Was it an accident or a deliberate conspiracy? Why did the ambitious Chai Rong miscalculate so much? Why did no one in the court oppose Zhao Kuangyin's usurpation?
There are many military coups, from Li Maozhen in the late Tang Dynasty to Zhu Wen in the Later Liang Dynasty, from Li Congke in the Later Tang Dynasty to Shi Jingtang in the Later Jin Dynasty. Some of them failed, and some succeeded. But even if they succeeded, they could not make their dynasties last long. Why did Zhao Kuangyin make the Song Dynasty last for more than 300 years, becoming the longest-lived dynasty since the Qin Dynasty? If it were not for the Mongol cavalry that swept across Eurasia, the Song Dynasty would probably have lived longer. This is also another research topic for history enthusiasts.

Thanks to "Danmy_" for the reward support. Preview: Next we will enter a new volume "Return to Song Dynasty". The emerging Song Dynasty opened the road to unification and basically completed the unification of the motherland. In order to get a good start, it is updated during the National Day. I wish the motherland to be unified as soon as possible!

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(End of this chapter)