History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 853: Yi Dai Merit
【Yidai Merit】

In the above, we briefly sorted out the front and back scenes of the "Chenqiao Mutiny" drama and the main cast and crew. There is still an eternal mystery that has not been revealed, that is, who were the people who put the yellow robe on Zhao Kuangyin at Chenqiao Station?

Authoritative historical records are very secretive about this, and there is almost no direct evidence. However, we can still try to restore the speculation through indirect evidence:

Han Chongyun: "In the early Song Dynasty, he supported the emperor for his merits..."

Zhang Guanghan and Zhao Yanhui: "... praised his contribution to supporting the Taizu...", "Taizu treated him (Zhao Yanhui) as an elder brother".

After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin first rewarded the "Yidai Gongxun", that is, the meritorious officials who helped him to the throne. They were: Shi Shouxin, Gao Huaide, Zhang Lingduo, Wang Shenqi, Zhang Guanghan, Zhao Yanhui, and "etc." Therefore, some people called them "Yidai Six Meritorious Officials", and some people directly said that it was these six people who put the yellow robe on Zhao Kuangyin at Chenqiaoyi. This statement is obviously inaccurate, because Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi were in Bianzhou City at the time and were internal responses.

Some people also brought up the "History of Song Dynasty", saying that in the "Biographies", the first seven volumes are biographies of concubines, royal family members and other imperial relatives as usual, the eighth volume is the biographies of the three founding prime ministers - Fan Zhi, Wang Pu and Wei Renpu, and the ninth volume is the biographies of Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi, Gao Huaide, Han Chongyun (with Zhang Guanghan and Zhao Yanhui), Zhang Lingduo, Luo Yangui and Wang Yansheng. So among these "important founding ministers", except for Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi who were traitors, the rest were the ones who helped Zhao Kuangyin put on the yellow robe.

This seems to make sense, especially since Luo Yangui and Wang Yansheng were as loyal as dogs. But don't jump to conclusions. Please finish reading this volume. At the end of this volume, as usual, there is a summary by the historian:
"Shi Shouxin and his followers were all old ministers of outstanding virtue. Taizu trusted them and gained their loyalty."

——These people were all Zhao Kuangyin’s colleagues and comrades-in-arms during the Later Zhou Dynasty. Comrade Zhao Kuangyin won their support. The historians described the cliques and clique politics so refreshingly. The key is the next sentence,
"One day, he was given the metaphor of a yellow robe, and was told to give up his military power, so as to preserve his wealth and honor, and to pass it on to his descendants..."

——The case was solved. The reason why these people were included in the same volume was because they participated in another big drama, "Releasing Military Power over a Cup of Wine".

To this day, we don't have to worry about who was the person who put the yellow robe on Zhao Kuangyin. In short, under Zhao Kuangyin's long-term management, a political group with Zhao Kuangyin as the core has been formed in the Later Zhou Dynasty. They almost controlled the empire's most elite armed forces-the Central Imperial Guards.

Let’s review the core members of this group:

Zhao Kuangyin, the chief inspector of the palace;

Murong Yanzhao, deputy chief inspector of the imperial court;

Shi Shouxin, the commander-in-chief of the palace guards;

Wang Shenqi, the chief military officer in front of the palace;
Han Lingkun, the Imperial Guard Cavalry and Infantry Commander;

Gao Huaide, commander of the imperial guards cavalry; Zhang Lingduo, commander of the imperial guards infantry...

Emperors of all dynasties had the talent of "fighting each other left and right". In terms of the establishment of the imperial guards, they would not let one party dominate. For example, the imperial guards in the late Tang Dynasty were divided into the left and right Shen Ce Army. Local vassal states would also set up left and right certain armies to let them check and balance each other. In the Later Zhou Dynasty, Guo Wei reformed the imperial guard system and also set up two relatively independent imperial guard command organizations, the Palace Front Department and the Guard Department.

The highest official of the Palace Front Department was the "Palace Front Inspector", and the highest official of the Imperial Guard Department was the "Imperial Guard Cavalry and Infantry Commander-in-Chief".

The previous commander of the palace was Zhang Yongde, and the commander of the imperial guards' cavalry and infantry was Li Chongjin.

Before Chai Rong died, he kicked Zhang Yongde out of the core power circle and replaced him with Zhao Kuangyin;

Li Chongjin, the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards' cavalry and infantry, was not a member of Zhao Kuangyin's group, but he had been exiled to Huainan by Chai Rong at that time. As distant water could not quench immediate thirst, he did launch an "anti-Song and restore Zhou" movement after the establishment of the Song Dynasty. This is a story for later.

Han Tong, who was killed physically at the first moment, was the second in command of the Imperial Guards and the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards Cavalry and Infantry. Seeing this, it is not difficult for us to understand why Zhao Kuangyin wanted to kill Han Tong at the first moment.

Below the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief, the second echelon who holds the military power of the Imperial Guard is the "Imperial Guards Cavalry and Infantry Commander-in-Chief", followed by the "Imperial Guards Cavalry Commander-in-Chief" and the "Imperial Guards Infantry Commander-in-Chief".

Looking at the table above, it is clear that Zhao Kuangyin almost unified the entire Central Imperial Guard. Among them, Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi were responsible for supporting in Bianzhou City, Murong Yanzhao and Han Lingkun were on guard outside, Gao Huaide, Zhang Lingduo and others cooperated in the Chenqiao Posthouse...

The emperor was a seven-year-old kid, and the empress dowager was a 28-year-old widow. The entire Bianzhou city was full of "own people" inside and outside. Zhao Kuangyin suddenly became a king, sitting on the throne and enjoying the smooth life.

This is the whole truth about the "Chenqiao Mutiny".

Many people believe that as early as when Guo Wei staged the "Chanzhou Mutiny", Zhao Kuangyin was one of the extras. His "Chenqiao Mutiny" was a perfect tribute to the "Chanzhou Mutiny", but it was better than the original, and the preparations for the "Chenqiao Mutiny" were more thorough.

It only took Zhao Kuangyin one day to complete the change of dynasty. Compared with Zhu Wen's enthronement, the nine gifts, the three meditations and three resignations, and other cumbersome formalities, Guo Wei went at double the speed, while Zhao Kuangyin simply dragged the progress bar to the last second.

Seconds of Zen.

(End of this chapter)