History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 910 Intermission
Strictly speaking, the "Second Expedition to the Northern Han" was not a failure. Although the strategic goal of overthrowing the Northern Han regime was not achieved, this war brought irreparable trauma to the Northern Han, and it was left with a long-lasting bleeding DOT. Previously, the Central Plains adopted a harassment strategy against the Northern Han, stealing monsters and affecting the development of the Northern Han. Now, the people are directly moved away, which is equivalent to moving the birth point of monsters back home. Population is the cornerstone of a country. Without population, there will be no source of soldiers and people, let alone taxes. This is like cutting off the firewood from the bottom of the pot.

It is regrettable that just after Zhao Kuangyin withdrew his troops, many parts of Taiyuan's city wall collapsed. Han Zhifan, the Liao Dynasty's envoy to enthronement, led people to inspect and repair the walls, and everyone was terrified.

Han Zhifan pointed at the muddy ground and the collapsed city walls and said, "Zhao Kuangyin tried water attack, but he only knew one part and not the other. The correct way to use water attack is to soak it first, then twist and lick it, and it will work. 'Soak first and then dry', only in this way can the city wall collapse. If I had given him advice, the Northern Han would have been finished long ago.

Ancient city walls were not made of reinforced concrete, but mostly rammed earth. Even if they were reinforced with bricks and stones, they were not cemented together. If they were just soaked, they would not collapse. But once the accumulated water was drained and exposed to wind and sun, they would immediately become soft and easily crack and collapse.

I don’t know whether Zhao Kuangyin ignored this basic principle or was really eager to withdraw his troops. In any case, Taiyuan City escaped the disaster safely.

Liu Jiyuan sent Han Zhifan back home with courtesy, and Han Zhifan reported the strengths and weaknesses of the Northern Han to the Liao Kingdom. As expected, after this battle, the Liao Kingdom further deepened its control over the Northern Han.

The Liao Kingdom released all the 16 envoys from the Northern Han Dynasty that it had detained, including Liu Jiwen. Along with the 16 envoys, the Liao Kingdom sent an imperial edict to Liu Jiyuan, ordering Liu Jiwen to be the prime minister and Li Kuangbi to be the privy councilor.

This time, the Liao Kingdom's help to the Northern Han Dynasty was unprecedented, and correspondingly, the Liao Kingdom's control over the Northern Han Dynasty was also unprecedented, and Liu Jiyuan's resistance to the Liao people's brutal interference in his internal affairs was also unprecedented. Liu Jiwen and Li Kuangbi were slandered by "traitors" as soon as they were appointed, and then they were demoted and sent out soon after.

Emperor Jingzong of Liao was immediately furious and issued an imperial edict to blame him, saying that I felt sorry for your country's loss of two rulers and the lack of talents in the court to govern the country, so I sent Liu Jiwen and Li Kuangbi back to assist you. Liu Jiwen is your younger brother and Li Kuangbi is your predecessor's old minister. They are loyal enough and have rich experience in governing the country. They can help you develop national strength and promote the relationship between Liao and Han. But before they could even warm up their positions, you squeezed them out of the court. What do you mean? Don't look at the monk's face, look at the Buddha's face. Do you still have me in your eyes?
Liu Jiyuan was terrified and hurriedly submitted an apology. However, it was only a verbal admission of error, and pro-Liao ministers such as Liu Jiwen and Li Kuangbi were never reused.

According to historical records, there was an anti-Liao person in the court of Northern Han, and his suggestions were bold and radical. At that time, the Southern Court King of Liao was stationed in Taiyuan with his troops to assist in defense. This anti-Liao activist said that the biggest threat to Northern Han was Liao, not Song. Northern Han would be annexed by Liao in the future. It would be better to take advantage of this moment to attack Liao by surprise, defeat Liao in one fell swoop, and seize tens of thousands of Khitan war horses, and then return the country to Song. This would not only save the people of Northern Han from the flames of war, but also allow Your Majesty to enjoy wealth and honor. Wouldn't it be wonderful?

Liu Jiyuan was shocked by what he said, and after thinking it over again and again, he decided to give up.

This radical anti-Liao general was the prototype of the "Yang Family Generals" - Liu Jiye, and the Liao Nanyuan King who was almost stabbed in the back was the famous Yelu Xizhen in the future. Interestingly, in the later Song-Liao War, Liu Jiye was defeated and captured by Yelu Xizhen, and then died for his country.

Let’s go back to the story of Zhao Kuangyin who returned to the court. After returning to Bianzhou, Zhao Kuangyin did something, which was the 2.0 version of “releasing military power with a cup of wine”.

During Zhao Kuangyin's expedition to Northern Han, several small events occurred:

1. Fu Yanqing
Fu Yanqing had three daughters. The eldest and second daughters were married to Chai Rong, and the third daughter was married to Zhao Guangyi. Needless to say, his status in the Central Plains was naturally high. He had been in Weizhou for more than ten years, and he was unrestrained and completely let himself go, leaving all political affairs to his confidant Liu Siyu.

Following the example of his superiors, Liu Siyu was treacherous and greedy, making Weizhou a mess. Zhao Kuangyin could no longer tolerate this, so after returning to Bianzhou, he moved Fu Yanqing to Fengxiang.

2. Feng Jiye
Feng Jiye's father was Feng Hui, a famous general in the Five Dynasties who pacified the border. Feng Hui had been in Lingwu for more than a decade, using both kindness and power to make the Rong and Qiang tribes fear him and made outstanding contributions to stabilizing the northwestern border. When Feng Hui was seriously ill, Feng Jiye killed his brother and seized the throne.

After succeeding to the throne, Feng Jiye was arrogant and cruel, which destroyed national unity. The "barbarians" did not support him, and he was unkind to his subordinates. The soldiers developed hatred and began to plan a mutiny.

Feng Jiye was frightened, and submitted a petition to the imperial court, requesting that his entire family move inland and leave this troubled place. He was then appointed by Zhao Kuangyin as the governor of Jingnan Army in Bingzhou.

When selecting a commander for Lingwu, Zhao Kuangyin specifically appointed Duan Sigong, the governor of Sizhou. In his memorial to the court, Feng Jiye said that the people of Lingwu were tough and had a complex ethnic composition, and that ordinary people could not control the place unless they were Wei Qing or Huo Qubing. However, Duan Sigong, who was hand-picked by Zhao Kuangyin, was a civil servant. Zhao Kuangyin explained that Duan Sigong had performed well in the war to pacify Shu and was qualified for the position.

Who is Duan Sigong?

Duan Sigong's great-grandfather was the Sihu official of Dingzhou, a minor civil servant; his grandfather was a minor county magistrate; by the time of his father, he had risen to prominence. His father's name was Duan Xiyao, who had been mentioned in the previous article.

When Shi Jingtang was stationed in Taiyuan Prefecture in Hedong, Duan Xiyao was his subordinate and had a close relationship with another colleague, Sang Weihan.

In the "Hedong Long Live Case", Duan Xiyao appeared in the center. At that time, Li Congke, the last emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty, sent some rewards to the Hedong Army. The soldiers shouted "Long Live" in excitement. Duan Xiyao advised Shi Jingtang to kill the soldiers who led the shouting to prove his innocence to the court, and Shi Jingtang did so.

When Shi Jingtang was ready to start an uprising the following year, all his subordinates expressed their support, except Duan Xiyao, who was strongly opposed. Shi Jingtang knew that he was an honest man with no bad intentions, so he did not blame him. However, after Shi Jingtang took the throne, all his subordinates were promoted, except Duan Xiyao, who remained outside the core power circle for his entire life and never gained Shi Jingtang's trust again.

Duan Sigong was blessed by his father and entered the officialdom at an early age. During the period of Shi Chonggui, he was the secretary of Tongzhou. When the Khitan conquered the Jin Dynasty, Liu Jixun, the governor of Tongzhou, came to the court to pay homage and recognized the enemy as his father. The soldiers and civilians of Tongzhou immediately gathered and made a lot of noise, demanding that Duan Sigong be made the commander. Duan Sigong persuaded them with reason and moved them with emotion, and suppressed the mutiny with his eloquence.

During the Later Zhou Dynasty, he actively implemented Chai Rong's "Equal Land Reform" and was praised by Chai Rong. During the process of the Song Dynasty's destruction of the Later Shu, Duan Sigong was transferred to Meizhou as the Tongpan. When Wang Quanbin forced the "King of Xing Shu" to rebel, the rebels besieged Meizhou. The governor was frightened and wanted to abandon the city and escape. Duan Sigong remained calm and led his troops to resist. At that time, morale was low and people were waiting and waiting. Duan Sigong took out a heavy reward and announced that he would reward the brave warriors who climbed the first step. So the troops fought bravely and finally repelled the rebels. However, these promised bounties were actually to be handed over to the national treasury. Duan Sigong did a very courageous thing - forged an imperial edict to privately issue military pay.

The relevant departments immediately impeached Duan Sigong, but when Zhao Kuangyin learned the whole story, he not only did not punish him, but praised his adaptability, wit and courage.

Now, when discussing the candidate to sit in Lingwu, Zhao Kuangyin rejected the opposition and appointed the civil servant Duan Sigong.

Zhao Kuangyin summoned Duan Sigong and explained to him the danger and importance of Lingwu. "Do you have the confidence to pacify the northwest for me?"

Duan Sigong said forcefully, "That's a must!"

Zhao Kuangyin was very satisfied and said, "How great! Li Jing and Guo Ziyi of the Tang Dynasty were both Confucian scholars, but they established great achievements. Who said there are no Li Jing and Guo Ziyi in our dynasty? You are one!"

Letting civil officials serve as military governors was also one of Zhao Kuangyin's measures to strengthen central power. However, Duan Sigong still disappointed Zhao Kuangyin.

When Duan Sigong arrived in Lingwu, he caused the Uighurs to break off diplomatic relations with the Song Dynasty. At that time, the Uighurs paid tribute to the Song Dynasty, and the delegation did business in Lingzhou along the way as usual. Duan Sigong sent people to trade with them, but they argued over the price. Duan Sigong directly imprisoned the Uighur delegation and held them for several days before releasing them.

The Uighur delegation turned around and went home to complain. The Uighur leader immediately sent people to negotiate, but Duan Sigong knew he was in the wrong, so he avoided them and did not respond. The Uighurs were furious and cut off contact with the Song Dynasty. "For several years, the Uighurs stopped paying tribute."

After breaking off diplomatic relations with the Song Dynasty, the Uighurs sent envoys to pay tribute to the Liao Kingdom.

Although Duan Sigong corrected Feng Jiye's past mistakes in Lingwu and made certain political achievements, the "Uighur Diplomacy" incident remained an indelible stain in his life.

3. Xiang Xun

Xiang Xun, the garrison commander in Luoyang, was almost the "godfather" of Zhao Kuangyin's group. Luo Yangui, Wang Yansheng and others had all been Xiang Xun's subordinates.

While serving in Luoyang, Xiang Xun also let himself go and ignored government affairs, so that evil forces dared to rob and kill people in Luoyang city in broad daylight.

Zhao Kuangyin moved him to Anzhou and left Jiao Jixun, a general of the imperial army, to guard Luoyang. Before Jiao Jixun left the capital, Zhao Kuangyin specifically told him to take Xiang Xun as a negative example. One month after Jiao Jixun took office, Luoyang had undergone a fundamental change.

The above three incidents broke out during Zhao Kuangyin's Northern Expedition. At first glance, they were all trivial matters, nothing more than minor problems of corruption and depravity. However, what they reflected was a big problem that made Zhao Kuangyin feel uneasy - the arrogance and difficulty in controlling the feudal lords.

The separatist regimes of the feudal lords must not be allowed to revive! Therefore, in 969, in the "Release of Military Power with a Cup of Wine" 2.0, Zhao Kuangyin directed his spearhead at the local military governors, and the military power of the military governors such as Wang Yanchao was confiscated.

After a year of rest, Zhao Kuangyin started his unification process again. This time, he followed the principle of "first the south then the north, first the easy then the difficult", temporarily put the Northern Han on hold and directed his spearhead at the Southern Han entrenched in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

In September of the third year of Kaibao (970), the Song Dynasty marched southward in a large scale. By February of the following year (9), after half a year, the Southern Han Dynasty was destroyed.

After destroying Southern Han, Zhao Kuangyin immediately launched military operations against Southern Tang. In September of the seventh year of Kaibao (974), 9 Song troops attacked Southern Tang in three routes. In November of the following year (975), after more than a year, Southern Tang was destroyed.

The Southern Han was a very strange separatist regime, not only limited to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, but also the most strange regime in the past five thousand years, both at home and abroad. The name of Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang, is even more well-known to everyone. We will present the demise of the Southern Han and the Southern Tang in turn later.

We will continue to focus on Zhao Kuangyin's "Three Expeditions to Northern Han".

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(End of this chapter)