In 907 Zhu Wen, through a series of coups, put an end to the Tang Dynasty, and established the Liang. In history this is referred to as the “Later Liang”, after which the Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou, five dynasties altogether, were established in succession, spanning 53 years.
This became known as the "Five Dynasties period." To distinguish them from previous dynasties with the same names, people call them the Latter Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou. Roughly coinciding with the five dynasties of the north, in southern China there arouse the Former Shu, Wu, Min, Wuyue, Chu, South Han, South Pin, the Latter Shu and South Tang, which, together with the North Han in the north, were called the "Ten States." Historically, this was the "Five Dynasties and Ten States period."
In 959 the Latter Zhou King Shizong, Chai Rong, died after an illness, and Chai Zongxun, at the age of only 7, succeeded to become King Gong of the Latter Zhou. Because the king was too young, there was restiveness in the state. In the following year, when the sovereign and his subjects were observing the Chinese New Year, word came that troops from Qidan and North Han were driving south to jointly invade the Latter Zhou.
Before discerning the truth of this information, the Chief Administrator Fan Zhi and other officials hastily sent Commander-in-chief Zhao Kuangyin and his troops north to block the enemy advance. At that time, Zhao Kuangyin was Dianqiandujiandian, and concurrently Jiedushi of Songzhou Prefecture. He and Shi Shouxin, commander of the Royal Guards, were swom brothers. Zhao, in control of military command, harbored the desire to become the sovereign.
After orders from the northern expedition, Zhao Kuangyin at once began military maneuvers, as if preparing to meet the enemy. When the troops moved into Chenqiao, a State Post (in today's Chenqiao Village, Fengqiu County, Henan Province), dusk was deepening, and they set up camp for the night. That night, on Zhao Kuangyin's prior instructions, Zhao Kuangyi (Zhao Kuangyin's brother), and Zhao Pu, a counselor, sent people into the camps, inciting mutiny to support Zhao Kuangyin as their new sovereign.
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