chinesegeography

Deprived of Military Command over a Cup of Wine-Sequel



There was a heated discussion among the soldiers: "The emperor is still too young to handle state affairs. Who will look after our interests if we risk our lives for the country? Better help General Zhao onto the throne before the northern expedition." Seeing the soldiers in action, Zhao Kuangyi and Zhao Pu immediately sent a messenger to ride to the capital, to make a secret appointment with Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi, two commanders of the Royal Guards, to say that Shi and Wang should act in coordination when Zhao returned to Bianliang.



In Chenqiao, both officers and soldiers stayed awake all night, while Zhao Kuangyin pretended to take to bed after too much wine. At dawn Zhao Kuangyi, Zhao Pu and some other officers, burst in, weapons in hand, shouting: "We have no sovereign to rely on. We want His Excellency to be our sovereign! "While shouting, they crowded around Zhao Kuangyin, who kept pretending to yawn, and pulled the Dragon Robe around him. Then all those present fell down on their knees and began to kowtow to Zhao, shouting in unison, "Your Maje:,ty!" This is the historical anecdote "Dragon Robe of the Chenqiao Mutiny." That year, Zhao Kuangyin was 34 years old.



Zhao Kuangyin, now in the Dragon Robe, led his contingents of troops back to the capital and met no resistance along the way. The troops marched into Kaifeng. That very afternoon after their arrival, a solemn ceremony to hand over state power took place in the imperial palace. Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne, proclaiming the establishment of Song, with Kaifeng as its capital, renaming it "East Capital." This became the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) of history.



After his ascension, Zhao Kuangyin, as Song Emperor Taizu, had no illusions of having no worries from then on. He knew he had to first stabilize the court, before he could divert his energy to end the chaotic state of affairs caused by disobedient warlords entrenched in different areas, so as to unify the country, and finally resist the state of Liao in the north, which was growing more and more powerful.



One day he summoned his favorite subject, Zhao Pu, and asked him to deliberate on the causes for incessant wars and social calamities in the decades after the late Tang Dynasty. Zhao replied: "I believe the main reason lies in the fact that the local warlords are too powerful, causing a situation where the sovereign is weak while the subjects are strong. If we could reduce local warlord power, and claim back their military compliance, the country would become stable."

Deprived of Military Command over a Cup of Wine-Sequel І



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.