Chapter 17 10. Sick Dragon Terrace

Chai Rong subdued the three passes occupied by the Liao Kingdom without any effort. In addition to his pride, he planned to break through Youzhou in one fell swoop.However, Zhou Shizong fell ill at the front line at a young age, and never stood up again. After conquering the Southern Tang, Chai Rong set his sights on Sichuan.In the last war against Shu, Chai Rong had already weighed the weight of Emperor Xiaomeng.He knew that Houshu was also a relatively soft persimmon, which could be squeezed without much risk and would not be hurt.At this time, Gao Baorong in Wuchang, Hubei sees the wind and turns the rudder, and tries his best to match him up, praises the prestige of the Great Zhou Empire, and actively persuades Emperor Xiaomeng to surrender to the Great Zhou Empire.But Emperor Xiaomeng felt that Chai Rong looked down on him. Last time he wrote to Chai Rong to express his intention of peaceful coexistence, Chai Rong ignored him.Emperor Xiaomeng felt very ashamed, and did not believe that Sichuan, which was difficult and dangerous along the Shu Road, could be easily breached by the Zhou army.Therefore, Emperor Xiaomeng recruited troops, bought horses, accumulated grass, stored food, and actively prepared for the war. He divided his troops to guard the main water and land transportation routes, and sent people to closely investigate the movements of the Zhou army.

Seeing that Shu would not surrender easily, Chai Rong decided to attack Shu by force. In October of 958 A.D., the Later Zhou Empire sent Gao Fang, the general of the household department, as the envoy of the land and water system. Song Yanwo led the water army to patrol the Yangtze River, and Gao Baorong invaded the Three Gorges. A battle is brewing. Overcast Shu Shu overcast. Just when Chai Rong was mobilizing his forces and preparing to launch the war against Shu from the Yangtze River water and land and the northwest land, the invasion of the northern Liao Kingdom disrupted his plan to conquer Shu.

When Chai Rong marched south for years, the Liao Kingdom and the Northern Han Dynasty in the north took advantage of the fire to loot from time to time.Although the Southern Tang Dynasty repeatedly wanted to form an alliance with the Liao Kingdom, even though the Liao Kingdom emperor was licentious and abolished his government, he did not launch a large-scale war against the Central Plains.However, the Northern Han and Liao Kingdoms sent small groups of troops to invade the south from time to time, causing considerable damage to the northern border of the Later Zhou Dynasty. Everyone has to ask, who is guarding the northern border of the Hou Zhou Empire at this time?It was the veteran general Guo Chongwei.Over the years, Guo Chongwei has been guarding Chengde and guarding the northern gate of the Central Plains.Guo Chongwei has disappeared from our story for several years, and it turns out that he is here to shoulder a heavy responsibility.

Since the later Jin Dynasty, the weak emperors of several dynasties have been constrained by the powerful ministers of civil and military power to varying degrees.Several emperors tried to break this deadlock, but they either ended in failure, leading to the overthrow of the country and the change of owner; or they paid a heavy price by accommodating and perfunctory.Since Chai Rong ascended the throne, in order to get rid of the passive situation of being subject to powerful officials, restore the supremacy of imperial power, and establish the authority of the emperor, he has implemented a major reshuffle of officials.

As a new emperor, Chai Rong made a large adjustment of cadres. The difficulty was enormous. Not only were there many factions among the officials, but also many officials were strong.Once their interests are touched, these officials will fight back vigorously, make problems for the new emperor, obstruct everywhere, and even overthrow the emperor and establish a new one. In order to avoid intensifying conflicts, Chai Rong adopted many strategies and gradually realized his goal of controlling the court.First of all, with the help of the Battle of Gaoping, more than 30 people including generals Fan Aineng and He Hui were beheaded to frighten the generals.Then purge the army, eliminate inferior soldiers, select brave and loyal soldiers, and establish prestige in the army.Since then, most of the people Chai Rong reused were newly discovered and promoted young people, such as the royal family Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde, the rookies Zhao Kuangyin, Han Lingkun, Wang Shenqi, the demoted Wang Huan, Xu Tingwei and others.As for the veterans Fu Yanqing, An Shenqi, and Yao Yuanfu, they will no longer be allowed to lead troops in battle.Even if the trusted generals left behind by the first emperor Guo Wei, such as Guo Chongwei and others, Chai Rong did not give them the opportunity to charge forward and kill the enemy to make meritorious deeds and fight big battles.Among the civil servants, Chai Rong greatly promoted Wang Pu, Wang Pu, Zhang Mei, Wei Renpu, etc., and even in order to select talents, Chai Rong broke the hard bars of education, family background, and rank, and often selected from the bottom official.By cultivating newcomers, Chai Rong quickly gathered a group of generals who were accustomed to fighting and civil servants who worked hard.

Chai Rong rectified the bureaucratic system, strengthened the rule of imperial power, and improved the control of the emperor through methods such as major blood changes, dilution and reconciliation, survival of the fittest, and transfer and defense. In the face of the invasion of the Liao Kingdom and the Northern Han Dynasty, in order to ensure the grand strategy of conquering Shu, Zhou Shizong transferred General Zhang Yongde to Hebei to defend against the enemy.Zhang Yongde and Guo Chongwei organized a counterattack and defeated Khitan in the Jingding area.Zhaoyi Jiedu envoy Li Yun defeated the Northern Han Dynasty at Shihuiguan, and Jinzhou Metropolitan Li Qianpu defeated the Northern Han Dynasty at Xiaoyi.Zhou Jun carried out an effective attack on the Liao-Han alliance.

On the first day of February in 959 A.D., the cold spring did not recede. Zhou Shizong Chai Rong sent Wang Pu, a privy envoy, to inspect the embankment.On the way back, Wang Pu passed by the home of the retired prime minister Li Gu, and visited the old prime minister who was paralyzed and recuperated at home.Li Gu has been sick for two years, and has written to retire many times, but Chai Rong disagrees and tries his best to keep Li Gu to participate in the government.After conquering Shouzhou in the following week, Li Gu wrote to resign for the ninth time, and Chai Rong finally agreed to Li Gu's retirement.The imperial court gave Li Gu the treatment of Sikong and increased the land of Shiyi.In order to optimize the government's decision-making and to express his trust in those who have made great achievements, Chai Rong often sent ministers to Li Gu's house to discuss state affairs.Every time the emperor held a monthly meeting, he sent someone to carry Li Gu on his shoulders to participate in the decision-making of state affairs in the side hall.

Wang Pu chatted with Li Gu for a while, before getting up to say goodbye.Just when Wang Pu stood up, he suddenly fell to the ground and passed out.This sudden incident frightened everyone. Li Gu's family and Wang Pu's attendants were stunned by the scene before them, they panicked and rushed to rescue Wang Pu.It took a long time for Wang Pu to wake up, his eyes were absent, his face was pale, his lips were purple, and his teeth were closed tightly.Who doesn't know what's going on?Wang Pu is full of energy and busy everywhere. He is also a workaholic, and there is nothing wrong with him.How could it suddenly become ill?

Wang Pu's attendants carried him on a stretcher and hurriedly left Li's house and returned to Wang Pu's mansion. On the fifth day of February, Wang Pu died suddenly. A generation of wizards and an all-round prime minister, Wang Pu died of a heart attack due to long-term overwork. He died at the age of fifty-four. Wang Pu's death, for Chai Rong, is no less than Cao Mengde's loss of Guo Fengxiao. On the day of Wang Pu's funeral, Zhou Shizong Chai Rong put down all his work and went to Wang Pu's mansion to express his condolences.On Wang Pu’s mansion, white paper lanterns are hung on the left and right sides of the gate, black scrolls swing with the wind, gold paper cows and horses are lined up along the wall, three animal sacrifices are offered, and the flames of requiem candles are flickering.With the sound of mourning and music, sandalwood lingers, the mourning hall is solemn.Wang Pu's family members cried.

Chai Rong staggered into the mourning hall, supported Wang Pu's coffin, beat the ground with a jade axe (a miniature weapon used as a round-bladed axe-shaped ceremonial guard), and cried bitterly, saying, "Uncle Wen, Why did you go away suddenly? I am in the midst of heavy national affairs and a great cause to be promoted. If I have any doubts, I will never hear your great ideas again. The country has lost its pillars, and the widow has broken an arm. Looking at the world, I am the most unfortunate person .” Everyone came to persuade Chai Rong to express his condolences, but Chai Rong refused to leave for a long time.Cried for a while, and then cried again, Chai Rong cried for an unknown amount of time in the mourning hall, completely different from the majesty of an emperor in the past, showing his temperament like Wang Pu's close relatives and friends.

Why did Chai Rong regret Wang Pu's death so much?What virtue and ability does he have? Wang Pu, courtesy name Wenbo, was born in Dongping (now Dongping County, Tai'an City, Shandong).He passed the Jinshi examination at a young age.Later, he worked with Yang Bin, the first minister of power in the later Han Dynasty and the privy envoy.Leaning against a big tree to enjoy the shade, Wang Pu's future seems to be boundless.Wang Pu saw that the foundation of the Han Dynasty was shallow, that Emperor Yin Liu Chengyou was young and weak, and that the court villain was in power, while Yang Bin, as a minister, was fighting with the generals. He felt that this was a court with no future, full of dangers and disasters.In order to avoid misfortune and preserve his safety, Wang Pu resolutely left Yang Bin without saying goodbye and ran back to his hometown.Later, at the end of the Han Dynasty, the ministers turned against each other, ransacked their homes and destroyed their families, and brought disaster to their staff and followers.But Wang Pu was not implicated because he withdrew early.This shows that Wang Pu has insight into the world, and has the determination to weigh the pros and cons and give up the immediate interests. In the week after Guo Wei usurped the throne, a large number of cadres were selected.In order to train Chai Rong, Zhou Taizu Guo Wei transferred Chai Rong to Chanzhou as Jiedushi, and selected a large number of talented people from the central government to work beside Chai Rong, including Wang Pu.At that time, Wang Pu's job was to be in charge of the secretary, and he was responsible for writing, calculating and processing official documents.After Chai Rong ascended the throne, the tide rose and all boats rose. Wang Pu followed Chai Rong to Beijing and was appointed. Wang Pu's talent was really appreciated by Zhou Shizong Chai Rong after he wrote "Ping Bian Ce".This policy coincides with Chai Rong's ideal, and is highly valued by Chai Rong.Since then, Wang Pu has been reused as the main member of Chai Rong's team to implement the new strategy, and has been promoted all the way, sitting on a rocket.Zhou Shizong Chai Rong conquered the world by force, eager to unify the world, implemented the rule of law internally, strictly enforced discipline, rectified the administration of officials, and worked hard to govern.Doing business requires people, and more importantly, talents.In the young Hou Zhou empire, there was a serious shortage of cadres, especially those who could plan and do things and achieve things.Emperor Chai Rong was a workaholic, so there must be a group of workaholic officials under him, otherwise career goals and work tasks would not be realized at all.Wang Pu is the best candidate with this condition. Wang Pu Mingda is capable, quick-witted, far-sighted and energetic.This quality just matched his leader Emperor Chai Rong.For the emperor to make major decisions, people of Wang Pu's quality are needed to organize and implement them.It is not too unusual to say that Wang Pu has these talents, one or two such people can always be picked out of thousands of people.But this is not all about Wang Pu, it is just his basic quality or hardware.Wang Pu has a clear understanding of current affairs, handles them with ease, and is practical in governing the country. This is the software part of his outstanding ability.But this is still not all of him, just a small part of his many talents.What's even more unbelievable is that Wang Pu is also proficient in yin and yang, five elements, astronomy and geography, can pinch and calculate, and is a prophet.What is even more astonishing is that Wang Pu is also proficient in temperament. He re-calibrated the rhythm rules lost due to the war since the end of Tang Dynasty, and re-standardized the production specifications of Huangzhong Dalu's orchestral instruments and percussion instruments, so that the country has A complete, unified and harmonious music code.What is even more unmatched is that Wang Pu is also an expert in urban construction and engineering. He presided over the reconstruction and expansion of Kaifeng City, and presided over the overhaul of river embankments several times.This guy is really amazing. He left the world with "Ping Bian Ce", "Qin Tian Li", a city, a set of musical instrument specifications and rhythm standards, and each of these achievements is enough to shine past the present. Wang Pu is not a man, he is simply a god, an omnipotent god-man. Wang Pu does things in the same style as Chai Rong, with a decisive and strong personality.In addition, the emperor trusted him very much.Wang Pu is like a perpetual motion machine and a bulldozer. No matter how difficult things are, they will be solved and achieved results in his hands.No one in the ruling and opposition parties dared to obstruct, question, or not cooperate with anything that Wang Pu presided over.Although Wang Pu is very self-centered, although he is very strong, although he dares to confront the tough, and although many people envy and hate him, no one is more talented than Wang Pu, no one is more insightful than Wang Pu, no one has the amount of knowledge Richer than Wang Pu, no one has stricter logic than Wang Pu. This is Wang Pu, a super compound talent who only emerges once in thousands of years.Such a person died suddenly when Chai Rong's career was flourishing, what kind of impact was that? The omnipotent prime minister Wang Pu has become a legend through the ages. Wang Pu is dead, and the career of the Zhou Empire will continue. As Hebei was repeatedly invaded by the Liao Kingdom, Chai Rong planned to conduct a northern tour to assess the combat readiness situation in the north, and after weighing, deploy the war against Shu.As for why Chai Rong personally led the army to Hebei at the juncture of preparing for the expedition to Shu, no obvious major incentives were found.Judging from the existing historical data, Chai Rong's expedition this time was positioned as a northern tour, not a northern expedition.The wording is different from the imperial conquest of the Southern Tang Dynasty.It can be inferred from this that the main purpose of Chai Rong's visit to Hebei this time was to inspect the border defense, not to start a full-scale war with Liao. In March, Zhou Shizong Chai Rong patrolled Cangzhou from the east.He ordered Sun Xingyou, envoy of Yiwu Jiedu, to patrol the Xishan line, Wu Tingzuo, envoy of Xuanhui South Academy, to take charge of the stay-at-home work in Tokyo, and Zhang Mei, envoy of the third division, to be in charge of the work within the palace.He ordered Han Tong, Gao Huaide (son of Gao Xingzhou), Zhang Duo and others to lead the army as the vanguard.Han Tong is an old confidant of Guo Wei. He once usurped the throne for Guo Wei's mutiny, attacked Liu Chong for Chai Rong, and defended the capital for Chai Rong. He is deeply trusted by Chai Rong. one. Since the Huainan War, Chai Rong has tasted the sweetness of the Navy.Not only in the south, but even in the north, the navy is still very useful.Moreover, Chai Rong has always attached great importance to water and land transportation, and has devoted himself to dredging rivers and opening up major river transportation channels from north to south for several years.Chai Rong's northern tour, although advancing by land and water, actually mainly relied on the strength of the navy.The reason for this is that the waterway transportation is very convenient. First of all, it saves the transportation cost of grain, grass and luggage. There is no need to raise a large number of coachmen, vehicles, cattle, horses and tents, and the warship can still undertake the transportation task.Secondly, the waterway traffic has less disturbance to the local area, which is conducive to the speed of soldiers.Again, once the rainy season comes, water transportation will not interrupt logistical support due to muddy roads.For hundreds of years, Chai Rong is an emperor who likes and is good at using navy in the northern battle. Han Tong is not only a good general, but also a master of river control.He set out from Cangzhou to the north along the waterway, opened up various water systems along the way, and went directly to Ying and Moerzhou (now Hejian County and Renqiu County, Hebei Province).In April, he was stationed in Qianning Army (now Qing County, Hebei Province). After Chai Rong arrived in Cangzhou, he led 50,000 soldiers and horses galloping all the way without stopping, and arrived in Qing County that day.In the counties and states along the way, no one noticed that the emperor was passing by with a large group of people.After the Zhou army arrived at the border between the Central Plains and the Liao Kingdom, Wang Hong, the governor of Ningzhou in the Liao Kingdom, was frightened by the sudden arrival of the Zhou army, and surrendered the city without firing an arrow. Zhou Shizong adjusted the deployment in Qingxian County, mobilized the navy to gather and stand by, with Han Tong as the land deployment, Shi Shouxin as Han Tong's deputy general, and Zhao Kuangyin as the water deployment, and the two armies advanced by land and water.Chai Rong went up the Hebei River on a leading warship. Hundreds of warships joined each other end to end, their horns blared, and their sails covered the sun. Guan (now Ba County, Hebei Province), Khitan defender Zhong Tinghui Wangfeng surrendered.Going further to the west, the waterway is narrow and large warships cannot pass through, so Zhou Jun abandoned his boat and landed.Chai Rong stepped on his horse and galloped all the way, leaving the large army far behind.Chai Rong had only guards and soldiers around him, less than 500 in total. That night, Chai Rong camped in the wild.The night was falling everywhere, and occasionally the shouts of Liao soldiers and horses could be heard in the hot summer wind, and the bells of the Khitan cavalry patrol passed nearby from time to time.The officials who followed Zhou Shizong were terrified, worried that they would be discovered by the Khitan people and be surrounded and suppressed. The consequences would be disastrous.In such a tense and thrilling night, who can fall asleep, the heart is in the throat, and the soldiers don't take off their armor and horses, and they don't dare to close their eyes.Only Chai Rong lay down with his clothes on and fell asleep peacefully.Fortunately, the Khitan cavalry did not find Chai Rong and the others. The next day, Zhao Kuangyin led people to kill Waqiao Pass (on the Nanyi River in Xiongxian County, Hebei Province). Khitan guard Yao Neibin was unprepared. The whole city surrendered.Zhao Kuangyin welcomed Chai Rong into Waqiao Pass. From this point of view, Chai Rong has not only trained into a powerful navy, but also built an amphibious force, which can switch offense and defense on water and land at any time.Chai Rong loves the elite army he created very much, and he is always sent to the field in tough battles. The sudden arrival of the main force of the land and water armies of the Hou Zhou Empire was completely beyond the expectations of the Khitan people.The frontier towns of the Liao Kingdom did not have any defensive measures at all.This is Chai Rong's standard lightning-running tactic. It took less than a month from leaving the army to entering Khitan territory.Even if Yelu Deguang, Emperor Taizong of the Liao Dynasty, was alive, the speed with which he led the Khitan cavalry to the south might not be comparable.Waqiaoguan fell, and Liu Chuxin, the governor of Mozhou in Liao Kingdom, surrendered the city.Gao Yanhui, the governor of Yingzhou in the Liao Kingdom, surrendered the whole city.On the first day of May, Li Chongjin and other generals led their troops to arrive one after another.So far, the territory south of Waqiaoguan, which was occupied by Khitan, was recovered by Hou Zhou, including a total of 18,360 households in seventeen counties in three prefectures.Zhou's army had no casualties, one man and one horse, without using a knife or an arrow, and easily conquered the three passes. He had the momentum of pointing at Youyan with his sword and sending troops out of the Great Wall. The three towns in Guannan fell instantly, which greatly shocked the ruling and opposition parties of the Liao Empire.Yelvjing, Emperor Muzong of the Liao Dynasty, hurriedly sent an urgent messenger eight hundred miles to Taiyuan to find the Emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty, and asked the Northern Han Dynasty to send troops urgently to attack the frontier defense on the west road of the Zhou Empire in order to prevent the Zhou army from continuing to go north to Youzhou.And the Youzhou City was shrouded in an atmosphere of terror, and the Fan Han defenders stepped up their defenses to fight. It was really a scene like facing an enemy. Zhou Jun's lightning surprise attack was a great success. All Chinese and military officers in the army admire the emperor's use of soldiers like a god. Chai Rong is also very happy, and his ambition needs to be expressed.At noon on the second day of May, during the camp, Zhou Shizong held a big banquet to comfort the generals.After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Chai Rong cleared his throat, and everyone immediately quieted down.Chai Rong said: "My army is as powerful as a broken bamboo, and it is approaching Youzhou in an instant. Now Nanjing Youzhou, the world-feuding Khitan, is close at hand. I want to go all out and conquer Youzhou. I don't know what everyone thinks?" When the generals heard what the emperor said, most of them shook their heads. They thought to themselves: "The emperor originally scheduled a northern tour, why did it suddenly become a northern expedition?" Everyone said in unison: "Your Majesty, you have only been away from Beijing for four years. Twelve days, without bloodshed, easily recovering the land of Yannan, this is an extraordinary feat. But Youzhou is an important town for the Hulu, and half of the main force of the Khitan army is stationed here, so we should not rush into it." Chai Rong threw out this proposal excitedly, hoping that all the generals would respond one after another and join him in attacking Youzhou to establish immortal feats.Unexpectedly, everyone was very cautious and did not want to take the risk of going deep into the enemy's territory.Since the Battle of Gaoping, there have been few civil and military opposition to Chai Rong's major motions.But this time, for some reason, all the civil and military officials shook their heads and opposed Chai Rong's attack on Youzhou.Chai Rong didn't say anything, feeling very unhappy.The banquet broke up unhappy and ended hastily. Although the generals were not very active, Chai Rong's stubbornness came up, and he still stubbornly insisted on attacking Youzhou.After the luncheon was over in a hurry, Chai Rong ordered the mobilization of troops from all ministries and vowed to attack Youzhou.Chai Rong stood on a high hill at Waqiao Pass, looking down at the soldiers and horses of the land and water ministries.Zhou Jun's military appearance is neat, mighty and majestic, with bright helmets and fluttering trumpet belts. All arms and troops are majestic and majestic, and they are arranged in square formations in their respective positions. Because of the alcohol, Chai Rong's face glowed red, and he announced loudly: "Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan has repeatedly invaded China and has become an enemy. Especially since the Jin Dynasty, the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun have fallen into barbarians. This is our Central Plains." The empire is ashamed and humiliated. Since I came to the throne, I have been sighing day and night, and I have taken it as my mission to regain my homeland. Now our army has sent Cangzhou to Waqiao at night. The so-called opportunity will never come again, I will take advantage of the victory to attack Youzhou, and smash Hebei with all my might!" Chai Rong finished the pre-war mobilization and ordered the vanguard officer Liu Chongjin to set off early to clear the way for the follow-up army to attack Youzhou.Chai Rong then led his army to advance.As soon as the mobilization order for Zhou Jun's army was issued, the local people brought beef, mutton, pork and old wine to condolences Zhou Jun, wishing Zhou Jun a successful flag and success. Chai Rong drank the wine offered by an old man, wiped his mouth, and asked, "Old man, what is the name of this place?" The old man replied tremblingly: "Your Majesty, this place has been passed down from generation to generation, and the name has not been changed. It has always been called Binglongtai." Hearing what the old man said, Chai Rong's heart skipped a beat, his expression changed, he didn't speak anymore, he hurried down the mound, flew on his horse, waved the flag, and galloped away. Liu Chongjin led the vanguard army to occupy Gu'an.Soon Chai Rong also entered the Anyang River.Anyang River, also known as Huan River and Huliang River, is in the north of Zhuoxian County. Its source comes from Fangshan Mountain, flows eastward through Zhuoxian County, and then meets Juma River in the southeast and flows into Liuli River.Facing the Anyang River blocking the way, Chai Rong ordered people to build a bridge.Since it was already evening, the bridge could not be repaired for a while, so Chai Rong had to go back to Waqiaoguan for accommodation. That night, Chai Rong "did not wait for the Eucharist, and became seriously ill the next day."There are eight characters in total in the history books, saying that Chai Rong got sick, and his condition worsened the next day.In the records of the emperor's illness in Chinese history books, nine out of ten are "not hesitant", and "sleep disease" when he is about to die. As for the specific disease, symptoms, causes and treatment process, all are omitted.I don't know if it's because of the taboo of the elders, or because the medicine is underdeveloped and the diagnosis is not clear. Anyway, it is difficult for future generations to figure out what disease the emperor had.We can only make wild guesses about it. From the experience of Wang Pu and Li Gu, it can be inferred that Chai Rong has a lot of things to do every day, and his body has been tortured and eroded by heavy work for many years. Moreover, Chai Rong has no hobbies in sports and entertainment, does not know how to exercise, and does not like to take health care medicines. Not much better than Wang Pu.After the noon banquet, he hurried to the high hills to deploy the army, probably because of the cold.Judging from the later development of the disease, it is unlikely to be an emergency such as heart disease or cerebral thrombosis.Therefore, Chai Rong, who has been sub-healthy for a long time, is more likely to suffer from wind and cold after drinking and sweating.This condition is more harmful than the current severe cold. Moreover, under the medical conditions at that time, there was no specific medicine such as penicillin cephalosporin, and it could only be recovered slowly by traditional Chinese medicine. After Chai Rong fell ill, his condition worsened day by day, and he was forced to stop commanding the war at the front and return to the capital.Chai Rong drove back, but the army did not withdraw.On the way back to his car, Chai Rong was still working with his sick body, remotely controlling the war in the north. On the fourth day of May, the Zhou army broke through Yizhou and captured Li Zaqin, the governor of Liao.On the fifth day of May, the Dragon Boat Festival, Chai Rong ordered the construction of the Xiongzhou Fanzhen at Waqiaoguan and the Bazhou Fanzhen at Yijinguan. Han Tong was responsible for the construction of the city.On the sixth day of May, Li Chongjin was ordered to go out of Tumen (that is, Jingxing, the fifth of the famous Taihang Eight Xings), and cross the Taihang Mountains westward to attack the Northern Han Dynasty.On the seventh day of May, Han Lingkun was deployed as the capital of Bazhou, and Chen Sirang was deployed as the capital of Xiongzhou.On the eighth day of May, Chai Rong left Xiongzhou and returned south with Han Tong and others. Chai Rong passed through Chanzhou on his way back to the south, but Chai Rong stopped when he reached Chanzhou.Not only did he not leave, Chai Rong did not go to work, did not see a doctor, and did not meet people who were visiting his illness, even the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs.As a result, I was tense up and down, not knowing what happened, nor what was going to happen, let alone what to do.The emperor's illness is no small matter. It is not only the health of an important person, but also the fate of the country and the country behind him. As for why Chai Rong stayed in Chanzhou and was not in a hurry to return to Beijing, what was said here, and what decisions were made, there is no official history.There is only one unofficial history "Que Shao Bian" that records some situations. The ministers waited for the order, and there was no order from the left and no news from the right. Everyone was in a hurry, worried that this situation would lead to a hidden crisis.But no officials of any position could see Chai Rong, and Chai Rong never saw them at all.This is how to do?Everyone sat in the city of sorrow, and after several days passed, suddenly everyone found that there was a person who could see the emperor.This person is Guo Wei's son-in-law, Captain Zhang Yongde.Perhaps because of relatives, Chai Rong only allowed Zhang Yongde to enter the bedroom every day. The ministers came to Zhang Yongde and said to Zhang Yongde: "My lord, the world is uncertain now, and the capital is empty. The princes of the four directions and the enemy countries are all looking forward to the chaos in the capital. Chanzhou is so close to Kaifeng. Why doesn't the emperor stay here? You should hurry up." Hurry back to the capital to stabilize people's hearts and keep the overall situation in check. Once the emperor is sick and dies, and there is no last word or decree, what will the country and society do? Please ask the emperor for instructions, what should you do next? Take it quickly Make a decision." As soon as Zhang Yongde heard that what everyone said was reasonable, he relayed the opinions of the officials to Chai Rong when he had an audience with Zhou Shizong Chai Rong.Lying on the bed, Chai Rong suddenly raised his head when he heard Zhang Yongde's question, staring at Zhang Yongde.Chai Rong's sudden expression change startled Zhang Yongde. Chai Rong asked Zhang Yongde aggressively: "Who asked you to ask these words?" Zhang Yongde was dumbfounded, not knowing what he said was wrong, and replied truthfully: "It is because all the civil and military officials care about His Majesty and the community that they asked me to ask for instructions on their behalf." Chai Rong lay down again, seeming to be thinking about the problem. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and said, "I knew you were ordered by someone, don't you understand my thoughts? Sigh——, but look at your This is the fate of a poor man!" Chai Rong seemed to have made up his mind, and after saying these words, he ordered him to get up and drive back to the palace immediately. There is no place to verify whether the situation recorded in "Que Sao Bian" is true, and it still cannot explain the purpose of Chai Rong's stay in Chanzhou.What Chai Rong said to Zhang Yongde was even more puzzling, as if it were a riddle with many possible answers. When Chai Rong was stationed in Chanzhou, on May 25, Li Chongjin reported that he defeated the Northern Han army in Beijing and beheaded more than 2,000 enemy troops.On May 31, Chai Rong returned to Kaifeng.On the first day of June, Zhaoyi Jiedu envoy Li Yun defeated the Northern Han Dynasty and captured Liaozhou.On the third day of June, the Yellow River burst in the area of ​​Zhengzhou. Chai Rong ordered Wu Yanzuo, envoy of Xuanhui South Court and former capital stayer, to organize dams and embankments to block the Yellow River. Chai Rong's condition will not improve for a while, but it seems that his life is not in danger.After returning to the capital, Chai Rong was still able to persist in his work, and he paid special attention to the situation in the Southern Tang Kingdom.He told Liu Congxiao, the envoy of the Qingyuan Festival of the Southern Tang Dynasty, that the Zhou Dynasty had just conquered the Southern Tang Dynasty, and should focus on softness and care, and he did not intend to set up another special organization in the capital of Kaifeng to govern the Southern Tang Dynasty, so as not to cause conflicts with the Southern Tang Dynasty. suspicion between.Chai Rong also asked the local officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty to continue to be loyal to the Southern Tang Dynasty, and not to rush to ask for instructions from the Zhou Dynasty to report their work.Living in peace in this way, the Zhou Dynasty showed grace and grace, the Southern Tang courtiers preserved their etiquette, and the original Southern Tang local officials were also convenient for loyalty and integrity. Chai Rong's words can be described as heartfelt words, well-intentioned, with only one purpose, to maintain and maintain the stability of Huainan, and to avoid misunderstanding and suspicion between the court and the vassal states. In a few days, Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty sent his son Li Congshan and his minister Zhong Mo to Bianliang to report to the Zhou Dynasty. Chai Rong asked Zhong Mo: "Is your country training the army and refurbishing its military equipment?" Zhong Mo replied cautiously: "Since we have surrendered to the Great Zhou Empire, we dare not repeat it, and we have not expanded our army to prepare for war." Chai Rong shook his head and said, "That's wrong. In the past, Zhou and Tang were countries of enemies, but now we are a family. The status of monarchs and ministers has been determined between us. I guarantee that there will be no other accidents. But things are impermanent. As for my death What will happen in the future is very difficult to predict. When you go back, tell the lord of your family: While I am alive, you can repair the city, train soldiers, buy weapons, and guard the key points, thinking that future generations will consider it.” Zhong Mo returned to Jinling and told Li Jing what Chai Rong had said.Li Jing was surprised for a long time, but didn't understand what Chai Rong meant.Although Li Jing wanted to expand the army and prepare for war, he was worried that this move would arouse the suspicion and retaliation of the Zhou Empire, so he did not dare to build up the army for a long time.Today, with Chai Rong's will, the Southern Tang Dynasty hastened to recruit troops, buy horses, accumulate grass and store grain to strengthen its war preparations. After reading history, the author sighed loudly for a long time, deeply admiring Zhou Shizong Chai Rong's spirit.His words are very calm, can be described as majestic, tolerant of the world, benevolent, far-reaching, open and aboveboard.Chai Rong revealed the true meaning of being an emperor, and protecting the environment and the people is the fundamental duty.He takes the whole world as one body, and no matter what form of destruction of human nature and trampling on people's livelihood is inappropriate, including conquest by enemy countries, disasters in one's own country, and jealousy of monarchs and ministers, they are all damage to society.Armed war is only a means, and peace is the goal.His interpretation of war has also reached the extreme. War is a contest of swords and spears, not an ulterior catharsis that tramples on human nature and the destruction of narrow self-interest. When I read on, I found that Sima Guang also praised Zhou Shizong Chai Rong generously.The excerpt is as follows: Chen Guang said: "Or ask the minister: 'The emperors of the Five Dynasties, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Tang Dynasty, and Emperor Shizong of the Zhou Dynasty were all called heroes and warriors. Which of the two masters is the virtuous?" Orders, one of its laws, honesty and faith, and those who love the people. After Zhuang Zong destroyed Liang, the whole country was shaken, and the Ma family in Hunan sent his son Xifan to pay tribute. Gao Yu took it.How can Yu get it if you have a son like this today? "Yu, the good assistant of the Ma family. Brother Xi Fan hoped to hear Zhuang Zong's words, and he killed his father's orders. It took a few years to be able to defeat a strong Liang with a weak Jin. It was not a few years ago that the outside and inside were rebellious, and they had nothing to do. It is true that you know the art of using troops, but you don’t know that it is the way of the world. Shizong used letters to control his officials and justice. In the various countries, Wang Huan was rewarded for not surrendering, Liu Renshan was praised for his persistence, Yan Xu was saved for his loyalty, Shu soldiers were punished for repeating themselves, Feng Dao was abandoned for being dishonest, and Zhang Mei was neglected for his personal kindness. Jiangnan was not convinced , then the relatives offend Shishi, and they are expected to be conquered. Once you obey, you will love him like a child, speak your sincerity, and be far-sighted. His grand rules and magnanimity, how can he speak the same Japanese as Zhuang Zong! Said: "Without bias, without party, Domineering. He also said: "The big state is afraid of its strength, and the small state cherishes its virtue." "Sejong is close!'" Chai Rong felt that the end of his destiny was approaching, even though he was unwilling. Chai Rong once asked his minister Wang Pu: "Wang Pu, you are good at divination. If you do the math, how long can I stay in power?" Wang Pu calculated for a while and replied, "Thirty." Chai Rong looked up to the sky and laughed loudly and said: "Thirty years is enough. I will use ten years to open up the world, ten years to recuperate the people, and ten years to bring peace." And now Chai Rong has only been sitting in the world for five years, he still has many ideals that have not been realized, and there are still many things to do.But fate is stronger than people, and Chai Rong had to accept his fate.He began to make arrangements for the funeral, conferring Empress Xiao Zhou as Empress, conferring Prince Chai Zongxun as King of Liang and leading General Zuowei, and conferring Prince Chai Zongrang as King of Yan and leading Zuo Xiaowei as General. Chai Rong readjusted the positions of civil servants, and named Wang Pu as his servant, so that Wang Pu and Fan Zhi could participate in the work of the Privy Council while leading civil affairs.The appointment of Wei Renpu as Zhongshu Shilang and Tongping Zhangshi, and the retention of the position of privy envoy is actually to give Wei Renpu the right to participate in the management of civil servants.Chai Rong allowed these first and auxiliary ministers to cross the military and political circles in terms of their positions, in order to disperse their power and check and balance each other.During the special period of the change of imperial power, avoid ministers arbitrarily making chaos. For the generals around him, Chai Rong also made arrangements, with Wu Yanzuo, envoy of Xuanhui South Academy, as General Zuo Xiaowei and Taifu of the school, enjoying the treatment of privy envoys.He was granted the title of Guide Jiedu envoy, and Han Tong, the capital of the bodyguard and army, was the inspector Taiwei, Tongping Zhangshi, and concurrently served as the deputy commander of the bodyguard and army.Zhang Yongde, the Jiedu envoy of Chanzhou, was appointed as the inspector Taiwei and Tongping Zhangshi, but he was removed from the post of inspection in front of the palace.Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to concurrently serve as the inspector and inspector in front of the palace, and took over Zhang Yongde's position in the Central Army. After making these arrangements, Chai Rong passed away at the age of thirty-nine. The eldest son of the emperor, Chai Zongxun, succeeded to the throne at the age of seven. Zhou Shizong died young. Zhou Empire's youngest son took over.