Chapter 228 Chapter 227 Shizu Chai Rong

Chai Rong, also known as Zhou Shizong, was born in Longgang, Xingzhou (now southwest of Xingtai, Hebei).He is the son of Chai Shouli, brother of Taizu Shengmu Empress (nephew of Taizu).He was adopted as a son because he stayed with his aunt in Taizu's house as a housekeeper for him when he was young.Born in the seventh year of Zhenming (AD 921) in Hou Liang, and died in June of the sixth year of Xiande (AD 959).39 years old. Chai Rong was born in Chaijia Manor in Xingzhou.Later, because his aunt had no children, Chai Rong was adopted by his aunt since he was a child and lived in Guo Wei's house.Guo Wei liked this nephew very much and regarded him as his own.

Chai Rong was smart and cautious when he was young.At that time, my uncle's family was not rich, and the financial situation was quite tight. Chai Rong often helped my aunt with housework.At that time, Guo Wei was a small errand as a "horse shop pawn" and sometimes went out to do business, which was very tiring.When Chai Rong was a little older, he went out to do business with his uncle and tried to give Guo Wei some extra income to supplement his family.Since he traveled to many places as a small peddler and came into contact with all kinds of people in the lower class, Chai Rong not only understood the sufferings of the people, but also saw the corruption and brutality of officials, and knew the long-standing evils of the society at that time.

Because Zhou Taizu Guo Wei served in the military for a long time, Chai Rong also learned eighteen kinds of martial arts from his uncle, especially good at riding and shooting, and was proficient in history books, gradually cultivating military and political talents.In the fourth year of Kaiyun (947 A.D.), Guo Wei assisted Liu Zhiyuan, the general of Houjin Township, to establish the post-Han regime, and was promoted to act as deputy privy envoy due to his meritorious service, and became the commander-in-chief of the post-Han Dynasty.Chai Rong also won the title of General of the Zuojian Guard.

In the third year of Qianyou (950 A.D.), Guo Wei led a heavy army to sit in Hebei, and served as a stay in Yedu (now Daming County, Hebei) as an envoy of the Tianxiong Army.Chai Rong was then appointed as the commander of Ya Neidu of Tianxiong Army to assist his uncle in commanding the army.In the second year, Guo Wei rebelled and captured Kaifeng. The hidden emperor Liu Chengyou was killed by Guo Wei's subordinates.Chai Rong served as the envoy of Chanzhou (now Puyang County, Henan Province) as the "Prince", and was granted the title of Marquis of Taiyuan County.This indicates that Chai Rong has a bright future.

Chai Rong sits in Chanzhou and is in charge of the military and political affairs of a state, so he can initially display his political ambitions.In his administration, politics is quite clear.The people of Chanzhou have been paying heavy taxes for many years. In addition to the regular tax, there are miscellaneous lessons and assignments of servants. The people are unbearable.Chai Rongzuo please release him, so that the burden on the people will be reduced, and life will gradually go on.Chai Rong's achievements in governance have won him a good reputation in the local area. Chai Rong won the favor of Guo Wei because of his political ability and reputation, but he was jealous of the powerful minister Wang Jun.Wang Jun once helped Guo Wei proclaim himself emperor. He was the privy envoy in charge of the country's soldiers and horses at that time, and he was quite politically ambitious.Chai Rong sat in the foreign domain, and repeatedly petitioned to join the court. Wang Jun was afraid that the military power would be seized by Chai Rong, so he obstructed it and tried his best to obstruct it.

Of course, Guo Wei trusted Chai Rong. Although he didn't keep Chai Rong in the court, he had always placed high hopes on him.When Murong Yanchao, the Jiedu envoy of Yanzhou, rebelled, Guo Wei once said to the officials: "If I don't go to the army myself, only my son in Chanzhou can do it." Guo Wei finally couldn't bear it because of his arrogance and disrespect, and deposed him to other places. Only then did Chai Rong return to Beijing, where he was named King of Jin and changed his official title to Yin of Kaifeng. After Guo Wei died, the throne naturally fell to Chai Rong.At this time, Chai Rong was 34 years old, and it was the time when he was young and full of vitality.

In February of the first year of Xiande (954 A.D.), not long after Chai Ronggang came to the throne, the enemy came from Luzhou (now Changzhi City, Shanxi). When the news came, the courtiers of Hou Zhou panicked.Chai Rong summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures, and proposed to conscript himself, but was strongly opposed by a group of veteran ministers headed by Prime Minister Feng Dao.He knew that there was nothing to discuss with such an old man, so he could only go out and fight a big victory to show them.As a result, in the battle of Gaoping, the Hou Zhou army won a complete victory.

The day after Gaoping's victory, Chai Rong entered Gaoping County and began to rectify the army.After discussing with general Zhang Yongde, he executed Fan Aineng, He Hui and more than 70 generals who had fled before the battle according to military law.The soldiers who surrendered to the enemy were also killed, which has never happened before.As a result, the atmosphere of the army has changed drastically, the brave generals know how to guard against fear, and the military prestige is even more invigorating. On May 3, Chai Rong personally led an army to surround Taiyuan City.Later Zhou's army was very powerful, but they were not prepared enough, and the city could not be attacked for a long time, so there was a problem with food and payment.It rained heavily for days, and by the beginning of June, the sergeants were exhausted and unable to fight.Chai Rong had no choice but to order his class teacher to return to the court, and all the states and counties he won were given up.But after all, it dealt a heavy blow to the regime of the Northern Han Dynasty, and also shattered the arrogance of the Khitan nobles.Since then, the Northern Han Dynasty has no longer been able to compete for the Central Plains.

Through this expedition, Chai Rong realized the importance of military discipline, and after returning to the capital, he carried out drastic work of rectifying the army.For those who have made great achievements in combat, they will be rewarded by officials. For example, Zhao Kuangyin, a former guard general, was promoted to the commander of the imperial army because of his combat effectiveness.Those who fled the battle in fear of the enemy will be punished.From then on, the military discipline of the Hou Zhou army was strict, and anyone who broke the law, no matter who they were, would be punished.

Chai Rong made a special rectification of the imperial guards. He ordered the generals to select the infantry and cavalry in the central army one by one, keep the strong ones, and eliminate the old, weak and timid ones.He also recruited strong men from all over the world, and recruited outlaws and brave men from the mountains and forests to serve as the imperial guards.This not only increased the strength of the imperial court, but also eliminated the danger of bandits. Through the reorganization of the army, the armed forces of the Central Committee of the Later Zhou Dynasty were strengthened, the imperial power was also strengthened, and the combat effectiveness of the army was greatly improved, which provided a good foundation for future campaigns. Chai Rong himself also sprouted the ambition to unify China.

Chai Rong succeeded Guo Wei and further implemented all-round reforms.The first is to recruit a group of enterprising talents.Chai Rong was thirsty for talents, so he issued an edict to ask for advice as soon as he came to the throne.He imitated Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and asked officials at all levels to seal their posts. Whatever they saw, they could write it down as a form and submit it. The talent of the country.It is said in the history books that Chai Rong "likes to pick talents out of the ordinary, and those who write letters from the common people, and those who are inferior to talk about things, are often used." To be recruited.For example, Wei Renpu was not born on the right track in the imperial examination, and Chai Rong ignored the opposition of everyone and made an exception to be the prime minister.Chai Rong also rectified the imperial examination.When Xiande took the Jinshi examination in the second year, the chief examiner of the Ministry of Rites followed the rules and did not make any choices. Chai Rong ordered a re-examination. As a result, only 4 of the 16 originally selected Jinshi passed the exam.Chai Rong also resumed the systemic examination, which had not been held for a long time, and widely searched for useful talents.Therefore, Chai Rong's court soon had a group of capable talents. Secondly, Chai Rong set out to clarify the administration of officials and vigorously opposed corruption.He himself was hard and simple since he was a child, and he still maintained a frugal style after he became emperor, and he refrained from extravagance in his life.He is not greedy for banquets, and all useless people in the palace will be eliminated, jewelry and treasures will be banned, and local officials are prohibited from paying tribute to sweet and fresh food.It also requires governments at all levels to suspend all non-urgent affairs to reduce the burden on the people.Because of Chai Rong's strict legal system, he tried his best to ensure that there were no excessive punishments and prison lawsuits, and his rule was further stabilized. To strengthen national strength, the development of agricultural production is a major event.In the month of Chai Rong's ascension to the throne, he issued an edict: all those who are old, weak, injured and willing to go home to farm in the army can be exempted from the army. This has changed the phenomenon that farmers have been bound to the army for many years since the Five Dynasties.In the same month, he ordered to appease the refugees from all over the country, and allocated the unowned wasteland to the refugees for farming, so that they could live and work in peace.Chai Rong also issued an edict to reduce or exempt taxes and implement a new tax law.In order to get more laborers, Chai Rong reached out to Buddhist monasteries.On May 6th of the second year of Xiande (AD 955), Chai Rong ordered the destruction of Buddhas. All Buddhist temples in the Houzhou area, except those with emperor's decree, were to be demolished. Only one temple was left in each county. Since then, the nobles were not allowed to ask for the construction of monasteries and ordained monks and nuns.After September of the fourth year of Xiande, Chai Rong planned to implement the reform of equal land rent.In the fifth year of Xiande, Chai Rong ordered a large-scale land survey and implemented equal rent.As a result, more than 42,000 hectares of hidden fields were discovered in Kaifeng alone.Land inspection dealt a heavy blow to landlords and cunning, reduced the tax burden of ordinary farmers, and increased the country's tax revenue, laying a material foundation for the unification of China in the Later Zhou Dynasty and even the Northern Song Dynasty.Chai Rong also paid attention to the construction of water conservancy.Chai Rong expanded the capital Kaifeng.Kaifeng had never been the capital before the Tang Dynasty. It was originally the military town of the Jiedushi. After Zhu Wen usurped the Tang Dynasty, it gradually became the political center of the Five Dynasties.In April of the second year of Xiande, Chai Rong ordered to expand the capital, widen the lanes and build the outer city.After mobilizing 100,000 migrant workers for three years, Kaifeng finally became a grand city, and finally became the capital of the whole country in the Northern Song Dynasty. This is also an achievement of Chai Rong. Chai Rong's political achievements are also reflected in cultural undertakings.He also did useful work in sorting out calendars, criminal laws, and music.Chai Rong once asked Wang Pu, who is proficient in calculus, to revise the calendar and make the "Xiandeqin Calendar", which was promulgated and used to replace the previous chaotic calendars.Chai Rong also ordered the ministers to compile a new law called "Da Zhou Xing Tong" and promulgate it.Chai Rong also asked Dou Yan to study Zhengya music, and Wang Pu also knew music. Chai Rong often discussed relevant issues with Wang Pu in person, so that the music of the Tang Dynasty that had been lost for many years was restored and spread to the Song Dynasty.Chai Rong also opened a history museum. In the third year of Xiande, he ordered the historian Zhang Zhao and others to edit the real records of Taizu Guo Wei, and edited the real records of Zhu Youzhen, the last emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty, Li Conghou, the last emperor of the later Tang Dynasty, and Li Congke, the last emperor, to fill in many gaps. .Chai Rong also issued an edict to search for suicide notes, so that the scattered folk classics can be preserved in the National History Museum; organized scribes to collate 30 volumes of "Classic Interpretations" written by Lu Deming in the Tang Dynasty, and engraved and printed them in the world.Chai Rong had not been emperor for a long time, and he was able to pay attention to the development of cultural undertakings when he was busy with all kinds of affairs, which was extremely rare among the emperors of the Five Dynasties. After several years of continuous reforms, the state of Zhou became rich and the people strong.So Chai Rong led his troops to conquer the north and south, and began the journey to unify China. Chai Rong adopted the idea of ​​attacking Jianghuai and Jiangzuo Nantang first.Before attacking the Southern Tang Dynasty, Chai Rong's advance general took back the four prefectures of Qin, Feng, Cheng and Jie (all in present-day Gansu Province) from Houshu. Qinfeng and other four prefectures did not enter Houshu during the Later Jin Dynasty.Later, Meng Chang, the lord of Shu, had a harsh government, and the people of Shu were resentful, and the people in these four prefectures were in dire straits.The people hated the Houshu regime, and sent people to Kaifeng many times to ask Houzhou to recover the old land.In April of the second year of Xiande, Chai Rong dispatched troops to attack the four prefectures. In May, Jiedu envoy Wang Jing led his army to attack from Dahuan Pass in Shaanxi Province, and captured Huangniuzhai and other places east of Qinzhou.In November, the Hou Zhou army finally conquered Fengzhou, captured the enemy Jiedu envoy Wang Huan, and recovered the land of the four states.Chai Rong ordered the people of the four prefectures to be exempted from all miscellaneous taxes except the two taxes, and the tyranny of Houshu was abolished, and the local people were overjoyed. After stabilizing the western border, Chai Rong did not take advantage of the victory to overthrow Meng Chang's regime in Sichuan due to the difficult road to Shu. Instead, he turned his troops to the Southern Tang Dynasty, which occupied the Jianghuai area. In November of the second year of Xiande, Chai Rong appointed Li Gu as the deployment of the marching capital of Huainan Road, and Wang Yanchao as the deputy deployment, leading the forbidden army to attack Shouzhou (now Shouxian County, Anhui).Chai Rong was very concerned about the front line. In the first month of Xiande's third year, he decided to take command of this important battle in person.Later Zhou's army won its first major victory since leaving the army. Chai Rong also rushed to Zhengyang not long after. He inspected the battlefield and thought that the enemy should not be given a chance to breathe, so he led his army to surround Shouzhou again.At this time, Jiangbei Prefectures and counties in the Southern Tang Dynasty were all under the vanguard of the Later Zhou army, and the situation was already very difficult. However, Liu Renshan, the defender of Shouzhou, was a famous general in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and he did not surrender.After Zhou's army could not attack for a long time, Chai Rong left part of the army to besiege the city, and the rest divided up to conquer the states and counties between Jianghuai and Jianghuai in the Southern Tang Dynasty.In February, Chai Rong ordered Zhao Kuangyin to attack the Nantang Huangfuhui army in Chuzhou. Zhao Kuangyin was a capable general under Chai Rong's command.Chai Rong also ordered Han Lingkun to lead his troops to attack Yangzhou and Taizhou, all the way to the Yangtze River.By March, the Hou Zhou army had captured most of the cities and towns north of the Southern Tang River, leaving Shouzhou even more isolated. Although the Hou Zhou army actually occupied the vast land of the Jianghuai River, Shouzhou was still unable to capture it. In addition to the hot and rainy weather, Chai Rong decided to stay in Xiangxun and sit in Yangzhou. Li Chongjin continued to besiege Shouzhou, and he set off for Beijing on May 10. , and then deploy it with the graph. After Chai Rong returned to Kaifeng, he began to organize the navy.He selected hundreds of sailors from the Southern Tang Dynasty to teach water warfare. After several months of rigorous training, an elite navy was built, which challenged the Southern Tang Dynasty's water superiority.Xiang Xun, the governor of Huainan in the later Zhou Dynasty, felt that Yangzhou would not last long, so he proposed to Chai Rong to retreat to Yangzhou and attack Shouzhou with all his strength.As a result, the Hou Zhou army between the Jianghuai and Huaihe Rivers gathered around Shouzhou City and attacked with all their strength, but they still failed to capture it.At this critical moment, Chai Rong did not allow the frontline troops to retreat, but went to the frontline for the second time to supervise the battle in person.In February of the fourth year of Xiande (957 A.D.), Chai Rong led the army to the south, and sent General Wang Huan of Youraowei to lead the newly built navy to enter the Huaihe River along the Yingshui River and go straight to the enemy's position.In March, Chai Rong came to the front line of Shouzhou in armor, commanded the battle in person, and ordered his navy to chase after him with full sail, and the cavalry also pursued and fought fiercely across the river. Therefore, the peripheral troops of the Southern Tang Dynasty who aided Shouzhou were defeated. By the time of the total annihilation, more than 40,000 people had been wiped out and captured, and countless warships and weapons had been captured.At this time, the Southern Tang army in Shouzhou City was like ants on a hot pot, not knowing what to do. The guard Liu Renshan fell seriously ill and was unable to manage the army, so his subordinates surrendered in Kaesong.Chai Rong finally occupied this strategic location and won a brilliant victory. Chai Rong ordered the troops to rest for a while, and ordered the areas within 50 miles of Shouzhou City to be exempted from paying the two taxes, opened warehouses for relief, and implemented amnesty, stabilizing the rule of the newly occupied area. After a few months of rest, in October of Xiande's fourth year, Chai Rong went to the Southern Tang Dynasty for the third time, with the goal of seizing all the land in the Jianghuai area.This time, Chai Rong not only brought horses, infantry, and sailors, but also a troop of camels from the north.At that time, the Southern Tang Dynasty set up defenses against the Huai River in Haozhou. In November, when the Zhou army arrived in Haozhou, Chai Rong ordered the soldiers to cross the Huaihe River on camels. The Southern Army had never seen this kind of warfare. His face turned pale with fright, he threw away his helmet and armor and fled. Chai Rong's army of water and land entered the Yangtze River, directly threatening the Jiangnan area of ​​the Southern Tang Dynasty. The Southern Tang regime was almost powerless to resist and was on the verge of collapse.Li Jing had no choice but to send envoys again to ask for peace with Chai Rong, dedicating all the land in the north of the Yangtze River, expressing his willingness to send the four prefectures of Lu, Shu, Qi, and Huang to Hou Zhou, and draw the Yangtze River as the boundary.Later Zhou's army had been fighting in Jianghuai for many years, and Chai Rong was also worried that if he went to Jiangnan again, the Khitan would attack from behind, so he accepted Nantang's surrender and signed an alliance with Nantang. Chai Rong embarked on a new journey one year after capturing the 14 states in the Southern Tang and Jiangbei regions.In March of the sixth year of Xiande, Chai Rong personally led the Northern Expedition.In April, when Chai Rong arrived in Cangzhou, he marched straight to the border. Wang Hong, the Khitan governor of Ningzhou, was the first to surrender the city.Winning the city without fighting greatly boosted the morale of the Hou Zhou army. The Han people in the 16 prefectures have been enslaved and humiliated by the Khitan nobles for many years, and they have long hoped for the arrival of the Central Plains army, so there are many people welcoming them.In the latter Zhou Dynasty, the army had strict discipline and was welcomed by the people everywhere.After Chai Rong ordered the Zhou army to speed up their march, the army quickly arrived at Yijin Pass (now Ba County, Hebei), and the Khitan defender Zhong Yanhui surrendered again.Later Zhou's army won another important pass without bloodshed.At this time, the waterway gradually died down, and Chai Rong ordered the Zhou army to move forward on foot. Soon, general Zhao Kuangyin led a large force to Waqiaoguan (now Xiong County, Hebei), and Khitan guard Yao Neibin, a Han Chinese, surrendered the city again.Then, Hou Zhou's army resumed Yukou Pass.The recovery of the three passes put Houzhou in a very favorable strategic position.Soon, Liu Chuxin, the governor of Khitan Mozhou, and Gao Yanhui, the governor of Yingzhou, surrendered their cities one after another.It has only been more than 40 days since Chai Rong sent troops, and he has hardly fought much. He has recovered three passes, a total of 3 states and 17 counties, and a household registration of 18,360.Chai Rong's general Dingzhou Jiedu envoy Sun Xingyou also captured Yizhou and captured the enemy governor Li Zaqin.Zhang Zangying, the commander of another general, also captured Gu'an County. At the moment when Hou Zhou's army was attacking fiercely and marching smoothly, Chai Rong suddenly fell ill, and the offensive had to be stopped. This day was May 2nd. Chai Rong held a feast for the generals, calling on everyone to fight hard and move forward in order to regain all the lost ground in the 16 states.At night, Chai Rong fell ill and had to go back to his teacher.Chai Rong made some deployments at the recovered three passes, ordered generals to guard them, and returned to Kaifeng by himself, and the Northern Expedition came to an end. On May 30th of the sixth year of Xiande (959 A.D.), Chai Rong returned to Kaifeng by car and took care of some government affairs due to illness.He made Fu's family the queen, made the young emperor's eldest son Chai Zongxun the king of Liang, and made him the general of the left guard.The second son, Zong Rang, was granted the title of Duke Yan and served as General Zuo Xiaowei.Also promoted and appointed some officials and generals. During his illness, Chai Rong still talked about going to the Northern Expedition, hoping to go on another journey, but his condition became more and more serious, and he died of illness on the couch on June 18.Posthumously titled "Emperor Ruiwu Xiaowen" and temple named "Sejong", he was buried in Qingling. Before he died, Chai Rong left a will, making his eldest son Chai Zongxun, king of Liang, emperor, and Zongxun was only 6 years old at that time.