Liu Zhiyuan

Liu Zhiyuan

Liu Zhiyuan (895-948) changed his name to Liu Zhen after he ascended the throne

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Taiyuan county (now Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province) people. The founding emperor of the later Han Dynasty (947-948).

When Liu Zhiyuan was young, he was thick and speechless. He had a special face. He was brave and good at fighting. When he followed Li Siyuan, emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and Shi Jingtang, emperor of the Jin Dynasty, he was quite successful in fighting and opposed to being a minister to Khitan. In 947, Liu Zhiyuan became emperor. During the reign, the local separatist regimes became powerful, but the imperial court was difficult to control. Moreover, the greedy people under them gradually formed a bad government, and the tax collection became disastrous.

In the first month of the first year of Qianyou (948), he died of illness in Wansui hall. At the age of 54, he was named emperor Gaozu and Emperor zhaosuxiao. He was buried in Ruiling.

Life of the characters

Follow Jingtang

Liu Zhiyuan was born in the second year of qianning (895) of emperor Zhaozong of Tang Dynasty. He was calm and solemn since childhood, and was not easy to play. In his youth, when Li Keyong and Li Cunxu were under the separate rule of Taiyuan, Liu Zhiyuan was a soldier under Li Siyuan, Li Keyong's adopted son (later Ming Zong of Tang Dynasty). At that time, Shi Jingtang was the Minister of Li Siyuan. In the battle, Liu Zhiyuan ignored his life and death and rescued Shi Jingtang twice. Shi Jingtang loved him, and with his contribution to the protection, he asked Liu Zhiyuan to stay in his own account and become a dental school.

In 936, Liu Zhiyuan moved to Wenyang and was promoted to commander of mabujun. In the same year, Shi Jingtang helped Liu Zhiyuan and other people to plan, under the guise of the Khitan army, to eliminate the later Tang Dynasty, to become emperor in Taiyuan, and to establish the later Jin Dynasty, which was the ancestor of the Jin Dynasty. In order to repay Khitan's help, Shi Jingtang ceded the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun to Khitan, and said that Yelv Deguang, 11 years younger than him, was his father. Liu Zhiyuan didn't agree with Shi Jingtang's practice. He thought: "it's enough to be a minister to Khitan, but it's too much to be a son. He sent more gold and silk to help Liao soldiers instead of giving permission to cede land. Ceding land will cause endless trouble in the future." Sure enough, Shi Jingtang ceded the sixteen prefectures of Youyun to Qidan. From then on, the door of the Central Plains was open and there was no danger to defend.

After the establishment of the later Jin Dynasty, Liu Zhiyuan, with his military and political ability and meritorious service, successively served as the commander of the school inspector general, the bodyguard mabudu, the spot inspector accompanying the six armed forces, the Jiedushi of Xuzhou, the Jiedushi of Zhuzhou, the Taifu of the school inspector, the left behind envoy of Beijing (today's Taiyuan), the Jiedushi of Hedong, etc.

Aspire to the world

Shi Jingtang became emperor for seven years and died in 942. The adopted son Shi Chonggui ascended the throne for the later Jin Dynasty. Liu Zhiyuan also moved to the imperial master of the Imperial College and was promoted to the position of Zhongshu.

In the first year of the later Jin Dynasty (944), Yelu Deguang, the leader of Khitan, led his army to the south, and the army went straight to Danzhou, where he sent General Wei Wang to lead the army into Yanmen pass. Liu Zhiyuan, as an envoy of Youzhou Daoxing camp, broke the Weiwang in Xinkou, moved to Taiyuan, and concurrently served as the commander of the northern camp. Then he killed a total of 400 people from five tribes, including Tuyuhun, Bai Chengfu, and so on. Wang Yizong of another tribe led the rest of the five tribes, and broke Qidan in yangwuguan, Shuozhou. During this period, Liu Zhiyuan's main intention was to dominate Hedong and achieve the king's career. Therefore, he took the imperial court's imperial edict for granted. On the one hand, he refused to be dispatched and could not stay in the war. On the other hand, he took the initiative to attack.

On the first day of the first month of the fourth year of Kaiyun in the later Jin Dynasty (947), Khitan invaded the capital and captured Shi Chonggui, the young emperor of the later Jin Dynasty, who went north and perished. On February 1, yelud Guangban, who had the ceremonial clothes of the Han nationality, went to the Chongyuan hall to accept the worship. He ordered that the state of Jin should be changed into the state of Liao, and the whole world should be pardoned. He called the year as the 10th year of Huitong. Liu Zhiyuan sent his teeth to surrender Wang Jun to Khitan. Yelu Deguang ordered him to praise him, calling him his son and giving him a stick. According to Khitan's etiquette, valuable ministers can get this kind of reward, just like giving holiday according to Han etiquette. Wang Jun is holding a wooden crutch. When Khitan people see him, they all go to the roadside to avoid him. After Wang Jun came back, he told Liu Zhiyuan that Khitan was in political chaos and could not capture the Central Plains, so he discussed the establishment of the people's Republic of China.

The founding of the people's Republic of China

At this time, He Jian, the governor of Qinzhou, returned to houshu. On February 12, the fourth year of Kaiyun in the later Jin Dynasty (947), Zhang Yanwei, the commander of the Hedong March army, and his civil and military generals, believed that there was no master in the Central Plains, and Liu Zhiyuan's prestige grew stronger and stronger. They wrote to persuade him to ascend the throne of God, but Liu Zhiyuan refused. After that, all the officials wrote to him three times, and the generals and senior officials of the army earnestly asked one by one, and then they issued a letter of acceptance. On the 15th, Liu Zhiyuan decided the right time to become emperor in Taiyuan and established the post Han regime. He didn't immediately change the name of the country, but abandoned the year of Kaiyun and replaced it with Shi Jingtang's, which was called the twelfth year of Tianfu. Then, Liu Zhiyuan issued an imperial edict to forbid taking money and silk for Khitan Kuo, to comfort the local people who defended the area and armed against Liao, and to put all Khitan people in all walks of life to death. So the old ministers of Jin Dynasty surrendered one after another.

In June of the same year, Liu Zhiyuan entered Kaifeng and established his capital. His name was changed to he, his name was changed to Han, and the 13th year of Tianfu was changed to the first year of Qianyou. Liu Zhiyuan decisively adopted queen Li's suggestion. Instead of relying on the wealth of the people to reward the army, he took out all the wealth of the palace to reward the soldiers, which really won the hearts of the people. After the Khitan army entered the Central Plains, it plundered property and killed innocent people everywhere in the name of "Grass Valley". The people in the Central Plains resisted constantly. Yelu Deguang was forced to withdraw from the north and left Xiaogan to guard Bianjing. Liu Zhiyuan saw the right time and adopted Guo Wei's correct suggestion of "going south from Fenshui to take Henan and then to make the world better". He ordered Shi Hongzhao to take the lead and move his troops southward Xiang Wudi soon won Luoyang and Bianjing. After Liu Zhiyuan stabilized the situation in the Central Plains, he ordered Du Chongwei of Weizhou to move to the town of guide (now Shangqiu south, Henan Province), and exchanged with Gao Xingzhou, the former governor of guide. Du Chongwei disobeyed his orders. Liu Zhiyuan ordered Gao Xingzhou and Murong Yanchao to lead the army to attack Du Chongwei. Du Chongwei vowed to defend the city to the death, but the Han army failed for a long time On November 27, Du Chongwei went out of the city to surrender. Liu Zhiyuan was faithful to his words. He did not kill Du Chongwei. He was appointed as the imperial master of the school, the imperial master of the state of Chu, the Minister of Zhongshu, and the Duke of Chu. So far, the central plains were basically calm.

Care for the orphans

In the first month of the first year of Qianyou (948), Liu Zhiyuan was seriously ill because of the death of his eldest son Liu Chengxun. He called Shi Hongzhao, Wang Zhang, Su Fengji, Guo Wei and others to Tuogu. Before he died, Liu Zhiyuan thought Du Chongwei was capricious, so he instructed Tuogu minister to get rid of him. Then he died. He was 54 years old. He was posthumously named Emperor Wu Zhaosu, the sage of Ruiwen, and was buried in Ruiling. His son, Liu Chengyou, succeeded to the throne as the hidden emperor of the later Han Dynasty.

Historical evaluation

Xue Juzheng and others wrote in the history of the Old Five Dynasties: "in the past, the emperor brought disaster, and there was no monarch in the Xia Dynasty. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty started to merge Fen and Trent to bianluo. He took advantage of the emptiness to get the artifact. Because of the chaos, there was an emperor's plan. Although it was said that people planned, it was due to the Apocalypse of heaven. However, when the emperor came to Rongfan in the past, he was short of the expectation of things, but he was not tired of people's hearts. He was just a great help to save the drowning people, and could not be expected to come to the Soviet Union. Liang Yi is eager to stop killing, but has no time to worship benevolence. Yan Ji came down to his division and was killed because of the company's camp. Yetai rebelled against the commander and made a living by closing the base. Cover Fu Yu to obedient side, so that the expedition does not stop. And huiluan, looking for the name of Daowu, so although it has the name of Yingyun, it has not been seen as the virtue of the king. "

After supporting Shi Jingtang to fight back the attack of the later Tang Dynasty, Yelv Deguang recommended Liu Zhiyuan to Shi Jingtang: "this general is very brave. Don't give up at will in the future."

Sima Guang's Zi Zhi Tong Jian: it's not benevolent for Han Gaozu to kill five hundred innocent people in Youzhou; it's not believing to lure Zhang lian to kill them; it's not punishing for Du Chongwei's crimes. Benevolence is to unite the public, faith is to execute orders, and punishment is to punish traitors! It's appropriate that the luck of Zuo should not be delayed!

Anecdotes and allusions

Exchange horses to save each other

When Liu Zhiyuan was a child, he was very introverted, and he was usually quiet. Because of his weak constitution, he often got sick. Also, his eyes are more white and less black, and his face is purple and black, which gives people a very dignified feeling. Because of his living difficulties, he had to go to a big family named Li to be his son-in-law. In feudal society, this kind of son-in-law was called a redundant son-in-law. His social status was almost at the bottom and he was discriminated against. During a horse herding, because the horse trampled on the crops of the temple, he was tied up and beaten by the monks. Liu Zhiyuan is not willing to spend his whole life in this way, so he looks for opportunities to go out and do some business.

Before long, Liu Zhiyuan became a soldier under Li Siyuan's command. Because of his bravery, he was promoted to a partial general and worked with Shi Jingtang. When Li Siyuan and Houliang troops fought fiercely against the German victory Army (now Puyang, Henan Province) on the Bank of the Yellow River, Shi Jingtang's waistcoat broke suddenly and was almost overtaken by Liang troops. At this time, Liu Zhiyuan changed his horse to Shi Jingtang, and he rode on Shi Jingtang's horse to cover Shi Jingtang's retreat. After that, Shi Jingtang was very grateful to him for giving up his life to save him. After Li Siyuan became emperor and appointed him as the governor of Hedong, Shi Jingtang wanted Liu Zhiyuan to serve under his command as the governor and became his confidant.

Taishan stone

At the end of the late Tang Dynasty, when Li Congke and Li conghou fought for the throne, Shi Jingtang also led the troops to the capital. On the way, they met Li conghou who fled. Shi Jingtang and Li conghou went to the house to have a secret talk. Liu Zhiyuan secretly sent Shi Gan, a warrior, to protect him. Shi Gan hid a hammer in his sleeve and stood behind him. Finally, Li conghou's entourage thinks that Shi Jingtang doesn't mean to protect Li conghou loyally, so he stabs Shi Jingtang with his sword. Shi Gan hides Shi Jingtang in a nearby room and blocks the door with a huge wood. When Liu Zhiyuan hears that the leader rushes in, Shi Gan is dead, so Liu Zhiyuan takes Li conghou out

Chinese PinYin : Liu Zhi Yuan