Later Zhou Taizu, formerly known as Guo Shoujing, the word Xiyi, a native of Kaifeng, Henan, was the founding emperor of the Later Zhou during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and after his illustrious military career, he usurped the Later Han Dynasty in 947 and established the Later Zhou. The scene of Guo Wei's usurpation of the throne is recorded as dramatic in history, when he was forced to ascend the throne by his subordinates at a banquet, and at the age of 47, he tearfully accepted the emperor's throne, seemingly reluctant.
Guo Wei did not come from a prominent background, he was born into a small peasant family, and with his military skills and political skills, he gradually rose to the center of power in five generations of troubled times. In the Later Han Dynasty, Guo Wei successively held a number of important positions, including guarding Taiyuan, leading the military guards, etc., and gradually assembled a powerful army. Due to Guo Wei's outstanding military exploits against the Khitan (Liao) in the Later Han Dynasty, as well as the self-corruption and chaos within the Later Han Dynasty, the conditions were created for Guo Wei to usurp the throne.
After usurping the throne, Guo Wei became "Zhou Taizu" and called himself "Later Zhou", creating a relatively short but relatively stable period. Compared with other regimes in the previous five dynasties, Guo Wei adopted a series of reform measures in domestic affairs, such as weakening the military power of the separatist forces, implementing land policies to ease the burden on peasants, establishing schools to promote the spread of knowledge, reforming the civil bureaucratic system, and restoring centralized power to a certain extent.
However, while suppressing a rebellious general, Guo Wei died of illness in 951. During his reign, he confronted the impending problems behind him. As an emperor with no direct heirs, Guo Wei decided in his last will to pass the throne to his son-in-law, Chai Rong, a member of the clan, which was quite unusual in the political environment of the time. At the time, it seemed that he was trying to maintain the stability of the regime and avoid civil strife, or it was because he believed that Chai Rong had the ideal ability to govern the country.
After Chai Rong succeeded to the throne, he did successfully maintain and develop the Later Zhou until his death, when the throne was usurped by Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, marking the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty. Although Guo Wei's decision during his lifetime did not make the Later Zhou Dynasty a long-term regime, it reflected his political insight and concern for the long-term stability of the country.
Guo Wei's life is a typical heroic image of the rise of troubled times, and his story reflects the complex and changeable political situation and personal destiny during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Perhaps the biggest lesson he left to history is that even expedient measures in extraordinary times cannot escape the long river of history, and in the long run, only by truly improving people's livelihood and national governance can we ensure the longevity and prosperity of the country.
Although Guo Wei's decision was unexpected, it was also reasonable. He was a thoughtful emperor who understood that only the most suitable people could inherit his throne and was really worth learning from Xi.