Expert examination confirmed that Zhao lied to the Chai family
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was a chaotic period in Chinese history, and after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the curtain of this period was officially opened. In 951 AD, Guo Wei, a military general of the Later Han Dynasty, overthrew the Hidden Emperor Liu Chengyou and established the Later Zhou regime on the grounds that the Qing monarch was on the side.
However, the trick of fate caused Guo Wei to die after only three years of reign. What's even more embarrassing is that his two sons died in Bianliang in the Later Han Dynasty. In such desperation, Guo Wei had no choice but to establish his adopted son Guo Rong as his successor, this is Zhou Shizong.
Although Chai Rong was not born to Guo Wei, the fate of the two was similar, they were both forced to the throne, and they both died young. After Chai Rong's death, his fourth son, Chai Zongxun, inherited the throne, but became a puppet in troubled times.
Soon after, Zhao Kuangyin launched a mutiny and seized the throne, which was actually the best move for Guo Wei. After Zhao Kuangyin usurped the throne, he promised to treat Chai Rong's family well, and this story was also depicted in "Water Margin".
However, after the research of experts, it was found that this story was not true, and the Chai family had long since lost their children and grandchildren.
Zhao Kuangyin was depressed and uncertain when he was young, but he was sponsored by an old monk during his stay in Xiangyang Temple. The old monk gave him a sum of money and told him that if he went all the way north, he would definitely get a higher official position.
So Zhao Kuangyin followed the advice of the old monk and went north to join the army of the privy envoy Guo Wei. Guo Wei conducted severe training and tests on Zhao Kuangyin, and finally succeeded in cultivating Zhao Kuangyin into an outstanding general.
In 950, Guo Wei staged a mutiny in the name of the Qing monarch, but Liu Chengyou, the Emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, killed his family, which strengthened his revolt. In less than a year, the Later Han army was defeated, and Guo Wei invaded the capital.
Liu Chengyou was killed by his men while escaping, and Liu Yun was made emperor but imprisoned by Guo Wei. Guo Wei asked the Empress Dowager Li Sanniang to listen to the government, and she became a prisoner. At this time, the Later Han Dynasty had already existed in name only.
In the first month of 951, the Khitan went south. When Guo Wei learned the news, he immediately led his army north. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, as soon as the troops arrived in Lanzhou, Guo Wei put on a yellow robe. After returning to Kaifeng, Guo Wei was officially proclaimed emperor, and the country was called Da Zhou (later known as Hou Zhou).
Liu Yun was secretly poisoned, and Li Sanniang was imprisoned and died of illness three years later. Obviously, Zhao Kuangyin, as Guo Wei's subordinate, also participated in these things, which had a profound impact on his yellow robe.
After Guo Wei ascended the throne as emperor, Zhao Kuangyin was awarded the deputy commander of Huazhou and the head of the east and west classes for his heroic battles. Although these two positions may seem insignificant, they are extremely important, especially the head of the East and West Class, which is equivalent to the chief guard of the Beijing Division.
And Guo Wei handed over the important task of protecting his life to Zhao Kuangyin, which is enough to show his deep trust in Zhao Kuangyin. However, what really made Zhao Kuangyin soar was the change in Chai Rong's identity.
When Guo Wei invaded Kaifeng, Chai Rong was adopted as a righteous son, indicating that Chai Rong might become the next emperor of the Later Zhou. Zhao Kuangyin saw this, and seized the opportunity to have frequent relationships with Chai Rong, and the two often drank together and competed in martial arts.
Although Zhao Kuangyin often lost in these competitions, his courage and honesty won Chai Rong's appreciation and trust. After Guo Wei's death, Chai Rong succeeded to the throne, and Zhao Kuangyin was appointed as the commander of the forbidden army, and the relationship between the two was further strengthened.
Chai Rong's impression of Zhao Kuangyin changed completely, and he was convinced that Zhao Kuangyin was a loyal and trustworthy partner.
After Guo Wei's death, the Khitan and the Northern Han jointly launched an attack on the Later Zhou. Chai Rong learned of this news and decided to go out in person. In Gaoping Chengba Park, Zezhou, the two armies engaged in a fierce battle.
According to common sense, the emperor should be able to win the battle in person. However, Fan Aineng, the commander of the Right Route Army of the Later Zhou Dynasty, was greedy for life and afraid of death, and fled in the battle, which was a taboo for the soldiers, causing the Later Zhou army to fall into chaos in an instant.
At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin raised his arms and shouted: "The emperor is in danger, we should fight to the death!" He led his men to charge the right side of the enemy army with great bravery.
The general, Zhang Yongde, also launched an arrow attack from the high ground on the left of the enemy. Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde worked together to form a flanking attack, and the Northern Han army was scattered, collapsed, and retreated.
After that, Zhao Kuangyin took advantage of the victory to pursue and fought all the way to Taiyuan, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty, but unfortunately, he was shot in the arm by an arrow. Chai Rong felt sorry for him and immediately ordered Ming Jin to withdraw his troops.
Zhao Kuangyin's bravery and fearlessness on the battlefield have long been a good story in the army. After Chai Rong returned to the court, he rewarded the heroes, and Zhao Kuangyin was therefore named the Marquis of Yu and the Assassin of Yanzhou in front of the palace, and became the third in command of the front division of the palace.
In the next few years, Zhao Kuangyin fought bravely for Chai Rong in the bloody rain. He defeated Houshu in the west and captured the four prefectures of Qin, Feng, Cheng, and Jie; destroyed the Southern Tang Dynasty in the south, and incorporated the fourteen prefectures of Jiangbei and Huainan into the territory of the Later Zhou Dynasty; Defeating the Liao State in the north, Lianke Sanguan and Sanzhou, further expanding the territory of the Later Zhou.
Zhao Kuangyin was therefore named the commander of the front of the palace and promoted to the second in command of the front division of the palace. If Chai Rong can lead Hou Zhou to continue to move forward and recover the Central Plains, it is not impossible to dominate the world.
However, just when Chai Rongchun was proud, the accident happened again.
A mysterious cowhide bag changed the fate of Zhao Kuangyin and Chai Rong. On the way back to the Khitan army during the Northern Expedition, Chai Rong received a cowhide bag, and when he opened it, there was a wooden board inside, on which was written "Check as the Son of Heaven".
When Chai Rong was reading the Quartet Papers, he also got a similar Wei Nang, which also had a wooden board with the same words written on it. This made Chai Rong break out in a cold sweat, because he knew that the inspection was referring to the position of the front of the palace, and he was the supreme leader of the Later Zhou Forbidden Army.
And when this plank appeared, it was Zhang Yongde, who cooperated with Zhao Kuangyin in the Battle of Gaoping, who was Chai Rong's cousin-in-law. This seems to be a hint from the heavens: Zhang Yongde has a rebellious heart.
However, Chai Rong was not gullible because of this. He decided to investigate for himself to verify the authenticity of this plank. Eventually, he discovered that it was a rumor, and Zhang Yongde had always been loyal to his duty and did not betray Hou Zhou.
This mysterious cowhide pocket, although it once brought fear to Chai Rong, ultimately proved his wisdom and decisiveness.
As for whether Zhang Yongde has a rebellious heart, Chai Rong is not sure. Therefore, he decided to put prevention first, replaced Zhang Yongde's position for a seemingly reasonable reason, and promoted Zhao Kuangyin, who had been focusing on military affairs and had never participated in any battles in the officialdom, to the second-in-command of the palace front division.
As for the wooden board that led to speculation, later generations had different opinions, some said that it was Zhao Kuangyin who did it, because he replaced Zhang Yongde; Some people also think that Li Chongjin did it, because he is the head of the guard department, and Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde have always had a bad relationship.
However, the author prefers that Zhao Kuangyin was the maker of the planks, as his subsequent actions seem to confirm this. However, no matter who made the planks, after Zhao Kuangyin served as a spot checker, the saying that "spot check is the son of heaven" seems to indicate his future fate.
And Chai Rong didn't know that his decision to promote Zhao Kuangyin actually laid a hidden danger for his 7-year-old son.
Chai Rong died suddenly, leaving the young Chai Zongxun to succeed him. Since Chai Rong failed to appoint an auxiliary minister, Empress Dowager Fu and Prime Minister Fan Zhen were appointed as temporary rulers. However, Empress Dowager Fu didn't know anything about government affairs, and Fan Zhen's personality was impatient and incompetent.
In this case, Zhao Kuangyin, who had a heavy army, began to act.
Soon after Zhao Kuangyin succeeded to the throne, he began to secretly carry out large-scale adjustments to important positions in the army. He replaced the former deputy capital inspection of the forbidden army palace with his young friend Murong Yanzhao, and the marquis of Yu in front of the palace gave Bu Yi to Wang Xianqi.
In addition, several of Zhao Kuangyin's brothers also received various positions in the army. In terms of Li Chongjin's guards, Zhao Kuangyin also made adjustments, and he conspired with Empress Dowager Fu to transfer Li Chongjin to other places and let his friend Han Lingkun take over.
At this point, the entire forbidden army has almost become Zhao Kuangyin's private army. Although Zhao Kuangyin claimed that he had no second thoughts, his brothers in the military camp did not believe it. Everyone is waiting for the time, and the time is coming.
On the first day of the first month of 960 AD, the Later Zhou court suddenly spread the news that the Khitan would unite with the Northern Han Dynasty to attack. Although Fan Zhen and other prime ministers did not verify the authenticity, they still hurriedly let Zhao Kuangyin lead the army north.
When Zhao Kuangyin's army marched to Chenqiaoyi, the sergeants who followed him showed a tacit smile. At the same time, the children in the capital sang a ballad that came out of nowhere: "On the day of leaving the army, you should be the son of heaven."
Looking at Zhao Kuangyin again, he pretended to be drunk at this time, lying on the desk, and his younger brother Zhao Kuangyi found a dragon robe that he got out of nowhere and draped it on the drunk Zhao Kuangyin.
In the cheers of everyone, Zhao Kuangyin was "forced" to ascend the throne.
The original plan was for Zhao Kuangyin to defend against the Khitan and Northern Han coalition forces as emperor, but he returned to Kaifeng with his army. At this time, the front division of the palace had all been attached to Zhao Kuangyin, and only the deputy commander of the guard division was still resisting, but he could not resist Zhao Kuangyin's army.
After Zhao Kuangyin entered the court, Prime Minister Fan Zhen immediately surrendered, and the little emperor Chai Zongxun was forced to issue an abdication edict, was demoted to King Zheng, and lived in the West Palace with Empress Dowager Fu. These incidents further confirmed that the rumors of being the Son of Heaven may have been spread by Zhao Kuangyin, so as to pave the way for his future ascension to the throne and make his ascension to the throne seem logical.
After Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne, he vowed to treat his old club Hou Zhou well. He ordered someone to draft an edict: "The Queen Mother and the Lord, I will treat them in the same way as worshipping from the north, and you must not disturb them." ”
History of the Song Dynasty Taizu Benji" and erected a monument as an oath: "The descendants of the Chai family are guilty, and no punishment will be imposed, and their relatives will not be implicated." —Lu You's "Summer Copy" has won him a high reputation.
Even in ** "Water Margin", it is also mentioned that the descendants of the Chai family hold the Danshu iron coupon given by Taizu. However, after the research of experts, it was found that Zhao Kuangyin actually played a clever conspiracy.
Chai Zongxun, the 20-year-old former emperor, died of illness in the deep mountains and forests of Fang County, Hubei Province and was forgotten by history. Although Zhao Kuangyin mourned for him, stopped ruling for ten days, and buried him with Chai Rong, the rest of his family did not receive the same treatment.
Could it be that Zhao Kuangyin, a former civilian, really let Chai Zongxun go?
When Chai Zongxun announced the abdication edict, he still had three younger brothers alive, they were Cao Wang Chai Xirang, Ji Wang Chai Xijin and Qi Wang Chai Xizhi. But the fate of Zhao Kuangyin's yellow robe is not optimistic for them.
First, King Ji Chai Xijin died mysteriously in the second year of the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, and then Chai Xizhu was accepted as a righteous son by the famous Northern Song Dynasty general Lu Yan and renamed Lu Xuan. This means that even if Chai Xiyu gives birth to children, they no longer belong to the temple surnamed Chai.
As for Cao Wang Chai Xirang, there are different accounts of his whereabouts. According to the "History of the New Five Dynasties", Chai Xirang and Chai Xizhi have lost their traces. However, after the research of experts in later generations, Chai Xirang may not be missing.
Chai Xirang was worried about the harm caused by Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, and fled south with his family to Zhanghua Town, Luling, Jizhou (now Fujitian Town, Yongfeng County, Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province), and lived a civilian life.
But the court did not give up on pursuing him. When the officers and soldiers chased to Zhanghua Town, Chai Xirang threw his clothes and shoes into the pond in order to avoid arrest, and hid himself.
After seeing the clothes and shoes, the officers and soldiers thought that Chai Xi had committed suicide by throwing himself into the river, so he gave up the arrest and returned to Beijing to resume his life. Today's Fujita Town still retains the "Dragon Robe Pond", which is said to be in honor of Chai Xirang.
After Chai Xirang escaped, he went to the local old woman surnamed Ning and was accepted as a righteous son, and his son Chai Shaoying was renamed Ning Shaoying, and since then he has entered the family tree of the surname Ning. Although the official history of this matter is not recorded, there are records in "Yongfeng County Chronicles" and "Longyao County Character Chronicles", but there are many folk sayings.
If this matter is true, then it reveals two problems: first, the Zhao family has already dealt a dead hand to the Chai family; The second is that if Chai Xirang really survived, he would have changed his surname like Chai Xi, and it would be impossible for him to be included in the Chai family temple again.
Chai Zongxun left five sons before his death, Chai Yongqi, Chai Yonglian, Chai Yonghui, Chai Yongxiao, and Chai Yongsheng.
Another descendant of Chai Rong, the wife of Yang Yanzhao, the general of the Yang family, Yang Yanzhao, is actually just a fictional character in **, the same as Chai Jin. Therefore, the Chai family had no descendants in the period of Zhao Kuangyin or at the latest in the period of Zhao Guangyi.
The so-called Danshu iron coupon is nothing more than a deliberate plan of the emperor.
Conclusion: Zhao Kuangyin added a yellow robe in the Chenqiao Mutiny, and this trick was actually learned from Guo Wei. However, the hatred between Guo Wei and Liu Chengyou made it impossible for them to coexist, and in contrast, the relationship between Zhao Kuangyin and Chai was much more harmonious.
Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin did not immediately purge the ancestral family, like Guo Wei. But in fact, since Zhao Kuangyin's Chenqiao Mutiny, the fate of the Chai family has been decided.
Historically, for the "remnants of the previous dynasty" like Chai Zongxun, for the sake of the stability of the country, they usually cut the grass and eradicate the roots. Because Zhao Kuangyin knew that as long as the bloodline of the clan was not completely cleared for a day, he would not be able to feel at ease for a day.
Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin's approach is to let the Chai family gradually disappear with dignity. Although there is a touch of humanity in this approach, it still seems a bit despicable after all.