In September of the seventh year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty (974), the bell of history sounded the prelude to the fall of the Southern Tang Dynasty. At this time, Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, with the ambition of an army of 100,000, decided to start a southern expedition on the grounds that Li Yu of the Southern Tang Dynasty refused to pay tribute.
When the queen Li Yu heard the news of the Song army's southward movement, his heart couldn't help but feel like a frightened bird. He realized that he was about to become Zhao Kuangyin's next target, and he was angry and helpless at Zhao Kuangyin's betrayal. He once thought that Zhao Kuangyin would give him some tolerance, but the reality disappointed him.
In the face of the upcoming challenge, Li Yu sent envoys to the Song capital to offer treasures on the one hand, in an attempt to curry favor with Zhao Kuangyin, and on the other hand, he actively deployed defenses. However, although the Southern Tang naval division was good at water warfare, it was difficult to resist the wolf-like Song army. In just one month, the Song army captured Chizhou, and the gate of the Southern Tang Dynasty was opened.
The fall of Chizhou completely shattered Li Yu's illusions about Zhao Kuangyin, and he resolutely decided to stop using the era name of the Northern Song Dynasty to show his break with the Northern Song Dynasty. However, the successive defeats in three battles of Quarry, Qinhuai River, and Wankou caused the Southern Tang Dynasty to lose its elite, and the city gate of Jinling was also opened.
However, Li Yu knew nothing about this, he indulged in poetry and songs, listened to the slander of many ministers, and thought that Jinling was indestructible. The Song army then besieged Jinling in March of the following year, and in November, Jinling fell, Li Yu finally surrendered out of the city, the Southern Tang Dynasty was destroyed, the Northern Song Dynasty basically recovered the Jiangnan region, and the south gradually stabilized.
After the fall of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Li Yu became the king of the fallen country and shouldered the responsibility of the fallen country. However, the reason for the decline of the Southern Tang Dynasty was not all due to Li Yu alone. In the more than 40 years since the founding of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the trend of its decline has long been foreshadowed.
The rise of the Southern Tang Dynasty began with Li Yu, who understood that the Southern Tang Dynasty could only be strong by occupying the Central Plains. However, his children and grandchildren had their own thoughts, especially Li Jing, who was extravagant and wasteful, and rejoiced in his achievements, which led to the gradual predicament of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
During Li Jing's reign, the Southern Tang Dynasty was in internal and external difficulties, and at the same time, the choice of his successor was also full of drama. Although Li Jing's son Li Yu was not interested in political affairs, he encountered the threat of the Northern Song Dynasty and suffered internal and external troubles.
Although Li Yu had no ambitions, he had to change his degree under external pressure, paying tribute to gold and silver every year, and showing favor to the Northern Song Dynasty. However, the Southern Tang Dynasty no longer has the original majesty, and Li Yu can only be caught with his hands tied and go with the flow.
The Southern Tang Dynasty was even more chaotic. Li Yu devoted himself to Buddhism and pursued Buddhist policies, but he could not save the fate of the Southern Tang Dynasty. The death of some loyal ministers made the Southern Tang Dynasty a paradise for ministers.
In the end, the Song army led by Zhao Kuangyin sent troops south, but the Southern Tang was unable to resist, the city of Jinling was broken, and Li Yu was forced to surrender. The Southern Tang Dynasty fell, Li Yu became a passerby of history, and the end of the Southern Tang Dynasty was already doomed, but it was a matter of time.