First of all, Shi Jingtang is a traitor.
This can never be reversed. Shi Jingtang relied on foreign forces to overthrow the country's legitimate political power, ceded large tracts of territory, and betrayed national interests and national sovereignty. No matter what standard is used to measure it, he is also an undisputed and genuine traitor.
Some people objected, saying that he could not be considered a "traitor" because he was not a Han but a Shatuo. This is hypocritical. No matter what nationality he is, whether he is a Han or a Hu, in short, what he sells out is the interests of the Han in the Central Plains. If he cedes the Han in the Central Plains on behalf of the owner of the Han in the Central Plains and on behalf of the Han in the Central Plains, then he is a "traitor" .
Although he worked hard to manage the Central Plains after taking office, and he also had thoughts and actions to get rid of Khitan control, this could not change the fact that he ceded the Sixteen States of Youyun.
So, is the traitor Shi Jingtang really worthless and lackluster?
I personally think that the final conclusion of "Old History of the Five Dynasties" is very pertinent and is an objective and fair evaluation by the mainstream historical circles: "Although he is not powerful enough to control the previous king, he can be said to be a benevolent and thrifty king."
The evaluation of "the benevolent and thrifty Lord" is quite high. In other words, if he had not ceded the sixteen states of Youyun, then the title of "The First Wise King of the Five Dynasties" might not be Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty.
What kind of person and what kind of monarch was Shi Jingtang?
According to historical records, Shi Jingtang was taciturn, unsmiling, calm and capable, a mature and warm man +1. He likes to read military books and strategies. He is a brave general with brains and can stand alone. His idols he admires are Li Mu and Zhou Yafu.
Li Mu was a famous general of the Zhao State during the Warring States Period. Together with Bai Qi, Wang Jian, and Lian Po, he was known as the "Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period." In the first half of his life, he was a national hero who fought against the Huns. In the second half of his life, he devoted himself to fighting against the Qin State. His existence made the Qin State unable to Annexed the State of Zhao, so there is a saying among the people that "when Li Mu dies, the State of Zhao will perish";
Zhou Yafu, a famous general in the early Han Dynasty, whose greatest achievement was to put down the "Seven Kingdoms Rebellion".
Shi Jingtang's life can be simply divided into two stages: before becoming emperor, and after becoming emperor.
Before he became emperor, Shi Jingtang was such a Confucian general who was ruthless and didn't speak much. Li Siyuan admired him very much, so he married his beloved daughter to him. In the war to overthrow Hou Liang, Shi Jingtang repeatedly made extraordinary achievements. Li Cunxu once stroked his back and praised him as a tiger father without dog sons.
Shi Jingtang advocated frugality and simplicity, and did not like singing and dancing to promote peace. Even after becoming the emperor, he did not indulge in extravagance and often wore the cheapest coarse cloth clothes and hemp shoes. This is his plus point.
As an emperor, he was honored as the Son of Heaven. He did not let himself go. More than "996", he worked almost all year round. Historical records say that he was diligent in political affairs and had food and night clothes every day, which means he had to get up to work before dawn and worked at night. Rest only when deep.
It is precisely because of the blessing of these excellent qualities that he can preserve the country.
In the past few years of Shi Jingtang's reign, there have been constant natural and man-made disasters. What he inherited was a mess left by Li Congke, and he was short of money and food. Therefore, Shi Jingtang's frugality and simplicity were for show on the one hand, and on the other hand, he was forced by objective reality. Can't afford the extravagance.
Rebellions are springing up in various places. In addition to Fan Yanguang, Li Jinquan, An Chongrong, and An Congjin whom we highlighted, there are rebellions of varying sizes in the northwest and Henan regions. The wars and disasters are intertwined, and the misery is unspeakable.
In addition to these internal difficulties within the regime, Shi Jingtang also had to deal with the dictates of his Khitan father and fight against primitive colonialism. So he was forced to have no choice but to eat and drink every night.
But we will not erase these bonus points because of this. After all, some rulers are irresponsible. When the people are in dire straits and everything is in ruins, they still dance on graves, play music and dance. "Why not eat minced meat?" Shi Jingtang At the very least, I know how to work hard and work hard for the country and the country.
In such a situation of natural and man-made disasters, internal and external troubles, Shi Jingtang served as emperor for seven years, and his reign was among the top three in the Five Dynasties period, tied with Li Siyuan during the "Ming Dynasty".
Although Shi Jingtang was a military general, he was a kind and gentle man who was rare among warlords. History books said that he was "courteous to the virtuous and listened to advice". Whether before or after he became emperor, he never abandoned this excellent quality. He was courteous to the virtuous and corporal and accepted advice with an open mind. , much stronger than Li Congke.
For example, in the "Big Case of Zhang Yanze" mentioned above, even though he was so angry that he lost his composure and swore on the spot, and even though he was choked by Li Tao and couldn't say a word, he just walked away and walked away with a pat on the back. He didn't do anything like Li Cunxu and Li Tao. Like Li Congke, he would swing his sword or bend his bow at every turn to kill the ministers who were admonishing him.
If we only look at these, we can indeed say that Shi Jingtang was a good emperor. The coffin-closing conclusion given by the authoritative official history is that he was "a benevolent and thrifty lord".
However, no matter how we go around it, we can't avoid his traitorous behavior.
"Old History of the Five Dynasties" says that when Shi Jingtang invited Khitan reinforcements, he drank poison to quench his thirst.
Note that before the "Old History of the Five Dynasties" praised him as "the benevolent and thrifty lord", there is an important premise: "If it were not through the power of foreign aid." Very strictly, if Shi Jingtang had not asked for help from the Khitan and had not ceded the Sixteenth Province of Youyun, he would have been worthy of that reputation.
Shi Jingtang also became the most famous "son emperor" in Chinese history for "serving the Khitan as his father". He was scolded for being shameless and treating a thief as his father.
During his time in power, people also had the illusion that Shi Jingtang was a very weak, cowardly coward who compromised and tolerated everything, and was a coward. So much so that An Chongrong dared to publicly humiliate him before he rebelled, calling him not a pure man.
We have already analyzed the reason, and it is still the same sentence: forced by the current situation. Don’t forget, Shi Jingtang was a military general, and his fame was gained from the dead with one sword and one shot. When he followed Li Cunxu to conquer the world, he often led dozens or dozens of cavalry into enemy formations, showing extraordinary bravery. That's why he was discovered by Li Cunxu and Li Siyuan and was appreciated and valued.
Future generations will be misled by the impression of "son emperor" and then look at his attitude towards domestic opposition, and they will preconceptionally think that he is a cheap and mean jerk. In fact, Shi Jingtang is a bloody man, the kind who kills without blinking an eye. And he himself is jealous of evil.
When he was stationed in Hedong, such a case once occurred: a peasant woman had a dispute with a soldier, and the lawsuit went to court. The reason for the case was actually very simple. The peasant woman said that the soldier's horse had eaten the corn she dried outside the door. She wanted the soldier to compensate her, but the soldier insisted that she did not and that it was the shrew who was blackmailing her.
Ate - didn't eat - just ate - just didn't eat
The two sides were at loggerheads over this.
The facts of the case are simple, but obtaining evidence is difficult. In that era without surveillance, the small county magistrate scratched his head and was unable to make a decision, so he reported the matter to his superiors, who then went to Jiedushi Shi Jingtang.
