In the seventh year of Kaibao's reign, Song and Liao shook hands and made peace. Subsequently, the Song Dynasty shifted its strategic focus to the south, launched a unification war against the Southern Tang Dynasty, and achieved complete victory in November of the following year.
Obviously, this was a comprehensive strategic victory for the Song Dynasty. The Liao State betrayed the interests of the Northern Han Dynasty, took out the Song-Liao Peace Agreement from the pocket close to his chest, and waved it to the expectant Khitan people, "Children, I have brought you an era of peace!".
The Northern Han Dynasty was quite dissatisfied with this and protested against the Liao Kingdom's crude manipulation of international geopolitics. It resolutely refused to recognize the so-called reconciliation and declared its attitude with practical actions. During the Southern Expedition of the Song Dynasty, it brazenly sent troops to attack Jinzhou, but was defeated by the Song Dynasty. Repel Wu Shouqi.
People are addicted to food, so if you ask for a hammer, you will get a hammer. After the Southern Tang Dynasty was pacified, Zhao Kuangyin set his sights on the restless and unwilling Northern Han Dynasty.
In the first month of the ninth year of Kaibao, Li Yu, the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty, came to the capital, and hundreds of officials went to the court to congratulate him. In February, ministers successively petitioned to add the four words "Unify Taiping" before Zhao Kuangyin's title, but Zhao Kuangyin rejected it on the grounds that "If Yan and Jin are not restored, can it be said that they are unified and peaceful?" The revolution has not yet succeeded, and comrades still need to work hard.
After about half a year of rest and accumulation, in August 976, the Song Dynasty assembled its elite and launched the third military operation against the Northern Han Dynasty: with the "silly Hanhan" guard Ma Jun commanding Dang Jin to take command, Xuan Hui Bei Pan Mei, the imperial envoy, was appointed as the capital supervisor, and Yang Guangmei, Niu Sijin, Mi Wenyi and other troops were divided into five groups with the goal of Taiyuan. He also sent Guo Jin, Hao Chongxin, Wang Zhengzhong, Yan Yanjin, Qi Chao, Sun Yanxuan, An Shouzhong, Mu Yanzhang and others. They attacked Xin, Dai, Fen, Qin, Liao, Shi and other states in the Northern Han Dynasty respectively.
A great country does not care about power and tactics. The Song Dynasty, which had the advantage of crushing, physically crushed the Northern Han Dynasty. With its absolute numerical advantage, it covered the entire Northern Han Dynasty with indiscriminate firepower. The main force alone was divided into five groups. Less than a month after the war started, Dang Jin, the main force among the main forces and the Tiehan among Tiehan, had already reached the gates of Taiyuan City and captured and killed more than a thousand Taiyuan defenders.
Beihan's opening voice prompt is as follows: The enemy has five seconds to reach the crystal, please be ready to surrender.
The current problems in the Northern Han Dynasty are not big. There are only two places in the country that are in danger - this and that. The only thing the Northern Han Dynasty could do was to use traditional life-saving skills: close the city gates tightly and pretend to be a bastard, and send envoys like Liao to call daddy.
The Song army was approaching fiercely, and the Northern Han Dynasty did not care about the situation. The Liao State attached great importance to this. Liao Jingzong Yelvxian sent elite troops, led by the Prime Minister of the South Prefecture Yelusha and the King of Hebei Yelu Dilie.
Regarding the internal affairs of the Liao Kingdom, they will be presented in a special topic later and will not be discussed here. To put it simply, Yelusa was the commander-in-chief of the South Front Army of the Liao State at the time, and Yelu Dilie was the fourth son of Emperor Taizong Yelu Deguang of the Liao Dynasty. Although these two people are new faces in this book, their status is of great importance, which shows that the Liao State has this attention to military aid.
The Song Army had sufficient plans for military intervention against the Liao Kingdom. Xin, Dai and other key towns aiding the Jin were already planned to be within the scope of the first wave of attacks. The Liao reinforcements could not reach the core battlefield - Taiyuan in time. The Song army launched an offensive even more frantically, trying to capture Taiyuan before the Liao reinforcements broke through the outer defense line.
Dang Jin, the vanguard of the Han Dynasty, was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep in the north of Taiyuan City, killing people and killing gods. Guo Jin moved 37,000 people from Shanbei into the Song Dynasty, and moved 9,000 people from Shouyang County. The surname moved to the Song Dynasty; Song general Ma Jien destroyed more than forty Northern Han strongholds and robbed thousands of cattle and sheep; Mu Yanzhang plundered 2,000 people in Taiyuan and moved to the Song Dynasty...
Liu Jiyuan then sent Lu Jun to Liao to ask for reinforcements. Lu Jun is a legendary figure. He first married a princess of the Northern Han Dynasty. This time, he went to ask for reinforcements as the Prince Consort of the Northern Han Dynasty. After the fall of the Northern Han Dynasty, he fled to the Liao Kingdom, married a princess of the Liao Kingdom, and became the Prince Consort of the Liao Kingdom. Ye, I can be called a winner in life. However, not long after, the princess of Liao State filed for divorce on the grounds that she was stupid and stupid, and then remarried Xiao Shennu, and Lu Jun was demoted and released. This is a story later.
Sending a nephew or son-in-law to ask for help is like a thousand urgent letters, indicating that the Northern Han Dynasty is really in danger and begging the Liao Kingdom to increase its aid to the Jin Dynasty.
The Northern Expedition has never been so smooth, and the conquest of Taiyuan is just around the corner. However, just as the soldiers on the front line of the Song Army were gearing up, bad news suddenly came from the rear: the emperor died!
The emperor's younger brother, King Zhao Guangyi of Jin, ascended the throne, and then called back the armies. Taizu's "Three Conquests of the Northern Han Dynasty" came to an abrupt end, with all the success achieved.
The transfer of the throne in the Song Dynasty left an eternal mystery in history, which has always been talked about by people. This is the "sound of Zhu Ying's axe", also known as "Zhu Ying's conspiracy to usurp".
Regarding the sudden death of Zhao Kuangyin, the official history record is clear and unambiguous, with only one sentence:
"On the evening of Guichou, the emperor died in the Long Live Hall at the age of fifty."——
Clear but unclear, with too few words and too much information, so the theory of "the sound of candle shadow and axe" gradually appeared in unofficial histories. People in later generations were more inclined to the theory of Taizong's regicide, and concluded that Zhao Guangyi must have killed his brother. Seize power.
First, let’s look at the reasons why people suspected Zhao Guangyi of killing his brother and seizing power.
The first is that Zhao Kuangyin died too suddenly and too young, only fifty years old. However, Zhao Kuangyin was born in the army and was once a general in front of the battle. He had a strong physique. How could he die of a sudden illness despite his good health?
The second is that Zhao Kuangyin had two sons alive at the time, the second son Zhao Dezhao and the fourth son Zhao Defang. They were both adults. Zhao Dezhao was nearly 30 years old. Why didn't his son inherit the throne?
The third is that the people with the right to inherit the throne died mysteriously one after another. Zhao Kuangyin's other younger brother, Zhao Guangmei, was accused of treason and was demoted and released. He eventually died of panic at the age of 38. Zhao Dezhao was scolded by Zhao Guangyi and died at the age of 33. Zhao Defang also died of a sudden illness at the age of 22. . Therefore, Zhao Guangyi would not be able to pass the throne to his younger brother or Zhao Kuangyin's son in the future, but could only pass it to his own son with tears.
These three reasons are indisputable objective facts and the underlying logic of Taizong's conspiracy theory to kill his brother and seize power. On this basis, people began to catch the wind and shadow, and after unremitting efforts, they finally weaved the widely circulated "Candle Shadow Ax Sound".
Secondly, it needs to be emphasized that "Candle Shadow Ax Sound" was not created overnight, but has undergone many evolutions and improvements over a long period of time.
According to authoritative historical records, in early October 976, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly "not hesitated", and then sent his confidant eunuch Wang Jien to set up Huangluzhai in Jianlongguan on October 19th. In the evening of that day, he urgently summoned Zhao Guangyi to the palace to discuss matters. Zhao Guangyi left after nightfall. At four o'clock in the night, Zhao Kuangyin passed away.
Empress Song urgently ordered the eunuch Wang Jien to summon Zhao Defang into the palace. Unexpectedly, Wang Jien betrayed Queen Song's mother and son. Instead of looking for Zhao Defang, he went straight to the Jin Palace and summoned Zhao Guangyi into the palace. Zhao Guangyi was suspicious and did not dare to enter the palace. He reluctantly entered the palace under Wang Jien's repeated urging.
When she heard that Wang Jien had brought someone into the palace, the restless Empress Song couldn't wait to greet her. "Is Defang coming?" Wang Jien replied: "The King of Jin is here." Before she finished speaking, Empress Song saw it. Zhao Guangyi, who was behind Wang Jien, was astonished. Empress Song cried: "The lives of our mother and son are in the hands of the officials." Zhao Guangyi also cried: "Together we can protect our wealth, there is no need to worry."
Note that "Guanjia" is the concubine's name for the emperor. In other words, the moment she met Zhao Guangyi, Queen Song was certain that Zhao Guangyi would ascend the throne in front of the coffin. This is a controversial little detail that will be expanded upon later.
After dawn, Zhao Guangyi proclaimed his throne as emperor, and history entered the Taizong Dynasty.
The above is Sima Guang's version. Although it is more detailed, it is still too brief on the key issue-what exactly happened that night. So, more than a hundred years later, someone involved finally recalled what happened that night:
It was a snowy night without the sun. Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi were drinking and discussing matters in the house. They screened away the palace eunuch and all the other people. There were only two brothers in the house. No one knew what they said, but—— Passing the figure on the window, it seemed that the two had a fierce quarrel and suspected physical conflict. Zhao Kuangyin seemed to hit Zhao Guangyi with something, and Zhao Guangyi dodged. Zhao Kuangyin was heard roaring, "Rat tail juice!" A moment later The sound of Zhao Kuangyin's snoring could be heard in the room, and Zhao Guangyi stayed in the palace. In the early morning of the next day, Zhao Kuangyin was found dead at some point. Zhao Guangyi summoned the ministers and read out the edict, which asked him to ascend the throne. Zhao Guangyi also asked the ministers to pay homage to Zhao Kuangyin's body at close range. It is said that it was like a hibiscus emerging from the water, implying that Zhao Kuangyin died of natural causes rather than violence.
In this view, Zhao Guangyi has an obvious motive and a clear time of committing the crime, but it also emphasizes that Zhao Kuangyin died of natural causes.
Historical data are contradictory and historians hold different opinions, which has brought us a lot of trouble and fun. Below we will peel back the cocoons and try to find the truth of history.
First of all, starting from the background of the historical materials, many problems can be easily solved.
Sima Guang lived in the Northern Song Dynasty. His view was that "Zhao Guangyi is absolutely innocent." Zhao Guangyi was not in the palace that night, and he had a perfect alibi. Moreover, Zhao Guangyi showed extreme surprise and fear at Zhao Kuangyin's death and invitation to the palace. , hesitant, hesitant, looking forward and backward, proving that Zhao Guangyi did not have any conspiracy in advance.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, Li Tao introduced the "sound of candle shadow and axe" for the first time, thus "starting the eternal discussion", while in the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Minzheng "slandered it with great force".
To summarize briefly: in the Northern Song Dynasty when the crime occurred, people all believed in the official version; it was not until the Southern Song Dynasty more than two hundred years later that people began to make assumptions and added the memories of "eyewitnesses" to prove that Zhao Guangyi had the motive and time to commit the crime; and It was not until more than six hundred years later in the Ming Dynasty that Zhao Guangyi was accused of killing his brother and seizing power.
The first change of throne in the Song Dynasty was between brother and brother. Since then, it has been the father's death and the son's succession. The artifact has always been passed down in the Taizong line. Later, the "Jingkang Incident" led to the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty. Gaozong Zhao Gou settled in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River. At that time, Emperor Gaozong died, and Emperor Taizong of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Wu, begged for money and fell in love with Zhao Kuangyin, so it was widely rumored that Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty had killed his brother to seize power, so Zhao Kuangyin was reincarnated as Emperor Taizong of the Jin Dynasty. The "Jingkang Incident" was Taizu's revenge against the descendants of Emperor Taizong. Behavior……
Gaozong Zhaogou then selected the descendants of Taizu and finally passed the throne to Song Xiaozong. From then on, the artifact returned to Taizu's lineage for inheritance until it was destroyed by the Mongols.
In other words, in the Northern Song Dynasty, the emperor was a descendant of Zhao Guangyi, while in the Southern Song Dynasty, he was a descendant of Zhao Kuangyin. It is not difficult to understand that the historians of the Northern Song Dynasty insisted that Taizu died of natural causes and that Emperor Taizong was innocent, while the historians of the Southern Song Dynasty began to suspect that there was something fishy.
It is easier to understand that people in the Ming Dynasty, with the mentality of watching the excitement and not taking it too seriously, add fuel to the fire. At least they are not bound by political red lines.
So supporters of the conspiracy theory came forward, saying that the irrefutable evidence of regicide must have been cleared up by the Northern Song Dynasty authorities, and the historians of the Northern Song Dynasty did not dare to "talk nonsense". Some clues that had slipped through the net had to be hidden until 200 It was only later in the Southern Song Dynasty that it came to light. Therefore, we cannot judge it to be true just because the Northern Song Dynasty was close to the time of the incident, nor should we crudely judge it to be fake just because the Southern Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty were far away from the time of the incident.
There is some truth to that.
Since the Qing Dynasty, scholars have constantly raised various doubts and evidence, believing that it is unlikely that Zhao Guangyi killed his brother to seize power, because this "power" did not need to be seized at all, it was originally his. A strong proof to support this statement is the "Alliance of the Golden Chamber".
