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The Emperor of Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin (March 21, 927 - November 14, 976), whose courtesy name was Yuanlang, was named Xiang Haier, Zhao Jiuchong. He was from Zhuo County [1], and was born in Jiamaying, Luoyang (now Dongguan, Luhe District, Luoyang City, Henan Province) [2]. From the Five Dynasties to the early Northern Song Dynasty, a military strategist, martial artist, and the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty (reigned from February 4, 960 - November 14, 976). Zhao Hongyin (Song Xuanzu), the commander of the Later Zhou Dynasty, the second son of Zhao Hongyin (Xuanzu of Song), the commander of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and his mother was Du (Empress Dowager Zhaoxian).

During the Later Han Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin defected to the Privy Councilor Guo Wei and joined the army. During the reign of Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou Dynasty, Chai Rong attacked the Northern Han Dynasty and the Southern Tang Dynasty. He made many military achievements and gradually became an important general of the imperial guards. When Chai Rong was seriously ill, he was promoted to the prefecture of the palace and became the supreme commander of the imperial guards. In the seventh year of Xiande (960), he was ordered to resist the Northern Han and Khitan coalition forces [3]. He was immediately supported as emperor in the "Chenqiao Mutiny", and returned to the capital to force Emperor Gong of Later Zhou to abdicate. In the same year, Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne and changed the reign to Jianlong, and the country was named "Song", which was known in history as the Song Dynasty or the Northern Song Dynasty.

During Zhao Kuangyin's reign, he followed the strategy of Prime Minister Zhao Pu's "first south and then north, first easy and then difficult", and successively destroyed the southern separatist regimes such as Jingnan, Wuping, Later Shu, Southern Han and Southern Tang, and completed the unification of most of the country. He twice "releases the military power with wine" and abolished the military power of the imperial generals and local vassal states, solving the situation where local governors were free of troops since the middle of the Tang Dynasty. It is said that he also set up a "Sealing the Sect of the Sect" in order to redeem the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun presented to the Khitan by Emperor Gaozu of the Later Jin Dynasty.

In the ninth year of Kaibao (976), Zhao Kuangyin passed away at the age of fifty. He reigned for 16 years and was posthumously named Emperor Yingwu Shengwen Shende, and the temple name was Taizu, and was buried in Yongchang Mausoleum. He was posthumously named Emperor Qiyun Liji Yingwu Ruiwen Shende Shenggong Shenggong Zhiming Emperor Daxiao. A poem "Ode to the First Day" was passed down.

Picture source in the overview: Ming people painted the statue of Zhao Kuangyin [4]

In the Tang formation, Huang Fu Hui's head was cut off and captured him with Yao Feng. His father Zhao Hongyin was the deputy commander of the horse army at that time. He led his army to the city in the middle of the night and called for the door to open. Zhao Kuangyin said: "The father and son are indeed close relatives, but the city gate is open and switched, which is the country's business." It was not until dawn that Zhao Hongyin was able to enter the city. Han Lingkun, the governor of Dingwu Army, captured Yangzhou, and the Southern Tang army came to fight again. Han Lingkun advocated retreating, and Chai Rong ordered Zhao Kuangyin to lead 2,000 troops to Liuhe. Zhao Kuangyin ordered: "If Yangzhou soldiers dared to have any Liuhe, cut off their feet." Han Lingkun defended Yangzhou. Zhao Kuangyin soon defeated Li Jingda, the King of Qi of Southern Tang, on the east side of Liuhe, and killed more than 10,000 people. After returning, Zhao Kuangyin was appointed as the commander of the front palace, and was soon appointed as the governor of the Dingguo Army. [7]

In the spring of the fourth year of Xiande (957), Zhao Kuangyin followed Chai Rong to fight Shouchun, conquered Lianzhu Village, and seized the opportunity to capture Shouzhou. After returning to the army, Chai Rong appointed him as the governor of the Yicheng Army, the Taibao, and was still the commander of the palace. In the winter of this year, Zhao Kuangyin followed Chai Rong to conquer Haozhou and Sizhou, serving as the current commander. At this time, the Southern Tang Dynasty set up a camp at Shibalitan. When Chai Rong had just discussed using camels to ferry the army, Zhao Kuangyin had already taken the lead and crossed the alone, and his cavalry followed him to cross the river, thus breaking the Nantang Army. He also used the captured Nantang warship to conquer Si.

The Southern Tang Dynasty stationed troops in Qingkou. Zhao Kuangyin and Chai Rong divided their troops along the Huai River and rushed eastward. They chased to Shanyang overnight, captured Chen Chengzhao, the governor of the Baoyi Army of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and thus captured Chuzhou. Zhao Kuangyin took advantage of the victory and marched to the Southern Tang army at Yingluan River mouth, and went straight to the south bank, burning down his camp. He also captured the Southern Tang army in Guabu, and Huainan was finally pacified. Li Jing, the middle lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, feared Zhao Kuangyin's reputation and sent envoys to send Zhao Kuangyin a letter, giving him three thousand taels of platinum, attempting to use the strategy of platinum. After Zhao Kuangyin received it, he sent all the platinum to the inner palace. The strategy of platinum failed.

In the fifth year of Xiande (958), Zhao Kuangyin was appointed as the governor of Zhongwu Army. [8] The following year, Chai Rong fought in the north and Zhao Kuangyin served as the land and land deployment. When he arrived in Mozhou, he first went to Waqiao Pass, and the guard Yao Neibin surrendered; he also repelled thousands of Khitan cavalry and pacified Guannan. Chai Rong reviewed the documents from various places on the way to the marching, and obtained a leather pocket with a three-foot-long wooden board in the bag, which read "Inspection and the Emperor". Chai Rong felt that this was very strange. At that time, Zhang Yongde was appointed as the chief inspector of the palace, and Chai Rong returned to Beijing to be ill and ordered Zhao Kuangyin to be the chief inspector of the palace and the chief inspector of the palace to replace Zhang Yongde. In the same year, Chai Rong died, and Chai Zongxun (Emperor Gong of the Later Zhou Dynasty), who was only seven years old, succeeded to the throne, Zhao Kuangyin was appointed as the governor of the Guide Army and the chief inspector of the chief inspector. [3]

The main imperial guards generals guarding the capital, Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi and others were all "communications brothers" of Zhao Kuangyin. After learning that the mutiny was successful, they opened the city gate to respond. At that time, among the imperial guards in Kaifeng, only Han Tong, deputy commander of the cavalry and infantry, had to lead the troops to resist, but before the army was summoned, they were killed by Wang Yansheng, the military academy. The soldiers of the Chenqiao mutiny controlled the capital Kaifeng without bloodshed.

At this time, Fan Zhi and others knew that they did not know the truth or falsehood of military affairs, so they rushed to send their generals to abdicate, but they had no choice but to lead all officials to obey the orders. Tao Gu, a Hanlin scholar, took out a pre-prepared Zen edict and announced that Chai Zongxun abdicated. Zhao Kuangyin then officially ascended the throne, easily seized the power of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and changed Chai Zongxun to King Zheng. Since Zhao Kuangyin was the vassal state where the governor of the Guide Army in the Later Zhou Dynasty was Songzhou (now Shangqiu, Henan), he used Song as the country's name, established the capital of Kaifeng, and changed the reign to "Jianlong", which was known in history as the "Song Dynasty" and "Northern Song". [9]

Attack Jinghu

Main entry: Battle of Jinghu

After Zhao Kuangyin established the Northern Song Dynasty, he successively quelled the rebellion launched by Li Yun, the governor of Zhaoyi and Li Chongjin, the governor of Huainan, and consolidated the regime. Seeing that the world was full of separatist forces, he said to Prime Minister Zhao Pu: "I can't sleep because I am outside of bed." With the help of Zhao Pu, Zhao Kuangyin strengthened centralization, reformed the military system, developed production, and consolidated his rule. After two years of preparations in politics, economy, and military aspects, he determined to create a unified situation through war.

Jingnan and Hunan are located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, adjacent to the north and south, and also facing the Southern Tang Dynasty in the east, Houshu in the west, and the Southern Han in the south. Observing Jing and Lake in the south, you can divide the countries in the south of the Yangtze River and create conditions for each defeat. For this reason, the Song court decided to find an opportunity to send troops to Jing and Lake. In September of the third year of Jianlong (962), Zhao Kuangyin deployed troops to guard the west and the northern border to prevent Liao (Khitan) and the northern Han plunder in the south; while choosing Jing and Lake as the breakthrough point, he led his troops south to prepare for the war of unity.[10]
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