[The founding emperors of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were almost all born as commoners and rose to power through military careers.]

[These emperors who came from the bottom of society naturally understood the sufferings of the people. In the early days of their reign, they were able to do things personally and were quite dedicated, but in the later years, they all changed.]

[Zhu Wen killed innocent people and was lustful, so he was called the Beast Emperor by later generations. Li Cunxu, who conquered the Later Liang Dynasty, was also complacent in his later years and did not want to make progress. He was called the Spiritual Official Emperor because he favored actors and neglected government affairs. He also gave himself the stage name "Li Tianxia". ]

[He is also a typical representative of someone who has fought in wars all his life and still cannot enjoy himself. ]

……

Li Longji felt ashamed, thinking that the sky was warning him.

Come to think of it, if he had not indulged in the pleasures of life, neglected state affairs, and caused chaos in the world, how could the Tang Dynasty have ended up in such a state?

If the wise and mighty Emperor Taizong knew that he was an unfilial descendant in the future, he would be so miserable in the underworld!

No, I can't continue to be so decadent!

……

[Li Keyong himself probably didn't expect that two emperors would appear among his Thirteen Guardians.]

[In 926 AD, a mutiny broke out in Hebei. Li Cunxu sent Li Siyuan, who was ranked first among the Thirteen Guardians, to quell the rebellion. Unexpectedly, halfway through the journey, Li Siyuan's troops also mutinied and demanded that Li Siyuan be made emperor.]

[Faced with the soldiers' request, Li Siyuan said that he had no intention of rebelling. He insisted on meeting Li Cunxu in person to make things clear, despite the generals' obstruction. At this time, he was stopped by someone, Shi Jingtang.]

[Shi Jingtang had saved Li Siyuan's life many times. He was not only brave but also very smart. This made Li Siyuan, who was born as a military general, admire him very much and even married his daughter to him.]

[Shi Jingtang urged Li Siyuan to adapt to the times and not hesitate, and expressed his willingness to be a pioneer for him.]

【Shi Jingtang's words made Li Siyuan make up his mind.】

……

"Jing Tang, you have caused me so much trouble."

On the way back to Luoyang, Li Siyuan, who was forced to wear the yellow robe, looked at Shi Jingtang beside him with a frown.

"How can I face the world like this?"

Li Siyuan looked worried, but Shi Jingtang, who was always by his side, noticed a barely perceptible smile on the corner of his mouth.

……

[However, before Li Siyuan's army arrived in Luoyang, Li Cunxu himself became chaotic, the soldiers guarding the city fled, and the actors he once favored also took the opportunity to launch a rebellion. In the end, the great hero died at the hands of the actors.]

[After Li Siyuan's army entered Luoyang, he proclaimed himself emperor in front of Li Cunxu's spirit, but did not change the country's name, still calling it Tang.]

[Li Siyuan was a rare wise ruler in the Five Dynasties. He advocated frugality, built water conservancy projects, and cared about the suffering of the people. His reign was a rare stable period in the Five Dynasties. Unfortunately, he was an illiterate emperor. Since he could not read a single word, Li Siyuan specially invited a minister named Feng Dao to read memorials for him.]

[Feng Dao was a well-educated man. He experienced ten dynasties in the Five Dynasties, making him the only veteran in Chinese history to have lived through ten dynasties.]

[Later, Feng Dao was promoted to prime minister, and the task of reading memorials fell to the Privy Councilor An Zhonghui. Unfortunately, in his later years, Li Siyuan also made the same mistake as all the five emperors - he was suspicious of important officials.]

[In his later years, Li Siyuan repeatedly killed ministers. He also suspected An Zhonghui, who read the memorials, of falsely conveying the imperial edict and executed him. Li Siyuan's groundless suspicion caused the emperor and his ministers to be alienated, and the father and son to turn against each other.]

[His son Li Congrong launched a rebellion but failed, and Li Siyuan eventually died of fear.]

……

"Look, look at the chaos of the Five Dynasties in the future."

Cao Cao held up his wine glass and looked at his ministers with a smug look, "If there were no one like me, Cao Cao, in the world, who knows what kind of chaos the Han Dynasty would have been in."

After that, he looked at the trembling Emperor Xian of Han and said, "Your Majesty, if it weren't for me, Cao Cao, there would be countless traitors like Zhu Wen who would want to kill you."

"If there were no Cao Cao, I don't know how many people would be kings and emperors in the world. However, the world does not know my loyalty."

……

[The one who was most saddened by Li Siyuan's death was his brother-in-law Shi Jingtang.]

[Historical records show that after Li Siyuan died, he was inconsolable and grief-stricken, as if he had lost his parents.]

[But who could have thought that the Later Tang Dynasty would eventually be destroyed by this man. ]

[In fact, Shi Jingtang had no intention of rebelling, but the death of his father-in-law made him lose his protection. The successor Li Congke could not stand the ministers in the court telling him that Shi Jingtang would rebel if he was removed, and would also rebel if he was not removed, so he decided to strike first. ]

[Shi Jingtang, greatly stimulated, started a rebellion and asked the Khitans for help. He also promised Yelu Deguang to cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, pay tribute every year, and treat the country as a vassal state.]

[Since the conditions were too humiliating, Liu Zhiyuan, the commander of Shi Jingtang's cavalry and infantry, thought it was unnecessary to promise so much and just give the money.]

【But Shi Jingtang insisted on his own way, and ultimately left behind a name that will be cursed for eternity. 】

[Yelü Deguang, who was worried about having no reason to go south, was overjoyed and immediately sent troops to rescue Shi Jingtang.]

[After repelling the Later Tang army, Yelu Deguang canonized Shi Jingtang as emperor, changed the era name to Tianfu, and named the country Jin. ]

【Shi Jingtang also fulfilled his promise and ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to the Khitan. From then on, the northern part of the Central Plains lost its barrier and the door was wide open. 】

……

"Alas..." Yue Fei looked at the sky and sighed.

The people of the Song Dynasty were repeatedly invaded by foreign invaders, all starting from this time.

……

[In the second year after Shi Jingtang became emperor, he attacked Luoyang with the help of the Khitan army, and the Later Tang Dynasty was destroyed.]

[During Shi Jingtang's reign, he was completely obedient to the Khitans. Liu Zhiyuan, who was disgusted with Shi Jingtang's behavior, gradually became alienated from him and established his own army in Hedong.]

[After Shi Jingtang's death, the Khitans really began to attack the Central Plains, and his adopted son Shi Chonggui, who succeeded him, was completely unable to resist.]

[In 947 AD, the Khitan captured the capital and the Later Jin Dynasty perished.] [Liu Zhiyuan's confidant Guo Wei advised Liu Zhiyuan to take the opportunity to become emperor. Guo Wei was originally a close soldier of Li Cunxu. When Liu Zhiyuan defected to the Later Jin Dynasty, Guo Wei went to join him.]

[This man was brave and knowledgeable in military tactics. Liu Zhiyuan liked to take him with him wherever he went. Later, Liu Zhiyuan proclaimed himself emperor in Taiyuan and changed the country's name to Han. Guo Wei also became Liu Zhiyuan's confidant because of his calmness.]

[After Liu Zhiyuan proclaimed himself emperor, he immediately issued an edict prohibiting the tribute of money and silk to the Khitan, and executed the Khitans who were still in the Central Plains. Liu Zhiyuan's move won the hearts of the people, and the old officials of the Jin Dynasty also came to return to the palace. ]

[In 948 AD, Liu Zhiyuan died of illness. Before his death, he entrusted his son Liu Chengyou to important officials such as Guo Wei.]

[However, Liu Chengyou was very suspicious of Guo Wei and other old officials left by his father, and always wanted to find an opportunity to get rid of them. Once, when Guo Wei was out to quell a rebellion, he killed all of Guo Wei's family members who were left in the capital, leaving no one alive.]

……

"Idiot, what an idiot!"

Cao Cao was speechless. What era is this and there are still such outrageous operations?

He was in power and was out suppressing a rebellion, but you killed his family members who stayed behind. Aren't you forcing him to rebel?
"How can there be such stupid people in the world?"

Having said that, the suspicious Cao Cao really couldn't believe that there were such fools in the world.

Others are in command of a large army outside, how could anyone be stupid enough to kill the general's family?

He thought it was very likely that this was a show directed and acted by Guo Wei himself, and perhaps he had sent people to kill his family members who stayed in the capital.

The purpose is to have a legitimate reason!
……

[Guo Wei was so angry that he immediately led his troops to attack the capital, and Liu Chengyou was killed while fleeing.]

[After Guo Wei entered the capital, he did not immediately proclaim himself emperor, but instead supported Liu Zhiyuan's adopted son Liu Yun as emperor. ]

[Soon, news came from the north that the Khitan army was heading south, so Guo Wei personally led his army out of the city and headed north. However, when the army passed through Chanzhou, the soldiers suddenly mutinied, threw a yellow flag over Guo Wei, and proclaimed him emperor.]

[Guo Wei had no choice but to return to Kaifeng to seize power and establish the Later Zhou Dynasty.]

[This scene was remembered by a member of the Imperial Guards under Guo Wei, who put it into practice in the future.]

……

"Could this Imperial Guards School be Zhao Kuangyin?"

Zhang Fei watched with great interest. Thinking of the yellow robe worn by the Chenqiao mutiny mentioned earlier by Tianmu, it was not difficult to guess the identity of the man in Tianmu.

Everyone looked at Zhang Fei, who asked in confusion, "Why are you all looking at me?"

Everyone burst into laughter. Zhuge Liang joked, "I didn't expect our three generals to have such quick wits."

Zhang Fei became anxious. Who was he looking down on? I, Zhang Fei, was also a wise general!
……

[After Guo Wei founded the country, he advocated frugality, was kind to the people, and valued talented and virtuous civil officials, which was very different from the previous military regimes. Therefore, he was deeply loved by the people, and the country gradually became prosperous and strong. ]

[In 954 AD, Guo Wei was seriously ill and had no children, so he handed over the throne to his adopted son Chai Rong.]

[Chai Rong was originally Guo Wei's nephew and had always been with Guo Wei. The catastrophe Liu Chengyou caused in the capital also affected Chai Rong's family. Guo Wei, who shared the same fate with him, adopted him as his son and trained him as his successor.]

[After Chai Rong succeeded to the throne, he was ambitious and set the goal of "opening up the world in ten years, supporting the people in ten years, and maintaining peace in ten years". He regarded it as his lifelong goal and always implemented it. ]

[While he was conquering everywhere, he never forgot to care for the people. Under his rule, the Later Zhou Dynasty had a clear political system and prosperous people.]

[In more than five years, he defeated Hou Shu, conquered Southern Tang, conquered Youyan, and conquered 18 states. Although his achievements were not as good as those of Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi, he can be regarded as the wisest ruler of the Five Dynasties.]

[The military officer who witnessed the yellow flag being added was promoted to the position of Palace Guards Inspector and became his trusted minister. This person was later known as Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin.]

[But unfortunately, with the death of Chai Rong, the fate of the Later Zhou Dynasty came to an abrupt end. ]

[In 959 AD, 39-year-old Chai Rong unfortunately passed away, and 7-year-old Chai Zongxun succeeded him. At this time, news came from the north that the Khitan troops were heading south. Zhao Kuangyin personally led his army north to resist. When the army reached Chenqiaoyi, the army mutinied, and Zhao Kuangyin was covered with a yellow robe and enthroned as emperor. The scene ten years ago was repeated.]

【Zhao Kuangyin then returned to Kaifeng and took over the Later Zhou Dynasty without bloodshed, establishing the Song Dynasty, which is known in history as the Northern Song Dynasty.】

[Thus ended the Five Dynasties which lasted for 53 years.]

……

"The founder of the Song Dynasty bullied orphans and widows, and established the country with military generals, but was also afraid of military generals, which affected the national destiny of the Song Dynasty for 300 years."

Zhu Di looked at the sky and shook his head. Although it was despicable that Zhao Kuangyin bullied orphans and widows, Song Zu was still a good person. At least he did not make things difficult for the orphans and widows.

But the fact that he was able to end the century of chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty and bring peace to the world is enough to prove his ability.

Although the foundation laid by Chai Rong was the most basic, if Zhao Kuangyin himself was not good enough, he would not be able to achieve the unification of the Central Plains.

Think about it, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were unable to achieve unification for so many years. If Zhao Kuangyin did not have extraordinary abilities, he would not have been able to do so.

Unfortunately, he was too cautious, the process of conquering all directions was too slow, and he died too early.

Otherwise, with his ability, he might be able to resolve the hidden dangers in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

But then again, Chai Rong's army was unstoppable at the beginning, and they successively captured Waqiaokou and Mo and Ying states. Just when they were planning to capture Youzhou, they had to withdraw their troops due to illness.

If Chai Rong had died a few years later, perhaps the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun could have been recovered, and the people of the Central Plains might have been spared from the scourge of foreign cavalry.

Time is also destiny.

Perhaps history is like this, always full of regrets.

……

On the other hand, through Tianmu's explanation, Liu Bang, Liu Che, Cao Cao, Li Shimin and others gradually understood why Zhao Kuangyin chose to give up military power with a cup of wine and value civil over military.

From Li Siyuan to Guo Wei, and then to Zhao Kuangyin, the experience of wearing the yellow robe three times in a row, no one could withstand it!
It is normal for Zhao Kuangyin to be worried.

Moreover, the warlords of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms fought each other because military generals held their own troops, so it was understandable that Zhao Kuangyin chose to emphasize civil affairs over military affairs. (End of this chapter)