After Zhao Kuangyin returned to Beijing, he secretly formed an army.

He had already planned to launch a mutiny in the first month of the following year, and the so-called yellow robe was nothing more than an elaborate plan.

The protagonist behind the scenes is Zhao Kuangyin himself, if it weren't for Chai Rong's early death, Zhao Kuangyin would not have launched a mutiny so early.

After the news that Mei Xiaohan was trapped in Yangzhou came out, Zhao Kuangyin really didn't take it to heart.

Zhao Kuangyin believes that those who do big things should not be confined to small sections, and the so-called not sticking to small sections is actually sacrificing the interests of others.

A few months later, Chai Rong died of a sudden illness. The Northern Expedition had to be suspended, and the Zhou Dynasty fell into chaos for a time.

Chai Rong, Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty in Chinese history: born in 921~959 AD, Zhou Shizong, Chai Rong is a Han nationality from Chaijiazhuang, Yaoshan, Xingzhou.

The famous Emperor of Later Zhou during the Five Dynasties period, Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, reigned for five years from 955~959 AD, ending at the age of Chinese New Year's Eve and eight years old.

He was the nephew and adopted son of Guo Wei, the Taizu of the Later Zhou Dynasty.

Chai Rong is good at riding and shooting, and he is also familiar with the history of Huang Lao. In the first year of Xiande (954), he succeeded Guo Wei as emperor and continued to rectify the military, politics and economy.

In the military, Chai Rong was strict with military discipline, clear rewards and punishments, and reviewed the forbidden army, eliminated the old and weak, selected and retained the elite, and recruited the world's strong men, and selected the excellent.

Politically, he strictly forbade corruption and punished officials who failed in their duties. Economically, the abolition of monasteries outside the imperial quota (the name given by the imperial court), the prohibition of private monks and nuns, the purchase of folk bronze Buddha statues to cast money, and the recruitment of people to reclaim the deserted land of fugitive households; The "Juntian Map" was issued, and the rents of 60 states in Henan and other places were uniformly determined, and the tax-free privileges of the Qufu Kong clan were abolished.

In addition, Chai Rong also expanded the capital city of Kaifeng, restored Caoyun, built water conservancy, revised the criminal law and calendar, corrected Yale, corrected the shortcomings of the imperial examination, searched for suicide notes, carved and printed ancient books, etc.

From the second year of Xiande, after the destruction of Shu, Qin (now Qin'anbei, Gansu), Feng (now Fengxian East, Shaanxi), Cheng (now Chengxian County, Gansu), and Jiejie (now Wududong, Gansu) 4 prefectures;

After that, he conquered the Southern Tang Dynasty three times, and went to Xiande for five years, and won 14 states in the Southern Tang Jiangbei and Huainan.

In the sixth year, the northern expedition to Liao recovered the three prefectures of Ying (now Hejian, Hebei), Mo (now Renqiubei, Hebei), Yi (now Yixian County, Hebei) and 3 passes of Waqiao (in present-day Xiongxian County, Hebei), Yijin (in present-day Bazhou, Hebei), and Sikou (in present-day Dongxin'an Town, Bazhou, Hebei).

In May of the sixth year, Zhou Shizong was about to take advantage of the victory to enter Youzhou, but suddenly died of illness.

During the dark and turbulent period of five dynasties and ten kingdoms, in 54 years, the Central Plains has gone through 5 dynasties, and 8 surnames and 14 emperors have been replaced.

At that time, the social country was poor and weak, foreign enemies were everywhere, and less than ten days after Chai Rong ascended the throne, the Northern Han Dynasty colluded with the Khitan to invade.

Chai Rongli personally went out to fight against the public opinion, recruited warriors into the forbidden army, and selected good generals to attack from all sides, calmly responded to the battle, and defeated the Han army with less in the crisis.

After the war, Chai Rong rewarded meritorious service, punished cowardice, executed more than 70 generals who were greedy for life and feared death, and severely punished arrogant generals.

Chai Rong ordered all localities to transport the soldiers with the strongest combat effectiveness to the capital, and established an elite forbidden army.

In the ensuing campaign, the Forbidden Army played a key role in determining the outcome of the war. The Northern Song Dynasty continued the forbidden army system, and the forbidden army was always the strongest military force in the Northern Song Dynasty.

After the defeat of the Northern Han Dynasty, Chai Rong sent troops to attack Shu and recovered the four states in one fell swoop, so that Hou Shu did not dare to act rashly. He judged the situation and personally conquered the Southern Tang Dynasty three times, which lasted two years and five months, seized 14 prefectures and 60 counties between the Jianghuai River, and forced the Southern Tang Dynasty to retreat to the south of the Yangtze River. After the Zhou Dynasty, the victory was complete, and the national strength suddenly increased. Just when the Later Zhou Dynasty invaded the Tang Dynasty, the Northern Han Dynasty once again united with the Khitan to invade the south.

Chai Rong once again personally conquered, and in 42 days, the soldiers regained 3 states, 3 passes and 17 counties without blood, and achieved the biggest victory in the Liao war in five generations. Chai Rong was full of confidence and planned to take advantage of the victory to march and recover Youzhou in one fell swoop. It's a pity that at this critical juncture, he suddenly fell ill and was forced to return to the court, and soon died of illness in Kaifeng.

Heaven did not give Chai Rong a few more years, and the recovery of the sixteen states of Youyun ceded to the Khitan by the Later Jin Dynasty and the unification of the north should be just around the corner;

After the pacification of the north, there will not be much resistance to attacking the weaker southern states.

In this way, the great cause of reunification will be completed in his hands, and the opportunity will not be left to Zhao Kuangyin, who later became the emperor of Zhou.

Zhao Kuangyin can be said to have been born out of thin air and has achieved a very favorable position.

In 959 A.D. (the sixth year of Later Zhou Xiande), Later Zhou Shizong Chai Rong died of illness, and Emperor Gong, who succeeded him, was only seven years old, and his politics were extremely unstable.

In 960 AD, on the first day of the first month of the seventh year of the Later Zhou Xiande, the news of a large-scale invasion by the Liao State and the Northern Han Dynasty suddenly came.

Empress Dowager Fu had no opinion, and after hearing about this, she was at a loss, and finally conigned to the prime minister for help, and the majesty of the royal family disappeared at this time.

Fan Zhen secretly thought that only Zhao Kuangyin could save the danger of the general in the court, so he recommended Zhao Kuangyin in front of the Empress Dowager Fu.

Zhao Kuangyin said: "I have few major generals and can't fight." ”

Fan Zhen had to give Zhao Kuangyin the highest military power, and he could freely mobilize the country's soldiers and horses.

After Chai Rong's death, he left behind his son Chai Zongxun, who was only 7 years old, and his stepmother Empress Fu, who was in her twenties.

Chai Zongxun originally had three half-brothers, but these three brothers were killed together in 947 A.D. by Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Later Han Dynasty, Chai Zongxun was three years old, his 26-year-old biological mother Da Fu died of illness, Da Fu was worried that the three-year-old son did not have a close family to take care of, so he asked Chai Rong to set up his own sister Xiao Fu as the queen before his death, Chai Rong agreed, after that, Chai Zongxun was raised by his aunt Xiao Fu in the palace.

In 959 A.D., Chai Rong was seriously ill, and his fourth son, Chai Zongxun, who was only seven years old, was appointed as the general of the special advance left guard, and was named the king of Liang and the crown prince.

Soon, Chai Rong died, only seven years old Chai Zongxun ascended the throne in front of the coffin, due to his young age, can not be pro-government, had to be his aunt Xiao Fu Empress Dowager curtain to listen to the government, Prime Minister Fan Zhen, Wang Pu and other auxiliary government, presiding over military affairs.

In the next six months or so, due to the lack of deterrence of orphans and widows, the political situation in Houzhou began to be unstable, the hearts of the military and civilians fluctuated, and rumors spread.

Some officials loyal to Hou Zhou immediately became keenly aware that the root cause of this situation was most likely Zhao Kuangyin, and some even proposed that Zhao Kuangyin should no longer be in charge of the forbidden army after the first day of the first lunar month. There are also people who advocate preemptively getting rid of Zhao Kuangyin as soon as possible to avoid future troubles.

Zhou Shizong Chai Rong reigned for only 6 years, but because he was a Ming monarch during his reign, he was deeply loved by the people.

After the Anshi Rebellion, the world fell apart, the feudal towns were divided, five dynasties and ten kingdoms were killed by deer, and blood flowed like a river. Chai Rong of Zhou Shizong was born out of thin air, completely ending this dark history that made the Chinese nation unbearable, Chai Rong used his last strength to illuminate the original dark history, and found a way for the Chinese nation to continue to move forward in the dark.

However, Chai Rong's sense of presence in history is so low. Zhao Kuangyin's later edge overshadowed him, and I have to say that this is a historical accident.

Hou Zhou perished, and the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were coming to an end, but it was not Chai Rong who could have been famous for eternity who stood at the end and laughed last.