On the eve of Zhou Shizong's death, Chai Rong was worried about changes in the political situation, and adjusted the military power of the Forbidden Army based on the principle of mutual checks and balances, so that Zhao Kuangyin did not fully control the Forbidden Army (the reason why Zhao Kuangyin did not fully control the Forbidden Army) He dared to launch a mutiny six months later, largely due to this). Moreover, Zhou Shizong also left a last testament and chose the minister "Tuogu": "If I can't afford to be an old friend of the king's vassal residence, I will serve as his minister." In other words, Zhou Shizong hoped that after his death, Wang Shizong would be the official minister. As a minister of Gu Ming, he served as prime minister to assist in government affairs. But unfortunately, this decree was abolished by Fan Zhi, one of the prime ministers at the time, who conspired with Zhao Kuangyin.

In addition, the Dai Zhou incident in which Zhao Kuangyin launched the mutiny was not as easy as "the troops stopped as soon as they put on the yellow robe" described in the poem, but rather tortuous. Zhao Kuangyin rebelled and returned to the army, and when he arrived at Chenqiao Gate, he was rejected for the first time:

"At the beginning of Yizu's support, the gatekeepers of Chenqiao refused to accept it, so it was like sealing Qiu."

It was even more thrilling when they arrived outside the Xuanyou Gate of the Imperial City. According to "Meng Liang Lu": "At the beginning, Song Taizu accepted Zen, drove in from the Xuanyou Gate, and guarded The passers-by used bows and arrows to attack, and Fenner moved toward his door and entered." What is even more striking is that important bloodshed occurred during the mutiny. This is how Han Tong, the founding general of the later Zhou Dynasty, was killed: After hearing the news of the mutiny, Han Tong hurriedly ran out of the palace and was killed by Wang Yansheng, the pioneer of the mutiny. This was also the most important bloody event in the history of the founding of the Zhao and Song Dynasties.

Based on the above, the following questions are worth thinking about. 1. Why was Zhou Shizong’s last will and testament revoked? What changes occurred in the political situation after his death? 2. What advantages did Zhao Kuangyin possess to replace Zhou when Shizong died, and what was the reason that prevented him from seizing power when Shizong was newly mourned, but delayed it for half a year? 3. The Yamen of the Palace Front Office is right next to the Zuoye Gate of the palace city. Why didn’t Zhao Kuangyin directly launch a palace coup, but instead adopted the Chenqiao mutiny method? The abolition of Zhou Shizong's last words and subsequent changes in the political situation

Before the "Chenqiao Mutiny", some of the ministers of the Later Zhou Dynasty wrote to Prime Minister Fan Zhi saying that Zhao Kuangying had ambitions to covet the throne, but Fan Zhi did not Ignore it. At this time when "the young master of the country is in doubt", is the dignified prime minister really so lacking in political common sense? Moreover, on the eve of the mutiny, the folk rumor that "on the day of dispatching troops, the commander-in-chief will be the emperor" has long been spread, but why did the monarchs and ministers of the Later Zhou Dynasty, including Fan Zhi, know nothing about it and could not smell any abnormalities? When Zhou Shizong died, the entire Forbidden Army was not in the hands of Zhao Kuangyin. However, half a year later, the entire Forbidden Army was under Zhao's control. How did this change happen? I think that all these are related to the matter of "concealing" Zhou Shizong's final words.

As for Zhou Shizong's deathbed situation, "Zizhi Tongjian" has a clear record:

"In Da Jian, Fan Zhi and others were summoned to receive orders. It said:' I am an old friend of the king's vassal residence. If I can't afford it, I will look after him. When he came out, he said, "How can I be a good minister when I am wandering around drunkenly all day long?" p>

This record contains key information about the Zhou and Song dynasties. Because the person who worked with Fan Zhi to abolish Zhou Shizong's decree was none other than Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, who gained a yellow robe through the "Chenqiao Mutiny" half a year later. The history books compiled by Sima Guang and other historians of the Northern Song Dynasty were all vague about this, saying only "Fan Zhi, etc." and not mentioning Taizu of the Song Dynasty. It was just the historian's writing style. By the time the Yuan Dynasty people compiled the "History of the Song Dynasty·Wang Zhu Biography", Only then did he reveal the details:

"With his talents, Sejong treated his former shogunate officials very favorably. He often summoned and spoke to him, and ordered the prince to pay homage. Every time he called a scholar, he did not name him. He wanted to meet him many times. Because he was addicted to alcohol, he stayed there for a long time. When Shizong became seriously ill, Taizu and Fan Zhi were ordered by Gu, and he said to Zhi and others: "If I don't keep it secret, I will stop Shizong after his death." "He who is good at making friends with others and who is good at promoting reputation is known as a scholar of the time."

It can be seen that it is true that Wang Zhu was addicted to alcohol, but he was not a drunkard. The reason why Zhou Shizong valued him very much was not only because he was an old member of the feudal dynasty, but probably more importantly because of his "talent" and his prestige among scholar-bureaucrats and scholars. Zhou Shizong is known for his strict demands on his ministers. If a wise monarch like Zhou Shizong has any shortcomings, it is:

"The usage of the method is too strict, and the ministers are not doing their best. They are often punished with the death penalty, even though they have a reputation for talent, and there is no excuse."

Therefore, a "drinking and disorderly" person like Wang Zhu would probably not be punished if he did not have very obvious strengths. He would be so highly regarded by Shizong, not to mention that this kind of regard also contains a very solemn meaning of "entrusting an orphan"!

Zhao Kuangyin was also an "old member of the feudal lord" of Zhou Shizong. Naturally, he knew Wang Zhu's personality, talents and his status in Shizong's heart. If such a person was allowed to serve as prime minister and support the young master of Zhou, there would be no doubt that They will set up obstacles on their way to the top of power. Although Song Taizu had military power at that time, he never underestimated the power of civil servants. For example, in front of Wang Pu, the prime minister who died three months before Shizong of Zhou Dynasty, he was always respectful and "weiwei". Even after he became emperor, when he saw Wang Pu's portrait, he "rectified his royal robe, folded his belt and bowed", and explained to his entourage: "This man is here. You cannot wear this yellow robe."

From this, it is not difficult to understand why Zhao Kuangyin joined forces with Fan Zhi to abolish Shizong's decree.

As for Fan Zhi, it is believed that his motivation for abolishing Shizong's decree was different from Zhao Kuangyin's, but it is not credible to say that there was no personal motivation involved. As the only "minister who cares about life" among the three prime ministers at that time, Fan Zhi naturally knew his current status and how his status would change after Wang Zhu became prime minister. This kind of consideration can easily drive him to stand together with Zhao Kuangyin, causing this person who can usually "control himself with integrity" to play a disgraceful role at critical moments.

For Zhao Kuangyin, the abolition of Zhou Shizong's decree to make Wang Zhu the prime minister was far more than just removing an obstacle that might become an obstacle to his advancement to the throne; more importantly, it was Taking this as an opportunity, he gained the recognition, care, and support of the ruling civil servants headed by Fan Zhi. Under certain circumstances, this recognition and care would turn into protection for Zhao Kuangyin's conspiracy to usurp the country. Moreover, according to the "Xu Zi Zhi Tong Jian Chang Bian": "Zheng Qi... At the end of Xian De, he was the imperial censor in the palace. When he saw the emperor (referring to Zhao Kuangyin), he was in charge of the forbidden troops. Some people wanted him, so he wrote a letter Fan Zhi said what he said, but Zhi refused to listen. The reason why Zheng Qi's "foresight" could not be used by Fan Zhi was because Fan Zhi turned a deaf ear to Zheng Qi's "speak of what he said." , is by no means an accidental oversight, let alone a problem of "counting", but the reason can only be found in Fan Zhi's protection of Zhao Kuangyin.

What is even more noteworthy is that in the six months after Zhou Shizong's death, the appointments and arrangements of senior generals of the Forbidden Army also underwent changes that were absolutely beneficial to Zhao Kuangyin. Before Zhou Shizong died, he was worried that his seven-year-old son Chai Zongxun (Emperor Zhou Gong) would be overthrown by the Forbidden Army, so based on the policy of "mutual checks and balances", he made an adjustment to the senior generals of the Forbidden Army, so that no one of the Forbidden Army, including Zhao Kuangyin, could It is impossible for the commander-in-chief to form an absolute advantage in the Forbidden Army. However, within half a year after Shizong's death, there were new changes in the leadership of the Forbidden Army:

The originally vacant post of deputy inspector in front of the palace was taken by Murong Yanzhao, and Murong was Zhao Kuangyinsu. An old friend of his "brother"; the Marquis of Yu, the capital in front of the palace, which was originally vacant or unknown, was filled by Wang Shenqi. Wang is Zhao Kuangyin's "old friend in civilian life" and one of the "Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society" headed by Zhao Kuangyin. Like Shi Shouxin, he is a core member of Zhao's circle of influence. In this way, all senior generals in the entire Dianqiansi system were filled by people from Zhao Kuangyin's faction.

In the original Guards Department system, Li Chongjin and Han Tong were Zhao Kuangyin's political opponents, while Yuan Yan and Zhao Kuangyin had no contact and had a rift. Only Han Lingkun had a brotherhood with Zhao Kuangyin. But now after adjustments, Han Lingkun was promoted to the vacant post of Du Yuhou, and the vacant position was taken over by Gao Huaide; Yuan Yan's position was replaced by Zhang Lingduo. Both Gao and Zhang had a very close relationship with Zhao Kuangyin, and they both married Yin a year later. In this way, Zhao Kuangyin's relatives and friends account for three of the five senior positions in the Guards Department system. Moreover, since Li Chongjin had been leading troops stationed in Huainan, in fact, only Han Tong, the commander of the guards and horsemen, was left in the capital, and he was not part of Zhao Kuangyin's faction.

The Palace Front Division and the Guard Division are two parallel systems in the Forbidden Army of the Later Zhou Dynasty. However, because the Palace Front Army was founded by Zhou Shizong himself, their combat effectiveness is stronger than that of the Guard Division, so their actual status is also higher than that of the Guard Division. Department of Guards. Zhao Kuangyin started his career in the Dianqiansi system, and his foundation was also in the Dianqiansi system. However, in the six months after Shizong's death, he apparently also controlled the Guards Department system.

Emperor Zhou Gong, who came to the throne after Zhou Shizong's death, was only a seven-year-old child. Therefore, all military and state affairs in the later Zhou Dynasty could only be handled by ministers. As the prime minister and minister of orders, Fan Zhi's status and role are extremely important. From this, it is not difficult to understand why such an absolutely beneficial change to Zhao Kuangyin occurred in the arrangement of the senior generals of the Forbidden Army. Naturally, Zhao Kuangyin himself, as the supreme leader of the Forbidden Army stationed in Beijing at that time, would also have considerable say in the appointment of the generals of the Forbidden Army.

In fact, the emergence of the above situation should be said to be the result of the cooperation between Fan and Zhao. In this way, taking the opportunity of Fan and Zhao's conspiracy to abolish Shizong's legacy, Zhao Kuangyin gained the support of the central organization of the Later Zhou Dynasty headed by Fan Zhi, and its power expanded rapidly, directly or indirectly controlling and manipulating all major military and political departments of the Later Zhou Dynasty.

In short, the abolition of Zhou Shizong's decree removed a major obstacle to Zhao Kuangyin's subsequent usurpation of Zhou Dynasty. Although Fan Zhi had no intention of usurping the Zhou Dynasty, in order to maintain his absolute position in the central organization of the Later Zhou Dynasty, he had to ask for or even be restrained by Zhao Kuangyin in terms of abolishing the decree, that is, "Be careful not to reveal this." Taking this as an opportunity, Zhao Kuangyin gained the recognition, support, and protection of the central organization of the Later Zhou Dynasty headed by Fan Zhi. Therefore, before Chenqiao's mutiny, all opinions on wariness of Zhao Kuangyin's usurpation of the Zhou Dynasty were arbitrarily suppressed. At the same time, Zhao Kuangyin quickly appointed central agencies, excluding political opponents in the Beijing Forbidden Army and controlling military power. How Zhao Kuangyin seized power

After the death of Zhou Shizong, the later Zhou Dynasty faced the following situation: First, there was "the suspicion of the young master and the country." Queen Fu was only 23 or 24 years old and lacked political experience and strength. Secondly, after Zhao Kuangyin experienced the Battle of Gaoping and the Huainan battlefield, he accumulated a huge reputation in the army. After performing his duties, he checked in front of the palace and let him He has tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his control.

However, to launch a mutiny, these two conditions alone are not enough. His predecessor, Zhang Yongde, who was inspected in front of the palace, also had these conditions, but Zhou Shizong took away his real power with a single order.

Zhao Kuangyin would not have known that the main factor in the success of Guo Wei's coup, the founding emperor of the later Zhou Dynasty, was the support of high- and middle-level Forbidden Army generals, especially the support of his brothers, the "Ten Army Lords".

Zhao Kuangyin, who has risen from the grassroots level, has a group of brothers known as the "Ten Brothers of the Yishe". The most famous among them are Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi, and Li Jixun. They all joined Guo Wei's tent during the Qianyu period of the Han Dynasty and became brothers. After several years of fighting, when Shizong died, Shi Shouxin was in command of the capital in front of the palace, Wang Shenqi was the captain of the right wing, and Li Jixun had the right to know Xingzhou. In addition, Zhao Yanhui, whom Zhao Kuangyin "adopted as his brother", was the commander of the right wing of Hujie. Zhao Chao, who had a clan alliance with Zhao Kuangyin's father, was the official governor of Heyang. These people are already mid-level and senior generals, holding real power in their hands, and they hope to get greater benefits from the mutiny.

Even so, there was great resistance to Zhao Kuangyin's mutiny. The most important resistance came from the Guards and Military Department. Its capital commander, Li Chongjin, was the nephew of Zhou Taizu. He was good at fighting and had a large number of troops. His deputy capital commander, Han Tong, was brave and resourceful and swore allegiance to the Zhou Dynasty to the death. Li Jun, the governor of Luzhou, was "good at using taxes" in the town and raised 30,000 troops, which was almost a separatist force in the strong town. The infantry commander Yuan Yan was also a general who was hostile to Zhao. In addition, there are still many intermediate forces.

In short, when Zhou Shizong died, although Zhao Kuangyin had the strength to make a coup, the opposition was very strong, and Zhao was not well prepared. Before Zhao ascended to the highest military rank, there were two commanders blocking his way, and he had no idea of ??launching a mutiny. He was checked before taking office. It had only been four days since Sejong's death. Even if he had the intention to succeed Zhou, it was only in the embryonic stage.

After Emperor Gong ascended the throne, Zhao Kuangyin began to prepare for the mutiny. The first major action was to appoint Yuan Yan, the commander of the infantry and infantry guards, as the governor of Shaanzhou, and relieve him of his military duties in the bodyguard department. Han Lingkun, the commander of the horse and infantry guards, was appointed as the Marquis of Yu, the commander of the horse and infantry forces. Long Jie Zuoxiang The capital commander Gao Huaide was promoted to the capital commander of the guards and cavalry troops, and the commander of the left wing of Hujie Zhang Lingduo was promoted to the commander of the guards and infantry forces. The second major move was to appoint Li Chongjin, the commander of the Ma Bu Army Guards, as the military envoy to Huainan, and let him go to Yangzhou, a far away place, to serve as the military envoy while retaining his military position.

These two actions squeezed out the two main powerful people in the Guards Department. Since the two were appointed as Jiedushi, Li Shang retained his military position and was slightly stronger than Zhang Yongde. They could also accept new appointments. , and Han Tong and others have not changed their positions, so they will not have any more suspicion about these actions. Among the three newly promoted people, Gao and Zhang were close friends of Zhao Kuangyin, while Han was an intermediate force. At the same time, Wang Shenqi also had an iron cavalry commander who was promoted to Yuhou, the capital in front of the palace. At this point, in the bodyguard department in Beijing, the only person loyal to the Zhou Dynasty was Han Tong, the commander of the bodyguard and horse army.

Now there is only one last obstacle left. Zhao Kuangyin could not bypass Han Tong and directly command the army of the Guards Department. If he did not directly control this army and Han Tong used his legal power to organize resistance, the mutiny would be in danger of miscarriage. How to overcome this obstacle? Zhao Kuangyin and his think-tanks will not fail to remember the power-grabbing tactics of Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty:

On November 28, 950, Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty, "The states in Hebei reported to each other, and the Khitan penetrated deeply", the Privy Councilor of the Later Han Dynasty ordered Guo Wei was sent to lead an army to march north. When the army arrived at Chanzhou, Guo Wei launched a mutiny, fought back to the capital, and proclaimed himself emperor. This information is not completely fictitious. In October of that year, the Khitan did go south, captured Neiqiu County in November, and then massacred the city. Guo Wei was inspired by this incident and changed the Khitan's return to the north to go deep. In this way, the Privy Council did not directly control the army. As the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition, he controlled the army in his own hands and successfully seized power and established the Later Zhou Dynasty. Since Guo Wei could change the Khitan's return to the north to go deep, Zhao Kuangyin could also create false information out of thin air, and thus staged a live drama of the Chenqiao Mutiny.

On the first day of the first lunar month in 960, the two prefectures were calmed down to report that "Khitan invaded", and the imperial court ordered Zhao Kuangyin to lead his troops to the north. At this time, Zhao was in power and could launch a mutiny, but Zhao did not. Obviously, Zhao and his think tanks were considering that Murong Yanzhao was in Chanzhou. If he did not support the coup, or even raised troops to oppose the coup under the instigation of the pro-Chou forces, he could arrive in the capital in a day and night. If he cooperated with Han Tong's forces inside and outside, things would It will be complicated, and if the situation cannot be controlled in time and Li Chongjin and others from other places jointly counterattack, the coup may be aborted.

Although all of this is just a possibility, strict precautions must be taken in advance to be foolproof. Therefore, Zhao decided to order Murong Yanzhao to lead the front army to set off on the second day of the first lunar month. In order to convince people, he also announced that he would lead the army to leave Beijing and go north the next day. On the evening of the third day, Zhao arrived at Chenqiaoyi. At this time, the former army had crossed the Yellow River. In the early morning of the 4th, Zhao Kuangyin, supported by Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi and others, donned a yellow robe and led his army back to the capital. His confidant general Wang Yansheng killed Han Tong, and Luo Yanbad used his sword to coerce the prime minister to help Zhao Kuangyin ascend to the palace. On the fifth day, the country was named Song Dynasty and changed to Yuan Dynasty Jianlong. The mutiny was successful in one fell swoop. Summary

The writing of history often traces the causes based on the consequences. This way of writing history backwards often finds reasons for success for successful people, while the traces of losers gradually decrease. The Zhao Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty have always been talked about by future generations. It is believed that the Zhao family had already obeyed the destiny before the mutiny, had already won the hearts of the soldiers and the people, and had accurate deployment during the mutiny. It was a matter of course to replace the Zhou Dynasty. But based on our individual life experience, where can things be so easy and smooth? What's more, it's a big event like the change of feudal dynasty.