Statue of Shi Jingyao
Shi Jingyao, a native of Lishatuobu, Fenyang, Taiyuan, Shanxi, was born in the spring of the first year of Emperor Jingfu of Tang Zhaozong (892 AD), and was the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
The history books record that Shi Jingyao had a simple temperament, did not smile, liked to study the art of war, and initially followed Li Siyuan in Dai Prefecture, and was deeply respected, and soon married Li Siyuan's daughter as a wife.
Li Siyuan appointed Shi Jingyao to command the pro-army "Three Discussion Army" as his confidante, and Shi Jingyuan followed his father-in-law and superior Li Siyuan on his eastern expeditions to the west, and made many military achievements.
In the second year of Later Liang Zhenming (916), the Later Liang general Liu Yu [xún] raided Li Cunxun, the King of Jin, and Shi Jingyao led more than a dozen of his own soldiers to rush into the enemy position, fought hard, and covered Li Cunxun's safe withdrawal, and his reputation was greatly enhanced.
After that, Shi Jingyao made many military achievements in the conquests of Later Tang and Later Liang, and during the reign of Emperor Li Congke at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Shi Jingyao was promoted to envoy of Hedong Jiedushi, and was given the title of Duke of Zhao, and was given the title of Zhongzheng Meritorious Servant of FutianQiyun.
Li Congke was very suspicious of Shi Jingyao, who was walking on thin ice in Hedong.
Once, Shi Jingyao's wife Li Shi entered the capital to wish Emperor Li Congke a happy birthday, and after the banquet, he wanted to go back earlier, and the drunken and confused Li Congke sarcastically said: "You are in such a hurry to go back, do you want to rebel with Shi Lang?" ”
Li Shi returned to Hedong and told her husband that Shi Jingyao realized that Emperor Li Congke had distrusted him, so he secretly began to make emergency preparations.
On the surface, Shi Jingyao disguised himself as a terminally ill person, and often let out a vent, saying that his body was not as good as before, and he was unable to hold official positions, thus paralyzing the emperor.
At the same time, Shi Jingyao wrote to the imperial court to increase grain on the grounds of khitan raids, and Li Congke was repeatedly deceived.
In the third year of the Later Tang Dynasty (936), Li Congke followed the advice of his ministers and replaced Shi Jingyao with the post of envoy to Yun Prefecture (郓州, in present-day Dongping, Shandong), and successively urged Shi Jingyao to take up his post.
Shi Jingyao had a premonition that Emperor Li Congke was going to cut off his military power, so he pretended to be ill and lay in Hedong, and at the same time wrote to the emperor to stimulate the emperor, saying that Li Congke was Li Siyuan's adopted son and should give the throne to Li Siyuan's own son Li Congyi.
Li Congke was furious, dismissed Shi Jingyao from all his duties, and sent the general Zhang Jingda to attack Taiyuan.
Shi Jingyao personally led his troops to resist, and although the army was stable, there was a shortage of grain and grass.
The panicked Shi Jingyao sent people to secretly collude with the Khitans, asking the Khitan Emperor Yelü Deguang to send troops to rescue him, promising to cede the land of Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, and at the same time paying tribute to the Khitan every year, and calling Yelü Deguang, who was ten years younger than himself, as his father.
Statue of Jerusalem
Shi Jingyao's general Liu Zhiyuan (later known as Emperor, that is, Later Han Gaozu) thought that there was no need to go too far, and advised: "We can call the Khitan a vassal, saying that our son is too humiliating, we can send more gold for help, we can't cede land, there will be no danger to defend in the future, and there will be endless troubles in the future!" ”
Shi Jingyao did not listen to the dissuasion, insisting on going his own way, Yelü Deguang dozed off and met the pillow, overjoyed, worried that there was no excuse to go south, this opportunity came.
Yelü Deguang personally led a large army to aid Shi Jingyao, defeated the Tang army, captured Luoyang, killed more than 10,000 people, and destroyed the Later Tang.
In the winter of the first year of the Later Jin Dynasty (936), Yelü Deguang officially crowned Shi Jingyao as emperor, with the state name Jin and the year name Tianfu, and personally awarded the crown.
Shi Jingyao took the throne in Liulin (southeast of Taiyuan) and fulfilled his promise to cede youyun sixteen prefectures to the Khitan and call Yelü Deguang "Father Emperor" and "Emperor Er".
In addition to the land cut off in youyun sixteen prefectures, including most of today's Beijing, Hebei, and Shanxi, Shi Jingyao also had to offer 300,000 pieces of cloth every year, and in the event of festivals and celebrations, he also had to offer rare treasures.
Since then, the Central Plains Imperial Court has completely lost the natural barrier in the north, and the Khitan army can drive straight into the Yellow River of Drinking Horse, ravage the splendid rivers and mountains with iron hooves, and carry out crazy plunder and enslavement of the people of the Central Plains.
Shi Jingyao did not hesitate to call himself "Emperor Er", which was so shameless that he was tantamount to confessing to being a thief as a father, trapping the people of the Central Plains in the midst of water and fire, and committing countless crimes.
"Humble words and generous courtesies, khitan with things", wagging his tail and begging for mercy, ugly and full of ugliness, despised by the world.
Some of his subordinates were also ashamed of "subjecting to the Khitans", and Datong Jiedu made the judge Wu Luan guard behind closed doors, resolutely refusing to accept the mercy of the Khitans, and Guo Chongwei was ordered by YingZhou to "return to the south".
In the sixth year of Tianfu (942), Chengde Jiedu made An Zhongrong reprimand Shi Jingyaogan as a puppet, expressing his willingness to fight the Khitan army to the death.
Shi Jingyao actually sent troops to behead An Zhongrong and gave his head to the Khitans.
In his later years, Shi Jingyao was jealous of the ministers, trusted the eunuchs, and the government was deserted, the officials were corrupt, and the people's grievances boiled over.
Liu Zhiyuan became the emissary of Hedong Jiedushi, supporting the soldiers and respecting themselves, Shi Jingyao did not dare to offend the Khitans, but also worried that Liu Zhiyuan would become bigger and stronger.
Soon depression became a disease.
In June of the seventh year of Tianfu (942), Shi Jingyao, who had been a puppet emperor for seven years, cried out in humiliation at the age of fifty-one.