Name: Zhao Kuangyin.

Nickname: Xiang Haier

Date of birth:1Feb. 92716th, the lunar calendar.

Deathday: 19761October 20th, the lunar calendar.

Temple number: Taizu

Posthumous title: Yun Qi, Li Ji, Wu Ying, Wen Rui, Shen De, Gong Sheng and Emperor Ming Daxiao.

Zodiac: pig

Native place: ancestral home in Zhuozhou (now Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province), born in Luoyang, Henan Province.

Mausoleum: Yongchang Mausoleum (now Dongbao, southwest levee of Gongyi, Henan)

Father: Zhao, posthumously awarded Xuanzu.

Mother: Du Taihou.

First marriage: 19 years old

Spouses: Empress He, Empress Wang and Empress Song.

Children: 4 sons and 6 daughters.

Ethnic group: Han nationality

Coups in past dynasties are not uncommon. "The change of Chen Qiao in yellow robe" was a successful coup launched by Zhao Kuangyin, the supreme commander of the imperial army in the later Zhou Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin acceded to the throne without bloodshed, which not only unified more than half of China, but also managed the country well. The reason why the economy and culture of Song Dynasty reached another peak in Chinese history was closely related to Zhao Kuangyin's way of governing the country.

History has proved that Zhao Kuangyin is an outstanding figure in promoting historical development. He used both hard and soft methods to appease the powerful ministers and solved the problem of military power after the unification of the world. Zhao Kuangyin, a hero who will never die.

[Edit this paragraph] I. Life

Zhao Kuangyin was the first emperor of the Song Dynasty, and his reign was from 960 to 976.

On March 2 1 day, 927, Zhao Kuangyin was born into a military family in Jiamaying, Luoyang. According to legend, with the birth of the baby, "the room is surrounded by red light, the strange fragrance is lingering, and the body is golden, and it will remain unchanged in March."

Ceng Yun: "Song Taizu is introducing it." Kuang Yin's father, Zhao, was a general in the later Tang, Jin, Han and Four Dynasties. Kuang Yin, who was a teenager, was evaluated as "long, majestic, imposing and very human."

When Zhao Kuangyin was born, Weah's century-old Tang Empire had disappeared from the world for 20 years. A balance is broken, followed by lasting turmoil. Influenced by his family, he loved riding, shooting and martial arts since he was a child, and he developed a good martial arts. Zhao Kuangyin was the first emperor in martial arts. He created his own Taizu Changquan and practiced a whole set of boxing methods, which fully showed the heroic characteristics of the north. He is one of the six famous martial arts fists in China, and he also invented the "big and small panlong sticks", which later became nunchakus. At the same time, he is also a diligent emperor. When he was young, his father asked him to give up Wu Xuewen, and hired a very learned gentleman for him, which laid a solid cultural foundation for him, understood the truth of governing the country and leveling the world, and formed the habit of reading. It is said that he is studious and has reached the point of "fondle admiringly".

At the age of 2/kloc-0, he bid farewell to his parents and wife and began to wander around the world to find his own career. He roamed many places in North China, Central Plains and Northwest China, but all failed. In 949, he finally met his chance. On the way north, he met Guo Wei, the envoy of the later Han Dynasty. Guo Wei led troops to counter-insurgency in Linjiang (now Yongji, Shanxi), and Zhao Kuangyin, who was strong and proficient in martial arts, joined Guo Wei.

When Guo Wei ascended the throne (Emperor Taizu of the Later Zhou Dynasty), Zhao Kuangyin served as the commander of the imperial guard, and was appreciated by Yin Chai Rong (Zhou Shizong) of Kaifeng Prefecture at that time, becoming a subordinate of Chai Rong. After Zhou Shizong acceded to the throne, Zhao Kuangyin followed Sejong's Northern Expedition, won Sejong's trust and reuse, and became one of the few senior generals of the Imperial Army. In the sixth year of Xiande in the later Zhou Dynasty (959), Zhou Shizong moved northward to Yanyun, and it was in full swing. At this time, Sejong was unfortunately seriously ill and died shortly after being forced to withdraw. His youngest son Chai Zongxun succeeded him to the throne. Before his death, Sejong changed and mobilized the highest military and political personnel, and Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to the head of the Guards.

In the seventh year of Xiande (960), on the fourth day of the first month, Zhao Kuangyin was inspected by the envoys in charge of the imperial army (governing Songzhou, now south of Shangqiu, Henan) in front of the palace. Taking advantage of the opportunity of "suspecting the country", he launched the "Chen Qiao mutiny", seized the political power of the later Zhou Dynasty, established the Song Dynasty (known as the Northern Song Dynasty in history) and changed the Yuan Dynasty.

Mao's daily life is simple, and his clothes and diet are simple. Although he is bound by his family, he is by no means a stingy person. He once spent a lot of money on some projects and gave generous treatment to the surrendered monarch. His private life is rigorous and simple, but he is very generous to the place where he spends it, which is rare among emperors in past dynasties.

The painful wandering experience made Zhao Kuangyin have a personal experience of the sufferings of ordinary people, so he was very concerned about people's livelihood. At the beginning of the world, he immediately implemented the policy of reducing corvee, allowing farmers to recuperate and develop production. In 19961year, he explicitly exempted state governments from commandeering civilians as messengers and replaced them with soldiers. In the second year, the labor of collecting people to carry garrison clothes was exempted. If the county does not obey the order, the people can report it. After the Five Dynasties Rebellion, there were years of wars, and the land was barren, which was the foundation of the country. Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin ordered all newly reclaimed land not to be taxed, and rewarded all state and county officials who made outstanding achievements in reclamation. If the barren area of farmland within their jurisdiction exceeds a certain mu, they should be punished. Just two years after Zhao Kuangyin came to power, he ordered the construction of dams along the Yellow River and planted a large number of trees for flood control. Later, he repeatedly issued the highest instructions on the regulation of the Yellow River. For example, in the third year of the Stegosaurus (962), Zhao Kuangyin wrote: "At the beginning of each year, the county magistrate and officials along the Yellow River and Bianhe River were ordered to distribute willow branches and reinforce dikes." Every year 1, February and March are typical restoration periods of the Yellow River dam, and reinforcement and maintenance will be carried out every year, which not only strengthens the dam, but also afforests the environment, killing two birds with one stone.

Fan Zhongyan once said sincerely: "I have never killed a servant lightly since my ancestors. This is a matter of great virtue." (Fan Zhongyan's Chronicle of Three Years in Li Qing) The most important reason for this is that there are "three commandments to save the stone" (the oath of the Taizu tablet). Wang Fuzhi said: Mao Xerox was locked in a temple, became the heir to the throne, and knelt down to study. There are three commandments: First, preserve the descendants of Chai; Second, don't kill literati; Third, no arable land. Oh! If these three things happen, you can't be virtuous. (On Song Sanmao, Volume 1)

1976, Zhao Kuangyin collapsed. There are different opinions about the cause of Mao's death. Some people say that he died suddenly because of excessive drinking, while others say that he died because of abdominal swelling and ulcer attack. More generally, the death of Mao had a lot to do with Song Taizong.

What the truth is, due to the lack of historical data, is still unclear, but one thing is certain, that is, Taizong did a lot of work to cover up the cause of Taizu's death. The Records of Taizong compiled by Tang Taizong Chao has gone through three times, but it has not been successful. Although he tampered with and covered up many truths, Taizong was still not satisfied. Emperor Taizong's unusual attention to a Taizu record is enough to explain the mystery of Emperor Taizong's abnormal succession, and the sound of candles and axes has become an eternal mystery.

The legend of the mystery of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin's sudden death;

In 976, Song Taizu Yongchang Mausoleum, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly died. There is no record of his illness in the official history, and there are different accounts in unofficial history. The cause of his death has become a bizarre unsolved case in history.

1. According to "Shan Ye, Hunan", on October 20th, the ninth year of Kaibao, on a snowy night, Zhao Kuangyin called his brother Zhao Guangyi into the palace. Two brothers are drinking in the bedroom. After drinking, it was already late at night. Zhao Kuangyin and Yufu stabbed him in the snow and said, "Work hard". Zhao Guangyi (formerly known as Zhao Kuangyi) stayed in the bedroom that night, and Zhao Kuangyin died inexplicably at dawn the next day. Zhao Guangyi received a testamentary edict, which preceded Ling's succession.

Second, "Ember Record" said that Zhao Guangyi coveted Mrs. Huarui, the concubine of Zhao Kuangyin, and molested Mrs. Huarui in the middle of the night when Zhao Kuangyin was in a coma, which awakened Zhao Kuangyin and cut him with a jade axe. He was overwhelmed and cut down the ground. So Zhao Guangyi, as a lamb, killed Zhao Kuangyin and fled back to his home.

Thirdly, Su Shui said: When Mao died, he was already bulging on all sides. Queen Song asked the chamberlain to call Prince Zhao. Considering that Mao had long planned to run wild with Wang Guangyi of Jin Dynasty, Wang Jien found Zhao Guangyi. After entering the palace, Queen Song asked, "Is Fang here?" Wang Jien replied, "The King of Jin is here." Empress Song was shocked, then suddenly woke up and cried and said, "My mother and son's lives depend on the government."

Fourth, in addition, it is said that as a younger brother, he inherited his brother's throne, which is the opinion of his mother, Empress Dowager Du. On his deathbed, Du Taihou said to Zhao Kuangyin, "If the Zhou Dynasty was succeeded by an elderly emperor, how could you be today?" ? You and Guangyi are both my sons. You will pass the throne to him in the future, and it will be a blessing for the country to have a long monarch! "Zhao Kuangyin agreed, so he asked Prime Minister Zhao Pu to write an oath in the synopsis of the Golden Chamber and seal it in the synopsis of the Golden Chamber. This is the so-called "pre-alliance in a golden chamber", which is the legal basis of Zhao Guangyi's "brotherhood". However, the first edition of Records of the Emperor Taizu did not record the "pre-alliance of the Golden Chamber", but only mentioned it in the new record edited for the second time, and it is still doubtful whether it really happened.

All this has caused many questions.

One is "the sound of a candle shadow axe" when Zhao Kuangyin died.

Supposedly, according to court etiquette, Zhao Guangyi was not allowed to sleep in the palace, but he did. Eunuchs and maids were not supposed to leave the emperor, but they all did. The hectic figures, the strange sound of axes and Zhao Kuangyin's cry of "Let's do it right" all tell people that this is a bloody murder planned in advance.

Second, Wang Jien forged the imperial edict.

How dare Wang Jien go against the will of the Empress Dowager Song? It should have reached Zhao, but it came. If things fail, isn't it fatal?

This statement only adds the crime of usurping the throne to a eunuch, and at the same time covers up the crime of killing his brother.

The third is the authenticity of the "Golden Chamber Pre-Alliance".

When Du Taihou died, Zhao Kuangyin was only 35 years old and in his prime. Brother Guangyi is 23 years old, second son Dezhao 1 1 years old, and fourth son Fang is 3 years old. Even if Zhao Kuangyin died a few years later, there would be no situation in which the seven-year-old orphans left by Chai Shizong in the later Zhou Dynasty were leaderless. Du Taihou was wise all his life. How can he make this decision? In addition, the "Golden Chamber Pre-Alliance" was announced by Zhao Pucai five years after Zhao Guangyi acceded to the throne. Why not announce it publicly when Zhao Kuangyin died?

There are still some doubts, which also makes people criticize Zhao Guangyi.

Zhao Guangyi didn't wait until the next year, so he changed his title-the new king acceded to the throne. It is a common practice to change a year into a new one. However, Zhao Guangyi changed the nine-year treasure-opening period to the first year of Taiping and Xingguo. This can't wait to break the routine. There is only one explanation: first, "clear your name". Is there a ghost in his heart?

Zhao Dezhao, the eldest son who was forced to kill, and Zhao, the youngest son, who was only 23 at that time, also died of a mysterious sudden illness. After Zhao Kuangyin's widow died, Zhao Guangyi broke the queen's etiquette. All this is accidental?

The most puzzling thing is that Zhao Guangyi's descendants believed his ancestor's statement of "killing his brother to usurp the throne" and passed the throne to Zhao Kuangyin's descendants. This is about the succession of Song Gaozong Zhao Gou.

It is said that Zhao Gou has no son. Who will inherit the throne? Ministers are talking about it. There is a strong view that Zhao Kuangyin is the founding king and should choose his successor from his descendants. At first, Zhao Gou severely criticized this argument. Suddenly one day, he changed his mind and said that he had a dream that Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin took him to the "Long Live Hall" and saw all the surprises of the "candlelight sword shadow" that day, and said: "Only when the throne is passed on to my children and grandchildren will the country have a chance to turn over." Therefore, Zhao Gou finally found Zhao Shen, the seventh sun of Zhao Kuangyin, and passed the throne to him. At this time, the bloody night of terror has passed 187 years.

This just shows that Zhao Gou admitted the sins of his ancestors and gave a basic answer to Zhao Kuangyin's death.

[Edit this paragraph] 2. internal affairs

(a) The right to release soldiers with a glass of wine:

Although Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne of the emperor, he dared not sit back and relax. Through this mutiny, he deeply realized the great energy of military commanders to abolish the emperor and change the dynasty. Yes, since he can overthrow the monarch himself as a military commander, can't other generals overthrow him in the same way? He shuddered at the thought of this. Especially a threat to him, are some prestigious and heavily armed generals, in order to nip in the bud, Zhao Kuangyin is determined to take their operation.

First of all, Mao abolished the duty of inspection before the temple, and then directed a comedy "Dismiss the war with a glass of wine". One day, Shi Shouxin and others were called to the back garden by the Imperial Palace, and Taizu gave a banquet to treat each other. After three rounds of drinking, Mao said sadly, "I didn't get here by your efforts, but it was too difficult to be an emperor." Happy is better than unhappy. I dare not lie down all night! " When Shi Shouxin and others asked him why, Mao said, "It's not hard to know. Who doesn't want to be an emperor? " Shi Shouxin was shocked and confessed, "Why did your Majesty say that? Today's life has been decided. Who dares to be unfaithful? " "Otherwise!" Mao said categorically, "Although you don't object, if your subordinates want to get rich, even if you don't want to be an emperor, can you do it?" Hearing this, the generals were scared to leave and kowtow, asking Mao to show a "way" and Mao to show his true meaning: "Life is like a blink of an eye. Those who seek wealth just want to accumulate more money and have more entertainment to save their children from poverty. " Why not release the military power, go out to guard the place, buy more fertile land and beautiful houses, set an unshakable industry for future generations, and buy more cabaret artists at the same time, and spend the rest of their lives drinking and having fun day and night. I will marry you again, and there will be no suspicion between the monarch and the minister. Isn't that great? People understood Mao's meaning and bowed down together, saying, "Your majesty cares about his ministers. It's really a matter of life and death!" The next day he claimed to be ill. Mao was overjoyed and arranged for them to do our time in the local area. Zhao Kuangyin's several glasses of wine easily solved the problem of the general monopolizing the military power, which was praised as "the application of the highest political art" and became an eternal story.

(2) Strong branches and weak branches:

Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, the local buffer towns have been too powerful, often splitting one side and even carrying out armed rebellion, posing a serious threat to the imperial court. After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, according to the 12-character policy of "cutting its power, controlling its money valley and accepting its elite soldiers" put forward by Prime Minister Zhao Pu, Zhao Kuangyin weakened the buffer region from three aspects: political power, financial power and army, so as to achieve the goal of strengthening the cadres and weakening the branches and focusing on controlling the light.