Dynasties of ChinaLiao dynastyLiao dynasty lineage
Tonghe and others · Reign 982—1031
He ascended the throne at a young age. With the help of his mother, Xiao Chuo, he defeated the Song army and established the Chanyuan Treaty. He reigned for forty-nine years and ushered in the heyday of the Song dynasty.
Yelü Longxu, Xiaozi Manjusnu, the eldest son of Jingzong, his mother Xiao Chuo. Jingzong died of illness in 982, and Longxu came to the throne at the age of twelve. His mother, Queen Mother Chengtian, came to serve as regent, relying on important civil and military ministers such as Han Derang, Yelü Xiezhen, and Yelü Xiuge. In 986, during Song Taizong's three-pronged Northern Expedition, the Liao army defeated the Song army successively at Qigou Pass and Chenjiagu. After that, they turned from defense to offense and moved southward year after year. In 1004, mother and son led an army deep into the Song Dynasty and signed the Chanyuan Treaty with the Song Dynasty, in exchange for more than a hundred years of peace.
During the regency of Empress Dowager Xiao, she rectified the administration of officials, revised the law, and introduced new subjects to recruit scholars. The ruling system of Liao Dynasty became increasingly complete. In 1009, the Queen Mother died after returning to power. Shengzong took charge of the government for more than 20 years and generally followed his administration. He also built the Dading Palace in Zhongjing and sent troops to Korea three times. He was fond of Chinese poetry and calligraphy since childhood, was proficient in music and music, and often sang harmoniously with his ministers. He died of illness in Dafuhe Palace in 1031 at the age of sixty-one.
Shengzong reigned for nearly half a century. In the early stage, he was assisted by his mother Xiao Chuo, Han Derang, Yelü Xiuge and others to repel the Northern Expedition of the Song army and established the Chanyuan Treaty, which brought the Liao and Song Dynasties to a long-term peace. He also promoted the imperial examination, revised laws, and built the Central Capital. The old Khitan system and the Han system were further integrated, and Liao dynasty reached its peak. However, he spent a lot of time and money on three expeditions to Goryeo. In his later years, the Bohai people rebelled, and extravagance among the ruling group also gradually emerged.
PoliticsEmpress Dowager Xiao arrives at court
When he came to the throne at the age of twelve, his mother, Xiao Chuo, ruled as regent as the empress dowager, Han Derang served as the general bodyguard, Yelü Xiezhen participated in state affairs, and Yelü Xiuge took charge of the military affairs in the south, forming a stable ruling core.
PoliticsRename Khitan
The Yuan Dynasty was unified and unified, and the country name "Khitan" was restored (Taizong was renamed Daliao in 947). For more than eighty years after that, Liao Dynasty took Khitan as its country name, until Daozong changed it back to Daliao in 1066.
CultureRebuilding the Guanyin Pavilion of Dule Temple
Jizhou Dule Temple was rebuilt under the auspices of the Liao dynasty nobles. The Guanyin Pavilion has two floors on the outside and a dark floor inside. There are eleven standing statues of Guanyin in the pavilion, about 16 meters high. It is a masterpiece of Buddhist architecture and sculpture in the Liao Dynasty.
Lasting legacyThe Guanyin Pavilion of Dule Temple is located in Jizhou District of Tianjin today. It is one of the oldest existing wooden structure pavilions in China. The Liao Guanyin statue in the pavilion is one of the largest existing clay statues in China.
MilitaryBattle of Qigou Pass
Song Taizong's three-way Northern Expedition. In May, Yelü Xiuge defeated the main force of the Song Army on the East Route led by Cao Bin at Qigou Pass. When the Song Army retreated, they fought to cross the Juma River and countless people drowned or were killed.
MilitaryChenjiagu captures Yang Ye
In July, Yelü Xiezhen defeated the Western Song Army in Shuozhou and captured Song general Yang Ye alive in Chenjiagu. Yang Ye died on a hunger strike for three days. Yongxi's Northern Expedition to regain Yanyun in the Song Dynasty completely failed.
MilitaryBattle of Gentleman's Hall
In December, the Liao army took advantage of the victory and went south, defeating the Song general Liu Tingrang at the Junzi Pavilion in Yingzhou. The tens of thousands of Song troops were almost wiped out. In the following years, the Liao army continued to penetrate deep into Hebei, and the Song Dynasty went on the defensive.
CultureOpening a subject to obtain a bachelor's degree
The Imperial Examination was issued to test the Han people through poems, poems and classics. From then on, the Imperial Examination gradually became the regular way for Liao Dynasty to select officials in the south; in principle, Khitan people were not allowed to take the examination.
DiplomacyFirst Conquest of Goryeo
Xiao Hengde, who stayed behind in Tokyo, led an army to conquer Goryeo, and Goryeo sent Xu Xi to negotiate. The two sides agreed that Goryeo would profess vassalage to the Liao and serve the Liao Zhengshuo, while the Liao agreed that Goryeo would manage the Jurchen homeland east of the Yalu River, namely the "Six Prefectures of Jiangdong".
PoliticsThe same method between Tibet and Han
The imperial edict ordered Khitan people to commit the ten evil crimes and punish them according to Han law. Previously, the old law of unequal severity in fatal fights between Khitans and Hans was changed. All crimes were punished equally, and the legal differences between the two ethnic groups gradually narrowed.
Culture"Dragon Shrine Hand Mirror" is published as a book
Xing Jun, a monk from Youzhou, compiled the calligraphy book "Dragon Shrine Hand Mirror", which contains more than 26,000 characters, arranged according to radicals and four tones, and preserves a large number of common characters and characters used in Buddhist scriptures.
Lasting legacyThis book was reprinted by the Song Dynasty and renamed "Longshui Jian" and has been passed down to this day. It is still an important reference book for studying the popular styles of Chinese characters.
DiplomacyChanyuan Treaty
Empress Dowager Xiao and Shengzong led the army deep into Chanzhou, and the general Xiao Talin was killed in a crossbow by the Song army. The two sides negotiated a peace: the Song Dynasty would lose 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 pieces of silk to the Liao every year. The two countries would become brotherly countries and maintain their original borders.
EconomyOpen a sales office
After the covenant was concluded, the Liao Dynasty set up Qianqian in Xincheng, Shuozhou and other places, while the Song Dynasty set up Qianqian in Xiongzhou, Bazhou, Ansujun and other places. The two sides traded sheep, horses, furs, tea, silk, porcelain, etc., and border trade became increasingly prosperous.
SocietyBuilding Beijing
Zhongjing Dadingfu was built in the hometown of the Xi people, imitating the regulations of the Central Plains capital, with three levels: outer city, inner city and imperial city. It later became the main capital for Liao Dynasty to receive envoys from the Song Dynasty.
Lasting legacyThe Liao Zhongjing site is located in Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia today. The Liao Dynasty Daming Pagoda in the city is about 80 meters high and still stands today.
PeopleEmpress Dowager Xiao returned to power and died of illness
In November, Empress Dowager Chengtian returned to Shengzong, and died of illness in the palace in December, at the age of fifty-seven. She reigned for twenty-seven years, establishing the heyday of Liao Dynasty.
MilitaryPersonal expedition to Korea
Kang Zhao, the powerful minister of Goryeo, killed the king and established a new one. Shengzong took this as an excuse to lead his army to the east. In 1011, he broke through the Goryeo capital and opened the capital. Goryeo Xianzong fled south. The Liao army was attacked repeatedly on its way back and suffered heavy losses.
PeopleHan Derang passed away
The Prime Minister and King of Jin Han Derang died of illness and was buried beside the Qianling Mausoleum in Jingzong. He was given the surname Yelu and the name Longyun. He was the highest-ranking Han minister in the Liao Dynasty.
MilitaryThe defeat of Guizhou
Xiao Pai led an army of 100,000 to conquer Goryeo again. In 1019, he was defeated by Goryeo general Jiang Hanzan in Guizhou. There were only a few thousand survivors of the Liao army. The two countries negotiated peace the following year, and Goryeo resumed its status as a vassal and served Liao Zhengshuo.
CultureContinuation of the Fangshan Stone Sutra
Han Shaofang, the governor of Zhuozhou, requested that the stone scriptures of Yunju Temple in Fangshan be continued to be engraved, and Shengzong funded it. After that, the Xingzong and Daozong dynasties continued to engrave and engrave most Buddhist scriptures such as the Mahaprajna Sutra.
Lasting legacyThere are more than 14,000 sutra-engraved stone tablets from the Sui to Ming dynasties in Yunju Temple in Fangshan. The ones from the Liao Dynasty are an important part of them. They are national key cultural relics protection units.
PoliticsDayanlin Rebellion
Yanlin, the Bohai People's Congress in Tokyo, was dissatisfied with the heavy taxes and imprisoned Tokyo to stay behind. She proclaimed herself emperor and named her country Xingliao. The Liao army besieged it for a year before pacifying it, and then moved a large number of Bohai people to the interior.
PeopleDafuhe died of illness
He died of illness in Dafuhe Palace in June at the age of 61. He reigned for 49 years and was the longest reigning monarch of Liao Dynasty. The eldest son Yelü Zongzhen ascended the throne as Xingzong.
In the twenty-seventh year of his reign as regent, he knew people well and assigned them well, had clear rewards and punishments, and was able to personally attend battles. She promoted the Chanyuan Treaty, rectified the law, and promoted the imperial examination. She was one of the most outstanding politicians in Liao Dynasty.
Empress Dowager Xiao's most trusted minister, in charge of the affairs of the court, was promoted to prime minister, was granted the title of King of Jin, and was given the national surname Yelu and the name Longyun. There are rumors in Song records that he had a close relationship with the Queen Mother.
In 986, he defeated the main force of the Song army at Qigou Pass and was granted the title of King of Song Dynasty. He was in charge of the military affairs in the south for a long time. He advocated ending the war with the Song Dynasty, encouraging farmers to cultivate mulberry trees, and building military equipment, so that the people of Yan could rest and recuperate.
In 986, he captured Song general Yang Ye alive in Chenjiagu, and later participated in state affairs with Han Derang. In 999, he accompanied Empress Dowager Xiao on the southern expedition and died in the army.
A native of Nanjing, he was a Jinshi in the early Liao Dynasty. Jingzong and Shengzong served as prime ministers, worked together with Han Derang and Yelü Xiezhen to assist the government, and presided over the compilation of "Records". They were known for their integrity and prudence.
The nephew of Xiao Siwen clan, he repeatedly defeated the Song army and the tribes of Yubu. In 1004, he was the general in charge of the Southern Expedition. He was killed by a crossbow while inspecting the terrain under Chanzhou City, prompting the Liao Dynasty to turn to peace negotiations.