In February of the 19th year of Liao Yingli (AD 969), Liao and other trusted ministers went hunting in Montenegro (now Ganggen Sumujing, Bahrain Right Banner, Inner Mongolia). In the evening, drunken Liao was assassinated by abusive attendants. Xiao * * *, who helped Yelvxuan, the second son closely related to himself, to reign in Liao. The Liao and Jin Dynasties appointed Xiao as the Tang envoy, the prime minister, the official rank and Wang Wei of the northern government soldiers, and recruited his daughter to the palace.
Xiao Chuo just entered the palace in March and was named the imperial concubine; Two months later, she was officially crowned queen.
In May of the second year of Baoning (AD 670), Liao, accompanied by Xiao, went hunting in Changshan (now Fuxin, Liaoning). Gao Xun and his daughter conspired to send someone to assassinate little Sven. The death of his father made Xiao Chuo, who was only 17 years old, mature rapidly. She began to use her talents to help Liao, who was terminally ill, govern the country.
Over time, with the acquiescence of Emperor Jing Zong of Liao Dynasty, all the daily affairs of Liao country were decided by Xiao Chuo independently. If there is a brief introduction to this important military event in Xiao Taihou, she will convene ministers of all ethnic groups to discuss it together, and finally make a decision by combining the opinions of all parties.
The decision she made was a brief introduction to Xiao Taihou. Liao only listened to the briefing at most, saying that he would "know" and count, and would not interfere. Thanks to our efforts, Liao's military is becoming stronger and stronger, and its politics and economy are also on the right track.
In February, the eighth year of John Bowring (AD 976), the Emperor of Liao sent a message to the Museum of Historians. Since then, anyone who remembered the words of Empress Zhao, "also known as Lian and Yu" and "stereotyped writing", raised his wife's status to the same level as himself.
In September of the fourth year of Ganheng (AD 982), 35-year-old Liao died in Jiao Shan Palace in Yunzhou (now Datong, Shanxi) on his way out hunting. On his deathbed, he left the testamentary edict that "Damon Liang Long Temple is the heir, and the military affairs are ordered by the queen", and handed the Liao State to Xiao Chuo, 29. Facing the eldest son, Lu Ye Longxu, who was only twelve years old, Xiao Chuo's first thought was that the imperial prince was strong and the situation was changeable. The newly widowed Queen Mother said with tears in front of ministers Lu Ye, Xie Tie and Han Derang, "Mother is weak, the family is strong, and the border defense is not peaceful. What can we do? " Ministers came forward to comfort and solemnly swore: "Trust ministers, why worry!" Then, Xiao Chuo arranged Yelvxiuge to stay in Nanjing (now Beijing), to take charge of the southern military and strengthen the border defense, and appointed Yelvxiuge, who married Xiao Chuo's niece, as the Tang envoy of the North Hospital, to manage the internal affairs, especially to strictly control the nobles.
At the same time, Xiao Chuo adopted the suggestion of Han Derang, a Tang Dynasty envoy of the Southern Academy, and issued the order to the imperial clan prince that "the kings should return to their places and not have private meetings", which made them lose the relieving power and solved a big worry of internal power seizure.
On September 24th, 982 (the fourth year of Ganheng), Liao died of illness in the mountain palace in the western suburbs of Datong. At this time, 12-year-old son Lu Ye Longxu succeeded to the throne as Emperor Shengzong of Liao Dynasty, and changed to Yuan Dynasty the following year. In 983 (the first year of Tonghe), Xiao Chuo was named "Empress Dowager Chengtian", who was in charge of state affairs as the empress dowager, thus better assisting the rule of Emperor Sheng Zong of Liao Dynasty.
According to legend, Xiao Chuo and Han Derang have been engaged since childhood. Shortly after the death of Emperor Jing Zong of Liao Dynasty, Xiao Chuo privately said to Han Derang, "I promise to marry you, and I am willing to make peace. And the master of the country is your son. "
According to legend, Xiao Chuo sent someone to secretly poison Han Derang's wife, and the three cases also regarded Han Derang as their father to serve him.
After Xiao Chuo, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army of Han Derang, in charge of Suwei in the capital. From then on, Han Derang entered the palace and fell in love with Xiao Chuo. When they go out, they must go in the same car, and when they enter the customs, they will not avoid foreign envoys.
With the help of Han Derang, Xiao Chuo carried out a series of drastic reforms on the system and customs of Liao country, which not only transformed Liao country from a slave country into a feudal country, but also improved the relationship between the Khitan nationality and the Han nationality. According to "Liao History Criminal Law", since the reform, Liao's internal affairs have shown a scene of prosperity. "The country has no luck for the people, discipline has been improved, officials have many jobs, and the people break the law."
After He Lingtu, a native of Xiongzhou (now Xiongxian County, Hebei Province), and He Huaipu, his father, the secretariat of Yuezhou, and others heard about it, He, Xue and others successively advised: "Now the Khitan is young, and national affairs depend on his mother. Neither his mother nor Han Derang knows that it is immoral, which will certainly arouse people's hatred. Liao country will definitely have civil strife, and there will be no Qi Xin. Who will listen to a woman who corrupts women's morality? It is a great opportunity to fight against Liao. " Thus, in March of the third year (the fourth year of Liao Dynasty, AD 986), the "Shenyong Northern Expedition" was launched against Liao. Song Junbing sent troops in three ways and won some victories.
Xiao Chuo used Yelvxiuge to fight East Road, Song Jun and Cao Bin, Yelvxiuge to fight West Road, and Song Jun and Yang Ye. Later, he took Han Derang and his son Liao Shengzong to Nanjing to work with Yelvxiuge.
In May, Xiao Chuo went into battle, led his troops to meet Cao Bin head-on, and sent Yelvxiuge to outflank Song Jun and block the route for providing foodstuff for water sources. Cao Bin and his men suffered a crushing defeat.
Xiao Chuo liberated his army and turned to Song Jun, the west road, which greatly improved the morale of the Liao army. Song Taizong hurriedly ordered all marked to retreat. Song Jun's morale was low and he was defeated all the way. Yang Jiye can't get strong support from the rear. Finally, all his subordinates, including Yang Jiye's son Yang Yanyu, died, and Yang Ye himself was captured alive, so he went on a hunger strike with indignation.
Xiao Chuo ordered Yang Ye's head to be cut off, packed in a box and sent to all parts of the border. Liao army morale, while Song Jun defenders were hit hard. They lost confidence in the enemy and could not hold on to the land they won. Liao successfully recovered all its territory.
In the twenty-second year of Liao Sheng (the first year of Jingde, A.D. 1004), in late autumn and leap in September, Xiao Chuo led the Emperor Yelu Longxu of Liao State, led 200,000 elite troops of Liao State, and conquered Dasong in the south. The Liao army was on a roll, and in two months' time, it attacked Jizhou (now Puyang, Henan Province), which is separated from Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Kou Zhun, the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, insisted that Song Jiazong use personal expedition to boost morale. When Song Lizong's driver appeared in the front line of Ganzhou, the soldiers shouted "Long live" for dozens of miles, and everyone was United as an enemy, and everyone was desperate. Soon, hundreds of thousands of reinforcements were assembled to confront the Liao army. This is naturally a huge blow to Xiao Chuo's plan to go south. Soon, another blow followed-LiLin Xiao, a famous Liao country, was shot to death by Song Jun with a crossbow while inspecting the terrain. The Liao army lost its general before the war, and its morale was greatly affected. Xiao Chuo assessed the situation, and at the suggestion of Han Derang, he decided to make peace.
Liao and Song reached an alliance of monasteries, and Song and Liao were brothers. Lu Ye Longxu, emperor of Liao Dynasty, called Zhao Heng, emperor of Song Dynasty, a brother, while Zhao Heng called the Empress Dowager Aunt. Maintain the old border between Song and Liao; Song gave Liao 300,000 gold silks every year. The two sides ended years of endless war and entered relative peace for more than 100 years.
In the same year, Emperor Shengzong of Liao once again honored his mother, which changed Xiao Chuo's honorific title from "Empress Dowager Chengtian" in the first year of unification and "Queen Ruide's slightly inherited heaven" in the twenty-four years of unification to "Queen Ruide's slightly inherited heaven" in the first year of unification.
One day in September of the sixth year of Tongzhi, Xiao Chuo violated the practice of banquets for royalty and ministers in the palace, hosted a banquet for ministers in Han Derang's accounting office, and gave them a generous reward, and "ordered the ministers to be friends on both sides of the strait and enjoy themselves".
In the 18th year of Tonghe (AD 994), Han Derang became the most powerful person in Liao State: Taibao was also the Privy Council of the Second House of North and South, and worshipped the Prime Minister as the King of Qi.
In December of the 22nd year of Tonghe, he changed his name to Liao and Long Yun. He went out of the palace and settled in his father's house, becoming the king of Jin and the prince.
In addition to these titles, he also got a loyal Wang Fu, whose regulations were comparable to those of the Imperial Palace, and enjoyed a royal entourage. From then on, the Han family who appeared in Liao country as a slave of Shu country in history officially became the royal family.
1009 (twenty-seven years of reunification) In November, Xiao Chuo held a traditional "firewood ceremony" for Longxu, and returned the imperial power to Longxu, ending her regency career in Liao and Liao Shengzong for more than 40 years, and went to Beijing to enjoy herself the next year. Unfortunately, on the way to the south, Xiao Chuo fell ill. In early December of the same year, she died in the palace at the age of 57.
Xiao Chuo was born in a Richter family with several fathers. His father was a veteran of the four dynasties (Emperor Taizong, Emperor Sejong, Liao and Liao), and he also assisted him, so he was in power for a period of time. Xiao Taihou's fame spread widely in the Han Dynasty.
Xiao Chuo's father was a young prime minister of the Northern Liao Dynasty, and his mother was a princess, the chief teacher of the State of Yan, and Liao's sister. Xiao Chuo has two sisters, and the three sisters are very different in age. The elder sister Ilan married Lu Ye Xiyin, the king of the Song Dynasty, and was once named the princess of the Song Dynasty. After the rebellion of the Song Dynasty, she was deposed by her husband and called Mrs.. The second sister and Han married their younger brother Ann to the King of Qi and made him Princess of Qi.
In 969 (the first year of Baoning), she was made queen. In the same year or the following year, Jing Zong's eldest daughter, Lu Ye Guanyin, was born in 19971year (the third year of Baoning), and Jing Zong's eldest son, Luye Longxu, Liao Shengzong, had two sons and two daughters, two of whom were Lu Ye Qin Long and Lu Ye Longyou, and the other two were Luye Longshou and Yelu Longshou. See "Prince Table" and "Princess Table" in Liao history for details. According to "Long Bian Zi Zhi Tong Jian", Yelu Ge Zheng, who died young, may be the fourth son of Xiao Chuo.
Due to its iron-fisted political means and controversial killing of political opponents, the evaluation of Xiao Chuo has been polarized in history.
The evaluation of the Yuan version of Liao history is very simple. The book says: "Learn to govern the Tao after the Ming Dynasty, listen to the good, and be loyal to the minister." There were personal attacks in the Records of the Khitan in the Song Dynasty, and Ye Longli accused in Biography of He: "(Xiao Huanghou) likes to show off, but he has no discipline." "The day after tomorrow, forbearance, malice, murder, resourcefulness and good control, many ministers have their own strength."
According to "Liao History", the tombs of Jing Zong and Xiao Taihou in Liao country were named Ganling at the foot of Yiwulu Mountain in Jinzhou North Town. According to the geographical location recorded in Liao history, Ganling should be near Longgang Village. The epitaph of the buried tomb has been excavated near the ancient tomb, "Buried in Ganling ancestral temple" and "Buried in Ganlingxiao (Qin Long, Lu Ye)!" At the bottom of the tomb, that is, in the village, there are two high-legged tombs, which are confirmed to be Xiao Taihou's two grandchildren. According to the ancestral system of Liao country, the graves of future generations should be under the graves of elders. According to this rule, Liao's cemetery should be at the top of Longgang Mountain. It is said that Jin Taizu Akuta hated Liao people, so after the Song Dynasty destroyed Liao, the tombs of the royal family in Liao countries were all excavated, and the gold and silver objects in the tombs were looted and destroyed, and Xianling and Ganling were no exception.
Because the story of Yang Jiajiang is deeply rooted in people's hearts, the word "Xiao Taihou" has almost become a proper noun of Xiao Chuo. In folklore, she is the sworn enemy of Yang Jiajiang, and her image is infinitely vilified.