In the fifty-odd years following the Tang Dynasty of our country, dynastic changes occurred as swiftly as flipping pancakes, a speed unmatched by any other era in history, a period known as the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms."
Now, in the summer of 959 AD, the sixth year of Xiande in the Later Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong, died young at the age of only 39. Thus, the throne passed to his son, Chai Zongxun. At just seven years old, Chai Zongxun was still a child who understood nothing, which sparked envy in many.
Emperor Shizong had originally been a man of courage, foresight, and strategic vision. He not only conducted campaigns near and far, expanding the empire's territory, but also worked to weaken the military power of regional governors while strengthening the imperial guards—reducing the strength of forces stationed outside the capital while greatly enhancing the central army responsible for defending the capital and the emperor. This was a lesson learned from the Tang Dynasty, when regional military governors (jiedushi) had grown too powerful while the central army remained weak. During the time before Emperor Shizong's death, the highest commander of the imperial guards was the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard (Dianqian Du Dianjian), a position then held by Zhang Yongde. At that time, a rumor circulated in Bianjing (Kaifeng): "The Commander-in-Chief will become the Son of Heaven." This meant that the person holding the position of Commander-in-Chief would become emperor. Although Emperor Shizong could find no evidence of rebellion from Zhang Yongde, he still felt uneasy. He found an excuse to dismiss Zhang Yongde and instead appointed Zhao Kuangyin as the new commander of the imperial guards.
Zhao Kuangyin was in his early thirties, a robust and imposing figure, slightly stout, with a square face, thick drooping eyebrows, prominent "goldfish" eyes, and a strong, upright posture radiating authority. In his youth, he had followed Emperor Taizu of Zhou, Guo Wei, in campaigns across the land, earning numerous military merits. Later, he served Emperor Shizong in both northern and southern expeditions, earning the emperor's deep trust. Two years prior, during the war against the Southern Tang, the Tang ruler had secretly sent a large sum of gold and silver to Zhao Kuangyin, asking for his covert assistance. Zhao Kuangyin, however, turned over the entire bribe to Emperor Shizong, leaving an excellent impression. This act was also a key reason for his subsequent appointment to such a high position. Zhao was a man of great intelligence and strategy, equally skilled in military and civil affairs, with far-sighted vision.
Upon Emperor Shizong's death, the seven-year-old Emperor Gong ascended the throne, plunging the entire nation into unease. Everyone knew that placing a child who couldn't even dress himself on the throne would inevitably lead to another dynastic change. And each time a new dynasty arose, the newly crowned emperor would allow his supporters, who had helped him seize power, to freely "Jingshi" (clear the streets)—essentially five to ten days of looting the city. During these times, shops and wealthy families were usually the unfortunate victims, and sometimes even high officials and nobles were targeted. All their gold, silver, jewels, and even their young, attractive female relatives could be lost. How could they not be terrified? However, this time the situation seemed relatively stable, and fortunately, no major incidents occurred within the first six months.
On the first day of the New Year in the seventh year of Xiande (960 AD), as people were happily celebrating the festival, officials from Zhenzhou and Dingzhou suddenly sent urgent horseback messengers reporting that Liu Jun of the Northern Han had allied with Liao forces to invade, with a massive and threatening army, and urgently requesting the court to dispatch a large army to resist them.
The young emperor, upon receiving the news, didn't know what to do. Even Empress Fu, secluded in the inner palace, could not offer a solution and was so frightened her face turned pale, repeatedly urging the trusted minister Fan Zhi to come up with a plan. Fan Zhi, the chancellor, was not a military man, so naturally military matters had to rely on a general. He therefore proposed appointing Zhao Kuangyin as the supreme commander, with the Deputy Commander-in-Chief Murong Yanzhao as the vanguard, and mustered a large army to set out northward in grand fashion.
Before departure, Zhao Kuangyin appeared passionate and resolute. He declared, "When the late emperor was alive, he originally intended to crush these invaders, but unfortunately passed away too soon, leaving his grand ambitions unfulfilled. Now they dare to bully our young emperor, coming right to our doorstep—this is their own death wish. I will go to complete the late emperor's unfinished cause. Chancellor, you may rest assured!"
The army set out on the third day of the first lunar month. As soon as they moved, rumors began swirling in the capital: "The Commander-in-Chief will become the Son of Heaven!" This rumor had circulated once before, but now it spread again, terrifying the wealthy. People scrambled to hide their gold, flee the city, and chaos erupted. Even the imperial palace and court officials were filled with anxiety, unsure of what to do.
Now, about forty *li* northeast of the capital, there was a small town called Chenqiao Post. That day, Zhao Kuangyin led his large army, setting out at dawn and arriving there by dusk. They set up camp and rested for the night.
After dinner, Zhao Kuangyin's close aide, Chu Zhaofu, went out for a stroll and saw Miao Xun, the commander of the forward cavalry, standing alone outside the camp, gazing up at the sky.
Miao Xun was known in the army for his knowledge of astronomy and astrology, and everyone respectfully called him "Master Miao."
Chu Zhaofu approached and asked, "Master Miao, what are you observing here?"
Miao Xun turned, saw it was him, and mysteriously said, "This matter shouldn't be spoken of lightly, but since you are the Commander-in-Chief's confidant, I can tell you. Look at the sun—how is it different from usual?"
As he spoke, he pointed west toward the setting sun.
Chu Zhaofu looked closely and saw a faint shadow beneath the sun, as if two suns were overlapping. Where they overlapped, a dark light emerged, and after a brief friction, one sun disappeared while the other remained, shining brilliantly. Against the backdrop of the evening clouds, it was a spectacular sight of dazzling light and colorful rays. This might have been a natural optical refraction, but infected by Miao Xun's mysterious demeanor, Chu Zhaofu felt alarmed and whispered, "Master Miao, what omen is this? Does it signify good fortune or ill?"
Miao Xun replied, "Whether it's auspicious or inauspicious depends on who you ask. This omen signifies the will of Heaven. To be honest with you, the sun that first sank is the current young emperor; the sun that later shone with brilliant light is our Commander-in-Chief General Zhao. For the Commander-in-Chief, this is an extremely auspicious sign, but for the young emperor, it is an inauspicious one. Don't you agree?"
Chu Zhaofu suddenly understood, exclaiming, "Exactly! Exactly! No wonder the rumor 'The Commander-in-Chief will become the Son of Heaven' has been spreading so wildly these past few days!"
Back in camp, the two began discussing it, and word quickly spread from one person to ten, then to a hundred. Soon, the entire army knew about the event.
Gao Huaide, the Commander-in-Chief and Governor of Jiangning, immediately gathered the officers and soldiers and declared, "The current emperor is just a little child who can't even feed or dress himself. We risk our lives in battle, earning great military merits, but does he know anything about it? Since Heaven has sent this omen, we should follow the will of Heaven and the people's wishes and proclaim our Commander-in-Chief Zhao as the new Son of Heaven! What do you all think?"
The others, who already harbored the same desire, immediately agreed in unison, "Exactly! Let's quickly consult the Commander-in-Chief's younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi."
Thus, they immediately summoned Zhao Kuangyi.
When Zhao Kuangyi heard that everyone wanted to support his elder brother as emperor, why would he object?
He said, "If it's the will of Heaven, it must be a good thing. However, my elder brother has always been loyal and righteous. If you all rashly go and tell him to become emperor himself, he might not readily agree. We need to devise a perfect strategy."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Pu, the clerk in Zhao Kuangyin's tent, hurried over and said, "Soldiers from all camps are saying that if the Commander-in-Chief refuses to become emperor, they won't risk their lives fighting for that infant ruler—they'd rather go home. Since the soldiers are all saying this, it's clear they are united. As long as we march our troops back to Bianjing, success will be easily achieved. There's no time to lose—let's act tonight!"
By now it was dawn. The officers gathered the soldiers from all camps and announced the plan. The army erupted in cheers, with no objections. They then all went to the outside of Zhao Kuangyin's tent and shouted "Long live!" in unison.
The guard at the door quickly waved his hands, saying, "Quiet down, everyone! The Commander-in-Chief hasn't woken up yet!"
The crowd shouted together, "Today everyone has proclaimed the Commander-in-Chief as the Son of Heaven. Don't you know yet?"
Zhao Kuangyi pushed forward, entered the tent, and saw Zhao Kuangyin had just woken up, stretching lazily, seemingly unaware of the commotion outside. Seeing his brother, Zhao Kuangyin asked, "Brother, what's the matter so early in the morning?"
Zhao Kuangyi recounted to him what the officers and soldiers wanted.
Zhao Kuangyin frowned and said, "How can such a major matter be handled so hastily? These officers and soldiers are greedy for wealth and glory and want to put me in an unjust position. It's hard to say, but you're my own brother—why are you saying this too?"
Zhao Kuangyi replied, "Elder brother, as the saying goes, if you refuse a gift from Heaven, you invite disaster. The sun appearing twice is Heaven's will. The soldiers are saying that if the Commander-in-Chief absolutely refuses their request, they'll all go home to farm and raise children. If the army disperses, won't you be guilty? In my opinion, this emperor isn't something you're seizing by force; others want you to take it. If you don't accept, you're just refusing a gift."
Zhao Kuangyin just shook his head, saying, "Let me go out and discuss this with the generals."
As soon as he stepped out of the tent, the soldiers instantly stood in perfect formation, shouting in unison, "The army has no master; we wish to奉Zhao, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, as our Son of Heaven!"
Before Zhao Kuangyin could speak, Gao Huaide and Shi Shouxin behind him quickly unfolded a brilliant yellow dragon robe and draped it over his shoulders.
All the soldiers knelt down together, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live a thousand times, ten thousand times!"
Zhao Kuangyin twisted his body twice, but the robe, held firmly by Gao and Shi, wouldn't come off.
Zhao Kuangyin said, "You're greedy for wealth and glory, making me bear the name of injustice. How can such a momentous matter be handled so hastily?"
Zhao Pu stepped forward and said, "This is the arrangement of Heaven, the will of the people. If our lord persistently refuses, he goes against Heaven's will above and loses the people's hearts below. My lord, there's no need for further hesitation."
Zhao Kuangyin wanted to speak again, but the generals, without waiting for his reply, lifted him onto a horse and set off toward Bianjing.
In the capital, the civil and military officials, upon hearing this news, looked at each other in shock, utterly terrified and speechless. A few who were不服 (unwilling to accept) wanted to resist, but before they could act, the advance troops had already arrived, capturing some and killing others.
Chancellor Fan Zhi and Right Vice-Minister Wang Pu were momentarily at a loss, with no choice but to kneel and welcome the new ruler.
Zhao Kuangyin quickly dismounted, helped the two up, comforted them with kind words, and ordered them to enter the court first to summon all the officials.
Seeing the capital completely surrounded by a large army, the officials had no choice but to prioritize their survival and unanimously declared their support for the new emperor.
In the afternoon, at the hour of Shen, all officials assembled, their ranks set. Zhao Kuangyin, surrounded by his troops, calmly accepted the abdication.
Hanlin scholar Tao Gu magically pulled an abdication edict from his sleeve, and Minister of War Dou Yi read it aloud.
Zhao Kuangyin knelt and paid respects to the young emperor, formally accepting the imperial decree. Then, he sat on the dragon throne himself, while the young emperor paid homage to him.
Thus, civil and military officials knelt and cheered together.
At this point, Zhao Kuangyin officially became emperor. The Song Dynasty thus began.
It was fortunate that this change of emperor avoided the usual "Jingshi" (looting). This was only because Zhao Kuangyin, wanting to reign for many more years, issued a strict order to stop it.
On the surface, it seemed Zhao Kuangyin was forced into becoming emperor against his will. In reality, the urgent horseback reports from Zhenzhou and Dingzhou were entirely fabricated. As for the two suns and the prophecy of the Commander-in-Chief becoming emperor, the true nature of these events remains suspicious. Otherwise, how could the abdication edict be prepared, the yellow robe be ready, and every detail be so thoroughly and orderly arranged within just a single day and night? Historians suspect that all of this was carefully orchestrated by Zhao Kuangyin himself.