Zhao Kuangyin was a remarkable man who opened up new era in history. He successfully staged a mutiny at Chenqiao and was forced to put on the imperial yellow robe by his generals. Zhao Kuangyin then became emperor and established the Song Dynasty. He not only united a big part of China, but also made great contributions to the economic and cultural prosperity of China.
Background
Zhao Kuangyin, a native of Zhuojing, was born into an official family. He was the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin loved riding and shooting.
In AD 976, Zhao Kuangyin passed away suddenly at the age of 50.
Education
He was trained in the martial arts.
Career
He became a general of the Later Zhou Dynasty. He earned himself several military credits and was promoted to commander in chief of the Palace, holding the military power of the Later Zhou Dynasty.
In AD 959, Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of Zhou, died. The seven year-old Chai Zongxun was young and incapable of managing the country. Zhao Kuangyin and his men thus began planning for a political coup. In the spring of the second year, he used the invasions of the Northern Han and the Khitans as an excuse to lead his army from Kaifeng to fight the invasion. When the army reached Chenqiao statio, the generals put an imperial yellow robe on Zhao Kuangyin and proclaimed him emperor. This accident is known as the mutiny at Chenqiao.
Zhao Kuangyin became Emperor Taizu, the first emperor of the Song Dynasty.
To prevent the division of the country among warlirds, Emperor Taizu accepted the suggestion of his chancellor Zhao Pu and played clever political tricks to strip his generals of their military power and to consolidate his own power.
After stripping the military governors of their military power, Emperor Taizu appointed his civil officials as provincial governors for the different provinces. He later sent forwarding ambassadors to manage the finances for the provinces, and also redeployed good soldiers to the capital to form the imperial army. The measures that Emperor Taizu took to consolidate the power of the central government played an important role in ending the many divided and warring states which had risen after the fall of the Tang Dynasty. However, he placed emphasis on literature while limiting military force, and focused on internal security. As a result, the country grew militarily weaker as time went by, and the Song Dynasty was faced with never-ending external challenges.