As we all know, the prince-in-law was the son-in-law of the emperor in the feudal dynasty. He had an extremely noble status and enjoyed endless wealth and splendor throughout his life. However, this coveted title contains a lot of sadness. As the husband of a golden princess, the prince-in-law of many dynasties was not allowed to take concubines. Even if they are talented, they can only focus on the mountains and rivers, they are arty, and they cannot become officials in the court. Because of this, there are very few princes-in-law who have made great achievements in history.
Of course, there are always exceptions to everything, and there are also capable people among the princes-in-law in history. For example, Huan Wen, a powerful official in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, controlled the power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty for many years, and was posthumously named emperor by his son Huan Xuan after his death. Compared with Huan Wen, the other prince-in-law was more direct. He rebelled and became the emperor. He was the most awesome prince-in-law in history. However, his reputation in history books is not very good, and it can be said that he has left an eternal infamy. Who is this person? Everyone must know that he is Shi Jingtang, Taizu of the Later Jin Dynasty.
Although Shi Jingtang's later actions were despicable, he was an extremely talented person in his early years. He was able to conquer the battlefield and be good at fighting, and he was regarded as a hero in the troubled times of the Five Dynasties.
Like all the founding monarchs of the Five Dynasties, Shi Jingtang rose to prominence by joining the military. The situation in the early period of the Five Dynasties was dominated by the "Liang-Jin struggle for hegemony". Li Keyong, who was loyal to the Tang Dynasty, took the restoration of the Tang Dynasty as his great cause, and became a mortal enemy of Zhu Wen who usurped power. Shi Jingtang, who was born in Taiyuan, joined the Jin army during this period. He was not afraid of death on the battlefield, fought freely and freely, and quickly grew into a fierce general. He was appreciated by Li Siyuan, one of Li Ke's thirteen Taibao. Li Siyuan also married his daughter, later Princess Yongning, to Shi Jingtang, which shows that he valued his beloved son-in-law.
Since then, Shi Jingtang has been following Li Siyuan. He achieved great military exploits when Li Siyuan led his troops to destroy the Hou Liang Dynasty. He also saved Li Siyuan's life on the battlefield, so he became more important. In Li Siyuan's army, Shi Jingtang and Li Congke were ranked as the two most powerful generals. Later, Li Siyuan won the throne. Because of his support, Shi Jingtang was still the prince-in-law of the dynasty. His official career was prosperous and he became a military envoy.
At this time, Shi Jingtang also quickly transformed from a fierce general on the battlefield into a courtier who was good at maneuvering in the camp. Especially when Li Congke usurped the throne, he betrayed Li Siyuan's son Min Emperor Li Conghou, causing the 15-year-old emperor to be brutally murdered. Through such cunning behavior, Shi Jingtang temporarily gained the trust of Li Congke, who had long been estranged from him, and became the governor of Taiyuan, taking possession of the Hedong area. Under his management, this place became his capital to support his troops and self-respect, and it was also the foundation for his ability to become emperor.
In 936 AD, Li Congke, aware of Shi Jingtang's threat, began to take action. He issued an edict and appointed Shi Jingtang as the governor of Yunzhou, hoping to transfer him away from his hometown in Hedong. Shi Jingtang was scheming and naturally refused to give in. Facing the huge pressure from the court, Shi Jingtang, who was once brave and good at fighting, actually reached an agreement with the eyeing Khitan and became the godson of the Khitan Emperor Yelu Deguang. This behavior made him be remembered in later generations. People laugh at you constantly. However, what really left Shi Jingtang infamy was the loss of an important piece of land.
In May of this year, 44-year-old Shi Jingtang proclaimed himself emperor in Taiyuan and established the Later Jin Dynasty. After hearing the news, Li Congke was furious and immediately sent troops to Taiyuan. Within a few months, the city was surrounded by water. . Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Shi Jingtang thought of his "father's country" Khitan and sent someone to ask for help. In order for the Khitan to send troops immediately, Shi Jingtang promised to cede the Sixteenth Province of Youyun to the Khitan. This place is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It has always been a barrier to defend the Central Plains and has an important strategic position. Such a treasure land was easily obtained by the Khitan people in Shi Jingtang's dream of being an emperor.
The Khitans who got what they wanted, under the personal conquest of Emperor Yelu Deguang, defeated the army of the Later Tang Dynasty and lifted the siege of Taiyuan. Shi Jingtang relied on the help of Khitan to destroy the Later Tang Dynasty in one go. Afterwards, he kept his promise and handed over the Sixteen Provinces of Youyun to the Khitan. However, he did not know that this move laid a huge hidden danger for the later Northern Song Dynasty. In the more than two hundred years of history of the Song Dynasty, they always wanted to regain the Sixteen States of Youyun, but they failed in the end. However, without the obstruction of this barrier, the Liao Kingdom, and later the Jin Kingdom and Mongolia, continued to threaten the Northern Song Dynasty, making the Northern Song Dynasty miserable.
Shi Jingtang’s behavior of only caring about his own selfish interests and disregarding the interests of the nation cannot be cleansed. But Shi Jingtang, who ascended to the throne after going through all kinds of hardships, had a happy ending in his later years. This famous "child emperor" in history suffered terribly under the oppression of the Khitan people. He had to always be wary of Liu Zhiyuan, who also had troops in Hedong. He also made the government a mess. After only six years as emperor, Shi Jingtang... Die in melancholy and with hatred. This prince-in-law, who rarely accomplished anything, rose up in troubled times. In the end, because of his inflated ambition, he lured the wolf into the house, causing the people of the Central Plains to be ravaged for hundreds of years. It was his own fault for ending up like this.