Emperor Taizong of Liao
In 923, under him, Liao forces captured Jin's Ping Prefecture (平州, in modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei), and also defeated the Huxun Tribe (胡遜) of the Xi.
)[3] Emperor Taizu set up a Dongdan Kingdom over the old Balhae territory, with its capital at Fuyu, and made Yelü Deguang's older brother Yelü Bei its king, with the title of "Imperial King of Man" (人皇王, Ren Huangwang), echoing the titles used by himself ("Imperial Emperor of Heaven," 天皇帝, Tian Huangdi) and his wife (Yelü Bei's mother) Empress Shulü ("Imperial Empress of Earth," 地皇后, Di Huanghou).
Yelü Bei, angry over this turn of events, took several hundred soldiers and wanted to flee to Later Tang (Jin's successor state), but was intercepted by Liao border guards.
[1] Later in the year, apparently in reaction to being bypassed again, Yelü Bei fled from Dongdan to Khitan's southern neighbor Later Tang (Jin's successor state).
[5] In 935, Empress Xiao, after giving birth to her and Emperor Taizong's second son Yelü Yansage (耶律罨撒葛), fell ill and died.
[6] As of 936, Later Tang was embroiled in internal strife, as then-emperor Li Congke was suspicious that his brother-in-law Shi Jingtang the military governor (Jiedushi) of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), would rebel against him.
[7] Not long after, in summer 936, Li Congke, under Xue's suggestion, issued an edict moving Shi from Hedong to Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong).
The remnants of Zhang's army took up position at Jin'an Base (晉安寨), near Taiyuan, but the combined Khitan/Hedong forces then put it under siege.
Zhao, who submitted bribes of gold and silk to Emperor Taizong, promised the terms of being fraternal states with Khitan and that Shi would be allowed to retain Hedong.
[8] In 937, Xu Gao, the regent of Later Jin's southeastern neighbor Wu sent an emissary to Khitan to try to establish friendly relations.
[8] In late 938, Shi, fearing that Yang Guangyuan, then the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), would be difficult to control, and therefore divided Tianxiong and moved Yang to be the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Luoyang, Henan) and the defender of Luoyang.
It was said that after this movement, Yang began to be resentful of the Later Jin imperial government and entered into secret communications with the Liao court.
[9] In winter 941, An Chongrong's ally, An Congjin the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei) rebelled against Later Jin.
[10] Shortly after Shi Chonggui's succession to the Later Jin throne, the tone of the Liao-Later Jin relationship began to change, as Shi Chonggui, at Jing Yanguang's advice and against Li Song's, did not submit a petition but rather sent a letter to the Liao court to announce his succession, essentially declaring the states equal.
The Liao forces first captured Bei Prefecture (貝州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), and then grouped near Yedu (鄴都, capital of the former Tianxiong Circuit).
Shi Chonggui tried to respond diplomatically, but his emissaries could not get through the Liao army and reach Emperor Taizong to deliver his letters.
Later Jin's prefect of Bo Prefecture (博州, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong), Zhou Ru (周儒), who was in secret communications with Yang Guangyuan, surrendered Bo to Liao forces, and encouraged them to cross the Yellow River at Majiakou (馬家口, in modern Liaocheng), to join forces with Yang.
)[11] In winter 944, Emperor Taizong again made a major incursion into Later Jin territory, using Zhao Yanshou as his forward commander.
After Emperor Taizong was able to regroup at You, he caned each of the chieftains who were part of the operation several hundred times, with only Zhao Yanshou escaping punishment.
[11] It was described that, by this point, the incessant Liao incursions were rendering Later Jin's imperial army fatigued and its border regions desolate.
Zhao Yanshou wrote back (to try to lead Later Jin forces into a trap), stating, "I have long been in a foreign land, and I want to return to China.
Subsequently, under Emperor Taizong's orders, Liao's prefect of Ying Prefecture (瀛州, in modern Cangzhou, Hebei), Liu Yanzuo (劉延祚), also offered to defect to Later Jin.
To congratulate him for this great victory, Empress Dowager Shulü sent wine, delicacies, and fruits from Khitan lands to Daliang.
This included many agrarian rebels, causing Emperor Taizong to lament, "I did not know that the Chinese people are this difficult to rule."
[13] In late spring, tired of dealing with these rebellions, Emperor Taizong convened the officials at Daliang, stating to them, "It is soon to be summer.
[13] As Emperor Taizong withdrew, as he crossed the Yellow River, he lamented, "When I was at the greater empire, I was pleased to shoot and hunt.
As he travelled past cities laid desolate by his army, he lamented, "The fact that I did all this to China was the fault of the Prince of Yan [(i.e., Zhao Yanshou)]."
[13] Emperor Taizong's departure from Daliang, however, only continued to embolden the Han rebels, and soon, the key Yellow River ford of Heyang (河陽, in modern Luoyang) fell.
Third, I did not let the military governors return to their circuits quicker.Meanwhile, when Emperor Taizong's train arrived at Lincheng (臨城, in modern Xingtai, he began to become ill. By the time that he reached Luancheng (欒城, in modern Shijiazhuang), his illness became worse, and he was running such a high fever such that he had ice stacked on his chest, abdomen, and limbs, and was chewing the ice, to try to relieve the fever.
However, Liao was unable to retain the lands that Emperor Taizong seized from Later Jin, which eventually all became part of Liu Zhiyuan's Later Han state.
