Emperor Taizong of Liao

Background

Yelü Deguang was born in 902, before the founding of the Liao dynasty. His father was the Yelü clan chieftain Yelü Abaoji, and his mother was Yelü Abaoji's wife Shulü Ping; he was their second son. As a young adult, he was described by the History of Liao as serious in his appearance and kind in his disposition, and often participating in his parents' governance of the state.

In 922, by which time Yelü Abaoji was the emperor of the Liao dynasty, Yelü Deguang was given the title of Generalissimo of All Forces (天下兵馬大元帥, Tianxia Bingma Da Yuanshuai), and he was put in charge of commanding incursions into the territory of Khitan's southern neighbor Former Jin. 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. It was said that he later followed Emperor Taizu in defeating the Khitan Jueli Tribes (厥里), forcing the submission of the Dangxiang tribes in the Ordos Loop region, conquering the garrisons of the Hexi Corridor region, capturing the capital of the Gansu Uyghur Kingdom, defeating Balhae, and destroying the Dalugu Tribes (達盧骨).

In 926, Emperor Taizu decided to conquer Balhae. In a campaign, he captured the important Balhae city Fuyu (夫餘, in modern Siping, Jilin). (This appeared to have ended the Balhae state, even though Emperor Taizu did not at this time capture Balhae's capital Longquan.) 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). He gave Yelü Deguang the title of "Generalissimo Crown Prince" and made Yelü Deguang in charge of the Liao capital Linhuang (臨潢), which Yelü Bei had previously been in charge of.

Shortly after conquering Fuyu, however, Emperor Taizu fell ill and died while still at Fuyu. Empress Shulü took over effective leadership of the Liao dynasty, and she and Yelü Bei began the trek of escorting Emperor Taizu's casket back to Linhuang, leaving one of Emperor Taizu's younger brother Yelü Anduan (耶律安端) temporarily in charge at Dongdan. Once then returned to Linhuang, she wanted to divert the succession away from Yelü Bei, as she had favored Yelü Deguang. However, formally, she called an assembly of the chieftains, along with Yelü Bei and Yelü Deguang, and stated to them, "I love both of my sons, and I do not know which one to make emperor. You can decide which one you wish to support by holding his rein." The chieftains, knowing that she favored Yelü Deguang, rushed to him and held to his rein. She thereafter declared him emperor (as Emperor Taizong). 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. Empress Shulü did not punish him, but sent him to Dongdan.

Initial years of reign

Emperor Taizong honored his mother Empress Shulü as empress dowager, and created his wife Lady Xiao Wen, who was a niece of Empress Shulü's, empress. It was said that he was filially pious toward his mother, such that if the empress dowager were ill and unable to eat, he would also not eat, and that if his mother were displeased at him, he would not dare to meet her until her temper had been soothed.

In 930, Emperor Taizong created his younger brother Yelü Lihu crown prince. 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).

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. There would not be another empress during the rest of Emperor Taizong's reign.

Overlordship over Later Jin

During Later Jin's establishment

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. At the advice of the imperial scholars Li Song and Lü Qi (呂琦), Li Congke considered entering an alliance with the Khitan to ward off the possibility that Shi would seek aid from Khitan. However, when another imperial scholar, Xue Wenyu (薛文遇), argued against it by predicting that Emperor Taizong would demand a marriage alliance, Li Congke changed his mind and never made the alliance proposal.

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). This caused Shi to fear that he would be executed if he left Hedong, and so he rebelled. With Li Congke then sending an army, commanded by Zhang Jingda, to attack Hedong, Shi sent emissaries to Khitan to request aid, promising that, if Emperor Taizong would support him as the emperor of China, to serve Emperor Taizong as a father and to cede Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) and Hedong's prefectures north of the Yanmen Pass to Khitan. When Shi's emissaries arrived at the Khitan court, Emperor Taizong was pleased, and he stated to Empress Dowager Shulü, "Your son had dreamt that Master Shi would be sending messengers here. Now it has happened. This was the will of heaven." He sent a reply that he would lead his entire empire's forces to aid Shi in the fall.

Meanwhile, Zhang put Hedong's capital Taiyuan under siege. Taiyuan was running low on food supplies, but its defenses held. In late fall, Emperor Taizong himself commanded 50,000 cavalry soldiers (but claimed publicly that it was 300,000) and headed for Taiyuan. When he arrived at Taiyuan's outskirts, Shi urged caution and not immediate engagement, but Emperor Taizong did not listen. Rather, he engaged Zhang's army immediately, crushing it and lifting the siege on Taiyuan. 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. While continuing to siege the Later Tang forces at Jin'an, Emperor Taizong created Shi emperor, having his state known as Jin (referred to by later historians as Later Jin. As part of Shi's enthronement announcement, he announced the agreement to cede Lulong and parts of Hedong, for a total of 16 prefectures, to Khitan, as well as to submit a large amount of silk each year as tribute.

After Later Jin's takeover of central China

Emperor Taizong returned to Khitan proper with a number of Later Tang generals that he had detained. He also established Lulong's capital You Prefecture (幽州) as the southern capital, to facilitate the governance of the newly received 16 prefectures. He respected the captured official Zhang Li and listened to much of Zhang's advice.

In 937, Xu Gao, the regent of Later Jin's southeastern neighbor Wu sent an emissary to Khitan to try to establish friendly relations. Emperor Taizong also sent an emissary to Wu in return. Later in the year, Emperor Taizong changed the name of his state from Khitan to Liao. He modeled his government after Chinese states', and made Zhao Dejun's son Zhao Yanshou a chief of staff (Shumishi) and chancellor. Later, after Xu seized the Wu throne and established Southern Tang as its emperor, he continued friendly relations with Liao, but on one occasion decided to assassinate the Liao emissary once the Liao emissary crossed into Later Jin territory, hoping to blame Later Jin for the assassination and disrupt Liao and Later Jin relations.

Meanwhile, Shi Jingtang, as Later Jin's emperor, continued to be very submissive to Liao. In 938, he offered honorific titles to Emperor Taizong and Empress Dowager Shulü, and sent his senior officials Feng Dao and Liu Xu to the Liao court to officially present the titles. During Shi's reign as Later Jin's emperor, he referred to himself as "subject" and "son," while referring to Emperor Taizong as "father emperor." Whenever Emperor Taizong issued edicts to him, he would receive them in a side hall rather than his own imperial hall, to show respect. Whenever at the Liao emperor's and empress dowager's birthdays or the deaths of key Liao officials, he would often present gifts, including also to Empress Dowager Shulü, Yelü Lihu, Yelü Anduan, the two chancellors in charge of Liao's southern and northern branches of government, and key Han officials such as Zhao Yanshou and Han Yanhui. Further, even when Emperor Taizong sent arrogantly-worded edicts, Shi would respond meekly. Therefore, throughout Shi's reign, there would be no disputes between Liao and Later Jin.

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.

Conflict with Later Jin

Initial deterioration of relations

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. Moreover, in the letter, he did not refer to himself as "subject" but only as "grandson." This caused Emperor Taizong to be angry and respond, "How do you dare not to first report to me before taking the throne?" Jing authored an insolent response on Shi's behalf. Thereafter, Zhao Yanshou, who was then Liao's military governor of Lulong, began to advocate that Emperor Taizong attack Later Jin, hoping that Emperor Taizong would replace Shi with Zhao himself. Emperor Taizong began to be enticed.

Meanwhile, Jing upped the hostility by arresting Qiao Rong (喬榮), the Liao commerce officer stationed at Later Jin's capital Kaifeng, and seizing Liao's commercial assets. Further, the Liao merchants were arrested and killed. When Qiao was released later in the year and allowed to return to Liao, Jing gave him an arrogant speech:

Tell your master: the deceased emperor [(i.e., Shi Jingtang)] was placed in his position by the northern dynasty [(i.e., Liao)], and that is why he claimed himself to be a subject and submitted reports. The current emperor was placed in his position by China itself. The only reason why he subordinated himself to the northern dynasty is that he did not forget the alliance the deceased emperor entered. It was enough for him to claim himself to be a grandson; there is no reason for him to claim himself to be a subject. The emperor of the northern dynasty should not be deluded by Zhao Yanshou such that he insults China. You have seen the soldiers and horses that China possesses. If the grandfather is angry, he can come and battle us. The grandson has 100,000 sharpened swords waiting for him. If he were defeated by his grandson, he would become the laughing stock of the entire world. Do not forget this!

As Qiao feared that Emperor Taizong would blame him for the loss of the Liao wealth, he flattered Jing and requested that Jing write his words down on paper. Jing had his secretary write down the words and give them to Qiao. When Qiao presented them to Emperor Taizong, Emperor Taizong was incensed, and therefore became resolute that he would attack Later Jin. He had the Later Jin emissaries detained at You Prefecture and refused to see them himself. Even though Sang Weihan repeatedly suggested that Shi Chonggui revert to subservience to Liao to avoid a war, Jing repeatedly stopped Shi from doing so.

Liao incursions into Later Jin territory

In spring 944, Emperor Taizong made a major incursion into Later Jin territory, using Zhao Yanshou and Zhao Yanzhao (趙延照) as his forward commanders. 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. He also sent a number of generals to respond, with Jing Yanguang in effective command of the overall operations, but also himself went to the frontline. The second Liao thrust, led by Yelü Andu toward Hedong, however, was repelled by Hedong's military governor Liu Zhiyuan. 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. Jing was convinced by Yan Kan (顏衎) the acting military governor of Tianping that if Liao forces were able to cross the river, disaster would ensue, so the Later Jin imperial forces concentrated on battling Liao forces at Majiakou to prevent them from successfully crossing, and were able to do so. In anger, Liao forces slaughtered Han civilians that they had captured, which led to fiercer resistance from the populace. Later in spring 944, the armies commanded by the two emperors confronted each other near Yedu, but did not engage each other. Eventually, the Liao forces withdrew, pillaging as it went along over Later Jin's territory north of the Yellow River. Yang led his own troops west from Pinglu's capital Qing Prefecture (青州), and tried to meet the Liao forces at the Yellow River, but by the time he reached there, Liao forces had already left. Shi then sent the imperial guard general Li Shouzhen to attack Yang, and in winter 944, Yang's son Yang Chengxun (楊承勳) put his father under house arrest and surrendered. (Yang Guangyuan was later secretly killed on Shi's orders.)

In winter 944, Emperor Taizong again made a major incursion into Later Jin territory, using Zhao Yanshou as his forward commander. Shi was initially going to lead the Later Jin army himself, but fell ill at that time. He sent a number of generals to try to cut off the Liao army movement, but then, in fear of the Liao army's strengths, pulled back to the Yedu region, allowing the Liao army to advance unimpeded to Yedu, pillaging the Later Jin territory as it went along. However, the Liao army then withdrew in spring 945. As the Liao army withdrew, Shi sent Du Wei (i.e., Du Chongwei, who changed his name to observe naming taboo for Shi) and Li in command of an army to give chase. They crossed into Liao territory and captured Qi (祁州) and Tai (泰州) (both in modern Baoding), but soon received news that the Liao army had turned around and was heading for them. They tried to withdraw, but became surrounded near Yangcheng (陽城, in modern Baoding). Du panicked and was reluctant to engage the Liao army, but at Fu Yanqing's advocacy, Fu, Zhang Yanze, Yao Yuanfu (藥元福), and Huangfu Yu (皇甫遇), attacked the Liao army fiercely, causing the Liao army to panic and flee. 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.

Liao's destruction of Later Jin

In 946, there were rumors that Zhao Yanshou was planning on defecting to Later Jin. This rumor was believed by the Later Jin chiefs of staff Li Song and Feng Yu. They had Du Wei write a letter to Zhao, encouraging him to do so, with the officer Zhao Xingshi (趙行實), who had previously served under Zhao Yanshou, delivering the letter. 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. Please launch a major army to support me, so that I can pull myself out and return with it." 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. Shi thus put Du and Li Shouzhen in command of an army to attack north, with the stated objectives being to first recapture the prefectures previously ceded to Liao, and then to destroy Liao. When Du and Li advanced, though, they were met by a large army that Emperor Taizong personally commanded. The Liao army eventually surrounded the Later Jin army at Zhongdu Bridge (中度橋, in modern Baoding). After Emperor Taizong made the promise to Du to make him emperor if he surrendered, Du and Li surrendered their army. Emperor Taizong had Zhao comfort the Later Jin soldiers and told him that the Later Jin army was now his, and then prepared to advance south. With virtually the entire Later Jin army having been given to Du and Li for this northern campaign, then-Later Jin capital Daliang was left essentially defenseless, and Shi Chonggui felt compelled to surrender, ending Later Jin. Emperor Taizong subsequently entered Daliang.

Temporary rule over central China

Emperor Taizong declared himself the emperor of China as well, reneging on his promises to Zhao Yanshou and Du Chongwei. He gave Shi Chonggui the title of Marquess of Fuyi (i.e., "marquess who turned against righteousness) and moved Shi and Shi's family to a desolate part of Liao proper, away from Shi's old realm. Nearly all of Later Jin's officials and military governors submitted petitions to him, acknowledging him as emperor, except for two circuits on the western periphery, whose military governors Shi Kuangwei (史匡威) and He Chongjian (何重建) refused to accept Liao rule. Fearing of the strength that the old Later Jin imperial army still possessed, he considered slaughtering the soldiers, but as Zhao pointed out that doing so would merely open the Later Jin realms open to attack and occupation by Later Jin's southwestern neighbor Later Shu and southeastern neighbor Southern Tang, he decided against the idea. He kept the Later Jin military governors who came to Daliang to pay him homage at Daliang, while commissioning a number of Liao generals (of both Khitan and Han ethnicities) to take over the circuits. Believing that his rule was firm, he spent much time feasting, and he stated to the former Later Jin officials, "We know everything there is to know about China, but you know nothing about our land." To congratulate him for this great victory, Empress Dowager Shulü sent wine, delicacies, and fruits from Khitan lands to Daliang. Whenever he drank the wine that she sent, he stood up and stated, "This was bestowed by the Empress Dowager. I do not dare to drink it sitting down."

However, in this jubilation, Emperor Taizong then carried out acts that alienated the people of the land that he just conquered. When Zhao pointed out that tax revenues needed to be collected to supply the Liao soldiers that came with Emperor Taizong, Emperor Taizong responded, "Our land has no such customs." Rather, he sent out the Liao soldiers into the countryside to pillage it, referring to it as "threshing the grass seeds" (打草穀). This caused many deaths of Han adults, and the Han young and old were forced to hide themselves in trenches to avoid the same fate. It was said that all civilian wealth and animals in a region that included Daliang and Luoyang, and Zheng (鄭州, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan), Hua (滑州, in modern Anyang, Henan), Cao (曹州, in modern Heze, Shandong), and Pu (濮州, in modern Puyang, Henan) were all destroyed. He also ordered that all in the capital, as well as in prefectures that he sent emissaries to, force the populace to turn over their wealths so that they could be (ostensibly) rewarded to the Liao soldiers, but in reality he planned to transport back to Liao proper. This led to resentment among the Han, and growing sentiment to expel the Liao forces.

Attempt to return to Liao proper and Death

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. I am, instead, saddened here without so. Now as I am returning to the greater empire, I would not regret it even if I died." 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)]." He also commented that it was also the contributions of his official Zhang Li.

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. When he heard of Heyang's fall, he lamented:

I made three errors, such it was right that the realm is rebelling against me! First, I extracted the money from the circuits. Second, I let the soldiers from the greater empire thresh the grass seeds. 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. Shortly after, he died. The Khitan generals cut open his abdomen and stuffed it with salt, to allow continued transport north. The Han sarcastically referred to him as "dried emperor." The Khitan chieftains supported his nephew (Yelü Bei's son) Yelü Ruan to succeed him as emperor (as Emperor Shizong), and Emperor Shizong was able to take over the throne after fighting off challenges, first leveled by Zhao Yanshou, and then leveled by Empress Dowager Shulü and Yelü Lihu. 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.

Family

Consort and issue(s):

Empress Jing'an, of the Xiao clan (靖安皇后 蕭氏, d. 18 February 953), personal name Wen (溫), Taizong's first cousin

Yelü Jing, Emperor Muzong (遼穆宗 耶律璟; 19 September 931 – 12 March 969), 1st son

Yelü Yansage, Imperial Uncle Qinjing (欽靖皇太叔 耶律罨撒葛, 935 – 969), 2nd son

Palace lady, of the Xiao clan (宮人 蕭氏)

Yelü Tiande (耶律天德, d. 948), 3rd son

Yelü Dilie, Prince of Ji (冀王 耶律敵烈, d. 978), 4th son

Yelü Bishe, Prince of Yue (越王 耶律必攝, d. 973), 5th son

Unknown

Princess of Yan (燕國公主), personal name Lübugu (呂不古), 1 st daughter

Married Xiao Siwen (蕭思溫) and had issue (3 daughters including Empress Ruizhi)

Yelü Chaogui (耶律嘲瑰), 2nd daughter