Reign
Shi Chonggui honored his adoptive mother Empress Li as empress dowager, and his biological mother Lady An as consort dowager. It was said that he served both of them with filial piety. However, he displeased Empress Dowager Li when he, even while observing a mourning period for Shi Jingtang, married his deceased biological uncle/adoptive brother Shi Chongyin (石重胤)'s widow, Lady Feng, as his wife. He subsequently created Lady Feng empress.
As Jing Yanguang was considered instrumental in Shi Chonggui's ascending to the throne, Jing, who was made a chancellor, became highly influential early in his administration. Under Jing's advocacy, Shi Chonggui abandoned Shi Jingtang's respectful subservience to the Khitan (whose state had since been renamed Liao) and took a more defiant stance. As an initial sign of that defiance, Shi Chonggui's did not submit a report to Emperor Taizong of his succession, but instead wrote a letter (indicating equal status and not subservience) in which he referred to himself as "grandson" (as Shi Jingtang had earlier honored Emperor Taizong as "father") but not as "your subject." This angered Emperor Taizong, who sent emissaries to rebuke Shi Chonggui, but to whom Jing responded insolently. The major Khitan general Zhao Yanshou, who had previously been a major Later Tang general and who wanted to replace the Later Jin emperor as the emperor of the Central Plains, thus advocated to Emperor Taizong that he consider a campaign against Later Jin. The situation was further aggravated when Jing persuaded Shi Chonggui to arrest the Liao trade liaison Qiao Rong (喬榮), execute Khitan merchants, and confiscate their properties, causing Emperor Taizong to be resolved to act against Later Jin.
In early 944, Emperor Taizong led a major invasion into Later Jin territory, and quickly reached Yedu. When Shi sent emissaries to the Liao camp to try to sue for peace, Emperor Taizong rejected the overture. Yang Guangyuan, then the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang, Shandong), subsequently rebelled in coordination with Liao. Shi commissioned a number of generals to resist the Liao attack, and himself also commanded troops, and, when the generals Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, and Shi Gongba (石公霸) were put under siege by Liao troops at Qicheng (戚城, in modern Puyang, Henan) and Jing, overseeing the operations against Liao, refused to launch a relief army, it was Shi Chonggui himself who led his army to the three generals' rescue. Because of the other generals' hatred of Jing's control of authority, Shi Chonggui used this incident as an opportunity to remove him from his chancellorship, and the senior official Sang Weihan was put in charge of the army overall operations, as his chief of staff (Shumishi). After the Liao forces were repelled and withdrew, Shi Chonggui sent the general Li Shouzhen against Yang, and subsequently, faced with certain defeat but with Yang unwilling to surrender, Yang's son Yang Chengxun (楊承勳) forcibly put Yang Guangyuan under arrest and surrendered. (Yang Guangyuan was subsequently secretly killed on Shi Chonggui's orders.)
In late 944, Liao again made a major invasion, advancing all the way to the Yedu region, but soon withdrew again. Shi decided to have his uncle by marriage, Du Wei (husband of Shi Jingtang's and Shi Jingru's sister), then the military governor of Shunguo Circuit (順國, i.e., formerly Chengde), lead a punitive counterattack, with Li Shouzhen as Du's deputy. 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'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.
Later in 945, there was an incident where Du, fearing a mutiny, left Shunguo against imperial orders and headed for Kaifeng, initially causing much apprehension in the capital. Sang advocated forcing Du into retirement in light of this incident, but Shi Chonggui, citing the fact that Du was an uncle, declined, and was much displeased at Sang for suggesting it. Indeed, at the request of Du's wife the Princess of Song (Shi's aunt), Shi then made Du the military governor of Tianxiong (天雄, headquartered at Yedu). It was said that Sang did not dare to make major policy suggestions after this point and requested retirement, citing a foot injury. However, it was also said that shortly thereafter, at Sang's suggestion, Shi sent the emissary Zhang Hui (張暉) to the Liao court, apologizing and requesting peaceful relations again. Emperor Taizong responded that he wanted to have Sang and Jing Yanguang sent to see him (under the rationale that it was Sang who initially negotiated the alliance, and that it was Jing who broke it) and that Shunguo and Yiwu (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) Circuits be ceded to Liao, and then a peace could be reentered. Shi found the demand insulting, and cut off further negotiations. Believing that the victory at Yangcheng affirmed his empire's military strength, he became increasingly arrogant and extravagant in collecting expensive items and building palace halls, as well as awarding his favored opera performers, despite Sang's attempts to discourage him.
At one point in 945, Shi fell seriously ill. During that time, there happened to be an occasion where Sang had sent a maidservant to greet Shi Jingtang's wife Empress Dowager Li, and part of the greeting stated, "Has the Emperor's younger brother, Chongrui, been studying well?" Shi Chonggui heard of this and discussed this with Empress Feng's brother Feng Yu (who was also a chief of staff), and Feng Yu thereafter accused Sang of considering deposing Shi Chonggui and replacing him with Shi Chongrui. As Li Shouzhen also disliked Sang, he, Feng Yu, and Li Yantao (李彥韜) thereafter suggested that Shi Chonggui remove Sang. Shi Chonggui agreed, and not long after, Sang was removed from his posts as chancellor and chief of staff, and made the mayor of Kaifeng. Zhao Ying, who was then the mayor of Kaifeng, was made chancellor, and Li Song was made chief of staff, to replace him.
In 946, there were rumors that Zhao Yanshou was planning on defecting to Later Jin. This rumor was believed by Li Song and Feng. They had Du 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 Shi Jingtang previously ceded to Liao (the Sixteen Prefectures), and then to destroy Liao. (Zhao Ying, however, had reservations, pointing out that Du, despite his honored position, was still often dissatisfied with his station, and therefore suggested to Li Song and Feng that Li Shouzhen be put in command by himself; Zhao Ying's suggestions were not listened to, however.) When Du and Li Shouzhen 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 Shouzhen surrendered their army. Emperor Taizong then prepared to advance south. With virtually the entire Later Jin army having been given to Du and Li Shouzhen for this northern campaign, Kaifeng was left essentially defenseless, and Shi Chonggui, after initially considering suicide by fire but was stopped by the general Xue Chao (薛超), felt compelled to surrender, ending Later Jin. Emperor Taizong subsequently entered Daliang. Shi's surrender petition, as drafted by the imperial scholar Fan Zhi, stated:
Your grandson and your subject, Chonggui, had his spirit deluded into disaster, and his state's fortune has been ended by heaven. Now, he shall, along with the Empress Dowager and his wife Lady Feng, gather his family and take them to the fields, bind himself, and wait for your judgment. He is sending his sons Yanxu the military governor of Zhenning [(鎮寧, headquartered in modern Puyang)] and Yanbao the military governor of Weixin [(威信, headquartered in modern Nanyang, Henan)], to present, in surrender, one imperial seal, and three golden seals.
