Resumo do episódio 38 de Swords into Plowshares
> Resumos de Swords into Plowshares
Zhao Kuangyin knew clearly in his heart that Fan Zhi's words were correct. Now that Lixia (Start of Summer) had just passed, provisions were not abundant, and Southern Tang and Later Shu had not been pacified, a northern expedition was indeed not a good strategy. However, Guo Rong's determination to unify remained undiminished. Knowing his time was short, he secretly ordered Zhao Kuangyin to train the imperial army, quietly preparing for a "northern inspection tour."
Returning to his mansion, Zhao Kuangyin's mood was heavy. He sighed that after decades of chaos in the world, it was rare to encounter such a wise and decisive monarch. Zhao Pu stated that the chaos in the world could not be caused by one person alone, nor could the peace in the world be achieved by one person alone. At Zhao Kuangyin's request, Zhao Pu recited Bai Juyi's "Dance of Seven Virtues."
The line "Emperor Taizong raised an army at eighteen, with white yak-tail banners and yellow axes, pacifying the two capitals" fully expressed the surging ambition of a heroic ruler in times of turmoil, establishing a foundation and ending conflict with military might. In accordance with Guo Rong's usual swift and decisive style, the army was already assembled and marching out of the city the next day.
This expedition was named a border inspection, but was in fact a prelude to the northern expedition. Inside Bianjing city, Fan Zhi urgently summoned Hanlin Imperial Physician Tao Chong, meticulously inquiring about the emperor's pulse. He learned that Guo Rong's illness was not an ordinary one, but rather a carbuncle that had developed on his back during a previous northern campaign, a severe infection combining a carbuncle and an abscess on his back.
Fan Zhi was greatly alarmed upon hearing this news and rushed straight to Li Gu's residence, angrily reprimanding him for concealing the emperor's illness. Li Gu calmly deduced that the emperor had secretly assembled a northern expeditionary force, which likely numbered tens of thousands. Once the news of his severe illness leaked, it would instantly lead to the collapse of army morale and the coveting of powerful regional governors.
Upon receiving the news, Zhao Pu immediately took Zhao Kuangyi to personally visit Zhao Kuangyin's mother, Lady Du, and revealed to her that Guo Rong was gravely ill, with only half a year left to live. Looking at the current situation, Zhang Yongde had been in charge of the Palace Command for six years, deeply entrenched, and was also Guo Wei's son-in-law.
If Guo Rong were to suddenly die, with the young emperor only six years old, Zhang Yongde would inevitably imitate Shi Jingtang and usurp the throne. Therefore, Zhao Pu subtly indicated to Lady Du that she should plan early for the future. He ordered gifts to be prepared and had Zhao Kuangyi visit to express condolences and inquire about well-being, simply to maintain goodwill.
At the same time, Guo Rong summoned Pan Mei in Daming Prefecture, ordering him to select three thousand elite soldiers within a day, and to escort the emperor north the following day. When the news reached Bianjing, Zhang Yongde immediately felt uneasy. He urgently sought Fan Zhi and Li Gu for a discussion, expressing that if the northern expeditionary army were entirely dispatched, the northern border would be empty.
If the Khitan took the opportunity to advance south, the state would be in peril. Li Gu told Zhang Yongde that His Majesty's northern expedition had become a fact, leaving no room for negotiation. In the spring of 959 AD, Guo Rong quietly marched north under the guise of inspecting the border, but in reality, it was to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun. On the sixteenth day of the fourth month, the imperial carriage arrived in Cangzhou.
On that very day, an edict for the northern expedition was issued, with banners pointing directly towards Youyan. The Zhou army advanced rapidly in three columns. In a mere forty-two days, Yijin Pass, Waqiao Pass, and Yukou Pass, three formidable strategic passes, successively changed hands, and strategic locations like Yingzhou and Mozhou all fell into their control. Historical records state that the Zhou army "captured prefectures and counties without shedding blood," and the Liao's border defenses collapsed like an avalanche.
In early May, the vanguard of the Zhou army pressed directly towards Xijin Prefecture, the southern capital of the Liao, with a thunderous momentum, shaking the Liao court. However, as the war progressed, Guo Rong's illness worsened daily. Zhao Kuangyin was deeply concerned, seeing the army isolated deep within enemy territory and facing difficult supply lines. Qian Hongchu convened his officials for a discussion. After hearing the full account, he keenly perceived that Guo Rong was unwell.
In late May, the large army arrived at Binglongtai in Zhuozhou. Here, Guo Rong coincidentally met an old shepherd. In their conversation, he suddenly realized that the people of Youyan had been ruled by the Liao for decades. Although they occasionally missed their former country, they had gradually adapted to their new lives.
If he were to suddenly fall, the Zhou army would inevitably retreat, and when the Liao army counterattacked, the newly recovered prefectures and counties would suffer brutal purges. It was precisely because of this that this emperor, who aspired to "expand the empire in ten years, nurture the people in ten years, and achieve peace in ten years," for the first time faced a choice between the common people and his grand achievements.
To prevent the people from suffering further devastation, Guo Rong painfully issued an edict to withdraw the army. Standing alone in front of his military tent, he gazed into the distance, tearfully sighing about the bitterness of being unable to drink a cup of wine in an era of peace. After returning to Bianliang, Guo Rong knew his end was near.
He urgently summoned Zhang Yongde and Zhao Kuangyin, conducting a political assessment under the guise of "inquiring about posthumous affairs." Guo Rong not only tacitly approved Zhao Kuangyin's unification strategy of "first pacifying the south, then planning the northern expedition," but also secretly bestowed upon Zhao Kuangyin the great imperial banner that Liu Zhiyuan had used when he donned the yellow robe (i. e. , ascended the throne).
In June of the same year, Guo Rong dismissed Zhang Yongde and promoted Zhao Kuangyin to the position of Grand General of the Palace Guard (Dianqian Dudianjian). Zhao Kuangyin, along with Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, and Han Tong, were to assist the seven-year-old Prince of Liang, Guo Zongxun. Before his death, Guo Rong gazed at the map of Youyan for a long time, his face streaming with tears. Finally, he entrusted Empress Fu with the words, "Raise my son well."
In 959 AD, Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, Guo Rong, passed away at the age of thirty-nine. The two prefectures of Ying and Mo that he recovered later became important defensive lines on the Song-Liao border. However, the Juma River, which he failed to cross, ultimately became the regret of the Northern Song's northern frontier for a hundred years.
What he left behind was the nascent form of a new dynasty poised to end an era of chaos, a segment of the Youyan homeland that the Song dynasty would never fully recover, and a trajectory of destiny quietly rewritten by a yellow robe.
