In Yanyuntai, she has always been called Xiaoyan, which is her fine print. Xiao Yanyan, whose real name is Xiao, the third daughter and the youngest daughter of Northern Government soldiers in Liao Dynasty, later became a member of Liao Dynasty. Before she was married, Xiao Yanyan showed her intelligence and resourcefulness, with both the courage and courage of the Khitan people and the literary talent of the Han people. She does things appropriately and treats people well. Liao History records that in a housework, her sisters didn't seriously complete the task assigned by their father, only Xiaoyan did it alone. After being discovered by Xiao Siwen, Xiaoyan did not blame her sisters for letting her do housework alone, but forgave them. Xiao Siwen is well-informed and often praises her, saying, "This girl is bound to achieve great things." In Yang Jiajiang, Xiao Taihou's name is deeply rooted in people's hearts. In many folklore, she is the sworn enemy of Yang Jiajiang, and everyone in the Yang family died at her hands, so her image in people's minds is very poor.
In 969, Xiao, together with his maid, assisted Ye, who was closely related to him, to assassinate the cruel Liao king in Montenegro, and Ye succeeded to the throne before Ling. After Ye Luxian succeeded to the throne, Xiao Yan was assassinated in Montenegro, making him the Tang envoy of the northern government, and at the same time calling Xiao Yan into the palace as the imperial concubine. Soon, set to the back. Ye Lvxian often talks with ZSZSZSZ about national policies and strategies, and ZSZSZSZ's political talents are deeply appreciated by Ye Lvxian. In 976, Ye Ba summoned the bachelor and ministers, and announced that the speeches and decisions should be recorded with him. Soon, with the acquiescence of Yeluxian, Xiao Yanyan began to adjudicate daily state affairs. Ye and Xiao Yanyan love each other very much. In life, they often accompany each other. In state affairs, they always have common interests. Under the governance of Ye Luxian and Xiao Yanyan, the military of Liao became stronger and stronger, and the political situation and economy also tended to be stable and on the right track.
The good times didn't last long. In 982, Ye Luxian died while hunting in Yunzhou. On his deathbed, he left a testamentary edict, announced that Xiao Huanghou's eldest son, Liang Wang Yelu Longxu, succeeded to the throne, entrusted the affairs of state to Xiao Yanyan, and appointed Yelu Xiezhen and Han Derang as ministers of life, assisted Xiao Hou and jointly managed the affairs of state. But the woman is the regent of state affairs, and the new king is young. How can Xiao Yanyan win the trust and love of all ministers and submit to the clan?
Before the regency, Xiao Yanyan knew very well that all clans were holding the emperor to make the princes in the local area, fearing that they would usurp power. So he summoned the ministers of Gu Ming, Lu Ye, Xie Zhen and Han Derang, and cried, "The mother is weak, the ethnic group is strong, and the border defense is not peaceful. What can we do? " The two ministers solemnly swore allegiance to the Queen Mother. Therefore, Emperor Sheng Zong of Liao adopted Han Derang's suggestion before he succeeded to the throne, and the imperial edict of "the kings should return to their places and not have private meetings" was to restrict the kings and make them lose the opportunity to relieve the military power and rebel together. At the same time, Xiao Yanyan arranged for Yelvxiuge, who married his niece, to stay in Nanjing (now Beijing) to manage the internal affairs, supervise the princes and nobles, and also arranged for the relatives of the imperial clan nobles to serve in the palace. This series of actions eliminated the hidden danger of fighting for power and profit within the clan, and at the same time held the military and political power of Liao country in their own hands. After the succession of Emperor Yelulongxu, the Emperor of the Liao Dynasty, led his ministers to give ZSZSZSZ the title of "Empress Dowager Chengtian".
Without the possibility of civil strife, Xiao Taihou turned its attention to governing the country. She began to guide the people to cultivate self-cultivation, carry forward Confucianism, advocate honesty-oriented, and sorted out the old grievances, calmed the people in the Northern Han Dynasty's dissatisfaction with the Liao Dynasty, released slaves, reorganized various tribal groups, and laid a solid foundation for the country's further prosperity. Xiao Yanyan made good use of virtuous ministers, learned people and made good use of his position, and brought many Han people and civilians into the state's rule and management, further easing and improving the relationship between Qidan and Han people. This series of drastic reforms once again showed her political talent, courage and courage.
Influenced by her father, she has been familiar with the art of war since she was a child, and knows how to arrange troops and how to lead troops to fight. It is recorded in Liao history that Xiao Taihou can drive his own chariot, command the people, govern the army, distinguish rewards and punishments, and make good use of generals. In the ancient military exhibition hall of China Military Museum, there is a portrait of Xiao Chuo, a Khitan strategist and Empress Dowager of Liao Kingdom.
It was not long after her son Liao Shengzong succeeded to the throne that she first showed her military talents. Song Taizong learned that Liao was under the rule of the Lord and the queen was the Regent. He thought it was a good time to conquer, so he ordered a three-way northern expedition. Xiao Taihou personally came to the front, sent Yelvxiuge to lead the East Route Army to guard Youzhou, sent Yelvxiuge to lead the main force to fight against the incoming Song Jun from the front and west, and he and Liao Shengzong were stationed in Camel Luokou to wait for the opportunity to attack Song Jun's main force. Soon, they met head-on, and Xiao Taihou sent Yelvxiuge to outflank Youzhou and defeat Song Jun. The Song Dynasty lost a lot of troops and national strength, and there was no northern expedition to Liao.
1004 September, Xiao Taihou's pro-handsome army attacked the Song Dynasty. She ordered the Liao army to bypass the enemy's fortified cities, and divide the troops into two ways, all the way to attack Zhuozhou, the important town of the Yellow River, all the way to Huanglong, and attack Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. Song Jun was unable to fight back for a while and was defeated again and again. Finally, he chose to send envoys to make peace. Finally, the two sides signed an agreement: Song and Liao were brothers, and Liao Shengzong was young and called brothers, which is still commensurate with future generations. Song and Liao Dynasties took Baigou River as the boundary, and both sides withdrew. Song provided Liao with 654.38+12,000 silver and 200,000 silks (that is, ancient coins) every year for "helping the army" and delivered them to Xiongzhou. The two sides set up markets at the border to carry out mutual trade. This is the famous alliance in history. The single source alliance not only maintained the Song-Liao border, but also provided a lot of material wealth for the Liao country. Through a series of wars, Daliao ended the border crisis and maintained good relations with the Song Dynasty. For nearly a hundred years, people have been living in harmony and friendship.
Liao History, Zhonghua Book Company, 1974.
(Author: Haoran Stone Forest of Literature and History)