Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Biographies and Portraits

Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Personages, Volume 3

The Emperor Referring to Emperor Chudi of the Later Jin was taken captive by the Khitan and led away. The Central Plains were left without a ruler. Taking advantage of the circumstances, Gaozu established himself. He ascended the throne in the dingwei year 947 CE. The dynasty ended with Emperor Yindi in the gengxu year 951 CE. There were two rulers spanning a total of four years. Guo Wei destroyed them.

Gaozu

His surname was Liu and his personal name was Zhiyuan; he later changed his name to Gao. During the Later Jin, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Beiping. When the Jin Emperor Chudi was forced to move north by the Khitan, Gaozu declared himself Emperor at Jinyang Modern Taiyuan. He eventually entered the capital at Bian. He reigned for two years and used two era names: Tianfu and Qianyou.

Yindi

His personal name was Chengyou, and he was the second son of Gaozu. When Guo Wei rebelled and led his troops into the capital at Bian, the Emperor was assassinated by mutinous soldiers. He reigned for two years and did not change the era name, continuing to use the era of Qianyou.

His personal name was Yun. He was the son of Liu Min, the younger brother of Gaozu. After the death of Yindi, the Empress Dowager welcomed him to be established as the new ruler. However, Guo Wei deposed him to establish himself instead. The Duke was later assassinated.

The Later Zhou

Guo Wei was a native of Yaoshan in Xingzhou. He served the Han The Later Han dynasty as the Military Regent of the capital at Yedu. When Emperor Yindi was assassinated, Guo Wei initially welcomed the Duke of Xiangyin to succeed to the Great Throne. However, before the Duke arrived, the Khitan launched an invasion. The Empress Dowager ordered Guo Wei to lead a strike against them. While his army was stationed at Chanzhou, his soldiers urged him to take the throne, and he established himself as Emperor. Inheriting the Virtue of Water from the Later Han, the dynasty ruled through the Virtue of Water In the cycle of the Five Elements, dynasties claimed legitimacy through a specific "Virtue." While the succession usually moves from Water to Wood, the text notes the Later Zhou continued the Water Virtue of the Han. The capital was established at Bian Modern-day Kaifeng. The dynasty began with the Emperor Taizu in the xinchou year 951 CE when he usurped the Later Han. It ended with Emperor Gongdi in the gengshen year 960 CE. Across two different surnames The Guo family and the Chai family and three kings, the dynasty lasted for ten years. The throne was eventually abdicated Shan: a voluntary or forced ritual abdication of the throne to a new dynasty to Song Taizu The founder of the Song Dynasty.