From 907 to 960, China entered the period of the Five Dynasties. During these 40 years, China experienced the Five Dynasties of the Later Liang (907-923), Later Tang (923-936), Later Jin (936-947), Later Han (947-950) and Later Zhou (951-960).
In 959, the emperor of the Later Zhou died of illness. His son, only seven years old, succeeded to the throne. The political situation of the country was extremely precarious. Lots of officials in the court believed the young emperor would never be able to shoulder such a great task as ruling at such a difficult time.
Hence, some people began to hatch plots, in an attempt to support General Zhao Kuangyin who had a lot of military support and who dreamt of becoming emperor.
On the first day of the first lunar month in 960, Zhao Kuangyin led his armies out of the capital under the pretext that there was conflict in the north. On the third day of the first lunar month, the army of Zhao quartered at the Chenqiao Post House about 10 km northeast of Kaifeng. That night, Zhao Kuangyin drank heavily. Early the next morning, when he was still hungover, his younger brother Zhao Kuangyi and adviser Zhao Pu fetched out a yellow robe symbolizing imperial power and wrapped him in it. Not allowing him to speak, they demanded that he seek to become emperor. This was the “mutiny at Chenqiao Post House” in history.
It was said that Zhao Kuangyin who was not completely recovered from his revelry declined the honor again and again, but he found it hard to contend with the compelling force of his supporters. He had to lead the army back to the capital and take the throne from the young emperor. He founded the Song Dynasty (960-1127). Zhao Kuangyin proved to be a kind emperor with a good head on his shoulders and was very courageous.
Within 6 months of becoming emperor, two governors with extensive civil and military affairs launched rebellions. Though the rebellions were suppressed, the emperor still felt unsure of his position. The emperor knew his history. He saw that the warlords dominated many regions and the dynasty was not stable. He asked for advice from his Prime Minister Zhao Pu. Zhao Pu suggested that the court centralize all military leadership.
In 961, Zhao Kuangyin invited a group of high-ranking generals to his palace for a drink. He sighed heavily and said, “It is so hard to be an emperor. I would be happier to be a governor of a province. I could sleep well all night long then.” The others asked him his reasons. Zhao replied, “Everyone desires the throne. Though you are not disloyal, someone will put the yellow robe on you. Perhaps you will not be able to help yourself at that time.” The others were greatly surprised to hear these humble words and they all asked the emperor for guidance. Zhao Kuangyin said, “You’d better surrender your military leadership and act as local officers. You can purchase farmland and houses. Later, I will marry my daughters to your sons. There will be strong links between us. Wouldn’t that be better?” The others enthusiastically agreed.
After the banquet, the generals returned to their own homes. The next morning, Zhao Kuangyin received the resignations of many ministers who all desired to go home due to old age and illness.
Zhao Luangyin didn’t break his promise. When approving the resignations, he awarded them large amounts of properties and asked them to become local governors. Later, he also held banquets at which he took away military power from each local governor in succession. Thus, all localized military power was returned to the central government. This was the famous history of “neutralizing military threats with wine”. This unique move solidified the rule of the Song Dynasty.
