Zhao Kuangyin (March 2, 9271-June165438+1October14,976) was named as Yuen Long, and its nickname was Xiang Haier and Zhao Jiuzhong. Zhuo Jun was born in Jiamaying, Luoyang City (now Dongguan, Chanhe District, Luoyang City, Henan Province). Military strategist and martial artist from the Five Dynasties to the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty (reigned on February 4, 960-976 165438+ 10/4). The second son of Zhao (Song Xuanzu), the garrison commander of the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, was Du (Queen Zhao Xian). When Zhao Kuangyin was in Yin Di, he defected to Guo Wei, an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, and joined the ranks. He was highly valued by post-Zhou Shizong Chai Rong, and made many meritorious military achievements when he conquered the Southern Tang Dynasty. When Chai Rong was seriously ill, he was appointed as the inspector in front of the temple, in charge of the imperial guards in front of the temple. Shortly after Emperor Gong ascended the throne, he was ordered to resist the Northern Han and Qidan allied forces. Then he proclaimed himself emperor in the "Chen Qiao mutiny" and returned to Beijing to persecute Emperor Gong. In the seventh year of Xiande (960), Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne and changed his name to Song, which was called Song and Northern Song in history. During the reign of Zhao Kuangyin, according to Prime Minister Zhao Pu's strategy of "South first, then North, first easy and then difficult", he devoted himself to unifying the whole country, and successively eliminated the southern separatist regimes such as Jingnan, Wuping, Houshu, Nanhan and Nantang, and completed the unification of most parts of the country. He twice "lifted the ban on military power with a glass of wine", stopped the military power of forbidden generals and local buffer regions, and solved the situation that local foot soldiers were self-sufficient since the mid-Tang Dynasty. In addition, a "sealed warehouse" was established to store money, silk and cloth, with a view to redeeming the sixteen counties presented to Qidan by Shi Jingtang, the last emperor of the Jin Dynasty. In the ninth year of Kaibao (976), Zhao Kuangyin died at the age of 50. In the 16th year of his reign, posthumous title was buried in Yongchang Mausoleum. In the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008), Jia Ji set out to establish a great hero, a great warrior, a literary god, a virtuous saint and a filial piety. There is a poem "Forever Early Day" handed down from generation to generation. Image source: Portrait of Zhao Kuangyin in Ming Dynasty.