Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature
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From Chaos to a New Order Following the withdrawal of the Khitan (Liao) army, the city of Bian (Kaifeng) saw the arrival of Liu Zhiyuan, the Prince of Beiping. A Shatuo leader like his predecessors, Liu had initially opposed Shi Jingtang’s cession of the Sixteen Prefectures but later supported his rise. By balancing appeasement…
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The Premature End of a Great Campaign In the spring of 959 AD, Emperor Chai Rong of the Later Zhou launched a northern campaign to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures lost to the Khitan Liao dynasty. Prior to the expedition, he ordered General Han Tong to dredge waterways, creating over thirty inlets to facilitate naval…