Introduction

The Later Zhou experienced two emperors, Guo Wei and his adopted son Chai Rong, during which the national strength gradually increased, and a strategy for the unification of China began to be implemented. However, when the third emperor, Chai Zongxun, ascended the throne, he was only a few years old. Consequently, Zhao Kuangyin, who was originally a general of the Later Zhou Imperial Guard, initiated a coup at Chenqiao and declared himself emperor in 960 AD, establishing the Song Dynasty and leading to the fall of the Later Zhou. This also marked the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, ushering Chinese history into the Northern Song era

Guo Wei was a founding minister of the Later Han dynasty and was highly valued by the emperor. After the death of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan, Guo Wei assisted the Later Han emperor in quelling rebellions multiple times; among these, the rebellion led by the Later Han general Li Shouzhen, the military governor of Hezhong, posed a significant threat to the court and required Guo Wei's suppression. However, Emperor Yin of Han, fearing that Guo Wei would follow the example of his predecessors, harbored mutual distrust, and in the internal strife, ordered the execution of Guo Wei's entire family, yet failed to eliminate Guo Wei himself. Consequently, Guo Wei's army returned to Kaifeng and killed Emperor Yin of Han, leading to the fall of the Later Han dynasty. In 951, Guo Wei ascended to the throne, establishing the state of "Zhou". However, Emperor Yin of Han, fearing that Guo Wei would follow the example of his predecessors, harbored mutual distrust, and in the internal strife, ordered the execution of Guo Wei's entire family, yet failed to eliminate Guo Wei himself. Consequently, Guo Wei's army returned to Kaifeng and killed Emperor Yin of Han, leading to the fall of the Later Han dynasty. In 951, Guo Wei ascended to the throne, establishing the state of "Zhou".

Guo Shao, feeling grateful for the life-saving grace of the Fu family and for other reasons, wished to repay this kindness with his life. In the midst of the chaotic battle, he was struck on the head by a blunt object and was then discarded outside the city along with countless corpses at the mass grave. At this moment, an unexpected event occurred in time and space; a young man from the Five Dynasties had just died but, by a twist of fate, was possessed by a soul from the modern era and struggled to awaken.

When autumn arrives on September 8, my flowers bloom while the hundred flowers wither

In the year 950, a wandering Taoist encountered the Fu family and remarked that she possessed the appearance of an empress. This further fueled Li Shouzheng's ambition: if his daughter-in-law had the appearance of an empress, then his son must be the emperor. Consequently, Li Shouzheng resolved to raise an army in the river.

However, the most famous member of the Fu Yanqing family is his daughter, whose three daughters served as empresses, revered throughout the world. Among these three empresses, the eldest daughter, Fu, was the empress of Emperor Chai Rong of the Zhou Dynasty.

However, the Fu family did not perish; instead, she leveraged the friendship between her father, Fu Yanqing, and Guo Wei, and was recognized as an adopted daughter by Guo Wei. Shortly thereafter, Guo Wei and Fu Yanqing reached a mutual agreement to marry, taking this adopted daughter as a daughter-in-law, and allowing the Fu family to remarry her to Guo Wei's adopted son, Chai Rong

However, in the long river of history, a butterfly seems to have appeared. ... When Li Shouzheng of the Hezhong Prefecture rebelled, a soldier who should have perished came back to life, as if an unknown butterfly had emerged, flapping its wings and gradually influencing the face of history ...

In the year 947 AD, Liu Zhiyuan established the Later Han, which was the fourth dynasty of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. That year, the Fu family member was 16 years old. Due to her father's relocation to Yanzhou, she moved with him. In Yanzhou, she encountered a young man named Guo Shao, who was on the brink of death from hunger and cold. Moved by compassion, she pleaded with her father to save this young man.

... ...

Shijingtang, the military governor of Hedong during the Later Tang dynasty, was a founding hero and was highly valued by the court. Emperor Li Siyuan even married his daughter to him. However, after Li Congke ascended the throne, mutual suspicion and intrigue arose between the emperor and his ministers due to the objective threat posed by the commanding generals. Shijingtang decided to rebel against the Tang dynasty, offering to cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun and to acknowledge the Liao dynasty as his overlord, seeking assistance from Liao Taizong. Thus, he allied with the Liao army to march south and destroy the Later Tang. In the year 936, Shijingtang declared himself emperor, establishing the state named "Jin," which is historically referred to as Later Jin.

Zhou Taizu Guo Wei's family was completely eliminated in the internal strife of the Later Han, and he lost his son as well. Consequently, he had no choice but to adopt Chai Rong as his heir, ultimately passing the throne to Chai three years later. Fu Shi was Chai Rong's wife, thus becoming the first empress from the Fu family.

( The early period of the Great Zhou Imperial Army Level 6: Fire General, Ten Generals, Chief Commander, Military Chief Commander, and Barrack Chief Commander. Following this are the ranks of senior military generals )

Zhu Wen was originally a general under Huang Chao. After surrendering to the Tang court, he turned against the rebel forces and later usurped the Tang dynasty to establish the Liang dynasty. He had a mortal enemy, Li Keyong, the Jiedushi of Hedong and Prince of Jin, who had fought against the rebel forces alongside him during the late Tang period. After the establishment of the Later Liang, the two sides were in constant conflict; even after Zhu Wen and Li Keyong died, their sons continued to battle. Finally, in the year 923, Li Keyong's son, Li Cunxu, the Prince of Jin, declared himself emperor, naming his state "Great Tang," historically referred to as Later Tang, and subsequently destroyed the Later Liang. History entered the second period of the Five Dynasties: Later Tang.

The fragrant smoke rises high above Chang'an, the entire city is adorned with golden armor.

Not long after, the Fu family married the son of the Han general Li Shouzheng and arrived at Hezhong Prefecture. Guo Shao accompanied them as a guard.

Fu Yanqing was a prominent figure active during the late Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, hailing from a family of military generals. His grandfather was King Fu Chu of Wu, and his father, King Fu Cunshen of Qin, was an adopted son of Li Keyong. In Fu Yanqing's generation, he was granted titles such as King of Huaiyang, King of Wei, and King of Wei. His nine brothers all held military power as commanding generals stationed in various regions

Fu family

Shi Jingtang's act of recognizing a father figure caused many people in the country to feel humiliated, and the rebellion never ceased. Both of his sons were killed due to the insurrection. Before his death, Shi Jingtang passed the throne to his adopted son Shi Chonggui, who decided to gradually sever ties with the Liao Dynasty. However, this action immediately provoked war with Liao, which launched three major offensives. In the final conflict, Shi Chonggui lost everything; his entire family was captured, and his wives and concubines were violated, leading to the downfall of Later Jin

Huang Chao ultimately failed and died. The Tang Dynasty, which was on the verge of collapse, endured for more than twenty additional years, until it was usurped by Zhu Wen in 907 AD; the once-glorious center of world civilization, the Tang Empire, officially perished, marking the beginning of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. Zhu Wen established the "Liang," historically known as Later Liang, becoming the first central plain regime of the Five Dynasties period, which lasted for 53 years.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Empire was already gravely ill; the unsuccessful scholar Huang Chao wrote this poem in Chang'an when he failed the imperial examination, expressing his ambitions. Shortly thereafter, in the year 874, Huang Chao led a group to rise in rebellion alongside Wang Xianzhi, deeply entrenched in the warlord fragmentation of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Empire exhausted its last national fortune in this conflict

The court of the Later Han Dynasty dispatched Guo Wei to quell the rebellion. Li Shouzheng was defeated, and the rebel troops stormed into his residence, killing his entire family. His daughter-in-law, the Fu clan, did not wish to die in the same grave and hurriedly fled to the inner palace for refuge. All her attendants and household servants had fled, and she only encountered Guo Shao, who was willing to block the pursuing soldiers for her

When Guo Wei declared himself emperor and established a nation, Liu Chong, the military governor of Hedong during the Later Han, also proclaimed himself emperor in Taiyuan, which is historically referred to as Northern Han, becoming one of the regional powers known as the "Ten Kingdoms" outside the Central Plains dynasties. Liu Chong sought to use the Khitan troops to march south, intending to replicate their strategy to eliminate the Later Zhou and become the ruler of the Central Plains himself, but he was unsuccessful; the Later Zhou also failed throughout their reign to eliminate Northern Han, leading to continuous warfare between the two sides. In addition to Northern Han, there were numerous other regional powers in the south, such as Sichuan, Huguang, and Jiangnan, collectively referred to as the Ten Kingdoms.

However, the Khitan people were not welcomed by the Han people in Hebei and Henan due to their long history of burning, killing, and plundering. After the Khitan ruler ascended the throne in Kaifeng, he found it impossible to govern and felt very unsafe remaining in the Central Plains, leading him to decide to retreat. With no ruler in the Central Plains, Liu Zhiyuan, the military governor of Hedong under Later Jin, declared himself emperor in Taiyuan, leading his army south to take control of Luoyang and Kaifeng, and gradually recapturing various states in Henan and Hebei. In 947, he established the "Han" dynasty, historically referred to as Later Han.