Zhao Kuangyin Founds the Song Dynasty: China's Golden Age Begins
Zhao Kuangyin's troops got him drunk, dressed him in yellow robes while he slept, and declared him emperor when he woke up. He hadn't planned a coup. His officers forced it. He agreed on one condition: no killing. The transition was bloodless. He bought out rival generals with land and titles instead of executing them. The Song Dynasty he founded lasted 319 years — longer than the distance between us and the American Revolution. It started with a hangover.
February 4, 960
1066 years ago
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