A Valiant Emperor in a Troubled Age: Chai Rong

A comprehensive account of the eventful life of Chai Rong, the first emperor of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. A great statesman, Chai Rong governed with diligence and devoted himself to the cause of unification. He once vowed, “I will spend ten years expanding the realm, ten years caring for the people, and ten years bringing lasting peace.” During his reign, he further reformed the government, strengthened and trained the army, dismissed the weak and superfluous, welcomed refugees back, reduced taxes, revised rites, music, institutions, and criminal law, and curbed Buddhism. As a result, Later Zhou enjoyed clean government and a prosperous populace, while the economy of the Central Plains began to recover. Historians praised him: “With his divine valor and grand ambition, he was a ruler of outstanding ability in his age.”