In 907, Yelu Abaoji held a salt pond banquet to kill the leaders of seven tribes, ending the tradition of "election every three years" among the eight Khitan tribes. Later, he built Linhuang Mansion in Beijing and proclaimed himself emperor in 916, with the country named "Great Khitan". He conquered the Bohai Kingdom eastward and ennobled his second son Yelu Deguang as the Grand Marshal of the Army, paving the way for his brothers' rebellion. Abaoji died of illness in 926. Empress Dowager Shulu helped Deguang succeed to the throne, and Yelubei defected to the Later Tang Dynasty. Deguang won the sixteen states of Yanyun and changed the country's name to "Da Liao" in 947. However, he caused resistance due to his indifference to "grasping valleys" and died of illness while retreating to the north. In the forty years, the Khitan transformed from a tribal alliance into a dynasty, leaving behind the official system of the north and south and the cession of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, which had a profound impact.
