His name is Yelu Abaoji, a member of the Khitan Diela tribe, and he was born in an era of tribal turmoil. Legend has it that his mother fell into her arms in a dream and was destined to be extraordinary.
He was born into a noble family, but he did not just sit back and enjoy his success. After his uncle was assassinated, he acted as a personal guard to quell the rebellion and became famous in the grassland for his courage and skill in fighting. In 907, he was elected as the Khitan Khan and started the road of conquest.
But what he wants is not the leader of the tribal alliance, but a real empire. He planned to summon the leaders of the seven tribes and set up a "Salt Pond Banquet" to kill them all. He used iron-blooded means to end the tribal selection system and unify the eight Khitan tribes. He reused Han Zhigu and Han Yanhui, the counselors of the Han Dynasty, and imitated the Central Plains system to build cities, create characters, establish laws, and set up palace tents, creating a north-south official system of "governing according to customs". In 916, he proclaimed himself the emperor and founded the country. The country was named "Khitan". He honored his ancestors and appointed a prince, and a grassland empire was born.
After that, he conquered the Turks and Dangxiang in the west, destroyed the Bohai Kingdom in the east, and pushed the territory to the coast of the East China Sea. He fought all his life and finally died of illness in Buyeo Mansion at the age of 55.
He allowed Khitan to move from tribe to nation and from grassland to historical stage. After his death, his second son, Yelu Deguang, succeeded him and eventually entered the Central Plains, changing the country's name to "Da Liao". And he was revered as Taizu of Liao Dynasty.
