liao 551On Aug.11, 942, Shao sent two envoys, the General-in-chief of
the Guards of the Gilded Mace of the Right and the Supervisor of
the Lodges of the Four Quarters [for envoys], to the Khitan court.
They were there received on Aug.22. T’ai-tsung was furious because
Shao had not first petitioned to succeed Kao-tsu but had enthroned
himself, and because he had referred to himself as a “grandson” but
not a “subject”^36 (Chiu Wu-tai shih 81:2b; 137:8b; Hsin Wu-tai shih 9:
2a;Liao shih 4:8b; Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 345:17b).
On Sep.5, 942, T’ai-tsung sent the Commissioner of the Visitors
Bureau to the Later Chin court to protest. This man was a Chinese.
Shao had him briefly arrested but then released. The high officials
who advised caution were overruled by Shao. The court spokesman
was Ching Yen-kuang, leader of the anti-Khitan party. He agreed that
Kao-tsu had been helped to the throne by T’ai-tsung, i.e. the Khitan,
but insisted that the present ruler had succeeded by the code of the
Later Chin. This meant that the term “grandson” was appropriate but
“subject” not. The envoy considered that Yen-kuang lacked humil-
ity and on his return reported this to T’ai-tsung. The latter became
even more incensed, planned an attack on Later Chin, but changed
his mind (Chiu Wu-tai shih 137:8b; Hsin Wu-tai shih 9:2a; Liao shih 4:
8b;Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 345:17b).
On Sep.8, 942, Later Chin envoys to the Khitan court announced
the death of the imperial grandmother (Liao shih 4:8b).
On Sep.25, 942, Khitan envoys to the Later Chin court offered 20
horses and pongee (Chiu Wu-tai-shih 81:5a; Hsin Wu-tai shih 9:2a).
On Oct.4, 942,^37 T’ai-tsung sent the Military Commissioner of the
Army of the Great City with a mission of 26 men to attend the burial
of Kao-tsu on Dec.20 and to contribute two horses, 1000 sheep, and
1000 pieces of pongee toward the funeral expenses (Chiu Wu-tai shih
81:5a;Wu-tai hui-yao 29:6b; Liao shih 4:9a).
On Oct.23, 942, T’ai-tsung sent envoys to the Later Chin court
to congratulate Shao on his enthronement. These were received at
the Later Chin court on Nov.19, 942 (Hsin Wu-tai shih 9:2b; Liao shih
4:9a).
(^36) Since Kao-tsu in 936 had agreed to be like a son to T’ai-tsung, Shao, being
one generation lower, was logically like a grandson.
(^37) Both text give the same date, even though Liao shih normally records the
departure and Chiu Wu-tai shih the arrival. In the present context, it probably refers
to the departure.