晉高祖石敬瑭死后片酝，劉知遠(yuǎn)預(yù)感到天下將要大亂欧瘪，所以著力經(jīng)營(yíng)太原眷射。為加強(qiáng)自己的實(shí)力，他處死了吐谷渾首領(lǐng)白承福佛掖，奪取了大量的財(cái)富及數(shù)千匹良馬妖碉。契丹軍南下攻打后晉兵臨汴梁時(shí)，劉知遠(yuǎn)既不出兵救援苦囱，也不抗擊契丹嗅绸，而是冷眼旁觀、靜觀其變撕彤。等到契丹攻下汴梁，滅亡后晉后猛拴，他派人奉表于契丹皇帝遼太宗耶律德光羹铅，遼太宗呼其為兒，并賜與木拐愉昆，相當(dāng)于中原王朝賜給重要大臣的幾杖职员。遼太宗在開封稱帝，正式立國(guó)號(hào)為遼跛溉。
當(dāng)晉出帝石重貴一行被遼兵押解北上時(shí)焊切，他假裝悲憤，率親兵說要營(yíng)救晉出帝芳室，實(shí)際走到壽陽便又轉(zhuǎn)回太原专肪。然后他親率大軍乘中原空虛之際渡過黃河，進(jìn)入洛陽堪侯，殺死遼扶植的傀儡李從益母子嚎尤，以絕人望。隨后將都城設(shè)在汴梁伍宦。
劉知遠(yuǎn)稱帝后芽死，他的舊日僚佐均成為朝廷重臣，占據(jù)各大要害部門次洼。楊邠关贵、郭威任正副樞密使，蘇逢吉卖毁、蘇禹任宰相揖曾，王章任三司使，史弘肇任侍衛(wèi)親軍馬步軍都指揮使兼平章事。這些人中除郭威外其馀均為蠻橫無知翩肌、貪暴殘酷之徒模暗。如宰相蘇逢吉，早在河?xùn)|為慕僚時(shí)念祭，劉知遠(yuǎn)命其靜獄以祈福兑宇，實(shí)際上是要他釋放囚犯，而他卻把全部囚徒統(tǒng)統(tǒng)處死粱坤，號(hào)曰“凈獄”隶糕。當(dāng)了宰相以后，仍不改舊習(xí)站玄，曾草詔要將為盜者的本家和四鄰枚驻、保人全族處斬，有人駁斥說：“為盜者族誅株旷，已不合王法再登，何況鄰保，這樣做不是太過分了嗎晾剖？”蘇逢吉不得已锉矢，才勉強(qiáng)刪去“全族”二字。
至于史弘肇更是殘暴絕倫齿尽，他掌握禁軍兵權(quán)沽损，警衛(wèi)都邑，只要稍有違犯法紀(jì)循头，不問罪之輕重绵估，便處以極刑。甚至太白星白晝出現(xiàn)卡骂，因?yàn)橛腥搜鲇^国裳，就被處以腰斬。有一百姓因酒醉與一軍士發(fā)生沖突偿警，也被誣以妖言惑眾而斬首躏救。至于斷舌、決口螟蒸、抽筋盒使、折足等酷刑，幾乎每日不斷七嫌。
王章任三司使負(fù)責(zé)理財(cái)少办，惟知暴斂，致使百姓因此而破產(chǎn)者比比皆是诵原。舊制英妓，兩稅征糧時(shí)挽放，每一斛加收二升，稱之為“鼠雀耗”蔓纠，而王章命令加收二斗辑畦，相當(dāng)于以往的十倍；舊制腿倚，官庫出納錢物纯出，每貫只給八百文，百姓交稅也是如此敷燎，每百文只交八十文暂筝，稱之為“短陌錢”，而王章規(guī)定官庫給錢每百文只給七十七文硬贯，但百姓交稅每百文仍交八十文焕襟。后漢還規(guī)定私販鹽、礬饭豹、酒曲者鸵赖，不論數(shù)量多少，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)處以死罪墨状。
中央大員如此卫漫，上行下效，地方官員更加殘暴肾砂。青州節(jié)度使劉銖執(zhí)法殘酷，行刑時(shí)宏悦，雙杖齊下镐确，謂之“合歡杖”；他還根據(jù)犯人年齡的大小決定杖數(shù)饼煞，而不問罪之輕重源葫，謂之“隨年杖”。衛(wèi)州刺史葉仁魯捕盜時(shí)砖瞧，往往將普通平民當(dāng)成盜賊殺戮息堂，或挑斷腳筋，拋棄山谷块促，致使這些人“宛轉(zhuǎn)號(hào)呼荣堰，累日而死”。西京留守王守恩為了聚斂錢財(cái)竭翠，胡亂收稅振坚，稅目之多，包括上廁所斋扰，上街行乞渡八，都要交稅啃洋，甚至連死人的靈柩，如不交錢屎鳍，也不準(zhǔn)出城埋葬宏娄。有時(shí)還放縱部下，強(qiáng)搶或偷盜人家錢財(cái)逮壁。因此后漢的統(tǒng)治是五代十國(guó)中最殘暴的孵坚，百姓極度困苦，以致賣兒貼婦都不能度日貌踏。
劉知遠(yuǎn)只當(dāng)了一年皇帝就病死了十饥，其子劉承祐繼位，史稱漢隱帝祖乳。
漢隱帝年幼逗堵，朝政被勛舊大臣楊邠、史弘肇眷昆、王章蜒秤、郭威所把持，武夫掌權(quán)歧視文臣亚斋，遭致內(nèi)部矛盾不斷作媚。這些武夫悍將，個(gè)個(gè)專橫跋扈帅刊，議論朝政時(shí)纸泡，吵吵嚷嚷，大呼小叫赖瞒，根本不把皇帝放在眼里女揭，使?jié)h隱帝難于忍受。這些人只知舞槍弄刀栏饮，卻根本不懂安邦定國(guó)的道理吧兔，有時(shí)爭(zhēng)吵起來，甚至拔刀動(dòng)劍袍嬉，幾乎鬧出人命境蔼。
各種跋扈行為使?jié)h隱帝實(shí)在忍無可忍，于是和親信商議伺通，伏兵殿門箍土，趁楊邠、史弘肇泵殴、王章三人上朝之時(shí)涮帘，一舉將他們殺死，盡滅其族笑诅。又派人刺殺鎮(zhèn)守鄴都的郭威调缨，郭威聞?dòng)嵥炫e兵反抗疮鲫，率領(lǐng)大軍殺奔汴梁，擊敗了后漢禁軍弦叶。漢隱帝落荒而逃俊犯，途中被殺。郭威進(jìn)入汴州后請(qǐng)?zhí)笈R朝稱制伤哺，并決定迎立劉知遠(yuǎn)之侄武寧節(jié)度使劉赟為帝燕侠。就在劉赟動(dòng)身前往汴梁時(shí)郭威指使人假報(bào)契丹入寇，自己率大軍出京迎敵立莉，行至中途绢彤，兵士嘩變，將黃袍披在郭威身上蜓耻，擁立郭威為帝茫舶，然后轉(zhuǎn)回汴梁。
劉赟行至宋州時(shí)郭威已搶先一步進(jìn)入汴梁刹淌，逼迫太后下詔封自己為“監(jiān)國(guó)”饶氏，總攬朝政大權(quán)，并以太后名義下詔廢黜了劉赟有勾，降封劉赟為開府議同三司疹启、檢校太師上柱國(guó)、湘陰公蔼卡，又遣部將郭崇威到宋州將劉赟囚禁在當(dāng)?shù)睾把隆９?51年，郭威正式登上皇帝寶座雇逞，年號(hào)廣順贷祈，國(guó)號(hào)周，史稱后周喝峦。
After THE death OF SHI JingTANG, EmperorGaOZu of Jin Dynasty, Liu Zhiyuan had a PREmonition THAT the world WOULD BE INchaos, so HE concentrated ON running Taiyuan. To strengthen his own strength,he executed the Tuyuhun leader Bai Chengfu and seized a great deal of wealth andthousands of good horses. When the Khitan army marched south to attack thelater Jin army and arrived in Bianliang, Liu Zhiyuan did not send troops torescue or fight against the Khitan. Instead, he looked on coldly and waited tosee what happened. After the Khitan seized Bianliang and destroyed the LaterJin, he sent a table to the Khitan Emperor, Taizong of Liao, who called him hisson and gave him wooden crutches, which were equivalent to several staves givenby the Central Plains emperor to important ministers. Emperor Taizongproclaimed himself emperor in Kaifeng and formally established his kingdom asLiao.
When the Jin emperor Shi Zhonggui line wasescorted north by Liao soldiers, he pretended to be angry, the rate of soldierssaid to rescue the Jin emperor, actually went to Shouyang and then turned backto Taiyuan. Then he led his own army to cross the Yellow River when the CentralPlains were empty, entered Luoyang, and killed the puppet Li Congyi and hisson, in order to impress people. The capital was then located in Bianliang.
After Liu Zhiyuan declared himself emperor,his former subordinates all became important officials in the court, occupyingthe key departments. Yang Wei and GUO Wei acted as PREFect and Deputy PREFect,SU Fengji and SU Yu AS PRIME MINISTER, WANG Zhang AS third prefect, and ShiHongzhao as commander and commander of the BODYGUARD Army, the Cavalry and theMarching Army. Except for Guo Wei, all of them are ignorant, greedy and cruel.For example, Prime Minister Su Fengji, as early as when he was an officer ofLiao in Hedong, Liu Zhiyuan ordered him to stay in prison to pray forblessings. In fact, he wanted him to release the prisoners, but he put all theprisoners to death, called "clean prison". When he became the prime minister,he still did not change his old habits. Zeng Chao ordered that the thief'sfamily, the neighbors and the whole family of the guarantor should be executed.Some people refuted, "It is not the king's law to punish the thief'sfamily, let alone the neighbors. Su Fengji had to reluctantly delete the"whole family" two words.
As for Shi Hongzhao, he was extremelycruel. He controlled the military and guarded the city, and he would beexecuted for any slight violation of the law and discipline, regardless of theseverity of the crime. Even when the white star appeared by day, it was cut inhalf because someone looked up to it. There is a common people because of drunkconflict with a sergeant, was falsely decapitated to deceive people. As for thebroken tongue, breaches, cramps, broken feet and other torture, almost daily.
Wang Zhang was in charge of financialmanagement. However, he knew how to collect money excessively, so that peoplewent bankrupt everywhere. The old system, two taxes when grain, each dendrobiumadded two liters, called "rat finch consumption", and Wang Zhangcommand added two dou, equivalent to the previous ten times; In the old system,the official Treasury paid only 800 yuan for money and goods, and the commonpeople paid only 80 yuan for every 100 yuan, which was called "short roadmoney". However, the royal chapter stipulated that the official Treasurypaid only 77 yuan for every 100 yuan, but the common people still paid 80 yuanfor every 100 yuan. The Later Han Dynasty also stipulated that those whopeddled salt, alum and wine yeast, regardless of the amount, would be punishedby death.
The central bosses are so effective thatlocal officials are even more brutal. Qingzhou schedule to make Liu Zhu cruellaw enforcement, execution, double staff, called "Huan staff"; Healso decides the number of rods according to the age of the prisoner, but doesnot ask the severity of the crime, which is called "with the yearrod". When Ye Renlu, the governor of Weizhou, was trying to capture thieves,he would kill ordinary people as thieves, or cut off hamstrings and abandon thevalley, so that these people "died day after day with a cry". Inorder to collect money, Wang Shouen, who remained in Xijing, collected taxes atrandom. He had to pay taxes on many things, including going to the toilet andbegging on the street. Even the coffin of the dead was not allowed to go out ofthe city to be buried without paying money. Sometimes he indulged hissubordinates and robbed or stole money from others. Therefore, the rule of theLater Han Dynasty was the most tyrannical among the five Dynasties and tenStates. The people were so poor that even the women who sold their childrencould not survive.
Liu Zhiyuan was emperor for only one yearbefore he died of illness and was succeeded by his son Liu Chengyou, known inhistory as Emperor Yin of the Han Dynasty.
When Emperor Yin was young, the court wascontrolled by the former ministers Yang Bin, Shi Hongzhao, Wang Zhang and GuoWei, as a result of which the rulers discriminated against the civil servants,leading to repeated internal conflicts. All of them were overbearing anddomineering. When discussing the government, they made noise and shouted, andignored the emperor at all, which made Emperor Yin unbearable. These peopleonly know how to dance a gun and make a knife, but they don't know the truth ofa peaceful country at all. Sometimes they quarreled and even pulled out asword, almost causing death.
Emperor Yin could not bear the abusivebehavior any more, so he consulted with his aides to raid the gate of thepalace for the attendance of Yang, Shi Hongzhao and Wang Zhang, killing themall at once. He also sent someone to assassinate Guo Wei, who was guardingYidu. Upon hearing the news, Guo Wei rebelled and led a large army toBianliang, defeating the Banning army of Later Han Dynasty. Emperor Yin fled indefeat and was killed on the way. Guo Wei into Bianzhou after the EmpressDowager said the system, and decided to set up Liu Zhiyuan's nephew Wuning LiuYun as the emperor. When Liu Yun left for Bianliang, Guo Wei ordered falsereport of Kidan invasion, his army out of Beijing to meet the enemy, halfway,soldiers mutinied, will be Huang pao on Guo Wei, Guo Wei was crowned emperor,and then returned to Bianliang.
Liu Yun went to Songzhou Guo Wei has beenthe first step into the Bianliang, forced the queen mother under the imperialseal for his "supervision", the general power of the government, andafter the name of the edit deposed Liu Yun, Liu Yun down to open the house withthree division, inspection school Taishi on the column, Xiangyin, and sent GuoChongwei to Songzhou Liu Yun imprisoned in the local. In 951, Guo Weiofficially ascended the throne of Emperor, with the reign title Guangshun andthe kingdom name Zhou, known as the Later Zhou in history.
