After the death of Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, Chai Rong, his son Chai Zongxun ascended the throne as Emperor Gongdi. At that time, Chai Zongxun was only seven years old, and all major state affairs were handled by Empress Dowager Fu and Prime Minister Fan Zhi. On the first day of the first lunar month of the following year, the Northern Han and Liao, which had been thoroughly defeated by Chai Rong, once again launched an attack on Later Zhou. Empress Dowager Fu was extremely anxious but had no solution, so she could only turn to Prime Minister Fan Zhi for help. Fan Zhi believed that the only way to save Later Zhou from crisis was to place hope in the commander of the imperial guard, Zhao Kuangyin.
Zhao Kuangyin was born into a military family; his father was originally a fierce general under Li Cunxu, repeatedly earning merit in battles against the Later Liang army led by Zhu Wen and gaining Li Cunxu's deep appreciation. Later, when Li Cunxu died tragically in a mutiny, Zhao Kuangyin's father lost his influence and began wandering from place to place, making a living as a street performer. Zhao Kuangyin followed his father into exile among the common people, enduring great hardships.
After reaching adulthood, Zhao Kuangyin was strong and healthy, and having learned some martial arts, he went to join the army. He initially served under Guo Wei, a general of the Later Han Dynasty, who greatly valued him. After Guo Wei established the Later Zhou Dynasty and became emperor, Zhao Kuangyin was promoted and granted titles. When Chai Rong ascended the throne, Zhao Kuangyin became the highest-ranking general of the emperor's personal guard.
As a military general, Zhao Kuangyin was very fond of reading. It was through this habit that he continuously enriched and improved himself, so that when the opportunity later arose, he was able to seize it, ascend the throne, and ultimately unify the entire country.
During Chai Rong's reign, someone reported Zhao Kuangyin to him, claiming that Zhao Kuangyin's plundered treasures required several large carts to transport. Chai Rong sent people to search, but they only found a large number of books in the carts. Later, Zhao Kuangyin established the Northern Song Dynasty and became emperor, particularly favoring the appointment of scholars. Moreover, he encouraged generals and ministers to read more books.
Zhao Kuangyin was not only gifted with both literary talent and military strategy but also highly ambitious. After the death of Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty, the once prosperous and stable Later Zhou began to experience turmoil. Zhao Kuangyin, then the commander of the Imperial Guard, conspired with his younger brother Zhao Kuangyi and Imperial Guard generals like Shi Shouxin to plot a rebellion.
Fan Zhi never anticipated Zhao Kuangyin's ambition. When Fan Zhi came to request that he dispatch troops to confront the joint forces of the Northern Han and Liao, Zhao Kuangyin refused. His excuse was that he commanded too few soldiers. However, the military situation was urgent and could not be delayed. With no other choice, Fan Zhi handed over the supreme military authority of the Later Zhou dynasty to him. In this way, Zhao Kuangyin gained control of the entire nation's army.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Zhao Kuangyin led his army out of Kaifeng, and that evening the troops set up camp at Chenqiao Post. Having arranged everything in advance, Zhao Kuangyin pretended to be too drunk to stay awake. Soon, a rumor spread among the soldiers: the current emperor was still young and unable to rule personally, so who would recognize the soldiers' brave sacrifices on the battlefield? Since that was the case, it would be better to first proclaim General Zhao Kuangyin as their new emperor before marching into battle, giving them greater motivation to fight.
Those spreading such remarks were naturally Zhao Kuangyin's trusted confidants. Before long, the entire army was restless, and a mutiny was brewing. Zhao Kuangyi and his trusted advisor Zhao Pu, seizing the opportune moment, urged everyone to drape a yellow robe over Zhao Kuangyin. Then, all the soldiers knelt at Zhao Kuangyin's feet, shouting "Long live the emperor!" at the top of their lungs, their voices carrying for miles. Zhao Kuangyin put on a show of reluctance, claiming he couldn't accept it, but after some perfunctory refusals, he finally "reluctantly" became emperor. However, Zhao Kuangyin set a condition: since the soldiers insisted on making him emperor, they must obey all his commands. The soldiers pledged to follow his every order. Thus, Zhao Kuangyin led the army back to Kaifeng.
The defending generals of Kaifeng, such as Shi Shouxin, were all allies of Zhao Kuangyin, and when Zhao Kuangyin led his army to the gates of Kaifeng, they immediately opened the city gates. Soon, the entire city of Kaifeng was occupied by Zhao Kuangyin's forces. Realizing that the Later Zhou dynasty was doomed, the civil and military officials at court announced that Chai Zongxun would abdicate the throne to Zhao Kuangyin. Thus, the Later Zhou dynasty fell into Zhao Kuangyin's hands with ease, and the Chenqiao Mutiny ended in Zhao Kuangyin's victory.
After ascending the throne, Zhao Kuangyin changed the dynasty name to Song, and historically, the Song dynasty he established is commonly referred to as the Northern Song.