Founding of the Later Han

Timeline

1. 947Taiyany · TaiyuanAfter the Khitans destroyed the Later Jin and carried off Emperor Chuzhi (Shi Chonggui) into captivity, a power vacuum gripped the Central Plains. Liu Zhiyuan, military commissioner of Hedong and Prince of Beiping, mustered his troops in Taiyuan at the urging of his subordinates, refused to submit to the Khitans, and bided his time to strike south.
2. 947Taiyuan · TaiyuanLiu Zhiyuan ascended the throne in Taiyuan, taking the state name Han, known to history as the Later Han, and adopted the era name Qianyou, establishing the fourth Central Plains dynasty of the Five Dynasties with Hedong as its base for advancing into the Central Plains.
3. 947Kaifeng · KaifengLiu Zhiyuan led his army south; after the Khitans withdrew north, he entered Bianliang, moved the capital to Kaifeng, and took over rule of the Central Plains. The Later Han regime thus controlled the Yellow River basin, becoming the orthodox Central Plains dynasty after the Later Liang, Later Tang, and Later Jin.