中英雙語話史記 第94期:五代十國分裂結束
Five Dynasties and Ten States
End of the Division
分裂的結束Towards the end of the Five Dynasties, Guo Wei, emperor of the Later Zhou, introduced political and economical reforms.
五代末期，後周皇帝郭威實行了政治和經濟改革。
Rents and taxes were reduced, sentences for committing crimes lightened, and corrupt officials punished.
他減免了稅收、減輕了刑罰、懲治了貪污的官員。Favorable conditions for agricultural production were thus created.
因此，有利於農業生產的大環境形成了。Hundreds of thousands of people flocked from other places to the Later Zhou for settlement；
成千上萬的人民由其他地方涌入後周定居。In 954, shortly after Guo Wei died, Liu Chong of the Northern Han, who had jurisdiction over present-day Shanxi Province,
954年郭威去世後不久，北漢的劉崇擁有對於今天的山西省地區的管轄權，formed an alliance with the khitan to attack the Later Zhou.
他和契丹聯合起來攻打後周。Chai Rong took personal command of the Later Zhou's army and engaged Liu Chong at Gaoping (Modern Gaoping County,Shanxi) where he exacted a heavy toll of the Northern Han army.
柴榮個人領導着後周的軍隊與劉崇交戰與高平（今山西高平縣），在那裏他使北漢的軍隊遭受重創。Liu Chong fled with a hundred or so of his surviving cavalrymen.
劉崇帶着剩餘的100多兵力逃跑了。After this battle, Chai Rong began to think seriously of unifying the country.
此役過後，柴榮開始仔細思考統一國家。He rectified the discipline of his army.
他整合了自己部隊的編制。To rehabilitate the agricultural economy of the Central Plains,
爲了恢復中原地區的農業經濟，he paid attention to a fair exaction of rents and taxes and the construction of water conservancy projects.
他注重租稅的合理徵收與水利工程的建設。With his territory extending as far south as the northern bank of the Yangtse River,
隨着他的疆域向南延伸至長江的北岸，he succeeded in recovering a number of strategic points from Khitan, such as Ningzhou(modem Qingxian County, Hebei) , Yijinguan Pass and Yukouguan Pass (modem Baxian County, Hebei) , Waqiaoguan Pass (modern Xiongxian County, Hebei), Mozhou (modern Renqiu County, Hebei), Yingzhou( modern Hejian County,Hebei).
柴榮從契丹手中收復了一些戰略地點例如寧州（今河北青縣）、益津關和淤口關（今河北霸縣）、瓦橋關（今河北雄縣）、鄚州（今河北任丘縣）和瀛洲（河北河間縣）。All this had paved the way for the Northern Song, during a later period, to bring to an end of the prolonged division of the country and to establish a central authority over all of China.
所有這些都爲南宋之後結束整個國家的長期分裂以及建立中央集權打下了基礎。
