Five Dynasties and Ten States
五代十国
End of the Division
分裂的结束
Towards the end of the Five Dynasties, Guo Wei, emperor of the Later Zhou, introduced political and economical reforms.
五代末期，后周皇帝郭威实行了政治和经济改革。
Rents and taxes were reduced, sentences for committing crimes lightened, and corrupt officials punished.
他减免了税收、减轻了刑罚、惩治了贪污的官员。
Favorable conditions for agricultural production were thus created.
因此，有利于农业生产的大环境形成了。
Hundreds of thousands of people flocked from other places to the Later Zhou for settlement；
成千上万的人民由其他地方涌入后周定居。
In 954, shortly after Guo Wei died, Liu Chong of the Northern Han, who had jurisdiction over present-day Shanxi Province,
954年郭威去世后不久，北汉的刘崇拥有对于今天的山西省地区的管辖权，
formed an alliance with the khitan to attack the Later Zhou.
他和契丹联合起来攻打后周。
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.
柴荣个人领导着后周的军队与刘崇交战与高平（今山西高平县），在那里他使北汉的军队遭受重创。
Liu Chong fled with a hundred or so of his surviving cavalrymen.
刘崇带着剩余的100多兵力逃跑了。
After this battle, Chai Rong began to think seriously of unifying the country.
此役过后，柴荣开始仔细思考统一国家。
He rectified the discipline of his army.
他整合了自己部队的编制。
To rehabilitate the agricultural economy of the Central Plains,
为了恢复中原地区的农业经济，
he paid attention to a fair exaction of rents and taxes and the construction of water conservancy projects.
他注重租税的合理征收与水利工程的建设。
With his territory extending as far south as the northern bank of the Yangtse River,
随着他的疆域向南延伸至长江的北岸，
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).
柴荣从契丹手中收复了一些战略地点例如宁州（今河北青县）、益津关和淤口关（今河北霸县）、瓦桥关（今河北雄县）、鄚州（今河北任丘县）和瀛洲（河北河间县）。
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.
所有这些都为南宋之后结束整个国家的长期分裂以及建立中央集权打下了基础。