Editing Later Zhao (section)

=== Reign of Shi Le ===
During the campaign, Liu Yao was instated as emperor, so Shi Le sent an envoy to congratulate him. However, Liu Yao, believing that Shi Le's rebellion was already in motion, had the envoy killed instead. Shi Le promptly declared independence as Liu Yao moved the capital to his base in [[Chang'an|Chang’an]], splitting the empire into two. In 319, Shi Le proclaimed himself the King of Zhao, a title he was supposed to receive before his envoy was killed. Prior to that, Liu Yao had also renamed the state from Han to Zhao. To distinguish the two states, historiographers refer to Liu Yao’s state as [[Former Zhao]] and Shi Le’s state as Later Zhao.

In his early reign, Shi Le expanded eastwards while Liu Yao dealt with matters in the west. By 323, he defeated [[Duan Pidi]], one of the last remaining Jin powers in the north and conquered Shandong from the warlord, [[Cao Ni]]. War between the two Zhaos only broke out in 324, and in 328, Shi Le and Liu Yao led their armies to face each other in the pivotal [[Battle of Luoyang]]. Liu Yao was captured during the battle and later executed, while the remaining Former Zhao forces was destroyed in 329. Thus, the Later Zhao became the hegemonic power in northern China, though some areas were still out of their control; the [[Former Liang]], [[Dai (Sixteen Kingdoms)|Dai]] and [[Duan tribe|Duan-Liaoxi]] states partially retained their independence through vassalage, while the [[Xianbei]] [[Murong]] tribe in [[Liaodong Peninsula|Liaodong]] remained loyal to the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Eastern Jin dynasty]].

To consolidate his rule, Shi Le enacted several policies with the help of Han Chinese ministers such as [[Zhang Bin (Later Zhao)|Zhang Bin]]. Among others, he re-introduced the [[Nine-rank system|Nine Ranks System]], promoted agriculture and emphasized education. He also continued the separate governance system between the Han Chinese and non-Chinese people from the [[Han-Zhao|Han-Zhao dynasty]]. He adopted the Grand Chanyu title, tasked with managing the tribes, while also introducing new offices that specifically dealt with litigations and population movements of the tribes. He banned the word “''hu''”, opting to use “''guoren''” (國人; countryman) instead, and forbid the tribes from oppressing the Han Chinese scholar-officials. Various ethnic group from conquered places were relocated to live around his capital, as to better control them and restore agricultural output in the north. [[Buddhism]] was also given a platform to grow as the [[Kucha|Kuchean]] monk, [[Fotu Cheng]], held a high-ranking position within Shi Le's court.

Shi Le and his family had an unusual practice of adopting people into their clan, the earliest example being [[Shi Hu]], a distant cousin who was adopted by Shi Le's father during their tribal years. He continued this practice after taking the throne, and his adopted relatives, especially Shi Hu, became important princes and military commanders. Near the end of his reign, Shi Le prepared his biological son, [[Shi Hong]] to take the throne in accordance with the Chinese rule of succession and handpicked his circle of retainers. However, Shi Hu, citing his vast contributions to the state's founding, was angered by Shi Le's decision as he saw himself having more claim to the throne.