Life

Gao Huaide's father Gao Xingzhou was a general in the Later Zhou military. In 944, just 18 years old, Gao Huaide accompanied his father in resisting the invasion by the Liao forces from the north. In Qicheng (near today's Puyang, Henan Province), his father was surrounded by the Liao forces and with no aid in sight, Gao Huaide fought a way out and saved his father on his horseback.

In 957, the Later Zhou military tried to invade Shouchun (in today's Shou County, Anhui Province) which was occupied by Southern Tang kingdom. At night, Gao Huaide and a few men went across the Huai River for reconnaissance and in the morning caught a Southern Tang soldier who provided important information. When Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou watched the battle from a height, he noticed a general who fought many enemies by himself, even taking the spear from the enemy's hands. He was informed that was Gao Huaide.

When Later Zhou was overthrown by the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of Song arranged for Gao Huaide to marry his younger sister, Princess Chang of Yan Kingdom. Along with Shi Shouxin, Gao Huaide defeated Li Yun's rebellion.

生平

性格率真，不拘小節，精音律。年輕時隨父高行周從軍。後晉開運元年（944年），有遼軍南襲，他隨父出戰，兵困於戚城（今河南濮陽北），竟單騎挾父殺出重圍。後周顯德四年（957年），周世宗攻南唐壽春（今安徽壽縣），敵軍劉仁贍築寨據守，懷德奉命深入敵營偵察，夜渡淮河，清晨兵臨壽春城下，抓住一名敵兵，獲得敵營情報，甚獲世宗賞識。後因擁立趙匡胤稱帝，娶燕國長公主為妻，加拜駙馬都尉，升殿前副都點檢。

建隆元年（960年），昭義軍節度使李筠起兵叛於上黨（長治），太祖令懷德與石守信率兵進討，北漢劉鈞按兵不動，首戰長平告捷，又破李筠部於澤州（山西晉城），李筠退守澤州。六月，趙匡胤親征，李筠自焚而亡。建隆二年（961年），改封歸德軍節度。開寶六年秋，加拜同平章事，冬季，燕國長公主去世，辭去駙馬都尉職位。宋太宗即位，兼任侍中，加檢校太師。太平興國四年（979年）跟隨太宗滅北漢，改鎮曹州，封冀國公。太平興國七年（982年）改封武勝軍節度，同年七月病逝，年五十七歲。追贈中書令，追封渤海郡王，謚號武穆。

高懷德之子高處恭，官終右監門衛大將軍。高處恭弟高處俊，官至西京作坊使。燕國長公主所生女高氏受封為長樂郡主，後又被宋仁宗封為仁壽公主。

參考書目

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