Zhao Kuangyin established the Great Song Dynasty, why did he pass the throne to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi instead of his son?
On October 19 of the ninth year of Kaibao, Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, died, and was succeeded by his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. Theoretically, when the former emperor died, the successor should be the son, and the inheritance system of the eldest son of the concubine has been handed down from the end of the Shang Dynasty, is it true that Zhao Kuangyin did not have a son?
Obviously not, he had a son, so why did Zhao Kuangyin not pass the throne to his son according to the ancestral system, but passed the throne to his brother Zhao Guangyi?
First of all, it is undeniable that Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi brothers have deep feelings:
The emperor determines the heir, which is usually his own son, on the one hand, to see which son is capable, on the other hand, to see which son has a good relationship with him, so as to establish an heir. Because Zhao Kuangyin had learned the lessons of the five generations, when considering the issue of heirs, he first considered not being a son.
For the sake of national security, especially at the beginning of the founding of the country, the political situation was unstable, and it was most appropriate to let his younger brother Zhao Guangyi as the heir. The younger brother Zhao Guangyi followed his brother from beginning to end, and when Chen Qiao mutinied the yellow robe and added his body, it was also Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Pu and others who assisted in planning and implementing it.
Historical records:
"Kaifeng Yin Guangyi was violently ill, so he regarded it as his first."
Zhao Kuangyin had ascended the throne as emperor and was still very concerned about his brother, and when Zhao Guangyi fell ill, Zhao Kuangyin personally visited the palace. He even boiled soup and decoction himself and took care of his brother at the bedside. Even if you are already in the Emperor's House, the brotherhood is very real.
In order to cultivate Zhao Guangyi's abilities and experience in all aspects, Zhao Guangyi deployed from the front of the palace to the Great Inner Capital, after which he could exercise the power of prime minister, serve as the governor of Kaifeng Province, Yin Jiazhong, and be crowned the King of Jin.
The appointment of the imperial family as the governor of Kaifeng basically established the status of his heir. Deep feelings and strong cultivation, this is obviously going to the heir, there is no doubt about it.
Therefore, from the perspective of who is more suitable to be the emperor, Zhao Kuangyin chose a younger brother instead of a son.
Then there is the constraint of the Golden Alliance:
In the second year of Jianlong (961 AD), Empress Du was seriously ill, and Zhao Kuangyin had been carefully caring for him left and right, and Zhao Kuangyin was a great filial piety, so he obeyed his mother's words. When Empress Dowager Du was in danger, she immediately summoned Zhao Pu, the prime minister, to testify to her will.
Empress Dowager Du asked her son, "How did you get your world?" ”
Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly replied, "I got the world, and it was all my mother's virtue." ”
Empress Dowager Du scolded, "No, if the heir of Emperor Chai Rong of later Zhou Dynasty is not a young child, can you still get the world?" After a hundred years, you must appoint your brother as your heir, so as to ensure long-term peace and stability. ”
Zhao Kuangyin wept silently, and did not refute his mother's words for half a word, so the empress dowager ordered Zhao Pu to write down the covenant and keep it tightly. How dare a parent disobey the order of a son? In fact, at that time, Zhao Kuangyin did promise his mother, but after all, the emperor was him, and the power was in his hands.
Even if he changed his mind, others could not stop him, and Zhao Pu was his own person, not an outsider. However, his mother's will often haunted Zhao Kuangyin's heart, and if Zhao Kuangyin did not obey, he might be uneasy in his heart and could not comfort his mother's spirit in heaven. Under the constraints of the covenant, Zhao Kuangyin finally chose Zhao Guangyi as his heir.
That is to say, Zhao Kuangyin is also a person with heavy commitments, but also a filial son, and he is reasonablely biased towards Zhao Guangyi.
Zhao Guangyi is actually suspected of usurping the throne:
What we analyzed earlier is that Zhao Kuangyin was willing to pass the throne to his younger brother, so is it possible that he was unwilling?
Zhao Guangyi was given the title of Kaifeng Fu Yin and Zhongshu Ling, who could be above the prime minister and was undoubtedly a real power faction, and Zhao Guangyi was not a person who kept to himself. He befriended powerful people everywhere in the capital, cultivated his own power, and his ambitions gradually began to expand.
When Zhao Kuangyin was critically ill, he hurriedly summoned Zhao Guangyi, the King of Jin, to establish the aftermath. At that time, there were only two brothers in the house, but there was a shadow of a person shaking inside the door, and Zhao Kuangyin said loudly to his brother:
"You're going to have to do a good job in the future!"
Then Zhao Kuangyin died suddenly, and only Zhao Guangyi walked out of the door alone.
When Empress Song saw Zhao Guangyi, the King of Jin, come out alone, she was very shocked, and soon changed her attitude and said:
"The lives of our mother and son are entrusted to you!"
So Zhao Guangyi smoothly succeeded to the throne. Why was Empress Song surprised, perhaps Zhao Kuangyin's illness was not yet critical, but she died suddenly. In the shadow of the candlelight axe, Zhao Guangyi may have poisoned his brother, or perhaps directly murdered his brother.
After Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he should treat his nephews Zhao Defang and Zhao Dezhao and his younger brother Zhao Tingmei kindly, but these people died one after another, and they were absolutely man-made. This makes people have to wonder, even if Zhao Kuangyin really intends to pass the throne to his younger brother, this act of being a younger brother is very unauthentic.
Therefore, we should doubt that under the circumstances at that time, Zhao Kuangyin was actually forced to pass on Zhao Guangyi.
Zhao Guangyi's power is huge and can no longer be contained:
In zhao kuangyin's twilight years, thinking of luoyang turning around, he was also born in Luoyang, and there are also fallen leaves that return to the roots. When the emperor went out, of course, he brought a hundred officials of civil and military affairs, and Zhao Guangyi was also among them. Zhao Kuangyin, who has been working for state affairs all his life, is not a play, but an idea of moving the capital.
Although Kaifeng is in a good position, there is no natural danger to rely on, only a barrier of the Yellow River, of course, Kaifeng's water transport is extremely developed, and materials from all over the country can be sent to the capital by the Canal. Another problem in Kaifeng was that it was necessary to hoard a large number of troops to ensure the safety of the Beijing division, which undoubtedly increased the burden on the state.
When Zhao Kuangyin asked about his views on Jianqian, a minister said:
"There are canals in Tokyo, and millions of people in the rivers and rice in Huai, all of whom have sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers to look up to Yan. His Majesty is here, will he take it? And the heavy troops in the treasury are all in the big beams, and they have been solid for a long time and cannot be shaken. ”
This means that the Kaifeng canal is convenient, the grain transportation is convenient, and the heavy troops are stubborn and cannot be easily relocated. All the ministers disagreed with Zhao Kuangyin's plan to move the capital, and Zhao Guangyi finally said a shocking sentence:
"No risk in Germany!"
The rule of the emperor is important in virtue, not in the dangerous geographical location, which is undoubtedly a strong argument, the capital is the core of the country, the geographical location is crucial, youyun sixteen states have long been lost, and the capital Kaifeng is not a good choice. Zhao Guangyi made a big fuss in front of the public, which was a declaration of sovereignty.
The forces accumulated by Zhao Guangyi, the King of Jin, over the years are all in the capital, and this relocation of the capital is not all in vain, and it is reasonable to oppose the relocation of the capital. Zhao Kuangyin's cultivating brother became a towering tree, and even covered up his sharp edge.
The younger brother's rudeness Zhao Kuangyin had already seen in his eyes, but he did not refute anything, because he was old, and the most important thing for him now was to smoothly transfer power and ensure the stability of the country. Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin compromised, if he let Zhao Dezhao succeed to the throne, this would undoubtedly lead to a palace coup, and it would not be beneficial to the country and himself.
Zhao Kuangyin established the country with martial arts, ending the situation of five generations of warlords dividing the territory and laying a solid foundation for the prosperity of the Great Song Dynasty. Such a wise and divine emperor, but hesitate in the heir, whether it is a smooth succession or usurpation, fortunately, Zhao Guangyi is also a good emperor.
Zhao Guangyi has been persistently pursuing the great cause of reunification all his life, striving for the prosperity of the Han and Tang Dynasties, he recovered the Northern Han Dynasty, completed his brother's unfinished mission, and although the two Northern Expeditions failed, the Song army did not fall behind. He may owe something to his brother, but he has been working hard, he is fighting, even if he can't achieve his ideals, this life is enough!
So guys, do you think Zhao Kuangyin voluntarily or was he forced to pass the throne to his younger brother?
References: "Continued Zizhi Tongjian", "History of the Song Dynasty"