We all know that the Song Dynasty can be said to be the most prosperous era of ancient Chinese culture and the most liberal literati, but in fact, such a phenomenon comes from the wise national policy of Song Taizu. The social status of the literati in the two Song Dynasties was very high, and there was unlimited creative freedom, which was the key to cultural revival, and because of this, many literary heroes were produced, such as Su Dongpo, Wang Anshi, Fan Zhongyan, and so on.
Because of Zhao Kuangyin's concept of emphasizing literature over martial arts, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty was very kind and tolerant to the literati, and there is such a story that can prove that at that time, Su Rui was participating in the examination of the Imperial Examination, because he had heard some false remarks, and he thought that the emperor of the dynasty, Song Renzong, was too old to handle the affairs of the dynasty with a clear mind, so he spoke bluntly and scolded the emperor for fainting. However, Song Renzong did not get angry and kill Su Rui, but instead particularly admired his literary style and courage, and felt that he could be qualified for the position of prime minister in the future. In fact, this matter is definitely not a special case, for more than 300 years in the two Song Dynasties, the dignity of civilian officials has not been trampled.
The literati of the Song Dynasty not only had a high social status, but also their salaries. We all know Bao Zheng Qingtian, at that time his annual basic income was about the same as the current six million yuan, and even the president of the United States, the annual salary was only four hundred thousand US dollars. But Bao Zheng was not yet a big official, higher than his position, such as the prime minister and the great general, their incomes were even more ridiculously high, so the Song Dynasty officials did not need to loot the people's money, they could live a good life.
In fact, in addition to giving talented people and high-ranking officials Houlu, the Song Dynasty also used various methods to persuade the people to read and study, and the "golden house in the book, and the Yan Ruyu in the book" that we often hear comes from the Song Dynasty.
Although the land area of the Song Dynasty was not very large, the economy developed rapidly, and it was the richest dynasty in ancient China, and the total GDP could be said to be the largest in the world at that time.
But this method of governing the country also has many drawbacks, and even the key to its demise. Literati can rule the country and secure the country, but military generals are also the key to protecting the country, but the military generals of the Song Dynasty are not valued, so the army will be much weaker, and over time, let alone expand the territory, even the safety of their own people cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, at that time, in the face of Liao and Jin, the Song Dynasty could only rely on tribute to get temporary security, which was not a long-term solution.
So is it worth the prosperity and prosperity that such a sneaky and stealing security has been exchanged for?