Among the many emperors since ancient times, there is one kind of emperor who is the most difficult to do, that is, the founding emperor. If a person wants to sit in the world in the chaotic world, defeat all opponents, and become the emperor of the Ten Thousand Multipliers, it is an extremely difficult process for anyone. Its difficulty is said to be bound to ascend to the sky, although it is a bit exaggerated, but it is almost the same. However, this iron law failed in front of the two emperors. One was Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, and Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty. The other founding emperors all started from scratch and fought the world with their bare hands, but Emperor Wen of Sui and Taizu of Song both usurped the throne from their vassals and stood on their own feet, so there is a saying that "since ancient times, it is easy to gain the country, no like Emperor Wen of Sui and Taizu of Song".
However, Emperor Wen of Sui's Great Sui Dynasty came easily and easily lost, the Sui Dynasty was established less than 40 years ago, and the country was destroyed in a flash, but the Song Dynasty lasted for more than three hundred years in the north and south. An important reason is that after the founding of the country, Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, did one more thing than Emperor Wen of Sui, that is, "a cup of wine to release the military power". In the autumn of the second year of Jianlong, that is, the second year after the founding of the Song Dynasty, the situation under the world was initially determined, and Zhao Kuangyin immediately began to cut off a large number of military generals.
Because Zhao Kuangyin came from the chaotic world of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, he was well aware of the demise of the Tang Dynasty, died because the military generals supported the army to respect themselves, and the feudal towns were divided, and the reason why the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were short-lived dynasties was that in the final analysis, it was also because the military generals held the military power without restriction, and replaced the emperor at will. In order to completely prevent the recurrence of similar tragedies in the Song Dynasty, he drastically rectified the cluster of military generals, tried every means to weaken and limit the military autonomy of military generals, and fundamentally reversed the situation in which soldiers were arrogant and fierce and martial generals were king since the end of the Tang Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty was able to maintain long-term peace and stability.
However, Zhao Kuangyin's insight and vision, and the so-called "Imperial Heart Technique", are indeed unfathomable. When he dismissed the military generals, they did not make a one-size-fits-all approach, and one of the military generals was safe and sound, still holding the military power. He was the general Zhang Yongde. Zhang Yongde, a native of Yangqu, Shanxi, was a famous general from the fifth dynasty to the beginning of the Song Dynasty. Zhang Yongde came from a family of generals, his father Zhang Ying was originally a later Han general, and befriended his colleague Guo Wei, and the two became sons and daughters, and Zhang Ying's son Zhang Yongde married Guo Wei's daughter. Later, Guo Wei became the founding emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and Zhang Yongde also ascended to heaven step by step, becoming a lieutenant of the horse and a major minister of the imperial court.
However, Zhang Yongde is not a generalist who relies on nepotism. Zhang Yongde served in the three dynasties of the Later Han Dynasty, the Later Zhou Dynasty, and the Northern Song Dynasty, and served as a leading general for a long time, conquering the north and south, making many military achievements, and having outstanding military ability, and was a rare good general. After Zhao Kuangyin founded the country, he was appointed as an envoy of the Shizhong and Wusheng armies, and he was stationed in northern Xinjiang for a long time to defend the Northern Han and Liao states, and he had many military achievements. When Zhao Kuangyin released his military power with a cup of wine, only Zhang Yongde was not affected in any way, and he still had heavy troops, and he was a heavy courtier in the era of Song Taizong and Song Zhenzong, becoming a special case.
Why did Zhao Kuangyin trust Zhang Yongde so much? Some historical records record: "Taizu will hire Empress Xiaoming, and Yongde will send thousands of dollars to help, so he will do his best to help Taizu Dynasty and Enwo will not replace him." When Zhao Kuangyin was young, his family life was not rich, and he wanted to marry his daughter-in-law but had no money, and Zhang Yongde generously donated money to help him get through the difficulties. This answer is really not worth refuting. If Zhao Kuangyin is a person who knows how to repay the favor, then Zhou Shizong Chai Rong is as kind to him as a mountain, treats him like a brother and sister, and gives him a high-ranking official Houlu, which is obviously heavier than Zhang Yongde's borrowing of money, and Zhao Kuangyin has not ruthlessly seized the Chai family's world.
It was not until 38 years later, in the second year of Xianping, that people understood Zhao Kuangyin's intentions and admired his foresight. At that time, Song Zhenzong was on the throne, and the Khitan cavalry Chen Bing Song Jing had the intention of starting a war. Emperor Zhenzong of Song was going to patrol the border and personally inspect northern Xinjiang to calm the people's hearts and boost morale. But if he goes out, who will preside over the overall situation of the Beijing Division? At this time, Zhang Yongde played a big role, "the emperor will tour the north, with Yongde su general, staying as the inspector of the capital inside and outside Tokyo." With a veteran general like Zhang Yongde who has a long history of prestige and has been guarding the rear capital, Song Zhenzong can have no worries. Zhang Yongde no longer trusted, successfully completed the mission, the Beijing division has always been stable as ever, the waves are not alarming.
Zhao Kuangyin's hand was obviously much smarter than that of the later Zhu Yuanzhang. After Zhu Yuanzhang succeeded to the throne, he indiscriminately killed the ming dynasty heroes. As a result of the country's difficulties in the future, Zhu Di, the King of Yan, rebelled, and Emperor Jianwen had black eyes and no generals at hand. Zhao Kuangyin left a loyal Zhang Yongde, and when the country was in trouble, there were veterans like him who came forward to sit in the town, and the role was better than that of thousands of troops. Zhao Kuangyin's employment skills are indeed clever.