In Chinese history, the decline or demise of many dynasties was caused by natural disasters. This is because the ancient society was a small-scale peasant society that belonged to the agrarian economy type, and it was the norm to rely on the sky to eat, and as soon as the heavens were unhappy, the dynasty would tremble a little.
The Northern Song Dynasty is a relatively stable dynasty in Chinese history, and the reason for this is that the agricultural economy of the Song Dynasty not only occupies an absolute position, but also has a developed commodity economy. The state has money, and some disasters can still be relieved in time. Even small, bankrupt farmers can go out and work, so there is another way out. However, it is more dangerous if it is a large-scale natural disaster. The Northern Song Dynasty just happened to have such a thing.
It is said that Song Zhenzong, as a veteran politician, at the beginning of his succession, opened up the road of speech, worked hard to govern the country, was politically clear-cut, and the economy became increasingly prosperous, which is known in history as the "rule of Xianping". However, unlike Taizu and Taizong, who have been in the battlefield for a long time, Zhao Heng, who grew up in the deep palace, has a relatively cowardly personality and lacks the determination and courage to blaze new trails. In his view, adhering to the Huang Lao Thought that Emperor Taizong admired in his later years and continuing to keep the situation was the best choice.
After Reinstating Wang Qinruo, Emperor Zhenzong of Song did not let the political situation lose its balance, but transferred some people who were favorable to Wang Qinruo, and also to prevent Wang Qinruo from becoming bigger. And his intention is also to hope that the political situation can be stabilized, ready to do a good job, not toss. However, the heavens did not seem to appreciate it very much, and after Song Zhenzong experienced the sealing of Zen activities, he spent a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources, and at the same time, the internal contradictions were increasingly revealed.
Of course, the main contradiction is that the country's finances are relatively tight.
Logically, the commodity economy of the Northern Song Dynasty was developed, and the country's earning power was still OK. However, due to the sudden fire, the treasures stored in the national treasury after generations of emperors were burned to the ground. This moldy head came to be really coincidental, and Song Zhenzong, who was originally very angry, suddenly did not have the confidence to toss and turn, thinking of slowly developing for a few years first, and then accumulating some wealth.
However, the weather did not go according to people's expectations, and the locust plague came again at this time. Wherever the locusts passed, they were bare.
In ancient times, not only were there no pesticides or anything like that, but there was no effective way to ward off locusts. Soon, hungry people without food to eat filled the country. If we do not take effective measures urgently, civil unrest can easily occur.
Therefore, Song Zhenzong hastily organized officials to carry out disaster relief, and also reduced taxes in some areas. However, because there is really no money in the national treasury, the money for disaster relief cannot be disbursed in large amounts to the local governments. In order to show his sincerity, the emperor also specially sent people to sacrifice to the heavens, hoping that the locust plague would pass quickly. In the palace, it is also tight clothing and food, indicating that it is necessary to share happiness and suffering with the people.
In ancient times, locust plagues were often considered ominous, not simply natural disasters, but often heralded that the reigning emperor had angered the heavens, so the heavens sent locusts to warn them. Therefore, the purpose of the Song Zhen Sect's people to sacrifice to the heavens is also very simple, in fact, it is to confess their mistakes to the heavens, and also to express their attitude to the people of the whole world, and accept the punishment of the heavens, which is what the Son of Heaven should do.
The emperor must have hoped that the locust plague would end as soon as possible, after all, so much homework had been done, disaster relief, sacrifice, fasting, and so on had been done, and the heavens should also take the locusts back.
It is said that during the Song Dynasty, "no southern people should be used for appearances" and "southern people are not allowed to sit in this hall of mine", which is the testament of Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty. According to this canon, Wang Dan obstructed the southerner Wang Qinruo from entering the equivalent country; Kou Zhun regarded himself as a northerner and said that those who "went down to the southern country" were "not suitable for crowning many people", and it was of course even more impermissible to enter the cabinet to worship the chancellor. Finally, finally breaking through this "view of the door", Wang Qinruo ascended the throne and became the first person in the southern part of the Northern Song Dynasty to become the prime minister.
It can be seen that Wang Qinruo is still very capable.
Wang Qinruo knew how to read the emperor's mind, so, according to the signs of the locust plague at that time, he tried to pat the emperor on the ass.
As soon as he ascended to the throne, Wang Qinruo could not wait to report to the emperor, saying that the heavens had been touched by the emperor, and many locusts had already taken the initiative to jump into the river in droves and drown themselves, and the locust plague would soon pass. With that said, Wang Qinruo again produced evidence, a corpse of a locust that had not been violently injured, which was a representative of the locust that committed suicide.
Hearing such a report, Song Zhenzong was happy at that time, thinking that he had touched the heavens, and the locust plague would soon pass. The other ministers, looking at the two of them, were also silent, thinking that this was a very incredible thing. If, if this is the case, the history books will definitely be written in great letters, and it is estimated that it is more meaningful than sealing Zen.
Sure enough, Song Zhenzong was ready to give orders to celebrate this magical event because of long Yan's great joy. However, Wang Dan, the on-duty prime minister, showed a completely different mentality from the emperor. He said to the emperor: For the sake of safety, let's wait until the locust plague is all over before we talk about celebrating, after all, now that the officials and the common people have thrown themselves into the arduous fight against the disaster, it is a bit inappropriate to celebrate now.
In fact, Wang Dan is a pragmatic faction, and he does not believe in his heart that the locusts will disappear on their own. Moreover, this kind of thing came out of Wang Qinruo's mouth, which was even more unreliable, and he decided to act cautiously.
Song Zhenzong had been emperor for a long time and had become accustomed to listening to good words, and the prime minister Wang Dan said this, which made him unhappy. However, after all, wang Dan's words also have some truth, so when the locust plague is all over, it is not too late to celebrate. Later results proved that Wang Dan's suggestion was still correct, and Song Zhenzong was fortunate to listen to Wang Dan's words.
The plague of locusts did not disappear, and in the course of a pilgrimage, the locusts suddenly came from the sky and rushed straight to the palace, making the emperor and his ministers shake their clothes and be embarrassed. All the plants in the royal garden were almost eaten, a miserable scene. At this time, Song Zhenzong was angry in his heart, and his eyes stared at Wang Qinruo, almost eating him. Wang Qinruo, on the other hand, was so frightened that he did not dare to look at Song Zhenzong again.
Since then, Wang Qinruo and others have been disgraced in the imperial court, and the political situation of the Northern Song Dynasty has also undergone some subtle changes.
Resources:
["Song Shi Wang Qinruo Biography", "Dongdu Shiluo, Volume IV, Benji No. 4", "The Full Text of song history"]