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A rare example of "brother to brother" in history
Since Dayu passed on the throne to his son Qi, the hereditary system of "father dies and son succeeds" has been the fundamental system of dynastic continuation, while the inheritance of the Northern Song Dynasty regime has seen a rare case of "brother and brother" in history (and Song Taizu's concubine is alive in adulthood). Emperor Gaozong of Song was able to pick the fruits of the victory of the throne, and in addition to the unreliable account of the "axe candle shadow" in the wild history, the formulation of his brother Zhao Kuangyin's early policies can be described as a "assist"!
Song Taizu (Image from the Internet)
Assist one: the basic policy of "cutting the domain" and "weak phase"
Since the Jing Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, the policy of "cutting off the domain" has been a centralized measure of the central dynasty and has been of great benefit to the consolidation of political power. However, the problem of "king of the domain" in successive dynasties has always been great, especially in the early days of the new dynasty.
After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, the position of the envoy of the feudal town was still the father's death, and the will of the imperial court was often not implemented, essentially they were equivalent to the "Earth Emperor". The existence of this "earth emperor" was a threat to imperial power, and this threat would also restrict the political development of Zhao Guangyi, a major minister in the dprk. In short, if the moderation divides local personnel power, financial power, and military power, then there will be very few opportunities for the ministers of the DPRK and the Central Government to meddle in the circle of local interests. In this case, the "cutting the domain" plan initiated by Song Taizu came into being. In terms of output efficiency, the policy of "cutting the domain" consolidated the rule of the new dynasty on the one hand, and on the other hand, it also eliminated potential powerful political enemies on the political path for his brother Zhao Guangyi, avoiding other important ministers in the early Northern Song Dynasty from becoming bigger and stronger.
In July of the second year of Jianlong (961 AD), the second year of Zhao Kuangyin's reign as emperor, Song Taizu adopted Zhao Pu's suggestion of "cutting the domain" and began to "sharpen the sword" to Jiedu after releasing his military power with a cup of wine.
The basic concept of the so-called "cutting of the domain" is to take "cutting power" as the center, and the specific measures are to collect power from the central government and decentralize the power to balance the local leaders, and the collection of power is often the most important. To this end, while pacifying the separatist forces and the rebellious emissaries, Zhao Kuangyin specifically adopted the following measures:
The first is to collect power, financial power is the most important, and military power is the heaviest. Financially, each road has set up a transfer envoy to transfer the financial resources of the prefectures and counties to which the road belongs, except for a small amount of daily expenses, the rest of the money must be handed over to the central government and must not be retained, so that the local financial power will be returned to the central government. Militarily, the governors of each prefecture selected all the brave people in the army under the jurisdiction of the town to be sent to the capital to supplement the forbidden army. As a result, the central forbidden army concentrated the elite troops of the whole country, while the local army only had some weak soldiers left and formed into a van army, so that the local military force could not compete with the central government.
The second is the separation of powers, with personnel as the core. The imperial court appointed state officials, who were directly responsible to the emperor and did not accept the jurisdiction of the emissaries, dividing the personnel power of the emissaries. In addition, each state sets up a zhizhou to manage administrative affairs, and then set up a general judgment as an assistant, and the two have equal status, so as to divide the power of the state, which is to use the mutual restraint between the general judgment and the zhizhou, so that the power of a state will not be controlled by the zhizhou, and the check and balance effect is obvious.
After the weakening of local power, Song Taizu could safely appoint the founding hero as an envoy of Jiedushi. After the "release of military power through a glass of wine", important ministers such as Shi Shouxin, Gao Huaide, Wang Zhenqi, Zhang Lingze, and Zhao Yanhui were appointed as emissaries one by one, but in fact, they were more just to enjoy wealth and wealth. At this time, the strength of the important ministers in the DPRK and The Central Committee was greatly reduced, and a power vacuum appeared, and most of the replacements were civilian officials. Many important tasks, to whom did Song Taizu entrust him? It could only be handled by Zhao Pu, his younger brother Zhao Guangyi, and Li Chuyun (Qiande died in four years).
A Glass of Wine Releases Military Rights (Excerpt from the Internet)
In addition to weakening local moderation and power, Song Taizu focused on weakening the power of the prime minister in terms of bureaucratic reform. The military and political power is in the hands of the Privy Council, while the financial power is controlled by the three envoys, and the civil administration is in the hands of the prime minister, and the three powers are divided and balanced. In addition, in addition to weakening the power of the prime minister by means of the separation of powers, Song Taizu also set up the deputy envoys of the Governor, the Privy Council, and the Deputy Envoys of the Three Divisions as the deputies of the Prime Minister, the Privy Councillor, and the Three Divisions, in order to weaken the power of the heads of various departments. This also indicates that the restraint of the ministers on Zhao Guangyi's power will be greatly reduced, after all, Zhao Guangyi's power after the battle of Taiyuan was above the prime minister.
The division of phase power is a policy that has been almost common in all dynasties and dynasties, and the effect of division is also progressive, until the Qing Dynasty reached its peak. But historically divided power often created a new power vacuum because the emperor had limited energy, and the Ming Dynasty was filled by eunuchs. Ten years after the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was supplemented by Zhao Guangyi, who later ranked above the prime minister. Of course, the separation of powers was only a conspiracy of the emperor, but Song Taizu eventually ignored one person, his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. Especially after Zhao Pu's resignation, Zhao Guangyi almost won the game with the important ministers of the DPRK. Because Song Taizu controlled the courtiers, but inadvertently supported the political status of his brother, and Song Taizu's two sons were still in the stage of political experience. In this way, Zhao Guangyi made better use of his political position to buy people's hearts and minds, accumulate political resources, and further consolidate his position.
In the context of the successive weakening of local power and phase power, the Northern Song Dynasty was only able to balance Zhao Guangyi. In the fifth year of Qiande (967), Zhao Pu was reported by Lei Youlin to resign, and Xue Juzheng and Lü Yuqing, the governors of the government, seized Zhao Pu's power, and Zhao Pu was transferred out of Beijing to be the envoy of the Three Cities of Heyang. In this way, after Zhao Pu, who had monopolized power in the early Song Dynasty, was deposed, Zhao Guangyi was crowned king of Jin and ranked above the prime minister, and his power fell to the opposition. This also means that Zhao Guangyi's political opponents JieDushi and Zai Xiang are lying flat one by one under the "assistance" of Song Taizu, and the power of checks and balances can no longer be the same as that of Song Chu. Zhao Guangyi already had enough political capital to challenge the imperial power.
Assist 2: "The Alliance of the Golden Horde" and "Kaifeng Fu Yin Blessing"
Since Song Taizu strengthened the centralization of power, why didn't he actively appoint a prince and cultivate successors? This suspension period of Song Taizu is undoubtedly a mystery, and it is said that Song Taizu favored the fourth son Zhao Defang (the Eight Sages King in the drama we know) because of the suspension, rather than the second son Zhao Dezhao.
Here, we have to mention the "Golden Alliance" recorded in the "History of Song.".
Empress Dowager Du (from the Internet)
Empress Dowager Shi Zaidu intended her son Zhao Guangyi to succeed to the throne instead of two grandsons. It was a preference to some extent, but it was also a deliberate one at the time. After all, when Empress Du was seriously ill, Zhao Kuangyin was only 34 years old, Zhao Kuangyi was 25 years old, and Zhao Dezhao was only 14 years old. The historical lessons of the Five Dynasties period are vividly remembered, especially when Chai Rong died in the Later Zhou Zhou Dynasty, when Chai Rong was only 38 years old, and his son was only 7 years old. Empress Du's worries were not unreasonable. The Book of the Golden League records that:
In the second year of Jianlong, the empress dowager did not hesitate, and Taizu Waiter Le bait did not leave the left and right. Urgently ill, zhao Pu was summoned to be ordained. The empress dowager asked Taizu, "Ru zhi so you have the world to care?" ”
Taizu choked and couldn't be right. The empress dowager asked, and Taizu said: "Those who have won the world are all Zu Kao and Empress Dowager Ji Qingye." ”
The empress dowager said, "Otherwise, it is Zhou Shizong who will make the young child's master of the world." If the Zhou clan has a long king, will the world be Ru you? After the age of 100, the legend was located in Rudi. The four seas are wide, the tens of thousands are many, and they can establish a long king, and the blessings of the society are also. ”
Taizu Dun first wept: "It is better to dare than to teach." Empress Dowager Gu said to Zhao Puyue: "Er Tong remembers my words, and must not violate them." "The life is in front of the bed for the oath of covenant, and the end of the paper is "Chenpu Book". The golden dagger of hiding is in the hands of the people of the Secret Palace. ”
To explain briefly above, the continuation of the Zhao family dynasty is far more important than your Zhao Kuangyin's personal descendants inheriting the throne, so let your brother inherit it. This is also true, after all, the five generations are short-lived dynasties, and the demise of later Zhou is also closely related to chai Zongxun's infancy. If there is no strong figure, it is indeed difficult to hold the "field". And the sons of Song Taizu, who are still young, are far less powerful than their uncle Zhao Guangyi, let alone the "town" field.
Empress Dowager Du sided with Zhao Guangyi, and Song Taizu also acquiesced, and there were "Alliance of the Golden Daggers" in black and white, and "Brother and Brother" received strong support. Zhao Guangyi then had the legitimacy to inherit the throne.
Song Taizu died suddenly, leaving no will. Five years after Zhao Guangyi succeeded to the throne, he used Zhao Pu again, and Zhao Pu repaid the favor with peach and took out the so-called "Golden Alliance Book" and endorsed it. Based on this historical record, the tacit consent in the Song Taizu Covenant allowed Zhao Guangyi to inherit the throne and have more "famous teachers".
Song Taizu's addition of Zhao Guangyi as "Kaifeng Fuyin" was another real "public opinion assist".
After Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne, he first made Zhao Guangyi the capital of the palace, leading the defense envoy of Mu Prefecture, and soon leading the Taining Army. After the conquest of Li Chongjin, Zhao Guangyi was made the capital of the Great Inner Prefecture, plus Ping Zhangshi, Xing Kaifeng Fu Yin, and then added Zhongshu Ling. After entering Taiyuan, Zhao Guangyi was renamed as the Eastern Capital Left Guard, not to be given the door, the King of Jin, and the ranking above the prime minister, and the position of power at this time was extraordinary.
According to the "Records of the Officials of the Song Dynasty", the "Kaifeng Fuyin" was not a permanent official position in the Five Dynasties, and was generally blessed by the future crown prince. Historically, Emperor Chai Rong, Emperor Zhenzong of Song, and Emperor Qinzong of Zhou all held high positions. Zhao Guangyi was given the title of "Kaifeng Fu Yin + King of Jin", which means that Song Taizu is cultivating his younger brother as a successor and creating momentum for him. Of course, we don't know what Song Taizu's true intentions were, but on the surface it does give people such a hint. Let the people of the Song Dynasty naturally think of Zhao Guangyi's identity as the "crown prince".
Later, Zhao Guangyi also made the crown prince Zhao Heng (son) the governor of Kaifeng, this time it should be Zhao Guangyi's intention, more to show the legitimacy of his throne.
Map of Kaifeng Province (excerpted from the Internet)
Assist three: Abandonment of the policy line of "moving the capital"
Song Taizu's ability to mutiny through Chen Qiao's yellow robe shows that he is an extremely intelligent person. His brother Zhao Guangyi's behavior of forming a party for personal gain could not have been detected by Zhao Kuangyin without any awareness. However, as far as the matter of releasing military power through a glass of wine is concerned, Zhao Kuangyin is not a murderous person like Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang. Faced with the fact that Zhao Guangyi "threatened" the imperial power, Song Taizu wanted to dissolve his brother's political capital by moving the capital.
The ninth year of Kaibao (976 AD) was the last year of Zhao Kuangyin's life. In this year, he led hundreds of officials to tour his hometown of Luoyang in the west and began to prepare for the relocation of the capital. In fact, Zhao Kuangyin's decision to move the capital was not only because Luoyang was his hometown, but also considered that Kaifeng was in the plain after all, easy to attack and difficult to defend, and consumed military input. The Song Dynasty was built after the five dynasties of frequent wars, and four of the five dynasties had set the capital in Kaifeng, namely: Later Liang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou, and the Song Dynasty was also set at Kaifeng.
Therefore, when Zhao Kuangyin mentioned the matter of moving the capital to Luoyang at the imperial court, Li Fu, the qiju lang, listed eight reasons for the inconvenience in his letter: "Jingyi withered, one also; the palace was not prepared, the second was also; the suburban temple was not repaired, three also; the hundred divisions were not equipped, the fourth was also; the people were trapped in the interior of the country, five also; the military food was not enough, six also; the barrier was not set up, seven also; thousands of rides were riding in the summer, eight also." ”
Subsequently, Li Huaizhong, the commander of the Right Wing of the Iron Horse, said again: "There is a canal in Tokyo, and there are millions of rice in Jianghuai, and hundreds of thousands of troops have been sent down. 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. Once they wanted to migrate, the subject did not see the benefits. ”
Everything has advantages and disadvantages, and Zhao Kuangyin is still not moved by the group of ministers. At this time, Zhao Guangyi, the king of Jin, stood up and resolutely opposed the relocation of the capital, but Zhao Kuangyin said: "Moving to Henan has not yet been done, and it is long time to move to Chang'an." ”
Zhao Kuangyin added: "I will move westward, not it, and want to go to the danger of the mountains and rivers to go to the redundant army, follow the stories of Zhou and Han to secure the world." ”
Zhao Guangyi was poor in his words, so he directly used a sentence to clearly oppose the relocation of the capital: "There is no danger in Germany!" Zhao Kuangyin did not respond in time, and after the King of Jin left, he said to the ministers around him: "The words of the King of Jin are solid and good, and the present gu obeys them." Within a hundred years, the people of the world have been exhausted. ”
Map of the Territory of the Northern Song Dynasty (excerpt from the Internet)
In fact, the reason zhao Kuangyinqiandu said was very simple and very rational: although the right to release the army from the cup of wine prevented the occurrence of the division of the feudal towns during the Five Dynasties period, in order to defend the Beijing Division, Kaifeng, which had no danger to defend, had to overdraft its finances to feed a large number of troops, while Luoyang, which had the danger of mountains and rivers, could save this large amount of expenditure.
In fact, the reason for Zhao Guangyi's resolute opposition is also very simple: he has cultivated his own political interest group in the capital, and moving the capital means a reshuffle of the circle of power!
In the matter of "moving the capital", Zhao Guangyi was even nakedly challenging the imperial power. In the great empire, it is possible to "intimidate" the emperor directly, either to slander or rebel. "In Germany is not in danger", as soon as this statement came out, it probably had the meaning of reversing the dragon scales. And Song Taizu did not even use the latter move, is it that he can no longer control the political situation in the Northern Song Dynasty?
Of course, later we know that Song Taizu did not take this opportunity to move the capital as he wished, but compromised with his brother. Because the biggest obstacle to the relocation of the capital is the interests of the elite, especially Zhao Guangyi's interest group. If the relocation of the capital is successful, to a large extent, it will be able to dissolve part of Zhao Guangyi's political power and redistribute the pattern of interests in a short period of time.
Song Taizu's restraint on his brothers was ultimately not practiced in time, the cultivation of his son did not catch up with the schedule, and the balance of his younger brother Zhao Guangmei did not increase, and he died a few months after the proposal to move the capital. In any case, the original intention of "moving the capital" may be to maintain the century-old foundation of the Great Song Dynasty, but the success of the capital relocation will inevitably bring about the reshaping of the power structure of the imperial court, and will inevitably hinder Zhao Guangyi's "succession". Song Taizu did not adhere to this policy line, and for Zhao Guangyi, it was a blessing and an invisible "help".
Resources:
Detachment: History of the Song Dynasty
Li Peng: "Detailed Discussion of the Great Song Dynasty"
(This article only represents the views of the author and does not represent the position of this number)