The Song Dynasty's external failure is well known, and the most important aspect is the failure of foreign military.
At the beginning, the military strength of the Song Dynasty and the Liao State was not much different, and in the early days of the Song Dynasty, it was able to unify the southern states and destroy the Northern Han Dynasty, which was under the protection of the Liao State. However, since when did the Song Dynasty's foreign military begin to fail?
This starts with the battle of Gaoliang River in Song Taizong, so someone specially named Song Taizong: Gaoliang River Car God. Emperor Taizong of Song can be called the weakest of the temple numbers of Emperor Taizong in the past, and he is a little sorry for such a civilized temple number.
In fact, the Battle of the Sorghum River was in the same year that the Northern Song Dynasty destroyed the Northern Han Dynasty, perhaps this was the boom and decline. The Song Dynasty's destruction of the Northern Han Dynasty was the highlight of the Song Dynasty's military strength, however, the highlight did not last long, and it immediately fell to the bottom.
The Battle of Gaoliang River seemed to be nothing more than a defeat in a foreign war at that time, but from the perspective of later generations, this war was of far-reaching significance, and since then the Song Dynasty has never dared to take the initiative to attack the other side, dooming the weakness of the Song Dynasty to start from the root, and a thin branch cannot bear strong fruit.
Therefore, in future foreign wars, the Song Dynasty could not defeat such a big country as the Liao State, nor a rising star like the Jin State, and even the Western Xia in the northwest corner, which was simply a shame for the feudal dynasties of ancient China.
Not to mention the war against the Liao State, the military strength of the Liao State itself is very strong, suppressing the Song Dynasty everywhere.
Western Xia, as a separatist regime sandwiched between the Liao State and the Northern Song Dynasty, is itself very weak, but Western Xia, with its ability to meet the source of the left and right, not only played the Liao State between the palms, but also won several wars with the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty is somewhat sorry for the title of its own unified dynasty, but, strictly speaking, the Song Dynasty is not a great unified dynasty.
There were three main wars of Western Xia against the Song Dynasty: the Battle of Sanchuankou, the Battle of Haoshuichuan, and the Battle of Dingchuanzhai, all of which ended in the defeat of the Song Dynasty. In the end, the Song Dynasty could only negotiate peace with Western Xia, and in the fourth year of the Qingli Dynasty of Emperor Renzong of Song (1044), the Northern Song Dynasty reached an agreement with Western Xia, which is known in history as the "Qingli Peace Conference".
This article mainly writes about the Battle of Shuichuan, the other two wars will not be detailed, why?
Because the first war The Battle of Sanchuankou can be said to be that the Song Dynasty was not prepared and was defeated by Western Xia, but in the second Battle of Haoshuichuan, the Song Dynasty had adjusted its strategy and appointed Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi and others, but still lost to Western Xia, which is a bit too much.
Defeat once, it's not enough, the second time can still fail, don't worry, there is a third time ...
Shadow after the Battle of Mikawaguchi
Li Yuanhao was no better than his father Li Deming and his grandfather Li Jiqian, who advocated reconciliation with the Song Dynasty during the Li Yuanhao period, and changed his predecessor's policy and became hostile to the Song Dynasty.
Li Yuanhao was ambitious and pretentious, he didn't want to be a Xia king who was canonized by the Song Dynasty and the Liao State, he wanted to be an emperor.
Li Yuanhao
Therefore, on October 11, 1038, Li Yuanhao built an altar in the southern suburbs of Xingqing Province and officially called him emperor, and the national name was "Daxia". Judging from this national name, Li Yuanhao's goal is far more than being the emperor of Western Xia, he wants to be the emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty.
As we all know, the first dynasty of China was Xia, the Han used to be called Huaxia or Zhuxia, Li Yuanhao changed the name of the country to Daxia, on the one hand, because this was originally the territory of the Great Xia established by Helian Bobo during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and secondly, because Xia is the elegant name of China, Li Yuanhao pressed the Song head on the national name. The Song Dynasty was another existence of the Shang Dynasty, and the Xia Dynasty preceded the Shang Dynasty, so, in this sense, Western Xia overwhelmed the Song Dynasty.
However, before Li Yuanhao, the lords of the Western Xia state were all to be canonized by the Song Dynasty or the Liao State, and Li Yuanhao was called emperor, and if he wanted to be recognized by the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty naturally could not recognize it. Originally, this was the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and after the Song Dynasty inherited the Tang Dynasty and became the Central Plains Dynasty, it was natural to treat Western Xia as the co-lord of the world, just like Zhao Kuangyin said: Lying on the side of the bed, how can you allow others to sleep soundly? Therefore, when Li Yuanhao gave Emperor Renzong of Song a table asking the Song Dynasty to recognize the legitimacy of his status as emperor, the Song Dynasty refused.
Li Yuanhao called himself emperor, and for the Song Dynasty, he was a rebellious courtier. Therefore, there is no doubt that war could not be avoided between the Song Dynasty and Western Xia.
The first war took place the year after Li Yuanhao became emperor, the Battle of Sanchuankou in 1040, also known as the Battle of Yanzhou.
Battle of Mikawaguchi
In this war, the Song Dynasty was defeated by Western Xia on the battlefield, but the Song Dynasty was not a complete defeat, and the Song Dynasty sacrificed Liu Ping, Shi Yuansun, Guo Zun, and Wan Lizheng generals, but Yanzhou was finally saved. After the war, Emperor Renzong of Song beheaded the capital governor Huang Dehe, rehabilitated Liu Ping, and appointed Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Pang Cheng and others to the northwest.
In July 1040, Fan Zhongyan was promoted to the rank of Zhi of Longtuge, and together with Han Qi, he served as the deputy envoy of Shaanxi Jingliu to pacify Xia Zhu. In August, Fan Zhongyan also knew Yanzhou, and together with Han Qi, he served as the deputy envoy of Shaanxi Economic Survey, and adopted the policy of "Tuntian for a long time" to consolidate the northwestern border defense.
Fan Zhongyan, who we are familiar with, is a literary scholar who wrote poems such as "first the world is worried and worried, and then the world is happy and happy". But in fact, he was also a military strategist, which was inseparable from the Song Dynasty's policy of civilian leadership.
Fan Zhongyan
The Song Dynasty was very jealous of martial artists, and after the "cup of wine released the right to release the army", most of the martial generals did not have military power, but the literati controlled the army. This is the characteristic of the Song Dynasty, and it is also the most criticized point of the Song Dynasty, there is a specialization in the art industry, if the literati have gone to lead the troops, then why did the martial artists go?
Therefore, the weakness of the Song Dynasty is doomed from the root, without changing the basic national policy of emphasizing culture and suppressing martial arts, the Song Dynasty cannot become strong, the Tang before the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty after the Song Dynasty, are the same Han nationality, but the Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty can be strong, the Song Dynasty cannot, it is because of the Song Dynasty's heavy culture and suppression of martial arts.
After the Battle of Sanchuankou, Song Renzong knew people well and used talents such as Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan, it stands to reason that the next war with Western Xia will not be lost, but the Song Dynasty still lost, and the defeat was miserable, this is the Battle of Haoshuichuan.
Battle of Good Mizukawa: Defeated again
Judging from the attitude of the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia emperors towards war, the Song Dynasty could not fight Western Xia.
Li Yuanhao could personally lead the army to fight, but the emperor of the Song Dynasty had never dared to drive his own troops since Emperor Taizong of Song's defeat in the battle of Gaoliang River, and the only time was when Song Zhenzong was forced by Kou Zhun to personally go to Zhaozhou, and finally signed an alliance with the Liao State, and also had to shame himself with the self-deceptive Taishan seal.
After the Battle of Sanchuankou, Western Xia's harassment of the northwest of the Song Dynasty became more and more frequent, and Li Yuanhao thought that the Song Dynasty was weak and easy to bully, and it was best to occupy the Central Plains if he could grab a little. The Song Dynasty's counterattack was also sound, and in the first month of 1041, Emperor Renzong of Song originally wanted to adopt the suggestion of Shaanxi Jingliao to appease Han Qi, and planned to send two routes of troops from Jingyuan and Yanyan to counterattack. Because Fan Zhongxun, who was also a deputy envoy, objected, Emperor Renzong ordered the ministers to discuss again.
Song Renzong
This is the disadvantage of the benevolence of the emperor of the Song Dynasty, the emperor makes a decision, another minister opposes, and the emperor will let it be reconsidered? If you go on like this, when is it a head? For example, if Emperor Taizong of Tang wanted to destroy the Turks, some ministers were in favor and some ministers were against, and the emperor would let them discuss it again, and in the end, the Turks would probably all come to the city, and there was no unanimous opinion.
Perhaps this is the so-called advantage of the Song Dynasty in some people, but this advantage is too ignorant of national righteousness. The people Li Yuanhao has long personally led an army to attack the city, and your Song Dynasty monarchs are still debating whether to fight or peace? Is this not a war? The other side has come to attack, do you still want to negotiate peace? Do you want to be with people and don't want to be with people?
Therefore, in fact, this time the battle of Haoshuichuan, the defeat of the Song Dynasty also lies in itself. Li Yuanhao took advantage of the unresolved advance of the Song Dynasty to attack again without hesitation.
In February 1041, Li Yuanhao led an army of 100,000 to the south, the main force ambushed at the mouth of the Haoshui River under the Liupan Mountain, and the other part reached Huaiyuan, and claimed to attack Weizhou in order to lure the Song army deeper.
Li Yuanhao was not only a strategist, but also a soldier who fought heroically. In the era of Li Deming, Li Yuanhao led troops to the battlefield many times, and later personally destroyed the Ganzhou Uighurs and expanded the territory of Western Xia.
Compared with Li Yuanhao's rich battlefield experience, whether it is Han Qi or Fan Zhongyan, it is more like a scholar, which is not to say that a scholar cannot lead troops, there were times in ancient times when scholars led troops to win battles, but this time, the literati generals of the Song Dynasty really encountered opponents.
As soon as Han Qi heard that Li Yuanhao was attacking, he quickly asked the deputy capital of Huanqing Road to deploy Ren Fu to lead tens of thousands of troops, and from Zhenrong Army through Huaiyuan City and Shengzhai, arrived at Yangmulong City, and after leaving the Western Xia Army, he waited for the opportunity to break the enemy. If it is not conducive to the battle, it is dangerous to set up an ambush and wait until the Western Xia army returns to the division to intercept. Ren Fu and Sang Yi, the governor of Jingyuan's garrison, led thousands of light horses to set out first, followed by Zhu Guan and Wuying, the capital supervisor.
On 13 February, when he entered Longchuan, he heard that Chang Ding, the western inspection of the Zhenrong army, was fighting with the Western Xia army south of Zhangyibao, so he turned south and rushed to the place where the two sides were fighting, killing thousands of Western Xia troops, and the Western Xia army was defeated and lured the Song army to pursue. Ren Fu didn't know what the plan was, broke away from the weight, and followed the chase lightly. Chased to Haoshuichuan, Zhu Guan, Wuyingbu tunlong Luochuan. The next day, they met with Kawaguchi to attack the Xia army together.
On 14 February, Ren Fu and Sang Yi led their troops west along Sichuan to five miles east of Yangmulong City, and found several silver clay boxes placed next to the road, opened the boxes, and more than 100 sentry pigeons flew out, which was actually a combined attack signal sent by the Western Xia army. Before the Song army could take shape, it was attacked by the Western Xia cavalry.
The Song army suddenly fell into chaos, the Western Xia army formation suddenly tree two big banners, swinging left and left and falling, swinging right and right up and down, condescending, left and right attacks, the Song army was killed and wounded, Ren Fu's subordinates persuaded him to break through the siege and escape, Ren Fu said: "I am a general, the army is defeated, and I will repay the country with death!" "Then he killed himself by strangling his throat.
Battle of Hao Mizukawa
In this war, the Song army suffered more than 10,300 casualties, and Ren Fu, his sons Ren Hualiang, Sang Yi, Liu Su, Wu Ying, Wang Jue, Zhao Jin, and Geng Fu were all killed. It can be said that the entire Song army was destroyed, because then the Song army sent reinforcements, and Li Yuanhao withdrew.
The Battle of Haoshuichuan can be said to be a head-to-head duel between the Song Dynasty and Western Xia, the Song army is not only inferior in combat effectiveness to the Western Xia army, but also not as tactically as Western Xia, just lost once last year at Sanchuankou, and then lost again this year, which is simply a great shame.
This war is enough to prove the defeat of the Song army, let alone face the Liao State, even in the face of the small Western Xia in the northwestern border, the Song Dynasty can be defeated again and again.
After the Battle of Haoshuichuan, Li Yuanhao was full of ambition, claiming that "I want to come to Weishui in person, and go straight to Chang'an".
In the middle of the Song army's retreat, thousands of fathers, brothers and wives of the fallen soldiers held their old clothes and paper money to summon the souls of the martyrs, and the bad news spread to Tokyo, "Guanyou shook, and Renzong was fed." Emperor Renzong of Song angrily belittled Hubu Shangshu and Shaanxi Jingliao to appease Xia Zhu, Han Qi, and Fan Zhongyan. Prime Minister Lu Yijian exclaimed again and again: "A war is not as good as a war, but it is terrifying!"
Chongwen suppressed martial arts: led to serious party strife in the Song Dynasty
In fact, Xia Zhu, Han Qi, and Fan Zhonghuan were denounced as part of the Qingli party struggle, and it was precisely because the partisan rivalry above the court of the Song Dynasty was so serious that in the face of Li Yuanhao's attack, the ministers did not reach a consensus, which allowed Li Yuanhao to exploit the loophole. The defeat on the battlefield did not make the Song Dynasty monarchs seriously reflect, and after the war, the Song Dynasty continued to stage party struggles again and again.
At first, Emperor Renzong wanted to use Xia Zhu as a privy envoy, but Fan Zhongyan attacked Xia Zhu, saying that he was a traitor, and Emperor Renzong had to depose Xia Zhu and use Du Yan.
Later, Emperor Renzong used Xia Zhu as the pacifying envoy of Shaanxi, and Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi as the deputy envoys, and the three were not very harmonious, and they did not reach a consensus on whether to fight or make peace with Western Xia, and after the Battle of Haoshuichuan, all three were deposed, and a new round of party strife began.
By the time of Emperor Shenzong of Song, the Song people once again vigorously attacked Wang Anshi, forming another peak of party strife.
Wang Anshi
The party struggle in the Song Dynasty was extremely harmful to the country, and some people may say that there was party contention that showed that the Song Dynasty was politically inclusive. But the party rivalry in the Song Dynasty developed to the point of attacking each other, and it was no longer a political dispute, but a personal grudge. The literati lived so well in the Song Dynasty that they got carried away and took themselves too seriously, but they did all kinds of harm to the country and did not benefit any of them.
The failure of the Song Dynasty's foreign military was also the failure of the Song Dynasty's political system.