Taizu Benki
Zhao Kuangyin (927-976), a native of Zhuo County (present-day Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province), was born in Jiamaying, Luoyang [present-day Chán River District, Luoyang City, Henan Province]. From the Five Dynasties to the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, he was a military strategist, a politician, and a strategist, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty.
Takeo benevolence
Zhao Kuangyin was born in a family of eunuchs, and his father was a general with outstanding military achievements. It is rumored that when he was born, the house was full of red light, and the strange fragrance did not dissipate all night, so he was nicknamed "Xiang Child".
When Zhao Kuangyin was young, he traveled all over the world and lived in a temple in Xiangyang City (present-day Xiangyang City, Hubei Province). There was an old monk who was proficient in physiognomy and instructed him to go north to meet opportunities.
So, Zhao Kuangyin went to the Later Han Dynasty and defected to the privy envoy Guo Wei, becoming a soldier under his account, slowly accumulating military exploits and getting promoted.
Zhao Kuangyin's youth coincided with the war of the five dynasties on the mainland, and the dynastic regime changed frequently. Two years after defecting to Guo Wei, Guo Wei launched a mutiny in Shanzhou, established Hou Zhou, and passed the throne to his adopted son Chai Rong after his death, which was for Hou Zhou Shizong.
When the Northern Han Dynasty (present-day central and northern Shanxi Province) heard of Guo Wei's death, they joined forces with the Khitan to attack the Later Zhou, and Emperor Sejong personally marched and engaged the enemy at Gaoping (present-day Gaoping City, Shanxi Province).
At the beginning of the battle, several generals of Hou Zhou fled in fright, and when it was critical, Zhao Kuangyin, the general of the forbidden army, who was directly under the emperor, was calm and calm, raised his arms and shouted: "The Lord is in danger, and it is the time for us to fight to the death." He personally led the elite soldiers to attack, and the morale of the Hou Zhou army was greatly boosted, and they were able to turn defeat into victory. After this battle, Zhao Kuangyin won the trust of Sejong and became a senior general of the forbidden army.
Later, Zhou Shizong once received a wooden board with the words "Check to be the Son of Heaven". Spot check is the abbreviation of the post of spot check in front of the Supreme Commander of the Forbidden Army. At that time, Sejong happened to be ill, so he was suspicious, in order to ensure the stability of the throne, he not only killed several generals of the forbidden army who had served as inspectors, but also dismissed the current inspectors, and then appointed Zhao Kuangyin as a inspector, reflecting his absolute trust in him. Soon after, Sejong died, and Emperor Gong of Zhou, who was only seven years old, ascended the throne.
On the first day of the first lunar month in 960, the Later Zhou court suddenly received a war report, claiming that the Northern Han had colluded with the Khitan to invade, and the court ordered Zhao Kuangyin to lead the forbidden army to resist. The next day, Zhao Kuangyin led the army and set off and stayed at Chenqiaoyi (in present-day Fengqiu County, Henan Province), 20 kilometers from the capital.
On the same day, a military official who knew the heavens observed that there was another sun under the sun, and everyone speculated whether the heavens wanted to choose a new emperor. That night, everyone in the army talked about it, saying: "The emperor is young now, and we are working the battlefield, who knows?" It is better to support the inspection as the Son of Heaven first, and then set off on the northern expedition. ”
When the morning was about to dawn, the soldiers came to Zhao Kuangyin's dormitory and said loudly: "Now that the country is in danger, we are willing to support Zhao Dianjian as the emperor." Before Zhao Kuangyin could answer, several people stepped forward to put the pre-prepared yellow robe on him, and bowed down around him, shouting long live.
Zhao Kuangyin pretended to be forced and said, "You are greedy for wealth and make me the Son of Heaven." I have a commandment, can you obey it? They said, "I obey." Zhao Kuangyin accepted it. This is the famous "Chenqiao Mutiny".
Zhao Kuangyin led the army back to Beijing, forced Emperor Zhou Gong to abdicate, and he became the emperor, and changed the country name to Song, which was for Song Taizu.
Once, Song Taizu summoned Prime Minister Zhao Pu and asked: "In the decades since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor has changed several surnames, and there are constant wars, what is the reason?" How can we achieve long-term peace and stability? Zhao Pu said: "There is no other reason, that is, the power of the feudal town is too great, and the monarch is weak and the minister is strong." ”
Taizu thought that he also relied on the army to become the emperor, and was worried that his subordinate generals would follow suit, so he withdrew the military power in the way of "releasing military power with a glass of wine"; He also adopted the strategy of "emphasizing literature over military force" to vigorously improve the status of civil ministers; Improve the imperial examination system, so that a large number of low-status scholars can enter the government through the opportunity of fair competition.
Although Song Taizu was born as a military general, he was gentle and tolerant, not arbitrary, and often paid private visits. One night, when the snow was falling and the cold wind was howling, Zhao Pu suddenly heard a knock on the door at home, opened the door and saw Taizu standing in the wind and snow, and hurriedly invited Taizu into the house. The two monarchs and ministers discussed state affairs together, and set a unified strategy of "first the south and then the north, first the easy and then the difficult", first sent troops to pacify Jinghu, Houshu, Southern Han, Southern Tang and other places, unified the south, and then dealt a heavy blow to the Northern Han regime in the north, laying the foundation for Taizong to completely recover the Northern Han in the future.
In October 976, Song Taizu fell ill and summoned his younger brother Zhao Guangyi to the palace to discuss matters, and the attendants were not around. In the distance, I only saw under the candlelight, Zhao Guangyi left the table and got up to avoid it, Taizu poked the ground with a jade axe, and said loudly to Zhao Guangyi: "Do it well!" Well done! He died suddenly, leaving behind the eternal mystery of the sound of candles and axes.
Song Taizu's moral charm and tolerance profoundly influenced the demeanor of his successor and the entire dynasty, making the Song Dynasty last for more than 300 years and was one of the longest feudal dynasties in the country.
This article is excerpted from "Twenty-four Histories Read Now, Language and History Are Progressing" - Volume 10 "History of the Song Dynasty", which is officially authorized to be published, welcome to continue to pay attention.