Author: Our special guest author Qian Qiuyuan
In Mr. Jin Yong's famous book "Tianlong Babu", there is not only the martial arts legend of "Northern Qiao Feng Southern Murong", but also in the closing part of the novel, Mr. Lao deliberately made a finishing touch on the historical environment at that time:
He (Song Zhezong Zhao Xu) turned around and walked to the window, only to see the seven stars of the Big Dipper shining in the sky, he looked down at the Dipper, stared at the North Star, and murmured: "My Great Song soldiers are well fed, and there are many people, why fear the Khitans?" He's not going south, I'm going to go north and fight him!" ”
After this conversation, Empress Dowager Gao Taotao of the Great Song Dynasty finally passed away in uneasiness and panic.
The novel is full of sympathy for Gao Taotao, and also mocks Zhao Xu's external strength and middle cadre, and the old man believes that Song Zhezong is just an empty and hot-blooded, but lacks a distant stunned Qing, and does not have the strength of a wise and divine martial, which led to the tragedy of the later destruction of the Northern Song Dynasty.
When I was a teenager, whenever I read this paragraph, the author often lamented the death of "Female Yao Shun" Gao Tao, until I opened the annals of history and carefully examined this history, and only then did people pat their thighs: Song Zhezong - is a grandfather, cow!
1. YuanYou Appeasement
Thanks to the "wisdom of knowing people" and "using people", the Song Empire fought two "beautiful defeats" in Lingzhou and Yongle on the northwest battlefield, and handed over to The Zhezong Dynasty as a mess.
With regard to cleaning up this mess, under the "suggestions" of Fan Chunren, Sima Guang, and other conservatives, Emperor Shenzong's mother, Gao Taotao, fully carried forward the rural style of "thrifty and thrifty family management"--resting things for people and exchanging land for peace, so during the Shenzong period, the strategic areas taken by Western Xia, Futu, Anjiang, Yelu, and Dingyuan, were given to Western Xia.
It was a wasteless effort to restore the territory of a thousand miles, which was definitely a reward for The Western Xia, and the beast that had been fed was sharpened its knife again. If it were not for the desperate resistance of the famous generals Qu Zhen, Zhao Jiao and others, the northwest frontier of the Great Song Dynasty would have been a mess. However, Empress Gao, Sima Guang, and others believed that "constant border friction" was caused by the lack of friendliness of our army, and warned the Song army that it was necessary to always smile at the "friendly troops" and ensure that the "friendly" was to the extent that the Western Xia people were reluctant to fight.
Under this kind of national policy, the days of the Western Xia soldiers are simply idle, and they can wake up sweetly every day in their dreams. Perhaps this is how the name of "Female Yao Shun" was born.
Internally, Gao Taotao carried out a thorough liquidation of the New Party's New Deal, and the Qingmiao Law, the Baoma Law, and the Exemption From Military Service Law were all invalidated... In addition, it turned the Great Song Dynasty Hall into a hall of words that was high and rolling.
When Mrs. Gao finally tearfully bid farewell to the world, the Song Empire under the repeated toss of the "female middle Yao Shun" not only created a new historical low in international status, but also basically hollowed out the state finances, and the Great Song Empire was in turmoil.
And all this, Song Zhezong, who took the throne at the age of 9, was in his eyes.
Under the influence of appeasement, suppression, and suppleness, what kind of emperor will be taught in 8 years?
It is highly likely that another appeasement element will be created, but Chinese history is a bit "abnormal": powerful emperors often create weak next generations, and weak environments are suspicious to give birth to strong generations.
The Great Song Empire was fortunate that this law was "fulfilled" in Song Zhezong. Song Zhezong, who ascended the throne at the age of 9, is the largest outlier in the history of the Great Song Dynasty for more than three hundred years, and his calmness, precociousness, composure, forbearance, and intelligence have reached the extreme:
In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, the Liao state came to mourn for Emperor Shenzong, and the prime minister Cai was afraid that the little emperor had never seen a fierce foreigner, and was frightened, and repeatedly explained to Zhezong the clothing, appearance, and personality of the Liao people. After talking about the old half a day, Emperor Zhezong casually asked: This Liao people are also people, right? It's people, what's there to be afraid of? Emperor Zhezong was not frightened when he was young!
In the 8 years when he was strictly controlled and elevated by Gao Taotao, Emperor Zhezong was always patient, almost did not express any opinion on major matters, allowed the old party to destroy the country, destroy and change the law, badly abuse the national strength, and promote the so-called "Yuanyou Reformation", he always showed the appearance of a good baby. This performance, I can't find a reason to abolish it!
2. Angry Old Party
In the 8th year of the Yuan Dynasty, the 17-year-old Song Zhezong looked at the Star Dou in the Northern Heavens and finally tightened the power in his hands, and the first thing he pro-government did was to restart the new law!
In the face of Song Zhezong's move to change the sky, the old party immediately counterattacked:
The first one who jumped out was Su Rui: Emperor, in the past 8 years, you and Mrs. Gao have been doing very well, and our country is also doing very well, you don't change your own propositions at will. At that time, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty tossed and turned, making the people unhappy and the country tired... It was not until the abolition of the harsh government during the han zhao emperor that the country was rejuvenated...
Looking at such a recital, the young Tianzi turned on the anger mode: Su Rui, do you think Emperor Wudi of Han is a good emperor or a bad emperor?
Su Rui: Wise and divine martial, opening up territory and expanding the territory, he is a good emperor.
Song Zhezong: Poor soldiers and martial arts, guilty of their own edicts are also good emperors? (Implicitly, are you blatantly mapping the Former Emperor Song Shenzong?) ）
Su Rui, who was unhindered by the debate, was completely stunned and resigned voluntarily.
All the conservatives were also stunned: the young Tianzi pretended to be a grandson for 8 years, and once he took power, he became a sick cat and became a tiger!
Did Emperor Zhezong really think that his father was poor and militaristic? No, on the contrary, he wanted to follow the path of Emperor Shenzong's rich country and strong soldiers, and march forward in a high voice! He wants to get rid of the old cloth and create a powerful Song Dynasty!
Third, restart the new policy and revitalize the military prestige
After 8 years of cold-eyed observation and serious thinking, the weak status quo of the Song Empire did not meet the expectations of the young Tianzi at all. The most passionate emperor of the Song Dynasty turned out to be born:
Internally, the young Tianzi sucked zhang, Zeng Bu, Zhang Shangying and other new parties back from all directions, restarted the new policy, and fully restored Wang Anshi's new law! But compared to that year, he was more rational and more thunderous than his father!
Externally, the famous general Zhang Rao was recalled to re-preside over the military affairs of the northwest! He has been holding back the big move for 8 years, waiting for the flattening of the barbarians and recreating the Great Song!
On the one hand, the Battle of Hehuang was restarted to take over the Qingtang region; on the other hand, the battles of Hongde City and Pingxia City were launched, which severely damaged the main force of Western Xia, and hundreds of thousands of western Xia soldiers' heads and empress Liang's beautiful heads became the sacrifices of this war, and the brutal and treacherous Western Xia people rubbed on the ground and rubbed almost out of breath, and the land ceded by the old party was recovered. For the first time in the Western Xia, which had been rebelling in the northwest for more than a hundred years, it trembled in front of the military power of the Great Song Dynasty!
Compared with the slaves and concubines in previous years, the war in the northwest proves that the victory won by the jingo iron horse is the great national power, and only then can there be permanent peace!
Fourth, Hui Ji is not long-lived
A rejuvenated Great Song stands tall, a powerful Great Song rises!
For a moment, this song history makes us feel as if we have returned to the bloody Han and Tang Dynasties. The ultimate dream of Shenzong, Wang Anshi, and Wang Shao had already seen the light, but just when everything was getting better, The 24-year-old Zhezong suddenly fell ill and died! The emperor, who had only been in power for 7 years, died, leaving his younger brother Emperor Huizong of Song with a rich family foundation of "Fengheng Yuda".
Such a wise, intelligent, and iron-blooded emperor should have been heavily inked in the history of Qing, but in our history, he is as if he did not exist. The reason for this is that there are too many enemies and too many people to offend. Zhezong's change of method was to offend a large number of descendants, royal families, and nobles, and there were too many enemies, and even his sudden violent death vaguely revealed tricks and conspiracies.
If Zhezong continued to steer the great ships of the Song Dynasty and gave him a few more decades, he would certainly be able to create the most perfect era in Chinese history, and there would be no "Jingkang Change" that would almost lead to the extinction of the Chinese nation.
After his death, the Northern Song Dynasty quickly slipped from its glorious apex like a roller coaster. The untimely death of Song Zhezong is undoubtedly the pain of the Great Song and the death of the nation, perhaps this is "deep affection will hurt, wisdom is not longevity!" "How exhilarating and exciting the glory he once created, how breathtaking his death is!"
Reading history so far, looking up at the clouds, in the Qin Emperor Han Wu, Tang Zong Song Zu shining imperial stars, we seem to be able to faintly see a resolute young Tianzi, waving Fang Shuo, pointing out the country and the mountains...
Reference: History of the Song Dynasty
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