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<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > preface</h1>
After the founding of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin, the ancestor of the Song Dynasty, because of the rumors of the axe sound of candle shadows, Zhao Guangyi, the Emperor taizong of the Song Dynasty, inherited the Jiangshan of the Great Song Dynasty. I don't know if it was the retribution of Emperor Taizong of Song and Zhao Guangyi, or what the reason was? The emperors handed down since him have two characteristics, one is "childless" and the other is "short-lived", which has also become the label of the Northern Song Dynasty, and has become the talk of historians!
The son of Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, originally did not pass the throne to Zhao Heng of Song Zhenzong, but he also died young. After succeeding to the throne, Zhao Heng, emperor Zhenzong of Song, was childless in his early years. He traveled among the concubines of the harem for the sake of his son. In the end, God was pitiful, leaving behind the bloodline of Song Renzong Zhao Zhen!
After Emperor Renzong of Song succeeded to the throne, he still traveled among the concubines of the harem for the sake of his son. But there was no mercy from Heaven. Song Renzong's ending is childless! In the end, he had to succeed his cousin's son to take over the Jiangshan of the Great Song! However, Zhao Shu, who took over Song Renzong's Jiangshan, had sons, but they all died young.
Emperor Yingzong of Song passed on the Great Song Dynasty to his son Zhao Huan of song, thinking that he could rest in peace and pass on the inheritance for generations. Unfortunately, Song Shenzong was also a short-lived lord. And he's our protagonist today!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > early life</h1>
Emperor Shenzong of Song was the son of Emperor Yingzong of Song and Empress Gao of Xuanren, who was born in April of the eighth year of the Northern Song Dynasty under the initial name "Zhao Zhongcheng". Perhaps Song Shenzong did not like mysterious and fantastic things, the history books did not record the abnormality of his birth, since Song Taizu, Song Taizong, Song Zhenzong, Song Renzong, Song Yingzong were born out of phase, to Song Shenzong here is indeed "plain and indifferent", is he not "true destiny son", is not "the true dragon of the Great Song"? Maybe people don't like these fakes, but this is also in line with Song Shenzong's temper and disposition!
Song Shenzong should actually thank Song Renzong, if it were not for Emperor Renzong's childlessness, the throne would not have fallen on his father's head, nor would he have fallen on his own head, and he could become the "Ninth Five-Year Emperor" to become the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, it is estimated that at the beginning he did not know, how the pie hit his father and his own head, it is estimated that until now both of their father and son have not thought clearly.
In the eighth year of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Jiayou of the Song Dynasty was given the title of "Duke of Guangguo" because of his father Zhao Shu's appointment as crown prince, and later he was appointed as the Prince of Huaiyang Commandery under the Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi.
In the first year of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Yingzong of Song ascended the throne as emperor and was enfeoffed as the eldest son, Emperor Shenzong of Song, "King of Ying". In the third year of Zhiping, Emperor Yingzong of Song was seriously ill before he was made "Crown Prince", officially confirming the identity of "Crown Prince".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > ascended the throne</h1>
In the fourth year of Zhiping (1067), Emperor Yingzong of Song died in the first month, and the crown prince Zhao Huan succeeded to the throne. The following year, yuan xining was changed, thus opening the prelude to the rule of The Song Dynasty by Emperor Shenzong of Song. But what country did he face after he ascended the throne? What is the political landscape? Unlike the world left by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang to his grandson Zhu Yunjiao, it is a country with "a full national treasury", "a strong country and a rich people", and "a politically clear".
At this time, the rule of the Great Song Dynasty faced a series of crises, with huge military expenditures, bloated bureaucracy and heavy political expenses, coupled with a large number of coins donated to the Liao and Western Xia every year, which made the Northern Song Dynasty lose money every year. The broad masses of peasants, due to powerful annexations, usury and exploitation, and the intensification of taxation and servitude, repeatedly rebelled and rebelled. A country with internal and external troubles and financial difficulties is actually a mess.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > Wang Anshi transformation method</h1>
Faced with such a decadent state situation, Emperor Shenzong of Song had doubts about the "Law of the Ancestors" formulated by Emperor Taizu of Song and Emperor Taizong of Song, and felt that there were many drawbacks. In his early years, Emperor Zhao of song had ideals and the courage to break with tradition, and he was convinced that changing the law was the only way to alleviate the crisis. In order to make the country rich and the army strong, ease class contradictions, and save the crisis of feudal rule, he did not rule the palace, did not travel to the luck, abolished the elders, and used Wang Anshi to preside over the change of law. With the assistance of Wang Anshi, a major change method unprecedented in the history of the two Song Dynasties began, and many reforms were carried out in the political, economic, military and other aspects, which had a huge impact on the Zhao and Song Dynasties.
In February of the second year of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty appointed Wang Anshi as a "counselor to the government affairs", that is, the position of prime minister, mainly responsible for changing the law. At the same time, the personnel arrangements were adjusted and a new ruling body was formed. The law change measures are roughly divided into three parts, namely the "law of rich countries", "the law of strong soldiers" and the "law of taking soldiers", and then the new law is gradually introduced. History said: "Wang Anshi change" or "Xining change law".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > variant failed</h1>
Throughout the dynasties and dynasties, wherever China's history has undergone reforms, it must be "bloody and sacrificed." The Great Song Dynasty used "Fan Zhongyun" to reform and change the law when Song Renzong was in power, but unfortunately the reform and change failed. The change involves too many interests, and involves too many diehards. Therefore, it was particularly difficult and difficult to implement, and it was precisely because Song Renzong's "benevolence" did not have a strong means, which led to the failure of Fan Zhong's flooding method. In the end, Fan Zhong drowned into the "person who carried the pot" and ended up with the fate of "falling down and degrading the official".
And Song Shenzong Zhao Yan is a monarch with "great talent and great strategy", "great ideals", "great revenge", "great wisdom", and the courage of "killing and deciding"! So he and Song Renzong are completely different. He knew that only reform could make the masses richer and stronger. Therefore, he wholeheartedly supported Wang Anshi's transformation of the law and faced the challenge of stubborn forces with Wang Anshi.
However, at this time, the Great Song Dynasty was already "accumulating heavy burdens and difficult to return", and it was "not an easy move" to want to reform, and just when the change of Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi reached a climax, the stubborn forces came back and were like water and fire. Even the empress dowager, the empress dowager and the empress were mixed in. He became an opponent of the change of the law, and because there were many shortcomings in the change of the law itself, and Wang Anshi was eager to implement the change of the law, the so-called "speed is not enough" principle appeared here, and finally caused the opposition of the upright ministers in the imperial court, such as Su Che Han Qi and Sima Guang.
In the face of such a grand opposition, in the face of the pressure of the empress dowager, the empress dowager, and the empress, Song Shenzong began to doubt and hesitate about the change of law. However, at this time, Wang Anshi looked at Song Shenzhong's hesitant posture, and sometimes even did not even adopt his opinion, discouraged. The change of law could not be supported by the emperor, and failure was inevitable.
The History of the Song Dynasty records that in the spring of 1076 (the ninth year of the Northern Song Dynasty), Wang Anshi repeatedly asked for his resignation due to his physical illness. By June, Wang Anshi's son had died in his prime, and Wang Anshi was devastated and his spirit was greatly stimulated, and he could no longer concentrate on political affairs. Emperor Shenzong had no choice but to ask Wang Anshi to resign and sentence him to Jiangning Province. The following year, Wang Anshi even resigned from the official title of Jiangning Province, and wang Anshi never returned to the dynasty until his death in 1086.
Wang Anshi's departure made the Song Shenzong change law less practical and more difficult, and the change of law became more difficult. However, Wang Anshi's two departures were both compromises by Song Shenzong against the stubborn forces, and he also wanted to keep his throne and gain the support of the ministers and descendants, which was also understandable.
But his political goal of enriching the country and strengthening the military by changing the law has not changed. His determination to reform and change the law has not changed, so while he pacifying the ministers of the old-fashioned faction, appeasing the forces behind the empress dowager, the empress dowager, and the empress, and using the old-school figures who had been deposed and demoted, such as Lü Gongzhuo, Feng Jing, and Sun Gu, while insisting on reform to balance the forces of the new and old factions. Thus achieving his goal of reforming and changing the law.
However, losing Wang Anshi, the planner, implementer, and facing the diehards alone, Song Shenzong was also very distressed. If you lose Wang Anshi, you will lose your supporters. Song Shenzong Zhao Yan was already very sad, and now he had to face great pressure alone, and he could not help but feel a little lost and upset.
In the end, he decided to implement a tougher approach to the change of law and severely punish the officials who opposed the change. Emperor Shenzong of Song did not stop the process of reform, and through his continuous efforts, the Song Dynasty basically established a centralized system that was more conducive to absolute monarchy, and its basic system was implemented until the end of the Song Dynasty without major changes. So much so that the life expectancy of the Great Song Dynasty lasted for several decades.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > died in regret</h1>
At the beginning of the first month of 1085 (the eighth year of the Northern Song Dynasty), Zhao Yan, who was "ambitious" and harbored the ideal of "rich country and strong country", suffered a heavy mental blow due to the fiasco in the war against western Xia, and his mood was depressed and his condition worsened. The following month, the 38-year-old Shenzong Zhao Yan left this world with deep regret and his own "revenge". He was succeeded by his nine-year-old son Zhao Xu , known historically as Emperor Zhezong of Song. The fruits of the reform were temporarily abolished by his mother, Empress Gao, shortly after his death.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > conclusion</h1>
Emperor Shenzong of Song has been pursuing his ideals all his life, and he hopes that through his own efforts, he will reform and change the law to rebuild a strong country and recreate the prosperous Han and Tang dynasties. When these dreams were shattered, Zhao Xiang also came to the end of his life. He spent his whole life trying to implement the change, but the result was not satisfactory, but the change disappeared with his own death! Even his courtiers had planned to attack Jin, destroy Xia, and cut down Liao, which could be deployed, but there was no time to implement it.
If God had given him more time and given him more opportunities as he had done to his father, he would not have "gone to Huangquan alone" so early, and would not have died with regret with his "great ideals" and "magnificent revenge". Even if God was giving him 10 years of Yang Shou and giving some more ministers who were with him, the "Xining Transformation Law" would not fail, nor would it be abolished because of his own illness and death.
The "Song Shi Shenzong Jizan" commented that the "Xining Reform Law" presided over by Zhao Yan, the Song Shenzong, was a self-salvation movement of the landlord class and fundamentally opposed the class struggle of the peasants; But under the influence and impetus of the class struggle, it has to a certain extent adapted to the prospects of economic development and the demands of the working people.
If God were giving Song Shenzong another 10 years to live, the "Xining Transformation Law" might have succeeded, maybe the Great Song Dynasty would recreate its former glory, there would be no history of subjugation, and there would be no "shame of Jingkang".