As we all know, Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, seized the throne through the Chen Qiao Mutiny. He took advantage of the power gap after the death of Later Zhou Shizong Chai Rong to steal Later Zhou's military power and used false news from the Khitans to lead the army out of Tokyo. The army staged a mutiny while passing through Chen Qiaoyi, and then returned to the division of Bieliang, and together with the defenders of Bieliang, took the city and supported Zhao Kuangyin to change the dynasty. As analyzed in previous articles, the reason why Zhao Kuangyin's mutiny was successful, in addition to being mostly his henchmen in the army, was also inseparable from the cooperation of Wang Pu, the deputy prime minister of the Later Zhou Dynasty and the privy council. It was precisely because of Wang Pu and Zhao Kuangyin's internal and external cooperation that he was able to install a large number of henchmen in the forbidden army, laying the foundation for the occurrence of the Chen Qiao Mutiny.
It can be said that on the issue of supporting Zhao Kuangyin's ascension to the throne, Wang Pu made great contributions. This is also the reason why Later Zhou Chancellor Fan Qian, when faced with the coercion of Zhao Kuangyin's army, pinched out Wang Pu's hands with blood. In Fan Qian's view, the Later Zhou chancellors let Zhao Kuangyin usurp the imperial power, which was sorry for Chai Rong, who had died. However, Wang Pu, as the deputy prime minister in charge of the Privy Council, allowed Zhao Kuangyin to seize military power, which was the biggest dereliction of duty and a crime against the state. But from the perspective of the Song Dynasty, Wang Pu had great contributions to both Zhao Kuangyin and the Song Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin was able to take the city of Bieliang in Tokyo without bloodshed, which was entirely an opportunity for Wang Pu to cooperate in the appointment of personnel. Whether they colluded and consulted in advance or had a tacit understanding in politics, they all provided great help to Zhao Kuangyin in changing the dynasty.
For such a meritorious person, it is reasonable to say that Zhao Kuangyin should be thanked heavily after sitting on the emperor's throne, and in the imperial court in the early years of the Song Dynasty, Wang Pu should also go further and become the first prime minister of the Song Dynasty. However, from the historical records, Zhao Kuangyin did not reuse Wang Pu, but treated him equally with Fan Qian and Wei Renpu. In the first year after Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne, he also had Fan Qian, Wang Pu, and Wei Renpu continue to serve as prime ministers in order to stabilize the situation in the imperial court. However, after the second year, he deposed these three and made his confidant Zhao Pu the prime minister. After that, Wang Pu, like Fan Qian and Wei Renpu, only held a high position of an honorary nature, and did not have the power of the imperial court. In the eyes of posterity, he was completely abandoned by Zhao Kuangyin and did not enjoy any benefits brought by supporting Zhao Kuangyin.
In the process of Chen Qiao's mutiny, the ministers of culture and military affairs who supported Zhao Kuangyin were basically reused, especially Zhao Pu, as a planner, became the first prime minister of the Song Dynasty, and for a long time he was in a state of solitude, which can be described as a high authority. And Wang Pu, as a courtier whose merit was second only to Zhao Pu's, not only did not receive the reward he deserved, but he could not even maintain the status of deputy prime minister, and this contrast was really difficult to accept.
Judging from the historical records at that time, the analysis of the reasons why Wang Pu was not reused can be seen from the following aspects. First of all, Wang Pu's own position in the Song Dynasty was very embarrassing, and he was in a position that was not to be seen on both sides. Wang Pu was a confidant of Chai Rong of the Later Zhou Dynasty and one of Chai Rong's important ministers at the time of his death. He formed a cabinet with Fan Zhi and Wei Renpu, who brought the young Chai Zongxun to power and was one of the decision-makers who dominated the affairs of the Later Zhou court.
Because Wang Pu favored Zhao Kuangyin in appointing the generals of the Forbidden Army, Zhao Kuangyin's henchmen completely controlled the Forbidden Army, which not only laid the foundation for Chen Qiao's mutiny, but also the culprit of the fall of the Later Zhou. When Zhao Kuangyin pretended to be the Khitan army going south and rushed to lead the troops out, Wang Pu not only did not investigate in detail, but also gave very convenient authority, and even entrusted the defense of the city of Bieliang in Tokyo to Zhao Kuangyin's confidants Shi Shouxin, Wang Zhenqi and others. His such an operation not only made Fan Zheng, Wei Renpu and other courtiers very repulsive and hateful of him, but also dissatisfied with the generals of the clan who were loyal to the Later Zhou Chai family. At the same time, among the generals and courtiers who supported Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Pu lacked influence as a former minister of Later Zhou, so there were also great contradictions and scruples about his continued power.
Therefore, in the court of the nascent Song Dynasty, Wang Pu was in an embarrassing position of being unpopular on both sides, and continuing to serve as prime minister was easy to intensify the contradiction between the old and new forces. However, at that time, Zhao Kuangyin had just been proclaimed emperor, and the political situation in Bieliang City was not stable, and there were also Li Jun and Li Chongjin, who were loyal to Chai Rong, who rebelled. Therefore, on the one hand, Zhao Kuangyin needed the three Later Zhou chancellors to pacify the imperial court, and on the other hand, he could not fully play his role, fearing that they would threaten his imperial authority. So the strange phenomenon appeared, although Wang Pu and others continued to be prime ministers, they did not have the power to sign the prime minister, and could only exist in the form of virtual posts. After the political situation stabilized the following year, Zhao Kuangyin decisively dismissed them and left the power of the imperial court in the hands of his own people.
In addition to Wang Pu's unpopular and embarrassing position on both sides, his reputation in the later Zhou Dynasty also became one of the reasons why it could not be reused. Among the chancellors of the Later Zhou Dynasty, Chai Rong was very important to Wang Pu, especially in the use of troops, giving Wang Pu a lot of senate power. According to the system of the Later Zhou Dynasty, the Privy Council took care of the power of troop mobilization and was the key department in charge of the military and the generals who restrained the forbidden army. As the ruler of the Privy Council, Wang Pu had a great say in the military, especially in military strategy and the appointment and dismissal of generals. Therefore, in the court of Later Zhou, Wang Pu was known for his knowledge of soldiers, and Chai Rong followed his advice in the appointment and dismissal of many generals. After Chai Rong's death, Fan Zhi served as prime minister, but the Privy Council was completely decided by Wang Pu, so he became the first person in the later Zhou military.
However, Wang Pu's behavior in the Privy Council was different from that of his predecessor Wang Pu, who did not play a role in restraining the generals of the Forbidden Army and the Fanzhen Army, but instead mingled with these generals. For example, in the notebook collection "Longchuan Beizhi" by the great literary hero Su Rui, it is recorded that Wang Pu gave Zhao Kuangyin a luxurious villa. At that time, Zhao Kuangyin was the inspector of the former sidu of the palace, and he was also the first person in the Later Zhou Forbidden Army. The two roles that were originally mutually restrained actually have a relationship of interests, so can the country's military power still be controlled? As a result, the appointment and transfer of generals in the Forbidden Army and the Fanzhen Army became a humane business, and there was no supervision and management of the civilian system at all. Such a situation not only ruined the State Of Later Zhou, but was also intolerable to Zhao Kuangyin, who became emperor.
And Wang Pu himself had a good personal relationship with too many Later Zhou generals, which would also make Zhao Kuangyin very suspicious. Zhao Kuangyin himself ascended to the throne through this opportunity, and naturally no one was allowed to copy this model, so Wang Pu must not be used in this important department of the Privy Council. Therefore, although Wang Pu was in the high position of Prince Taifu or Prince Taishi after being deposed, he was only an honorary existence and did not hold the power of the imperial court.
The third reason why Wang Pu was not reused was that Zhao Kuangyin adopted Zhao Pu's suggestion and carried out military system reform in the form of "releasing military power with a glass of wine". The purpose of this reform was to strengthen the military system left by Chai Rong, limit and supervise the power of military generals, and prevent anyone from copying the story of the "Chen Qiao Mutiny". And this matter is to be done by someone zhao Kuangyin absolutely trusts, and it cannot be personally related to the next week.
With Wang Pu's embarrassing position, it is impossible to promote such military reforms, which can only intensify the contradictions between the generals of the two factions. This not only did not contribute to the political stability of the imperial court, but also brought the risk of civil unrest to the country. At that time, Murong Yanzhao, Shi Shouxin, and others who held the power of the forbidden army were all confidants of Zhao Kuangyin, and they had a great rejection of the Wenwu of the Later Zhou faction, and they were absolutely not allowed to weaken their power. Therefore, if Zhao Kuangyin wanted to complete military reform, he must use ministers like Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi. On the one hand, the two had a relatively heavy status and influence in the new faction of literature and martial arts, on the other hand, Zhao Guangyi was also Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother, and the implementation of reforms left the generals who held the power of the forbidden army speechless, which was an advantage that Wang Pu did not have.
From the above analysis, it can be seen that Wang Pu was already very wrong from the very beginning when he cooperated with Zhao Kuangyin to install private individuals in the forbidden army. He thought that by colluding with Zhao Kuangyin, he would be able to expand his authority and influence in the imperial court and use Zhao Kuangyin's army to suppress fan and Wei Renpu and other ministers of the imperial court. But Zhao Kuangyin had higher political goals, which he had never expected.
Wang Pu, as Chai Rong's orphan minister before his death, was destined to be politically labeled as a later week. No matter how the imperial court changes dynasties, he cannot get rid of this political label. And as long as this label exists, in the struggle between the old and the new, his position will always be the most embarrassing. In order to stabilize the overall situation of the dynasty, the new emperor could not continue to use such embarrassing ministers, otherwise he would be asking for trouble.
From this point of view, Wang Pu's political choice of Zhao Kuangyin was an extremely dimwitted operation. This operation not only did not help his political interests, but also made him bear the insult of betraying the lord and seeking glory. Although after the establishment of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin still gave Wang Pu a very high honor and had a good treatment in glory and wealth, but compared with the position of deputy prime minister of the Later Zhou Dynasty, it was completely incomparable. Wang Pu's operation of harming others and harming himself is out of selfish consideration and has also left a reputation in history. There have been many speculative politicians like Wang Pu in Chinese history, but not many have exerted such a great influence on history. Zhao Kuangyin knew the essence of Wang Pu very well, and for the safety of the Song Dynasty, it was reasonable not to use it.