Chapter 49 third chapter

After Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi eliminated the Northern Han Dynasty, the last of the "Ten Kingdoms", the division of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms came to an end. The Yellow River and the Yangtze River were unified, and the territory of the Song Dynasty was basically established. .However, Dali and Tubo in the southwest, Gaochang and Dangxiang in the northwest, and Khitan and Liao in the north were all outside the territory of the Song Dynasty. Not only did they not have the vastness of the Han and Tang Dynasties, but even the scale of the Qin and Jin Dynasties failed to recover.At best, the Song Dynasty could only be regarded as a ruling group in the Central Plains. After Zhao Guangyi recovered the Northern Han Dynasty, its territory reached its apex. Since then, it has gradually shrunk under the continuous encroachment of the surrounding ethnic minorities. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was reduced to a local government or a separatist regime.

The strength of the country and the vastness of the territory often constitute a proportional relationship, and the weakness of the Song Dynasty is closely related to the continuous shrinking of the territory. Throughout ancient Chinese history, there is no unified dynasty that was filled with an atmosphere of weakness, rigidity, and decline like the Song Dynasty from the very beginning.The Song Dynasty did not seem to have a stable life, and was always panting under the persecution of foreign enemies, let alone the rule of Wenjing in the Han Dynasty and the rule of Zhenguan in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.Whenever we look back at this decadent dynasty that made peace and was beaten everywhere but lasted for more than 300 years, we can't help but feel a deep sense of humiliation, heaviness, depression and grief.Whenever I can, I skip over this frustrating and embarrassing history.

Tracing back to the source, the curse of the Song Dynasty was planted as early as the Later Tang Dynasty. In 936 A.D., Shi Jingtang, the governor of the Later Tang Dynasty, in order to realize his ambition and obtain the support of the Liao Kingdom to establish the Later Tang Dynasty, actually ceded the sixteen prefectures of Youyun in Hebei and Shanxi to the Khitan nobles, and shamelessly became the son emperor.Khitan Liao King Yelu Deguang said in the canonization of Shi Jingtang: "I treat you like a son; you treat me like a father...May we be a father and son forever." When his son Shi Jingtang He is forty-five years old, but his father Yelu Deguang is only thirty-five years old. This kind of father-son relationship can also be called a world wonder and has entered the "Guinness Book of Books".In order to show his filial piety, Shi Jingtang will donate 300,000 bolts of silk every year, and often send envoys to present gold, silver, treasures and various food and beverages.His shamelessness makes even the descendants who read history books feel ashamed, and don't know what kind of abnormal mentality he was at that time.It seems that China's "traitors" can be described as having a long history and a long history, and the ranks have continued to grow. In the modern period of the Anti-Japanese War, the total number of traitors reached more than two million.This is really a huge and embarrassing black number. Why is the soil under our feet so "rich" traitors?This is really worthy of our deep thinking.

Shi Jingtang did everything he could to seek temporary happiness, but he left a bitter fruit that was difficult to digest to future generations.Shi Jingtang handed over about 120,000 square kilometers of land and its resources in the sixteen Youyun prefectures to the alien Khitan. The Great Wall, which had been able to block it in the era of cold weapons, suddenly lost its effect, and the Liao army could easily enter the mainland of China.From the newly demarcated border to Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty, the distance of 500 kilometers was flat. Not only did it not have a vast natural barrier, but it did not even have a dangerous pass.The door is completely open, and the cavalry of the Liao army can gallop freely and freely. The land of the Central Plains has really become a place for "chasing the deer".

For every regime in the Central Plains, the Sixteen States of Youyun is a golden treasure land that determines its life and death.If it is gained, the political power will be stable, but if it is lost, it will be in jeopardy.Therefore, from the later Zhou Dynasty, there was a fierce competition with the Liao Dynasty around this territory.During Zhou Shizong's Northern Expedition to Khitan, he unfortunately died of illness after taking back the two states of Ying and Mo.Although Song Taizu unified the Central Plains and the south of the Yangtze River, the Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, which were inhabited by Han people for a long time and closely related to the Central Plains regime, have always been controlled by the Liao Dynasty. The capital Biandu is under the direct military threat of the Liao Dynasty.The opposition between Liao and Song actually constituted the second coexistence of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in ancient China.Only by capturing the Youyun area with all its strength, pushing the border to the north of the Great Wall, and restoring the barrier function of the Great Wall's defense line, the Song Dynasty could fundamentally shake off the passive situation.Song Taizu always wanted to restore the territory of the previous dynasty, but he died violently in the palace when he conquered the northern Han Dynasty, the separatist regime in the south of Khitan.After Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi succeeded to the throne, as soon as he recovered the Northern Han Dynasty, he began to use troops against the Liao Dynasty.Although some victories have been achieved, they are all partial and temporary. Generally speaking, there are more losses than victories.Especially the two disastrous defeats in the Battle of Gaoliang River and Yongxi's Northern Expedition, the Song Army lost almost all of its elite.Taking this as a turning point, the Song Dynasty had to change from an active offense to a passive defense. The country's power became weaker and weaker, until it completely declined. The diplomatic history of the Song Dynasty has never seen a proud and decent day.

If Zhou Shizong Chai Rong hadn't died of a sudden and serious illness at an early age, and had taken advantage of the victory after capturing the two states, the Youyun Sixteen States might have been taken over by the Central Plains regime long ago.However, after the successful transition of the Later Zhou regime to the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin failed to immediately implement Zhou Shizong's war strategy of northern Qidan and regaining the Youyun area.Although he is also constantly fighting from south to north, he has adopted the strategy of first easy and then difficult, first weak and then strong, which is somewhat opportunistic.In Zhao Kuangyin's bones, it seems that he has never lacked a kind of hard-headed iron-blooded spirit, always playing some kind of strategy and tricks, such as adding a yellow robe, drinking wine and releasing military power, etc.; But things cannot be carried out decisively, such as the proposal to move the capital.To put it nicely, it is an open-minded, open-minded, good-natured, and China's feudal centralized rule sometimes seems to need some kind of dictatorship to solve practical problems.In fact, deep in Zhao Kuangyin's heart, he did not regard his ministers as "partners" who are equal and have equal dialogue, but the difference between monarch and minister in the strict sense. After "adding the yellow robe", Zhao Kuangyin jumped from an important minister to the emperor, and his former comrades-in-arms and colleagues became his courtiers in the blink of an eye. Are they really convinced?Even if he didn't, the ceremony of bowing three times and knocking down nine times would still make him inexplicably intoxicated and satisfied.However, among the group of dark courtiers who bowed their heads and professed their ministers, there was a prime minister sitting in the chair as proudly as him.If we go one step further, will he be replaced by the dragon chair?In any case, this is what Zhao Kuangyin does not want to imagine and cannot accept.The thing he taboos the most may be the word "throne", and he will never allow others to have any unreasonable thoughts about the throne under his ass.Therefore, he promulgated a new imperial decree that seemed small but affected the national psychology and personality-abolishing the ceremony of the prime minister sitting in front of the emperor.That is to say, the prime minister has to prostrate on the ground like an ordinary courtier, bowing three times and kowtowing nine times, even if he is not given a seat for the meeting.And once a person's legs are bent, all personality and dignity will disappear.As a result, not only ordinary people and government ministers, but even prime ministers under one person and over ten thousand people have become slavish and inhumane.Under the feudal autocratic and centralized rule of the Song Dynasty, from top to bottom, it was completely "eunuchized"-a kind of cruel psychological castration.And that seemingly emperor is the leader of the tallest, largest and most perverted "eunuch" in the country.

Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin's abnormality, weakness and strategy not only affected the subjects at that time, but also deeply imprinted in the empire he created, pervading as a "style" and becoming the "fashion" of the Song Dynasty. If Zhao Kuangyin continued to pursue the military policy of the Northern Expedition to Khitan after usurping the power of the Later Zhou Dynasty, instead of turning his "guns" to first attack the weakest Jingnan small country at that time to pacify Jiangnan, what kind of situation would there be?When the two powers collide, they will either recover Youyun Sixteen Prefectures in one fell swoop, or they will be defeated in haste and the throne will be in jeopardy.With Zhao Kuangyin's bloodliness, he naturally did not dare to face difficulties, and he never seemed to do things that were not sure or risky.On the surface, Zhao Kuangyin gained a vast territory and expanded his power in the victory of pacifying the south. However, the years of war also caused the loss of the original elite, and serious internal friction.However, those split kingdoms that had just been incorporated did not seem to strengthen the subsequent Northern Expedition, nor did they become an effective strategic rear.If at the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, it had devoted all its efforts to seize the Youyun area that was ceded by Shi Jingtang, and then turned back to Pingnan in one go, first strong and then weak, and wherever it went, it would either be overwhelming, or it would fall in anticipation of the wind, unifying the world would be easy.Is it better to eat the soft first and then fight hard, or to attack the strong first and then fight the weak? Which of the two war strategies is better?In the eyes of future generations, it is naturally very clear.

Although Zhao Kuangyin had won decisive victories against the weak and weak surrounding regimes, he still had deep worries and fears about the fast-moving Khitan cavalry. What worried him most was that the capital Kaifeng was flat and undefended.In Kaifeng at this time, although the Houliang, Houjin, Houhan, and Houzhou had all built their capitals here, and the city palace had undergone a large-scale renovation in the Houzhou, once the Liao Kingdom raised its troops, the powerful cavalry would be like a tide After crossing the Great Wall, it surged unobstructed and unstoppable until it reached the city of Kaifeng.The capital of a country is in danger of being destroyed at any time. It cannot be said that this is not a serious mistake of those in power.Zhao Kuangyin's Huangpao Jiashen took over the political power directly from the hands of Hou Zhou, and the Hou Zhou, whose capital was Kaifeng, was a local separatist regime. Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning of the usurpation could only admit this reality.With the expansion of the territory and the development of the situation, Kaifeng is obviously no longer suitable as the capital of the Song Dynasty.In order to reverse this passive unfavorable situation, Zhao Kuangyin began to consider moving the capital, so as to achieve the goal of "according to the victory of the mountains and rivers, and eliminating redundant troops".

Song Taizu set the first choice for the new capital as Luoyang in the west of Kaifeng.Luoyang has the Yellow River in the north, Songshan Mountain in the south, Qinling Mountains, Mianchi, and Hangu Pass in the west, and Chenggao Pass (Hulao Pass) in the east. The surrounding terrain is flat, the water and soil are beautiful, and the transportation is very convenient.Compared with Kaifeng, Luoyang is the ancient capital of all dynasties, with a profound cultural foundation, a developed economy, and a military that can be attacked and defended.He was born in Luoyang and grew up in Luoyang since he was a child. He didn't leave until he was twelve years old, and he has a special affection for that land.Kaifeng is not too far from Luoyang, so it is not difficult to move.Once the capital is moved to Luoyang, the dangers of the national capital will be lifted, and all kinds of pressure will naturally be relieved, so that it is possible to achieve long-term stability.

However, as soon as Taizu's proposal came out, he was strongly opposed by the ministers.Most of these ministers and noble relatives own land and manors in Kaifeng, and moving the capital will naturally harm their vital interests; many people have lived here for a long time, and they are used to living here, and they don't want to move.Among the many dissuaders, Li Huaizhong, the commander of both the left and right sides of the iron cavalry, seems to have the most sufficient reason: "Tokyo has the Bianqu water transport, which can transport millions of dendrobium grains to the Jianghuai area every year to supply the hundreds of thousands of soldiers guarding Kyoto. If Your Majesty moves the capital to Xijing, how will the grain transportation be solved? Besides, the treasury is heavily guarded in Daliang, and its foundation cannot be shaken!" In fact, his words are not worth refuting. The people of the city will press the Jianghuai River to the east and eat the benefits of the rivers and lakes." Most of the supply can be solved on the spot, and this has been the case for the capital builders of all dynasties.And the most important thing is that once the capital is moved to Luoyang, relying on the dangerous Guanhe River, there is no need to guard it with heavy troops like in Kaifeng.With fewer troops, the demand for food and grass will naturally decrease, and some intangible losses will also decrease accordingly.It is a good thing for the country and the people.And those short-sighted ministers, they only care about their own personal interests, but ignore the national interests.In fact, the personal interests of court officials are more closely related to the interests of the country than ordinary people.

Among the ministers who opposed moving the capital, the most fierce one was the emperor's younger brother Zhao Guangyi.At that time, he had officially worshiped King Jin and became the main military commander of the Song Dynasty.Song Taizu could have doubts about generals with different surnames and take back the military power in their hands, but he never seemed to have the slightest thought of guarding against his own brothers.And some major events in the Song Dynasty were made unclear by this younger brother.He was the instigator of the Chen Qiao mutiny, that is to say, without the great assistance of this brother, whether Zhao Kuangyin would be able to sit on the throne of the emperor is still unknown.Zhao Guangyi first sought the throne for his elder brother, and later he sought the throne for himself.In the suspicious "Shadow of Candle and Axe", he seems to have played a new version of "mutiny" on his elder brother, which is quite concealed and very successful, and finally became the successor to the throne and ascended the throne of emperor.When Zhao Guangyi heard that his brother was going to move the capital to Luoyang, he couldn't help being very anxious.Unlike Zhao Kuangyin, who grew up in Luoyang, Zhao Guangyi grew up in Kaifeng, and he is nostalgic for Kaifeng. , authority will be greatly weakened.Seeing that the opposition of the previous ministers could not shake Song Taizu's determination, Zhao Guangyi went out in person.I saw him knelt on his knees and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, the one who puts the world in peace is not in danger!" Good one is not in danger in virtue, he seems to be better than his elder brother in playing tricks.When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, he had no words to answer, so he had to keep silent.However, as soon as Zhao Guangyi stepped back, he involuntarily let out a long sigh: "In less than a hundred years, the power of the people in the world will be exhausted!" If Zhao Kuangyin was full of blood, majestic and arbitrary, and dared to face difficulties, he would not have made a disastrous compromise in silence.Even so, deep in his heart, he still stubbornly believed in his own wisdom, and was still trying his best to make up for it. This can be seen from the fact that Song Ling was buried in Gongyi.The imperial mausoleum of the Song Dynasty was neither built in Baosai County (now Zhuo County, Hebei Province) where the Zhao family was originally from, nor Kaifeng, the capital city, but in Gongyi, which is only a few tens of kilometers away from the old city of Luoyang, which shows Zhao Kuangyin's good intentions.The ministers were unanimously opposed to moving the capital, and it was difficult for him to achieve his goal for a while, so he turned a very ingenious strategy in his head again: Gongyi is a transit station between Kaifeng and Luoyang. Express his determination: he has never given up his desire to move the capital, and he will implement it once the time is right; at the same time, it is also to set the tone for moving the capital to Luoyang for the later successors, and to make some kind of foreshadowing. Later facts proved that Song Taizu's proposal to move the capital was indeed a correct strategy with a sense of crisis.During the long-term confrontation between the Song Dynasty and the Liao and Jin Dynasties, the enemy always stationed troops under the capital, and the political core of the dynasty was always in a state of panic and passive beating, which became the biggest confidant of the Song Dynasty. Although there was a proposal to move the capital later, what even the founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin could not do would be even more difficult to become a reality in the hands of a generation of weaker successors.As a result, after 150 years, it finally led to the shame of Jin soldiers capturing Bianjing in November of the first year of Jingkang (AD 1126). More than 3,000 emperors Hui and Qin and their harem concubines were taken as trophies by the Jin people. Captive to Mobei.When a group of prisoners were escorted out of the city, the prince couldn't help crying loudly: "People save me!" If Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi's spirits in heaven knew it, how would they feel?The hidden dangers left by the ancestors finally got their retribution on the descendants. This is the cruelty, justice and wonder of history.However, the descendants who were in distress first thought of the common people when they called for help. They seemed to have forgotten their ancestors, and they harbored an unconcealable resentment and anger towards the ancestors who left troubles behind. The sudden and early death of Zhao Kuangyin was also a huge irreparable loss for the Song Dynasty.Although there is an insurmountable weakness in his bones, he is deeply farsighted, and his wisdom and strategies are far beyond ordinary people.If there is a holiday, it is not a problem to regain the Northern Han Dynasty, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun may also be incorporated into the territory of the Song Dynasty; even if it cannot, at least the wish to move the capital to Luoyang can be realized.Then, the history of the Song Dynasty must have some new changes. Although Zhao Guangyi, Song Taizong who succeeded him, could be regarded as both civil and military, and also possessed great talents, he was naturally much inferior compared to Zhao Kuangyin.He used to be a military general who conquered cities and territories for a long time under the Taizu. He may have certain experience in specific battles, but he seems to be unable to support the long-term political and war strategies.When Mao Zedong evaluated Zhao Guangyi, he pointed out sharply: "This man does not know how to fight, and he is not an opponent of the Khitan... After repeated defeats, the Khitan always used the method of luring the enemy to go deep, gathering and annihilating them, and the people of Song Dynasty always did not realize it." Zhao Guangyi's rule is a copy and continuation of Zhao Kuangyin. Apart from pushing some of his elder brother's strategies to extremes, he never had any new ideas and achievements.In a way, the two brothers are an inseparable whole.It was Song Taizu and Song Taizong brothers who laid the national foundation and made national policy decisions that influenced the situation and history of the Song Dynasty for more than 300 years.