Chapter 276 Chapter 275 Shenzong Zhao Xu

Song Shenzong, named Xu, also known as Zhong Xingxian.He is the eldest son of Yingzong, and his mother is Empress Gao of Xuanren Shenglie.In the fourth year of Zhiping (1067 A.D.), Yingzong died of illness, and Zhao Xu, who had not long been established as the prince, succeeded in a hurry as Shenzong at the age of 20. Shenzong was born in Pu Palace in April of the eighth year of Qingli (AD 1048). When he was 4 months old, his grandfather Renzong named him Zhong Xingxian, and he was granted the title of deputy leader of the government.In the eighth year of Jiayou (1063 A.D.), Shi Yingzong lived in Qingning Palace.After Yingzong became emperor, he was granted the Observation Envoy of Anzhou and named An Guogong.In September of the same year, Jia Zhongwujun Jiedushi, Tong Zhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi, named Huaiyang County King, and changed his name to Zhao Xu.In the first year of Zhiping (1064 A.D.), he was granted the title of King Ying.When Zhao Xu was young, he was very studious, loved reading, and cared about major affairs in the world, so that he forgot to eat and drink every night. His father Yingzong once sent his servants to dissuade him.

In December of the third year of Zhiping, Yingzong was seriously ill and could not see the court for dozens of days.When the ministers asked about daily life, Han Qi urged to establish a reserve, and Yingzong nodded silently.Han Qi asked Yingzong to write the edict himself, and Yingzong wrote: "Make the king the crown prince." Han Qi said: "Establish the king as the crown prince." Han Qi said: "Establish the son to grow, and the sacred meaning belongs to the king of Ying. Please write it down personally!" Yingzong commented later The upper three characters: "Ying Wangxu." Han Qi then called his servants to live in the slips, granted him an imperial letter, and ordered Hanlin scholars to draft an edict.Therefore, Zhao Xu was officially registered as the crown prince.A month later, Yingzong died.

When Shenzong came to power, social contradictions were already relatively acute.It has been 107 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty to Shenzong, and the three major disasters of redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses that have appeared since the beginning of the Song Dynasty have intensified.The series of systems formulated in the early Song Dynasty, the so-called ancestral law, had appeared some places that did not adapt to the social reality. It had to be adjusted from top to bottom, and some reforms were carried out in the political, financial, military and other aspects in order to be effective. Maintain the normal operation of the state machinery.In fact, both Renzong and Yingzong have seen this.However, reforms will inevitably cause a series of chain reactions, which will arouse resentment and resistance from vested interests, bureaucrats and dignitaries.Due to strong resistance, the Qingli New Deal during Renzong's time quickly aborted, and Fan Zhongyan, who presided over the reform, was also forced to leave Beijing.Since then, the social contradictions in the Song Dynasty have become more acute.When Shenzong came to the throne, he was a handsome young man, full of vigor and vigor, and had the courage to seek medical treatment.At the beginning of his accession to the throne, he issued an edict, listened to suggestions extensively, and determined to make a real difference and do something.He is eager to find a talented and courageous minister who can fully assist his reform as his arm.In this case, Wang Anshi, who has been pregnant for many years, stands out.

Wang Anshi had been a local official for many years, and saw with his own eyes the seriousness of social problems at that time.In the spring of the second year when he went to Kaifeng, the capital city, to serve as the judge of the third division, he wrote the eloquent "Book of Emperor Renzong's Statements" to the then emperor Renzong.Wang Anshisu was friendly with Han Jiang, Han Wei, Lu Gongzhu and others.Before Shenzong ascended the throne, he often discussed world affairs with his courtiers, and he admired Wang Anshi's "Book of Emperor Renzong's Words and Events".Han Wei was the secretary of King Ying's Mansion, and every time he had a comment and was praised by Shenzong, he said: "This is my friend Wang Anshi's point of view."Shenzong then wanted to meet Wang Anshi.During Wang Anshi's mourning in Jinling, Emperor Yingzong summoned him many times. Seeing that the current situation was not conducive to realizing his political ideas, he declined every time.At the beginning of Shenzong's ascension to the throne, he planned to use Wang Anshi immediately, and issued an imperial edict to appoint Wang Anshi as the prefect of Jiangning.Wang Anshi received the imperial edict and took office immediately.A few months later, Wang Anshi was summoned to Beijing again, appointed as a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and also served as a lecturer.

Shenzong was eager to seek governance and was very eager to learn. He often consulted ministers for reform opinions.He is determined to be a bright emperor like Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty who can accomplish a lot, and change the situation of slack political programs since Zhenzong and Renzong.So when he summoned Wang Anshi for the first time, he asked him what he should do first in governing the country.Wang Anshi replied: "You should choose the correct strategy first." Shenzong said: "What about Tang Taizong?" Wang Anshi said: "Your Majesty should take Yao and Shun as an example, why use Tang Taizong as an example? It is easy to do but not complicated. But scholars of the last days do not know the reason and think it is unattainable." Shenzong felt that this kind of argument was refreshing.Then, he asked Wang Anshi: "The ancestors guarded the world and kept the world peaceful without major changes for a hundred years. What kind of governance did they use?" Zhazi", above Shenzong.The general idea is that Taizu Zhao Kuangyin is good at knowing people, commanding and entrusting him, he must do his best; changing facilities, he must be responsible for his duties, so he can control the generals, resist the barbarians externally, and calm the princes internally.Eliminate tyranny, prohibit torture, abolish tyrannical vassals, punish corrupt officials, and personally put simplicity first in the world, and all his decrees are aimed at benefiting the people.Taizong Guangyi inherited it with wisdom and martial arts, Zhenzong kept it with humility and benevolence, and even Renzong and Yingzong had no virtue.So you can enjoy the country for a hundred years and the world will be fine.In the second year of Xining (1069 A.D.), Shenzong first appointed Wang Anshi as the political adviser (i.e. deputy prime minister), and set up the "Department of the Three Divisions and Regulations" as the guiding agency for the reform, and let Chen Shengzhi and Wang Anshi be in charge.Wang Anshi was friendly with Lu Huiqing, so he said to Shenzong: "Huiqing is a wise man, even if the Confucians of the past are not as good as him. Huiqing is the only one who learns the way of the kings and can use it." So Shenzong appointed Lu Huiqing as the inspector of the regulations Detailed text.No matter how big or small, Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing must plan together, and all the chapters about the proposals are written by Huiqing.At that time, Wang Anshi was called Confucius, and Lu Huiqing was called Yanzi.

Under Shenzong's personal supervision, Wang Anshi proposed and implemented a set of new laws, which are mainly divided into three parts: "rich the country", "strengthen the army" and reform the imperial examination system.The part of the rich country includes the equalization method, the young crops method, the farmland water conservancy method, the exemption method, and the square land equalization tax method.The part of strengthening soldiers includes the art of war, the method of protecting armor, and the method of protecting horses.The new imperial examination system advocates selecting scholars based on classics and righteousness. Candidates no longer take exams on poetry, Fu, Tiejing, Moyi, etc., but take poetry, books, Yi, Zhouli, and Liji as the main classics, and the Analects of Confucius and Mencius as the concurrent ones. In order to change the situation of "studying poetry and fu behind closed doors, and entering an official, nothing in the world is not good at it".At the same time, the Taixue was reformed and the "three homes method" was implemented.The first-timers are students from other houses, and there is no limit to the number of students.Later, after passing the examination, they will be promoted to internal dormitory students, with a quota of 200 students.Students in the inner dormitory are promoted to upper dormitory students after the examination, with a quota of 100 students.Among the students in Shangshe, those with excellent conduct can be directly awarded official positions without taking an examination.

Reform is inherently a very difficult task. In addition, the new law itself has many deficiencies, and in some respects it offends the interests of big bureaucrats, big landlords, and big businessmen who enjoy privileges. opposition.The opposition is particularly focused on the Immunity Law and the Market Exchange Law, which infringe on the interests of big landlords and businessmen.In the Northern Song Dynasty, urban industrial and commercial persons (known as merchants or pedestrians at the time) also had to undertake hard labor, which was called "executive service", mainly selling items to the government as required. Wang Anshi implemented the exemption law, and nobles could no longer buy and sell by force in the name of the government. In fact, naturally dissatisfied.This opposition force was supported by the Empress Dowager Tai, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Shenzong.Shenzong was a little shaken, and said to Wang Anshi: "Exemption and exemption are too heavy, and human relations are grievances. Near ministers and even descendants, there is no inconvenience. The two palaces (Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager) and even weeping." Wang Anshi is short-sighted about these He revealed to Shenzong the fact that the empress's father Xiang Jing and Cao Empress' younger brother Cao Yi broke the law by taking advantage of power and taking money, which proved that they opposed the new law for their own interests.However, Shenzong couldn't stand the repeated opposition of the descendants, and ordered Han Wei and Sun Yong to check the interests of pedestrians.

The reform also encountered opposition from honest ministers.Su Zhe was originally quoted by Wang Anshi. He served as the third department's ordinance department to review the text, but tried his best to prevent the implementation of the Young Crop Law.Veteran Han Qi also wrote a letter criticizing the Youth Law.In addition, the imperial examination system of the new law was also opposed.Sima Guang, who was a good friend of Wang Anshi, also opposed his new law.Shenzong's thoughts also began to hesitate. Conservative ministers opposed the new law, and Wang Anshi had been mentally prepared for a long time, but the internal split of the reformist group dealt a particularly heavy blow to Wang Anshi.At this time, Shenzong did not obey Wang Anshi's words as he did in previous years, and sometimes even ignored his opinions.Wang Anshi sighed to Shenzong: "Things in the world are like boiling soup. A fire is set off, and then a spoonful of water is poured on it. How can it be boiled?" Illness, repeatedly asked to resign.In June, Wang Anshi's son passed away in his prime of life. Wang Anshi was distraught, his spirit was greatly stimulated, and he was no longer able to concentrate on political affairs.Shenzong had no choice but to let Wang Anshi resign from the position and sent to Jiangning Mansion.In the second year, Wang Anshi even resigned from the official title of Jiangning Mansion. After that, Wang Anshi never returned to the court until his death in the first year of Yuanyou (AD 1086).

From Wang Anshi's resignation to Shenzong's death, the new law was implemented by Shenzong alone for 10 years.This period has shifted from focusing on financial management in the early stage to mainly reforming the official system and strengthening the army and Baojia.Later generations called it "Shenzong Reform".Wang Anshi's new law focused on suppressing mergers, while Shenzong's restructuring focused on strengthening the state apparatus of the Song Dynasty. After Wang Anshi resigned as the minister, Shenzong personally presided over the reform. He was 30 years old at the time, and he was young and promising. After several years of ruling, he had accumulated some experience and was relatively mature politically.He really wanted to achieve the goal of enriching the country and strengthening the army through the reform of the official system, so as to change the long-term political situation of poverty and weakness.After a series of reforms, the new official system was more conducive to the centralization of the autocratic monarchy, and its basic system was implemented until the end of the Song Dynasty without major changes.In the early Song Dynasty, a large number of institutions were set up to disperse the powers of the prime minister and various ministries and check each other so that the emperor could monopolize the power.By the time of Shenzong, the Song Dynasty had been established for a hundred years, and its rule had already been consolidated. It was urgent to establish a relatively centralized and unified administrative system, so that the capable emperor had the time and energy to change the poor and weak situation.

In the process of implementing the new law, Shenzong's general purpose of enriching the country and strengthening the army was consistent with that of Wang Anshi.But he is not as firm as Wang Anshi in suppressing mergers, and he often wavers in the middle of strong opposition.Shenzong wanted to increase fiscal revenue, but he did not want to harm the vested interests of the upper class. As a result, the burden had to be passed on to the lower class people.Yuanfengku received 5 million guan from the remaining money in the workshop, and 8 million guan from Changping.The increase in fiscal and tax revenue finally reversed the situation that Yingzong could not make ends meet.

Shenzong once lamented that the Song Dynasty had blindly compromised with Liao and Xixia since Zhenzong, and he was determined to unify China.During his reign, Shenzong personally presided over two major military operations, one was the counterattack against Jiaozhi, and the other was the attack on Xixia. Jiaozhi is located in the northern part of Vietnam today. Since the end of Song Renzong's reign, it has continued to plunder the border of the Song Dynasty.In September of the ninth year of Xining (AD 1075), Jiaozhi attacked Guwanzhai (now Fusui, Guangxi) on Song Guangxi Road.In November, 60,000 troops, known as 80,000, were dispatched to attack Song Guangxi Road by land and water. In February of the tenth year of Xining, the Song Dynasty appointed Guo Kui as the general manager and envoy of the camp capital of Annan Road, and led the army to the front line of Guangxi.But at that time Yongzhou had been captured by the Jiaozhi army, Zhizhou Su Yan set himself on fire and died for the country, and more than 50,000 soldiers and civilians were killed.In the summer of that year, the Song Army recovered Yongzhou and Lianzhou.In autumn, all lost ground was regained.In November, Shenzong issued a second edict to solve the military supplies of the Southern Expeditionary Army and continue to counterattack the Jiaozhi Army.In December, Guo Kui led the Song army into the territory of Jiaozhi.Jiaozhi gathered heavy troops at Jueli Pass to block the attack, and sent troops driving elephants to attack the Song army.The Song army shot the elephant with a strong crossbow and cut the trunk of the elephant with a knife, defeated the Jiaozhi army, captured Juili Pass, and captured many ships.Seeing that the Song army was about to approach the city, Li Gande, king of Jiaozhi, hurriedly begged for surrender.From then on, Jiaozhi no longer dared to invade the Song Dynasty. However, Shenzong's use of troops against Xixia was quite different.At that time, the Xixia established by the Dangxiang clan had developed into a military alliance with powerful force, constantly invading the northwestern region of the Song Dynasty.In the sixth year of Xining (AD 1037), Wang Shao led the Song army to march 1,800 miles, occupied Dang, Min, Die, Tao and other states, and recruited more than 300,000 accounts of the big and small Tibetans.This is an unprecedented victory in the Liao and Xia wars since the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the fourth year of Yuanfeng (1081 A.D.), the king of Xixia, Bingchang's mother, took over the power. Shenzong thought it was a good opportunity to attack Xixia, so he dispatched a large army, divided into five groups, and a total of more than 200,000 troops went deep into the territory of Xixia and reached Lingzhou ( Under the city of Lingwu in Ningxia today.The Xixia army submerged the Song army in the Yellow River and cut off the Song army's food road. The Song army was defeated.In the second year, Shenzong followed Xu Xi's suggestion and built Yongle City in the border of Silver and Xia as a city to garrison troops in an attempt to trap the Xixia army in Xingzhou.The Song Army killed more than 200 generals and schools in this campaign, and lost more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians.News of the defeat on the Northwest Front spread to the court of the capital of Song Dynasty. Shenzong was so sad that he cried loudly before the court.From then on, Shenzong completely lost his previous ambitions, so he had to maintain the original agreement with Xixia and pay property to Xixia every year. In March of the eighth year of Yuanfeng, the ambitious Song Shenzong suffered a heavy mental blow due to the military defeat on the northwest frontier. He fell ill and died on March 5.38 years old.Bury Yongyu Mausoleum.His posthumous title is "Ti Yuan Xian Dao Fa Ancient Constitution Chang De Wang Gong Ying Lie Wu Qin Ren Sheng Xiao Emperor".