On the evaluation of Zhao Gou, all previous dynasties tended to be the master of fatuity. However, in the Northern Song Dynasty, the capital of Bianliang was captured by the Jin people in a hurry, and the two emperors "went north for hunting". When Zhao Gou crossed the south, there were only one thousand Qin Bingren around him. However, through various methods, he quickly mobilized personnel to defend the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River, and laid the foundation for the Southern Song Dynasty. Jia Zhiyang's "Wild Aristocrats-Family History of the Emperor in Song Dynasty" commented: "The revival of Song Dynasty was due to Zhao Gou's escape." If he didn't run away, but died in the north, something worse might happen.
Professor Zhu Ruixi, the former president of China Song History Society, believed that although he insisted on making peace with Jin, he was the leader of the capitulators, but he also organized and directed the war against Jin. After Song Gaozong established the Southern Song Dynasty, it still used the name and official date of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, Song Gaozong's merits and demerits are mixed and cannot be completely denied.