The Song Dynasty (960-1279) was a dynasty in Chinese history. According to the changes in capital and territory, it can be further divided into the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, collectively known as the Two Song Dynasties. Because the king's surname was Zhao, and it was the Southern Song Dynasty (Liu Song) that was different from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was also called "Zhao Song". And because the Five Virtues are said to be the beginning and end of the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was called the Fire Virtue, so it was also called the "Fire Song" and the "Yan Song". During the Song Dynasty, the northern regimes of Khitan and Xixia were called the "Southern Dynasty" because the Song Dynasty was located to the south. Xixia was specifically called the "Eastern Dynasty" because the Song Dynasty was located to the southeast.
The Song Dynasty was founded by Song Taizu at the end of the Five Dynasties. Zhao Kuangyin launched a mutiny, seized the throne of the Zhou Dynasty and established the Yuan Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty unified the vassal towns, the two emperors Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and Taizong Zhao Guangyi launched the only few rounds of Northern Expeditions in the Song Dynasty. Since then, the Song Dynasty has generally adopted a policy of focusing on internal affairs and neglecting external affairs. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhao Kuangyin, in order to avoid the tragedy caused by the separatist rule of vassal towns and frequent eunuch interference in politics, transferred military power to the central government, adopted a national policy of advocating civility and restraining military force, and adopted the strategy of transferring generals and commands. The impact of this national policy was far-reaching: on the one hand, the Song Dynasty had few powerful courtiers who disrupted the government, and its economy, science and technology were developed, and its culture was extremely prosperous; on the other hand, it also caused the Northern Song Dynasty to be weak in military armaments and frequently lost to foreign invaders from the north. The Song Dynasty suffered repeated setbacks in its use of troops against Xixia and Khitan [Note 9]. The Jingkang Disaster occurred in 1126-1127. Emperors Hui and Qin were both captured by the Jin people. The Song Dynasty was forced to move south to Lin'an (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang). It was bounded by the Huaishui River and Dashan Pass with the invading Jin State, and was known as the Southern Song Dynasty in history. The Song Dynasty during the period when the capital was previously established in Bianliang was called the Northern Song Dynasty. In 1276, the capital Lin'an fell, and the Southern Song Dynasty died under the Yuan Dynasty established by the Mongolian Khan Kublai Khan. Empire.
Relatively speaking, the Song Dynasty was the most prosperous era of economy, culture and education in ancient Chinese history. According to research, China’s total GDP in the Northern Song Dynasty was 26.55 billion US dollars, accounting for 22.7% of the world’s total economy.
With the revival of Confucianism, the society was filled with the spirit of respecting teachers and Taoism. Science and technology also developed rapidly (see Song Dynasty Science and Technology for details). Politics was also more open and clean. In the end of the Song Dynasty, there were no serious eunuch chaos, local separatism, or mutiny. The number and scale of civil unrest were relatively small in Chinese history. The population increased from 32.5 million in the fifth year of Taiping and Xingguo (980) to 112.75 million in the fourth year of Daguan (1110). The famous historian Chen Yinke said: " The culture of the Chinese nation has evolved over thousands of years and reached its peak in the Zhao and Song Dynasties. "There are many people in Western and Japanese historians who believe that the Song Dynasty was the Renaissance and economic revolution in Chinese history. Unlike the dynasties before the Song Dynasty, the Zhao and Song Dynasties were established through military coups rather than force. The founding monarch of the Song Dynasty Zhao Kuangyin was originally the commander of the imperial army in the Later Zhou Dynasty. Due to his outstanding military exploits, he was trusted by Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty and became his right-hand man. In the sixth year of Xiande (959), Emperor Shizong died and was succeeded by Emperor Gong, who was only 7 years old. During the Spring Festival of the seventh year of Xiande (960), Zhao Kuangyin's party members created false information about the Liao Dynasty going south. At that time, Zhou Prime Minister Fan Zhi urgently ordered Zhao Kuangyin to lead his army out of the city to defend against the enemy. 3. Zhao Kuangyin arrived at Chenqiaoyi and was stationed there. When he was sleeping soundly that night, his generals put yellow robes on him (yellow robes were added to his body). He shouted "Long live" and was hailed as the emperor. He was 33 years old and was the empress of Song Taizu. When Zhou Tingchen learned that the city was empty, he had no choice but to admit the reality. Later, Emperor Gong of Zhou Dynasty was forced to abdicate. area), so the country was named "Song", its capital was Kaifeng, and it was changed to the first year of Jianlong in the Yuan Dynasty. In the first year of Jianlong, Zhao Kuangyin defeated the rebels of Li Jun and Li Chongjin in the north and south. In the second year of Jianlong (961). In July of the same year (969) and in October of the second year of Kaibao (969), he followed Zhao Pu's advice and "released his military power over a glass of wine" twice, sending the heavily armed generals Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi, Gao Huaide, Zhang Lingfeng, Zhao Yanhui, Luo Yanhuan and other local military commanders were deprived of their military command rights and assigned to civilian officials, and all military and financial power were centralized in the central government. This allowed the Song Dynasty to avoid the separatist situation of vassal towns in the Tang Dynasty. It also led to the reduction of local military resources, making the Song Dynasty always at a disadvantage in foreign wars.
After the political power was stabilized, Zhao Kuangyin set out to eliminate the remaining separatist regimes of the Five Dynasties and unify the world.
After discussing with Zhao Puxue Ye, Zhao Kuangyin decided to use the strategic order of first south and then north. He would first conquer the six economically prosperous southern countries to consolidate national power, and then turn around and attack the Khitan north to vassal the Northern Han Dynasty. He first implemented the plan of pretending to be Yu and destroying Guo, attacking and destroying the separatist regimes of Jingnan and Hunan, and then destroyed the three kingdoms of Hou Shu, Southern Han and Southern Tang. Zhao Kuangyin wanted to restore the northern territory of the Tang Dynasty and set up a seal warehouse to store money and cloth in order to redeem the sixteen states of Yanyun betrayed by Shi Jingtang from the Liao people in the future. In August of the ninth year of Kaibao (976), he made another northern expedition, but died suddenly on October 19 of that year, leaving an eternal mystery and the great cause of unification temporarily halted. His younger brother Zhao Guangyi came to the throne as Taizong of the Song Dynasty.
After Taizong stabilized his throne as emperor, he continued the cause of unification. Later, Chen Hongjin, who separatized Zhangquan Prefecture in Fujian, and Qian Shijia, who separatized Wuyue, surrendered. Taizong sent his general Pan Mei to the north to besiege Taiyuan, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty, repelling the Liao reinforcements and destroying the Northern Han Dynasty, finally ending the nearly two hundred years of separatist feudal rule after the Anshi Rebellion. In May of the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo reign (979), Taizong ignored the opposition of his ministers and took advantage of the Northern Han Dynasty to launch the Northern Expedition from Taiyuan. At the beginning of the Northern Expedition, Yizhou and Zhuozhou in Hebei were recovered. Taizong was so satisfied that he ordered the siege of Yanjing. The Song army and the Liao people launched a fierce battle on the banks of the Gaoliang River [see 10]. Taizong went to the battlefield in person, but was wounded by an arrow. He evacuated in a panic on a donkey cart, and the Northern Expedition failed. Seven years later, in the third year of Yongxi (986), Emperor Taizong sent five generals, Pan Mei, Yang Ye, Tian Zhong, Cao Bin, and Cui Yan, to divide into three routes: east, middle and west, with the east route as the main route for the Northern Expedition. The West and Middle Route armies advanced smoothly, but the main force of the East Route Army was repeatedly defeated by the Liao army, and the grain road was cut off. In the end, it failed to join the Central and Western Routes, and was defeated and collapsed at Qigou Pass. The Central and Western Routes also had to withdraw southward. Yang Ye, the leader of the West Route, was captured by the Liao army for covering the southward retreat of soldiers and civilians. He went on a hunger strike for three days and died in prison. After that, the Northern Song Dynasty repeatedly failed in the battles of Sanchuankou, Haoshuichuan, and Dingchuanzhai against the Xixia Dangxiang tribe. However, because it was tired of war, it negotiated peace with the Song court. In February of the fourth year of Chunhua (993), a peasant uprising launched by Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun broke out in Sichuan. Wherever the rebel army went, they distributed all the property of wealthy families except daily necessities to the public, which was echoed by the farmers in Shu. In the first month of the following year, the rebel army occupied Chengdu and established the Shu regime. After Taizong learned about it, he sent two armies to fight against it. The rebel army finally failed completely in the second year of Zhidao (996). Several defeats at the frontier defenses and the outbreak of rear uprisings prevented the Northern Song Dynasty from further expanding its territory, and Taizong's governance had to shift to emphasizing internal affairs while neglecting external affairs. Taizong himself was arty and fond of poetry, so the government paid special attention to cultural undertakings, and the Song Dynasty's emphasis on education began. Taizong was fond of calligraphy, and was good at six calligraphy styles: cursive, official, running, seal, Bafen and Feibai. He was especially good at Feibai script. The Chunhua Yuanbao, the currency of the Song Dynasty, was also inscribed by Taizong himself.
The incident of Taizong's accession to the throne is very strange. It was caused by the "sound of candle shadow and axe". In order to ensure the legitimacy of the regime, Zhao Guangyi put forward the theory of his mother, Empress Dowager Du's last order, that is, the "Golden Chamber Alliance" ". The Golden Chamber Alliance originated when Empress Dowager Du summoned Zhao Pu to the palace to record her will when she was dying. She said that after Zhao Kuangyin's death, he would be passed down first to his younger brother Guangyi, then to Guangmei (later renamed Tingmei), and then to Dezhao (Zhao Kuangyin's eldest son). . This suicide note was hidden in the Golden Chamber, so it was called the Alliance of the Golden Chamber. However, Taizong forced Taizu's sons Dezhao and Defang to death successively, and demoted Tingmei to Fangzhou. Tingmei died in the exile two years later. Taizong's eldest son Yuanzuo was deposed because he sympathized with Tingmei, and his other son Yuanxi died violently. Finally, King Xiang Yuankan was established as the prince and renamed Heng [see 12]. In the third year of Zhidao (997), Emperor Taizong died, and Empress Li and the eunuch Wang Jien attempted to establish Yuan Zuo as emperor. Lu Duan, the prime minister at the time, handled the situation properly, and Zhao Heng successfully ascended the throne, and the temple was named Zhenzong. The Song Dynasty began to enter a period of stability and stability.
Zhenzong followed the Huang-Lao politics in the last years of Taizong and did nothing. Since Yongxi's Northern Expedition, the Liao Kingdom has often looted and killed at the junction of Song and Liao. By the first year of Jingde (1004), it finally evolved into a large-scale invasion of the Song Dynasty [see 14]. Prime Minister Kou Zhun advocated the war of resistance. As a result, Zhenzong personally conquered the Song Dynasty. The morale of the Song army was greatly boosted. The Song army held a stalemate with the Liao army at the gate of Chanzhou, and the Liao army sued for peace. After several negotiations, the two countries successfully negotiated a peace. The main content of the peace treaty is: Song Dynasty will give Liao 20,000 pieces of silk and 100,000 taels of silver every year. The two sides are countries of brothers. This peace treaty is known as the "Chanyuan Alliance" in history.
The views of the past dynasties were dominated by critics, who believed that Zhenzong's strategic goal of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun was not achieved, and that the military victors had to pay huge sums of money to the defeated to buy peace every year, which was very humiliating. Those who affirmed believed that repelling the southern invasion was a victory in itself. The economic development of the Song Dynasty was not a huge contract burden, and it was difficult to say that it was an alliance under the city.
Kou Zhun gradually fell out of favor and was eventually dismissed. Zhenzong began to trust the sycophant Wang Qinruo. Wang Qinruo was good at flattery and knew that Zhenzong hoped that the world would present a peaceful atmosphere, so he joined forces with another prime minister Wang Dan to create "auspicious" images in various places and vigorously advocated Zhenzong's enthronement of Zen, which won the Zhenzong's intention. In the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008), Zhenzong consecrated Zen three times in one year, which seriously damaged the people's power [see 16]. Zhenzong and his queen, Liu, had no children. Zhenzong occasionally visited Liu's maid Li, and in the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1010), Li gave birth to a son, Zhao Youyi, who later became Renzong. Later, Mrs. Liu and another concubine, Mrs. Yang, raised the child together. In the Mid-Autumn Festival of the second year of Tianxi (1018), Zhenzong officially made Zhao Youyi the crown prince and changed his name to Zhao Zhen. On February 20, the first year of Qianxing (1022), Zhenzong died. Prince Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, and Queen Liu was honored as the Queen Mother, acting as the agent for military and state affairs before Renzong came of age. From then on, Empress Dowager Liu's eleven-year period of listening to politics behind the curtain began [see 17]. In the early days of Renzong's reign, he had been under the shadow of the Liu family. It was not until Liu's death that he was able to realize his ambitions
After Li Yuanhao of Xixia became emperor in the third year of Daqing (1038), the outbreak between Song and Xia lasted for several years In the war, the Song army suffered repeated defeats. The Song-Xia War mainly went through five periods, namely the Song Renzong-Xia Jingzong period, the Song Yingzong-Xia Yizong period, the Song Shenzong-Xia Huizong period, the Song Zhezong-Xia Chongzong period, and the Song Huizong-Xia Chongzong period. The defeat of the Song army gave the Liao State the opportunity to put pressure on them, which led to the Chongxi Incident [see 19]. After the Song-Xia War went unfavorable, Renzong dismissed Prime Minister Lu Yijian and appointed famous ministers such as Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, and Han Qi to implement the Qingli New Deal, which achieved good results. Bao Zheng was appointed to manage the capital and Yushitai. On the border, he appointed general Di Qing to put down the rebellion of Nong Zhigao of the Southern Barbarian Zhuang tribe and the provocation of Xixia. The Northern Song Dynasty entered the most prosperous stage since the founding of the country. However, some conservative figures accuse these reformist officials of forming cliques and touting each other as cronies. Renzong had always disliked court officials forming cliques for personal gain. Many of these New Deal officials were later demoted to local officials, and this was the end of the short-lived Qingli New Deal.
After Renzong died, Yingzong Zhao Shu came to the throne. He is the grandson of Shang Wang Zhao Yuanfen, the younger brother of Zhenzong. In the seventh year of Jiayou's reign (1062), he was established as the crown prince. Yingzong was often ill, and the government was initially in charge of the Empress Dowager Cao. It was only after May of the first year of Zhiping (1064) that Emperor Yingzong took charge. The Pu controversy broke out only half a month into the Ying clan's pro-government, and the controversy lasted for eighteen months. The cause was that Prime Minister Han Qi brought up the issue of the identity of Yingzong's biological father, and the court was divided into two factions. One group believed that Yingzong's biological father, King Pu, should be called Huangbo, and the other group believed that Yingzong's biological father, Prince Pu, should be called Huangbo. In the end, Empress Dowager Cao issued an edict to call the emperor Kao, which settled the controversy. Overall, Yingzong was a promising monarch. He continued to appoint capable ministers from the previous dynasty, and also boldly discovered new talents. Yingzong attached great importance to the compilation and editing of books, and Zizhi Tongjian was initiated by Yingzong.
After the death of Yingzong, his eldest son Shenzong Zhao Xu came to the throne. During Shenzong's reign, the system established in the early Song Dynasty had caused many abuses, people's livelihood had deteriorated, and Liao and Xixia in the north were eyeing it. Therefore, Shenzong was determined to reform. Shenzong appointed the famous reformist minister Wang Anshi to implement the new law and appointed him as a counselor in political affairs. The new laws promoted by Wang Anshi include equalization of transportation, green crops, exemption from labor, market changes, Baojia, Baoma, equalization of taxes on square fields, etc. However, the implementation of the new law encountered strong resistance from conservatives led by Sima Guang. Coupled with the continuous natural disasters, Shenzong's determination to implement the new law was shaken [see 22]. In the seventh year of Xining (1074), there was a severe drought in the north. Official Zheng Xia presented a picture of the upper classes to Shenzong. The scene in the picture was so horrific that Shenzong was greatly shocked. The next day, Shenzong ordered the temporary suspension of eighteen new laws such as Qingmiao, Fangtian, and exemption from military service. Although these decrees were soon restored, distrust began to develop between Shenzong and Wang Anshi. In April of the seventh year of Xining, Wang Anshi was dismissed as prime minister for the first time and went out to Jiangning Mansion. Later, Lu Huiqing, an official in the reform faction, acted recklessly, and Wang Anshi was reinstated and returned to Beijing, but he was still firmly obstructed by the conservatives.
In June of the ninth year of Xining (1076), Wang Anshi's eldest son passed away. Wang Anshi took the opportunity to resolutely request a retreat. Shenzong resigned from the throne in October. Since then, Wang Anshi has not been involved in worldly affairs.
Later generations have very polarized views on Xining's new law, but there is no doubt that the implementation of the new law was far less effective than expected. Although the implementation of the new law has greatly increased the country's fiscal revenue and cultivated land area, it has seriously increased the burden on civilians. The military reforms of Xining's new law were limited to treating headaches and feet, with no significant improvement in the military's combat effectiveness. In addition, Wang Anshi was determined to seek innovation and implemented more than ten reform measures that took a long time to "digest" within a few years, which put the reform in a dilemma of haste and waste [see 24]. Moreover, in the later stages of the implementation of the new law, the deviation between the provisions and the implementation effect has become larger and larger, and some measures have changed from benefiting the people to disturbing them. Improper employment of personnel during the implementation of the new law was also the reason why the people lost support in the end. The reformists such as Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu, Li Ding and Cai Jing were all people whose character was controversial and were regarded as villains. Regarding this reform in history, Huang Renyu once commented: "Nine hundred years before us, China had attempted to control national affairs through financial controls, the scope and depth of which had not been proposed elsewhere in the world. But modern finance is an all-encompassing It is an all-powerful organizational force that encompasses all aspects of its rule and cannot compete with other factors similar to it."
After Wang Anshi was dismissed, Shenzong continued the reform project, which was called "Yuanfeng Reform". Although Yuanfeng's restructuring and the Xining Reform were both called the "Xifeng New Law", their intensity could not be compared with that of the Xining Reform. After the restructuring, the national power gradually became stronger. Shenzong shifted his focus to foreign invasion, determined to eliminate Xixia in one fell swoop to eliminate foreign aggression. In May of the fifth year of Xining (1072), Shenzong began his western expedition and achieved a great victory, which greatly inspired Shenzong's confidence. Nine years later, in April of the fourth year of Yuanfeng (1081), a coup occurred in Xixia. Shenzong used this opportunity to conquer Xixia again, not wanting to suffer a disastrous defeat. As a result, Shenzong became ill. At the beginning of the first month of the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Shenzong appointed his sixth son Zhao Mei as the crown prince. Although the new laws promulgated by Shenzong were briefly abolished by his mother, Empress Dowager Gao, they were soon restored one after another, and many of them were used until the Southern Song Dynasty [see 26]. After the collapse of Emperor Shenzong, Empress Dowager Gao stayed behind the curtain to listen to the affairs of state and strictly controlled Zhezong Zhao Xu [Note 12] who had just ascended the throne. Empress Dowager Gao trusted the conservatives headed by Sima Guang and ignored Zhezong. As a result, a serious dispute between the old and new parties was triggered, for the Yuanyou party. After Zhezong came to power, he denounced the old party and gave credit to the new party, thus continuing the reform cause.
Zhezong left no heirs. After his death, his younger brother Zhao Ji [Note 13] came to the throne as Huizong of Song Dynasty. Huizong was fond of pen and ink, painting, horse riding, etc. since he was a child. He loved to have fun and had no interest in government affairs. Zhao Ji lived a luxurious and intoxicated life. He liked to visit brothels. He listened to the Taoist priests and built a large-scale construction project. He built Wansui Mountain in the northeast corner of Kaifeng, later named Genyue, with an area of ??more than ten miles. Among them, Furong Pond, Cixi and other resorts, pavilions, pavilions, birds and animals. Huizong set up the Yingfeng Bureau and the Zaozuo Bureau in the Suzhou-Hangzhou area on the Liangzhe Road to collect exotic flowers and stones in the south, which became the Flower and Stone Guide, which aroused public resentment and led to civil unrest [see 28]. In the first year of Chonghe (1118), the Yellow River overflowed, and Hebei and Jingdong roads suffered floods. The refugees were displaced and unable to make a living. Songjiang in Huainan launched a civil uprising, and the rebel army occupied several counties in Jingdong, Huainan, and Hebei for a time. Two years later, in the second year of Xuanhe (1120), thirty-six uprising leaders including Song Jiang accepted the imperial court's invitation to peace, and the uprising ended. On the ninth day of October (November 1) of the same year, Fang La held an uprising in Qingxi, Muzhou (now northwest of Chun'an, Zhejiang Province). Farmers from all over the country responded to the uprising, and soon the number grew to tens of thousands. Within three months, the rebels occupied more than 50 counties in six prefectures of Zhejiang and Zhejiang. In the first month of the following year, Huizong sent Tong Guan to conquer south, and repeatedly defeated the rebels, and finally captured Fangla alive in July.
Huizong was a little in charge of the government affairs, and all government affairs were handed over to the court officials headed by Cai Jing, who were known as the Six Thieves at the time. In the name of restoring the new law, Cai Jing imposed party bans and excluded dissidents. The day after Cai Jing came to power, he issued an edict prohibiting Yuanyou's law, which was known as the Yuanyou traitor case. As a result, all upright ministers were excluded from the political center. Huizong himself was very happy about his success. When he saw that the Liao Kingdom was attacked by the Jin Kingdom, in the spring of the first year of Chonghe (1118), he sent an envoy Ma Zheng to cross the sea from Dengzhou to the Jin Dynasty. The two sides agreed to attack the Liao Dynasty together, and the Northern Song Dynasty was responsible for attacking "Nanjing" and "Xijing" of the Liao Dynasty. After the destruction of the Liao Dynasty, the land of Yanyun returned to the Song Dynasty, and the old coins given to the Liao Dynasty by the Song Dynasty were paid to the Kingdom of Jin.
This is the maritime alliance. However, the Song army was severely defeated by the Jin army. The Jin army took advantage of the victory and plundered the population of Yanjing and returned to the north, and seized the three prefectures of Ying, Ping and Luan.
In the seventh year of Xuanhe (1125), the Jin army divided into east and west routes and went south to attack the Song Dynasty. Zhao Ji was shocked and turned pale, and later passed the throne to his son Qinzong Zhao Huan according to Li Gang's suggestion. Qinzong ascended the throne in tears, hesitating between war and war, and in desperation, he activated Li Gang to defend Tokyo. Li Gang temporarily resisted the Jin army. In the first year of Jingkang (1126), the Jin army went south for the second time and divided its troops into two groups to take Kaifeng directly. Kaifeng City was besieged by the Jin army. Diseases were prevalent in the city, and many people died of starvation and disease. On Bingchen day of the eleventh month (January 9, 1127), due to Guo Jing's mischief, Wanyan Zongwang, Wanyan Zonghan and other generals broke into the city and captured the two emperors Huizong and Qinzong of the Song Dynasty. On February 6, the second year of Jingkang (March 20, 1127), Jin kidnapped thousands of people including concubines, princesses, nobles, clan wives, clan wives, and singing girls, to the Five Kingdoms City of the Jin Kingdom (now Yilan County, Harbin, Heilongjiang) [Note 14] , deposed the Hui and Qin emperors and demoted them to common people, which is known as the Jingkang Change in history [Note 15]. The abducted female family members were either tortured to death by the Jin soldiers in turn, or were thrown into the laundry house (Jin Guoguan brothel) to be prostitutes for life, or were taken as concubines by the Jin people. The Jin people insulted the two emperors Hui and Qin in the Five Kingdoms City, and named Huizong "Hunde Gong" and Qinzong "Chonghunhou". In the end, both of them died in a foreign land. After the Jin Dynasty conquered the Northern Song Dynasty, it supported Zhang Bangchang and Liu Yu and established two puppet regimes, "Da Chu" and "Da Qi".
History of the Southern Song Dynasty
The imperial court captured many members of the Song Dynasty clan during the Jingkang Incident, but Kang Wang Zhao Gou was spared. In the second year of Jingkang (1127), Zhao Gou went south from today's Hebei to Yingtianfu, Nanjing (today's Shangqiu, Henan) and ascended the throne as Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, changing the Yuan Dynasty to Jianyan. After that, Zhao Gou traveled all the way south, crossed the Huaihe River and crossed the Yangtze River. In the third year of Jianyan, he changed Jiangning Prefecture to Jiankang Prefecture (today's Nanjing City) as the capital, and called it "Eastern Capital". In the first year of Shaoxing (1131), Hangzhou was promoted to Lin'an Prefecture (today's Hangzhou City) as the "Xingzai". In the eighth year of Shaoxing, Lin'an was officially designated as the Xingdu, and Jiankang was changed to the Liudu. The Jin Dynasty also rushed southward, approaching Lin'an. Gaozong had no way to escape, so he had to escape into the sea and wandered along the coast of Wenzhou for four months. Due to the humid weather in the south and the heroic resistance of the soldiers and civilians of the Southern Song Dynasty, Wanyan Wushu, the commander-in-chief of the Jin Dynasty, withdrew his troops and returned north. When retreating north to Zhenjiang, the retreat was cut off by Song general Han Shizhong and forced into Huangtiandang. The Song army surrounded 100,000 Jin soldiers with 8,000 troops, and the stalemate lasted for forty-eight days. Finally, the Jin army opened a gap with fire attacks and was able to retreat north. On the way, they were defeated by Yue Fei in Jiankang, and they dared not cross the river ever since.
Among the "Four Generals of ZTE" in the Southern Song Dynasty, the most famous one is Yue Fei. Through the Northern Expedition, the Southern Song Dynasty regained the land of the puppet Qi regime supported by the Jin Dynasty. Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, was determined to negotiate peace due to various political reasons, and was always at odds with Yue Fei's intention of the Northern Expedition. In May of the tenth year of Shaoxing (1140), the Jin people tore up the peace agreement and invaded the south again. Due to the heroic resistance of the Song Dynasty soldiers and civilians, the Jin army's attacks in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Huaihe failed. In July, Jin general Wushu failed to attack the south, so he turned to attack Yancheng, but was defeated by Yue Fei. He turned to attack Yingchang, but was defeated by Yue Fei. The Yue Family Army took advantage of the victory and pursued it all the way to Zhuxian Town, which was only forty-five miles away from Kaifeng. Wushu fled Kaifeng, and rebels from all over the north responded one after another. The Jin people looked south and sighed, "It is easy to shake the mountains, but it is difficult to shake the Yue Family Army." At this moment, Emperor Gaozong won twelve gold medals in a row to urge Yue Fei to lead his army, and the achievements of the Northern Expedition were ruined. In November of the eleventh year of Shaoxing (1141), the Song and Jin Dynasties reached a written "Shaoxing Peace Agreement", and the two countries were bounded by the Huaishui River and Dashan Pass [see 34]. The Song Dynasty ceded most of Tangzhou, Dengzhou, Shangzhou, and Qinzhou that were recovered by Yue Fei, and paid an annual tribute of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 pieces of silk to the gold. On New Year's Eve at the end of December (January 27, 1142), Zhao Gou and Qin Hui killed Yue Fei, his son Yue Yun, and general Zhang Xian in Lin'an (today's Hangzhou) on "unfounded" charges [Note 16]. The "Shaoxing Peace Treaty" was realized, and the coffin of Song Gaozong's biological father Huizong and his biological mother Weishi were sent back to the Southern Song Dynasty
Gaozong appointed Qin Hui as prime minister. Qin Hui advocated resistance to the Jin Dynasty during the Jingkang period, but was later robbed by the Jin people. In October of the fourth year of Jianyan (1130), Qin Hui returned south. Because he pursued a surrender policy, he was in close agreement with Gaozong. Qin Hui became deputy prime minister in just three months after returning to the court, and became right prime minister in eight months.
Because Qin Hui vigorously advocated "South from South, North from North" [Note 18], he was in conflict with Gaozong at the time [Note 19] and was dismissed by Gaozong a year later. After resigning as prime minister, Qin Hui kept a low profile and waited for the opportunity to move. In May of the eighth year of Shaoxing (1138), Emperor Gaozong reinstated Qin Hui as the right prime minister. After Qin Hui came to power, he persecuted officials who disagreed with him, married relatives, and made friends with internal ministers. Emperor Gaozong acquiesced to Qin Hui's actions. Qin Hui later became very powerful, which aroused Gaozong's alarm. Gao Zong personally issued an order to make Qin Hui's grandson lose the first prize. Qin Hui's power declined day by day. In the twenty-fifth year of Shaoxing (1155), Qin Hui fell seriously ill and planned to let his son take over the position, but Gaozong rejected it and died soon after.
After Qin Hui's death, Emperor Gaozong attacked the remaining parties and re-employed surrender officials. Gaozong was infertile, so he chose his successor from two of Taizu's descendants, Zhao Yuan and Zhao Xu. In the end, Zhao Yuan won. In the thirty-second year of Shaoxing (1162), Zhao Yuan was established as the prince and changed his name to Zhao Yu. In the thirty-first year of Shaoxing (1161), Jin Emperor Hailing King Wanyan Liang invaded the south, but was repelled by Yu Yunwen in the quarrying battle. At this time, civil strife broke out in the Jin Kingdom, the Jin Emperor Hailing King was killed, and the Jin army returned north. This incident made Gaozong want to retreat. In June of the 32nd year of Shaoxing, the fifty-six-year-old Emperor Gaozong issued an edict to abdicate, and Prince Zhao Yu [Note 20] ascended the throne as Emperor Xiaozong. He called himself the Supreme Emperor and lived in Deokshou Palace. After Gaozong became the Supreme Emperor, he indulged in pleasure and spent a lot of money. On October 8, the fourteenth year of Chunxi (1187), Gaozong passed away.
After Xiaozong came to the throne, he reformed the government and tried to restore it. The Song Dynasty entered a period of relative revival. Xiaozong vindicated Yue Fei's unjust imprisonment, appointed war-fighting figures, and determined to regain the Central Plains. In April of the first year of Longxing (1163), Xiaozong ordered Li Xianzhong, Shao Hongyuan and others to send troops to the Northern Expedition. The Northern Expedition was successful for a time, but due to the discord among the generals and their underestimation of the enemy, it failed in only twenty days. After that, Xiaozong had no choice but to negotiate peace with Jin. In December of the second year of Longxing (1164), Song and Jin formally signed a peace agreement, which was called the Longxing Peace Agreement in history. However, Xiaozong still wanted to restore the Central Plains and continued to rectify his armaments. However, due to the death of a group of war-fighting generals such as Yu Yunwen, the Northern Expedition came to nothing. In terms of internal affairs, Xiaozong actively rectified officialdom, eliminated redundant officials, punished corruption, strengthened centralization of power, and paid attention to agricultural production. Generally speaking, the internal political situation of the Song Dynasty has improved. After Gaozong's death, Xiaozong became increasingly indifferent to politics, and finally decided to give way to his son Zhao Dun [Note 21], also known as Guangzong. Guangzong suffered from mental illness soon after he came to the throne and was very disrespectful to Xiaozong. In July of the fifth year of Shaoxi (1194), Xiaozong passed away
Guangzong was jealous by nature and did not trust the ministers of Xiaozong Dynasty. Therefore, he became increasingly crazy two years after he took the throne. After Xiaozong died of illness in July of the fifth year of Shaoxi, Guangzong refused to mourn. Lin'an City was in chaos and the situation was unstable. The clan members Zhao Ruyu and Zhao Yanyu secretly planned to establish a new king. Finally, the Empress Dowager issued an edict, and Guangzong was enshrined as the Supreme Emperor. In 1195, his son Zhao Kuo ascended the throne as Ningzong and changed his name to Qingyuan. Six years later, Guangzong died. According to historical records, Ning Zong was "unintelligent" and had a low IQ. Ningzong was controlled by two powerful ministers, Han Kanzhou and Shi Miyuan
Internal and external troubles
In the early days of Ningzong, Zhao Ruyu was appointed prime minister. Zhao Ruyu himself has good political integrity. However, because there was no precedent for serving as a prime minister in the royal family and it was unethical, and Han Kanzhou fanned the flames, he was eventually dismissed from the position. Folks in the Southern Song Dynasty still miss him very much, and there are poems and essays in memory of him on the gate of Lin'an every day. In order to completely eliminate Zhao Ruyu's influence, Han Yuzhou banned the Qingyuan Party in the name of academics and called Neo-Confucianism "pseudo-study". At that time, most of the ministers who believed in Neo-Confucianism in the DPRK were opposed to Han Xuanzhou, and Han Xianzhou took this opportunity to expel all these scholar-bureaucrats from the court. In the sixth year of Qingyuan (1200), Han Zhouzhou saw that Neo-Confucianism was no longer a threat and lifted the party ban. The party was unpopular, so in order to win over the scholars, Han Zhouzhou used the name of the Northern Expedition to deceive people [see 39]. In the second year of Kaixi (1206), Han Yuzhou rashly launched the Kaixi Northern Expedition, which soon failed. The failure of the Northern Expedition made Han Yuzhou the target of public criticism. Political enemy Shi Miyuan used this opportunity to form an alliance with the peace faction and the Korean opposition. The Jin people also made Han Yuzhou's death one of the conditions for peace talks. On November 3, the third year of Kaixi (1207), Shi Miyuan and others forged a secret decree and killed Han Yuzhou. From then on, the period of Shi Miyuan's dictatorship began. Shi Miyuan colluded with Queen Yang and took full power.
Ning Zong originally had eight sons, but they all died in infancy, so he made Zhao Hong, the son of King Yi, the crown prince. Zhao Hong was very dissatisfied with Shi Miyuan's dictatorship, so Shi Miyuan deposed Prince Zhao Hong and made Zhao Yun the heir to the throne. On the third day of the intercalary month in the seventeenth year of Jiading (1224), Ning Zong died and Zhao Yun ascended the throne as Lizong. After Lizong came to the throne, Shi Miyuan continued to rule as a dictator, and Zhao Yun followed the policy of Tao Hui. In October of the sixth year of Shaoding (1233), Shi Miyuan died. Lizong finally got rid of Shi Miyuan. The following year, he changed his name to Duanping and implemented a series of reforms, which is known as "Duanping Genghua" in history. Lizong dismissed Shi Miyuan's old party, and the government was improved for a time. At that time, the Jin Dynasty was facing subjugation under the pressure of the Mongol Empire. The foreign policy of the DPRK and China was also divided into two groups. One group believed that the Mongols should be united to fight against the Jin Dynasty; Meng made Jin become the vassal screen of Song Dynasty.
In December of the fifth year of Shaoding (1232), Mongolia sent envoys to discuss the cooperation between Song and Mongolia to attack the Jin Dynasty. Since the main force of the Jin Dynasty had been annihilated by the Mongolian army in the "Battle of Sanfeng Mountain", the country was on the verge of subjugation. Most of the ministers in the Song Dynasty agreed to unite with Mongolia to destroy the Jin Dynasty, and only Zhao Fan opposed it. Lizong agreed to Mongolia's request, and Mongolia also promised to return Henan to the Song Dynasty after destroying the Jin Dynasty. However, the oral agreement between Mongolia and Song Dynasty did not leave any written documents, laying the foundation for future troubles. Jin Aizong learned that he also sent envoys to the Song Dynasty to state his interests, hoping to unite against Mongolia, but Lizong refused. Lizong appointed Shi Songzhi to be in charge of extinguishing money. In the sixth year of Shaoding (1233), the Song army captured Dengzhou. In May of the first year of Duanping (1234), Caizhou was conquered, Jin Aizong hanged himself, and the Jin Dynasty was destroyed. Song general Meng Gong brought the remains of Jin Aizong back to Lin'an. Lizong enshrined the remains of Jin Aizong in the Taimiao Temple to comfort the spirits of Hui and Qin sects in heaven.
After the fall of the Jin Dynasty, the Mongolian army withdrew to the north, leaving Henan empty. Lizong intended to seize the pass (Tongguan) and guard the river (Yellow River), and recover the three capitals (Kaifeng in Tokyo, Luoyang in Xijing, and Guide in Nanjing). Recover the Central Plains. In May of the first year of Duanping (1234), Lizong appointed Zhao Kui as the commander-in-chief and Quan Zicai as the vanguard, and issued an edict to send troops to Henan. On June 12, Quanzi regained Nanjing. On July 5, the Song army entered Kaifeng. However, due to lack of food and grass, they missed the opportunity to attack Luoyang and were ambushed by the Mongolian army, causing heavy losses. All Song armies were defeated across the board. The "Duanping Invasion into Luo" failed. The Song Dynasty suffered heavy losses in this battle, and a large number of elite soldiers and materials were wasted. It also provided an excuse for the Mongolian invasion of the Song Dynasty. After "Duan Ping entered Luo", Lizong neglected political affairs and indulged in sensuality, causing great damage to the government.
In the second year of Duanping (1235), three Mongolian armies invaded the Sichuan-Shaanxi Fourth Road, Jinghu North Road and Huainan West Road respectively, but were all repelled. The Mongolian army was not reconciled. In September of the following year and again in the third year, the Mongolian army divided into three groups and invaded the south on a large scale, with the forward approaching the north bank of the Yangtze River. Because the Song army fought bravely and defeated the Mongolian army, it once again thwarted the Mongolian army's attempt to occupy the Sichuan-Shaanxi Fourth Road and cross the Yangtze River south. Then, under the command of the anti-Mongolian generals Cao Youwen, Wang Jian, Meng Gong, Meng Ying, Yu Jie, Zhang Yu and others, the soldiers and civilians of the Southern Song Dynasty defeated the Mongolian army many times, forcing them to take a detour. In the first year of Kaiqing (1259), Mongolian Khan Mengge was wounded by a stray arrow from the Song army and died in the army while fighting in Hezhou. His younger brother Kublai Khan was fighting the Song army in Ezhou. When he heard the news of Meng Ge's death, he also learned that his younger brother Alibu Ge was preparing to proclaim himself khan in Helin and was preparing to withdraw his troops to compete for the position of Great Khan. Song minister Jia Sidao took the opportunity. Negotiate peace with Kublai Khan to ensure peace. Kublai Khan returned to the north and established himself as Khan.
Li Zong's two sons died young, so Zhao Yu [Note 22], the son of his younger brother Zhao Yu Rui, was chosen as the crown prince. Because his mother had taken abortion herbs during pregnancy, Zhao Fu was born with deficiencies. In June of the first year of Jingding (1260), Lizong issued an edict to establish Zhao Fu as the crown prince. On December 26, the fifth year of Jingding (1264), Lizong died and Zhao Yu came to the throne as Du Zong. After Zhao Fu came to the throne, he ignored the government affairs, and the right prime minister Jia Sidao took advantage of it. Jia Sidao formed a clique for personal gain and rejected dissidents. He spent all day playing with his wife and concubines in the Geling villa. Because he was aggressive with crickets, people at the time called him the "Cricket Prime Minister." He forbade Du Zong to know about the frontline war. Three years after Xiangyang and Fancheng were besieged, Du Zong learned of this. In the seventh year of Xianchun (1271), Kublai Khan founded the country in Zhongdu (now Beijing), named "Dayuan", and established the Yuan Dynasty. On July 9, the tenth year of Xianchun (August 12, 1274), Du Zong died at the age of 35.
After the death of Song Duzong, his eldest son Zhao Xi came to the throne. At that time, the Song Dynasty had entered a state of paralysis. In the spring of the first year of Deyou (1275), the Yuan army captured the important military towns of Anqing and Chizhou, threatening Jiankang, and the Yangtze River defense line collapsed. There was a great earthquake in the government and the public, and all walks of life hoped that Jia Sidao would go out to fight. As a result, the Song army was defeated and Jia Sidao was demoted. On his way to his post, he was killed by the prison officer Zheng Huchen. On November 20th of the first year of Deyou, Changzhou fell, and the Yuan army massacred the city. Soon Pingjiang also fell, and people in Lin'an were panicked. On the fifth day of February in the second year of Deyou (1276), a surrender ceremony was held in Lin'an City. Zhao Xi abdicated and the Southern Song Dynasty died. However, Zhao Xi's younger brothers Zhao Shi and Zhao Bing were protected by ministers and escaped from Lin'an.
Zhao ascended the throne in Fuzhou as Duanzong and changed to Yuan Jingyan (1276). However, internal struggles continued in the small court. In November of the first year of Jingyan, the Yuan army approached Fuzhou. On November 15, court ministers Chen Yizhong and Zhang Shijie escorted Zhao Shi and Zhao Bing to escape south by boat. From then on, the small court could only travel by sea. towards. In the spring of the third year of Jingyan's reign (1278), the small court arrived in Leizhou. On April 15th, Zhao Shi, who was only eleven years old, passed away. Lu Xiufu and other ministers supported Zhao Bing as emperor and changed the name to Yuan Xiangxing (1278). Under the fierce attack of the Yuan army, Leizhou fell and the small court moved to Yashan. General Zhang Hongfan of the Yuan Army followed closely behind and launched a general attack on Yashan. The Song army was unable to fight and was defeated across the board. This is known as the Battle of Yashan in history. Zhao Bing, along with Lu Xiufu and more than 800 members of the Zhao and Song royal family, collectively jumped into the sea and committed suicide. At this point, the Song Dynasty royal family was completely wiped out. Zhang Hongfan carved on the stone wall the twelve characters "Zhang Hongfan, the great general who controlled the country, destroyed the Song Dynasty here" and returned it. The Song Dynasty was completely destroyed here. The naval battle at Yashan was extremely brutal. It is estimated that one hundred thousand Song troops were killed in this battle, and the sea was full of corpses. Wen Tianxiang, who was in Yuanying, witnessed the tragedy in person and wrote a poem: "When Jie came to the South China Sea, people died in chaos. The fishy waves broke the heart, and the strong wind blew the hair." In addition, according to the "Stele Inscription of the Songhuangtai Site in Kowloon" in Songwangtai Park According to records, during the period when Emperor Bing fled south, "there is the tomb of Mrs. Jin, who is said to be the daughter of Empress Dowager Yang [Note 25], a princess of Jin who first drowned in water and then cast a gold body for burial." She was buried in today's Kowloon City District , known as "Mrs. Jin's Tomb". Later, due to the construction of Holy Trinity Church on the site, "Mrs. Jin's Tomb" was also disappeared.