When the Song Dynasty was founded, it was called the Northern Song Dynasty, and its capital was Bianliang (now Kaifeng City). Later, Song Huizong and Song Qinzong were captured by the Jin Dynasty. Zhao Gou fled from the north to the south of the Jin Dynasty. Later, he re-established the Song family and made Hangzhou the capital. It was called the Southern Song Dynasty in history.
The Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty were mainly famous for the north-south geographical location of their capitals.
The Northern Song Dynasty was a feudal dynasty founded mainly by the Han people in Chinese history. Its capital was Kaifeng (now part of Henan). Its founder was Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin.
The Northern Song Dynasty was a powerful and prosperous dynasty in Chinese history. It was established by Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, in 960 AD. From the time when the government moved southward in 1127 AD, it was called the Northern Song Dynasty and its capital was Kaifeng. The establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty ended the fragmented situation that had formed since the end of the Tang Dynasty and reunited China. However, due to the strength of the Liao, Jin, Xixia and other countries at the same time as the Song Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty regime was always under threat from foreign nations. Among them
In the sixth year of Zhou Xiande after the Five Dynasties (AD 959), Zhou Shizong Chai Rong died of illness, and the seven-year-old Emperor Gong succeeded to the throne. Zhao Kuangyin, who was in charge of inspection in front of the palace and returned to the German army as military envoy, took control of the military power. At the beginning of the first month of the following year, Zhao Kuangyin launched a mutiny in Chenqiaoyi (now Chenqiao Town, southeast of Fengqiu, Henan), led his army into Kaifeng, forced Emperor Zhou Gong to abdicate, and seized the throne. After Zhao Kuangyin came to the throne, he still made Kaifeng the capital, changed the name of the country to Song Dynasty, and was known as the Northern Song Dynasty in history. After more than ten years of southern and northern expeditions, Zhao Kuangyin eliminated the resistance of the vassal forces in the Later Zhou Dynasty and destroyed the separatist regimes of Jingnan, Houshu, Southern Han, and Southern Tang. After Emperor Taizong Zhao of the Song Dynasty came to the throne, he recruited money from Wu and Yue to surrender and pacify the Northern Han Dynasty. Therefore, since the Anshi Rebellion, the feudal warlord separatist situation of more than 200 years has basically ended. The territory of the Northern Song Dynasty was bordered by the sea in the east and south, bordering the Liao Dynasty on the north by Jinhai River, Baxian County in Hebei Province, and Yanmenguan in Shanxi Province, bordering Xixia and Tubo on the northwest by Baiyu Mountain in Shaanxi, eastern Gansu, and northeastern Qinghai, and Vietnam on the southwest.
The Nine Emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty lasted for one hundred and sixty-eight years. This historical period of more than 160 years can be divided into three periods: the former, the middle and the latter.
The early period (960 AD - 997 AD) was the reign of Song Taizu and Song Taizong. During this period, the rulers of the Northern Song Dynasty, in addition to their efforts to end the separation and separatism of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, also focused on reforming the political, military and economic systems to ensure the long-term stability of the Song Dynasty's rule. Its main reform measures include: First, military reform. The duties of inspection and deputy inspection in front of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Forbidden Army were cancelled. The imperial court established a Privy Council to be in charge of mobilizing the army, but it did not have the power to command troops. The three commanders' power to command troops and the Privy Council's power to mobilize troops have clear responsibilities, restrict each other, and are directly responsible to the emperor. The army implements garrison changes, regular changes of defense, and frequent transfers of generals to prevent officers and soldiers from "pro-party cliques." The second is administrative reform. The prime minister has several political advisors, privy envoys, and three secretaries under him to divide his military, political, and financial powers so that the prime minister cannot monopolize power. For the Jiedushi who dominates one side, the method of "seizing a little bit of their power, controlling their money and grain, and collecting their elite soldiers" is gradually transferred back to the capital from the local areas to serve as idle posts. Their original prefectures and counties are controlled by the imperial court, and civilian officials are appointed as prefects and magistrates. , directly responsible to the court. It is stipulated that the annual tax revenue of local finance, except for expenditure and expenditure, and all coins and the like should be "sent to the capital in chariots." After reforms, the authoritarian centralization of power in the Song Dynasty was strengthened. This creates favorable conditions for political stability, ending separatism and economic development. However, a high degree of centralization also brings negative consequences such as "strong trunks and weak branches", too little local authority, and weakened military combat effectiveness.
The middle period (998 AD - 1099 AD) was the period of reign from Song Zhenzong to Song Zhezong. This period was an important development stage in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty. The implementation of new economic systems such as the two-tax law, the labor service system and the tenancy system stimulated the enthusiasm of farmers for production. What followed was: increase in population, expansion of cultivated land, advancement in the production of iron tools, improvement in farming technology, doubling of crop types and output, etc. According to statistics, in the third year of Emperor Taizong's reign (AD 997), there were more than 5.23 million households in the Northern Song Dynasty. By the eighth year of Emperor Renzong's reign in the Song Dynasty (AD 1063), the number of households in the Northern Song Dynasty had exceeded 12.46 million.
In the second year of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty (AD 996), there were more than 300 million acres of cultivated land, and by the fifth year of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty (AD 1021), it increased to more than 520 million acres. The rapid development of agricultural economy promoted the development of handicraft industry and commerce. The shipbuilding, mining, textile, dyeing, papermaking, porcelain making and other handicraft industries in the Northern Song Dynasty surpassed those of the previous generation in terms of production scale and technology. The commercial market broke the old pattern, and trade in large and small towns was unprecedented. The emergence and widespread use of paper money was of epoch-making significance. This period was also a period of prosperity for science and technology and culture in the Song Dynasty. In particular, the development and application of the three world-famous inventions of the compass, printing and gunpowder were mainly during this stage. However, this period was also a period of increasingly serious social conflicts. The number of the army has increased sharply, the bureaucracy has become huge, and land annexation has intensified, resulting in the country's fiscal deficit year after year, leading to a situation of poverty and weakness. In response, the Song Dynasty government also tried to carry out reforms to reverse the crisis-ridden situation. The most influential reforms in the Northern Song Dynasty were the Qingli New Deal during the Song Renzong period and Wang Anshi's Reform during the Song Shenzong period. As a result, the two reforms had little effect, and the Northern Song Dynasty gradually declined.
The later period (1100 AD - 1127 AD) was the reign of Song Huizong and Song Qinzong. This period was the most decadent and dark stage of the Northern Song Dynasty. As social production was severely damaged, many farmers lost their money and had no way to make a living, and they revolted against the tyranny one after another. Among them, the uprisings led by Fang La and Song Jiang successively had the greatest influence. Internal worries are endless, and external troubles arise again. The Northern Song Dynasty had been at war with the Liao, Xia, and Jin Dynasties for a long time. Just as the war with Xixia ended, the Jin army marched southward again. In the first year of Jingkang (1126 AD), the Jin army captured Kaifeng. On February 6 of the following year, the Song Emperor was deposed and the Northern Song Dynasty died.
Economic conditions of the Northern Song Dynasty
The social economy in the Northern Song Dynasty was very developed and it was at the peak of China's feudal dynasty. The gross social and economic product of the Northern Song Dynasty reached 80% of the world's total at that time.
Agricultural Development
During the Northern Song Dynasty, agricultural production technology and promotion developed greatly. At that time, farmers in the south generally used keel tippers for irrigation. At the same time, drum trucks with greater operating power than keel tippers were also used to divert water uphill and irrigate mountain fields. Fan Zhongyan's "Waterwheel Ode" contains the sentence "Utensils are made by images, and water is controlled by wheels", which reflects this kind of wheeled cart with a wheel axle and driven by water power or ox power. The Northern Song government twice promoted the "treading plow" in areas where cattle were scarce. The "tread plow" is a better manual tool for turning soil. The efficiency of four or five laborers is equivalent to half that of oxen. This played a certain role in solving the difficulties of farming in areas with insufficient animal power. In the tombs of the Northern Song Dynasty, groups of iron farm tools are often found, such as plows, columbians, harrows, hoes, sickles, etc. Among them, there are many cultivating tools such as rakes and hoes, which shows that farmers attach great importance to intensive farming and increase the number of farming procedures. Farmers in the Northern Song Dynasty also paid great attention to fertilizer accumulation and fertilization. They have realized through long-term production practice that different manures should be applied due to different soil properties. The so-called "using feces is like using medicine". At that time, we also had some understanding of the relationship between the depth and density of crop planting and the level of yield. Monographs on agricultural production knowledge such as crops, agricultural instruments, agricultural books, and silkworm books have appeared one after another, reflecting the improvement of agricultural production technology. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, Pitang was built in the Hebei area, and a dike with a length of 600 miles was built, and bucket gates were set up to divert water from the lake for irrigation, planting rice, and achieving a bumper harvest. Part 1 of the Riverside Scene during the Qingming Festival
The achievements in water conservancy construction in the southern region are more remarkable, among which the larger ones include Hanhai Weir in Jiangbei, Hanhai Stone Pond in Zhejiang, Qiantang River Embankment, and West Lake. For example, the embankments of the Qiantang River were built many times before and after, and the ones built during the Zhenzong period were the most effective. In this construction, the experience of the Five Dynasties was absorbed. Stones were placed in bamboo cages and piled up to form a dike. Wooden piles were driven outside the dike to enhance the ability to block sea tide erosion. There were more than 1,000 hectares of fertile irrigated farmland in West Lake, but they were abandoned over the years. During Zhezong's reign, Su Shi served as the magistrate of Hangzhou and presided over the dredging project of the West Lake, which benefited the nearby farmland. In addition, Mulan Pi in Putian County, Fujian Province was also a famous project at that time. Mulanpi has a dam 80 meters wide, more than 10 meters high, and more than 160 meters long, which can block floods, store water, and drain irrigation, so that tens of thousands of hectares of farmland can maintain harvests despite droughts and floods. It is still very solid and fully demonstrates the wisdom and creativity of the working people.
Handicraft industry
During the Northern Song Dynasty, handicraft production made great progress.
At that time, the scale of various handicraft workshops and the level of internal division of labor exceeded those of previous generations. Production technology has developed significantly, and the types, quantity, and quality of products have greatly increased and improved. The most outstanding ones are the various porcelains from the Northern Song Dynasty. The porcelain of the Northern Song Dynasty was greatly improved compared to the previous generation in terms of output and production technology. At that time, kilns that fired porcelain were spread all over the country, and the porcelain they produced had their own characteristics. Guan Kiln (Kaifeng, Henan), Jun Kiln (Yuzhou, Henan), Ru Kiln (Ruzhou, Henan), Ding Kiln (Quyang, Hebei) and Ge Kiln (Longquan, Zhejiang) are the five famous kilns in the Northern Song Dynasty. The products of Guan kiln have fine and moist soil veins, thin body and green color, slightly pink, with different shades; Jun kiln has fine soil veins, five-color glaze with rabbit silk pattern; Ru kiln has both rouge and cinnabar, and the color glaze is clear; Ding kiln is famous for its white porcelain and can also make red porcelain, and its products are very exquisite; Ge kiln is rich in celadon, and its products are known as "thousand peaks of green color". During the Jingde reign of Emperor Zhenzong, an official kiln was set up in Xinping, Jiangxi. The tribute porcelain produced had the words "Made in the Jingde Year" written on the bottom. This became the Jingdezhen porcelain that later became famous both at home and abroad. Carving and painting patterns on porcelain was a new innovation in the Northern Song Dynasty. The patterns were carved with knives, embroidered with needle punch, and printed with plates. Cone flowers were chiseled into patterns with the tip of a cone, and flowers were piled into convex shapes with a pen dipped in powder. , and then apply white glaze. Song porcelain is not only a daily necessities, but also exquisite arts and crafts. Porcelain in the Northern Song Dynasty was shipped abroad in large quantities. In recent years, a large number of porcelain has been unearthed in various parts of Asia and Africa, proving that porcelain was an important export product at that time. Today, Song porcelain has become a famous artwork in ancient China and is well-known at home and abroad.
Mining and Smelting
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the mining and smelting of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and coal were quite large-scale. In Liguojian, northeast of Xuzhou, an important iron smelting center, there are 36 smelters and about 4,000 miners. Jiangxi Xinzhou (Shangrao) and its surroundings are rich in copper and lead. "More than 100,000 people are often recruited to dig day and night, yielding tens of millions of catties of copper and lead." Among the iron smelting sites in Fanchang, Anhui, there is a scrap iron pile about 2 meters high and covering an area of ??750 square meters, reflecting the scale of smelting at that time. On the basis of the expansion of mining and smelting scale, the number of products has greatly increased. Taking copper and silver as an example, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty paid more than 14 million jins of copper and more than 200,000 taels of silver per year. Calculated according to the two-tenths tax rate levied by the government, it can be inferred that the annual output is more than 70 million jins of copper and more than 1 million taels of silver. The output exceeded that of the Tang Dynasty several times. In addition, mining and smelting technology has also made great progress.
Water transport and shipbuilding
Kaifeng was the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. Southeast water transport was very important. Ships were an indispensable means of transportation. In addition, the prosperity of overseas trade promoted the progress of the shipbuilding industry. The government-run workshops mainly build tank boats, but also build ships, warships, troop transports, etc., while the private workshops manufacture merchant ships and pleasure boats. Taking watercraft as an example, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, the annual output reached more than 2,900 ships. The size and load capacity of ships in the Northern Song Dynasty were quite large. The large-scale ship built during Huizong's reign to go to Korea was called the "Shenzhou". It is estimated that it can carry more than 20,000 stones of cargo and has a load capacity of about 1,100 tons. Sea-going ships are all pointed-bottomed ships with "the upper side is as flat as a scale and the lower side is like a blade". They have the advantages of deep draft and strong resistance to wind and waves. The main mast on the seagoing ship is ten feet high, the headmast is eight feet high, and there are 110 sails. The whole ship is divided into three cabins, and the middle cabin is divided into four cabins. This kind of compartment waterproofing equipment is the first of its kind by Chinese shipbuilders. What is even more worth pointing out is that the compass had been used in navigation at that time, which was ancient China's great contribution to world civilization. In the Northern Song Dynasty, when the boat was sailing, the captain would watch the stars at night and the sun during the day. If it was cloudy, he would look at the compass.
Urban Development
The development of ancient Chinese cities took a new turn in the Northern Song Dynasty. Cities before the Northern Song Dynasty were generally divided into districts and cities, that is, residential areas and commercial areas were strictly separated. In the Northern Song Dynasty, with the development of the commodity economy and the increase of urban population, the boundaries between "fang" and "city" were completely broken. Stores could be opened anywhere and no longer centralized. Part 3 of the Riverside Scene during the Qingming Festival
Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, was the most prosperous city. There were many handicraft workshops in the city. The streets were lined with shops, hotels, and stalls, and it was very lively with people coming and going. The products on the market include department stores from all over the country, as well as various products from abroad. There are no restrictions on business hours. In addition to daytime operations, there are also night markets and dawn markets. There are also fixed markets and regular fairs in the city.
Among them, Daxiangguo Temple is open five times a month and is very large. "Wazi" (or "Washi") also appeared in the city, which contained "goulan" (singing and dancing venues), wine shops and teahouses, as well as storytellers and actors, becoming a center of entertainment. "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" painted by Zhang Zeduan of the Song Dynasty is an artistic reflection of the commercial prosperity of the city at that time. During the Northern Song Dynasty, due to the breakdown of the old workshop system, industrial divisions in the city gradually disappeared, so the status of guilds became more important and the organization became more rigorous. During the Tang Dynasty, the commercial areas of some cities expanded outside the city, called Cao Shi, and developed even more during the Northern Song Dynasty. There are also small markets that open regularly in rural areas. Those in the north are called markets, and those in the south are called markets or markets. In the trade in the grass market or market, agricultural products, cloth, bamboo, wooden utensils and other daily necessities account for the bulk, and there are also some transactions in production tools. Some grass markets, markets, and markets gradually developed into fixed towns based on developed exchanges. Towns are bridges between cities and villages, and their development is conducive to the prosperity of the commodity economy.
Money Transaction
With the development of commodity exchange in the Northern Song Dynasty, the currency circulation also increased significantly. During the Tianbao reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, 320,000 coins were minted every year, and from the time of Taizong in the Northern Song Dynasty, the number reached 800,000 coins per year. After that, it gradually increased, reaching more than 6 million guans in the sixth year of Xining of Shenzong (1073). In addition to copper and iron coins, gold and silver are also used as semi-circulating currencies. The collection of taxes, the payment of official salaries and foreign trade all use silver coins. There are gold and silver shops and exchange houses in big cities, which specialize in buying and selling gold and silver and exchanging currency. The proportion of silver in national tax revenue gradually increased, reaching more than 883,900 taels in 1021 (the fifth year of Tianxi) and 18.6 million taels in 1120 (the second year of Xuanhe). Although gold is in circulation, it does not occupy an important position.
Jiaozi - Currency of the Northern Song Dynasty
The Northern Song Dynasty also produced the earliest paper currency in China and the world - "Jiaozi". After the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty, iron coins were used in Sichuan for a long time. Because iron coins were heavy and inconvenient to carry, at the end of the 10th century AD, the so-called "Jiaozi Shop" appeared in the Chengdu market, and paper currency "Jiaozi" was issued to replace the iron coins. In the winter of the first year of Tiansheng of Renzong (1023), the government saw that issuing Jiaozi was profitable, so it took advantage of the endless lawsuits among businessmen to formally establish "Jiaozi Wu", changed Jiaozi to a government agency, and prepared 360,000 guan of iron money. Gold is issued regularly and the circulation area is still limited to Sichuan. During the reign of Emperor Huizong, Jiaozi was renamed "Qianyin" to expand the circulation area. However, the money was not prepared for capital and was printed in large quantities, thus becoming a great scourge to the people.
Commercial tax monopoly
Due to the development of commerce, the Northern Song Dynasty government paid special attention to commercial tax. Set up factories, offices and other institutions throughout the country to collect taxes specifically. There were two types of commercial taxes in the Song Dynasty: over-tax, worth two per hundred, and was imposed on merchants; residential tax, worth three per hundred, was imposed on businessmen. In addition to regular taxes, there are also miscellaneous taxes. With the prosperity of business, commercial tax has increasingly become one of the important financial resources of the government. During the reign of Zhenzong and Jingde, the commercial tax was only 4.5 million guan, and by the time of Renzong, it increased to 22 million guan. In order to collect more money, the Northern Song Dynasty government implemented a monopoly on salt, tea, wine, alum, etc., that is, the government controlled the production and monopolized the sales of these items. The implementation of the monopoly system in the Northern Song Dynasty made the feudal government benefit greatly, but it affected the normal development of private industry and commerce.
Political corvee
The political system of the Song Dynasty generally followed that of the Tang Dynasty. However, the prime minister was no longer held by the governors of the three provinces, but Tong Zhongshu Menxia Ping Zhangshi was appointed as the prime minister. A deputy prime minister was also added to participate in political affairs, which is commonly known as the ruling party. Together with the prime minister, it is called the "chief executive". The power of the prime minister in the Song Dynasty shrunk significantly, and he was only responsible for administrative functions. The Zhongshu family and the Privy Council are collectively known as the second government, and they have great civil and military power. There are also three departments of Salt and Iron, Household Department, and Duzhi, which are in charge of financial power and are known as the province of planning. In this way, the three divisions, the prime minister, and the privy council made the three powers check and balance each other, thus weakening the power of the prime minister and strengthening the imperial power. The Song Dynasty also established admonishment courts and admonishment officers in addition to the Yushitai. These are supervisory agencies responsible for matters such as impeachment. In order to strengthen centralization and prevent generals from seizing power. In March of the second year of Jianlong's reign, Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty eliminated the important position of the Imperial Guard. In July of the same year, Song Taizu released the military power of the military attache through a cup of wine. The leadership of the Forbidden Army was changed to the Palace Front Division and the Guard Division, which were respectively composed of the Palace Commander, the Infantry Commander and the Horse Army Commander (three commanders). handsome) commander. However, the three commanders have no right to send troops.
The Song Dynasty established a Privy Council in the central government to take charge of military affairs. The Privy Council was directly responsible to the emperor and no other officials were allowed to interfere. Although the Privy Council can send troops, it cannot directly command them. This leads to the separation of the power of commanding troops and the power of deploying troops. At the same time, the Song Dynasty frequently changed military commanders to prevent the emergence of personal forces in the army. The military deployment of the Song Dynasty can be described as "strong trunks and weak branches" and "defending the inside and leaving the outside weak". The army of the Song Dynasty was divided into four types, namely, the imperial army, the Xiang army, the rural soldiers, and the vassal soldiers. The Forbidden Army was the central army and the main force of the Song Dynasty army. The Xiang army is the town army of each state and is controlled by the local governor. The rural soldiers are strong men selected according to the organization. Fan soldiers are non-Han troops guarding the border. The agricultural material taxation system of the Song Dynasty roughly continued the two-tax law of the late Tang Dynasty, but added the Ding tax. The labor force was very heavy and burdened the people, so Wang Anshi implemented a service exemption law during his reform.
Literature and Art
The Northern Song Dynasty was full of celebrities in literature and art. The imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty gave literati a space for free development. Among them, the more famous literati include Wang Anshi, Fan Zhongyan, Sima Guang, Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu, etc. The poetry works of the Song Dynasty have also reached a very high level, and together with Tang poetry, they have become treasures of our country's classical literature and art. In the art of painting and calligraphy, Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" should be recommended first. This long scroll brought nearly 600 people to life by depicting the scenery of Bianjing and became an immortal masterpiece in the history of Chinese painting. The Northern Song Dynasty can be regarded as one of the most powerful feudal dynasties in Chinese history in terms of literature.
Science and Technology
During the Northern Song Dynasty, due to the unification of most areas of the country, some areas were relatively peaceful, so productivity and science and technology have made significant progress. Our country Among the four great inventions, movable type printing, the compass and gunpowder were produced and developed during this period. Due to the needs of war, gunpowder was used in military affairs for the first time in the Song Dynasty. Modern war weapons in Western countries were developed on the basis of the gunpowder manufacturing technology spread through West Asian countries during the Northern Song Dynasty.
Printing and papermaking
Engraving printing developed rapidly in the Northern Song Dynasty and was widely used to engrave books. The books engraved by the Imperial Academy were later called the imperial edition. Books printed by private bookstores are called Fangben. The capital Kaifeng, Hangzhou in Zhejiang, Jianyang in Fujian, and Meishan in Sichuan are all centers of the printing industry. There were many types of paper in the Northern Song Dynasty. Bamboo, rattan, mulberry, hemp, etc. were all raw materials for paper making. Sichuan's cloth-headed paper and cold-gold paper, Shezhou's Ningshuang and Chengxin, Xuanzhou's chestnut paper, Zhejiang's rattan paper, Wenzhou's fern paper, etc. are all famous varieties. Shezhou produces a kind of long paper, which is very finely made. A piece of paper is fifty feet long and can be evenly thin from beginning to end.
Silk Industry
In the Northern Song Dynasty, silk weaving still dominated the textile industry. There are many kinds of silk fabrics, with more than fifty kinds of silk and twenty-seven kinds of damask. Ke (engraved) silk from Dingzhou, Hebei Province uses silk threads of various colors to weave beautiful and lifelike flowers, plants, birds and animals. The thin strings from Shanzhou, Jingdong, each weigh only a hundred plants (four taels), and look like fog. These are silk treasures. The linen weaving industry is concentrated in the southeast region. Huainan, Jiangnan, Jinghu, Fujian, Guangnan and other roads all produce linen fabrics. Among them, the Zongbu from Huang, Yi, Yuan, Ji and other states, and the white cotton from Qianzhou, were the best-selling products in the market at that time.
External Relations
In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the opportunity to regain the sixteen states of Yanyun was lost. The Liao Kingdom maintained its dominant position as a long-term threat to the rule of the Song Dynasty. Moreover, the Xia Kingdom emerged in the Shaanxi-Gansu area at this time. The Northern Song government only knelt down and sued for peace with Liao and Xixia. At that time, the Song Army, the Liao Army, and the Xixia Army often fought, losing more than they won. Military inaction has brought about political and diplomatic weakness, and peace can only be achieved by ceding territory and paying indemnities. In the first year of Jingde's reign in the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty defeated the Liao Dynasty, and instead established the "Chanyuan Alliance", which stipulated that the Song Dynasty would donate 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 pieces of silk to Liao every year. In the second year of Renzong's Qingli reign, he added another 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 bolts of silk, and changed the word "gift" to "receipt." Later, during the reign of Shenzong, 700 miles of land in the east of Hedong (today's Shanxi Province) were cut. This policy of the Northern Song Dynasty was very similar to the policy and line of the six kingdoms towards Qin during the Warring States Period. Zhao Kuangyin gained power by launching a military coup. In view of the separatist rule of vassal towns in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, he implemented a series of measures to prevent the military generals from having too much power and the local armed forces from being too strong.
These measures not only greatly reduced the combat role of the Song Dynasty's army, but also seriously weakened the national defense power to resist foreign aggression. In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, internal and external difficulties caused some relatively enlightened rulers to demand reforms. The new policies of Song Shenzong Zhao Xu and Wang Anshi, an outstanding politician at the time, were successively implemented after 1069 AD. The new laws objectively conformed to the interests of farmers and small and medium-sized landowners, and relatively suppressed big bureaucrats, landlords and wealthy businessmen. But this struggle ultimately failed. And it later evolved into a struggle for power among bureaucratic groups, completely losing the meaning of reform. The disputes between the old and new parties continued until the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty. At the beginning of the twelfth century AD, the newly emerged Jurchen tribe behind the Khitan established the "Jin" Kingdom. After the Jin soldiers destroyed the Liao Dynasty in 1125 AD, they began to move south. The Northern Song Dynasty court had no intention of resisting. In 1127 AD, the Jin soldiers broke through Kaifeng and captured Huizong and Qinzong. Kaifeng was looted. This medieval period was a political, The largest city, the cultural and economic center, was completely destroyed.
The history of the Northern Song Dynasty has a remarkable feature, which is called "the king is bright and the ministers are good, but the country is weak." Since the founding of the country by Taizu and Taizong in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhenzong, Renzong, Shenzong, etc., until Huizong, there was no faint emperor, and every emperor was intelligent and diligent in political affairs. It stands to reason that the wise kings and good ministers of the Northern Song Dynasty should have made the country full of vitality and prosperous, but why did it backfire and lead to a "weak country"? The reason is actually related to the specific national conditions at that time.
From the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty by Taizu to the Renzong era, the bureaucracy was large, many people were eating imperial food, land annexation was serious, and social wealth was increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people. According to Han Feizi, the country is like a carriage, the monarch is like the driver, and the ministers are like the horses pulling the carriage. What is intriguing is that the enthusiasm of courtiers in the Northern Song Dynasty to ride a cart was much higher than that of pulling a cart. Although some virtuous courtiers who were willing to pull carts emerged among them. The coachman's driving skills were quite good, and he also hoped that the cart would run faster. Unfortunately, A broken carriage belongs to a good horse - the carriage is too broken, and there is something wrong with the national system, so that more and more horses are crowded into the carriage, and they have become all "car riders". Even if there is a driver whipping his whip to urge forward, the good horse pulling the cart will be overwhelmed. Even if he is exhausted, he will not be able to advance very far. In view of this, the Northern Song Dynasty has been committed to the cause of "repairing cars and reducing personnel" since Renzong. Especially in the era of Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, the emperor devoted all his efforts to support Wang Anshi's reform. In the imperial court at that time, no matter who it was, anyone who obstructed the reforms would be removed. Even noble and famous officials like Han Qi, Fu Bi, and Sima Guang were no exception. The determination could not be said to be weak, and the intensity could not be said to be weak. . However, the social evils are too long to be undone, and everyone is willing to ride in a car, which makes it difficult for the reform to be promoted. Wang Anshi's idea of ??reform and strengthening was not understood by the powerful class. Because of this, he offended many relatives and friends, including Ouyang Xiu, the literary leader who had introduced him and brought him into the political arena.
Among the ministers who opposed Wang Anshi's reforms, such as Han Qi, Fu Bi, Sima Guang, etc., their political ability, cultural accomplishment and personal morality are undoubtedly among the best in history. . However, the upper-class group they represent is too stingy and is unwilling to sacrifice any vested privileges or even give a little profit to the lower class in order to maintain the balanced development of the entire society. Their stinginess made the poor in the world even poorer at that time, and the abnormal tilt of society became more and more out of control. This resulted in a heavy burden on the country, a failure of vitality, unbearable suffering for the people, and the collapse of the government.
Wang Anshi tried to repair this broken car in the Northern Song Dynasty and reduce the number of passengers so that it could continue to be used. However, many upper-class dignitaries were unwilling to get off the car, and in order not to pay or pay less for repairs, Wang Anshi's resolute refusal to repair the car caused several setbacks in Wang Anshi's car repair plan, which eventually aborted. In 1127 AD, Wanyan Wushu led the Jin soldiers to the south, captured the Hui and Qin emperors, and destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty. Jin Wushu used a sledgehammer to smash this broken chariot to pieces. Although the driver and puller are no longer the original crew, who can help but say that this is not a tragedy in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty?
Studying history is to inform the future.
The history of the Northern Song Dynasty tells us that any social reform requires each participating class to have corresponding endurance. If only the common people are allowed to make sacrifices and the privileges of the powerful class are not touched at all, then this reform is destined to have no future. No matter how determined and courageous the reformers are, in the end they can only start out seriously and end up confused like Zhuangzi said about drinking. The tragedy of Northern Song Dynasty history is enough to illustrate this point.