Diqin Designer

Chapter 494 The Treaty of Chanyuan and the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai (History of the Northern Song Dynasty)

As the saying goes, "A cowardly soldier is a coward, but a cowardly general is a coward." What's more, if the emperor himself is cowardly, the consequences can be far more severe than if the general is cowardly.

Li Nian said, "After Zhao Heng ascended the north city wall, the Song soldiers were greatly encouraged to see the emperor at the front. Historical records state: 'All the troops shouted 'Long live the emperor!' The sound could be heard for dozens of miles, and their morale was a hundred times higher.' Little did they know that if it weren't for Kou Zhun and others, Zhao Heng would have fled long ago!"

Feng Jie spoke up for Zhao Heng this time, saying with a smile, "It's already commendable that Zhao Heng had the courage to go to the North City and climb the city tower; there's no need to be too demanding."

Indeed, Zhao Heng was far better than the great calligrapher in not abandoning his post and running away. Although Zhao Heng was also cowardly, at least he still had the courage to face the Liao people and fight them.

Li Nian said, "In this battle, the Liao army mobilized a large force, but the Liao army's offensive was not smooth and was completely different from the Liao people's original strategic plan. Their deployment of a large army this time was actually intended to annex the Northern Song Dynasty. Even if they could not annex it, they would still make the Northern Song Dynasty suffer and gain greater benefits than when they attacked the Song Dynasty before."

"But now they are being desperately blocked by the Song army, and their strategic plans have been thwarted. Not only have they suffered heavy losses, but the Liao army's commander-in-chief was also killed by the Song army with a crossbow at the front line of Chanzhou, which greatly dampened their morale. Moreover, the Liao army made a big mistake in this campaign against the Song, a mistake that Zhao Guangyi also made in the Battle of Gaoliang River."

After a moment's thought, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Meng Tian understood what Li Nian meant by being wrong: the Liao army had penetrated too deep into Song territory, putting them in a dangerous situation.

Zhao Guangyi made the same mistake when he personally led the Song army to Youzhou. He went too deep into the territory and failed to capture Youzhou after a long siege, which turned Youzhou into a siege city that trapped the Song army.

Such wars of conquest either require a steady and gradual advance to destroy the enemy state, or a swift and decisive push to crush the enemy's defenses with overwhelming force.

While a steady and methodical approach may be slow, it is reliable. However, its drawback is the high cost, which gives the enemy time to adjust and respond, turning the situation into a contest of national strength between the two sides.

The concept of a rapid advance is to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, quickly maneuver to break through the enemy's defense lines, and destroy the enemy. A quick victory saves costs.

The disadvantage of a swift victory is that the offensive must proceed smoothly and cannot be blocked. Once discovered and blocked by the enemy, it becomes extremely dangerous, because a swift advance requires rapid penetration into enemy territory to complete the strategic plan.

Once blocked, due to being too deep into enemy territory and having an overstretched battle line, they could easily be surrounded by enemy troops, and their food supply would also be problematic.

Wang Ben laughed and said, "The Liao people's intention in attacking the Song Dynasty this time was to quickly march and destroy it, but they were blocked by the Song army, and the Liao army has been put on the defensive!"

Meng Tian also laughed and said, "This is because the Liao people do not take the Song people seriously, believing that their large army will be able to sweep away the Song army with overwhelming force and take over the Northern Song Dynasty."

Now it was the Liao army's turn to suffer. Their offensive was blocked by the Song army, and they could not continue to advance.

They wanted to retreat, but they were worried about being pursued and killed by the Song army during the retreat. If not handled properly, the retreat would turn into a major defeat, and it might even turn into the Song army taking advantage of the victory to launch a northern expedition and destroy their Liao Kingdom.

Neither advancing nor retreating is feasible, because they need provisions and weapons, but they have penetrated too deep into Song territory. If their supply lines are cut off by the Song army, the entire army could be wiped out.

In contrast to the Liao army, the Song army, as the defender, had much easier access to supplies in the area, which was Song territory. The Song army did not even need to fight the Liao army head-on; as long as they could hold off the Liao army, preventing them from advancing or retreating, the Liao army would collapse on its own.

Wang Jian said, "This is a strategic opportunity for the Song army. If the Song army can seize it, they will have a chance to severely damage the Liao army, recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and even possibly overthrow the Liao."

Even if the Liao Kingdom cannot be destroyed immediately, it is still very possible to severely damage the Liao army and reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Unfortunately, the Song army failed to seize the opportunity created for them by the Liao army.

Li Nian smiled and said, "Kou Zhun also judged that the situation was favorable to Song. This was an opportunity for Song to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. Kou Zhun advised Zhao Heng to demand that the Liao people submit to him and return the Youyun region, otherwise he would fight the Liao people to the death."

"On the Liao side, Emperor Shengzong Yelü Longxu and his mother Empress Xiao also realized that their situation was very dangerous. Originally, the mother and son did not want to seek peace, but now they were eager to seek peace with the Song."

The First Emperor and others already knew the next developments of this battle. Wang Wan said, "Then, Kou Zhun's advice was ignored by Zhao Heng, and Zhao Heng negotiated a peace treaty with the Liao people? Zhao Heng ruined the great situation."

What kind of people are these? They have no strategic vision or foresight whatsoever. The enemy created an opportunity for them, but they didn't know how to seize it. Luckily, Zhao Heng isn't their emperor!

Li Nian said, "Zhao Heng believed that the Song army and the Liao army had mixed results in their battles, and dared not risk continuing to fight the Liao army. He only hoped that the Liao army would withdraw as soon as possible."

Meng Tian shook his head and said, "There is no need to fight the Liao army to the death. We only need to hold them back, preventing them from advancing or retreating, and the Liao army will collapse on its own."

There was clearly no need for fierce fighting; all that was needed was to defend and contain the Liao army to prevent a fierce counterattack before their collapse. Yet Zhao Heng was unwilling to take even that risk, and it's no wonder he couldn't reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

If his father, Zhao Guangyi, had seen this, he would probably have wanted to strangle Zhao Heng. He hadn't had such an opportunity during his two campaigns against Liao, but now Zhao Heng had it, and this bastard had given it up.

Li Nian laughed and said, "But Zhao Heng just didn't want to fight anymore. He wanted to negotiate peace with the Liao people. He didn't even put himself in the position of the victor. The Song army was clearly in a great position on the battlefield and had the upper hand, but in Zhao Heng's peace negotiations, it was as if he had lost to the Liao people."

"Zhao Heng rejected Kou Zhun's demand that the Liao people submit to him and return the Youyun land. Instead, when he sent the envoy Cao Liyong to negotiate peace with the Liao people, he told Cao Liyong: 'Anything under one million is acceptable.' In other words, he could give the Liao people one million taels of silver annually in exchange for peace."

The First Emperor and others were at a loss for words. No wonder Li Nian looked down on the Song Dynasty. They would have thought that the Song Dynasty was a defeated country and the Liao Dynasty was a victorious country, and that the Song Dynasty was groveling and paying reparations to the Liao Dynasty.

Even though the Song Dynasty clearly had the upper hand and the Liao army was in a critical situation, they took the initiative to seek peace with the Song Dynasty.

Even after winning the war, Zhao Heng still has the nerve to pay reparations to the defeated nation? Does he even know how to spell the word "shame"?

But there's no limit to how outrageous it can get!

Li Nian continued, "When Kou Zhun learned of the matter of the annual tribute, he privately approached Cao Liyong and said, 'Even though there is an imperial edict, your promise should not exceed 300,000. If it exceeds 300,000, I will execute you.'"

"Later, Cao used the opportunity to negotiate with the Liao people and reached a peace treaty with them, paying 300,000 taels of silver annually."

Feng Jie said speechlessly, "Given the Liao people's situation at the time, even if they didn't pay annual tribute, they would still negotiate peace with the Song."

The initiative to negotiate peace was actually in the hands of the Song Dynasty. It was the Liao people who urgently needed peace, and it was not the Song Dynasty that wanted to make the Liao people pay reparations and cede territory. However, Zhao Heng managed to come up with the idea of ​​paying annual tribute to the Liao people.

Yelü Longxu and Empress Dowager Xiao were probably prepared to be ripped out of their bodies by the Song people, but instead, Zhao Heng took the initiative to send them tribute. The mother and son must have been laughing in their sleep: This Song emperor is truly a great benefactor!
Li Nian said, "After Cao Liyong returned, he went to the temporary palace to see Zhao Heng. Zhao Heng asked how much the annual tribute was. Cao Liyong refused to answer, but instead pinched his cheek with three fingers. Zhao Heng thought it was three million taels of silver and exclaimed, 'Too much!'" Meng Tian said disdainfully, "He knows too much?"

But after a while, Zhao Heng said again, "Let's just leave it at that!"

It can get even more outrageous. I really underestimated Zhao Heng.

If Zhao Heng was already like this, then what kind of "hero" was the even more outrageous calligrapher that Li Nian mentioned, who was even more outrageous than Zhao Heng?
The emperors of the Zhao Song dynasty were indeed a group of talented individuals, each one more outstanding than the last.

"According to the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Song Dynasty had to pay the Liao Dynasty an annual tribute of 200,000 bolts of silk and 100,000 taels of silver. The Liao and Song Dynasties agreed to be brother states, and Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelü Longxu, honored Zhao Heng as his elder brother. In this respect, the Song Dynasty gained a slight advantage."

"Besides this, the Song and Liao dynasties demarcated their borders and did not establish additional border defenses on either side..."

Apart from the annual tribute clause, the other treaties of the Treaty of Chanyuan seemed quite good, but Meng Tian and the others felt something was off. They quickly realized that this shouldn't be a peace treaty signed by a country that had the upper hand!

"After the Treaty of Chanyuan was signed, Zhao Heng always regarded it as one of his achievements and was often proud of it."

Wang Jian said, "Can you be proud of a humiliating treaty?"

Doesn't Zhao Heng have any self-awareness?
Li Nian laughed and said, "But one day, a Song official named Wang Qinruo enlightened Zhao Heng, saying, 'A treaty made under duress is shameful according to the Spring and Autumn Annals. The Battle of Chanyuan was a treaty made under duress. For someone of such high status as the emperor to make a treaty made under duress, what could be more shameful!' This immediately displeased Zhao Heng!"

Feng Jie laughed and said, "Although the Treaty of Chanyuan was shameful, Wang Qinruo may not have been trying to enlighten Zhao Heng out of kindness."

Li Nian nodded and said, "That's right! Wang Qinruo was one of the ministers who suggested that Zhao Heng move the capital before he personally led the expedition. He pointed out to Zhao Heng that the Treaty of Chanyuan was a disgrace, not an achievement. He did not speak out of loyalty, but rather he wanted to use this matter to bring down Kou Zhun."

"Kou Zhun was a great contributor to the Battle of Chanyuan. If it weren't for his strong persuasion to Emperor Zhao Heng to personally lead the army, the Song Dynasty might not have gained the upper hand. During the Chanyuan Peace Treaty, he also reduced the annual tribute to 300,000, which can be considered a great achievement. Therefore, after the Treaty of Chanyuan, Kou Zhun was highly valued by Emperor Zhao Heng."

The First Emperor and others quickly understood the underlying meaning. Meng Tian said, "If Wang Qin pointed out to Zhao Heng that the Treaty of Chanyuan was a disgrace, then Kou Zhun, who had contributed to the Treaty of Chanyuan, would no longer be considered to have contributed, but rather to have committed a wrong!"

Wang Ben raised an eyebrow and said, "Even if the Treaty of Chanyuan was a disgrace, what does it have to do with Kou Zhun? Kou Zhun did not ask Song to pay tribute to Liao, but instead asked Liao to become a vassal state and return Youyun. It was Zhao Heng who was determined to make peace with Liao."

Li Nian said, "That's true, but Zhao Heng gradually distanced himself from Kou Zhun because of Wang Qinruo's words. After hearing Wang Qinruo's words, Zhao Heng also felt that the Treaty of Chanyuan was indeed not very honorable, so he asked Wang Qinruo what could be done to wash away this shame?"

"Wang Qinruo guessed that Zhao Heng abhorred war, so he deliberately said to Zhao Heng: 'Your Majesty, only by taking Youyan by force can you wash away the shame.'"

Feng Quji said, "Wang Qinruo is a treacherous and wicked minister. If Zhao Heng listens to his words, he will surely make a mistake!"

Li Nian said, "Wang Qinruo guessed Zhao Heng's thoughts very accurately. Zhao Heng said, 'The people of Hebei have just been spared from war, how can I do this? We should consider other options.'"

"Only then did Wang Qinruo reveal his true intentions: 'Only by performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai can we subdue the four seas and show off to foreign countries. However, since ancient times, the Fengshan ceremony has required extraordinary and rare celestial omens to be performed.' He then added: 'How can celestial omens be guaranteed? In previous dynasties, there were instances of human intervention, but only when the ruler deeply believes in and reveres them, to demonstrate this to the world, can it be considered no different from celestial omens.'"

It was this scoundrel who instigated Zhao Heng to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

When the Liao people attacked, this scoundrel didn't try to figure out how to defend himself; instead, he urged Zhao Heng to move the capital and flee.

After the Liao army withdrew and the Treaty of Chanyuan was signed, out of jealousy of Kou Zhun, he jumped out to sow discord between Kou Zhun and Zhao Heng, and even proposed that Zhao Heng perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. Knowing that Zhao Heng's merits were not enough for the Fengshan ceremony, he even suggested using artificial auspicious omens to make up for it.

Zhao Heng shamelessly agreed. What merits did he have that warranted the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai?
"After that, Zhao Heng, together with Wang Qinruo and others, began to create auspicious omens and perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. For example, the reign title he changed to 'Dazhong Xiangfu' was because he had seen a divine person who told him that a heavenly book had been descended to earth."

"Therefore, in the tenth month of the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era, Zhao Heng went to Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan ceremony!"

The First Emperor's face darkened. The imperial Fengshan ceremony, which he initiated, had been marred by the presence of such a shameless individual, making him feel that the Fengshan ceremony had become tainted.

No wonder later capable emperors didn't care whether or not they went to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony. This guy broke the rules, making the originally lofty, sacred and solemn Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony suddenly become nothing special.

It's as if the First Emperor could foresee the thoughts of future emperors; the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai isn't that lofty and sacred, even someone like Emperor Zhenzong of Song could go.

If we were to describe the First Emperor's mood at this moment in words, it would be "bad luck." He and Mount Tai had stepped in a pile of dog shit called "Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Zhao Heng."

Li Nian noticed the First Emperor's expression. The First Emperor usually kept his emotions hidden, but at this moment he showed displeasure, clearly disgusted by Zhao Heng's actions.

What kind of person is Zhao Heng? What achievements did he have? Does he even deserve to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai?
Li Nian said: "Zhao Heng not only went to Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan ceremony, but also went to worship other gods, worshipped Houtu in Fenyin in the west, fabricated the ancestor of the Zhao clan as 'Zhao Xuanlang, the True Lord of the Nine Heavens,' changed the posthumous title of Confucius to 'Supreme Sage Wenxuan King,' and went to Taiqingguan in Bozhou to worship Laozi Li Er, and bestowed upon Laozi the title of 'Supreme Lord Laozi Hunyuan Emperor.'"

"Zhao Heng was quite superstitious and spent a great deal of money on this matter. For example, the cost of the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai alone was more than eight million strings of cash, while the annual tax revenue of the Song court at that time was only more than twenty million strings of cash."

Having heard about Zhao Heng's outrageous deeds, the crowd was not particularly surprised that he had used one-third of the national treasury for the Fengshan ceremony.

"In order to enshrine the 'heavenly book' 'bestowed' by the 'divine man', Zhao Heng built the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace in Kaifeng. It is said that this palace had 2,610 rooms and took seven years to build, costing the Song court two years' worth of tax revenue."

"Zhao Heng's superstition about ghosts and gods was so deep that it reached the point of obsession. When a locust plague appeared, instead of actively trying to prevent it, Zhao Heng believed that the Song Dynasty was protected by the gods and that the gods would descend to earth to help him eliminate the locust plague."

This is no longer just ordinary superstition; it's superstition to the point of madness, where people truly immerse themselves in it.

"The officials of the Song Dynasty saw through Zhao Heng's thoughts and began to cater to his preferences. Some local officials reported that locusts were afraid of Zhao Heng's divine power and committed suicide one after another; locusts changed their diet and only drank water and did not eat crops; locusts even wisely chose the place to commit suicide so as to make things convenient for people."

After hearing Li Nian's words, Meng Tian said, "Such outrageous words, did Zhao Heng really believe them?"

Although Zhao Heng's story is absurd, he wasn't like Emperor Hui of Jin, who had a congenital intellectual disability. You wouldn't believe it, would you?

(End of this chapter)