Diqin Designer

Chapter 498 Zhao Zhen, a mediocre ruler who maintained the status quo (History of the Northern Song Dynasty)

“Nong Zhigao was a native of Youzhou, which is the present-day location of the Xiou and Luoyue tribes.”

"Although he was from Tangyou Prefecture, Nong Zhigao was active in Guangyuan Prefecture for a long time. Both Tangyou Prefecture and Guangyuan Prefecture were tributary prefectures established by the Northern Song Dynasty. Both prefectures were adjacent to Jiaozhi, so although they should have been under the jurisdiction of the Northern Song Dynasty in law, they were actually more influenced by Jiaozhi."

"Guangyuan Prefecture naturally offered tributes to Jiaozhi, but Jiaozhi was insatiable, causing great suffering to the people of Guangyuan Prefecture. Therefore, in the first year of the Qingli era, Nong Zhigao, the leader of the barbarians in Guangyuan Prefecture, could no longer endure the oppression and exploitation of Jiaozhi, so he established the 'Dali Kingdom' and raised an army to rebel against Jiaozhi!"

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor and others understood what had happened: Nong Zhigao was unwilling to endure the oppression of Jiaozhi, so he raised an army to rebel against Jiaozhi. In order to ensure a smooth confrontation with Jiaozhi, Nong Zhigao must have made contact with the Song Dynasty.

This was actually an opportunity for the Song Dynasty. They could use Nong Zhigao as a weapon to deal with Jiaozhi. Even if they couldn't destroy Jiaozhi, they could still bleed it dry and weaken it.

But Zhao Song most likely didn't do that. Not only did he give up the opportunity, but he also pushed Nong Zhigao to the opposite side, causing himself to fight with Nong Zhigao.

He was able to subjugate his vassal states to Jiaozhi, only to be oppressed by Jiaozhi and eventually fight against them.

The Song Dynasty is truly a complicated story...

As expected, Li Nian continued, "While fighting against Jiaozhi, Nong Zhigao requested to be incorporated into the Song Dynasty, but was refused by the Song. Nong Zhigao made this request not just once, but many times, but was refused by the Song Dynasty each time."

Meng Tian laughed and said, "The Song Dynasty didn't take him and Jiaozhi seriously at all, so why would they agree? Didn't Emperor Zhao Heng once say, 'The territory our ancestors expanded is already large enough; we should just hold onto the existing land. Why waste resources and manpower to covet those useless territories?'"

"In the eyes of the princes and ministers of the Zhao Song dynasty, Jiaozhi, Tangyou Prefecture, and Guangyuan Prefecture were probably all useless lands, not worth their attention?"

Li Nian also laughed and said, "It's not just that they think these places are useless lands and don't need to be valued, but also that they don't regard Nong Zhigao as a Song person, but as a barbarian. How could the Song Dynasty feel that it has anything to do with one barbarian fighting with another barbarian?"

The people of the Song Dynasty were good at reading Confucian classics and composing poems and lyrics, but they were narrow-minded, lacked a broad perspective, and had a short-term vision.

In this respect, it is far inferior to the Han and Tang dynasties, yet it still boasts that "Emperor Renzong's prosperous reign" far surpasses that of the Han and Tang dynasties. It is truly shameless!
Meng Tian sarcastically remarked, "Only when Jiaozhi and Nong Zhigao make them feel the pain will the Zhao Song dynasty wake up!"

Taking a long-term view and recognizing Nong Zhigao's value and the harm caused by Jiaozhi, the Song Dynasty could not ignore Nong Zhigao's request to submit to the Song Dynasty.

Even if they do not accept Nong Zhigao's submission, they can still secretly provide him with some support so that he can cause trouble for Jiaozhi.

However, the Song Dynasty maintained a cold and aloof attitude, ignoring Nong Zhigao's request to submit to the Song Dynasty, believing that Nong Zhigao's resistance against Jiaozhi was completely unrelated to them.

Li Nian continued, "After being attacked by Jiaozhi and repeatedly failing to be accepted into the Song Dynasty, Nong Zhigao made a bold decision: he would raise an army against the Song!"

"In the fourth year of the Huangyou reign, Nong Zhigao raised an army in Ande Prefecture to rebel against the Song Dynasty, and successively captured more than ten prefectures including Yongzhou and Guangzhou."

"This time, the Song Dynasty reacted quickly, sending troops to suppress Nong Zhigao!"

Upon hearing that Nong Zhigao had raised an army against the Song Dynasty, Meng Tian felt a strange sense of satisfaction. He thought, "That damned Song Dynasty deserves to be taught a lesson!" He said, "This war could have been avoided. Nong Zhigao could even have been used by the Song Dynasty, but they forced him to become their enemy! The Song Dynasty is a bunch of arrogant and short-sighted fools!"

Li Nian largely agrees with Meng Tian's assessment of the Song Dynasty as "shortsighted and arrogant." He believes that the Southern Song Dynasty may have been more restrained, but the Northern Song Dynasty was truly shortsighted and arrogant.

They were not arrogant or conceited, nor did they dare to boast that they were "unparalleled in history" or that "there has never been such a glorious achievement since the records of the Book of Poetry and the Book of Documents"...

A dynasty that couldn't even achieve unification has the audacity to look down on the Han and Tang dynasties.

"However, the troops sent by the Song Dynasty to suppress Nong Zhigao failed. The price paid for accepting Nong Zhigao's surrender and making him work for them was not as great as the price paid for suppressing Nong Zhigao."

"I wonder if those people in the Zhao Song dynasty regretted their actions after hearing that Nong Zhigao had raised an army in rebellion?"

Meng Tian laughed and said, "How could they regret it? They'll only be angry and resentful!"

Li Nian said, "Nong Zhigao's rebellion against the Song Dynasty shocked the Song court. After failing to suppress Nong Zhigao, Zhao Zhen appointed Di Qing as the Pacification Commissioner and led elite cavalry to suppress him. These cavalrymen were transferred back from the front line against the Western Xia and were the true elite of the Song Dynasty."

"This Di Qing is no ordinary man. He is a famous general of the Song Dynasty. He rose from a military background to become the Privy Councilor, the highest military commander of the Zhao Song Dynasty. Of course, in the environment of the Zhao Song Dynasty that valued civil affairs and suppressed military affairs, Di Qing did not have an easy time as the Privy Councilor. Instead, he had to be very careful."

According to some historical records, Di Qing had a former subordinate named Jiao Yong. One day, when Jiao Yong was escorting soldiers and passed by Di Qing's place, Di Qing invited him to stay and reminisce.

"But Jiao Yong's soldiers complained to the high-ranking official Han Qi that Jiao Yong 'requested punishment for misconduct,' and Han Qi then ordered Jiao Yong to be executed."

Upon learning this, Di Qing immediately went to Han Qi to plead for Jiao Yong: "Jiao Yong has rendered military service, good boy."

Han Qi scoffed at Di Qing's pleas for mercy, replying: "Those who emerge as top scholars outside Donghua Gate are good boys, how can this be considered a good boy?" He then killed Jiao Yong in front of Di Qing.

"In some records, Di Qing had already been promoted to Privy Councilor for his merit in suppressing Nong Zhigao, and was a key minister in the central government along with Han Qi. The reason why Han Qi wanted to kill Jiao Yong was not because Jiao Yong was corrupt, but because Jiao Yong paid his respects to Di Qing first and did not pay his respects to him first."

This one incident alone made the First Emperor and others realize the severity of the Song Dynasty's emphasis on civil administration over military affairs. Generals like Wang Jian and Meng Tian, ​​in particular, could better understand the frustration Di Qing felt at the time.

Di Qing had risen to the position of the highest military commander in the Song Dynasty, yet he still lost face when facing high-ranking officials who were civil servants.

They're just insulting you, calling you a soldier, saying you're not a real man. What can you do about it?

Do you have military merits?

That's useless! Only those who call out names at Donghua Gate are true men!

Li Nian added, "There is another rumor about Di Qing, which is related to his death. It is said that after Di Qing became the Privy Councilor, he became arrogant because of his merits, but he was very protective of his soldiers. Whenever the soldiers received rewards, they would remember Di Qing's contributions."

If we follow this logic, then Di Qing is very unwise. He doesn't know that Emperor Taizu of Song seized the throne through a military coup.
The more he was loved and respected by his soldiers, the more he would arouse the suspicion of the Song court.

Wang Jian said, "This move will surely cause trouble for the Song court!" Li Nian smiled and said, "That's right. At that time, the important minister Wen Yanbo suggested to Zhao Zhen that Di Qing be sent to a post outside the capital, thus removing him from the court."

"Di Qing felt wronged to be exiled despite his innocence, so he went to Wen Yanbo to defend himself and inquire about the reason for his exile. Wen Yanbo bluntly told Di Qing: 'There is no other reason; the court simply suspects you!'"

"This frightened Di Qing so much that he dared not say or ask any more questions. After arriving in his hometown, Zhao Zhen would send an envoy to visit and comfort Di Qing every month..."

Upon hearing this, Feng Quji understood how Di Qing had died in this rumor. He said, "Di Qing would surely think that Zhao Zhen suspected him and sent someone to investigate. Under such anxiety and fear, he was unlikely to live a long life!"

Li Nian said, "In reality, all of these rumors are Wen Yanbo's schemes to get rid of Di Qing. Di Qing, who came from a military background, became the Privy Councilor, which broke the rules of the civil officials. They did not want to see a military man be able to sit on equal footing with them, or even be above them."

After recounting the stories of Di Qing's deeds and the Zhao Song dynasty's emphasis on civil administration over military affairs, Li Nian steered the conversation back to the topic, saying, "Under Di Qing's leadership, Nong Zhigao's rebellion against the Song dynasty was eventually suppressed, and Di Qing was promoted to Privy Councilor for this achievement."

"This war could have been avoided, and Nong Zhigao could have even been put to use, but Zhao Song turned it into a war against itself. Moreover, the outbreak of this war was also due to the fact that Zhao Song did not pay attention to the tributary states such as Tangyou, Guangyuan, and Ande, which was an unfavorable policy towards Jiaozhi and a lingering disaster."

If the Song dynasty had valued these border tributary states, or even unified Jiaozhi, none of these events would have occurred.

"In these two wars, the Song Dynasty did not actually benefit. The only military achievement that Zhao Zhen could be considered was that during the Kangding era, he commissioned the compilation of the 'Wujing Zongyao' (Complete Essentials of Military Classics), which summarized the military thought before the Song Dynasty and introduced many weapons manufacturing techniques."

"As for the economy, there has been little progress; on the contrary, the problems of excessive bureaucracy, redundant labor, and excessive land use have become even more serious. However, there have been some achievements in culture and science and technology, especially in culture!"

"Ouyang Xiu, Fan Zhongyan, Yan Shu and others were active during the reign of Emperor Zhao Zhen, and Su Shi, Wang Anshi and others also passed the imperial examination during the reign of Emperor Zhao Zhen."

Although she looked down on the Song Dynasty, Li Nian also acknowledged that the Song Dynasty's cultural development was indeed prosperous.

"Su Shi has a Mid-Autumn Festival poem that is considered the best of all time. The poem is called 'Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Bright?' This poem was written by Su Shi when he missed his younger brother Su Zhe during the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"The Su family, including Su Shi's father and two brothers, were all well-known literary figures during the Song Dynasty, collectively known as the 'Three Sus.' Su Shi's official career was not smooth, and he was demoted repeatedly, while his younger brother Su Zhe's career was much smoother, even reaching the position of prime minister. Therefore, in later generations, some people jokingly said that Su Zhe worked hard to become an official in order to help his brother!"

"Although this was just a joke, the brothers truly had a very good relationship. When this Mid-Autumn Festival poem was written, the two brothers had not seen each other for seven years. When will the bright moon appear? I raise my cup to ask the blue sky..."

Li Nian recited this classical Chinese poem that she had memorized in school, and she really liked it when she memorized it back then.

As the First Emperor and others listened to Li reciting poems from the Northern Song Dynasty, they realized that although the poetry of the Qin Dynasty at that time differed considerably from that of later generations, the good things were common and they were part of a shared cultural lineage.

The Qin dynasty was part of Chinese culture, and even though the Song dynasty underwent changes, it was still part of Chinese culture; its roots remained unchanged.

With the final line, "May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though separated by a thousand miles," Emperor Qin Shi Huang and others all acknowledged that this poem, which has spanned over a thousand years, was indeed a masterpiece of genius.

People experience sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon waxes and wanes, and nothing in this world is ever perfect. May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even from afar.

But before they could fully appreciate "Prelude to Water Melody", Li Nian added, "Fan Zhongyan, also known as Fan Wenzheng, also wrote a famous piece that has been passed down through the ages, but this one is not a ci poem, but an essay."

When Li Nian recited the entire "Yueyang Tower Inscription," the First Emperor praised him, saying, "When in high office, one should worry about the people; when in retirement, one should worry about the ruler. One should be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures! Well said!"

"The Song Dynasty also had such loyal and righteous people who were concerned about the country and its people and had the world in their hearts."

Some ministers of the Song Dynasty were quite principled, such as Fan Zhongyan and Wen Tianxiang, who were figures that Li Nian respected.

Li Nian said, "Although they did exist, under the circumstances of the Song Dynasty, it was difficult for them to give full play to their true talents. For example, Fan Zhongyan was a man of both literary and military talent and one of the promoters of the Qingli Reforms, but the reforms failed after more than a year, and he could only request to leave the capital and take up a post in the local area. Another example is Xin You'an, who was also a man of both literary and military talent. He was known as the most cultured among the military and the strongest in martial arts among the literati. He once led dozens of men straight into the enemy's army of ten thousand and captured a traitor alive, but he was not given important positions."

"Take Yue Fei, for example. He defeated the Jin army so badly that they could not raise their heads and were powerless to resist. He could have avenged the humiliation of Jingkang and even reclaimed the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, making the Song Dynasty another unified dynasty in China. However, he was killed by Zhao Jiu and Qin Hui."

Song left behind too many regrets, and many of these regrets and misfortunes were of his own making.

"Therefore, what good is having talent? Even with talent, there must be an environment that matches it!"

Li Nian said, "Besides some achievements in culture and science, what other civil and military achievements did Zhao Zhen have? He was a ruler who maintained the status quo, merely following in the footsteps of his predecessors, yet he was still praised by the Song people as being unparalleled on earth and rare in heaven?"

The so-called "Renzong" was actually because he had few achievements in other areas, but because he was kind and benevolent, and all parties could get the benefits they wanted from him, so he was called "benevolent".

In short, nothing is more than benevolence; only the act of "benevolence" can be praised, and even that "benevolence" is somewhat exaggerated, based on the belief that all parties benefit from it.

Sending money to the Liao people and the Western Xia people, the Liao and Western Xia people were naturally willing to call him "benevolent," hoping to have more of these fools.

The civil officials and scholars of the Song Dynasty, and even later scholars, praised Zhao Zhen and extolled the "prosperous reign of Emperor Renzong" under his rule. They hoped that there would be a few more emperors who would treat them as well as Zhao Zhen.

Li Nian continued, "In the eighth year of the Jiayou era, Zhao Zhen died of illness. His posthumous title was Emperor Shenwen Shengwu Mingxiao, and his temple name was Renzong."

"It is said that after Zhao Zhen died, the whole country was in deep mourning. When Zhao Zhen's obituary was sent to the Liao Kingdom, 'people in the Yan region, regardless of distance, all wept.' Even the Liao Emperor Yelü Hongji held the hand of the Song envoy and grieved deeply."

Yelü Hongji may indeed be grieving, but as for the people of Yan, it's clear that the Song dynasty was indulging in wishful thinking, believing that the people of Yan would definitely want the Song army to recover Yan and Yun and save them from their suffering.

"Because all of Zhao Zhen's sons died young, he adopted Zhao Shu from the imperial clan. Zhao Shu was the great-grandson of Zhao Guangyi, and his father was Zhao Yunrang. Zhao Yunrang had been taken into the palace and raised when Zhao Heng had no sons, but later Zhao Heng had Zhao Zhen and sent Zhao Yunrang back."

"Therefore, in later generations, some people believed that the reason why Zhao Zhen had no son was because Zhao Yunrang had done something to make Zhao Zhen childless so that his son could be selected to enter the palace."

It turns out that both the father and son were taken into the palace and raised as candidates for the throne. Unfortunately, Zhao Yunrang was not lucky, but his son Zhao Shu was.

(End of this chapter)