Diqin Designer

Chapter 499 The Xining Reforms: The Song Dynasty Could Not Be Saved (History of the Northern Song Dynasty)

"After Zhao Zhen's death, Zhao Shu ascended the throne, but his luck ran out. He reigned for only three years and died at the young age of thirty-six."

"Because Zhao Shu's reign was short, he did not have much time to make achievements in military and political affairs. His most outstanding achievement was probably in the third year of the Zhiping era, when he commissioned Sima Guang to organize people to compile the historical book 'Zizhi Tongjian'."

"The Zizhi Tongjian is one of the most frequently read and used historical books in later generations. It has extremely high academic and historical value, and many famous figures and scholars in later generations have praised it highly!"

"Zhao Shu died of illness, and his son Zhao Xu succeeded him to the throne. The court officials posthumously honored Zhao Shu as Emperor Xianwen Suwu Xuanxiao, and his temple name was Yingzong."

Zhao Shu did not have many achievements. Even if he had the merit of getting Sima Guang to preside over the compilation of the Zizhi Tongjian, Sima Guang spent nineteen years compiling the Zizhi Tongjian, and Zhao Shu had already passed away. It was already beyond his station to receive the temple name "Yingzong".

At this time, the temple name "Yingzong" had not yet been tainted by a certain Oirat student and the God of War of Tumu Fortress.

Li Nian said, "His son Zhao Xu was Emperor Shenzong of Song, the same one who, along with Wang Anshi, criticized Zhao Heng for his inappropriate actions, causing the Song Dynasty to miss a good opportunity to unify Jiaozhi."

No wonder he dared to criticize Zhao Heng without fear of being criticized for violating filial piety; it turns out he wasn't from Zhao Heng's lineage.

"When Zhao Xu ascended the throne, the problem of the 'three redundancies' in the Song Dynasty was already quite serious. Zhao Xu saw the harm that the 'three redundancies' problem would cause to the Song Dynasty. In the second year of the reign of his father Zhao Shu, the Song Dynasty's financial deficit had reached more than 17 million strings of cash."

The Song dynasty's idea of ​​using lavish spending to support both soldiers and officials in order to stabilize the country finally became a major problem at this time.

Of course, the blame cannot be entirely placed on the Song Dynasty. It was also influenced by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In order to prevent certain problems of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period from being repeated in the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi designed a flawed path for the Song Dynasty.

These two individuals may not have anticipated this outcome, but the problems they sowed eventually surfaced in the lives of their descendants.

"Besides the problem of excessive bureaucracy, redundant officials, and redundant labor, the problem of land annexation was equally serious. The Song Dynasty was the only dynasty in Chinese history that explicitly did not suppress land annexation!"

After Li Nian recounted the history of later dynasties many times, the First Emperor and others came to understand the harm that land annexation could cause to a dynasty.

Surprisingly, the Song Dynasty did not curb land annexation, and the combined reign of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties lasted for more than 300 years. In this respect, the Zhao Song Dynasty was quite remarkable.

Wang Wan said, "The Song Dynasty did not suppress land annexation, so land annexation within its borders must have been extremely serious. Yet it was able to last for more than three hundred years. Could it be that it supplemented its rule with commerce?"

After the land was confiscated, the farmers who lost their land had nowhere to farm, but they still needed to make a living, so they were forced to do other things, such as joining the army or becoming merchants...

Moreover, land annexation not only affected the livelihoods of ordinary people, but also the tax revenue of the Zhao Song Dynasty. The loss of tax revenue from land had to be made up from other sources.

Li Nian said: "The commerce of the Song Dynasty was indeed prosperous, which was one of the reasons why the Song Dynasty lasted for more than 300 years. Moreover, the prosperity of commerce made the Song Dynasty look very rich. When later generations mentioned the Song Dynasty, they would always think of it as the richest country at that time. However, while it was rich, the Song Dynasty was also poor and weak."

Wealth and poverty can coexist, and this can sometimes happen in a country.

“The Song Dynasty was rich because of the taxes it collected and the wealth it produced that surpassed that of other countries. It was poor because, although it collected a lot of taxes, the court had no money, resulting in an imbalance between fiscal revenue and expenditure. It was weak because of its declining military strength and ineffective foreign wars.”

"Furthermore, the flourishing commerce of the Song Dynasty could not accommodate so many people doing business, and not everyone could make a profit from commerce."

Only those with connections and backgrounds can profit from business. Ordinary people who run businesses, like food stalls, are lucky if they can earn enough to make a living.

"Therefore, given the serious problem of land annexation, some Song people who had no land to cultivate and could not find other ways to make a living had no choice but to rebel."

"An interesting aspect of the uprisings and rebellions in the Song Dynasty is that these people had the opportunity to be recruited by the Zhao Song court after they rose up in rebellion."

"The so-called 'amnesty' involved granting official positions, money, and other rewards to these people, thus persuading them to abandon their rebellion. Originally, they were just ordinary commoners, but after being granted amnesty, they became officials and could receive government stipends from the Song Dynasty. This 'amnesty' policy was quite effective in the Song Dynasty!"

“There was even a proverb during the Song Dynasty: ‘To get an official position, commit murder and arson and then accept amnesty; to get rich, rush to the imperial court to sell wine and vinegar.’”

Wang Jian laughed and said, "In the Song Dynasty, 'murdering and arson and then accepting amnesty' was a good way to advance one's career."

Meng Tian said, "However, the advancement steps are quite restrictive, and you can see the end at a glance."

For the Song Dynasty, the most profitable and rewarding path to advancement was through the imperial examinations. Entering officialdom as a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) was the only way to advance further. Even if one was granted an official position through amnesty, there was virtually no possibility of further advancement.

But that's enough for those who accepted the imperial pardon. They didn't expect to become high-ranking officials anyway; the court was happy to grant them the pardon and reward them.

"Zhao Xu realized the harm that the problems of excessive bureaucracy, redundant officials, and redundant land annexation had brought to the Song Dynasty. If these problems were not addressed, the Song Dynasty would continue to weaken and eventually perish. However, if the problems were addressed, the 'ancestral laws' would still be in place."

"Those are rules set by our ancestors; how can they be changed so easily?"

The "ancestral laws" established during Zhao Heng's reign eventually became wooden shackles around the necks of the subsequent emperors of the Zhao Song dynasty, making it difficult for them to breathe.

Zhao Xu and Wang Anshi criticized Zhao Heng, probably because they felt that Zhao Heng's actions during his reign hindered their desire for reform.

"In the second year of the Xining era, in order to eliminate the ills of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu appointed Wang Anshi as Vice Chancellor and began the Xining Reform. However, as soon as the new laws were introduced, they were met with a barrage of criticism and abuse. People tried to obstruct the new laws from all sides, using natural disasters as an excuse to oppose the reforms, accusing Wang Anshi and others of disrespecting the laws of their ancestors, and morally attacking Wang Anshi and other reform ministers."

"It was at this time that Wang Anshi uttered the three things that are not to be feared: 'Changes in the heavens are not to be feared, ancestral laws are not to be followed blindly, and public opinion is not to be heeded.'"

The First Emperor said, "If Wang Anshi can truly achieve these 'three deficiencies,' he would indeed be a minister of reform. But a minister of reform also needs a ruler of reform; otherwise, it will just be a repetition of the old Qingli Reforms!"

Feng Quji laughed and said, "Those who obstruct the reform, although they use 'ancestral family law' as their excuse, are actually doing so because the new law will harm their interests."

Those who vehemently oppose reform are often the ones whose interests will be harmed by the new law.

Li Niandao said: "At this time, Zhao Xu gave strong support to the reform and dismissed many officials who opposed the reform, including Ouyang Xiu, Fu Bi and others who supported the Qingli Reform.

"Not all of these people were obstructing the new laws because they thought the Xining Reforms would harm their interests; some genuinely believed that the new laws had problems." "In the third year of Xining, Zhao Xu promoted Wang Anshi to the position of Chancellor, which gave Wang Anshi greater power, and a large number of new laws were promulgated throughout the country."

"In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the new law, Zhao Xu also specially ordered the establishment of the 'Regulations Office for the Three Offices,' whose powers were above those of the Three Offices and which was the main institution for the reform."

"The Commission for the Administration of the Three Offices was headed by Wang Anshi and Chen Shengzhi, the Privy Councilor. Within this institution, Emperor Zhao Xu, following Wang Anshi's recommendations, also appointed Lü Huiqing, Zhang Dun, Cai Que, Zeng Bu, Lü Jiawen, Shen Kuo, Xue Xiang, and others. These individuals later achieved great things!"

"For example, Zhang Dun served as prime minister twice. After Emperor Zhezong of Song, Zhao Xu, died without an heir, it was necessary to choose one of his brothers to be the emperor. Empress Dowager Xiang advocated making the great calligrapher emperor, but Zhang Dun opposed it and commented on the great calligrapher, who was then Prince Duan: 'Prince Duan is frivolous and cannot rule the world!'"

"Although Zhang Dun's opposition did not prevent the great calligrapher from ascending the throne, Zhang Dun's assessment of the great calligrapher was incisive. The fact that the great calligrapher did what an emperor did proves that he was indeed unfit to rule the world!"

"Take Shen Kuo for another example. He was not only a capable official, but also a scientist in ancient China. His book, Dream Pool Essays, covers various disciplines such as astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, and is of extraordinary value."

The people Wang Anshi recommended to Zhao Xu were all truly talented and learned individuals.

"Although the Xining Reforms received strong support from Zhao Xu, the opposition in the court was difficult to stop. The reforms were meant to be implemented throughout the country, not just talked about in the court. They had to be put into practice in the local areas."

Wang Wan nodded and said, "In the court, with Zhao Xu's support, those opposing officials are powerless, but it's not the same in the local areas. If the local areas oppose the new laws, even if Zhao Xu were the Song Emperor, it would be difficult to resolve the issue."

The Xining Reform was destined to fail; the resistance was too great, and the emperor who supported the reform and the ministers who presided over it lacked prestige throughout the land.

With the support of the First Emperor, who in the court dared to oppose Li Nian's various reforms in the Qin Dynasty? Who in the provinces dared to disobey him?

After unifying the six kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang's power and prestige shook the world. The people of Qin trusted him, which allowed Li Nian's reforms to be implemented almost without resistance.

Who would dare to oppose the First Emperor, who had accomplished the great task of "destroying the six states and unifying the world"? Moreover, there were still the menacing Qin people willing to obey the First Emperor's orders.

As for the Xining Reform, was it Zhao Xu who had the prestige, or Wang Anshi?
This is also why Li Nian has always believed that if the Qin Dynasty is to reform and survive, it needs to start with the First Emperor!

Only the First Emperor possessed such terrifying prestige that the Qin Dynasty was able to quickly eliminate its flaws and achieve a new beginning with little or no resistance.

If it were Huhai instead, that would be fine, since he doesn't do anything productive. But if it were Fusu instead, he would face considerable obstacles if he wanted to reform the Qin Dynasty.

The reason is simple: Fusu lacked the prestige of the First Emperor and could not suppress those who opposed him.

Of course, the timing was also important. If it had been more than thirty-two years after the First Emperor's reign, Li Nian could only say to the First Emperor, "There's no hope. Just wait to die. Farewell!"

Because at that time, the people of Qin had become alienated from the First Emperor. The strongest force that should have supported the First Emperor and the Qin Dynasty had grown to hate the First Emperor and the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty was in deep trouble and could no longer be cured.

But now, the First Emperor and the Qin Dynasty have not disappointed the people of Qin. With the support of the people of Qin, the Qin Dynasty is omnipotent in the world.

What? You want to obstruct His Majesty's new laws? You are unwilling to accept the new policies of the Great Qin?

It seems you have no idea how powerful the Qin people are!

With the support of the Qin people, it wouldn't matter if there were dissenting voices in the six states; at worst, they could just conquer the six states again and unify the world.

Moreover, the reforms that Li Nian brought to Qin were also beneficial to the people of the six states. How many people would oppose him?
The Xining Reforms of Zhao Xu and Wang Anshi lacked prestige and such solid and powerful support.

"The Xining Reform not only faced various external opposition forces, but also internal divisions within the reform faction. Emperor Zhao Xu himself hesitated about the reform. If the people within his own ranks were not united, how could he deal with external obstacles?"

"Less than a year after the new law was promulgated, a fierce struggle broke out between the reformists and the opposition. Han Qi submitted a memorial to Zhao Xu asking him to stop the Green Sprouts Law. Zhao Xu wanted to agree, and Chen Shengzhi, who was in charge of the Regulations Department of the Three Departments with Wang Anshi, also agreed."

If even those within the organization are no longer of one mind, any reform or change will inevitably face immense difficulties.

"Moreover, this new law does have its drawbacks. For example, after the Baojia system was implemented, some people in Bianliang even cut off their own arms in order to evade it."

Meng Tian said, "The Song people cut off their own arms either because they were misled and did not understand the true meaning of the new laws, or because the new laws do have flaws!"

"Wang Anshi was resolute and truly a talent for reform. However, he was too hasty and idealistic in his reforms. Even though his new laws were well-intentioned, they would turn bad when implemented."

"Furthermore, instead of receiving timely feedback and making corrections based on the actual situation, they continued to act arbitrarily, and the new law, which was originally well-intentioned, turned into something bad."

"For example, after the Baojia system led to the people of Bianliang cutting off their own arms, Wang Anshi said: 'This is certainly unpredictable, but even if it happened, it is not surprising. Now, the scholars and officials are still surprised by the new policies; how much more so should the 200,000 households of common people, some of whom are foolish and easily swayed by others, be afraid to do anything because of this?'"

The correct way to deal with this matter is: if there are indeed foolish people who have been misled, we should find out whether they have been misled and explain the new law to them; if the people have not been misled and are doing it on their own initiative, then we should find out what they are thinking and reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of the new law.

Instead of thinking that the common people are stupid and easily misled, and that there is no need to explain things to these peasants.

This reflects Wang Anshi's subconscious arrogance and prejudice towards the common people as a scholar-official. Perhaps Wang Anshi would sympathize with and pity the people in ordinary times, and would act as if he loved the people like his own children when he was an official, and was willing to uphold justice for the people. However, he still had the arrogance and prejudice of a scholar-official towards the common people.

Li Nian continued, "After listening to Wang Anshi's words, Zhao Xu believed that the people's opinions should be heeded. In the seventh year of the Xining era, amidst widespread opposition and the emergence of various drawbacks in the new laws, Zhao Xu began to doubt the new laws and dismissed Wang Anshi from his position as prime minister."

"Wang Anshi had excellent personal morals and was truly loyal to the Song Dynasty without any selfish motives. After he was dismissed from his post as prime minister, in order to ensure that the new laws could continue to be implemented, he petitioned Zhao Xu to appoint Lü Huiqing as Vice Chancellor and summon Han Jiang to replace him. Then, something interesting happened!"

"After Lü Huiqing gained power, he worried that Wang Anshi would return to the court and seize his power. Taking advantage of the Zheng Xia case, he framed Wang Anshi's brother, Wang Anguo, and also instigated the Li Shining case in an attempt to overthrow Wang Anshi."

Meng Tian said, "This Lü Huiqing is truly an ungrateful wretch. These things must have made Wang Anshi very uncomfortable."

It would be a miracle if the reform faction of the Xining Reform Movement didn't split up after the person they recommended seized power and then suppressed them in order to protect his authority.

(End of this chapter)