The Song Dynasty in history reached the pinnacle of feudal society in both political economy and military culture. However, the Song Dynasty has been repeatedly invaded by foreign invaders for three hundred years, from the early confrontation between the Liao and Song Dynasties to the mid-term Jin Dynasty's destruction of the Northern Song Dynasty.
, and the subsequent unification of the Yuan Dynasty almost never stopped. Many people attributed this reason to the fact that the Song Dynasty emphasized culture over military force, resulting in a weak military. It is undeniable that the emphasis on culture over military force was one of the reasons for the Song Dynasty's long-term invincibility in foreign wars, but
The military power of the Song Dynasty was not as vulnerable as later generations imagined. The root cause of the Song Dynasty's repeated defeats in foreign wars lay in the thoughts of the Song emperors, especially the governance ideas of the two emperors in the early days of the founding of the country.
Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty once said, "If a country has no external troubles, it will surely have internal troubles. External troubles are no more than minor matters and can be prevented; but evil and evil are invisible and if they are internal troubles, they are deeply to be feared. The emperor's intentions must always be mindful of this."
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It can be seen from this sentence that Emperor Taizong's thoughts were very clear. External worries were only minor matters that could be defended against, while internal problems were major problems. But it was this so-called preventable minor matter that ultimately led to the destruction of the Song Dynasty.
After the Chenqiao mutiny, Song Taizu, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, was most worried that his generals would wear yellow robes again. Therefore, Emperor Taizu gradually relieved a group of generals who held heavy military power. When he relieved these generals from their military power, Taizu
Zu enlightened me by saying, "Life is short, and the fleeting time is fleeting. It is better for all those who love me to accumulate gold and treasures, buy good land and a beautiful house, and have singing children and dancing girls to spend the rest of their lives."
Even if these generals were idle at home, they were still worried about the emperor's suspicion. Although they were from the army, they were quite politically acumen. They accurately understood the emperor's intentions. If they were too self-sufficient, they would be suspected of being disloyal, so they had no choice but to "show off"
"In the dynasty, they became inactive and degenerated, and became corrupt officials who did nothing. At first, everyone just pretended to be, but later they found that the more greedy and self-deprecating they were, the more relieved the emperor was. As time went by,
These generals became out of control, and the bad nature of mankind was revealed, and they gradually became accustomed to corruption. Even the founding generals Shi Shouxin and Wang Quanbin, who had outstanding military achievements, changed from "benevolent generals" to corrupt officials who committed all kinds of evil.
Emperor Taizu was very happy. He believed that once these officials were greedy for money, they would not plot against the Zhao family, so they would turn a blind eye. Thus, from the beginning of the Song Dynasty, a culture of corruption had formed.
To put it simply, Emperor Taizu's idea of governing the country was "exchanging corruption for military power." In a sense, it was also very effective. At least in the three hundred years of the Song Dynasty, there was no such thing as "yellow robe".
" incident. However, everything in the world has its advantages and disadvantages. From another perspective, Emperor Taizu's thinking undoubtedly committed suicide slowly, so that China's development has since become a long negative line, and it has lasted for nearly a thousand years.
For a long time, the price was too high.
Most of the later emperors of the Song Dynasty adhered to this idea. Military generals cannot be alone, and how can they overwhelm the master with great achievements. This made the Song Dynasty have constant border wars and was tired of defense. Even if there were a few generals who occasionally turned the tide, they would not end well. As the surrounding areas
With the rise of other countries, the territory of the Song Dynasty became smaller and smaller. By the late Southern Song Dynasty, it could only rely on the natural dangers of the Yangtze River to stay on one side.
"Alas!" I read the materials left by the late emperor again in the imperial study room, and I couldn't help but sigh. These records and documents left by the late emperor are all things that the royal family has not passed down, and their credibility should be very high.
It is far from comparable to the historians who were ordered to write history.
History is a mirror. For future generations, it does not matter whether it is yes or no. The key is that future generations must draw experiences and lessons from it, so as to avoid the same mistakes of their predecessors. And I can not only see the past, but also know the future.
, so it is clearer that history tells the philosophy of the future.
"Guan family, it's very late. We have to go to court tomorrow, so go to bed early." Quanjiu advised me carefully when she saw that I was feeling depressed.
"Well, Jiu'er, I'm going to rest now."
I lay on the bed and thought about the Supervisory Office again, and then fell asleep.
At the court meeting the next day, I focused on listening to the report from Ruan Dengbing of Yinzhuang. At the end of the meeting, Ye Mengding, the Minister of Civil Affairs, came out and said: "Your Majesty, Chen Wenlong has returned to Beijing and is waiting for the order outside the door."
I counted the time and realized it was time to come back. I turned to Xiao Qi and said: "Xiao Qi, ask Chen Wenlong to come to the back hall to discuss matters together after the meeting, and also ask Ruan Dengbing to participate as well."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Qi replied in a low voice.
"Retreat from the court."
I sat at the head of the conference table in the back hall and watched the important officials of the imperial court walk in one by one according to their rank. Jia Sidao walked first and Chen Wenlong was the last one to enter the room.
"Everyone, please sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I have summoned all my dear friends to a meeting here today. There are two main things I want to announce. Before announcing, I would like to talk about the reasons. Both of these things are related to the corruption of officials in our dynasty. Throughout the past dynasties, officials have
The matter of fraud and corruption has never been completely solved. You all know that our country's national treasury is currently in a tight situation and cannot make ends meet. The reason for this is that in addition to the constant war and huge costs, officials at all levels are enriching their own pockets, and this is getting worse.
An important reason for the shortage of the national treasury. In the previous court meeting, I said that we should increase revenue and reduce expenditure. However, if the corruption of officials is not controlled, the wealth that everyone has worked hard to accumulate for the national treasury will be easily lost. Moreover, corruption will cause a series of
The adverse reactions caused great complaints among the people and increased social instability. So I have made up my mind this time to solve this problem."
I looked at the silent officials and said coldly: "My dear friends, first of all, think about how your salary compares with the previous dynasty. Except for Lu Xiufu, Chen Wenlong and others who have just been officials, what are you?
Most of the families are well-off, right? You know it, and I know it too. Where does most of the income come from? I also know it. However, I will not pursue the source of your family wealth. Here, I will first
To give you some reassurance, let the past go. However, I no longer hope that the same thing will happen in the future. All of you are the pillars of my court, so today’s meeting is to discuss it with you.
How to fight corruption and promote integrity.”
As a time traveler, I am especially unaccustomed to seeing officials using their power for personal gain. In later generations, the cost of a meal for many officials is equivalent to the expenses of a poor family for a year or even several years. I once heard a story about a businessman who wanted to get
For a bridge project, he went to the capital to bribe relevant officials. He took with him two credit cards with a limit of 250,000. The businessman thought that a meal in any hotel would be enough. Unexpectedly, after the meal, the two cards were used at the same time.
I still owed tens of thousands to the hotel after I maxed out the money, so I could only hide in the toilet and secretly make a phone call and call a local friend to bring money to pay the bill. Of course, hard work pays off, and the businessman later got the project. However, the businessman
They all put profits first, and naturally they have to make extra money out of it, so they cut corners and shoddy materials, which eventually leads to a disaster.
As a result of money and power transactions, someone will always pay the bill, and in the end the payer is the government, but the beneficiaries are all individuals.
I continued: "My dear friends, please tell me your opinions. Today I am discussing with you. If you have different opinions, you can put forward them. This matter is a major matter related to the stability of our country. I hope to be able to discuss it with you."
Dear Sir, we have reached a consensus."
Seeing that everyone was speechless, Ye Mengding took the lead and said: "Your Majesty, I think this matter is feasible and must be done. Otherwise, it is very likely that the gap between the rich and the poor in our country will become wider and wider, causing social unrest. I remember that our country
During the Taizong period, the Wang Xiaobo riot that occurred in central Sichuan was caused by the local county magistrate Qi Yuanzhen embezzling the disaster relief grain allocated by the court, causing the people to live in dire straits. They were instigated by Wang Xiaobo and other people with ulterior motives, and the people were extremely angry, which led to large-scale riots. The county magistrate
The money that Qi Yuanzhen embezzled was far less than the cost of suppressing the riots, so the gains outweighed the losses."
Lu Xiufu, Chen Wenlong and others had low official positions. Although they had already supported it in their hearts, they could not speak first. Seeing Ye Mengding take the lead in making a gesture, they all agreed: "I also agree with Lord Ye."
Immediately, Jiang Wanli, Zhao Kui, Ma Tingluan and others also expressed their support for my anti-corruption proposal.
After expressing their stance, everyone squinted in unison and looked at Jia Sidao, while Liao Yingzhong, Weng Yinglong and others who had not expressed their stance also looked at Jia Sidao.
I also looked at Jia Sidao with a smile: "Master, what do you think?"