Overview

The Song Dynasty (960-1279)

is divided into two stages: the Northern Song Dynasty (960~1127) and the Southern Song Dynasty (1127~1279)< /p>

History of the Northern Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty (960-1279) is the era in Chinese history that inherited the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the Yuan Dynasty. According to the changes in the capital and territory, it can be further divided into the Northern Song Dynasty Together with the Southern Song Dynasty, they are collectively called the Two Song Dynasties. In order to avoid the separatist rule of vassal towns and the chaos of eunuchs since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty adopted a policy of emphasizing civility over military affairs. On the one hand, although it was poor and weak militarily and lost to its northern neighbors, it first envoyed Hui and Qin in 1127. The second emperor was kidnapped by the Jin people, forcing the Song Dynasty to move south. By 1279, the Song Dynasty was defeated by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in the Battle of Yashan. But relatively speaking, the Song Dynasty was also one of the most prosperous eras in terms of economy, culture and education in Chinese history. Confucianism was revived, and the society was filled with the atmosphere of respecting teachers and teaching. Science and technology also advanced by leaps and bounds, and politics were more open and clean. In the end, there were no serious problems in the Song Dynasty. Eunuch chaos and local separatism, as well as the number and scale of mutinies and civil unrest are relatively rare in Chinese history. The famous historian Chen Yinke said: "The culture of the Chinese nation has evolved over thousands of years and reached its peak in the Zhao and Song Dynasties." There are quite a few people in Western and Japanese historians who believe that the Song Dynasty was the Renaissance and economic revolution in Chinese history.

At the beginning of the founding of the country

Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty

The founding emperor of the Song Dynasty was Zhao Kuangyin, whose temple name was Taizu. He was originally a guard in front of the palace in the Later Zhou Dynasty. Due to his outstanding military exploits, he became Shizong's right-hand man in the Later Zhou Dynasty. After Shizong died, Emperor Gong who succeeded him was young, so Zhao Kuangyin had the ambition to become emperor. During the Spring Festival of the seventh year of Xiande, Zhao Kuangyin's party members created false information about the Liao attack. Fan Zhi, the prime minister at the time, urgently ordered Zhao Kuangyin to lead his army north to defend against the enemy. On the third day of the first lunar month, Zhao Kuangyin arrived at Chenqiaoyi. When he was sleeping soundly that night, he was covered in yellow robes by his subordinates, who shouted "Long Live Long Live" three times and supported him as the emperor. After the bureaucrats of the later Zhou Dynasty learned about it, they knew they had no choice but to face reality. Emperor Gong of Zhou was forced to abdicate.

In July of the second year of Jianlong (961) and in October of the second year of Kaibao (969), Song Taizu "released his military power over a glass of wine" twice, transferring the generals with heavy troops and the generals of local officials The military power was deprived of power, entrusted with false posts, and replaced by civilian officials to lead the army, and all military power and financial power were concentrated in the central government. As a result, the Song Dynasty was able to avoid the situation of separatist vassal towns in the Tang Dynasty. However, this also resulted in limited local resources, which ultimately caused the Song Dynasty to repeatedly fail in foreign wars.

Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi

Another task facing Song Taizu was to unify the country. After discussing with Zhao Puxue night, Zhao Kuangyin decided to unify the country first from the south and then from the north. Zhao Kuangyin first implemented a false plan to destroy Guo and destroyed Nanping and Chu. Later, the Three Kingdoms of Hou Shu, Southern Han and Southern Tang were destroyed. Taizu wanted to unify the whole country, and even set up a warehouse to store money and cloth, hoping to redeem the sixteen states of Yanyun from the Liao Dynasty in the future. In August of the ninth year of Kaibao (976), Taizu launched the Northern Expedition again. However, Taizu died suddenly on October 19th. His younger brother Zhao Guangyi was busy ascending the throne, and the cause of national unification was temporarily suspended. Zhao Guangyi, the younger brother of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, ascended the throne and took the temple name Taizong. After Taizong stabilized his ruling position, he continued the cause of national unification. First, Chen Hongjin and the Qian family of Wuyue, who had separated Zhang and Quan prefectures in Fujian Province, surrendered, and then the Northern Han Dynasty was destroyed. In May of the fourth year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign (979), Taizong ignored the opposition of his ministers and took advantage of the remaining power of the destruction of the Northern Han Dynasty to launch the Northern Expedition from Taiyuan. At first, Yizhou and Zhuozhou were recaptured. Taizong was so satisfied that he ordered an attack on Yanjing. The result was a disastrous defeat at the Gaoliang River. After this battle, the Song Dynasty's strategy turned passive. In the third year of Yongxi's reign (986), Taizong launched another Northern Expedition, but was defeated again. The famous general Yang Ye was also killed in this battle. After that, the Song Dynasty also suffered many defeats in the war against Dangxiang, and another civil uprising broke out in Sichuan. Taizong's governance had to shift to emphasizing internal affairs while neglecting external affairs. Taizong himself was arty and fond of poetry, so the government paid special attention to cultural undertakings, and the Song Dynasty began to emphasize education. Taizong also liked calligraphy, and was good at six calligraphy styles: cursive, official, running, seal, eight-point, and Feibai, especially Feibai style. Even the characters on Chunhua Yuanbao, the currency of the Song Dynasty, were inscribed by Taizong himself.

The incident of Taizong's accession to the throne is quite suspicious, and it was caused by the "Candle Shadow and Ax Sound" incident. Folk legend has always said that Zhao Kuangyin was killed by Zhao Guangyi. In order to ensure the legitimacy of the regime, Zhao Guangyi put forward the theory of his mother, Queen Mother Du, which was the "Golden Chamber Alliance".

The Golden Chamber Alliance originated when Empress Dowager Du summoned Zhao Pu to the palace to record her last wishes. Empress Dowager Du said that after Zhao Kuangyin's death, he would first pass on Guangyi, then Guangmei (later renamed Tingmei), and then Dezhao (Zhao Kuangyin's eldest son). . This suicide note was hidden in the Golden Chamber, so it was called the Alliance of the Golden Chamber. Although there is talk of the Golden Chamber Alliance, Taizong forced Taizu's sons Dezhao and Defang to death successively, and demoted Tingmei to Fangzhou. Tingmei died in the banishment two years later. Taizong's eldest son Yuanzuo was also deposed because of his sympathy for Tingmei. Another son Yuanxi died violently. Finally, King Xiang Yuankan was established as the prince and changed his name to Heng. In the third year of Zhidao (997), Taizong died. Empress Li and the eunuch Wang Jien and others attempted to make Yuan Zuo emperor. Fortunately, Prime Minister Lu Duan handled it well, and Zhao Heng successfully ascended the throne and took the temple name Zhenzong. The Song Dynasty also began to enter its heyday.

Enter the prosperous age

Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng

After Taizong's death, Zhenzong Zhao Heng took over the throne. Zhenzong followed the Huang-Lao politics of the last years of Taizong and did nothing. Since Yongxi's Northern Expedition, the Liao Dynasty often looted and killed at the junction of Song and Liao. By the first year of Jingde (1004), it finally turned into a large-scale invasion of the Song Dynasty. Prime Minister Kou Zhun advocated the war of resistance. As a result, Zhenzong personally conquered the Song army. The morale of the Song army was greatly boosted. The Song army was in a stalemate with the Liao army at the gate of Chanzhou, and the Liao army was forced to sue for peace. After several negotiations, the two countries successfully negotiated a peace. The main content of the peace treaty is: Song Dynasty will give Liao 20,000 pieces of silk and 100,000 taels of silver every year. The two sides are countries of brothers. This peace treaty is known as the "Chanyuan Alliance" in history.

Later, Kou Zhun gradually fell out of favor and was eventually dismissed. Zhenzong began to trust Wang Qinruo, a sycophant minister. Wang Qinruo was good at flattering, and knew that Zhenzong wanted to create an atmosphere of peace in the world, so he strongly advocated Zhenzong to enshrine Zen. Wang Qinruo himself also joined forces with another prime minister, Wang Dan, to create many "auspicious" images in various places, which deeply gained the meaning of Zhenzong. As a result, Zhenzong granted Zen status three times in the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008). This has seriously depleted people's power.

Zhenzong and Queen Liu had no children. Once Zhenzong happened to visit one of Liu's maids, Li, and in the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1010), Li and Yu Dazhong gave birth to a son (Zhao Yiyi), who was later Renzong. Later, Mrs. Liu and another concubine, Ms. Yang, raised the child together. In the Mid-Autumn Festival of the second year of Tianxi (1018), Zhenzong officially made Zhao Youyi the prince and changed his name to Zhao Zhen. On February 20, the first year of Qianxing (1022), Zhenzong died. Prince Zhao Zhen ascended the throne, and Queen Liu was honored as the Queen Mother, acting as the agent for military and state affairs before Renzong came of age. This began the sixteen-year period of Empress Dowager Liu's rule behind the curtain.

Fan Zhongyan Renzong, who "worried about the world first and rejoiced after the world's happiness", had been under Liu's shadow in the early days of his rule. It was not until Liu's death that he was able to realize his ambitions. Although Queen Renzong was from the Cao family, he always loved Concubine Zhang in particular. However, Zhang was born in a humble background and never became a queen. On the eighth day of the first lunar month of the sixth year of Huangyou's reign (1054), Zhang passed away. Renzong actually handled the funeral with the etiquette of a queen and posthumously named him Queen Wencheng. As a result, the two queens who died in one life were unprecedented.

After Xixia Li Yuanhao proclaimed himself emperor in the third year of Daqing (1038), several years of war broke out between Song and Xia. The Song army suffered repeated defeats, which led to the increase of coins in Chongxi. Later, Renzong appointed Fan Zhongyan, Lu Yijian, Fu Bi, Bao Zheng, Han Qi and other capable ministers to implement the Qingli New Deal, and achieved very good results. The country has entered the most prosperous stage since its founding. However, some conservative figures accuse these reformist officials of forming cliques, flattering each other and being cronies. Since Renzong always hated forming cliques for personal gains, most of these bureaucrats were later demoted to local officials. This was the end of the short-lived Qingli New Deal. On the border, Renzong appointed general Di Qing to put down the rebellion of Nanman Nong Zhigao and the provocation of Xixia.

After Renzong died, Yingzong Zhao Shu took over the throne. He is the grandson of Shang Wang Zhao Yuanfen, the younger brother of Zhenzong. In the seventh year of Jiayou's reign (1062), he was established as the crown prince. Yingzong suffered from many illnesses, and initially the affairs of the court were controlled by Empress Dowager Cao. It was only after May of the first year of Zhiping (1064) that Yingzong began to take charge. However, the Pu Dispute broke out half a month after the Yingzong took office, and the controversy lasted for eighteen months. The cause was Prime Minister Han Qi's request to discuss the identity of Yingzong's biological father. As a result, the court was divided into two factions. One faction believed that Yingzong's biological father, King Pu, should be called Huangbo, while the other faction believed that he should be called Huangkao. In the end, Empress Dowager Cao issued a decree calling Yingzong's father Huang Kao. That settled the controversy. But overall, Yingzong was still a promising monarch. He continued to appoint capable ministers from the previous dynasty, and also boldly discovered new talents. Yingzong also attached great importance to the compilation of books. The writing of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" was initiated by Ying Zong.

Xining Reform and the Struggle between the Old and New Parties

Wang An, who lamented that "I would like to be a frivolous son of Wuling and be born as a Kaiyuan Tianbao" died. After the death of Shi Yingzong, his eldest son Shenzong Zhao Xu ascended the throne. During Shenzong's reign, the system established in the early Song Dynasty had caused many abuses, and people's livelihood began to deteriorate, while Liao and Xia on the border were eyeing it. Therefore, Shenzong was determined to reform. Shenzong enabled Wang Anshi, a well-known reformist official, to carry out political reforms and appointed him as a counselor for political affairs. The new laws promoted by Wang Anshi include equalization of transportation, green crops, exemption from labor, market changes, Baojia, Baoma, equalization of taxes on square fields, etc. However, the implementation of the new law encountered strong resistance from conservatives led by Sima Guang. Coupled with the continuous natural disasters across the country, Shenzong's determination to implement the new law was also shaken. In the seventh year of Xining (1074), there was a severe drought in the north. An official named Zheng Xia presented a picture of refugees to Shenzong. The scene in the picture was so horrific that Shenzong was greatly shocked. The next day Shenzong ordered the temporary suspension of eighteen decrees such as Qingmiao, Fangtian, and exemption from military service. Although these edicts were restored soon after, distrust had developed between Shenzong and Wang Anshi. In April of the seventh year of Xining, Wang Anshi was dismissed as prime minister for the first time and went out to Jiangning Mansion. Later, Lu Huiqing, an official in the reform faction, acted recklessly. Wang Anshi returned to Beijing and resumed his post, but he was still firmly obstructed by conservatives. In June of the ninth year of Xining (1076), Wang Anshi's eldest son passed away. Wang Anshi took the opportunity to resolutely seek to retire. Shenzong deposed Wang Anshi again in October. Since then, Wang Anshi has not been involved in worldly affairs.

Although later generations have very polarizing opinions on Xining's new law, there is no doubt that the implementation effect of the new law is far less than Wang Anshi expected. Although the implementation of the new law has greatly increased the country's fiscal revenue and cultivated land area, it has seriously increased the burden on civilians. The military reforms of Xining's new law only treat headaches and feet, without significant improvement in the military's combat effectiveness. In addition, Wang Anshi acted too hastily and implemented more than ten reforms in just a few years that would take a long time for social evolution, which put the reform in a dilemma of haste, waste. Moreover, in the later stages of implementation of the new law, the gap between the provisions and the implementation effect is getting bigger and bigger, and some measures have changed from benefiting the people to disturbing them. Improper employment of personnel during the implementation of the new law was also the reason for the final loss of public support. Among the reformists, such as Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu, Li Ding and Cai Jing, etc., were all quite controversial figures. Some are even regarded as villains. Regarding this reform, historian Huang Renyu, who is famous for his "Big History", commented on this reform: "Nine hundred years before us, China had attempted to control national affairs through financial controls. Its scope and depth had not been proposed elsewhere in the world. . But modern finance is an omnipotent organizational force that encompasses all aspects of its rule and cannot compete with other factors similar to it."

After Wang Anshi was dismissed, Shenzong continued to reform. The cause was named "Yuanfeng Restructuring". Although Yuanfeng's restructuring and Xining's reform were both called "Xifeng's new law", the reform intensity could not be compared with that of Xining's reform. With the increase in national power, Shenzong shifted his focus to foreign affairs. He was determined to destroy Xixia. In May of the fifth year of Xining (1072), Shenzong began to conquer Xixia and achieved great success, which also greatly inspired Shenzong's confidence. In April of the fourth year of Yuanfeng (1081), a coup occurred in Xixia, and Shenzong used this opportunity to conquer Xixia again. The result was a disastrous failure. As a result, Shenzong fell ill. At the beginning of the first month of the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Shenzong appointed his sixth son Zhao Mei as the crown prince. Although the new laws promulgated by Shenzong were briefly abolished by his mother, Empress Dowager Gao, they were soon restored one after another, and many of them were even used until the Southern Song Dynasty.

After the death of Shenzong, the Queen Mother Gao listened behind the curtain and strictly controlled the Zhezong Zhao Xu who had just ascended the throne. Empress Dowager Gao trusted the old party headed by Sima Guang and ignored Zhe Zong. As a result, a serious struggle between the old and new parties was triggered, for Yuanyou's party. After Zhezong came to power, he denounced the old party and gave credit to the new party, so the reform cause was continued.

The Shame of Jingkang

Song Huizong was a talented artist, but he was also a king who subjugated his country.

Zhezong left no heirs. After his death, his younger brother Zhao Ji came to the throne as Huizong of Song Dynasty. Huizong was fond of enjoying himself and had no interest in government affairs. Huizong was fond of pen and ink, painting, horse riding, etc. since he was a child. Zhao Ji leads a decadent life and likes to visit brothels. There was also a lot of construction work, and after listening to the Taoist priests, they built Longevity Mountain in the northeast corner of Kaifeng, which was later renamed Genyue. Genyue has a radius of more than ten miles, including Furong Pond, Cixi and other scenic spots. Inside there are pavilions, pavilions, birds and animals. Huizong also set up the Yingfeng Bureau in Suzhou to search for strange stones in the southeast, which were used for Huashi Gang, which aroused public resentment.

Huizong ignored the government affairs and handed over all government affairs to the six thieves headed by Cai Jing. In the name of restoring the new law, Cai Jing imposed party bans and excluded dissidents. The day after Cai Jing ascended the throne, he issued an edict prohibiting the Yuanyou method. This is called the Yuanyou traitor case. As a result, all upright ministers were excluded from the political center. Huizong himself was very happy about his success. When he saw that the Liao Kingdom was attacked by the Jin Kingdom, in the spring of the first year of Chonghe (1118), he sent an envoy Ma Zheng to cross the sea from Dengzhou to the Jin Dynasty. The two sides discussed that the two countries would jointly attack the Liao Dynasty, and the Northern Song Dynasty would be responsible for attacking Nanjing and Xijing of the Liao Dynasty. After the destruction of the Liao Dynasty, the land of Yanyun returned to the Song Dynasty, and the old coins given to the Liao Dynasty by the Song Dynasty were transferred to the Jin Dynasty. This is the maritime alliance. But the Song Dynasty army was severely defeated. Finally, the Jin soldiers plundered the population of Yanjing and seized the three prefectures of Ying, Ping, and Luan. In the seventh year of Xuanhe (1125), the Jin soldiers went south to attack the Song Dynasty in two groups. Zhao Ji was so frightened that he immediately passed the throne to his son Qinzong Zhao Huan. Qinzong was worried about gains and losses, and was undecided between war and war. Later, under desperate circumstances, Li Gang was appointed to defend Tokyo. Although they won the victory for a time, the Jin Dynasty did not give up and went south for the second time. In September of the first year of Jingkang (1126), Taiyuan fell. In November, the outer city of Kaifeng fell, and the Jin army forced Qinzong to go to negotiate peace. On the 30th day of the eleventh month, Qinzong was forced to go to Jinying to negotiate peace and returned three days later. The gold man demanded a large amount of gold and silver. Therefore, Qinzong ransacked the property in Kaifeng city. Kaifeng City was besieged by the Jin army. Diseases were prevalent in the city, and many people died of starvation and disease. On February 6, the second year of Jingkang (1127), the Hui and Qin emperors were deposed and demoted to common people. On the seventh day, Huizong was forced to go to Jinying. The Jin Dynasty established Zhang Bangchang and established a puppet regime called "Da Chu". The two Huiqin sects were plundered by the Jin people and brought to the Five Kingdoms City, which was known as the Jingkang Disgrace or the Jingkang Disaster in history. Huizong was named Hunde Gong, and Qinzong was named Chonghunhou. In the end, the two died in a foreign land called Five Kingdoms City.

Although Huizong made no achievements in government affairs, there is no doubt that his attainments in calligraphy and painting are unparalleled. Huizong's calligraphy and paintings both play an important role in the history of Chinese art. Huizong created the original thin gold style and attached great importance to calligraphy and painting. The status of the Hanlin Academy of Calligraphy and Painting has been greatly improved, and Zhang Zeduan, the famous painter and author of Along the River During the Qingming Festival, was promoted by it. Even his son Zhao Gou was influenced by it and became an outstanding calligrapher.

Jianyan Nandu

The Jin Dynasty captured many Song Dynasty clan members during the Jingkang Disaster, and Kang Wang Zhao Gou was one of them who slipped through the net. In the second year of Jingkang (1127), Zhao Gou went south from today's Hebei to Yingtianfu, Nanjing (today's Shangqiu, Henan) and ascended the throne as Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, changing the Yuan Dynasty to Jianyan. After that, Zhao Gou went all the way from the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River to Hangzhou to restore the Song Dynasty and promoted Hangzhou to Lin'an Prefecture. In the first year of Shaoxing (1131), Lin'an was officially established as the capital, named "Xingzai" (accompanying the capital), and it was actually the capital. The Jin Dynasty also rushed southward, approaching Lin'an. Gaozong had no way to escape, so he had to escape into the sea and wandered along the coast of Wenzhou for four months. Due to the humid weather in the south and the heroic resistance of the soldiers and civilians of the Southern Song Dynasty, Wanyan Wushu, the commander-in-chief of the Jin Dynasty, decided to withdraw his troops and go north. When retreating north to Zhenjiang, the retreat was cut off by Song general Han Shizhong, and he was forced into Huangtiandang. The Song army surrounded 100,000 Jin soldiers with 8,000 troops. The two sides held a stalemate for forty-eight days. Finally, the Jin army opened a gap with fire attacks and was able to retreat. The Jin army was defeated by Yue Fei in Jiankang and never dared to cross the river again.

Among the "Four Generals of Zhongxing" in the Southern Song Dynasty, the most famous one is Yue Fei. Through the Northern Expedition, he seized the land controlled by the puppet Qi regime supported by the Jin Dynasty. However, Yue Fei's achievements were so great that he disagreed with Gaozong, which paved the way for his subsequent murder. In May of the 10th year of Shaoxing (1140), the Jin people once again tore up the peace agreement and invaded the south. Due to the heroic resistance of the Song Dynasty soldiers and civilians, the Jin army's attacks in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Huaihe failed. In July, Jin general Wushu turned to attack Yancheng, but was defeated by Yue Fei. He turned to attack Yingchang, but was defeated again. The Yue Army took advantage of the victory and pursued it all the way to Zhuxian Town, which was only forty-five miles away from Kaifeng. The northern rebels also responded to Yue Fei. So much so that the Jin people lamented that "it is easy to shake the mountains, but it is difficult to shake the Yue family's army", and for a time they planned to abandon Kaifeng and cross the river to flee north. But at this time, Gaozong won twelve gold medals in a row to urge Yue Fei to send troops, and the achievements of the Northern Expedition were ruined. In the end, Yue Fei was killed on unfounded charges. In November of the eleventh year of Shaoxing (1141), the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty reached the "Shaoxing Peace Agreement", and the two countries were bounded by the Huaishui River and Dashanguan Pass. The Song Dynasty paid tribute to Jin of 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 bolts of silk every year.

Gaozong appointed Qin Hui as prime minister. Qin Hui advocated resistance to the Jin Dynasty during the Jingkang period, but was later robbed by the Jin people. In October of the fourth year of Jianyan (1130), Qin Hui returned south. Because he pursued a surrender policy, he was in close agreement with Gaozong. Qin Hui became deputy prime minister in just three months after returning to the court, and became right prime minister in eight months.

Because Qin Hui actively cultivated party members but was not very enthusiastic about peace negotiations, he was dismissed by Gaozong a year later. After resigning as prime minister, Qin Hui kept a low profile and waited for the opportunity to move. In May of the eighth year of Shaoxing (1138), Emperor Gaozong appointed Qin Hui as the right prime minister. After Qin Hui came to power, he persecuted officials who disagreed with him, married relatives, and made friends with internal ministers. Emperor Gaozong only acquiesced to Qin Hui's behavior. In the later period, Qin Hui's power was too great, which aroused Gaozong's vigilance. For example, Gao Zong personally issued an order to make Qin Hui's grandson lose the first prize. Qin Hui's power declined day by day. In the twenty-fifth year of Shaoxing (1155), Qin Hui was seriously ill. He planned to let his son take over the position, but Gaozong vetoed it, and he died soon after.

After Qin Hui's death, Emperor Gaozong attacked the remaining parties and re-employed surrender officials. Gaozong was infertile, so he chose his successor from two of Taizu's descendants, Zhao Yuan and Zhao Xu. In the end, Zhao Yuan won. In the thirty-second year of Shaoxing (1162), Zhao Yuan was established as the prince and changed his name to Zhao Shen. In the 31st year of Shaoxing (1161), Wanyan Liang, King of Jin Hailing, invaded the south, but was repulsed by Yu Yunwen in quarrying. This incident made Gaozong want to retreat. In June of the 32nd year of Shaoxing, the fifty-six-year-old Gaozong issued an edict to abdicate, and Prince Zhao Shen ascended the throne as Xiaozong. He himself was called the Supreme Emperor and lived in Deokshou Palace. Gaozong became the Supreme Empress and indulged in pleasures and spent a lot of money. On October 8, the fourteenth year of Chunxi (1187), Gaozong passed away.

Pianan Jiangnan

After Xiaozong came to the throne, he reformed the government and tried to restore it. The Song Dynasty relatively entered a prosperous period. Xiaozong vindicated Yue Fei's unjust imprisonment, appointed war-fighting figures, and determined to regain the Central Plains. In April of the first year of Longxing (1163), Xiaozong ordered Li Xianzhong, Shao Hongyuan and others to send troops to the Northern Expedition. Although the Northern Expedition was successful for a time, it failed after only 20 days due to the discord among the generals and the mentality of underestimating the enemy. After that, Xiaozong had no choice but to negotiate peace with Jin. In December of the second year of Longxing (1164), Song and Jin formally signed a peace agreement, which was known as the Longxing Peace Agreement in history. However, Xiaozong still wanted to restore the Central Plains and continued to rectify his armaments. However, due to the death of a group of war-fighting generals such as Yu Yunwen, the Northern Expedition came to nothing. In domestic affairs, Xiaozong actively rectified officialdom, eliminated redundant officials, punished corruption, strengthened centralization of power, and paid attention to agricultural production. Generally speaking, the internal political situation of the Song Dynasty has improved. After Gaozong's death, Xiaozong became increasingly indifferent to politics, and finally decided to give way to his son Zhao Dun, also known as Guangzong. However, Guangzong suffered from mental illness soon after he came to the throne. In addition, he was very unfilial to himself, which made Xiaozong very sad. In July of the fifth year of Shaoxi (1194), Xiaozong passed away.

Guangzong was jealous by nature and did not trust the ministers around his father Xiaozong. Therefore, he became increasingly crazy two years after he took the throne. In July of the fifth year of Shaoxi, Xiaozong died of illness, but Guangzong still refused to mourn. Lin'an City was in chaos and the situation was unstable. The clan members Zhao Ruyu and Zhao Yanyu began to secretly plan to establish a new king. Finally, the Empress Dowager issued an edict, and Guangzong was enshrined as the Supreme Emperor. His son Zhao Kuo ascended the throne as Ningzong and changed his name to Qingyuan (1195). Six years later, Guangzong died. According to historical records, Ning Zong was "unintelligent" and had a low IQ. Ning Zong was controlled by two powerful officials - Han Yuzhou and Shi Miyuan. Although Ning Zong has a low IQ, he is generally considered a loyal master.