Song Renzong, the first seriously underestimated emperor in the history of the Song Dynasty

1. Song Renzong

Song Renzong Zhao Zhen was the sixth son of Song Zhenzong. The fourth emperor of the Song Dynasty, he ascended the throne at the age of thirteen and reigned for forty-two years. Out of nature, he is generous and merciful, and rules the world with kindness and forgiveness. Under his rule, the literary style of the Song Dynasty flourished, and talents gathered. Almost all the famous scholars and scholars came into being during this period. Therefore, "History of the Song Dynasty" calls it "loyal and honest governance, which has the foundation to cultivate the Song Dynasty for more than 300 years." In addition, it is said that during the Jingkang period at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, after the Jin soldiers occupied the Central Plains, they excavated royal tombs and plundered rare treasures, except the Yongzhao Mausoleum of Song Renzong.

"Renzong's Prosperous Rule" is an overview of Song Renzong's governance of the country, which even far exceeds the "Wenjing Rule" of the Han Dynasty and the "Zhenguan Rule" and "Kaiyuan Prosperity" of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, the Song Dynasty's economy, science and technology , culture, education, military and other aspects also reached their heyday during the Song Renzong period.

During the Song Dynasty, the world was peaceful, the eight wastelands were peaceful, scholars and farmers were happy, and the civil and military were loyal. Moreover, Emperor Renzong had a generous temperament, did not engage in luxury, and was able to restrain himself. He was praised by later generations as "the sage and wise Tang Yu". In this world, the sun and the moon are selfless and the heaven and earth spring”, which has been praised by historians and politicians of all ages!

Song Renzong Zhao Zhen was the longest reigning emperor in the Northern Song Dynasty, which lasted for forty-two years, and brought this dynasty to the peak of the socio-economic culture of the Northern Song Dynasty and even the Chinese feudal dynasty. Because he changed Yuan Dynasty many times, later generations called this entire period the "Renzong Shengzhi". Compared with the strong Han Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty, this enlightened rule left a unique mark on Zhao Zhen. In addition, Zhao Zhen ascended the throne as a young man, and only after the weak crown took charge of the throne did he truly realize the "Renzong Era" that was different from the prosperous Tang Dynasty but also unparalleled!

Renzong was famous for his kindness. For example, one year after an earthquake in the capital, a plague broke out. He ordered the only two rhinoceros horns in the palace to be smashed and ground into powder for the people to eat. The minister tried to dissuade him by saying that this was the emperor's favorite treasure. How could he break it and give it to the people? Zhao Zhen said, "My people are in disaster. What's the use of this treasure?"

Renzong's pragmatic style was also praised by later generations. He took the lead in breaking the boundaries between the "fang" where people lived and the "city" where transactions were conducted, making Kaifeng, Tokyo, the first full city in the world. On the issue of whether people's livelihood or imperial power were more important, Zhao Zhen and his ministers not only agreed to unify the city and the city, but also lifted the curfew system, gradually forming the night market and the morning market. A fire watch tower and a fire brigade were set up in the capital. When Bao Zhengquan was informed of Kaifeng Prefecture, he personally dealt with the disorderly construction of rivers by the powerful. In addition, in the Qingli New Deal, he firmly supported Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, Han Qi and others' "clearly deposed the emperor, suppressed luck, promoted fine tribute, selected officials, equalized public land, enriched farmers and mulberry trees, repaired military equipment, reduced corvee labor, and entrusted the people with trust and trust." A package of reform plans, such as "respecting the country's economic and social order, and emphasizing on orders," were successively issued in the form of edicts across the country. After that, although Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi and others were transferred out of the capital due to the obstruction of the conservative faction, Emperor Renzong did not stop the reform. Instead, he re-appointed Wen Yanbo, who was able to understand the holy will, as prime minister and implemented the New Deal with a more pragmatic attitude. Wang Anshi was also promoted to the Political Power Center.

"Renzong's prosperity" is mainly reflected in:

The population and finances are comparable to those of the Han and Tang Dynasties. In the eighth year of Jiayou's reign, the national population reached 12.46 million households, with 26.42 million male households. In 42 years, the national population had a net increase of 3.79 million households. This increase in the number of households was equivalent to the total number of households in the Zhenguan period of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Due to the imperial court's policy of "hiding wealth in prefectures and counties and cultivating the roots", the national tax revenue during the Jiayou period increased to more than 36.8 million yuan, four times the maximum annual monetary income in the Tang Dynasty. In addition, the people's imperial grain and national taxes are not a lot.

Renzong attached great importance to the training and selection of talents. He named Confucius' descendants as Yanshengong and encouraged states and counties to establish schools. There was a time when there were many virtuous ministers and the house was full of gentlemen. Kou Zhun, Wang Zeng, Yan Shu, Lu Zongdao, as well as Fan Zhongyan, Bao Zheng, Fu Bi, Di Qing, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, as well as "Sansu", Shen Kuo, Mi Fu, etc. who were promoted by the Renzong Dynasty or became officials through the imperial examination were all An outstanding figure in history and a role model for scholars.

Culture prospered.

Among the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties" that have been passed down to the world, except for Han and Liu from the Tang Dynasty, the other six were active in the Renzong period. Song Ci, which is the end of the poem, was promoted by a large number of poets such as Yan Shu, Liu Yong, Fan Zhongyan, and Su Shi, and it established Song Ci's leading position in the history of Chinese literature. In addition, literary forms such as storytelling, novels, and dramas have also sprouted and developed.

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In terms of science and technology, three of China's four great inventions were applied during the Renzong Dynasty and transformed into productivity. The invention of gunpowder promoted the revolution of rockets, muskets, artillery, landmines, firecrackers and other weapons, and played a role in the war against Xixia. The compass began to be used for navigation, giving the Song Dynasty the largest sailing fleet in the world at that time. After the advent of Bi Sheng's movable type printing technology, a large number of classics in the Song Dynasty were preserved. There is also the acupuncture bronze man invented by Wang Weiyi, which perfected the acupuncture system of traditional Chinese medicine. The imperial court issued the world's first banknote "Guanjiaozi", and its contribution to world economic and financial history cannot be underestimated.

There are various schools in the field of philosophy, laying a solid foundation for modern Chinese ***. The "Heavenly Principle" proposition proposed by Er Cheng brought a breath of fresh air to the dull philosophical world. It also provided theoretical support for why Zhao Song accepted Zhou Zen and established the feudal ruling order. Wang Anshi put forward the theory of practical learning, trained a large number of students, provided theoretical guidance for his subsequent reforms, and prepared a team of cadres.

Evaluation:

People at that time praised "Renzong's prosperous rule" like this: "In the forty-two years since then, it can be said that there has been great rule in the country. Before Xihuang was stolen, there was no trace of it. Detailed. Since the records of "Poems" and "Books", there has never been anything as prosperous as this. "

"Dongpo Shihua" written by the Qing Dynasty novel "Dongpo Shihua" describes Renzong's prosperity as follows: "The Song Dynasty was in its heyday. , the reign of Emperor Renzong. This generation of kings was respectful, benevolent and enlightened. The world was peaceful and peaceful, scholars and farmers enjoyed their work, and they were both civil and military loyal. The sun and the moon were like this. Selfless Heaven and Earth Spring." At the same time, this also represents the status of "Renzong's prosperity" in the eyes of the people for hundreds of years.

Qu You, a writer of the Ming Dynasty, said in "Guitian Poems": During the forty-two years of Song Renzong's reign, the people were at ease and the customs were peaceful, and the world was governed. When he was buried in Zhaoling, there was a poem written by someone who said: "Farming and mulberry trees are not disturbed, and the officials can't do it. Forty-two years have passed like a dream, and the spring breeze has blown tears over Zhaoling."

"Benevolence" is the highest praise for an emperor! "Being a king ends with benevolence." "History of the Song Dynasty" commented and praised Renzong and his great rule: "During the forty-two years of (Renzong's) reign, the officials were lazy and neglected the incompetent; the criminal law was like If you are relaxed, there will be many people who are fair and tolerant. The country will not be without bad luck, but it will not be enough to govern the world; , There is a foundation for cultivating the Song Dynasty for more than 300 years. Once the descendants correct their behavior, they will be tamed and lead to chaos. "The emperor is sincere and has no shame.