After the "Chenqiao Mutiny", although Song Taizu had put on the yellow robe, military coups such as "deposing the emperor and changing the dynasty" may still happen again. The nine senior generals of the imperial army at that time were either Mao's sworn brothers before he became emperor, or were the backbone of the Zhao-Song Group. They made great contributions to the rise of the Zhao-Song Group and the "Chenqiao Mutiny". They were a collection of military power and merit. The founding father of the Zhao Dynasty in one body. If you have too much power, you will shake the master. If you have too much power, you will cause trouble. This powerful situation is indeed a potential threat to the throne of Mao and his descendants. Mao has a famous saying, "How can we allow others to sleep soundly beside the bed?" Although this is directed at the Southern Tang regime, it also illustrates his vigilance towards the protagonist's personal service. The Southern Tang Dynasty could be conquered by force, but how to deal with the founding fathers under his opponents made it difficult for Song Taizu, who was well versed in scheming. In July of the second year of Qianlong, Mao summoned Zhao Pu and asked: "Why have the emperors changed their surnames to twelve kings in the decades since the end of the Tang Dynasty, and wars have continued? I want to eliminate the soldiers of the world from now on and establish a long-term plan for the country. Is there any good way?"

Zhao Pu replied: "Your Majesty has the foresight to ask this question, which is a blessing for heaven, earth, people and gods. Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the emperors have been moved and wars have continued. The fundamental reason is that Fang Zhen has too much power, and the king is weak and the ministers are strong. Now the only way to get rid of this shortcoming is to deprive Fang Zhen of his power, control their finances, and recruit their elite soldiers, and the world will naturally be stable." Zhao Pu. Before he finished speaking, Mao kept saying: "You don't need to say any more, I understand everything." One night, Mao left Shi Shouxin, Gao Huaide and other senior imperial generals to drink. When the wine got extremely hot, Mao suddenly withdrew his attendants. Confide in them. He said: "If it weren't for your efforts, I wouldn't be where I am today. For this, I think of your merits from the bottom of my heart. However, it is too difficult to be an emperor. Just be happy. To be honest, this year I have I have never had a good night's sleep!" Shi Shouxin and others asked, "What's the point?" Mao continued calmly: "It's not hard to know. Who doesn't want to sit in my position as the emperor?" Hearing what he said, the people quickly kowtowed and said, "Why did your Majesty say that? Since destiny has been determined, who dares to have different intentions?" Mao said, "Otherwise, even if you have the same intention, your subordinates also want to get rich. Once the yellow robe is added to the body, even if they don't want to There's nothing I can do about it as an emperor."

With these words, both soft and hard, the generals knew that they were under suspicion and could even be killed. They suddenly broke out in cold sweat, with tears in their eyes, and kowtowed and begged. Mao gave them a way out. Mao said slowly, "Life is like a blink of an eye. All those who pursue wealth just want to gather more money, have more fun, and save future generations from poverty. Why not give up military power, buy more good land and beautiful houses, and build a permanent home for future generations?" Manor. At the same time, buy more singers and dancers, and drink and have fun day and night. Finally, I will marry you again. There will be no suspicion between the emperor and the ministers, and everything will be fine." Shi Shouxin and others saw Mao. It was explained so clearly that I had no choice but to obey the order and thank Mao for his kindness. The next day, the imperial guards, the pro-army Sima infantry, the commander Shi Shouxin, the governor Zhang Lingduo, the deputy governor Gao Huaide in front of the palace, and the governor Wang Shenqi all claimed to be ill and requested to be relieved of their military duties. Song Taizu readily agreed to let them go to the imperial outpost, to the place that became our era.

At the same time, Mao abolished the command departments that conducted random inspections of the front of the palace and the pro-horse infantry. The imperial army was composed of the commander in front of the palace, the commander in Madu and the commander in Budu, the so-called "Three Yams". Other people with less seniority, lower prestige, and easier control were selected as generals of the imperial army and held three official positions respectively. These three official positions are not subordinate to each other and restrain each other, so that military power is firmly in the hands of the emperor. Later, Mao fulfilled his promise to exchange in-laws and married his widowed sister to Gao Huaide, his two daughters to the sons of Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi, and his third brother as Zhang Lingduo's son-in-law. The monarch never guesses, and wealth is always guaranteed. This is the famous "right to drink poison to quench thirst" in history. Compared with Han Gaozu, Ming Taizu, etc. Whoever kills their heroes, kill them all. Song Taizu's "dissolve military power with a glass of wine" is really more civilized! The above stories are mainly taken from Sima Guang's "Sushui Jiwen". Later, Director Li also recorded it in detail in "Xu Zi Zhi Tong Jian Chang Bian". Later, almost all relevant history books repeated this story over and over again, with few questioning it.

The earliest existing records of "using wine to relieve military power" are "Ding Jin Gong Tan Lu" written by the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, and "Wang Wenzheng Gong's Records" written by Wang Zeng, the prime minister of Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. Ding Wei's Song Dynasty "Talk" describes a conversation between Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Pu. Prime Minister Zhao Pu said to Mao: "The imperial army commanders Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi have too much military power and cannot be allowed to lead the army." After hearing this, he disagreed and said, "Shi and Wang have been old friends for many years. Are you still afraid of them?" Rebellion? "Zhao Pu said: "The two veteran generals, Shi and Wang, will not rebel. But they lack the ability to command and will certainly not be able to subdue their subordinates in the future." Mao still expressed doubts. Said: "These two people are so valued and favored by the country, will they be inferior to me?" Zhao Pu replied calmly: "I'm afraid I am just like your Majesty. How could I lose to Zhou Shizong?" Mao suddenly understood and listened to Zhao Pu's suggestion again. , only two people have military power. This record shows that Mao was persuaded by Zhao Pu before he began to lift military power according to Zhao Pu's suggestion. There is no dramatic story of "drunken soldiers".

The prototype of "drinking a glass of wine to release military power" appeared in Zeng's "Transcript".

He described it this way: Prime Minister Zhao Pu said a lot, and Mao had no choice but to ask Shi Shouxin to wait for the banquet in the palace. Talking about the happy and intimate past, he took the opportunity to say: "I am worthy of all of you, brothers, and my righteousness is to my brothers and sisters. What has happened to me? However, I have to think about it. In this situation today Why don't you choose a geomantic treasure, stay abroad, be a hereditary official, and pay the rent to take care of yourself. In this way, you can spend your old age leisurely. Isn't this a kind of fun? This daughter should marry your son to show harmony between the king and his ministers." Shi Shouxin and others understood this and kowtowed in thanks. So Shi, Gao and Wang all came to the feudal town and were hired by the royal family. More than 20 years later, they still stand out. This record shows that the story of "drinking a cup of wine and releasing military power" first appeared in the Renzong period, but the plot was relatively simple; it was not until the "Sushui Jiwen" of the Zongshen period that the story became vivid.

Wang Gong, who was about the same time as Sima Guang, also had a similar record in "Wen Jian Jin Lu": "When Mao came to the throne, there were many people in Fang Town. The so-called ten brothers. On the last day, we summoned all Fang Shangzhen said, "If you want to be an official, you can kill me." Trembling. After repeated warnings, Voldemort did not dare. After careful research on historical materials, some scholars have raised strong doubts about the vivid historical story of "one drink of wine gives you the right to release troops". First of all, "Tan Lu" only talks about the military power of Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi, but not the military power of Wang Shenqi. The banquet. In the "Book of Records", it is recorded that in addition to Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi, there were several other generals, adding the plot of Mao banquet with the generals, which was basically derived from the so-called "dismissal of troops after drinking a glass of wine" in later generations. Therefore, Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi, etc. were all given the right to join the army, and they were dismissed from office. At the same time, they held a banquet on the old plot, and they seemed to have lived in their own territory. It is an incremental process from scratch to something simple to complex. The farther away from the person involved, the more vivid and detailed the record becomes. It is obvious that this is the result of the screenwriter constantly adding and polishing the story in order to make it lively and interesting. This book all says that this matter is related to Zhao Pu, but the opinions are inconsistent. According to "Sushui Jiwen", the military power of Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi was decided after discussions between Song Taizu and Zhao Pu. According to "Tan Lu", it was Zhao Pu's repeated decision. After persuasion, Mao "had to" agree; but in the "Transcript", it was the result of Mao and Zhao Pu's joint planning. Third, how could such a contradictory statement become the final verdict? There are different opinions on the future of the king after he was deprived of military power. Some only said that the king did not lead the army, some said that he "returned to his hometown", and some said that he was "dismissed first". What? There is no consistent statement that can win people's trust.

Fourthly, the "Sushui Jiwen" and "Taizu Records" compiled by historians of the Northern Song Dynasty are not as important as "the right to drink and release troops". The "History of the Three Dynasties" at the end of the Yuan Dynasty was compiled according to "Records of Taizu" and "History of the Three Dynasties". If there was really such a commendable event at that time, "Records of Taizu in the History of the Song Dynasty" and "Records of the Three Dynasties" were not included. "Fifth, the above three books do not record the year in which the "Replacing Soldiers with Cups" incident occurred in the Northern Song Dynasty, and Director Li, who was more than a hundred years later than Sima Guang, wrote in the "History of the Country" in AD. The Nian said that it happened in July of the second year of Jianlong. A careful look at "Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian" revealed a big loophole. He died of illness in June. According to the custom at that time, it was the period of national mourning. At that time, the court did not allow enjoyment, let alone banquets. Moreover, Zhao Kuangyin's story of "returning to the field after a glass of wine" was not allowed. It is said that Zhao Pu was the prime minister. In the second year of Jianlong, Zhao Pu's status was only a deputy privy envoy and a Taoist, which was not enough to plot major events with Zhao Kuangyin. His first worship was in the second year of Qiande, which was three years after "dissolving military power with a glass of wine". Therefore, many scholars believe that although it sounds interesting, the "right to release troops after drinking a glass of wine" cannot withstand scrutiny and should be false.

Rebuttal opinions

Some scholars believe that "drinking and releasing troops" had a great influence on the political and military history of the Song Dynasty and could not be fabricated. The reasons are as follows: First, the military power of Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi and others was indeed removed from power after July of the second year of Jianlong. Official archives of the Northern Song Dynasty, such as "History of the Song Dynasty", "History of the State", etc. This is clearly documented and there is no doubt about it. In other words, "removing military power" is completely real, and what remains is just the question of how to remove military power. Second, from a method perspective, "giving up military power after a glass of wine" may be as dramatic as later generations said, but if we take into account Mao's special relationship with "one society and ten brothers", in the special political environment of the early Song Dynasty, It is a very reasonable thing for China to investigate. Rumors like "You have the right to release troops after drinking a glass of wine" should not be uncommon. For example, "Records of the Prince" and "Suppressing Yan Hui at a Suburban Banquet" are almost another version of "releasing military power through wine". Although there are many versions, there is only one source, which can only prove that "a glass of wine releases military power" is true. Because the recorder was not present, the narrative is different. Third, Wang Zeng was only born eleven years later than Ding Wei, so they were basically contemporaries.

"Records of Hearing and Seeing" was written by Wang Zeng himself. Ding Wei's "Records" of the Song Dynasty were not written by himself, but were the memories of the conversations by his descendants. It was not published until his nephew Pan. Therefore, there is no doubt that Wang Zeng's "Tan Lu" book will be published earlier than "Bi Lu". Therefore, it is believed that "a cup of wine to release military power" has gone through a fabrication process from scratch and cannot be established. Fourth, Wang Zhonghou is upright. He was criticized for red tape and cutting back on the Queen Mother's in-laws. He was considered an upright minister and a man of high moral character. The focus of the book is on people. Wang Zeng's experience and character determine that his narrative in "Tan Lu" must be more of a record than an embellishment.

Ding Wei of the Song Dynasty, although he once worshiped the prime minister and entered the second house, he was an immoral person. Most of the farces in Zhenzong were caused by him and Wang Qinruo. Later, he was exiled to Hainan for being a traffic eunuch. He was regarded as an adulterer by both the government and the public. Therefore, although Wang's "Transcript" does not need to be discarded due to different people, its historical value will never be higher than Wang's "Tanlu". 5. The funeral period of Empress Dowager Cixi. Year: On June 2nd of the second year, Empress Dowager Du died. Taichang's inner court said: The accurate story was published on the 25th according to the emperor's daily month system. "Empress Dowager Du died on June 2. According to the calculation of "the changes of the day, the month, and the month", the "three years of mourning" actually only took twenty-four days. From June 2 to June 25, it was exactly twenty-four On the 25th, he took off his mourning clothes to indicate that the legal mourning period stipulated by the court has passed. Except for particularly grand state banquets, general banquets and entertainment activities are no longer prohibited. Nine days from early June to early July", so it is unfounded to describe the mourning period of Empress Dowager Du as "early June to early July". From this point of view, perhaps it is really "dismissal after drinking a glass of wine" "Right" has gone through a development process from simple to detailed. But it cannot be established that it has gone through a production process from scratch. In fact, we can ignore the details of "Drink a glass of wine" and focus on "The right to release troops" In short, Mao's series of measures to reduce military power and reform the military system effectively ensured the long-term stability of the Song Dynasty's army and completely ended the turbulent situation of military and political disorder. However, its negative effects cannot be ignored. In the Northern Song Dynasty, soldiers were lucky enough to protect their full names. After Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, there were several unknown generals. The only one worthy of praise was Di Qing, who died of suspicion.

Later, the Northern Song Dynasty