Song dynasty, a poor and weak dynasty, was beaten and abused, lived in that dynasty, and died a coward. Is this Englishman laughing at China's Song Dynasty? But on the other hand, will ordinary people like a powerful country that is militaristic? In the era of Taizu and Chengzu in the Ming Dynasty, the national strength was strong, ranking first in the world. Which intellectuals and ordinary people feel full of happiness and glory?
After the defeat of the Battle of Yashan in Song Dynasty, Lu Xiufu, the prime minister who vowed to die, committed suicide by jumping into the sea with Min on his back. Before and after the Battle of Yashan, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the Southern Song Dynasty either died or jumped into the sea to commit suicide! This is the largest collective martyrdom in the history of human civilization! Can these explain the greatness of the Song Dynasty?
Song dynasty is a recognized dynasty that is poor and weak, but it is generous and lamentable. It is a dynasty that respects intellectuals and enjoys power with them.
When Song Shenzong tried to kill a transshipment ambassador, ministers Cai Que and Zhang Dun strongly opposed it, saying, "Since our ancestors, we haven't killed scholars, and I don't want to kill your majesty!" What does this mean? When Dasong came from Zhao Kuangyin, he set up an "oath tablet" not to kill the literati and those who wrote letters to remonstrate. This provision was called "Zhao Jiafa" by the court in the Northern Song Dynasty! Song Shenzong had no choice but to complain. When Song Zhezong supported political reform, the new party came back to power. Zhang Dun, who had previously protected his colleagues, wanted to "kill all traitors" and all political opponents, but Song Zhezong firmly opposed it, "follow the patriarchal clan system and don't kill ministers". In the fourth year of Tianxi in Song Zhenzong, Prime Minister Kou Zhun and other ministers were arrested for plotting to abolish Song Zhenzong and establish a prince to supervise the country. The charge of "killing nine families" was only because Song Zhenzong abided by the ancestral system of "not killing literati" that Kou Zhun was demoted to Leizhou as a small official. The emperor of Song Dynasty's respect for literati and awe of knowledge made Song Dynasty more civilized and less bloody than other dynasties!
When he was in Song Gaozong, he killed Ouyang Che and Chen Dong, two scholars who were fighting for the main battle. Under the public opinion of the ruling and opposition parties, Song Gaozong, who felt great pressure, pushed the responsibility to the then prime ministers Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan, and later "rehabilitated" the case and compensated Chen Dong and Ouyang Che's family!
Of course, the emperors of the Song Dynasty were generally not "polite" to literati, but to military commanders. To a great extent, the descendants of Zhao Jiazi abide by the principle of "don't kill literati, talk to people", but they are not in the ranks of civilized treatment and tolerance for military commanders who may be intimidated to the dominant position!
The probability of becoming a middle class in Song Dynasty is higher than that in other dynasties. Kaifeng is the richest place in the Northern Song Dynasty, with a prosperous population and wealth of 1 10,000 everywhere. At that time, well-off standard was about 1 10,000, and there were countless people!
Social governance in the Song Dynasty also paid attention to helping the poor, paying more attention to charity than any other dynasty. There were special laws to help beggars, adopt abandoned babies, and help people who were ill and could not afford medical treatment. Therefore, in the 300-year history of the Song Dynasty, apart from the invasion by foreign enemies, there was no particularly serious internal civil strife. Li Zicheng, which called for an uprising by famine, basically has no market, and the people are very grateful for it!
The imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty also repeatedly countered, selecting talents in an eclectic way, breaking the solidification of the class. Although the Tang Dynasty was able to pass the imperial examination, it still attached great importance to the gentry, and the senior officials of the imperial court were generally descendants of princes and princes.
According to the Song Dynasty, the letter of appointment issued by the emperor must be signed by the prime minister, which means that the emperor alone does not count, and without the signature of the prime minister, it has no legal effect. Song officials also have the right to veto the imperial edict that violates the law. During the reign of Song Guangzong, Mr. Lou Jian, a calligrapher in China, "refused to play" which did not conform to the imperial edict of the law, which made Song Guangzong feel aggrieved.
Intellectuals' reward for this is their unswerving loyalty and defense to the Song Empire. It was the restraint and respect of the emperor of the Song Dynasty for the imperial people and intellectuals that finally made countless people willing to go through fire and water for their country.
After the Battle of Cliff Mountain, Wen Tianxiang, the champion who would rather die than surrender, bowed down in the direction of Dasong in Yuan Dynasty and died generously. Compared with the scene before Chongzhen hanged himself in the Ming Dynasty and the abdication of the Qing court, the demise of the Song Dynasty was obviously much more tragic!
The Song Dynasty was not the best, but the people lived a rich life, and there were fewer bloody killings than other dynasties. If Shi Jingtang, the "son emperor", hadn't dedicated the "Sixteen States" to the Khitan, so that the Central Plains lost its northern barrier, the people in the Song Dynasty might have lived a better and longer life!