In Chinese history, the Song dynasty stood out for its establishment of a professional army. However, this huge army has frequently lost in foreign wars and has even been bullied by neighboring countries. Why is it that such an army with an advanced system has been defeated again and again?Let's dive into the historical mystery.
In that year, Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty through the Chenqiao Mutiny, initially unified the world, began to inherit and develop the conscription system in the late Tang Dynasty, and became the first dynasty to establish a professional army. During this period, soldiers no longer levied the children of good families by allocating land, but took military service as their only occupation and relied on military salaries for a living.
When the Song Dynasty was founded, why did the professional army fail repeatedly?
On the surface, the Song Dynasty, with its professional army, should have been unstoppable, but it did not achieve good results, and even lost wars against countries such as Vietnam. In addition to the well-known policy of emphasizing military force over civilian culture, there is another key reason for this anomaly - the fundamental change of soldiers.
During the Song Taizu period, there were quite strict selection criteria for recruiting soldiers, and by selecting strong soldiers to be sent to various places, it was ensured that the recruited qualified soldiers had high standards. In this way, the Song army was an elite force as strong as a tiger during the Taizu period, and its combat effectiveness was guaranteed to a certain extent.
After the Northern Expedition of Gaoliang River and Yongxi, the fate of the Song Dynasty army reversed.
However, with the two major defeats of the Gaoliang River and the Yongxi Northern Expedition, after Song Taizong ascended the throne, the corruption of the forbidden army began to appear. Shifting from a strategic offensive to a defensive position, the Song Dynasty lost the spirit of its initial period, military development was neglected, and the criteria for selecting soldiers were gradually relaxed.
In order to stabilize society, the Song Dynasty increased the number of conscripts and implemented the policy of raising soldiers in disaster years. This led to a sharp increase in the number of troops, but did not increase combat effectiveness. Disaster victims, bandits, thieves, and other socially unstable elements joined the army, but it was difficult to cultivate loyal and reliable soldiers in the army.
The quality of the army has declined, and the million-strong army has become a "thief army."
With the increase in the number of conscripts, the army has been flooded with unstable factors such as scoundrels and criminals, which have seriously ruined the purity and reputation of the army and led to a decline in the status of soldiers. These soldiers are more inclined to enjoy a life of food and clothing in the army than to sincerely devote themselves to defending their families and country. Therefore, this Song Dynasty army, which was nicknamed the "thief army", became the target of bullying by foreign enemies.
Song Dynasty vs. Tang Dynasty: A professional army with an advanced system but failed.
Compared with the Tang Dynasty, which adopted a system of integrated agriculture and soldiers, the Song Dynasty had a more advanced professional military system, but it failed to make good use of it. Although the army was large, due to the lack of supporting measures, the quality of the soldiers was inferior to that of the peasants who were half peasants and half soldiers in the Tang Dynasty. The Song army, under the appearance of a million-strong army, was actually in trouble.
Conclusion: The gap between the advanced system and the actual effect.
The failure of the professional army in the Song Dynasty is a typical case of the contradiction between the advanced system and the actual effect. Although the million-strong army is huge, it is frequently defeated on the battlefield due to the decline in the quality of soldiers and the lax selection criteria. This period of history tells us that the improvement of the system lies not only in the establishment, but also in the implementation and maintenance.
Commentary: The Depth of the Mystery of the Song Dynasty Army**.
This article provides an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty's professional army, revealing the problems behind its apparent glory. Through combing through the historical details, we can see more clearly the reasons for the repeated defeats of this million-strong army, as well as the gap between the advanced system and the actual effect.
First of all, the article points out the strict selection criteria during the Song Taizu period, which made the Song army at that time a strong and elite army. However, with the passage of time, especially after the two major defeats of the Gaoliang River and the Yongxi Northern Expedition, the forbidden army of the Song Taizong period was completely destroyed. This change revealed the mistake of the military leadership in strategic adjustment, which changed from offensive to defensive, and caused the army to lose its sharpness in the initial period.
Secondly, the article emphasizes the huge impact of the change of soldiers on the quality of the army. During the Song Taizong period, the selection criteria were gradually relaxed, and the number of conscripts increased significantly, resulting in a large number of social unrest factors in the army. This makes the army a team that has been jokingly called the "thief army", and the soldiers are more focused on enjoying a stable life in the army than devoting themselves to defending the country. This phenomenon is not unique to history, but it is one of the important reasons for the decline in the combat effectiveness of the Song army.
The article also compares the systems of the Song Dynasty with those of the Tang Dynasty. Although the Song Dynasty had a more advanced professional military system, it was not well used in practice, and it was not as effective as the Tang Dynasty's system of integrating peasants and soldiers. This contrast profoundly reflects the importance of system building, and it is not enough to have a superficially advanced system, but also needs to be implemented and maintained in a feasible manner.
Finally, the article brings us the revelation that history is not only a record of the past, but also a warning to the present. The failure of the professional army of the Song Dynasty tells us that an advanced system will face failure if it cannot keep pace with the times and be effectively implemented. In modern society, we need to learn lessons from history, not only to pursue advanced system design, but also to pay attention to actual implementation, to ensure that the system can really play a role and achieve the expected results.
Overall, this article provides readers with a profound historical reflection through an in-depth analysis of the professional military of the Song Dynasty. In the process, readers can better understand the complexity of historical events and draw inspiration from them for today's society.
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