1. Emphasizing Literature over Military Force: Officers have no status when they lose power.
At the beginning of the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty, cultural and martial arts went hand in hand. Taizu Zhao Kuangyin himself seized the country by force. He was well aware of the importance of civil rule and martial arts to the prosperity of the country, and put forward the concept of "attaching equal importance to civil and military affairs". During the Taizu period, the status of military attachés was relatively high, and the forbidden army retained due dignity and real power. However, successive monarchs gradually strengthened their reliance on civil officials, and the status of military attachés became increasingly low and weak. After the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a situation of "promoting culture and education and suppressing military affairs". Military generals no longer participate in the government's affairs, civilian officials are in charge of domestic and foreign affairs, and the army is reduced to a tool for recruiting soldiers and only launching expeditions when necessary. What happened to Lin Chong's 800,000 forbidden army leaders was the result of the general environment of this era. The generals lost their positions and were unable to protect themselves and their families. Civil officials are bullying. This is the reality of the world.
2. The imbalance in the promotion mechanism of military attaches is difficult to sustain.
The promotion of military attachés in the Northern Song Dynasty was very different from that of civilian officials. Civil officials can rise steadily as long as they gain fame through the imperial examinations. The promotion of military attachés is entirely based on military merit, and they must make meritorious contributions on the battlefield in order to have a chance to be promoted. Once there is no war for decades, the generals may not be able to rise to a higher level even when they are old. And even if he makes meritorious service, the speed of promotion of military generals is far less than that of the civil servants of the times. With Lin Chong's talents and merits, if he devotes himself to the imperial examination, he should be generous. But he remained a mere head of the church all his life. It can be seen that the promotion mechanism of the Song military attache is extremely unbalanced and unsustainable. Lin Chong is unwilling to retire and be idle, and eventually become a bandit in old age, which is not unrelated.
3. Military Generals Have No Power It is difficult to rectify military discipline.
Although the military generals of the Northern Song Dynasty held high positions, they had no real power. The commander-in-chief of the forbidden army can be described as a vacant position, and the local regimental training of the Xiang army has no autonomy. All major political and military affairs are controlled by the civil servants and the imperial court. The generals are conscientious and well-trained, but they have no leading power in the collection of soldiers, military salaries and quarters, and dispatch on patrols. Not to mention the restraint and rectification of military discipline. Under the constraints of civilian officials, it is difficult for military generals to play their role, and naturally they are powerless to rectify corruption in military discipline. As a result, although the total number of forbidden armies is huge, in fact, it is strong and strong, and it is difficult to be traditional and majestic. Military generals have the intention to bully the weak and oppress the people, and they are powerless to control it. Just like the grievances encountered by Lin Chong**.
Fourth, the breeding of corruption endangered the foundation of the Song Dynasty.
The situation of emphasizing literature over military force and losing the military attache made the Northern Song Dynasty army disheartened and military discipline corrupted. The civil officials are pretentious, and the military generals are frustrated and decadent. The trend of corruption has penetrated from the civil and military officials to the military and civilians at all levels. As a result, the people are struggling to make a living, border troubles are frequent, and it is difficult to return. This caused the Northern Song Dynasty to be weak and sluggish, planting a deep hidden danger. At the time of the invasion of the Jin soldiers, due to the disagreement between the civil and military, the military and government were chaotic. Vulnerable and helpless. The general trend has gone, and the Jin people have entered the Central Plains. The death of the Northern Song Dynasty was the inevitable result of the system at that time. Lin Chong's case is the tip of the iceberg. The fall of the Northern Song Dynasty was an important part of the Song civilization. However, our generation should be cautious and learn the lessons of history to avoid the recurrence of the tragedy.
This incident caused an uproar, and there were many opinions. For a time, the focus was on the Song Dynasty's weak and military system.
Some netizens believe that the Lin Chong incident fully exposed the shortcomings of the Song Dynasty's weak and brutal culture. The emphasis on literature and the suppression of military forces has made the status of military generals low and the real power is lacking. The imbalance in the promotion mechanism also discouraged many generals. This led to the corruption of military discipline and laid a hidden danger for the weakness of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Some netizens also believe that it cannot be simply blamed on the weak and martial arts. At that time, the country was stable, and it was reasonable to attach importance to cultural governance. The low status of military generals is not entirely the fault of the monarch, but also because the quality of the military attaches themselves is uneven. There is no denying that there are shortcomings in the system, but they are not to blame.
Some netizens believe that Lin Chong is just a case. His experience is also related to personal experience, which is not enough to generalize. The Song Dynasty made great achievements in cultural governance and laid the cornerstone of Chinese civilization. We can't demand a 100% balance between civil and military. Overall, the civil service system of the Song Dynasty still has its progressive significance.
To sum up, it is an indisputable fact that the Lin Chong incident did reflect some of the drawbacks of the situation of weak and armed remnants at that time. However, in order to look at history fairly, we still need to be calm and not exaggerate. By drawing the lessons of history objectively and rationally, we can avoid making the same mistakes today. Historical events and our present reality will always be inextricably linked. It's worth pondering.