Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, skillfully used power techniques to successfully take over the leadership of the Great Song Dynasty as a brother and brother, although the process was full of unsolved mysteries of "axe sound and candle shadow".
A few years after Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, ascended the throne, and made public the will of his mother, Empress Dowager Du, "The Alliance of Jinkui". According to legend, in the second year (961) after the Chenqiao Mutiny, Empress Dowager Du fell seriously ill and had a premonition that her life was coming to an end.
Empress Dowager Du called Zhao Pu to the hospital bed and asked Zhao Kuangyin in front of him: "Do you know how you got the throne?" Zhao Kuangyin deeply remembered his mother's nurturing grace, and he gave a textbook answer, saying: "Everything is thanks to the accumulation of virtue by the ancestors and the good deeds of the queen mother." ”
However, Empress Dowager Du was not satisfied after hearing this, she said: "Wrong, your success is not because Zhou Shizong passed the throne to his young grandson, leaving orphans and widows.
It was because of the suspicious situation of the Lord Shaoguo at that time that you had a chance. You should pass the throne to your younger brother Zhao Guangyi in order to ensure the stability of the country. ”
However, at that time, Zhao Kuangyin was only 34 years old and in the prime of life, even if he died young, his son was already an adult, and he would not leave a 7-year-old young son like Zhou Shizong, resulting in no one in charge of the court.
Therefore, Empress Dowager Du's words are somewhat contradictory. According to Empress Dowager Du's intentions, the Zhao family's rivers and mountains should be passed on to Zhao Guangyi by Zhao Kuangyin, then by Zhao Guangyi to his younger brother Zhao Guangmei, and finally back to Zhao Kuangyin's son.
This is to avoid the situation in which the DPRK is now in charge of the country and the country is suspicious, and to ensure the stability of the country. Zhao Kuangyin followed his mother's advice and told her that he would learn the lessons of the previous dynasty.
Empress Dowager Du asked Zhao Pu to record her words, write them into an oath, and put them in the golden treasure. Although the authenticity of the Golden Kui Alliance was questioned, it did play a role in calming people's minds and consolidating the throne of the Zhao family, and it also made the ministers have to believe it.
Zhao Guangyi was Zhao Kuangyin's right-hand man, and he made clear arrangements for the heir to the throne mentioned in the Jinkui Alliance. He named his younger brother Zhao Tingmei as the Yin of Kaifeng Mansion, and named Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang as princes.
After the Battle of the Gaoliang River, Zhao Guangyi successfully escaped, thinking that the Northern Expedition was unfavorable, so he could not be rewarded, which made Zhao Dezhao very dissatisfied. Zhao Dezhao died of depression, and Zhao Defang also died of a violent illness in his sleep.
The two major threats to Zhao Guangyi's succession to the throne were eliminated. Zhao Tingmei was the first heir, but he was a Ma Daha, who talked about poetry and Taoism with Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and had a close relationship with Prime Minister Lu Duoxun.
Li Yu was a thorn in Zhao Guangyi's heart, and after he died, he often recited ancient poems to express his anger. It was rumored in later generations that Li Yu was killed by Zhao Guangyi with poison.
Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, has TV stills, and Lu Duoxun has been Zhao Pu's political enemy for many years. This person has always been alert, knowing that Song Taizu likes to read, and often goes to the history museum to pick up books, so he asked the little official Zhao Kuangyin what kind of book he read, and he also found it to read all night.
After a few days, Zhao Kuangyin talked about the content of his recent reading, and only Lu Duoxun answered the Manchu Dynasty's civil and military affairs. Such a small trick is exposing his desire for power, and after Lu Duosun is reused, he has always been at odds with Zhao Pu.
After Taizong ascended the throne, he told the emperor that Zhao Pu had opposed Taizu's succession to Zhao Guangyi in order to suppress his opponents. Zhao Pu, a veteran minister who has been up and down in the Huan Sea for decades, knows the truth of a son of heaven and a courtier.
He first informed Zhao Guangyi of the Jinkui Alliance, and when discussing the matter of succession with him, he said: "Since ancient times, emperors have passed on the throne from father to son, and Taizu was wrong back then, will Your Majesty be wrong again today?" ”
Only then did Zhao Guangyi know that Zhao Pu turned out to be an ally. According to the episode of the TV series "Bright Sword", there is no need to ask the second battalion commander to bring the Italian cannon, and quickly serve pasta to the friendly troops to taste.
In the seventh year of the Taiping Rejuvenation (982), Zhao Tingmei was charged with rebellion, deposed Kaifeng Mansion Yin, and was demoted to Luoyang. Later, on the charge of colluding with Lu Duoxun, he was stripped of all official positions, and the family was driven to Fangzhou, Hubei.
Lu Duoxun was assigned to Yazhou (now Sanya, Hainan), deprived of official titles and gifts, and was never among the pardons, and could not turn over in his life. Soon, Zhao Tingmei was degraded again and again, and was angry to death by his own brother, and Lu Duosun died of illness in the depreciation center.
Zhao Guangyi belittled the emperor's brother Zhao Tingmei, and Zhao Pu overthrew his political rival Lu Duoxun, and the two sang and harmonized, successfully solving the problem of the heir to the throne.
After Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he implemented the policy of emphasizing literature and suppressing military force, advocated the imperial examination system, expanded the number of admission places for the imperial examination, and attracted more literati to enter the official career. His policies led to the formation of a large class of scholars and scholars in the Song Dynasty, and also selected a large number of talents for the Great Song Dynasty.
At the same time, Zhao Guangyi also paid attention to encompassing the literati, expanding the scale of the three museums, and improving the status and treatment of literati. He expanded the size of the imperial examinations, admitting twice as many jinshi as before, so that more people could have the opportunity to enter the imperial examinations, while also blocking the mouths of the literati.
He also replaced the ** of the Taizu Dynasty with the admitted Jinshi, so that his rule could be stabilized.
Song Taizong was a controversial figure. In the name of "brushing the shame of Sejong and Taizu", he led the army to the north to attack the Liao State, but suffered a crushing defeat.
Although he was ambitious and talented, he was too persistent in arranging troops, and even insisted on "taking the middle to the throne". Before Yongxi's Northern Expedition, he did not consult with the ministers of Zhongshu and personally formulated a three-way march strategy, which led to Cao Bin's fiasco all the way.
After the war, Minister Tian Xi wrote a letter questioning whether the prime minister should be involved in military decision-making. However, despite his military failures, he did quite well politically and economically.
Under his leadership, the Great Song Dynasty prospered economically and culturally, the monarchy was further strengthened, the system of two governments and three divisions was finally established, and the literati served him with all their hearts. Although there were some problems during his reign, such as "the country is rich but not strong" and "three redundancies and two accumulations", in general, he created a peaceful and prosperous era for the people of the Great Song Dynasty.