For a long time, the throne has been the dream of an emperor, starting with Qin Shi Huang, and later emperors have also had their own ambitions and dreams. Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin was no exception, he became emperor overnight through the Chen Qiao Mutiny, and this kind of opportunity was indeed quite lucky at that time. However, Zhao Kuangyin's brother Zhao Kuangyi became his biggest threat and eventually robbed him of his dynasty.
Zhao Kuangyin, a great emperor in Chinese history, his life is full of legends. He rose to prominence as a commoner, and with his courage and determination, he succeeded in overthrowing the corrupt Later Zhou regime and establishing the powerful Song Dynasty, opening a new chapter in Chinese history.
Zhao Kuangyin was born in 927 AD, his family was not wealthy, but he showed extraordinary wisdom and courage from an early age. His father was a soldier who taught him to ride a horse and shoot arrows from an early age, nurturing his military talents. Zhao Kuangyin's mother was a woman who understood righteousness, and she taught him to be a moral and responsible person.
When Zhao Kuangyin became an adult, he chose to become a soldier and devote himself to the cause of defending the country and the people. He excelled in the army and was soon promoted to officer. However, he did not rest on his laurels, his goal was to become the supreme emperor who was high on the throne.
When Zhao Kuangyin was young, he defected to the account of Guo Wei, the privy envoy of the Later Han Dynasty, and later became Guo Wei's military attaché. Zhao Kuangyin's military talents and exploits were appreciated by Guo Wei, and his life was also inextricably linked with Guo Wei. Zhao Kuangyin was able to successfully reproduce Guo Wei's line and successfully gain a foothold on the throne thanks to his favorable timing, location and people, as well as the support of a broad mass base.
In 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin's opportunity came. The Later Zhou Emperor at that time was an incompetent tyrant, and his rule caused discontent among the people. Zhao Kuangyin and his comrades decided to take action, and they staged a coup d'état known as the "Chenqiao Mutiny", which succeeded in overthrowing the Later Zhou regime.
After Zhao Kuangyin succeeded in the coup, he did not choose to become the new emperor, but chose to use "Song" as the country name and established the Song Dynasty. He was named Emperor Taizu and thus began his great reign.
Zhao Kuangyin's reign was just and fair. He abolished the corruption system of the previous dynasty and implemented a series of reforms, which made the Song Dynasty have great development in economy, culture, science and technology. He also attached great importance to education, established a system of imperial examinations, and selected a number of talented talents.
Zhao Kuangyin's reign was also benevolent. He cared so much about the people that he often personally visited the peasants in the fields to learn about their living conditions. He also set up a "policy of benefiting the people" to reduce the burden on the people.
Zhao Kuangyin's reign was courageous. During his reign, he personally led the army on many occasions, defeated various enemies, and protected the security and stability of the country.
After Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty, he was faced with the problem of how to consolidate his position. He wanted to concentrate military power, curb the power of local warlords, maintain centralized feudal rule, and prevent subversive activities of warlords.
Xiangguo Zhao Pu put forward the suggestion of "releasing military power with a glass of wine", and Zhao Kuangyin adopted this suggestion. He had a banquet with Shi Shouxin and others to express his bitterness, so as to dispel the concerns of the generals. Zhao Kuangyin successfully addressed the internal threat and achieved balance.
At this banquet, Zhao Kuangyin invited all the generals. After three rounds of drinking, Zhao Kuangyin stood up, raised his wine glass, and said to the generals: "I can sit here today because of your support." Now, however, I am very worried. You have too much military power in your hands, and I fear that one day you will use it to overthrow me. With that, he slammed the glass in his hand to the ground.
All the generals were stunned by Zhao Kuangyin's words, they didn't expect Zhao Kuangyin to have such an idea. Zhao Kuangyin looked at their expressions and continued: "I know that you are all loyal to me, but I can't guarantee that your subordinates are as loyal as you. Therefore, I have decided to take back all of your military power. ”
When the generals heard this, they were shocked. They knew that once they lost their military power, they would no longer be able to pose a threat to Zhao Kuangyin. However, they also understood that Zhao Kuangyin was doing this to protect his position, and they could not refute it.
In this way, Zhao Kuangyin used a glass of wine to successfully relieve the generals of their military power. With wisdom and courage, he successfully asserted his position. This is the story of "a glass of wine releases military power".
"Releasing military power with a glass of wine" is the beginning of a series of political and military reform measures taken by Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, to strengthen the centralization of power and consolidate the rule. The aim of this strategy was to use peaceful means to avoid hurting the relationship between the monarch and the minister, thereby removing the military from the military and ensuring that the military would not have a coup d'état.
However, there is much more to this event than that. After the "Anshi Rebellion", the Tang Dynasty continued bloody violence for nearly a hundred years to suppress the unruly power of the feudal towns. Zhao Kuangyin and his brothers are well aware of the complexities involved. In fact, the decision to "release the military power" was not based on a conversation just over a glass of wine. This involves the interests of the broader military general group behind it. Therefore, the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty once ridiculed those who were too stupid and naïve to simply settle the matter by "releasing military power with a glass of wine".
The Tang Dynasty before the Song Dynasty was on the surface because the military generals did not fall after the division of the feudal town. Zhao Kuangyin's parents and grandparents were all officials in the system, and Zhao Kuangyin himself seized the throne of Hou Zhou through his identity as a military general. Therefore, the general view is that the reason for Zhao Kuangyin's weakening of the authority of the military generals is related to his knowledge of the history of the fall of the Tang Dynasty.
In general, the "release of military power with a glass of wine" is not just a simple historical event, but a strategic action involving complex political, military and social factors behind it. It embodies Zhao Kuangyin's political wisdom and deep understanding of national stability.
However, Zhao Kuangyin missed Zhao Kuangyi when he was relieved of military power, and this person became his biggest threat. Zhao Kuangyi is Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother and one of his closest people. When Zhao Kuangyin first sought power and usurped the throne, Zhao Kuangyi did not make much achievements, but he helped his brother. Zhao Kuangyi married Fu Shi, the daughter of Fu Yanqing, the king of Wei, and through this in-law relationship, he indirectly helped Zhao Kuangyin eliminate internal hostile forces and prepare for the launch of the "Chenqiao Mutiny".
After Zhao Kuangyin ascended to the throne, the relationship between him and Zhao Kuangyi began to become strained. Zhao Kuangyin doubted Zhao Kuangyi's thirst for power, and Zhao Kuangyi was also dissatisfied with Zhao Kuangyin's son as the heir. Zhao Kuangyin had deliberately suppressed his son's status, but later began to support their political activities.
Zhao Kuangyi realized that Zhao Kuangyin had the idea of changing the heir, so he acted in advance, and assumed the throne as Song Taizong on the grounds that Zhao Kuangyin had promised Empress Dowager Du to pass on the throne to Zhao Kuangyi. Zhao Kuangyin's sons Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang were forced to accept Zhao Jiong's rule, and the possibility of their succession was cut off.
After Zhao Jiong seized the Song Dynasty, he continued to hold the throne and passed on the power to his descendants. The rule of Zhao Kuangyin's line lost its status in the Song Dynasty, and it was not until Zhao Yan ascended the throne that he regained his "orthodox" status. Zhao Kuangyin's choice and Zhao Jiong's ambition eventually led to the Song Dynasty's change of hands.
How did Zhao Kuangyin die? This has to be said"The sound of the candle shadow axe"Finish.
The sound of the candle shadow axe", also known as:"Axe sound candle shadow", is a historical event about October of the ninth year of Kaibao of the Song Dynasty in China (976 AD). According to historical records, Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, was seriously ill at this time, and he summoned Zhao Guangyi, the king of Jin, to discuss the matter. Some versions record that Zhao Kuangyin originally wanted to summon his fourth son Zhao Defang to discuss the future, but after Zhao Guangyi, the king of Jin, learned about it, Zhao Defang was not summoned to the palace.
The specific details of the story are as follows: It was a snowy night, and Zhao Kuangyin summoned Zhao Guangyi into the palace to drink together. The two brothers withdrew all the eunuchs and maids, leaving only the two of them to sit opposite each other by candlelight. Looking at the past, I could only see the two people in the candlelight and the sound of the jade axe poking the ground from time to time. Finally, the wine game ended, and Zhao Guangyi left the palace.
This story was later adopted by posterity"The sound of the candle shadow axe"To describe it vividly, it contains the power struggle within the royal family and the complex emotions of human nature. However, there are still different interpretations and controversies about the specific details and meanings.
Zhao Kuangyin's life is legendary, he rose from a commoner to become a great emperor. His reign changed the history of China and ushered in the glorious era of the Song Dynasty. His life was full of wisdom, courage and determination, and he was an eternal hero of the Chinese people.