Chinese history begins in 1000 AD!

Let's start in AD 1000. What was the world like in 1000 AD? That term might be more appropriate: "darkness before dawn." Darkness was the undertone of civilization in this period. If you don't believe it, you can open the world map and look from west to east: The Western Roman Empire had collapsed for more than five hundred years, and Europe was in the so-called "Dark Middle Ages." Further east, the once powerful Arab Empire also fell into division at this time. Further east, because China's Northern Song Dynasty did not control the Hexi Corridor at that time, the Silk Road, that is, the trade between the East and the West also fell into a low ebb. You see, the Eurasian continent, the center of the entire human civilization at that time, was really "decoupled and broken" and was in pieces. However, please note that the word I just used was "darkness before dawn." In Europe, although it is said to be the "Dark Middle Ages", some very important institutional and technological innovations have already grown secretly, and a great civilizational eruption is brewing. About another 100 years later, the Crusades began. There are both fierce collisions and fierce exchanges between Islamic civilization and European civilization. The integration of Eastern and Western cultures will soon reach a new climax.What about the Song Dynasty in China? Although the country was not as powerful as the Han and Tang Dynasties, after 40 years of hard climb, the Song Dynasty was about to shine. We won't talk about abstract figures such as population and GDP. I will talk about the details of the Song Dynasty for you to experience. Eight years ago, in 992 AD, the Song Dynasty held an imperial examination. How many candidates went to Bianliang, the capital, to take the exam? More than 17,000 people. Just think, there are more than 17,000 people, plus their entourage. Let us conservatively calculate that 30,000 to 40,000 people poured into a city at the same time. Even today, many cities are unable to meet the needs for food, clothing, housing and transportation. But Tokyo Bianliang was able to catch it back then. If you think about it again, these 17,000 people came from all over the country. A helpless scholar, with two followers, was able to travel such a long distance. They actually dared to walk, they were able to get there, there were no bandits to rob them along the way, and they were able to have food, shelter and services on the road. To have such a level of security and commercial services in such a vast area was something that Europeans at the time could not even imagine. Therefore, when talking about 1000 AD, we will start from China. AD 1000, in China, was the third year of Xianping in the Song Dynasty, the third emperor of the Song Dynasty, Song Zhenzong, reigned. This year, there are probably two major events. One thing happened in the north. The Song Dynasty was at war with the Liao Kingdom. This battle started last year, that is, in the winter of 999 AD. It lasted for one year, with both sides winning and losing. Of course, the real decisive battle between the two sides will not come to an end until five years later, when a "Chanyuan Alliance" is formed. So we won't comment here. The second thing happened in the west, which was the mutiny and the "Wangjun Rebellion" in Sichuan. This chaos was not a small one, but fortunately it was settled that year. Its causes and consequences involve a key issue in Chinese dynastic politics, so we will leave it to next year. This year, we focused on a small matter: on the fifth day of April this year, the old prime minister Lu Duan passed away. In the entire history of China, Lu Duan was not a big figure. But in the Song Dynasty at that time, Lu Duan was not only an important minister in the court, but he also had a landmark story of the era. Why do you say that? With this question, let's travel back to 1000 years together. Who wants to change the emperor? The story of the Song Dynasty in 1000 AD, we start with the death of the old prime minister Lu Duan. I hopeI hope that through this story, I can convey a feeling to you - each generation not only lives in its own era, but also lives in the shadow of the previous era. Let me first briefly introduce Mr. Lu Duanlu. Lu Duan, whose courtesy name was Yizhi, was from Anci, Youzhou, specifically from Langfang, Hebei, near today's Beijing. He has won a famous title in history, called "Not confused in big things". There is an allusion to this. The last emperor, Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi, wanted to promote him to become prime minister. Someone reminded him that he was afraid that wouldn't work, right? Lu Duan is such a mess. Taizong said, well, otherwise, he is confused about small things but not about big things. Later, it was said that a person "is not confused in important matters", and this allusion came from Lu Duan. Lu Duan was the last prime minister of Song Taizong and the first prime minister of Song Zhenzong. As soon as you hear it, you will know that this is an important figure in the process of power transfer. Two years ago, his health failed. He retired from his position as prime minister and went home to recuperate. The emperor also visited his home twice, but Lu Duan was 65 years old after all, and he still could not survive April of this year. After his death, Emperor Zhenzong sent the eunuchs around him to take care of the funeral, and he was granted the title of Sikong, one of the three princes, and his four sons were all promoted to the rank of Sikong.Got an official position. Please note that this is not just the emperor's courtesy to his old ministers. There is also a very special relationship between emperor Zhenzong and Lu Duan. In the era of imperial power, what was the greatest contribution a minister could make? It is called "the merit of deciding the policy", which is the merit of supporting the emperor. Yes, Lu Duan has such merit. To put it bluntly, without him, there would be no Zhenzong throne. Let's take a little more time to tell this story. That was three years ago, in 997 AD, on March 29th, the third year of Zhidao in the Song Dynasty, Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi passed away. So what happens next? Ordinarily, when the emperor dies and the prince succeeds to the throne, this is a normal procedure, and it is enough to follow the rules. However, a variable occurred at this moment: someone wanted to stage a coup. They wanted to depose the prince Zhao Heng, who later became Song Zhenzong, and install Zhao Heng's eldest brother, Zhao Yuanzuo, as emperor. So who wants to do this? The people involved in the conspiracy are probably as follows: The first key figure is Taizong's queen, Empress Li. After Taizong died, she should be called Queen Mother Li at this time. The second key figure is Wang Jien, the most powerful eunuch in the Taizong era. In addition, there are two people, one is the deputy prime minister Li Changling, and the other is the deputy prime minister.One of them is Zhi Zhi Gao Hu Dan. As soon as you hear it, you will know that these people have a lot of background. Once Emperor Taizong died, the people who could influence the situation of the court were basically on this list. From those who make decisions to those who run errands, from those who have the ability to write documents to those who have the authority to issue documents, they are all there. Why they want to change the prince, we will talk about it later. Now we just need to know that a conspiracy to change the emperor has been formed, and all it takes is the Prime Minister Lu Duan's nod, and it will be done. On March 29, as soon as Emperor Taizong died, these people started to do things. They first sent the eunuch Wang Jien to Zhongshu Province, where the prime minister worked, to summon Lu Duan. As soon as Lu Duan comes, a few people squeeze him in. Think about what situation Lu Duan will face? Let's take a look at these roles: Empress Dowager Li is the representative of the royal family. Once Taizong died, she was the most authoritative among the royal family, equivalent to Jia Mu and the ancestors in Dream of Red Mansions. Li Changling, the deputy prime minister, is responsible for the daily affairs of the central government. Who writes the document? "Zhizhigao" Hu Dan, he is the first secretary of the Political Affairs Hall. The new emperor's accession to the throne requires the legacy of the previous emperor. The late emperor's edict can be falsely called the empress dowager, and the imperial edict of Zhi Zhi can be issued.Grass. In addition, Wang Jien, the eunuch of the inner court, communicated internally and externally. Don't forget, there is a hidden force behind Queen Mother Li. Her natal brother Li Jilong was the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army at the time. You see, in this play, all the characters are well matched, right? Up and down, from all sides, surrounded, all that was missing was a nod from Prime Minister Lu Duan. If Lu Duan comes, and several people surround him, and talk about the decision to change the emperor, some will be good and some will be bad, some will threaten and some will induce, it will be equivalent to a whole table of dishes. Just wait for Lu Duan to say, OK, count me in, I amin, then bring a pair of chopsticks and you can serve the meal, and everyone will share the credit for establishing the new emperor. If it really comes to that point, I feel it will be difficult for Lu Duan to handle it. However, don't forget the title given to Lu Duan by Song Taizong when he was still alive, saying that he was "not confused in important matters." If he wasn't confused, he wasn't confused. He didn't let things get to that point. Didn't I say earlier that the eunuch Wang Jien came to the office of the Central Publishing House to invite Lu Duan? Lu Duan probably sensed something was wrong, so he said to Wang Jien: Oh, I'll go with you, but there is an important document in the archives at the back. You can help me find it, and we can take it with us. As soon as Wang Jien entered the library warehouse, Lu Duan clicked a big lock and locked the warehouse. He said to the left and right: No one is allowed to let him out without my order. Then take three steps and two steps to find Queen Mother Li. At this time, Lu Duan faced a relatively simple situation, as Queen Mother Li was alone. The Queen Mother, she was still the Queen yesterday, but now her husband has just passed away, she is in a sad mood, and she has no political experience, so this is easier to handle. What Lu Duan said is very simple, two principles: First, why did the late emperor establish a prince? Isn't it just for today's situation? No need to temporarilyWe have argued, it has been decided beforehand. Second, the late emperor, your husband, just passed away. Do we have the nerve to go against his wishes? Once these two principles were laid out, Queen Mother Li stopped talking. As soon as the Queen Mother softened her attitude, Prince Zhao Heng arrived at this time. Lu Duan immediately made arrangements, come on, don't waste a minute, the enthronement ceremony will be held now. No matter how simple the ceremony is, you have to change your clothes. Ordinarily, as soon as Zhao Heng changed his clothes and sat in the middle, the prime minister and his ministers kowtowed and shouted "long live", the status of the monarch and his ministers was determined. But Lu Duan still had one more thought in mind: don't panic, wait until the old minister comes forward to take a look. What if when I changed clothes just now, I also changed people? Lu Duan walked up the steps, opened the curtain, and saw that the person sitting on the throne was indeed Zhao Heng. Then he stepped back and officially went through the process. Only then did Zhenzong Zhao Heng become emperor without any danger. The story is just that. This story was told in the past mainly to illustrate that Lu Duan was a responsible person and "not confused about important matters." But today I ask you to think about it, is there anything strange about this story? have. Two places are very strange. Let's talk about the first strange thing: Why did they launch a coup? they arriveWhat's the base picture? Why does the emperor want to be older? Just now I told the story of Lu Duan's "not confused about big things". There are two aspects of this story that are particularly strange. Let's talk about the first strange thing: why did they change the prince and the emperor? What are they planning? Generally speaking, when conducting a coup, there is either a fierce fight between two factions, and one faction has to strike first to gain the upper hand, such as the "Xuanwu Gate Change" in the Tang Dynasty. Either some people want to realize huge benefits, gain support and gain wealth, such as the Ming Dynasty's "Seizing the Gate". However, no matter what the situation is, in the era of imperial power, if ministers conspire to change the emperor, this is a sin of treason and involves taking huge risks. The coup we are talking about today seems to be inconsistent with these conditions. If you want to talk about a battle between camps, one side should strike first to gain the upper hand. The princes at that time could not be said to be in any camp. It had been more than two years since Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng was officially canonized as the prince, so there was no dispute. If you say that there are any huge benefits in launching a coup, it seems that you can't talk about it. Queen Mother Li, this is the person with the highest status in the coup group. Usually, the queen mother takes the lead in replacing the prince, all in order to replace her biological son. But whenWhether it was Zhenzong Zhao Heng or his eldest brother Zhao Yuanzuo, Empress Dowager Li was not the biological mother and could not afford to risk her life. Let's look at a few others. Wang Jien was a eunuch who had served Taizu and Taizong, and was already the most favored and highest-status eunuch in the harem. After a new emperor is established, aren't you still a eunuch? Li Changling, the deputy prime minister, was just promoted to deputy prime minister last year. He supported the new emperor. At most, he only made half a step forward. If he didn't take this risky move, he should have a chance to become prime minister. You, a civil servant, are risking your house and family, why are you getting involved in this kind of thing? Strange, right? A coup with such high risks and such small benefits is very rare in Chinese history. So why do they do this? Look at what Empress Dowager Li said at that time. She said these words to Lu Duan: "The palace chariot has arrived" - Taizong has passed away; "To establish a long-term heir is to be obedient" - when an emperor is established, he should be established by someone who is older. This is more common sense. "What will happen now?" - What do you think we should do about this? Oh, just because the prince is younger, do you want an older person to be the emperor? That's it? ! Is that the reason? This will put the imperial court in orderOverthrow the crowned prince? That's not the case, is it? Can you still convince so many people to participate? Look, it's strange, right? To answer this question, we cannot just look at the situation in this year, or even in the early years of the Song Dynasty. Only by extending our horizons to hundreds of years can we understand why people at this time thought and did what they did. We are now in 1000 AD, the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty. Which dynasty was it before? It is the famous troubled times in Chinese history: the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. From AD 907 to AD 960, there were only 53 years in total. In just such a short period of time, the northern Central Plains alone experienced five dynasties: Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Zhou, also known as "Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou" in history. Among them, the longest dynasty was Houliang, which lasted for 16 years. The shortest post-Han period is only 3 years. An even more astonishing number is: in just 53 years, there were 14 emperors. Among them, only 5 people died normally while on the throne. The rest were either deposed or died violent deaths. Even the emperor is like this, let alone the common people. Maybe just by saying these numbers, you may be able to smell the blood of that era. It was a terrifying and chaotic world with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. And in our story todayThe main characters, Wang Jien and Lu Duan, are all people of that era. Their political concepts were formed in that era, their methods of action were also learned in that era, and their fear of loss and perception of danger will also be profoundly affected by that era. Although they lived forty years after the founding of the Song Dynasty, in essence, they were still a group of people living in the shadow of the Five Dynasties. In their opinion, which dynasty is it now? Of course it was the Song Dynasty. But we can continue to ask, which Song Dynasty was it? Is it the Song Dynasty that our descendants talk about as "Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing"? No. In the feelings of this group of people, this is the sixth generation after the five generations, the Song Dynasty of "Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, Zhou, and Song"! How did their great ancestor Zhao Kuangyin come to power? Don't they still understand? That was a typical plot of the Five Dynasties. Chen Qiao mutinied, wore a yellow robe, and usurped the throne. What they feared was that the Song Dynasty would make a mistake and history would repeat itself again. It's like a TV series where all the characters die at every turn, and no one survives past the fourth episode. In your Song Dynasty, the third emperor has come to power now, and he has survived to the third episode, but the audience knows clearly that this is a broken drama.Style, according to the inertia, the protagonist always appears after you sing and I appear. How do you know that this character can survive the fourth episode? Today we feel that it is a normal procedure for the old emperor to pass away and pass the throne to the pre-determined prince. But if you were alive at the time, you would know that this was not normal. Why? Because this has not happened in the past hundred years. Since the late Tang Dynasty, there has been no normal transfer of power. You are the prince appointed by the old emperor, and you are the next emperor? Why? One of the most important political lessons left over from the Five Dynasties period is that power cannot be handed over to a young successor who has never led troops in war and has no basic team in the army. For example, Zhu Wen, Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty, was really worried when he was seriously ill, so he said: "If I die, my sons will not be my enemies, and I will have no place to bury me!" If I die, these sons will not be my enemies' rivals. , I'm afraid there won't even be a place to be buried. As he spoke, he was moved emotionally, "choking, dying and recovering." He was not reconciled to his death, and cried to wake up again. He was really worried about his own son. As a result, Zhu Wen actually wanted to pass it on to one of his adopted sons, rather than his biological son who was related by blood. My son is not convincedAngry, he killed Zhu Wen to usurp the throne, but the result was indeed as Zhu Wen expected. Later Liang was really destroyed at the hands of his own son, and all his descendants were killed. You see, Zhu Wen is actually a sensible person on this issue. He understood that in these troubled times, the most important goal of the emperor's succession was to ensure the survival of the dynasty. As for whether he was his own son, that was secondary. Throughout the Five Dynasties period, there were a total of 14 emperors in 53 years. Normally, after the death of a father, his son would succeed, and there were only three people in total who passed the throne from father to son: Li Conghou, Emperor Min of the Later Tang Dynasty, and Liu Chengyou, Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty. What was the result? Both of them were killed when they were 20 years old. The younger one was Chai Zongxun, Emperor Gong of the Later Zhou Dynasty. He became emperor at the age of 7, but he was soon usurped by Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin. Although he didn't die violently, it was a coincidence that like the previous two, he also died at the age of 20. You see, passing the throne to a biological son who has no force is in line with legal principles and human sentiments, but unfortunately, it is not in line with reality. Once this is done, the probability of success is too low: zero! This deal cannot be done! This is the political experience left over from the Five Dynasties period. By the time of the Song Dynasty, this political experience was still there. As mentioned before, no one knew at that time whether the Song DynastyIt is a sequel to this story of the fifth generation, and a sixth generation will be created. The generation in the early Song Dynasty all lived in this fear. Isn't there another public case in the history of the Song Dynasty called "The Alliance of the Golden Chamber"? It is said that before Song Taizu and Song Taizong's biological mother, Empress Dowager Du, called Zhao Kuangyin and asked him, do you know how you got your world? Zhao Kuangyin said, of course it is the virtue accumulated by the ancestors. The Queen Mother said, don't do this because you bully orphans and widowed mothers. If Zhou Shizong's heir had been an older man, how could you be where you are today? Therefore, after your death, you will pass the throne to your younger brother. You agree or not. If you agree, write a note and keep it in a gold cabinet. This is called the "Golden Chamber Alliance". Later, when Song Taizong succeeded to the throne, there was a legend that he killed his brother and usurped the throne himself. The so-called "candle shadow and ax sound". This legend is difficult to distinguish between true and false. However, according to normal political rationality, when Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin died, his sons Zhao Dezhao was 25 years old and Zhao Defang was 17 years old. Should these two sons with no political or military experience inherit the throne? Experience Zhao Guangyi inherits? Based on the political logic of the Five Dynasties, I am afraid that the latter is a rational choice.Okay, now that we understand the historical background mentioned above, we can go back to the time when Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty succeeded to the throne, and we can understand what Empress Dowager Li said to Lu Duan: "The establishment of an heir will lead to a long-term success." Finding a new monarch who is older, more experienced, and more able to control the situation can better ensure the continuation of the dynasty. We can expand this topic a little bit: In Chinese history, there are usually two models of power inheritance: "the father dies and the son succeeds" and "the elder brother dies and the younger brother succeeds." So what situations do each apply to? Teacher Shi Zhan has an analysis in his book "The Pivot": The Central Plains Empire south of the Great Wall is usually succeeded by the father after the death of the son: after the father dies, the son takes over. Because the rule of the Central Plains Empire was mainly accomplished by the bureaucracy. The monarch's ability is secondary. The key is to be legal, that is, there is a consensus from top to bottom, such as inheritance by the eldest son, which can maintain the stability of the imperial order. But the grassland north of the Great Wall is different: if the father dies, will the son succeed? no. If the age difference between the father and the child is more than 20 years, there is no guarantee that the son will be a mature military commander by this time. It turns out that it is often his brothers who follow the Great Khan on the grassland on his expeditions to the north and south, and the most trusted generals are also these brothers.. Therefore, after the elder brother dies, the younger brother takes over. This is the inheritance logic of the grassland. You just want a copycat. The eldest brother led a group of brothers to occupy the mountain and become the king. No matter how prestigious the eldest brother was during his lifetime and the brothers obeyed him, if the eldest brother dies, can his children inherit the position of the head of the village? No, if a copycat wants to survive, it must have a violent leader, so the most prestigious brother behind the eldest brother must succeed. If the eldest brother insists on passing the throne to his own children, he will not only harm his brothers and copycats, but he may also ultimately harm his own children. So you see, when power is inherited, the key is not the identity of the successor, but where the legitimacy of power comes from. If the legitimacy of power comes from the consensus of the system, then "the father dies and the son succeeds" is more reasonable. If the legitimacy of power comes from force, then it would be more reasonable to say that "brothers end up with brothers." With this background knowledge, let's understand the coup episode we're talking about today. Do you have more "understanding and sympathy" for the thoughts and practices of that generation? Why is the coup so trivial? There's a second strange thing about this coup: Don't you think? This coup was carried out very hastily.Although there were many participants, ranging from the Queen Mother to the eunuchs, there were deputy prime ministers inside, and commanders of the imperial army outside, including civil, military, current officials, and current managers. But it felt like everyone involved was a little careless. In the whole scene, the only violent act was when Lu Duan, an old man in his sixties, locked Wang Jien with a lock. Then he talked to the Queen Mother for a few words, and the whole conspiracy went bankrupt. It may not be so easy for us Chinese to mediate disputes between neighbors and friends. Hey, you are conducting a coup, a business that will kill people if it doesn't succeed. How can it be such a childish thing? I read this story over and over again, and I had a strong feeling: None of the people involved thought this was a big deal. They even regarded this matter as an ordinary policy suggestion. "Let's change the emperor? Okay. Let's discuss it together? Call Lu Duan to come and unify our opinions? Oh, Lu Duan doesn't agree, then forget it." This is the feeling. Why is there such a strange political atmosphere? The answer to this question still has to be found in the context of the Five Dynasties period. Let me tell you the answer first: the imperial power during the Five Dynasties period was not actually complete imperial power. Looks like sitting on the throneThe man sitting on the seat is also an emperor, and he also wears a dragon robe. He is also called a lonely Taoist widow, and he also kills whoever he wants to kill. But I'm sorry, the legitimacy of these emperors in the Five Dynasties only had one basis, which was force. There was a famous saying at that time: "The emperor shall be the one with strong soldiers and horses." It sounds like this logic is okay: the one with the big fist is the elder brother, and the one with the gun is the grass-headed king. Isn't that what the so-called emperor is? No. China's emperor system is a very unique monarchy system. They are different from the emperors of ancient Rome, the kings of medieval Europe, and the pharaohs of Egypt. This topic is huge, and I will find an opportunity to talk about it later. Let me briefly mention here: Although imperial power is based on violence, if an emperor wants to be stable, he must have all aspects of legitimacy: for example, he must come from a long historical tradition, he must be able to bring benefits to the current people, and he must be To be able to promise a peaceful vision for the future, the internal elites must be convinced, the surrounding barbarians must also be convinced, and the blessings of the sky and the earth must be met, and one must be a moral benchmark like a sage. To put it bluntly, the king on earth, the gods in heaven, and the saints in the spiritual world must all be integrated into one to be the emperor of China. If you can't do it, you have to pretend it. IfImperial power is compared to a ship on the sea. What are these conditions? They are just cables, anchors hooked to the seabed. The more anchors there are, the more complete the legitimacy and the more stable the imperial power. During the Five Dynasties, the emperors of the Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou dynasties only had force in their hands, and of course they had superficial majesty. But in fact, the imperial power was like a giant ship floating with the waves in the dark night, on the sea, and in the twelve-level typhoon. , only the anchor of force is very dangerous. Why were the dynasties of the Five Dynasties so short? In 1953, there were 8 surnames and 14 emperors, because all the forces in the whole society were like watching gangsters fighting on the street. Whoever is more powerful and kills the previous gangster can continue to protect him on this street. fee. But everyone only paid to watch the show and did not come forward to help. So as not to splatter yourself with blood. What does your gangster fight have to do with me? Therefore, a strange political ethics formed during the Five Dynasties period. There is a saying in "History of the Song Dynasty" that "Serving the emperor is like a servant." The ministers treat serving the emperor as if they are working, and if the boss changes, they will work for others. Their mentality is this: Your emperor is a landlord, and I am a long-term worker. Why are you having conflicts within your family? Fighting and killing. Follow me.It doesn't matter. I am here to work and earn money, as long as my craftsmanship and work are consistent with my conscience. Does this set of moral standards sound familiar? Yes, this is the moral standard of professional managers in contemporary joint-stock companies. I am the hired CEO, and the board of directors is in chaos. I don't care. As long as legal board resolutions can be produced and my annual salary is still paid, I will do my job well. Take good care of your customers, employees, and manage your own reputation and brand. If this company really fails, I will continue to work for another company without delay. Not only during the Five Dynasties period, but also in the early years of the Song Dynasty, everyone's mentality was similar. Just 21 years ago, Song Taizong succeeded Song Taizu. The succession to the throne was very suspicious. I talked about the legend of "Candle Shadow and Ax Sound" before. To put it bluntly, Zhao Kuangyin was probably killed by his younger brother Zhao Kuangyi when he was seriously ill. Later, after Taizong ascended the throne, Zhao Kuangyin's two sons, Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang, also died in very strange ways. Some people suspect that Song Taizong did it too. But in the face of such a human tragedy, no one in the civil and military dynasties spoke up. Hundreds of years later, Wang Fuzhi, a great thinker in the early Qing Dynasty, angrily accused:Hey, you ministers one by one, some are known to be upright, some are known to be outspoken, and some are known to be square. Wang Fuzhi calls them out one by one. Why are you all mute? "But you bow your head and keep your mouth shut, and let Emperor Taizong do cruel things for your own selfish interests. You dare not even think about the founder of the country." I will never forget the kindness that the founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin did to you. Today we don't have Wang Fuzhi's anger. We can calmly speculate on the thoughts of those scholar-bureaucrats: The lights of swords and shadows in the palace, the red walls, green tiles and black sewers are the royal family's own business and the board of directors' business. We don't care. We professional managers will do our best. Just mind your own business. You see, is this similar to the mentality of scholar-bureaucrats during the Five Dynasties? Well, after understanding the political logic of the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty, let's look at the farce of the coup that took place when Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty succeeded to the throne, and we will know why it was as careless as child's play. In a word - the queen mother and eunuchs think that this is a matter of their own family; civil servants and officials think that this is a matter of other people's families. Let's first look at Empress Dowager Li and the eunuch Wang Jien. These two people may not have any evil intentions, maybe their starting point is just for this family.good. The starting point, as we have explained before, is to replace a successor with more control over the country to increase the survival probability of the Song Dynasty. We might as well imagine the Song Dynasty court as a wealthy family in the countryside in ancient times—— When the old master was still there, the old master had the final say, the wife was obedient, and the old slave was also obedient. The old master spoke before his death and said that the younger son would be the head of the family next. That's no problem. However, once the old master dies, it depends on the situation whether you listen to his words or not. Why? Because the family needs to survive and the life needs to go on, the living cannot be kidnapped by the words of the dead. Therefore, when Song Taizong died, his wife, the Queen Mother, wanted to find a successor based on her understanding of the country's situation. Her reasons are also very good. I am not replacing my biological son. I am doing it for the good of the country and it is a selfless idea. In addition, the great eunuch Wang Jien - a slave who has served the old master for two generations and has made great achievements, has a lot of weight in his words at home. He also felt that the old lady's idea was right, and he echoed it, and the old lady felt that her actions were justified. Let me interject here. Eunuchs are called eunuchs after the Ming Dynasty. Although they are the emperor's domestic slaves, they are very senior in the royal family.of status. For example, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Gao Lishi was called "Aweng" or "Master" by Xuanzong's sons, daughters, and sons-in-law. Li Lianying, the Empress Dowager Cixi, was also addressed as "Li Shuda" by Emperor Guangxu. Shuida means "Master" in Manchu. Now you can understand why Wang Jien, a eunuch, was so enthusiastic about changing the emperor. He may really feel that he has the responsibility and the strength to worry about the future of this family. You see, when the matter of changing the emperor is not a "state matter" but is handled as a "family matter", isn't the behavior of Queen Mother Li and Wang Jien much easier to understand? Let's look at the scholar-bureaucrats again, that is, the deputy prime minister and political advisor Li Changling, who was involved in the coup conspiracy, and Hu Dan, the chief secretary of Zhongshu Province. Judging from historical records, Li Changling was a cowardly person who didn't speak much. As for Hu Dan, he was born in the imperial examination and had a very literary character. He had been working as a secretary and writing articles in the court, and he had no political experience. Why would a person with this personality want to participate in a coup? According to reasonable speculation, the Queen Mother and Wang Jien came to him privately for advice and said, "We have this idea of ​​changing the emperor. What do you think?" JustLet us just say that the civil servants and officials during the Five Dynasties were just working as part-time workers and did not feel that they had any sense of responsibility to the country and the world. The scholar-bureaucrats in the early Song Dynasty could not help but think so, because they were essentially the same generation. They would think: I am a part-time worker, but the old lady and the old housekeeper have already discussed something, and yet they still give me the face to discuss it with me. Why should I object? All I can say is: listen to the old lady in everything. I estimate that this is how Li Changling and Hu Dan got on the pirate ship. This can also be seen from the aftermath of this coup. Several people involved, including the great eunuch Wang Jien, were demoted to a sinecure and placed in Junzhou, which is today's Danjiangkou in Hubei Province. They later died in this place. Li Changling, who served as a political advisor, was only demoted. Later, he went round and round and served as several other officials at the central and local levels. The first secretary, Hu Dan, was also demoted. Later, because of poor health and poor vision, he actually retired normally. As for Empress Dowager Li, no matter what happened, she was still her empress dowager, and Song Zhenzong still respected her very much. Do you think this result can be the result of a major coup or rebellion case? This kind of thing happened in the Han and Tang Dynasties before, or in the Ming and Qing Dynasties later. Once the attempt to change the emperor failed,Defeat, there must be a lot of killing. Some people say that this shows Song Zhenzong's magnanimity. This was certainly one aspect of the matter, but at the time, the matter was certainly not morally appalling, so it was possible to pick it up high and put it down gently. Behind Song Zhenzong's magnanimity, there was actually a deep helplessness about the broken imperial power. It has been 40 years since the Song Dynasty was established, and the imperial power has been tinkering with for 40 years. But the cracks in the imperial power are still clearly visible. Why did Lu Duan come forward? Just now, we took some time to understand the mentality of each character in this coup. With these backgrounds, you can also see how remarkable and iconic it is for Lu Duan to step forward at this time. He locked Wang Jien, stopped the Queen Mother, and sent Song Zhenzong to power. This series of actions actually announced on behalf of the entire class of civil servants and officials that in more than 100 years, Song Zhenzong was the first officially canonized prince, and he was truly the one with complete integrity. The emperor of legitimacy. The so-called complete legality is not a matter for your family, Mr. Zhao, nor is it something that a few of you can decide. This matter is related to political rules,It is related to the Chinese orthodoxy, the welfare of the people, and the rise and fall of the world community including the emperor, scholar-bureaucrats and all the people of the Song Dynasty in the 40 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Therefore, as a prime minister and a scholar-official, I should and must take care of things. Why can Lu Duan stand up? Is he particularly tough? I don't think so. What we are telling today is not a story about Lu Duan single-handedly turning the tide. After all, it had been 40 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty. During these 40 years, the collective sense of responsibility of the scholar-bureaucrats has grown, the central political structure has been optimized, the status of generals has declined, and the conditions to support the smooth transfer of imperial power have matured. The reason why Lu Duan dared to stand up is a result of the social evolution in the past 40 years. When he stood up, it was just a sign that the nature of the emperor's role on the throne had changed. The emperor is no longer just the leader of the armed forces, but the representative of the highest power recognized by the social elite in accordance with laws and rules. The political logic and historical shadow of the troubled times of the Five Dynasties finally faded away, and a new era began. This year is 1000 AD, the third year of Xianping in the Song Dynasty. In April of this year, Prime Minister Lu Duan, who completed this transformation, passed away. His death is nothing in historyJust a line of small characters. But behind this line of fine print lies the still waters of history. Have you noticed that we, the descendants who stay out of the situation, see the problem from a different perspective than the ancients who were involved in it? Of course, what our descendants can see is more comprehensive: what are the causes and consequences, and the evolution of the pattern. But the perspective of our descendants actually also has flaws: we tend to ignore the feelings of the parties involved. For example, we don't know what people at that time were afraid of, we don't know their historical baggage, especially their spiritual baggage, we don't know what excessive expectations they had for the future, and we don't know why they were hesitant at the moment of decision-making. As we said in this episode, it has been 40 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty, but the historical shadow of the Five Dynasties still weighs heavily on the hearts of the Song Dynasty monarchs and ministers. If we can't see this, in fact, we don't really understand history, especially the people in history. American writer Fitzgerald wrote a novel called "Tender Is the Night". There is a passage in it that touched me very much. This passage is about the most brutal Battle of Verdun in World War I. This battle is known as the "Meat Grinder of Verdun". Ten months of fighting resulted in more than 1 million casualties on both sides. It's so tragic. fitzgerLadd said that this battle - "It will never happen again, not for a long time. This kind of war requires faith, the wealth and security accumulated over the years, and certain and clear relationships between classes. You must have emotional roots that are older than you can remember and that make you wholehearted. You must remember Christmas, the postcards of the Crown Prince and his fiancée, the little cafés in Valence, the beerhouses on Unter den Linden in Berlin, the weddings in the town hall, going to the Derby races, and grandpa The beard on the lips... This is a battle of love - a love that consumes a century of middle-class love... My entire beautiful and safe world was blown to pieces in front of me with the violent wind brought by this explosion, and turned into nothing. " Yes, the reason why a battle can be so fierce is that both sides insist on refusing to retreat. Why? Because both sides feel that they are just, powerful, and capable of winning. Behind this, there must be a long-term accumulated sense of belief and a large number of warm stories. If we cannot understand the spiritual world and emotional stories of that generation, we cannot understand why that generation did what they did. Our "Civilization Journey" program,It is necessary to follow the historical years and talk about it year by year. This gives us an opportunity to follow the footsteps of the ancients, just like following our own children. Although we can't help with their many fears and loves, their hesitations and entanglements, we can use " "Understanding and Compassion", using a posture of being inside the situation to feel their challenges, problems and limitations. Only in this way can we have a deeper understanding of human nature and China. As one of my favorite American scholars, Sowell, said: "Understanding human limitations is the beginning of wisdom." By the way, let this sentence serve as the beginning of our long program. See you in the next issue in 1001 AD.