Dynasties of ChinaSouthern SongSouthern Song lineage
Jianyan · Shaoxing · Reign 1127—1162
After the Jingkang Incident, the Song Dynasty was rebuilt in the south of the Yangtze River, relying heavily on Qin Gui to negotiate peace with the Jin Dynasty, and unjustly killing Yue Fei, establishing a peaceful situation in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Zhao Gou is the ninth son of Song Huizong, his mother is Wei Xianfei, who is named King Kang. In 1126, when the Jin army besieged Bianjing for the first time, he entered the Jin camp as a hostage. In the winter of the same year, he was ordered to go on an envoy again. When he passed through Cizhou, he was persuaded by Zong Ze to stay. Later, he opened the Hebei Military Marshal's Mansion in Xiangzhou. When the Northern Song fell in 1127, he ascended the throne in Yingtian Mansion, Nanjing, changed the Yuan Dynasty to Jianyan, and rebuilt the Song Dynasty as the son of Huizong.
After taking the throne, the Jin army moved southward for many years. He withdrew all the way from Yangzhou and Hangzhou. In 1129, he encountered a Miao and Liu rebellion in Hangzhou. The following year, he fled to the sea to avoid the enemy. Generals such as Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and Wu Jie fought against the Jin in various places, and the situation gradually stabilized, and Lin'an was established in 1138. He devoted himself to negotiating peace and put Qin Gui in the most important position. In 1140, when Yue Fei's Northern Expedition was victorious, he ordered his troops to retreat. The following year, he took back the military power of the generals, signed a Shaoxing peace treaty with Jin, and unjustly killed Yue Fei on "unfounded" charges.
After the peace talks, the pattern of N & S confrontation was fixed. On the one hand, Gaozong paid tribute to Jin as a vassal, and on the other hand, he restored the economy in Jiangnan, developed overseas trade, and issued huizi. In 1161, the Jin Prince of Hailing invaded the south and was repulsed. The following year, he abdicated to his adopted son Zhao Shen on the grounds that he was old and tired of politics, and retired to Deoksugung Palace as the Retired Emperor. He died in 1187 at the age of eighty-one.
Gaozong rebuilt the Song Dynasty when his country was ruined and his family was destroyed, and he preserved the southern half of the Yangtze River, which provided conditions for economic and cultural prosperity in the next 150 years. He attached great importance to overseas trade and the issuance of huizi, and he also had a pragmatic vision. However, he feared the enemy and sought peace, and would rather surrender and pay tribute to preserve his throne. When the situation against the Jin Dynasty improved, he destroyed the Great Wall and unjustly killed Yue Fei. He also condoned Qin Gui's autocratic power. Later generations' criticism of him mainly focused on this.
PoliticsOpen the Grand Marshal's Mansion
In November, he was ordered to go to Jinying again to seek peace. When he went to Cizhou, he was dissuaded by Zong Ze from Zhizhou and transferred to Xiangzhou. After Bianjing was besieged, Qinzong appointed him as the marshal of the Hebei army. He opened a mansion in Xiangzhou to recruit troops, but failed to do his best to rescue Bianjing.
PoliticsYing Tian ascended the throne
On the first day of the fifth lunar month, he ascended the throne as emperor in Yingtian Mansion, Nanjing, and changed the Yuan Dynasty to Jianyan. Li Gang, a leading militant faction, was appointed as prime minister, and Zong Ze was ordered to stay in Tokyo. However, Li Gang was dismissed after serving as prime minister for only seventy-five days, and the court immediately moved south to Yangzhou.
PeopleZong Ze crosses the river with three calls
Tokyo stayed behind in Zongze to build the city and train troops, recruit Lianghe rebels, and petitioned Gaozong more than 20 times to return the capital to Bianjing and to cross the river for an expedition to the north, but they were not approved. In July, he became ill from worry and anger, and passed away by shouting "cross the river" three times before his death.
SocietyDu Chongjue River
In winter, Du Chong, who took over the post in Tokyo, dug the embankment of the Yellow River west of Huazhou in order to stop the Jin army. The river overflowed to the southeast and entered the Huaihe River through the Si River. From then on, the Yellow River began to seize the Huaihe River and flow into the sea for a long time.
Lasting legacyIt was not until the Tongwaxiang breach in 1855 that the Yellow River diverted the Huaihe River and was diverted to the north. Today, the "Abandoned Yellow River" still remains in northern Jiangsu.
PoliticsMiao Liu mutiny
In March, Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan, the commanders of the retinue, launched a mutiny in Hangzhou, killing the eunuchs and powerful officials, and forced Gaozong to give way to the three-year-old prince Zhao Min. Lu Yihao, Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong and others raised troops to serve the king. Gaozong was restored to power in April, and the prince died soon after.
MilitaryFloat on the sea to avoid enemies
Jin general Zongbi crossed the Yangtze River and headed south, capturing Jiankang, Hangzhou and Mingzhou. Gaozong took a boat out to sea from Mingzhou and wandered along the coasts of Taizhou and Wenzhou for nearly four months. The Jin army was unable to pursue him when they entered the sea, so he returned to Yuezhou after retreating north.
PoliticsChanged to Yuan Dynasty Shaoxing
It was changed to Shaoxing in the Yuan Dynasty, taking the meaning of "the great rest of Shao Yi's life, and the prosperity of Pi Xu for hundreds of years", and was promoted to Yuezhou as Shaoxing Prefecture. After that, the anti-golden situation gradually stabilized, and the imperial court traveled between Yuezhou and Lin'an.
Lasting legacyThe place name of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, originated from this and has been in use for nearly 900 years.
MilitaryRecover the six counties of Xiangyang
Yue Fei led his army to defeat the puppet Qi and regained the six counties of Xiangyang, Ying, Sui, Tang, Deng and Xinyang. This was the first time that Southern Song took the initiative to regain lost territory. The next year he put down Yang Yao's uprising in Dongting Lake.
EconomyThe most profitable market is shipping
Gaozong said: "The profit from shipping is the greatest. If it is handled properly, the income can be worth millions. Wouldn't it be worth taking it from the people?" The imperial court recruited merchants and set up shipping companies in Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Mingzhou and other ports, and the revenue from shipping became an important source of finance.
PoliticsMake the capital Lin'an
Officially, Lin'an was the official residence. It was a temporary residence in name, indicating that it would not forget to restore the Central Plains, and in fact it became the capital of Southern Song. Lin'an has since developed into a metropolis with a large population and prosperous commerce.
Lasting legacyThe Lin'an City ruins of the Southern Song Dynasty are located in the Fenghuang Mountain area of Shangcheng District, Hangzhou today. They are national key cultural relics protection units, and the Taimiao ruins have been turned into a park.
EconomyBuild Anping Bridge
Construction of a stone bridge began on the bay between Anhai in Jinjiang, Quanzhou, and Shuitou, Nan'an. It was completed in Shaoxing in the 21st year and was about five miles long. It facilitated transportation and cargo distribution around Quanzhou Port.
Lasting legacyThe Anping Bridge has been preserved to this day and is known as "There is no bridge like this in the world". It is an integral part of the World Heritage "Quanzhou: China's World Marine Trade Center in the Song and Yuan Dynasties".
MilitaryThe Great Victory of Yancheng and Yingchang
The Jin army broke the treaty and invaded south. Liu Qi defeated Zongbi's elite in Shunchang, Yue Fei in Yancheng and Yingchang, and the Yue family's army entered Zhuxian Town. Gaozong and Qin Gui devoted themselves to negotiating peace and issued strict orders to their teachers with gold-lettered plaques. Yue Fei lamented that "ten years of effort were wasted in one day."
DiplomacyShaoxing Peace Conference
In April, the military power of Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and Yue Fei was recovered by means of overt promotion and covert surrender. In November, a peace agreement was made with the Jin: the Song Dynasty proclaimed itself a minister to the Jin Dynasty, with Huai River and Dashan Pass as the boundary, and received 250,000 silver and silk each year.
PeopleYue Fei died unjustly
Yue Fei was falsely accused of treason and died in prison in Dali Temple on the "unfounded" charge. His son Yue Yun and his general Zhang Xian were beheaded. In the same year, Jin Dynasty returned Song Huizong's coffin and Gaozong's biological mother, Queen Mother Wei.
CultureLin'an Imperial College was built
Taixue was established in Lin'an at the former residence of Yue Fei. Since then, the number of students has increased to more than a thousand, making it the highest institution of higher learning in the Southern Song Dynasty. In the future, Tai students repeatedly wrote letters to discuss politics, forming a force for Qing Dynasty discussions.
PeopleLu You was deposed
Lu You ranked first in the lock hall examination, surpassing Qin Gui's grandson Qin Xun; he was deposed by Qin Gui in the rites examination the following year, and was not able to become an official until Qin Gui's death.
PeopleQin Gui died of illness
In October, Prime Minister Quan Qin Gui died of illness, ending more than ten years of exclusive power as an independent prime minister. Gaozong later appointed some of the demoted officials, but still adhered to the national policy of peace talks with Jin.
Economyissuance club
The convenience currency Huizi that was originally circulated among the people in Lin'an was printed and issued by the Ministry of Household Affairs, and was called Southeast Huizi. It circulated in parallel with copper coins in various roads in the southeast, becoming the most important banknote in Southern Song.
MilitaryTangdao and quarrying
The Jin Prince of Hailing launched a large-scale southward invasion. In October, Li Bao's navy burned the Jin fleet at Tangdao in Jiaoxi. In November, the civil servant Yu Yunwen repelled the Jin army crossing the Yangtze River in Caishu. Prince of Hailing was subsequently killed by his subordinates, and Southern Song turned the corner.
PeopleXin Qiji returns south
Geng Jing, the leader of the Shandong rebel army, sent Secretary Xin Qiji to return to the Song Dynasty. On the way back, he learned that Geng Jing had been killed by the traitor Zhang Anguo. Xin Qiji led fifty cavalry into the Jin camp with tens of thousands of people, captured Zhang Anguo alive, and escorted him to Nangui to behead him.
PoliticsabdicationXiaozong
In June, he abdication to his adopted son Zhao Shen on the grounds that he was too old and tired of politics. He claimed to be the Retired Emperor and retired to Deoksugung Palace. He still exerted considerable influence on the government for more than 20 years.
Lasting legacyAfter archaeological excavation, the Deoksugung Palace ruins were built into the Southern Song Deoksugung Palace Ruins Museum, which will be opened to the public in Hangzhou in 2022.
Northern SongLast Ruler held the battle to defend Bianjing. After Gaozong came to the throne, he was appointed chief minister. He advocated reorganizing the army to fight against the Jin Dynasty and manage the two rivers. He was dismissed after only seventy-five days, and was demoted repeatedly after that.
When he was nearly seventy years old, he stayed in Tokyo, built the city, trained troops, and contacted the Lianghe Rebel Army. Yue Fei was once under his command. He repeatedly asked Gaozong to no avail, and he called out "cross the river" three times before he died.
He was born in a peasant family and made many military exploits after joining the army. The Yue family army under his command was highly disciplined and had the highest combat power among all other armies. In 1140, he was recalled after winning consecutive victories in the Northern Expedition. He was relieved of military power the following year, and was immediately framed, imprisoned, and killed.
He quelled the Miao and Liu rebellions, and used his navy to block the Jin army in Huangtiandang in 1130. He was one of the most skillful generals in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty. When Yue Fei was unjustly imprisoned, he confronted Qin Gui and resigned from office.
In 1140, he led the Eight-Character Army in Shunchang and defeated the elite "Tie Fu Tu" and "Kai Zi Ma" led by Zong Bi himself. In 1161, when the Jin army invaded the south, he fell ill and went to war, and died of illness the next year.
In his early years, he had meritorious service in resisting the Jin Dynasty. Later, he agreed with the Qin Gui to negotiate peace, took the lead in handing over military power, and participated in the plot to frame Yue Fei. He was cast as one of the kneeling statues in front of Yue Fei's tomb.
He served as prime minister twice. He advocated for peace negotiations with Jin's professed ministers, and presided over the withdrawal of troops, peace negotiations and Yue Fei's injustice case. He was the independent prime minister for more than ten years and excluded dissidents. He was regarded as a typical traitor by later generations.