Chapter 57

【This is the famous Chenqiao Mutiny, the yellow robe added to the body. Although this "forced helplessness" play was a bit obvious, it must be said that Zhao Kuangyin's political EQ was full marks.】

【He turned back to Kaifeng, forced the Later Zhou young emperor to abdicate, and completed the power handover without bloodshed.】

【What is most commendable is that he set an ancestral instruction for his descendants: "Do not kill scholar-officials and those who submit memorials." This was simply a breath of fresh air after the bloody Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.】

Zhao Kuangyin felt heroic pride in his chest seeing this.

Chenqiao Mutiny, yellow robe added, obtaining the world without bloodshed; this means, this demeanor, how many people in history have had it?

What is even more rare is that he set the ancestral instruction of not killing scholar-officials, opening the foundation for later generations to open peace.

He was just proud when the Sky Screen changed its tone:

【So, what big projects did this "Great Song Startup CEO" do during his reign? Let's take a look.】

【Merits Chapter: The Terminator of Chaotic Times and the Spring of Scholars】

【One: In politics, he came up with releasing military power over wine, which was Zhao Kuangyin's most famous "board meeting."】

【He worried that the generals under him (Shi Shouxin, Gao Huaide, etc.) would one day learn from him and come to "add a yellow robe," so he set up a Hongmen Banquet.】

【After three rounds of drinks, he began to complain: "Alas, I can't sleep as an emperor, fearing that your subordinates will also put a yellow robe on you." These generals were scared into a cold sweat, and the next day they submitted their resignations.】

【Zhao Kuangyin used a few cups of wine, a pile of money, and a few political marriages to peacefully take back military power, ending the stubborn disease of warlordism since the Tang Dynasty.】

【He also implemented policies of "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches" and "valuing literature over martial arts," letting civil officials manage local areas while military generals stood aside, and central power reached its peak.】

Zhao Kuangyin nodded; releasing military power over wine was indeed his proud work.

Without spending a single soldier or a single drop of blood, he relieved the founding generals of their military power, avoiding internal strife.

This means, this breadth of mind, which emperor in history has it?

However, the bullet chats on the Sky Screen made him frown:

【Zhu Yuanzhang (Ming Taizu): Old Zhao! Although I came from a cow-herding background, I also know you are difficult! What kind of days were the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms? Three emperors changed in one day! You released military power over wine to ensure the people wouldn't fight anymore! I support this wave!】

【But your descendants, those "Gaoliang River Car Gods," "Wanyan Gou," etc., really didn't inherit your courage. You take the big pot!】

Zhao Kuangyin was stunned. Zhu Yuanzhang? Ming Taizu? This person's words were quite fair.

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were indeed chaotic, and the people suffered.

He released military power over wine just so there wouldn't be war anymore.

As for "Gaoliang River Car God," "Wanyan Gou"... who are they? His later descendants?

Before he could figure it out, the Sky Screen continued:

【Two: In military, first south then north.

He adopted the strategy of "first south then north, first easy then difficult," cutting the cake like a cake, destroying the Jinghu, Later Shu, Southern Han, Southern Tang, and other countries one after another, basically unifying the south.】

【Although he failed to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, he planted the seeds of unification and laid the foundation for later generations.】

Zhao Kuangyin sighed slightly.

Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun... was an eternal pain in his heart.

The Khitan were strong, and he didn't dare to start a war lightly, so he could only settle the south first, then plan for the north.

Unfortunately, Heaven didn't grant him enough years.

【Three: In economy, encouraging agriculture and sericulture.

He knew the power of peasant uprisings, so he vigorously repaired water conservancy, encouraged land reclamation, and reduced taxes. The economy recovered quickly, and Kaifeng soon became prosperous.】

Zhao Kuangyin nodded; agriculture is the foundation of the people, and only when the people are full can the empire be stable.

【Four: In culture, it was simply a paradise for scholars.

Although he was a military general himself, he respected Confucius and Confucianism extremely. He expanded schools, valued the imperial examination, and gave children from poor families a chance to become officials.】

【That sentence "The thousand mountains are dark before leaving the seabed, only when reaching the center of the sky is it bright," although mocked by Xu Xuan as "cold scholar language," the spirit of swallowing mountains and rivers is not something ordinary scholars can compare to.】

Zhao Kuangyin's old face flushed red again.

That poem... was indeed written after drinking, and he had always been brooding over being mocked by that old fellow Xu Xuan.

Never expected the immortal to see the spirit in it; a soulmate!】

He was just sighing when a bullet chat floated across the Sky Screen:

【Zhu Di (Ming Chengzu): Seconded! The old man is right. Besides, your Zhao family descendants, except for Taizu and Taizong, can fight, the rest, besides writing and painting, are nothing!】

【Especially that Song Huizong, if he had learned from you to engage in military and political affairs earlier, he wouldn't have been captured by the Jin people as a "captive emperor"!】

Zhao Kuangyin: "!!!"

Captive emperor?! Song Huizong?! Captured by Jin people?!

This... how is this possible! His Great Song, how could it fall to this point!

His face turned pale instantly, his whole body cold.

And the Sky Screen continued, and it was the more cruel part:

【Next, let's count Zhao Kuangyin's faults: The three-hundred-year disaster buried for "stability"】

【One: In military, tying himself up.】

【Although "releasing military power over wine" stabilized the inside, from the national interest, this was his biggest political failure.】

【He sent the generals who were good at fighting to retire, and what he got in exchange was a sharp decline in the combat effectiveness of the army.】

【He used the "Gengshu Law" to make soldiers not know generals and generals not know soldiers, leading to the Song Dynasty facing Liao, Western Xia, Jin, and Mongols later, almost losing every battle and being chased and beaten.】

【This is the source of the so-called "spending money to buy peace."】

Zhao Kuangyin was struck by lightning, staggering back two steps, and holding onto the dragon throne to stand firm.

Tying himself up? Biggest political failure?】

Losing every battle? Spending money to buy peace?!

No! It's not like that!】

He released military power over wine to stabilize the country, to prevent internal strife!】

He valued literature over martial arts to govern the country with literature, letting the people rest and recuperate!】

How could it... how could it lead to a weak army and being chased and beaten?!

【Two: In economy, making the military group corrupt.】

【When "releasing military power over wine," he encouraged generals to "accumulate gold, silk, and land to leave to descendants."】

【This sentence translates to: as long as you hand over military power, go ahead and be corrupt, go ahead and enjoy, I don't care.】

【This is equivalent to issuing a "corruption license" to the entire military group.】

【As a result, Shi Shouxin, Wang Quanbin, and others all became greedy and lustful.】

【There was a brother-in-law named Wang Jixun who even ate people in Luoyang and abused and killed hundreds of slaves, but Zhao Kuangyin shielded and indulged him.】

【This operation of exchanging peace for corruption opened a very bad atmosphere.】

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes went dark.

Corruption license? Shielding and indulging? Wang Jixun ate people?!

He... he didn't know?!

No, he knew, but he felt that compared to the stability of the empire, these... these could be tolerated.

But never expected that in the eyes of the immortal, this was so unbearable!】

【Three: In diplomacy, presenting a defensive posture.】

【Although he unified the south, he never recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun for the Khitan (Liao Dynasty) in the north.】

【This led to the Great Song's door being open for three hundred years, and the nomadic people in the north could come to "visit" on horseback, and the capital Kaifeng was always within the attack radius of the Liao cavalry.】

Zhao Kuangyin sat slumped on the dragon throne, his face like dead ash.

Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun... was the thorn in his heart forever; how could he not want to recover them?】

But the Khitan were strong, and he didn't dare to act rashly.】

He thought, stabilize the inside first, develop the economy, accumulate strength, and when the time was ripe, plan for the north.】

But he didn't expect that the national policy of "valuing literature over martial arts" he set would make his later descendants not even have the courage to recover them.】