The struggle of the reborn prince

Li Gang and Chen Yun are both well-educated scholars who were born as Jinshi, and naturally they are also scholars who are familiar with the history of the Song Dynasty. The emperor stayed in Xijing and did not return, and he built Luoyang City into a prosperous city with a copper wall and an iron wall. They couldn't help but It reminds me of the "Taizu's proposal to move the capital" event that caused waves in the court 200 years ago...

In March of the ninth year of Song Kaibao, Taizu Zhao Kuangyin visited Luoyang westward.Luoyang Jiamaying is the place where Taizu was born and where he spent his childhood. After decades of military service, it has been difficult to have the opportunity to revisit the old place.At this time, the Song Dynasty had unified the Central Plains and even the entire south, realizing the situation that the Central Plains dynasty was closest to the great unification in more than 200 years since the late Tang Dynasty.Although there are still strong neighbors in the north, in the past 16 years since the founding of the country, the national power of the Song Dynasty has become stronger and the national fortune has been prosperous. Therefore, in the eyes of the accompanying civil and military officials, this trip to the West should be a nostalgic journey full of warmth.

However, this tour to the west was not all about feasting and feasting, and the monarch and ministers having fun together.Taizu suddenly proposed to move the capital to Luoyang. In the conversation, Zhao Kuangyin repeatedly called Luoyang a place of victory and lived in the world, revealing that he wanted to stay in Luoyang. At that time, no one spoke up.Seeing that everyone did not object, Zhao Kuangyin thought that the move of the capital could be carried out as desired, but he did not know that although the officials did not object on the surface, most of them were still unwilling to move the capital.The strong opposition from the ministers also made Taizu displeased. He simply lived in Luoyang for two months, refused to return to Kaifeng, and even proposed to move to Luoyang and then Chang'an.

Since ancient times, the rulers have chosen the capital mainly based on three factors: military, economic, and geographic location: military requirements require that the location of the capital be able to control the interior and be beneficial to the outside world; economic requirements require that the area around the capital be economically developed and be able to basically meet the material needs of the capital. .Only a small amount of support is required to be far away; geographically, the capital is required to be located in the center of the dynasty's jurisdiction, or to have smooth water and land transportation routes leading to all directions.In terms of geographical environment.Since ancient times, rulers have mostly chosen places with dragons and tigers, mountains and rivers surrounded by mountains and rivers, and places that are dangerous and defensible in choosing their capitals. They seldom choose places with flat terrain and difficult to defend.

And Kaifeng is a place where there is no danger and no danger.The reason why it is favored by the rulers.The key lies in that it is located in the "center of the world" extending in all directions, with convenient transportation and a prosperous economy, which is conducive to "being in the center and keeping away from the distance".Kaifeng used to be the capital of Wei during the Warring States period. It was called Daliang at that time, and then it was renamed Bianzhou.The canal opened in the Sui Dynasty entered the Jianghuai River through Bianliang, making it a throat that locks and controls the north-south waterway traffic.In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the northern vassals and towns were separated, and wars continued frequently.The economic center moved to the southern region, and Bianliang became the only place for the transportation of grain from the south to the north.

During the Five Dynasties, Bianliang was successively the capital of Houliang, Houjin, Houhan, and Housi, and the city scale continued to expand.By the time of Zhou Shizong Chai Rong, Bianliang already had a triple city wall, with high walls and deep pools, neat buildings, wide roads, and prosperous commerce.It has the style of an imperial capital.Taizu Zhao Kuangyin seized the power of the Later Zhou Dynasty through the Chenqiao Mutiny, so the initial capital Kaifeng was not a choice, but a natural inheritance.

After more than ten years of operation by the Song Dynasty, Bianliang City "is the most important thing in the world. The total number of boats and vehicles controls the pharynx of Heshuo and the transportation of Jinghu Lake".All the ministers of the DPRK and China have lived here for many years, and at this time they proposed to move the capital.There is indeed a feeling that the foundation of the country has been shaken.What's more, Luoyang at this time was severely damaged due to successive years of wars since the late Tang Dynasty.The economy is so bad that it has basically lost its conditions as a national capital.In fact, Luoyang has never been the capital of any dynasty since Shi Jingtang moved its capital to Kaifeng in the later Jin Dynasty.

However, Kaifeng is indeed a place where the four wars are easy to attack and difficult to defend. Previously, all the short-lived regimes were established here. , the battlefield is mainly on other people's territory, and the country has never been threatened for more than ten years, and the convenience of Kaifeng's accessibility has become an advantage in fighting for troops.It should be said that the establishment of Kaifeng as the capital in the early Song Dynasty was the best plan that met the objective needs of society, economy, politics, military and other aspects.

The problem is that when the Great Song Dynasty flattened the southern countries like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves and turned its attention to the north, the situation began to undergo fundamental changes.The northern Han regime in Shanxi and the Khitan in the north, relying on the favorable terrain of the capital Taiyuan, successfully prevented the Song army from going north.Song Taizu attacked the Northern Han Dynasty three times, all of which were frustrated and returned.When a strategic offensive turns into a confrontation, as a seasoned emperor with excellent military skills, apart from disappointment and helplessness due to inability to do what he wants, he will of course be aware of the huge danger.

The Northern Han Dynasty was to the north of the Yellow River, only one river away from Bianliang.And the mighty Khitan may go south at any time. With the flat and open terrain of Bianliang, how can it resist the cavalry of the Liao army? To ensure the safety of the place of the Fourth World War, soldiers can only be used as a risk, so the number of forbidden troops stationed in Kaifeng has expanded rapidly.In addition, Kaifeng is too close to the Yellow River, which is also a fatal flaw in the military.During the Warring States period, Qin State attacked Daliang, the capital of Wei State, four times. Finally, the Qin army decided to flood Daliang with water from the Yellow River. As a result, the city was destroyed and Wei was destroyed.

Those ministers who are accustomed to enjoying a comfortable life may feel at ease when they see heavy troops stationed in the capital, but Taizu has clearly realized the huge consumption of national strength by a large army.However, Kaifeng's geographical environment extends in all directions, and the water and land transportation is convenient. In the Song Dynasty, there was no problem at all as an economic center, but the conditions for being a political and military center were not fully met.He proposed to move the capital to Luoyang just to 'get rid of redundant soldiers according to the danger of mountains and rivers'!

It's a pity that Taizu's foresight and sagacity failed to be understood by the ministers, and such a stalemate for two months was undoubtedly a kind of torture to the ministers, and the days in Luoyang were spent in anxiety.In the end, Zhao Guangyi had to make a compromise under the persuasion of "those who make peace with the world are in virtue but not in danger".Although Taizu was still unwilling, he was finally willing to drive back to Beijing in resentment.Five months later, the generation of holy lords who created the Great Song Dynasty died suddenly in the imperial palace in Kaifeng. This is the so-called "promotion of moving the capital" in the early Song Dynasty...

Send Li Gang and others to the post house in the palace city, and arrange everything for Xu Hong to leave.Li Gang ordered people to go to the palace to report and ask for an audience, but he heard that the emperor took his family out of the palace to hunt in Dongdu Garden a few days ago, and it would take two days to return. They could only temporarily stay in the post house and wait for the emperor to summon them.

"Li Xiang, does your Majesty have other meanings for staying in Xijing for a long time this time?" It is early winter, and the post house has not yet been lit, making people feel cold at night. Holding a brazier for a drink, he asked after three glasses of wine.

"Chen Xiangxiang also saw that something was wrong. Your Majesty spent ten years and huge sums of money to rebuild Xijing will never be a whim, and it's not just because you want to make your majesty willing to spend so much money!" Li Gang took a sip of his wine and smiled meaningfully.

"Yes, there are not many things that can make His Majesty do such a big deal, but it is not surprising in terms of his temperament!" Chen Yun nodded and said, the emperor is famous for being "thrifty", and it is also true for Xijing. He has always allocated funds in the name of repairs, but now he almost pays for it out of his own pocket to rebuild Luoyang City. There must be great significance behind it.As for borrowing from the bank, it can be said to be a joke. Almost everyone in the Song Dynasty knew that it was the emperor's own business, his money bag, and borrowing money was just going in with the left hand and out with the right hand.

"Well, rebuilding Luoyang City seems to cost a lot, but His Majesty didn't use the emperor, and Bianjing's maintenance of water transportation is even more costly. Cleaning up the Bianhe River in just one year is a lot of money. Ten Luoyang cities have accumulated over time. It’s also built.” Li Gang said with a smile.

Since Kaifeng was established as the capital of the Later Liang Dynasty, several generations of rulers have continuously dug canals to facilitate water transportation.Especially Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty, repeatedly issued orders to dig canals.After Taizu established the country, the most important thing was to dig canals. Since then, the excavation and maintenance of canals has become a national event from the beginning to the end of the Song Dynasty.Just as Zhang Fangping said: "The country is built on the basis of soldiers, soldiers live on food, food is based on water transportation, and water transportation is mainly based on rivers and canals." If the river is not enough, it must continue to be excavated, and if the river is silted, it must be continuously dredged. Excavation and dredging not only requires the use of countless people's power, which makes the people exhausted, but also costs astronomical figures, becoming a burden on the country.

"What Li Xiang said is very true. Bianjing's dependence on the canal has exhausted the people's strength. And Kaifeng has no danger to defend. It can only garrison hundreds of thousands of troops around the capital, and set up guards in the city and outside the city to replace the danger of mountains and rivers. A large number The gathering of redundant troops in the capital has greatly increased Kaifeng's dependence on the canal. Over time, it will cause a heavy burden on the court's expenses, and the people will be trapped in corvee. Even after the reform of the military system, His Majesty has to arrange five generals to guard in the Gyeonggi area. The ancestors may have anticipated today's situation before proposing to move the capital!" After Chen Yun raised his glass and invited the two of them to have a drink, he sighed and said that after he became the right prime minister, he realized that even if the emperor can grab money like this, he can't stop him. Living in bigger and bigger holes can be said to impoverish the whole country because of one place.

"The cost of human resources and financial resources is only one of them. Kaifeng is close to the Yellow River with frequent floods, and the amount of property invested in disaster relief is huge. If the Yellow River breach occurs before or during the outbreak of the war, it will have serious damage to the army's supplies. Huge impact. The Khitan’s southward movement happened at the time of the Yellow River’s breakthrough in Chanzhou in September. The first emperor Zhenzong may have been worried that if the civil strife was caused by famine, he would be trapped in a situation where we were surrounded by enemies. Under such circumstances, negotiating peace with the enemy is a last resort!" Li Gang said from this point of view, thinking of the past.

"Well, with your majesty's ability, you can't think of this. It seems that as early as when your majesty succeeded to the throne, you have already started to consider moving the capital. The construction of Luoyang City these years is also a preparation for this!" Chen Yu said, knowing it in his heart The emperor has not returned to Beijing for a long time, and it is part of his plan. He is testing the courtiers' views on moving the capital... (to be continued...)