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Did the Song Dynasty not kill civil servants?

The Song Dynasty has always had a rule: do not kill literati, do not kill scholar-bureaucrats. So the literati at that time dared to speak and act, because they knew that they had disobeyed the emperor, and at most they would be relegated to exile, so their heads were still safe. Look at Su Shi’s Wutai poetry case. In other eras, not only would he lose his head, but his family would also be involved. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang killed officials at every turn, and even sat down. In the Qing Dynasty, literary inquisition was prevalent. Literati only dare to write stereotyped articles and sing praises. Why didn’t the Song Dynasty kill literati?

The ancestral precept of “don’t kill literati” is a rule established by Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, which is related to the Song Dynasty’s policy of emphasizing literature over military affairs. It is said that there was an oath stele engraved in the Taimiao Temple of the Song Dynasty, and Song Taizu left the ancestral instructions. If the descendants violate it, they will be punished by heaven. This ancestral precept is best implemented among descendants of all generations. The author believes that there are several reasons why Song Taizu established this ancestral precept:

One is that the generals are not easy to control.

Song Taizu was born as a general, and obtained the throne through improper means (adding a yellow robe). He was worried that someone would repeat the same mistakes and use “a glass of wine to release military power” to make all the founding heroes lose their military power, and the power was highly concentrated in the center. Literati are unarmed and cannot turn over big waves, but military generals can easily capsize if they become bigger and stronger. So from the beginning, it is containment, emphasizing literati and ignoring military generals as the basic national policy.

Second, to promote social development

At the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, the culture withered, and there were basically no elites, intellectuals, and literary leaders. There is no talent in the country. At the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, there was a prime minister Zhao Pu – “Half of the Analects governs the world, half of the Analects governs the world.” It can be seen that the cultural level is not high. Military generals charge forward, but it is better to be a literati to govern the country as an official.

Third, is that the individual has no ambition to fight

At the beginning of the establishment of the Song Dynasty, Daliao, Xixia, and Khitan in the north were relatively powerful minority regimes. Song Taizu couldn’t beat him again and again, thinking that it would be better to stay in a corner. In this situation where wolves are looking around, it is not easy to deal with one’s own internal affairs first, so there is no time to go to war. Naturally, generals have no use for their abilities.

The ancestral motto of not killing literati has been implemented well, probably because the Song Dynasty has always been poor and weak (a large amount of tribute is required every year, and horses are scarce, and horses are an important fighting tool). Every term has to judge the situation. I am afraid that if you violate the ancestral precepts, you will be shot to death by the ministers. However, during the hundreds of years of the Song Dynasty, no particularly domineering monarch appeared. After all, Confucian scholars could not teach people like Genghis Khan.

Just look at Renzong to see how tolerant the Song Dynasty was to literati.

Song Renzong was a benevolent emperor who trained a large number of famous ministers and ministers, such as Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Ouyang Xiu, Bao Zheng and others. The two brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe were also selected by Song Renzong.

Song Renzong was able to speak widely and did not put on leadership airs. It is said that Bao Zheng loved to give advice to Song Renzong back then. Sometimes when he got excited, he would spray spitting stars on Song Renzong’s face, but Song Renzong didn’t mind, and would still follow Bao Zheng’s correct advice. Admonisher Wang Su advised Renzong not to get close to female sex, fearing that his majesty would be confused by female sex, Song Renzong ordered the eunuchs to give each of these women who were sent to the palace three hundred guan, and then send them out of the palace immediately.

Which celebrities benefited from this policy and saved their lives?

Su Shi, the Wutai Poetry Case and the subsequent opposition to the reform touched the Emperor Nilin many times, but he was only demoted again and again, and finally arrived in Hainan Island, but he was still not sentenced to death.

Su Zhe, he had always been on the side with his elder brother Su Shi, so the reason for his relegation was that he was implicated by his elder brother. No matter what he does, the opponent will always want to kill you. In his later years, Su Zhe was demoted again and again. For the last time, the two brothers in distress saw each other for the last time on the way to being demoted.

Huang Tingjian, as the number one disciple of the Su family, was naturally the target of the enemy’s powerful bombardment. As a “Yuanyou party member”, Huang Tingjian was demoted again and again, and later got used to it, calling himself a “relegated immortal”.

Fan Zhongyan, “worry about the world’s worries first, and enjoy the world’s joys later”. Fan Zhongyan has a straightforward temper and speaks aggressively. The reason why Fan Zhongyan was demoted for the first time was to admonish the Empress Dowager Liu and return the imperial power to Song Renzong. Offended Queen Mother Liu and was relegated. This was in the Song Dynasty, and Fan Zhongyan dared to do this. The horror of this matter is equivalent to that if Wu Zetian or the Empress Dowager Cixi gave up the imperial power, ten heads would not be enough to cut off. “Ning Ming dies, but does not live silently.” Fan Zhongyan was relegated twice later.

Ouyang Xiu, the first time Ouyang Xiu was demoted was because of Fan Zhongyan’s “Hundred Officials Map”. The second time he was relegated was because he supported Fan Zhongyan’s reform, and was relegated to Chuzhou to write “Drunkard Pavilion” which has been passed down through the ages. For the third time, he was relegated because of the crime of speech, so he simply retired and named himself “Liuyi Layman”.