The decline of the Song Dynasty and the end of the "Golden Age" ofscholars.

Article: Zong Cheng,

Northern Song Dynasty founder A good political framework was designed tobalance monarchy and ministerial relations. On the one hand, this is dueto the monarch's consciousness, on the other hand, due to the continuousdevelopment of the imperial examination system, and the fact that thefive-generation and ten-nation warlords seized the political power, thefounding fathers of the Northern Song Dynasty did not trust the generals andformed a culture of attaching importance to scholar-officials. Thus formed the"golden age" of scholar-officials. In the early Song Dynasty,the prime minister provided advice to restrain the monarch. Famousministers such as Zhao Pu and Kou Zhun have made direct suggestions manytimes. Once, a meritorious person should be promoted to an officialposition, but Song Taizu did not like him and wanted to prevent him from beingpromoted. Zhao Pu, then prime minister, went to persuade him. ThePrince said: "If I don't move, what should I do?" Zhao Pu said:"Punishment punishes evil, rewards work. It is an ancient and modernchannel. In addition, punishment rewards are punishment rewards in the world,not just It's yours. How can you be the only one who changes your mood?"Mao didn't listen and left the seat. Zhao Pu followed him and stayedat the palace gate for a long time. Mao had no choice but to promise him.

From Song Taizu to Song Renzong, there was no prime minister in the NorthernSong Dynasty. However, marked by the Yuanfeng reform, the centralgovernment's power distribution has changed. The restructuring of Yuanfenghappened during the period of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty. After thereorganization, authority was given to the head of theSecretariat. Left-wing and right-wing ministers are elected as primeministers, left-wing ministers are elected as ministers, right-wing ministersare elected as ministers, and financial and personnel rights of militaryofficers are returned to the capital hall. On the surface, these reformshave strengthened the power of mutual respect. In fact, they are thepolitical preparations for the monarch to control his power, using his favoriteprime minister to implement policies as quickly as possible. Yuanfeng'sreorganization did not restore the tradition of "Zhongshuling,Zhongshuling, Zhongshuling" in the Tang Dynasty, nor did it transfermilitary power to the prime minister, nor did it fundamentally change the monarch'srelated system. The power of appointment and removal of the prime ministeris firmly in the hands of the emperor, so that the monarch always maintainssuppression of power. After Zong Shen took power, the struggle between thetwo parties intensified, and the situation of literati and monarch co-rulingbegan to break. Rulers are more inclined to work with the prime ministersthey trust to implement some emergency policies, even if this would lead to asplit between government and the countryside. If during the Renzongperiod, from Emperor Zongshen to Emperor Huizong, the monarch often suppressedthe scholars, and the prime minister gradually became the foil of themonarch. Before making a decision, the emperor relied more on the opinionsof the scholar-official group. During the Zongshen and Zhezong periods,signs of confrontation between the emperor and the scholar-official groupappeared. The emperor was more willing to support political parties loyalto his will and control the entire government. During the Shaoshengperiod, after Zhezong won the battle with Empress Cixi and the Simaguangfaction, he raised the power of the imperial power and the army to speak, andonce achieved military revival. The emperor who appeared in the novel"The Eight Dragons" has long been ill and died young. He was avery arbitrary emperor, following the example of the religion, and determinedto inherit the Xi-Feng line advocated by the religion, expanding the territoryto achieve the revival of the Song Dynasty.

After Song Zongzong died, Song Huizong inherited his throne. Emperors wholove calligraphy and painting also focused on the concentration ofpower. The mainstream view of history used to believe that Song Huizongwas eager to enjoy and indulged the "public image" of Cai Jing's fourtimes in power, while Luo Zhi's party feathers and power were fuming, formingthe so-called "Cai Jing autocracy", which reflects the weakening ofmonarchy and mutual power Expansion. However, throughout the period ofEmperor Huizong's rule, Cai Jingduo did not pose any real threat tomonarchy. Cai Jing's power is basically determined by t

The changes in Jingkang, Nandu and Song Dynasty in the Southern Song Dynastyentered a period of turbulence. Changes in the external environment requiredthe Song Dynasty to improve central efficiency, and centralization of powerbecame inevitable. Driven by the war, the prime minister of the SouthernSong Dynasty gained more power. An obvious change is that they actuallyshared military power. For example, in the first year of Longxing ShiShihao, in order to deal with emergency situations in wartime, was allowed toserve as the right minister of the Ministry of History, the same as the thornhistory, and the same as the Tang Dynasty. The Prime Minister of the SongDynasty, Fu and Tang Seng, first appeared during the Renzong period. ThePolitical System and Political Culture of the Late Northern Song Dynastysaid: "Zhang's adviser said that assassination history must knowmilitary affairs, and the prime minister must also be a privy councilor."But soon, the prime minister and the Tang Dynasty ceased to hold the sameposition, and it became popular again in the Southern SongDynasty. Following Song Ningzong, the Prime Minister was also a Cardinal. Inresponse to the wartime situation, Song Ting also set the official title of"Militarists Value Matters" to strengthen the prime minister'smilitary power. According to statistics, 48