Zhao Kuangyin's humble ambition helped the Song Dynasty avoid a short historical tragedy.

This article is exclusively original by Meng Heng, and it is forbidden to reprint Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin (927-976) without permission. After the yellow robe was added to the throne of the emperor, it was not a gorgeous picture, but a situation in which internal and external troubles coexisted. To consolidate the internal political power, he can use the ingenious means of "relieving the worries of soldiers with a glass of wine" to calmly concentrate on himself; However, it is not so simple to eliminate external threats. . It is always difficult to choose the right materials, but it is difficult to choose the right materials. Therefore, Song Taizu still can't sit back and relax after obtaining the initial political power. He once said to Zhao Pu, "I can't sleep. Outside the sofa, all are his family. " He deeply realized that the threat of external separatist forces to his new Zhao and Song regime was enormous. Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin were around the Song Dynasty, with Northern Han and Qidan in the north, Houshu in the west, and separatist regimes such as Southern Han, Southern Tang, wuyue and Jingnan in the south. If Zhao and Song want to maintain Chang 'an, they must sweep away these separatist forces and realize national reunification. So how to unify? Facing the separatist regime is like facing a table of dishes. Where can we buy chopsticks? This is Zhao Kuangyin's problem. So he often can't sleep at night. He remembers that in the second week of that year, Wang Puzeng suggested to Zhou Shizong that "whoever takes the road will choose the easy one" and "if you get Jiangnan, you will get Bashu in Jiangnan, but it depends on the details. If it stands in the south, Yan will follow the wind. " That is, it is easy before it is difficult. Now it is feasible to adopt the strategy of south first and then north. At present, Zhao Kuangyin can't make up his mind. So soon after Zhao Kuangyin acceded to the throne, he was interested in consulting ministers. Song Taizu called ministers to discuss countermeasures. He once said: "It is difficult to serenade the Northern Han Dynasty, and Liao is a foreign aid, so it is not appropriate to make immediate progress. Instead, we should set up more ranks, constantly harass the agricultural production of the Northern Han Dynasty, and send people to Liao State to alienate the relationship between the Northern Han Dynasty and Liao State, and then cut off their support. " From the angle of attacking the Northern Han Dynasty, it was a good strategy. Noodles are guaranteed in the age of ten petals or T-beams. One snowy night, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't sleep, got up and put on his clothes, made an appointment with his younger brother Zhao Guangyi (later Song Taizong) and knocked on the door of counselor Zhao Pu. Zhao Pu opened the door and saw the emperor standing in the snow. He was greeted at once. Three core figures of Scott Group are having a barbecue around the stove in the hall, and Zhao Pu's wife and husband pour the wine themselves. After several rounds, Zhang Yongde explained his purpose to Zhao Kuangyin like wine, and wanted to discuss with him how to deal with Northern Han. Mao said, "I can't sleep. I want to take Taiyuan." Zhao Pu was silent for a long time and said to Mao, Taiyuan is in the northwest. "If Taiyuan is captured, then the border troubles in southern Liaoning will be blocked by ourselves." "Why don't you stay! Once countries are leveled, where will they flee? " Hearing this, Mao smiled and said, "That's what I mean. I just want to test your opinion. " In this way, after more than two years' deliberation and repeated solicitation of courtiers' opinions, Song Taizu finally determined the strategy of unifying China by "south first and then north". After the unification strategy was determined, the first goal of Song Taizu's conquest was Jingnan occupied by Gao Jichong. Jingnan's military strength is weak, but its geographical position is very important. It happened that Zhou Xingfeng, the ambassador of Hunan Province, died, his eleven-year-old son Zhou Baoquan succeeded to the throne, and general Zhang Wenbiao rebelled. Zhou Baoquan resisted and asked Song to send troops to help. In the Song Dynasty, in the name of assisting Zhou Baoquan, Zhao Pu took Jingnan as a way to eliminate the two separatist regimes of Jingnan and Hunan. Then Song sent troops to West Shu on the grounds that West Shu wanted to collude with the Northern Han Dynasty to attack the Song Dynasty. After two months of fighting, West Shu perished. Then the Song Dynasty easily destroyed Nanhan, Nantang and wuyue. Except for the Northern Han Dynasty, it basically ended the separatist regime that lasted for decades. The central plains and the vast areas in the south have been unified. This not only proves the correctness of the strategy of "going south before going north", but also is the result of Song Taizu's soliciting public opinions. His modesty in Zhao Kuangyin is also reflected in his transformation from martial arts to civil affairs. Zhao Kuangyin is a soldier. He has been a soldier all his life. At first, like many soldiers in the Five Dynasties, he looked down on scholars and Confucian scholars. Once, Mao and Zhao Pu passed by Zhuquemen. Mao pointed to the plaque on the door and asked, "Why not just call it Zhuquemen? What's the use of adding a word in the middle?" Zhao Pu explained that the word "zhi" is an auxiliary word. Zuckerman's great-grandfather smiled contemptuously and said, "This is even a help! Later, he gradually understood that the world could not be cured immediately, so he said with emotion more than once: "The Prime Minister must use a scholar! Starting from his own experience, Zhao Kuangyin said to ministers: "Chen Wu should also let him learn, so that he can know how to govern the country." . "With the help of Zhao Pu, Song Taizu formulated a series of repeated measures, perfected the imperial examination system, eliminated the disadvantages accumulated in the Five Dynasties, and avoided the short-lived fate of Zhao and Song Dynasties, which was inseparable from his modesty and good listening to people. Look at Song Taizu's behavior again. Although he has many ideas, he is hesitant and can't make a hasty decision. His caution and solemnity have made people admire him. What's more, he is more open-minded, courteous and considerate, not ashamed to ask questions, and his attitude is getting better and better, which is an important reason why he can achieve great things. Refer to History of Song Dynasty