Chapter 218 Planting Wheat
In May of the 12th year of Tianfu (the first year of Datong in Liao Dynasty, 947 AD), when Emperor Gaozu of Later Han, Liu Zhiyuan, was advancing triumphantly from Taiyuan and aiming at Bianliang, Emperor Shizong of Liao, Yelu Wuyu, was anxiously leading the main force of the Liao army back to Shangjing Linhuangfu to fight for the throne, and had no intention of caring about the affairs of the Central Plains.
Yelu Bali, the cousin of Emperor Shizong of Liao, was a ruthless, cunning, and extremely cruel person. To suppress the recurring anti-Liao sentiment among the Han people, he frequently captured innocent civilians, falsely accused them of plotting rebellion, and publicly tortured them with torture such as amputating their hands, disfiguring their faces, gouging out their eyes, and then burning them to death.
He carried various torture instruments with him, and human organs and limbs were hung in his residence. He enjoyed killing people while sitting, lying down, and eating.
He wore ochre-yellow robes and rode in the emperor's chariot, proudly declaring, "Han people would never dare to do this, but we Khitans have no taboos!" He and his subordinates plundered almost all the treasures, wealth, and beauties in the capital. All the looted beauties in the capital were distributed to the Khitans for their enjoyment.
The 200,000 Han soldiers dared not speak out, because when Du Chongwei surrendered with only 200,000 soldiers, he had handed over millions of pieces of weapons, armor and military equipment, and more than 40,000 war horses to the Khitans. Now these 200,000 Han soldiers were unarmed.
Because the main force had returned with Wu Yu to fight for the throne, the Liao army actually numbered less than 3,000 in the city, while the Jin army that had surrendered from the Central Plains numbered a full 200,000. To conceal his true intentions, Bali De strictly ordered that military supplies be distributed according to the quota of 14,000 men. Any excess went into his own pocket.
He set up strict defenses against the Han troops in the city, not only prohibiting them from carrying weapons but also repeatedly laying off soldiers for no apparent reason. He also withheld Han soldiers' food and wages and gave them to the Liao army. To prevent the Han from escaping, he even ordered the Liao soldiers guarding the gates: "Any Han who approaches or peeks at the city gates will be killed without mercy, to serve as a warning to others!"
The 200,000 Han troops were forced into a corner and had to cut wood into spears and besiege the Khitans.
Many dynasties in history have had periods of prosperity or rejuvenation. The Song Dynasty, however, lacks such titles. Did it mean it was poorer? Quite the contrary: it can be considered the wealthiest dynasty in history.
So, if it was the richest dynasty, why didn’t it have a “golden age” or a “revival”? The reason for this is that the Song Dynasty lasted for a full three hundred years, which was considered a “golden age” and a “revival”.
No period stands out particularly in the entire dynasty, and therefore it has not been specifically mentioned by historians and named "prosperous times" or "rejuvenation".
So, why is it said that the entire Song Dynasty was a "prosperous era" and a "revival"? How did this situation come about?
First, the Song Dynasty's politics were the most enlightened and stable, free of the chaotic political conditions of other dynasties. The Song Dynasty's politics were the most enlightened and stable in ancient China. Why? First, the Song Dynasty's emperors had limited power.
Not all Song Dynasty emperors were wise and powerful. There were even some insane emperors and some sick emperors who were mentally unstable. However, because they had little power, their mental and physical conditions did not affect the overall political situation.
Second, Song Dynasty ministers all possessed independent and robust personalities. Like other dynasties, the Song Dynasty experienced factional struggles and mutual infighting among ministers. However, because the emperor held limited power and did not execute ministers, ministers did not need to rely on the emperor's wishes or his will as a guiding principle.
This was completely different from the Tang and Ming dynasties, where factional struggles were all aimed at gaining favor, but not the Song. Precisely because Song officials were relatively sound and independent, there were fewer instances of political chaos.
These two factors ensured an enlightened and stable political environment during the Song Dynasty. In ancient China's agricultural society, stability was paramount. Only with stability, and consistent policies, could ordinary people devote ample time to agricultural production, ultimately ensuring national prosperity.
Second, the Song Dynasty prioritized peace in diplomacy, launching few wars and, consequently, imposing minimal forced labor on the people. Many may dismiss the claim that the Song Dynasty waged few wars as absurd, but it is not. For over a hundred years after the signing of the Treaty of Chanyuan, the Northern Song Dynasty remained at peace with the Liao Kingdom. While fighting with the Western Xia was sporadic, it was not frequent.
The war with the Jin Dynasty also took place in the late Northern Song Dynasty. The fundamental reason why the Song army was so vulnerable at the time was that it had "never learned to fight a war for a century." During the Southern Song Dynasty, in addition to the war with the Jin Dynasty in its early years, the two countries fought three more battles: one during the Northern Expedition led by Emperor Xiaozong of Song, another during the Northern Expedition led by Han Tuozhou, and another when the Jin Dynasty, after being severely defeated by the Mongols, took the initiative to attack the Southern Song Dynasty, culminating in the war with the Mongols.
Relatively speaking, the Southern Song Dynasty experienced more wars. However, compared to the Han and Tang dynasties, it was actually relatively few. Because there were fewer wars, the people had less labor, leaving them with more time to engage in production. As a result, for most of the time, the people lived a relatively affluent life.
Third, the Song Dynasty's small territory made it relatively easy to govern, and domestic unrest was minimal. While the Song Dynasty's territory was small, it was primarily concentrated in wealthy regions. During the Northern Song Dynasty, there were the Central Plains, Bashu, and Jiangnan, all fertile lands.
The Southern Song Dynasty boasted Bashu and Jiangnan, both fertile regions. Because of their fertile soil and abundant produce, large-scale peasant uprisings were rare within the Song Dynasty. While there were some, they were often relatively small and easily suppressed, never becoming a nationwide disaster.
Due to the above three reasons, the entire Song Dynasty has always been a "golden age". We only need to look at "Dreams of Splendor in the Eastern Capital", "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", and the prosperous and beautiful scenery of Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty to see it clearly.
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