In later years, Liao became the grandfather and Song the grandson. This is another twisted and crude argument. Didn't the Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty and the Turks of the Tang Dynasty both rise before the Han and Tang Dynasties? Yet, the Han and Tang Dynasties also had peace and harmony with them.
Wu and Wei were also rival states in Shu, each of which was independent of the other. Yet, historians always chronicle the Xiongnu and Turkic dynasties, while acknowledging the Han and Tang dynasties as orthodox. They always consider Wu and Wei as separate states, while Shu Han is the orthodox dynasty. Why? Because the principles of heaven and the common good of human nature are undeniable, transcending the ages.
Some commentators on the Five Dynasties period also consider the Zhu Liang clan to be usurpers and traitors, and therefore should not be included in the Five Dynasties history. This argument is plausible. I wonder, however, if Zhu Huang's usurpation made the father and son of the Keyong clan their enemies, and if the Khitan clan broke the Tang brotherly pact and submitted to the Liang clan as vassal, wouldn't they also be part of the rebellion? The Spring and Autumn Annals punishes traitors, especially those who are involved; why was the punishment of the Khitan clan severed? Furthermore, Shi Jingtang served the Tang, but disobeyed its orders and usurped the throne.
The Chinese nation flourished since the Han and Tang dynasties, but since the Five Dynasties, the influence of Han culture has gradually declined. The subsequent Song Dynasty never achieved unification and ultimately suffered the consequences of its own actions, disappearing into the long river of history.
After Zhao Kuangyin established the Northern Song Dynasty, he launched a war to unify the country. After more than a hundred years of expansion, the territory of the Northern Song Dynasty reached its peak, stretching from Yanshan Mountain in the north to the South China Sea in the south, from Hexi Corridor in the west to the East China Sea in the east, and thus became a great power in the world at that time.
The Northern Song's only shortcoming was that it took until the end of Emperor Huizong's reign to recover most of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, a position it maintained for only a few years before being annihilated by the Wanyan Jurchens, who arrived from the snowy plains and forests. Turning our attention to Hexi, this marked the Northern Song's greatest achievement. Through a series of wars, the Song expanded their reach into Xinjiang, severing the Dangxiang people's ties with their ancestral homeland like a tentacle, thus preventing the Western Xia Kingdom from receiving sustained political and economic support from the roof of the world. In 1111 AD, after a final, fleeting moment, the centenarian Northern Song reached its end, a true testament to the waxing moon and the overflowing waters.
The Southern Song Dynasty was like a clown after that. Its few northern expeditions all ended abruptly. Not only did they fail to achieve good results, but they also showed the northern regime that the southerners were weak and could be bullied. Ultimately, the country was destroyed and annihilated in the tide of the world.
The primary reason for the Song Dynasty's perceived weakness was the implementation and deep-rooted policy of prioritizing civil officials over military power. Originally intended to prevent the rise of military commanders, this measure effectively blocked any potential for growth in the Song Dynasty's military power. Using powerless civil officials to control military commanders not only led to unnecessary internal friction but, more seriously, suppressed the military's talents, delayed military operations, and led to misguided leadership, all of which resulted in irreparable damage to the campaigns.
I guess if Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi knew about this, they would regret it deeply when they saw their descendants being beaten by nomadic peoples.
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