The Song Dynasty was one of the richest, most civilized and most open dynasties in Chinese history, and its economy, culture, science and technology, and art reached unprecedented heights. However, such a powerful country has experienced the tragedy of two annihilations under the aggression of foreign enemies.
Some people say that the fundamental reason for the sorrow of the two Song Dynasty is that there was a problem with the strategic decision-making of the Two Song Dynasty, and the error of the strategic decision is related to the talent allocation of the Two Song Dynasty. There is a sentence that can summarize the problem of talent allocation in the two Song Dynasty, that is, "the Northern Song Dynasty lacks generals, and the Southern Song Dynasty lacks phases". So, why is this happening?
1. The reason for the lack of generals in the Northern Song Dynasty
The lack of generals in the Northern Song Dynasty was because the military system of the Northern Song Dynasty restricted the play of military generals. The military system of the Northern Song Dynasty was founded by Zhao Kuangyin, the Taizu of the Song Dynasty, whose starting point was to prevent the division and rebellion of the army and maintain the authority and unity of the central government. Because Song Taizu himself came to power by mutiny, he was well aware of the danger of the army, so he controlled the army very strictly, and he took the following measures:
The forbidden army system was established, and the elite soldiers and strong generals of the world were concentrated in the capital, under the direct leadership of the emperor, while the local army was weakened, supervised by civilian officials, and could not be transferred at will.
A system of guards was established, stipulating that the forbidden army should be rotated every three years, and that they should not be stationed in one place for too long, so as to prevent them from colluding with local forces and forming private troops.
A system of supervising the army was established, stipulating that every time a general went out on an expedition, a civilian official should act as a supervisor to supervise their actions and prevent them from making arbitrary decisions in case they had different intentions.
Although these measures have ensured the loyalty and stability of the armed forces to a certain extent, they have also seriously affected the combat effectiveness and vitality of the armed forces. Because of these measures, the armed forces have lost their autonomy and creativity, the generals have lost their fighting spirit and courage, and the military and the people have lost their affinity and trust. Under such a system, no matter how talented a general is, he will not be able to give full play, and no matter how brave a soldier is, he will not be able to show it. Therefore, the generals of the Northern Song Dynasty often appeared weak and conservative, and it was difficult to achieve satisfactory results, both internally and externally.
Of course, the Northern Song Dynasty was not completely devoid of outstanding generals, such as Yang Ye, Li Jilong, Wang Shao, Guo Kui, Zhang Qi, etc., all of whom were famous generals with brilliant achievements, but their achievements were often achieved in violation of the orders of the imperial court or by taking advantage of the loopholes of the imperial court, and their status and prestige were often suppressed and attacked by the imperial court, and some were even killed and degraded. Therefore, although the generals of the Northern Song Dynasty have no shortage of talents, they lack space and opportunities for development, and lack respect and support.
2. The reason for the lack of phase in the Southern Song Dynasty
The lack of prime minister in the Southern Song Dynasty was due to the fact that the political culture of the Southern Song Dynasty affected the role of the prime minister. The political culture of the Southern Song Dynasty was established by Zhao Gou, Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, and his starting point was to stabilize the country, restore national strength, and prepare to regain lost territory. Because Song Gaozong was forced to move south under the threat of the Jin State, he was well aware of the danger of the country, so he attached great importance to the governance of the country, and he took the following measures:
The establishment of the two-government system, the original political organs of the three provinces and six ministries, changed into the two highest administrative organs of the Zhongshu Province and the Privy Council, which were responsible for the appointment, dismissal and supervision of civil and military officials respectively, while the emperor directly held the power of the two provinces and could appoint and dismiss the officials of the two provinces at will, thus strengthening the concentration of imperial power.
The establishment of the system of participating in the governor's affairs was established, and the powers of the original prime minister were divided between two or more governors, so that they could participate in the decision-making of the country, and the emperor could balance and adjust between them, thus weakening the influence of the prime minister.
The establishment of the Imperial Historical Observatory system expanded the functions of the original Supervision Yuan to the supervision and impeachment of officials at all levels throughout the country, and the emperor could understand and control the movements of the imperial government through the Imperial Historical Observatory, thus enhancing the emperor's supervisory power.
Although these measures have ensured the operation and efficiency of the country to a certain extent, they have also seriously affected the status and role of the prime minister. Because of these measures, the prime minister has lost his autonomy and creativity, and the prime minister has lost his authority and prestige.
The sorrow of the Two Song Dynasty is because there is a problem with the talent allocation of the Two Song Dynasty, and the error of talent allocation is related to the history and culture of the Two Song Dynasty. The history of the Two Song Dynasty is a history full of changes and challenges, and the culture of the Two Song Dynasty is a culture full of contradictions and conflicts. These changes and challenges, these contradictions and conflicts, have put forward higher requirements for the talents of the two Song Songs, and have also brought greater confusion to the talents of the two Song Dynasty.
The sorrow of the Two Song Dynasty enlightens us that talent is the pillar of the country. If a country wants to be strong, it must attach importance to talent, cultivate talent, and use talent.