Northern Song has four capitals: Beijing, Nanjing, Xijing and Tokyo, but these four capitals are not the same as what is now.
The capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianliang, also known as Tokyo, is Kaifeng Prefecture. The other three are the accompanying capitals: Xijing Henan Prefecture, Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture and Beijing Daming Prefecture.
From the pre-Qin era to 5th dynasty ten countries , the capital was mainly chosen between Chang'an and Luoyang . This was determined by the socio-economic and political situation at that time. However, in the late Tang Dynasty, wars were frequent, and Chang'an and Luoyang were seriously damaged as important military and political places at that time. At that time, Kaifeng was located in the heart of the Central Plains and was the hub connecting the Grand Canal of and the Yellow River. In terms of water transportation, it greatly shortened the distance south of the Yangtze River of . Therefore, since the fifth generation of , in addition to , the capitals of , Houliang , Houhan, and , Houzhou have been successively located in Kaifeng. The founding emperor of the Song Dynasty Zhao Kuangyin was originally a minister of the Later Zhou Dynasty. He ascended the throne through the Chenqiao mutiny yellow robe. Therefore, his main political force was in Kaifeng, so he chose Kaifeng as the capital.
Xijing Henan Prefecture refers to Luoyang.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty had become a historical memory. Luoyang, the eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty, was also ruined with the decline of the Tang Dynasty, but Luoyang's long history, superior geographical location and military strategic position also attracted the rulers of the Northern Song Dynasty. Song Taizu In fact, he had the idea of moving the capital to Luoyang, but it was left unanimously opposed by officials. However, Zhao Kuangyin still regarded Luoyang as the Xijing.
Nanjing Yingtianfu refers to Shangqiu City, Henan Province today.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Shangqiu was called Songzhou . Before becoming the emperor, Zhao Kuangyin, the Taizu of Song Dynasty, was the governor here. It can be said that this was the place where Zhao Kuangyin prospered, so the name of the Song Dynasty came from this. As a place of prosperity, Nanjing Shangqiu is not just a talk. When the founding monarch of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou was determined to regain the Song Dynasty, he chose to officially ascend the throne in Shangqiu. However, under the pursuit of the Jin soldiers, Zhao Gou did not stay in Shangqiu for a long time and fled to Hangzhou all the way, and never went north again.
Beijing Daming Prefecture is not the current capital of Beijing, but Handan City, Hebei Province Handan City, Hebei Province .
Daming County is the throat leading to the Central Plains and is also the political and military center north of the Yellow River during the Northern Song Dynasty. During the 2nd years of Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty, Li Yuanhao proclaimed himself emperor and established Xixia , constantly fighting with the Song Dynasty. Khitan seized the opportunity again and prepared to join forces with Li Yuanhao to attack the Song Dynasty. Song Renzong adopted the suggestion of Lu Yijian and built Damingfu . Khitans I heard that the Song Dynasty had a patriarch in Daming Prefecture and believed that the Northern Song Dynasty would resist to the end, and both sides would suffer losses in the end, so the invasion plan was cancelled. However, there has been no war between the Song and Liao dynasties for a century, and the function of Beijing Daming Prefecture as an important military center has gradually demonstrated. Later, the Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed, and the Daming Prefecture in Beijing was no longer glorious.
The three accompanies set up by the Northern Song Dynasty each have their own historical origins and roles. However, after the Jingkang disaster, the Zhao Song regime fled to South and established the Southern Song Dynasty. These accompanies and capitals have become the territory of the Jin people . Maybe when Zhao Kuangyin established these capitals, he never thought that his descendants would be so prodigal.
