Many scholars in historiography believe that the absence of Yanyun sixteen states is like a congenital asthmatic patient who was choked by his throat and died of breathing difficulties. So what does Yanyun sixteen states exist? Why did it affect the Northern Song Dynasty and even the entire Central Plains in later generations? This has to be said slowly.
The cause of the sixteen states of Yanyun: the pain of cession
Sixteen states of Yanyun, also known as the sixteen states of Youyun, cloud refers to Datong, and Yan refers to Beijing. Geographically, the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun are mainly present in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and northwestern Shanxi. Since ancient times, this place has been the Central Plains dynasty. To put it bluntly, it is the main barrier of the Han people against the northern nomads. The terrain is dangerous and the strategic position is very important.
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Chinese history has entered a period of chaos, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In a fundamental sense, the emergence of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms situation is essentially the continuation of the Tang Dynasty's more than one hundred years of separatist regime. This is an era of inheritance. The rise of Khitan people in the northern Liao Kingdom has gradually become a major threat to the Central Plains dynasty.
The Khitan people are good at riding and shooting, and there are many tribes, and the tribes are constantly clashing for resources. Yelu Abaoji After uniting the eight Khitan tribes, the Khitan people went south to invade the Central Plains in order to solve the problem of insufficient supplies. At this time, the land of the Central Plains was the period when the heroes chased the deer, which gave the Qidan people the opportunity to invade south.
Local forces in Hebei often lure the Khitan as foreign aid, and the Khitan people benefit from it. In the mutual use and utilization of the Han and Khitan people, the profoundness of the Central Plains culture and the perfection of the political system surprised Yelu Abaoji.
Yale Abaoji established the Qidan in 916 AD, and later called it the Taizu of Liao. I have to say that Yelu Abaoji is a far-sighted emperor. While proclaiming the emperor’s capital, he made characters, legislated, established official positions, and trained troops. At the same time, he continued to expand the territory, gradually annexed the surrounding tribes, and wiped out the "Haitongsheng" Country" Bohai Country. It can be said that the domestic and foreign policies of Yelu Abaoji during his reign increased the national strength and laid the foundation for the Khitan to take over the Yanyun Sixteen Prefecture.
is the image of Yelu Abaoji
After the death of Yelu Abaoji, his son Liao Taizong Yelv Deguang continued to explore and expand the territory. The general of the Later Tang Dynasty Shi Jingtang was pushed out and suspicion by the Li family, which caused internal disputes. In order to protect himself and seize power, Shi Jing personally asked Khitan for help, and promised to surrender to Khitan and ceding Yanyun Sixteen Prefecture.
With the help of Yelu Deguang, Shi Jingtan established the Later Jin Dynasty, and respected the Liao Emperor as the "father emperor", and at the same time became a famous "child emperor" in history. The Sixteenth State of Yanyun also gave up to Khitan. Strong16strong's cut took more than four hundred years, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that Yanyun Sixteen Prefecture was recovered.
On the day when the sixteen states of Yanyun were lost, the Han people have been struggling to regain their lost ground. Zhou Shizong Chai Rong attempted the Northern Expedition and fell ill in the middle. Later, the lost sixteen states of Yanyun became a heart disease in the Northern Song Dynasty.
After that, the northern nomads opened the door to invade the Central Plains, and the safety of the Han people lost an important guarantee. .
Zhao Kuangyin pain,Intractable diseases for future generations
Heart disease of the Northern Song Dynasty
Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures to Zunhua, Hebei in the east, Hejian in Hebei in the south, Shenchi in Shanxi in the west, and Great Wall in the north, located south of the Great Wall. Known as the "Key to the Central Plains", it is the gateway to the North China Plain. Yanyun sixteen states have dangerous terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty was also built in this area. The Great Wall, as an important barrier for the Central Plains Dynasty to resist nomads, its strategic position is very important. However, the sixteen states of Yanyun, south of the Great Wall of China, are like a dyke with cracks. Don’t underestimate that this small crack may cause a catastrophe if the dyke breaks. This is one of them.
Secondly, in the era of cold weapons, nomadic cavalry undoubtedly have a great advantage over the Central Plains army, which is dominated by infantry. Between the Great Desert beyond the Great Wall and the Central Plains, crossing the Tianshan moat of the Sixteenth State of Yanyun, there is a flat North China Plain . The nomads in the north are good at riding and shooting, fighting with cavalry. Cavalry is very mobile. Compared with Han infantry, they come and go freely, and their combat effectiveness is quite strong.
However, the disadvantage of the cavalry is that only with the help of a flat terrain can it exert the highest combat effectiveness. Blocked by the mountains, if there are sixteen states in Yanyun, the combat effectiveness of the cavalry will be greatly reduced. Its strategic role is also here.
It can be seen that the Northern Song Dynasty without the sixteen states of Yanyun had a natural lack of combat capability against cavalry. The Northern Song Dynasty has always been "soft" is also an important reason. The loss of Yanyun Sixteen Prefecture, a strategically important place, was undoubtedly a disaster for the Northern Song Dynasty.
Song Taizu’s Regret: He died before leaving a teacher
After the Khitans obtained the Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, whether they liked the Han people’s way of life or not, the Khitan authorities were in Youzhou Life time becomes longer,There is almost no hunting time in the desert. The sixteen prefectures of Yanyun are well-developed in farming. Agriculture, handicrafts and other cultural activities are more advanced than Liao State headquarters. It can be said that the sixteen Yanyun prefectures played an extremely important role in the development and promotion of the Qidan economy.
The Liao Kingdom attaches great importance to the development of this region, with Youzhou as Nanjing and Shangjing as the imperial capital, standing in the north of the Song Dynasty. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin began to save money, intending to buy back the sixteen states of Yanyun, preparing for a commodity trading diplomacy.
The sixteenth prefecture of Yanyun is the place where Zhao Kuangyin remembers. At that time, the Khitan army was developed and the cavalry was particularly strong. In order to avoid military crusades that would hurt both sides, a Feng Chun treasury was set up in the palace to keep saving money. After reaching a certain reserve, I plan to use the money to buy back the Sixteenth State of Yanyun for the Khitans. If the Liao Kingdom disagrees, it will use its gold to recruit troops, expand its troops, and make military crusades. When the time comes, Liao will not only receive a penny, but will return it to Yanyun Sixteen Prefecture.
Zhao Kuangyin's move can be said to be a strategy of a gentleman before a villain. But it is a pity that this record has not yet been completed, and Taizu died first.
The Pain of Future Generations
At the beginning of the secession, local people and scholars often crossed the border and fled to the Central Plains. The Queen Mother of Xiao took the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun as an example and foundation for Sinicization, and regarded the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun as an inseparable part of Liao. After Shengzong of Liao came to the throne, the status of the Han people improved and they entered the dynasty as officials, and the people gradually recognized the status of Liao. Time and policies have slowly obliterated the ethnic identity of the native Han people, and the ownership of Yanyun Sixteen Prefecture has gradually become more complicated.
Beginning with Zhao Kuangyin, the Taizu of the Song Dynasty, released his military power in a wine cup, the Northern Song Dynasty regime established its own ruling program, that is, suppressing generals and respecting literati. Therefore, when I mentioned the Northern Song Dynasty, I always said that. Although rich, he has no power and is bullied. Especially the external combat capability is very weak. Having been bullied by Jin, Qidan and Xixia, the two emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were caught by the Jin people, causing the shame of Jingkang's hardship. It can be seen from this that the weakness of the Northern Song Dynasty was not simply weakness.
For the Northern Song Dynasty,The recovery of the sixteen states of Yanyun is not only a matter of face, but also a matter of survival. The emperors of the Great Song Dynasty know that the sixteen states of Yanyun are hard to recover in one day, and the crisis in the north is hard to eliminate.
After Zhao Kuangyin's death, Song Taizong tried to regain the lost ground by force. However, he was shot by an arrow from the Liao people in the Gaoliang River battle and died of sores a few years later. After a long war, the Song Dynasty did not retake this place until 1004 AD.
In the first year of Jingde in 1004 AD, there was an opportunity to be placed in front of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty. He did not cherish it, but after losing it, the descendants of future generations regretted him and their intestines turned green, but time passed. It can be seen that in the long tide of history, individuals, especially those in power, sometimes decide to change the direction of historical development. To put it bluntly, the essence of history is the process of power change.
Disgrace: One-hearted peace
If there is such a war: one side is at the right time, geographical location, and the advantages of people, but in the end it gives up and fails. This kind of battle appeared twice in the Northern Song Dynasty, once by Song Taizong, and he was very depressed. The other time was Song Zhenzong , he was at ease. Both before and after regaining the sixteen states of Yanyun, the former is surrounded by Youzhou, the latter and the alliance of Chanyuan .
In 979 AD, Zhao Kuangyi’s younger brother Song Taizong, Zhao Kuangyi sent troops to command the Battle of Youzhou. It had all its advantages, almost hitting the gate of Liao State, and was quickly counterattacked by the other side.
Zhao Kuangyin left his brother a rich military team, as well as the assistants of military generals such as Cao Bin and Pan Mei. It shouldn't be a problem to take Youzhou. However, the one who feared most in the war was Zhao Kuangyi, who commanded chaotically. He was good at governing the country, but his military abilities could not be compared with Zhao Kuangyin. What's worse is that he doesn't know how many catties he has, and he has to take charge of himself, and the result is self-humiliation.
In summary, the ownership of the sixteen states of Yanyun is complicated,The Han people entered the Liao Dynasty as officials. At that time, General Youzhou was the famous Han Dejang of Liao. As a defender in Youzhou, facing the siege of the Song army, he arranged his command calmly and brought the Han family's strategy of defending the city to the limit. He bought time for the rescue of Liao and made great achievements in changing the battlefield situation.
In short, the siege of Youzhou initiated by Song Taizong was originally aimed at regaining rivers and mountains. The last 300,000 elite divisions were wiped out under the blind command of Song Taizong. Since then, Youzhou has become an obstacle that Song people can never overcome.
In the blink of an eye to 1004 AD, the Song army was insufficient in field battles, but it had some defensive capabilities. After all, the advanced military technology of the Central Plains, Song's infantry and crossbow arrows were not used. Although the Liao State often harassed the Song border, it did not get any substantial benefits.
However, the two sides have been fighting for many years, and the Northern Song Dynasty has to bear a large amount of military expenditure each year, but the Liao has never been able to penetrate the border of the Song Dynasty and cannot obtain the property of the Han people. As a nomad, the first is to face hunger. Moreover, there are not many Khitan people. Because of the perennial wars, the number of people who die increases every year, and the Khitan people die again.
Therefore, the Empress Dowager Xiao came to power, and the strategy of the Song Dynasty changed from a strong attack to a roundabout tactic. In October 1004 AD, the 200,000 army of Liao State detoured into the hinterland of Song Dynasty. This almost disrupted the layout of Song's defense line. Liao Kingdom used the speed of cavalry to fight as long as it could, and went around to the Yellow River if it couldn't. Therefore, the capital of Song Dynasty bianliang was critical.
Under the oppression of powerful enemies, the monarchs of the Northern Song Dynasty fell into chaos, stimulated by the masters of the Song dynasty, Song Zhenzong personally conquered and led his army to the city of Chanzhou. The emperor personally set off on the expedition, which greatly encouraged the morale of the Song army. While preparing to outflank the Liao army, the Queen Mother Xiao took the initiative to seek peace.
Song Zhenzong is different from Taizu Taizong in that he didn't grow up riding a shot. He grew up reading the Four Books and Five Classics. To put it bluntly, he didn't even move the knife. Bloodliness is not worth mentioning. When the Liao Kingdom seeks peace, it takes the meaning of Zhenzong,As long as you don't fight, you can say anything.
Therefore, the Song and Liao parties signed an agreement. History is called "Chanyuan League." Song not only did not request the return of Yanyun sixteen prefectures, but also paid 200,000 pieces of silk and 100,000 taels of silver to Liao State every year.
In the Chanyuan League, some people say that they lose power and humiliate the country, while others say they promote the peace of Song and Liao. However, spending money on peace will not work in any era. Over the years, the voice of questioning this treaty has continued to this day.
Song people remembered the Tang Dynasty’s Anshi chaos in their hearts. Intellectuals in the Northern Song Dynasty believed that military commanders would have the power of the country to set the world in chaos, and the importance of literary talent was king. However, the literati and poets of the Song Dynasty, who were proficient in poetry and books, called the invaders barbarians and mocked them for their lack of culture. On the one hand, he lived in the world, crossed the Northern Song Dynasty like this, deceived the Southern Song Dynasty, and finally lived in the Yuan Dynasty.
In short, did the loss of Yanyun Sixteen States only affect a Northern Song Dynasty?
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