【While the system established by Emperor Taizu of Song solved the problem of regional warlords that had plagued the Tang Dynasty for a century, it also brought new problems to the Song Dynasty.】
【The constant rotation of generals led to soldiers not knowing their commanders and commanders not knowing their soldiers, resulting in ineffective military command and a rapid decline in combat effectiveness.】
【The policy of strengthening the central government while weakening the periphery resulted in a weak military presence in the provinces, particularly along the border. This made it difficult for the Song to effectively resist powerful foreign enemies, particularly the formidable Liao Dynasty and the newly emerging Western Xia, proving the weakness of this policy.】
【While the central imperial army was large in number, it suffered from a lack of combat power. A large number of soldiers had low combat ability, and serious corruption within the imperial army led to massive military expenditures, which became the "redundant troops" problem faced by the Song in its later years.】
【The checks and balances between central and local officials, and the increase in official positions, led to an explosive growth in the number of officials. This resulted in higher salaries, officials shirking responsibility, and a significant decline in administrative efficiency, leading to the "redundant officials" problem.】
【While the appointment of transport commissioners ensured a sufficient flow of revenue to the imperial court, it also placed excessive financial pressure on the localities, leading to financial difficulties and an inability to address major issues, such as peasant uprisings.】
【Furthermore, the bloated and complex Song bureaucracy, coupled with its preferential treatment of scholars and officials, resulted in the expansion of the civil service system, leading to the "redundant expenses" problem.】
【These issues of "redundant troops, redundant officials, and redundant expenses" became the "Three Redundancies" that plagued the Song Dynasty for centuries, severely hindering its development and resulting in its centuries of accumulating poverty and weakness.】
【With huge internal expenditures, increasing costs, an empty treasury, and more expenses than income, the Song army lacked combat effectiveness. Although numerous, they suffered defeat after defeat, and its territory steadily shrank. Therefore, whenever faced with war, the Song's first instinct was not to fight back, but rather to buy peace with tribute payments to the enemy, further weakening its national strength.】
【If not faced with powerful foreign enemies, the Song might have been alright. But once a highly capable enemy emerged, the Song's demise would be imminent. This laid the groundwork for the disaster of the "Jingkang Incident".】
……
Looking at the Song's institutional shackles listed on the golden scroll, the emperors and ministers of all dynasties were stunned!
Their eyes widened, their hearts filled with endless shock!
In the realm of the First Emperor of Qin, outside the Xianyang Palace.
"The Song's system can actually bring so much harm..."
Ying Zheng muttered, this was beyond his imagination!
The Song's imperial army numbered over 800,000. Even if the provinces were weak, they could deploy the entire imperial army to quell unrest, but the fact that it had such a large force but such poor combat ability was unimaginable!
And paying for peace whenever there was a war? This Song was truly weak to its core!
"These Song officials are truly foolish. Can peace be bought?"
"Temporary peace might be achievable, but what about lasting peace? If you don't give the enemy a good lesson, how can they let you off?"
Meng Yi stepped forward from the crowd, expressing his displeasure, snorting coldly.
His words were met with agreement from most of those present, even Ying Zheng, who nodded with keen eyes.
How could my Great Qin, with its hundred years of history, ever buy peace with money?
If we had done so, how could we have achieved the Great Qin of today?
In the past, the Great Wei occupied the Hexi region of the Great Qin. Could the Great Qin have bought it back with money?
If not for King Huiwen's appointment of Shang Yang and the six generations of Qin emperors' efforts to strengthen the nation, how could the Great Qin have conquered the six kingdoms and achieved unification?
And not to mention the distant past, just look at the Xiongnu, who are rampaging in the north of the Great Qin. They harbor ambitions. Will giving them money guarantee they will never raid the Great Qin people?
How delusional is that!
"No wonder the Song fell. I think the Liao and Western Xia aren't that powerful either. Otherwise, how could they allow such a weak state to exist?"
Meng Yi continued.
Paying money? I'll destroy you, and the money will still be mine!
"Meng Yi is right. My Great Qin cannot follow the Song's path and abandon its military might!"
Ying Zheng nodded, sighing.
……
In the realm of Gaozu of Han, outside the Weiyang Palace.
"What? Paying for peace? This Song is really... amazing!"
Liu Bang was astonished. He was about to scold, but then he remembered his own "Siege of Baiden," and immediately changed his tone.
Six years ago, the Xiongnu launched an attack on Taiyuan, besieging King Hanxin of Han at Mayi. Soon after, King Hanxin surrendered to the Xiongnu and joined forces with them, leading troops south!
Liu Bang, upon learning of this, led an army of 300,000 in anger to attack!
First, he defeated King Hanxin's army at Tongdi, then defeated the combined Xiongnu and King Hanxin's forces at Jinyang. He then sent scouts to Dai Valley to assess the Xiongnu's strength and led his army into battle!
However, he fell into a trap set by Modun Chanyu of the Xiongnu, and his army was surrounded by 400,000 Xiongnu troops. Later, following Chen Ping's plan, he secretly bribed Modun's wife, the Queen Consort, and Modun opened a gap, allowing the Han army to break through.
That battle was a "humiliating defeat" for Liu Bang, a humiliation no less shameful than his defeat by Xiang Yu at Pengcheng with 560,000 soldiers!
Even thinking about it now, it gave Liu Bang chills!
It was precisely after that battle that Liu Bang stopped taking a hard line against the Xiongnu and instead adopted a policy of marriage alliances and paid tribute to the Xiongnu every year, including cotton, silk, grain, wine, and other goods, not much different from the Song's tribute payments!
Perhaps noticing Liu Bang's awkwardness, Zhang Liang smiled slightly and said,
"Your Majesty, are you thinking about the Siege of Baiden?"
Liu Bang sighed and nodded silently.
"Your Majesty, you needn't be distressed. While our Han suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Xiongnu in that battle, it was because the Han Dynasty was newly established, and the people had suffered through the turmoil at the end of the Qin Dynasty, and the national strength had not yet recovered."
"Once we recover, revenge will be within our grasp. Besides, the marriage alliance and tribute payments were purely a temporary measure, unlike the Song Dynasty, which made it a national policy and sent tributes every time."
After hearing Zhang Liang's words, Liu Bang felt much better.
"Zi Fang is right. I just wonder when our Han can strike back..."
"Hahaha! Your Majesty, don't worry, this is the will of Heaven, not something that can be predicted by human beings!"
……
In the realm of Yuandi of Han, outside the Weiyang Palace.
A middle-aged man with a resolute gaze, wearing a dragon robe and a crown, roared angrily:
"Tribute payments? What a disgrace! This Song is truly a century of shame! "
"Such a shameful nation, its demise shouldn't be mourned!"
These words immediately caused the officials below to tremble.
But despite such shocking language, no one dared to refute him.
The reason is simple, this is the Han emperor, Liu Che, known in later generations as Emperor Wu of Han!
And the reason why Liu Che dared to speak so arrogantly is because the Han Dynasty had just won another victory against the Xiongnu...
……
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