Liang Chu turned his head quickly and saw Zhang Shou, who was smiling, standing behind him. He thought that he had been so engrossed in the lecture that he had not noticed someone standing behind him. He felt very embarrassed.
Mr. Lin, who was giving a lecture at the podium, noticed Zhang Shou's arrival because of his line of sight. Although he did not show a happy expression when he heard someone praising his profound teaching, he was actually very happy. After all, Zhang Shou was supporting his point of view that was different from other historians, which was naturally different from ordinary compliments.
Zhang Shou originally didn't intend to speak, but when Liang Chu spoke just now, he suddenly felt something and finally spoke.
At this time, seeing that Liang Chu and Mr. Lin were all looking at him, all the students in the classroom turned around with interest, as if they were very curious about how he would continue speaking, so he really continued in all seriousness.
"Song Taizu seized the world from the hands of orphans and widows of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and there is a legend about Song Taizong who saw the shadow of a candle and the sound of an axe. Therefore, Taizong's precautions against the royal family were actually similar to those against thieves. As a result, the Song Dynasty did not learn the good royal family system of the early and prosperous Tang Dynasty, where royal family members could serve as local governors or even officials at all levels according to their talents. Instead, the Song Dynasty learned the system of raising pigs in the mansions of the Sixteen Kings of the late Tang Dynasty."
"During the Song Dynasty, the throne of the royal family was inherited from father to son, but from brothers to brothers. The royal family could not take the imperial examinations, nor could they engage in business. Of course, they were either idlers or 'virtuous people'. At the turn of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu restored the country. Between the two Song Dynasties, although Emperor Gaozong of Song was the legitimate son of Emperor Huizong of Song, he was not a wise ruler for the country and the people, and was even severely criticized in the Yuan Dynasty's "History of Song Dynasty".
"But before he was crowned emperor, wasn't he also trained as a 'virtuous king' when he was young?"
"Most people today only know Feng Bo Ting. How many people know about Han Mo Zhi by Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty? Although he was not as good as his father, Emperor Daojun of the Song Dynasty, in both calligraphy and painting, looking at the Southern Song Dynasty, there are really few who can surpass him in calligraphy. If this father and son were just members of the royal family, people at that time would never say that they were stupid, but would only call them wise."
"Song Huizong was extremely intelligent. He was good at calligraphy, painting, musical instruments, flowers, birds, fish, insects, Cuju, and gambling. From art to entertainment, he was proficient in everything. How could Song Zhezong not think that such a brother was a wise king who could be trusted? And Song Gaozong was not only obsessed with calligraphy, but also took the initiative to ask to go to the Jin camp as a hostage when facing a powerful enemy. If things ended there, how could he not be a wise king?"
"But the bad thing is that they eventually became emperors. Their intelligence, which should have been used for calligraphy and painting, was spent on power struggles. Their passion was completely eroded by power, and they were in power for a long time. As a father, they destroyed half of the great country of the Northern Song Dynasty, and as a son, they completely destroyed the good situation that could have been restored. This left them with a bad name for all eternity."
"Since one of them ruined half of the country and the other ruined his own general, who cares whether they are virtuous in other aspects?"
"But the corruption of the world is not entirely the fault of the two emperors, father and son. The military system of the Song Dynasty was established after learning from the lessons of the rebellion of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, when the military would often drive away the commander and establish a new commander. Although the country has a large number of soldiers, few of them can fight. By the time of Emperor Huizong of Song, even the troops in the northwest were far less than before, and the so-called military families were rotten to the core."