diskusbooks Chapter 107 Factional Strife Detriments the Country
Chapter 107 Factional Strife Detriments the Country
After saying all this, Lin Ke couldn't help but feel sorry for Zhang Dun's experiences.
He dedicated his life to the reform of the Northern Song Dynasty and fought resolutely against the Western Xia. However, most things in this world are a mix of good and bad, and he ultimately left behind regrets, which were recorded in the "Biographies of Traitorous Officials" in the History of Song.
Admittedly, the old and new parties acted independently, but were their frequent suppression of dissidents ultimately for their own benefit, or for the sake of the Northern Song Dynasty and the imperial court?
Thinking of this, Lin Ke sighed deeply. However, all she could do now was lament and say it was a pity. What the butterfly effect of fate had brought about, and what changes it had brought, remained unknown.
……
The sound from the live stream continued to play.
"You all surely understand the saying that factional strife ruins a country, so why does such factional strife always occur in the later stages of powerful dynasties?"
"For example, the disaster of the partisan purge during the Eastern Han Dynasty occurred twice. The eunuchs used the term 'partisan' to imprison scholars for life, which was named after them and ultimately led to the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty."
"There are also the Niu-Li rivalry in the late Tang Dynasty, the New and Old Party struggles in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party struggles in the Ming Dynasty."
"These factional struggles ultimately weakened the court and hastened the dynasty's demise."
"I really want to ask you all, what kind of interests would drive you to disregard the national interest like this?"
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: !?
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary Army: ? ? ?
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Damn it, with the lessons of the Song Dynasty before us, how could our Ming Dynasty still end up like this?!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...I don't want to be mentioned...Thank you!
Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu: !!
……
Qin Shi Huang period
Seeing the endless stream of comments on the screen, Ying Zheng felt even more suffocated.
Because the Qin Dynasty was so short-lived, there wasn't even any factional strife!
Thinking of this, Ying Zheng's hands started itching again. Looking at Li Si and Fusu, who were working seriously, he thought of the stupid things those two had done!
Damn, I'm even angrier now!
Li Si/Fusu: ? ? ? It's wrong to work hard!
……
Northern Song Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong
The court officials, who had been arguing heatedly about the old and new laws, fell silent.
Many people feel that this dispute has become known to future generations, and yet people still think it's detrimental to the country—it's truly shameless! It's practically "forever remembered"!
Emperor Shenzong was utterly exhausted; having such a group of ministers was truly his "blessing."
I never imagined that after his death, this group of people would fight amongst themselves, and with that much energy, they would have conquered the Western Xia!
Why bother giving them annual tribute?! Isn't that just asking for trouble?!
The scene of the emperor and his ministers breaking down in defense was not limited to the Song Dynasty, especially when the emperor learned of the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty!
……
Lin Ke continued, "As mentioned before, Zhang Dun has always been head-on when dealing with border conflicts, and even Zhe Zong couldn't stand it anymore. You're always cutting and slashing, can't you just have some fun?!"
"Zhang Dun still wants to destroy Western Xia as always. His cousin Zhang Jie has a different idea. The reason is the same: the army is running out of money, and Western Xia is not to be underestimated."
"His views were repeatedly disregarded by high-ranking officials and military generals. The Song Dynasty's consecutive victories in expanding its borders made these people arrogant again, thinking that it was no big deal to deal with the Western Xia; they could just fight and be done with it!"
"It's just a pity that the current prime minister is the increasingly extreme Zhang Dun. But whether it's Old Wang, Sima Guang, or Zhang Dun now, when faced with differing opinions, their method is always to first belittle them!"
"So the relationship between the two brothers broke down!"
A top student from the Ming Dynasty: I feel that Zhang Dun is particularly extreme at this time!
A wealthy woman from the Han Dynasty: We're arguing because we have different opinions!
A renowned martial arts master of the Tang Dynasty: Never underestimate your opponent!
……
"Zhang Jie, whose opinion was rejected by his brother, did not give up. Just then, Zeng La won him over, so Zhang Jie accepted, after all, he still had to do his job!"
"However, after Zhang Jie's military campaign severely damaged the Western Xia, not only did he choose to cease hostilities to restore the country's strength, but even Emperor Zhezong himself realized what the years of war had brought to the Song Dynasty!"
"Leaving aside the central government's finances, the local finances in Shaanxi, which are on the front lines, are already nearly empty. Zhang Jie has to make every effort to keep them afloat."
"You have to understand that the existence of a dynasty cannot revolve solely around a single war. If the entire nation's strength was used to destroy the Western Xia, then what should it do when faced with natural disasters?"
"The reason why Emperor Shenzong was able to organize such large-scale wars as the Five-Route Campaign against Xia was actually due to the accumulation during the reign of Emperor Renzong, and it was only through generation after generation that the victory during the reign of Emperor Zhezong was achieved."
Ultimately, this is not something that can be accomplished in a day.
A Ming general said: "Now is the time to rest and recuperate. We have already dealt a heavy blow to the Western Xia."
A fishmonger from the Tang Dynasty: Why hasn't my family accumulated anything for me?
The father of a fishmonger in the Tang Dynasty: You brat, I'll beat you up!!!
……
Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu period
Liu Che's face was tense, and his whole body radiated coldness.
The workers around the palace dared not move, fearing that they would offend His Majesty and suffer the fate of being dismembered.
He truly never imagined that factional strife would involve his Han Dynasty!
Listening to what Miss Lin said about the factional strife in the Song Dynasty, a bunch of civil officials who only knew how to suppress others and kept nagging, I was already annoyed just watching it, let alone when it came to my own family!
I just don't know how this happened, or if it could have been avoided!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke added, "Just as Shaanxi's economy was on the verge of collapse, Emperor Zhezong stopped his beatings and prepared to listen to Zhang Jie's advice and negotiate peace with Western Xia."
"However, Emperor Zhezong still told his ministers: If the Liao and Western Xia are unwilling to accept our conditions, then we can talk again in a few months. But when he said this, he was actually already tempted to make peace with Western Xia."
"It was this ambiguous attitude, coupled with Lü Huiqing's suggestion that even if Western Xia was to be kept in suspense, it couldn't be kept indefinitely. What if Western Xia couldn't hold on any longer? As a result, both the Liao and Western Xia, who were unclear about the internal workings of the Song Dynasty, were uneasy about Zhezong's attitude."
"Looking at it this way, there are actually many capable people in the New Party!"
A civil official of the Song Dynasty: That's right!!!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: You need to know some strategy when talking to others!