Gong Chengshu

  • The Anxiety of the Adjacent Bed: Zhao Kuangyin’s Campaign for Unification

    Centralizing Power and Formulating Strategy After consolidating control over the military and curbing the power of the Prime Minister – mandating that chancellors could only offer advice while final decisions rested solely with the emperor – Song Taizu (Zhao Kuangyin) secured his internal authority. Unlike his harsh treatment of potential military rivals, he adopted…