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 an unusually open policy toward civil officials, prohibiting their suppression or arbitrary execution. Reasoning that unarmed scholars, however sharp-tongued, posed little threat, he turned his full attention to unifying the fractured realm.
At the dynasty’s founding, China was surrounded by rival states: Northern Han and the Liao Dynasty to the north; Later Shu to the west; and Southern Tang, Jingnan, Southern Han, and Wuyue to the south. A strategic plan was essential. Initially, Taizu considered attacking the nearest threat, Northern Han. However, during a late-night meeting at Prime Minister Zhao Pu’s residence, attended also by his brother Zhao Guangyi, Taizu expressed his unease: “I cannot sleep; it feels as though others are lying beside my bed. How can I find peace?” When Taizu proposed striking north first, Zhao Pu advised against it, warning that the Liao Dynasty would inevitably aid Northern Han, stretching Song forces too thin. “It is better to secure the south first,” Zhao Pu argued, “and then turn north.” Convinced, Taizu adopted the strategy of “First South, Then North,” planning to conquer Ba-Shu (Shu), then Guangnan, and finally Jiangnan, leaving the northern front for later.
The Borrowed Path: Annexing Jingnan and Hunan
Just as preparations began against Later Shu, news arrived from Hunan: the military governor Zhou Xingfeng had died, leaving power to his young son, Zhou Baoquan (aged only eleven or twelve). A subordinate, Zhang Wenbiao, rebelled to seize control, prompting Zhou Baoquan to request Song assistance. Taizu saw a golden opportunity. Recalling the ancient stratagem of the State of Jin borrowing passage through Yu to attack Guo, only to annex Yu on the return, Taizu noted, “Is not the state of the Gao family (Jingnan) just north of Zhou Baoquan? Let us borrow a path.”
The Song court sent envoys to Jingnan, requesting passage to pacify Hunan. The Jingnan ruler, Gao Jichong, dared not refuse. Once Song troops entered, they swiftly occupied Jingnan, forcing Gao Jichong to surrender. The army then proceeded to Hunan, quelled the rebellion, and brought both regions under direct Song administration, effectively securing the Hubei and Hunan territories.
The Fall of Later Shu and the Setback in the North
In early winter 964, Taizu dispatched General Wang Quanbin with tens of thousands of troops to attack Later Shu. The Shu ruler, Meng Chang, had reigned for over thirty years. While initially a competent ruler who brought prosperity to Sichuan, he had later succumbed to extravagance, famously possessing even a golden chamber pot adorned with intricate patterns. Neglecting state affairs, he lost the loyalty of his army. Facing the Song onslaught, Meng Chang lamented, “I raised soldiers for forty years, yet none are useful now. How can this war be fought?” He soon submitted, surrendering Shu. Within sixty days, the campaign ended in total victory. The vast wealth of Shu was transported to the Song capital, Bianjing, vastly enriching the imperial treasury.
With Shu secured, the plan dictated an attack on Southern Han. However, turmoil in Northern Han following the death of Liu Chong and the assassination of his successor Liu Jien tempted Taizu to attempt a northern strike. The campaign faltered against the formidable defenses of Taiyuan and the intervention of Liao reinforcements. Suffering significant losses, Taizu reaffirmed his southern strategy, withdrawing north and ordering General Pan Mei to lead the expedition against Southern Han.
Conquering Southern Han: Elephants and Fire
Southern Han, centered in Guangzhou and controlling Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, had been ruled by a succession of tyrants. The last ruler, Liu Chang, delegated governance to eunuchs, palace maids, and shamans while indulging in pleasure. Upon hearing of the Song advance, Liu Chang panicked, and his generals, disillusioned with his rule, offered little resistance. Pan Mei’s army advanced smoothly until reaching Shaozhou, where they encountered a unique obstacle: war elephants carrying soldiers. The sight and sound of the charging beasts caused the Song lines to waver.
Pan Mei remained calm, ordering his archers to unleash a dense volley of arrows. The wounded elephants screamed and stampeded backward, trampling their own riders and scattering the Southern Han ranks. With Shaozhou fallen, Guangzhou lay within reach. Desperate, Liu Chang ordered eunuchs to prepare ships laden with treasure and concubines for escape to sea. However, the eunuchs sailed away without him. Forced to seek terms, Liu Chang was met with Pan Mei’s ultimatum: “There is no armistice; fight if you can, otherwise surrender.”
Southern Han forces erected bamboo palisades across the water to block the Song navy. Pan Mei outmaneuvered them by sending a detachment with torches through hidden paths to ignite the bamboo defenses. The resulting firestorm left Liu Chang with no option but to surrender. In a final act of defiance, eunuchs led by Gong Chengshu set fire to the palace and treasury, destroying everything. When brought before Taizu in Bianjing, Liu Chang cleverly deflected blame: “In our land, I was merely a figurehead; the true ruler was Gong Chengshu.” Taizu executed the eunuchs but spared Liu Chang, keeping him as a living curiosity.
The Poet King and the Inevitable End of Southern Tang
With Southern Han subdued, Taizu set his sights on Southern Tang, based in Jinling (modern Nanjing). Once a powerful state that had annexed Wu, Min, and Chu, Southern Tang had weakened and become a vassal to Later Zhou, and subsequently to Song. Its ruler, Li Yu, the sixth son of Li Jing, was an accidental monarch, inheriting the throne only because his elder brothers had died. Li Yu was a master of poetry andci lyrics but utterly inexperienced in governance and warfare. His strategy was simple: absolute submission to Song to preserve his reign. He even composed eloquent letters urging Liu Chang of Southern Han to surrender, hoping to earn Song’s gratitude.
However, Taizu’s ambition knew no bounds. After conquering Southern Han, he demanded Li Yu appear in Bianjing to pay homage. Fearing detention, Li Yu feigned illness. This provided Taizu with the casus belli he needed. He dispatched 100,000 troops under Cao Bin and Pan Mei, supported by a naval fleet descending the Yangtze. Key strongholds like Runzhou and Caishiji fell quickly.
Desperate, Li Yu sent two envoys to plead for mercy: the minister Xu Xuan and the Daoist Zhou Weijian. Xu Xuan argued passionately, “Our lord has committed no crime; indeed, he has served Your Majesty like a son serves a father. Why destroy him?” Taizu countered sharply, “Can a father and son exist as two separate families?” Silencing Xu. Zhou Weijian presented Li Yu’s letter, but Taizu feigned ignorance of its contents.
As winter approached, Li Yu attempted to replicate the Battle of Red Cliffs by setting fire to Song ships. However, the wind shifted, burning his own fleet instead. He sent the envoys back. Xu Xuan, weeping, begged again in the Song court, becoming increasingly agitated when Taizu refused to yield. Finally enraged, Taizu gripped his sword and declared, “Enough! Whether he is guilty or not makes no difference. The world must be one family. That is the principle. How can I allow someone else to snore beside my bed?” (This famous phrase, ‘Wo ta zhi you'(卧榻之忧), became the title of this anxiety). Xu Xuan was expelled. Zhou Weijian, realizing the futility, simply requested permission to retire to Zhongnan Mountain to cultivate Daoism after the conquest, a request Taizu granted with a laugh.
The final assault commenced, and Jinling fell swiftly. Li Yu, lacking the courage for suicide, surrendered and was taken to Bianjing as a captive. Though a failure as a monarch, Li Yu ascended to the pinnacle of ci poetry. His works, infusing personal tragedy with colloquial language, resonated deeply through history. Lines such as “When will the spring flowers and autumn moons end?” and “Ask how much sorrow there is? It is like a river of spring water flowing east,” remain immortal testaments to his literary genius, even as his kingdom vanished.
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