Eighteen Emperors of the Song Dynasty

This book starts from the Battle of Yashan in the second year of Xiangxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, looks back at the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty in 320 years, and restores the eighteen emperors of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties from symbols to living people. The author spent five years, starting with Chen Qiao wearing a yellow robe and ending with the young emperor in Yashan crossing the sea, writing a dynastic journey from Kaifeng to Hangzhou, from the prosperous age to the shipwreck. The book breaks away from the binary judgments of "saint king" and "foolish king" and focuses on the struggles of emperors in the system, current situation, and human nature: Zhao Kuangyin conquered the world but felt guilty, Zhao Zhen was kind and tolerant, and became a symbol of the golden age of scholar-bureaucrats; Shenzong was determined to reform but was eventually compromised by reality; Huizong was extremely talented but ruined the country with his own hands; Gaozong killed Yue Fei out of deep fear, and Xiaozong had the intention of the Northern Expedition but was unable to recover. They are either bound by the system, or break free from the constraints, or their ambitions are difficult to achieve, or they are weak and sinking. These are all concentrated expressions of the contradictions of the times. The author visited his hometown in Kaifeng and Hangzhou, exploring historical details among the ruins and mountains and seas. He did not write cool counterattacks or dramatize miracles, but only restored the loneliness, anxiety and powerlessness at the peak of power. The Dragon Throne is the highest position of power, and it is also a golden shackle. Every emperor decides the fate of millions of people with incomplete information and constraints from all sides. This book is not only a biography of an emperor, but also a history of human nature, power, and time. It asks with delicate brushstrokes: Who can truly remain calm in the eye of the historical storm? After reading the whole book, what readers see is not the dragon robe, but the trembling soul in the robe. Thousands of years later, it still reflects the dilemma and resonance of today's people in responsibilities and choices.