Releasing Military Power Over Wine; Centralization

Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, had taken power through a mutiny and knew well the ills since late Tang and the Five Dynasties: generals dominating government, regional warlordism and frequent regime change. After taking the throne he discussed with his adviser Zhao Pu how to keep the state stable. Zhao Pu advised him to “take away their power a little, control their money and grain, and gather their elite troops”. In 961 Taizu held a banquet for senior imperial guard commanders such as Shi Shouxin, and at the table said he feared that one day their subordinates might put the yellow robe on them too, urging them to give up their commands. The next day the generals all claimed illness and asked to be relieved, and Taizu granted each, with generous rewards: the “releasing of military power over a cup of wine”. Militarily, he concentrated the country's best troops in the imperial guard and separated the authority to command from the authority to deploy: the Bureau of Military Affairs could deploy but not command, and the Three Offices could command but not deploy. A rotation system regularly changed garrisons so that “soldiers did not know their generals and generals did not control their soldiers”. At the center, to stop the chancellor from growing too powerful, he divided his functions among the Participant in Governance, the Military Affairs Commissioner and the Finance Commissioner. Locally, he sent civil officials as prefects, with supervising Vice-Prefects; most local revenue went to the center under transport commissioners, and the best local troops were sent to the capital as imperial guards. These measures ended the warlordism of late Tang and greatly strengthened central authority, keeping Northern Song stable for a long time.