The Northern Song Dynasty chose Kaifeng as its capital rather than Luoyang or Chang'an. Why?

First, the obstruction of vested interest groups

Taizu's descendants were relatively young at the time. In troubled times, "the blessing of the country's long-term monarch and the country" was not a lie, and later Song Taizu did transfer the throne to It was passed to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. Regardless of whether the sound of the candle shadow and ax was real or not, it was the fact.

During the Zhao Kuangyin period, Zhao Guangyi was granted the titles of King of Jin and Prefect of Kaifeng, which was the standard configuration for a prince at the time.

Zhao Guangyi naturally knew that he had a strong competitor for the throne. He had been operating in Kaifeng for many years and was deeply rooted. There were also many people in the court who owned a lot of property and influence in Kaifeng.

Once the capital is moved, it naturally means that one's own interests will be greatly affected. This is what many people do not want to see, especially Zhao Guangyi. This is also very detrimental to his fight for the throne, so they all try their best to stop it. Move the capital.

Second, the sudden death of Zhao Kuangyin

Although many people in the government and the public opposed it, the right thing still had to be done, especially major issues related to the country. Zhao Kuangyin tried every means to move the capital. Luoyang and Chang'an were blocked by various obstacles.

But at this juncture, Song Taizu suddenly passed away, and the matter of moving the capital was shelved indefinitely.

Taizong Zhao Guangyi, who succeeded to the throne, originally opposed moving the capital. After all, Kaifeng was his base camp and he was unwilling to leave at all. Most of the courtiers who followed him were in a similar situation.

As the Song Dynasty improved its management of Kaifeng, the prosperity here was no longer comparable to that of Chang'an and Luoyang. Later, the Song Dynasty gradually became immersed in this kind of peace and happiness, and no one mentioned the matter of moving the capital anymore. . Why are Chang'an and Luoyang not suitable as capitals?

1. Population growth and food shortage in Chang'an

In ancient times, the Guanzhong area was called the Land of Abundance, with abundant water and abundant products. However, after the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, the area suffered from overpopulation. The land became increasingly unbearable, and food had to be transported from the outside.

In the Tang Dynasty, this phenomenon became more prominent. Moreover, the Yellow River waterway was blocked, land transportation costs were huge, and food could not enter Chang'an. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, emperors often took their royal family and ministers to Luoyang. The reason is lack of food.

In the Song Dynasty, this situation still had not been effectively solved, and Changan was still short of food.

After the destruction of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the area around Chang'an was very desolate and the land was barren. The Song Dynasty's center of gravity gradually shifted to the south, and Chang'an, the capital of the Song Dynasty, was unable to effectively control the south. Chang'an was not suitable as a capital.

Second, the waterway was silted up, and Luoyang also declined

Luoyang was originally a center of Chang'an located in the Guanzhong Plain, extending to the east. The dynasty with its capital in Chang'an also needed to manage Luoyang well. Controlling the Central Plains and Shandong, if Chang'an declines, Luoyang cannot be preserved.

After Chang'an fell into darkness, Luoyang's status also plummeted, and it was also damaged by the war.

In Luoyang during the Song Dynasty, shipping conditions could not be compared with Bianliang. Luoyang was not without its advantages, but if Luoyang's advantages were to be restored, a large amount of manpower, material and financial resources would need to be invested, and the cost would be immeasurable.

The distance between Kaifeng and Luoyang is very close. The Song Dynasty felt that there was no need to move the capital to Luoyang. The meaning of such trouble was actually not very big. The Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture was not in its hands. In fact, the entire North China Plain It's dangerous no matter what.

Bianliang grew from a vassal town in the Tang Dynasty to the rapid rise of water transportation. By the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianliang had become a very prosperous city, far beyond the comparison of Chang'an and Luoyang, which were damaged by war. .

After Emperor Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty gave the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitans, the Central Plains was still unable to recapture it, leaving the entire North China Plain exposed to the attack range of the northern cavalry, which could only be conquered through manpower. Armed defenses have little effect.

The Northern Song Dynasty and Liao Dynasty had been at peace with each other for many years since the "Chanyuan Alliance", which also caused the Song Dynasty to lose its sense of worry.

In any case, the Song Dynasty was determined to be in Bianliang and failed to move the capital as Taizu envisioned. This was a very important reason why the city was broken by Jurchen cavalry in the Northern Song Dynasty. In order to defend Bianliang, it was consumed Huge and a big problem.