第十五章 宋朝的悲哀

当林玉婷看到刘中华时,她并没有表现出和江小胖一样的紧张.相反,她优雅地向刘中华打招呼,说:"刘叔叔.

楚天和江小胖都微微一愣.林玉婷居然称刘中华为"叔叔",可见他们的关系并不一般.

刘中华也相当惊讶,楚天的同学竟然是林玉婷.他开心地笑了笑,说道:"婷儿,是你.你爸爸怎么样?

林玉婷笑了笑."他一如既往地忙碌,背负着自己的名声."

刘忠华显得相当情绪化."林检察官确实是一位了不起的检察官.他在任上诚实,像敌人一样憎恨邪恶.宜兴市因为他,变得更加公正公平.

听到这话,楚天并没有太大的反应,但江小胖却特别惊讶.他脱口而出:"你爸爸是天都人称赞的'铁面包爷'检察官林玉清吗?

林玉婷略带羞涩的点点头,但内心深处,她对父亲在人民中的名声还是挺满意的.

楚天颇为困惑,忍不住道:"那不是宋朝的包拯吗?

江小胖轻笑一声,炫耀着他见多识广,开悟了楚天."很像宋代的包拯.检察官林玉清在宜兴市家喻户晓.他敢调查上面的副市长,罢免下面的警察局局长.近年来,他揭露了数十名大大小小的贪官.宜兴城人民十分敬佩他,赐予他'铁面包主'的称号.

楚天吓了一跳.他没想到现在会有这样一个正直无私的官员.这是人民的一大福气,也是贪官的克星.然而,这样一位官员的情况也可能非常危险.一旦坏人走投无路,林玉清肯定是第一个受到伤害的.自古以来,做一个正直的官就难,做一个正直无私的官更是难.楚天此刻不敢表达自己的想法,生怕林玉婷会担心.

刘中华已经点好了菜.在等待食物上桌时,他微笑着说:"今天能和大家一起吃饭,真是巧合.我没有什么宏大的原则要告诉你.我只是希望你能在高考中取得好成绩.不是为了给天都中学带来荣耀,也不是为了让父母感到骄傲,而只是为了丰富你自己的人生旅程.

刘忠华的话诚恳有理,让楚天等两人由衷地点头表示赞同.

刘仲华接着转移话题,问楚天:"楚天,我最近一直在研究词体——宋代诗歌.你对此有什么想法吗?随便分享就好了.

楚天想了想,道:"我只知道一点点,可能会自欺欺人.宋朝是最富有的朝代.宋代慈诗的繁荣是以经济发展和宋代重文轻武术的政策为前提的.

这时,林玉婷打断道:"怎么会这样?宋朝不是很弱小无能吗?俘虏了两位皇帝,岳飞被冤枉杀害.怎么会是最富有的朝代?

Chu Tian sighed. "Many people have the same misconception as you. If I were to explain everything to you, it would probably take at least two days. Let me give you a few simple examples. Printing and gunpowder were invented in the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty didn't suppress commerce, and its economy was very prosperous. The annual fiscal revenue of the Song Dynasty once reached 160 million guan (a unit of currency in ancient China). It's said that at its peak, the economic aggregate accounted for 60% of the world at that time. The overseas trade of the Song Dynasty was unprecedentedly prosperous, and its ship - building technology was the best in the world at that time."

Jiang Xiaopang was also unconvinced. "The economic base determines the superstructure. Why did the Song Dynasty, with such a strong economy, perish in a relatively short time? In my impression, the Tang Dynasty was the most powerful."

At this time, several school leaders who were having a meal in the small - stir - fry section also became interested. They greeted Liu Zhonghua and then listened intently.

Chu Tian smiled. "The Tang Dynasty lasted from 618 AD to 907 AD, a total of 290 years. The Song Dynasty, from the Chenqiao Mutiny in 960 AD until its demise in 1279 AD, lasted 320 years."

Lin Yuting and Jiang Xiaopang looked at Chu Tian in surprise. The Song Dynasty was actually longer - lasting than the Tang Dynasty. Clearly, what Chu Tian said was quite subversive to their previous understanding of history. Liu Zhonghua's eyes slightly widened as he listened attentively to Chu Tian's account.

Chu Tian continued with a sigh. "I know you may feel that something is off, but often, the true face of history can be quite unexpected. In terms of territorial unity, the Song Dynasty was inferior to the Tang Dynasty. During the Later Tang period before the Song Dynasty, it had already lost control of the Western Regions. During the Later Jin period, it ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the Khitan. After its founding, there was the defeat at the Battle of Chanyuan during Emperor Zhenzong's reign, which greatly weakened the national strength. After 1127, the Song Dynasty lost a large area of land in the north. So, if we calculate the period of territorial unity, the Tang Dynasty was the longest, from 618 to 907, a total of 290 years. However, since the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty gradually lost control over the local military governors. After the Huang Chao Uprising in 875, it existed in name only. If we simply calculate the duration of the dynasty's name without considering the territory, the Song Dynasty was indeed a bit longer than the Tang Dynasty."

Lin Yuting shook her head. "Then why do later generations have a much higher evaluation of the Tang Dynasty than the Song Dynasty? Later generations take pride in calling themselves 'Tang people' or 'Han people,' but I've never heard anyone taking pride in being a 'Song person'."

Chu Tian continued, "That's because in everyone's eyes, the Tang Dynasty had a strong regime, while the Song Dynasty was weak and incompetent. Although the Song Dynasty had very impressive data in various aspects, the policy of emphasizing literature over martial arts and the idea of seeking only temporary peace in a corner brought too much pain to future generations. The rulers didn't think about recovering the lost land in the Central Plains. They only sought to live in peace by compromising and surrendering to foreign powers, and they cruelly persecuted patriotic people like Yue Fei at home. Politically, it was corrupt and incompetent. The high - ranking officials and nobles only indulged in pleasure. People always felt sorry for its misfortune and were angry at its lack of striving. Thus, they added subjective emotions when evaluating the Song Dynasty, which was inactive in diplomacy and not prosperous in military power. They used the poem 'Beyond the mountains there are more mountains, and beyond the towers there are more towers. When will the singing and dancing by the West Lake ever stop?' to express their great anger and shame, thus ignoring its economic contributions. The Song Dynasty was like some idle rich kids in school. No matter how rich they were, if their academic performance was poor, they would still be looked down upon. But if you think about it seriously, if the Song Dynasty was really that corrupt and incompetent, how could its economy become the best in the world at that time?"

Jiang Xiaopang said resentfully, "A person should strive for respect. The Song Dynasty should have fought a big war. Even if it led to its accelerated demise, it would have been a glorious death."

Chu Tian shook his head. "You're not the one fighting, and you're not a commoner in the Song Dynasty. You can't imagine the cruelty of war. The people of the Song Dynasty who had experienced the flames of war finally managed to live and work in peace and contentment. How many of them would be willing to give up a peaceful and comfortable life to engage in warfare for more than ten years? Perhaps, the willingness to live in comfort was the sorrow of the Song Dynasty."

Jiang Xiaopang burst out again, "But living like that is so humiliating."

Chu Tian said calmly, "History is always evolving. The change of dynasties is the progress of history, which is beyond human control. No matter how humiliating the Song Dynasty may seem, its achievements cannot be erased. We can only say that the existence of the Song Dynasty was a kind of progress with sorrow."

Chu Tian looked at Liu Zhonghua and said apologetically, "Principal Liu, I'm sorry. I got off - topic."

Liu Zhonghua smiled. "What you said was wonderful and really eye - opening. It seems you've put in a lot of effort."

Chu Tian smiled brightly.

The several school leaders beside him all raised their thumbs and asked Liu Zhonghua about the name of this student. The historical knowledge of this student not only impressed them but also made them feel a bit ashamed.

Finally, the food was served. However, the sumptuous dishes on the table made Lin Yuting and Jiang Xiaopang eat with a distracted mind, constantly thinking about what Chu Tian said about "the sorrows of the Song Dynasty."