Political Ideals in Early Southern Song: "Recovery"—The主张 for Reclaiming the Central Plains as Seen through the Xu Zizhi Tongjian (Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance)

Brief Introduction

In the early period of the Southern Song Dynasty, "Recovery" (Fuhuo) was not merely a term; it was the synonym for a profound political movement and military strategy. It specifically refers to the political ideology, championed by the political group led by Emperor Gaozong before Qin Hui’s rise to power, which advocated abandoning the status quo of partial peace in Jiangnan. Instead, it called for a northern expedition to reclaim the lost territories of the Northern Song (the Central Plains region) in order to revitalize the legitimacy of the Chinese imperial order. This ideology was vigorously promoted by pro-war generals and scholar-officials such as Yue Fei and Zhang Jun, becoming one of the most core political focal points in the early Southern Song.

Core Concepts

1. The Specific Connotation of "Recovery"

"Recovery" refers to the restoration of the Northern Song's territorial extent, with the core objective of reclaiming the lost lands in the Central Plains, both south and north of the Yellow River. In his famous slogan of "Xinzhong" (Revival), Yue Fei concretized this goal as "Striking directly at Yellow Dragon and welcoming back the Imperial Carriage." This meant capturing Kaifeng (the Northern Song capital) and retrieving Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong, who had been captured by the Jurchen Jin forces. This would legally and morally end the state of "partial peace" for the Song Dynasty, recasting the integrity of the empire.

2. The Union of Politics and Military

According to the records in the Xu Zizhi Tongjian, "Recovery" was not just a military action but was accompanied by a series of political and institutional reforms. The group advocating for "Recovery" emphasized "strengthening the military" and "standardizing military preparedness," opposing the overly conservative policy of "controlling the military through civilians" that had prevailed since the early Song. They argued that "neglecting external threats while focusing on internal defense" was an omen of national collapse and that a proactive offensive was necessary to change the passive and defensive stance.

3. Opposition to "Partial Peace"

The greatest counter-argument to the "Recovery" ideology was "Partial Peace" (Pian'an). Represented by the policies of Qin Hui, Zhao Ding (during certain periods), and the late reign of Emperor Gaozong, this approach advocated for peace through ceding territory, paying homage as a vassal, and delivering tribute, thereby maintaining the rule of the Southern Song court in the south. This divergence in strategy led to intense factional strife in the early Southern Song, culminating in the wrongful case of Yue Fei, which marked the systematic suppression of the political practice of "Recovery."

Relevance to the Xu Zizhi Tongjian

The Xu Zizhi Tongjian, authored by Li Xinchuan (specifically the Southern Song section), is a crucial historical source for studying political evolution during this period. The book meticulously records the repeated tug-of-war over the "peace versus war" debates during the Shaoxing era.

  • Event Records: The text provides detailed accounts of the triumphant northern expeditions led by Yue Fei and Han Shizhong in the 10th year of Shaoxing (1140), illustrating the military peak of the "Recovery" ideology.
  • Policy Turn: The book specifically highlights the temporal correlation between the 11th year of Shaoxing (1141) edict regarding the "welcoming back of the Imperial Carriage" and the imprisonment of Yue Fei. This reveals that the "Recovery" claim triggered the fundamental anxiety of the supreme ruler regarding imperial legitimacy and personal security (fearing that the return of the two emperors would threaten his throne).
  • Intellectual Transmission: In his narrative, Li Xinchuan implicitly expresses sympathy for the pro-war faction like Yue Fei and criticism of the policy of苟安 (苟安:苟且偷安, making do with a precarious peace). This makes the Xu Zizhi Tongjian a key text for understanding how the political ideology of "Recovery" transitioned from an ideal to a disillusion.

Conclusion

"Recovery" represented the strong nationalist sentiment and political sense of responsibility of the scholar-official class in the early Southern Song. Although it ultimately failed to achieve the goal of completely reclaiming the Central Plains, the spirit of "never forgetting national humiliation" it embodied profoundly influenced the political culture and historical memory of China from the Southern Song onwards.