Today, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will bring you a childlike article, hoping to be helpful to everyone.
Eunuchs have always existed in various dynasties of China. Eunuchs serve the emperor and are directly at the emperor’s disposal. If the power of eunuchs is too great, it will affect the imperial power and even influence the emperor’s abolition and establishment. This was the case in the late Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, the rulers of the Song Dynasty learned from the lessons of the late Tang Dynasty and established clear regulations on the highest official positions that eunuchs could hold, but Tong Guan was an exception.
Tong Guan was the eunuch with the most negative evaluations in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty, and was collectively known as the “Six Thieves of the Northern Song Dynasty” along with Cai Jing, Wang Fu, and others in later generations. However, Tong Guan, a eunuch, is very different from many powerful eunuchs in history, because he did not rely on dominating the inner court to influence the outer court, but directly held important positions in the outer court, in charge of the Privy Council, and held the military power of the Song Dynasty for twenty years. So why did he have such great power?
Tong Guan was very good at understanding the emperor’s intentions when he was young, and was able to do things that pleased the emperor first. After Emperor Huizong of Song ascended the throne, Tong Guan had been a eunuch for more than 20 years and was 28 years older than the newly crowned Emperor Huizong. Therefore, he quickly became familiar with Emperor Huizong’s preferences. Emperor Huizong of Song loved collecting, and he suggested that the South had the most rare treasures and famous calligraphy and paintings, so it was best to send people to the South to collect them. After hearing this, Emperor Huizong of Song was indeed moved and sent Tong Guan, as an official of the Inner Court, to manage this matter in Hangzhou. He also established the Ming Jin Bureau for Tong Guan to manage.
In June of the second year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty, the court appointed Wang Hou, the son of famous general Wang Shao, as the commander-in-chief and Tong Guan as the supervisor, leading the most elite Northwest Army of the Northern Song Dynasty to advance towards the Hehuang region. The position of Tong Guan in the military was also established during this military operation.
At that time, the soldiers of the Song army were full of fighting spirit, and everyone vowed to take back Hehuang at all costs. But when the Song army had just arrived in Huangzhou, a handwritten edict from the emperor was transmitted to the army. Therefore, when the imperial edict arrived at the military camp, everyone was sweating profusely, afraid that any unfavorable news in the edict would affect the morale of the army. But after reading it, Tong Guan directly stuffed the imperial edict into his boots. Tong Guan smiled and said to everyone, “The emperor wishes us success on our journey.” After hearing Tong Guan’s answer, everyone was relieved, and the morale of the soldiers was even higher because they were encouraged by the imperial edict. However, in fact, Tong Guan falsely announced the imperial decree this time.
Later, at the celebration banquet, the generals were delighted to receive their achievements and rewards. Tong Guan took out the imperial edict and showed it to the military leaders. Everyone took a deep breath after reading it. This is a violation of the emperor’s imperial decree and a heinous crime that will cost you your head. The generals asked Tong Guan why he violated the emperor’s will. Tong Guan said: At that time, the morale was strong. If we stopped the troops according to the imperial decree, the morale would be gone, and how could we fight! Tong Guan continued speaking, that’s exactly why I didn’t show it to you at that time. If we defeat, the responsibility will be borne by me alone!
From then on, all military commanders admired Tong Guan, and his position in the army was truly established.
From these events, it can be seen that Tong Guan handled the hearts of the people perfectly, capturing a large number of hearts in the army. At the same time, he was good at understanding the emperor’s thoughts and was deeply loved by the emperor in everything he did. Naturally, Emperor Huizong of Song relied on him.
