Why was Kou Zhun demoted in the second year for his meritorious service in signing the Treaty of Chanyuan

I don’t know yet: For readers of Kou Zhun in the Northern Song Dynasty, the following History Encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s continue reading~Kou Zhun promoted the Treaty of Chanyuan, why was Kou Zhun demoted in the second year? Who did Kou Zhun offend?
In 1005 AD, Song and Liao established an alliance under the city – the Treaty of Chanyuan. From the perspective of modern people, the Treaty of Chanyuan was definitely more advantageous than disadvantageous for the Song Dynasty, because since the Northern Expedition of Emperor Taizong Yongxi, the Song Dynasty no longer had any military advantage over the Liao Dynasty, and almost all of its elite troops were lost.
More importantly, the morale of the Song army was severely affected. During the first expedition of the Song army against Liao, due to Emperor Taizong’s poor military command ability, the Song army suffered a major defeat. During the second expedition against Liao, although the Song army gathered stars, they lacked a commander who could control the overall strategy.
In the end, the Song army suffered another major defeat. Moreover, the death of veteran Yang Ye in battle greatly weakened the morale of the Song soldiers. In this situation, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Kou Zhun was able to persuade him to sign a contract with the Liao Dynasty in order to avoid greater losses, and he could be said to have made great contributions.
However, just one year after the signing of the Treaty of Chanyuan, Kou Zhun was unjustly demoted. Today, we will analyze why Kou Zhun, a famous figure, was demoted?
Wang Qinruo’s framing
After the Treaty of Chanyuan, Kou Zhun received unanimous praise from both the court and the people, but there was only one person who harbored jealousy towards Kou Zhun. This person is Wang Qinruo. In order to slander Kou Zhun, Wang Qinruo privately said to Emperor Zhenzong of Song, “Does Your Majesty respect Kou Zhun so much because he has made contributions to the country
Emperor Zhenzong of Song said, ‘Yes.’. As a result, Wang Qinruo said, “The Spring and Autumn Annals have always regarded the alliance under the city as a shame, and the Treaty of Chanyuan is just an alliance under the city. Your Majesty’s condescension to sign the alliance under the city with the Liao Dynasty is truly a shame
Then Wang Qinruo slandered Kou Zhun, saying, “Gamblers will bet all their value when they are in a hurry to lose, which is called a lone bet. In the Battle of Chanyuan, Kou Zhun used Your Majesty as his lone bet
Emperor Zhenzong of Song believed Wang Qinruo’s slanderous words, and from then on, whenever he saw Kou Zhun again, he would always think of Wang Qinruo’s words of ‘solitary commentary’.
In 1006 AD, Kou Zhun was relieved of his position as prime minister and went to Shaanxi to become a local official. And Wang Qinruo, Ding Wei, and others catered to Emperor Zhenzong of Song everywhere, and Emperor Zhenzong of Song obeyed them obediently.
In 1019 AD, Ding Yu invited Kou Zhun to return to the court as prime minister. Ding initially intended to rely on Kou Zhun’s prestige to serve himself, but unexpectedly, after being demoted for 15 years, Kou Zhun remained ruthless and upright. Therefore, Kou Zhun was falsely accused by Ding and demoted to Leizhou.
Kou Zhun’s personality flaws
Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, once commented on Kou Zhun, saying, “If I obtain Kou Zhun, it is like Emperor Taizong of Tang obtaining the Wei expedition. Indeed, Kou Zhun’s uprightness was not inferior to Wei Zheng’s, and Emperor Taizong of Song did indeed accommodate him. But Emperor Zhenzong of Song was a person with weak ears, and ultimately believed in slander and dismissed Kou Zhun.
The evaluation of Kou Zhun in later generations almost revolves around his uprightness. So, where has Kou Zhun just reached?
Kou Zhun’s second appointment as prime minister was due to an invitation from Prime Minister Ding Yu. Once when Kou Zhun was eating in the Zhongshu Province, the soup accidentally spilled onto his beard. Ding immediately stood up to wipe Kou Zhun’s beard, but Kou Zhun scolded Ding for losing his official body.
Empress Liu’s family members used their power to break the law, and Emperor Zhenzong of Song pardoned their crimes out of respect for the Empress. But Kou Zhun insists on principles and believes that they must be handled in accordance with national laws.
It can be said that Kou Zhun was extremely selfless throughout his life, and he would take care of any behavior he couldn’t stand. Unfortunately, he had the integrity of Wei Zheng, but not the wise ruler like Tang Taizong.
After being exiled to Leizhou, Kou Zhun also guided the local people to learn the language of the Central Plains, promoting communication with the Central Plains. At the same time, the construction of water conservancy, the teaching of advanced agricultural production technology, and the opening of schools and apprenticeships in the local area have promoted local development.