Generals of the Great Song Dynasty.

Summary

The chapter summarizes the following key events:. - The Political Affairs Hall issued two orders - inviting representatives of the Luo School, Zhang Zai and the two Chengs, to serve as PhDs at the Imperial Academy, and summoning Wang An Shi to the capital as a Hanlin Scholar and Chief Compiler. This was seen as a scheme by Wang Ning An to counter the influence of the Six Arts Academy. - Wang An Shi was a renowned scholar with a high reputation, even though his official position was not high. Many scholars like Ou Yang Xiu and Zeng Gong recommended him for greater responsibilities, but he repeatedly declined. - Under Wang An Shi's governance, the people thrived and his achievements were remarkable. He drew large crowds eager to hear his profound insights. - When Emperor Taizong launched a northern expedition against the Liao Kingdom, he sent a decree that the Bohai remnants honored. Decades later, the Da Clan Chief, Da Xiong, brought Taizong's decree to the Great Song to apologize, as the Bohai remnants had dwindled to less than a thousand, with fewer than two hundred able-bodied men left. - Zhao Zhen was horrified, realizing it was the Great Song that should feel ashamed for signing the Treaty of Chanyuan and sending annual tributes to the Liao Kingdom after Taizong's failed northern expedition.

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