WHI-Chap15-Song Taizu
From SJS Wiki
Song Taizu was the first emperor of the Song Dynasty reigning from 960 to 976. After his rise to power, Song Taizu forced his generals to retire and replaced them with scholars in order to have a strong control over the military. During his reign, Song Taizu also provided many more government jobs through the civil service exam creating a very large bureaucracy. By rewarding those who showed a strong loyalty for him and the imperial government with large salaries and lavish gifts, Song Taizu made his bureaucracy extremely centralized as well.
Portrait of Song Taizu
Traditions & Encounters page 382
