The Reunification of China: Peace through War under the Song Dynasty

Name: The Reunification of China: Peace through War under the Song Dynasty
Rating: 4.73
ISBN: 9781107446793

ISBN: 9781107446793 出版年：2015 页码：312 Peter Lorge Cambridge University Press

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The Song dynasty (960â1279) has been characterized by its pre-eminent civil culture and military weakness. This groundbreaking work demonstrates that the civil dominance of the eleventh century was the product of a half-century of continuous warfare and ruthless political infighting. The spectacular culture of the eleventh century, one of the high points in Chinese history, was built on the bloody foundation of the conquests of the tenth century. Peter Lorge examines how, rather than a planned and inevitable reunification of the Chinese empire, the foundation of the Song was an uncertain undertaking, dependent upon highly contingent battles, both military and political, whose outcome was always in doubt. Song civil culture grew out of the successful military campaigns that created the dynasty and, as the need for war and armies diminished, the need for civil officials grew. The Song dynasty's successful waging of war led ultimately to peace.

Amazon评论

Ray Lau

There's a very common consensus among history enthusiasts that Song Dynasty's military prowess or lack thereof has enabled itself to be a punching bag for its various enemies in its existence. Whether it is the Khitan Liao, Tangut XiXia, and most famously the Mongols....these nomadic powers have pretty much outfought the "civilized" but weak Song in all fronts and engagements. And there is no denying that Song failed in the 2 expeditions to recover the 16 prefectures held by Liao, and that they hold a long-standing inferiority when it comes to cavalry. I can't point out too many specifics, but Lorge provided much details in terms of how Song rose with Taizu, conquering the various Chinese states and consolidated power, with his younger brother Taizong finishing up where he left off. Up to this point Song was a force to be reckoned with. It's not until the 2 campaigns to recover the 16 prefectures under Taizong that Song momentum was blunted and they were forced to passive defense, even then this was pretty much a virtual statemate with neither side being able to conquer one another. Plenty of details on the battles conducted and strategies deployed by Song. This book does not deal with the Mongols (another book Defending Heaven: China's Mongol Wars, 1209-1370 by James Waterson, covers that well), but it does deal with the Song dynasty's conflict with Liao and to a less extent with XiXia very well. Anyone looking into how Song matches up in the military dimension from its proto-formation up to the Chanyuan treaty should check this out.

Philip Leetch

What I especially appreciated about this book is the feeling it gives one of actually understanding what was going on and why. The exegesis is admirably clear and the thesis carries conviction. An excellent book for anyone interested in Chinese history.

Ray Lau

There's a very common consensus among history enthusiasts that Song Dynasty's military prowess or lack thereof has enabled itself to be a punching bag for its various enemies in its existence. Whether it is the Khitan Liao, Tangut XiXia, and most famously the Mongols....these nomadic powers have pretty much outfought the "civilized" but weak Song in all fronts and engagements. And there is no denying that Song failed in the 2 expeditions to recover the 16 prefectures held by Liao, and that they hold a long-standing inferiority when it comes to cavalry. I can't point out too many specifics, but Lorge provided much details in terms of how Song rose with Taizu, conquering the various Chinese states and consolidated power, with his younger brother Taizong finishing up where he left off. Up to this point Song was a force to be reckoned with. It's not until the 2 campaigns to recover the 16 prefectures under Taizong that Song momentum was blunted and they were forced to passive defense, even then this was pretty much a virtual statemate with neither side being able to conquer one another. Plenty of details on the battles conducted and strategies deployed by Song.This book does not deal with the Mongols (another book Defending Heaven: China's Mongol Wars, 1209-1370 by James Waterson, covers that well), but it does deal with the Song dynasty's conflict with Liao and to a less extent with XiXia very well. Anyone looking into how Song matches up in the military dimension from its proto-formation up to the Chanyuan treaty should check this out.

Philip Leetch

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