Power And Orthodoxy:Study On Northern Expedition Of Song Wendi

Emperor Wen of Liu Song(420-479)in the period of Southern Dynasties launched three northern expeditions in the seventh,twenty-seventh,and twenty-ninth year of his reign(called Yuan Jia)respectively.The three northern expeditions were closely related to the political situations at that time,and also affected the legitimacy pursuit of the subsequent regimes of the Southern Dynasties.The northern expedition in the seventh year was tinted with Emperor Wen's intention to seek his personal authority.Emperor Wen was made king by his powerful officials.Later,backed by his vassal ministers,he wiped out the powerful officials in court and arrogated all authority to himself.However,without adequate power to rely on,he longed to reinforce his prestige.This northern expedition targeted Henan,which symbolized political legitimacy.The generals for this expedition consisted of Jing Kou Corp and "latecomers from the North"(wan du bei ren).The decision for the northern expedition in the twenty-seventh year of his reign was mainly made by Emperor Wen and Jiang Zhan,with few supporters,which reflected the change of power structure in the last years of his rule.In the choice of military generals,he included the lower classes in the south,indicating the rise of the southern local generals from the lower classes.The northern expedition in the twenty-seventh year of his rule severely affectedthe political situation.Emperor Wen killed Liu Yikang for fear of political unrest.Asto the decision of the northern expedition,Jiang Zhan and the crown prince Liu Shaoheld divergent opinions,sowing the seed for the crown prince to commit regicide.In the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Yuan Jia,the Northern Wei Dynastyexperienced a court coup,as a result of which,Emperor Taiwu(Tuoba Tao)ofNorthern Wei was killed by the eunuch.Emperor Wen decided to take advantage ofthe Northern Wei's internal division to launch another northern expedition with the aim of recovering Henan.Just before the northern expedition,a witchcraft incident happened in the court.Once again,the northern expedition achieved nothing.Instead,it further heightened the political crisis of Liu Song.The northern expedition during the reign of Yuan Jia also marked a turning point in seeking political legitimacy of the Southern Dynasties.Following the failure of the northern expedition of Emperor Wen during the reign of Yuan Jia,the southern rulers ealized that with the prosperity of the Northern Wei Dynasty,it was impossible to seize Henan.Therefore,they shifted their focus to cultural undertakings and legitimacy from political legitimacy of the Central Plains region.