The Study Of Appointment And Dismissal Of Prime Minister During The Middle Period Of Lizong In The Southern Song Dynasty

Lizong in the Southern Song Dynasty was the longest reigning emperor in the whole late Southern Song Dynasty.The political,military and economic crisis in this period was prominent,and it had a profound impact on the social problems in the late Southern Song Dynasty.Externally,from the war of uniting Mongolia to fight against Jin Dynasty and the war of entering Luoyang in the first year of Duanping.The border defense problem in the period of Lizong caused the dispute of peace and war.Internally,at the beginning of Lizong’s reigns,Multi-Party disputes brought about by the dictatorship of Shi Miyuan and the injustice of Jiwang,and the economic crisis brought about by the collapse of the currency system.All of which made the government affairs in Lizong period more complicated and changeable.In response to the crisis,the political situation in this period put forward higher requirements for the allocation of resources and the ability of the prime minister.There were twenty-five years in the middle period of Lizong,and fourteen prime ministers were appointed before and after,with an average term of less than two years.During this period,the selection of prime ministers was influenced by many factors,such as the political needs of Lizong,the prime minister’s personal ability,the needs of the current situation,the expectations of scholar-officials and public opinion,etc.The prime minister’s dismissal was the result of his ineffective response to the current situation,and it was also related to the autocratic political tendency of Lizong and complicated political struggles at that time.At the same time,the unique atmosphere of "joint-governance of nation with scholar-officials" in the Song Dynasty made the scholars’ sense of political participation unprecedentedly enhanced.Scholars’ public opinion has a certain degree of influence on the political pattern.In the middle period of Lizong,the prime minister’s ouster was often accompanied by the participation of scholars’ public opinion.The reinstatement of Shi Songzhi is a typical example of scholars’ public opinion influencing the prime minister’s ouster.On the one hand,the public opinion evaluation of the prime minister is closely related to his ability and effectiveness in dealing with the current situation.On the other hand,it is closely related to the political norms and morality formed under the influence of Neo-Confucianism scholar-officials,reflecting the expectations of the ideal prime minister of the times.