Taizong's Legacy and Early Zhenzong Governance (1010s)

Timeline

1. 1011–1014Imperial City, Bianjing · HenanZhenzong relied on the group of civil officials appointed since Taizong's reign; the system of the Secretariat-Chancellery and the Three Offices dividing policy and finances continued unchanged. Externally he followed the peace line after the Chanyuan Treaty; internally he focused on grain transport, taxation, and prefectural-county governance, with little large-scale warfare. Taizong's policies of favoring civil over military and dividing authority still predominated early in Zhenzong's reign.
2. 1015–1020Northern Song capital · HenanThe circuit-prefecture-county administrative hierarchy, imperial examination recruitment, and censorate supervision perfected under Taizong continued operating and slightly expanded in the 1010s. Though early Zhenzong saw new political-cultural trends like the Xiangfu feng and sacrifices, the institutional framework still followed Taizong's legacy, forming the basic features of conservative mid-Song politics.