After Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty passed away, his third son Zhao Heng ascended the throne, historically known as Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Emperor Zhenzong was a weak ruler, in stark contrast to the heroic female leader Xiao Chuo, known as Empress Dowager Xiao, who wielded power in the Liao Dynasty to the north of the Northern Song during the same period.
Within a few years after Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Xiao personally led a massive army of 200,000 to attack the Northern Song. As the Liao forces won successive victories and advanced straight toward the Song capital of Kaifeng, a wave of immense panic swept through the Northern Song. Many high-ranking court officials advocated for compromise and retreat, even proposing to relocate the capital. In this dire situation, the indecisive Emperor Zhenzong was utterly at a loss and had no choice but to seek advice from his prime minister, Kou Zhun.
Kou Zhun was the only major official in the imperial court who advocated for war, and he immediately said to Emperor Zhenzong, "Those who suggest relocating the capital deserve a death too severe for their crimes!" He also argued that with the military situation so urgent, the only way to turn the tide was for the emperor to personally lead the campaign. Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty ultimately accepted Kou Zhun's advice and prepared to go to the front lines to boost the morale of the troops. Kou Zhun's war faction, though outnumbered, prevailed, decisively defeating the numerous appeasement factions within the Northern Song court.
In fact, as early as during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, Kou Zhun had already entered officialdom. Kou Zhun came from a poor family; his father had been a jinshi (imperial scholar) during the Later Jin period and was highly learned. After his father's death, his mother did not relax her efforts in educating Kou Zhun. Kou Zhun was exceptionally intelligent and possessed a strong thirst for knowledge and ambition. As a youth, he had already thoroughly studied the Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals, which became his foundational text for entering official life.
Kou Zhun passed the imperial examination at the age of eighteen, embarking on his official career. He was an upright man who never curried favor with the powerful, earning the people's deep support during his tenure and gaining the appreciation of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty. He often offered direct and frank advice to the emperor, which only increased Taizong's admiration for him, even comparing him to Wei Zheng, the most renowned remonstrating minister during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, two bribery cases occurred in the imperial court. One of the convicted officials was executed, while the other was subjected to flogging and dismissed from his post. However, when comparing their crimes, the one with the more serious offense was actually the latter, who received a lighter sentence. His name was Wang Huai. Not long after, Wang Huai was reinstated to his original position and resumed his carefree life, all thanks to his elder brother Wang Mian, who served as a high-ranking official. When Kou Zhun learned of this, he could not let it go. The following spring, a drought struck, and Kou Zhun seized the opportunity to tell Emperor Taizong that the court's sentencing was unjust, which was why Heaven was using the drought to warn the people. When Emperor Taizong asked him to explain, Kou Zhun requested that the emperor summon Wang Mian and other ministers. He then reported the details of the two bribery cases from the previous year, leading to Wang Mian being punished for shielding his younger brother. After this incident, Emperor Taizong appointed Kou Zhun to a key position in the Privy Council, which oversaw military and political affairs.
After Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne, the Northern Song army suffered two consecutive defeats by the Liao forces. Before Empress Dowager Xiao led the Liao army to attack the Northern Song, the reigning prime ministers Li Hang and Bi Shian jointly recommended Kou Zhun to Emperor Zhenzong. Bi Shian said to Zhenzong, "Kou Zhun is upright by nature, detests evil as if it were his enemy, and is utterly loyal to the state. No matter how critical the situation, he can make decisive judgments. Now that the Liao is launching a massive invasion against our country, looking across the realm, the only one who can protect our Great Song is Kou Zhun alone."
Emperor Zhenzong of Song accepted Bi Shi'an's recommendation and soon appointed Kou Zhun as Prime Minister. Kou Zhun lived up to expectations: when the Liao army was pressing on the border, he first successfully persuaded Emperor Zhenzong to lead the campaign personally, then transferred Wang Qinruo, the leader of the peace faction, to the front lines to prevent him from advocating surrender and compromise. After a series of reconnaissance and assessments, Kou Zhun formulated a comprehensive strategy to resist the Liao and began preparing to engage the Liao forces.
A month later, the Liao army captured large territories in Hebei and advanced to Chanzhou, facing the Northern Song capital Kaifeng across the river. Emperor Zhenzong of Song realized that if he did not immediately fulfill his earlier promise to Kou Zhun and lead the imperial expedition in person, the Northern Song would surely fall under the iron hooves of the Liao army. Therefore, despite many court officials still opposing Kou Zhun's proposal, the emperor overruled all objections and personally marched north. However, upon arriving at Weicheng, Zhenzong became fearful again. Because urgent military reports kept coming from the front lines, stating that the Liao army was drawing ever closer, some officials took the opportunity to urge the emperor to abandon the expedition and temporarily take refuge in Jinling.
Kou Zhun said to Emperor Zhenzong: "We have now reached a critical moment where we can only advance, not retreat. Your Majesty, as the sovereign of the nation, if you flee from battle at this time, the morale of the soldiers will be severely damaged. In that case, how can we speak of any possibility of turning the tide of defeat? But if Your Majesty personally goes to the front lines, the soldiers' morale will surely double, and turning defeat into victory will be within reach."
Gao Qiong, who was then serving as the Commander of the Palace Guard, also helped persuade Emperor Zhenzong to continue advancing, and together they finally convinced him. However, after arriving at the southern city of Chanzhou, the emperor remained terrified. At that time, Chanzhou was divided by the Yellow River into a southern city and a northern city, with Song forces defending the northern city against the Liao army's attack. Yet Emperor Zhenzong only wanted to stay in the relatively safe southern city and lacked the courage to cross the river and enter the dangerous northern city. No matter how much Kou Qian urged him, the emperor could not muster the bravery to do so.
Kou Zhun had no choice but to seek help from Gao Qiong, and the two went together to meet Emperor Zhenzong. Gao Qiong said to the emperor, "If Your Majesty wishes to flee to the south of the Yangtze River to avoid disaster, the soldiers in the army will not follow you. Because their parents, wives, and children are all left in Kaifeng, they absolutely cannot abandon their loved ones and hide in the south. Therefore, Your Majesty should abandon any thoughts of retreat, immediately cross the Yellow River, and go to the northern city of Chanzhou!"
At this time, there was also a Privy Council official named Feng Zheng accompanying Emperor Zhenzong. Feng Zheng sternly reprimanded Gao Qiong for being disrespectful to the emperor, but Gao Qiong retorted, "Lord Feng, you hold a high position solely because of your skill in writing essays. If composing a poem could successfully repel the Liao army, then why would our soldiers need to fight and die on the battlefield?" With that, Gao Qiong, ignoring whether the emperor was willing or not, directly ordered the carriage to take Emperor Zhenzong to the northern city of Chanzhou.
When the soldiers defending the northern city against the Liao saw Emperor Zhenzong appear on the city wall, they were immediately overjoyed and their morale soared. The Northern Song army swept away its earlier decline and achieved continuous victories in the war against the Liao. Before long, Song general Zhang Huan shot and killed Liao general Xiao Talin with an arrow on the battlefield, causing the Liao army's morale to plummet and collapse. The Song and Liao forces then entered a stalemate, and Empress Dowager Xiao proposed peace negotiations to Emperor Zhenzong, an offer that aligned perfectly with his wishes.
Kou Zhun firmly opposed the peace negotiations, and seeing this, the appeasement faction at court slandered him by accusing him of plotting rebellion. For a high-ranking minister, such an accusation was the most unbearable burden. Even someone as upright as Kou Zhun was ultimately forced to compromise with these corrupt elements. The Northern Song Dynasty eventually signed the "Treaty of Chanyuan" with the Liao Dynasty, which included a provision requiring the Northern Song to pay substantial annual tributes to Liao. This was clearly unequal for the Northern Song, and Kou Zhun had initially voiced strong objections against it, but unfortunately, with his lone strength, he could no longer contend with Emperor Zhenzong of Song and the appeasement faction at court.
Next, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom entered a long period of peaceful coexistence. This situation emerged partly due to the binding effect of the "Chanyuan Treaty" on both Song and Liao, and partly because Kou Zhun's insistence had allowed the Northern Song army to deliver a fierce counterattack against the Liao forces in the earlier war, leaving the Liao Kingdom without the courage to launch a large-scale invasion of the Northern Song again.
After that, Kou Zhun was repeatedly sidelined in the court, and two years later, he was forced to resign as prime minister. Over a decade later, he returned to the court to serve as prime minister again, but once more, he could not escape being marginalized. A few years later, he was demoted and exiled to Hengzhou, where he died under the torment of depression and illness. His wife, Song, transported his coffin back to Luoyang, and along the way, many locals planted bamboo sticks in the ground to pay their respects to Kou Zhun. Legend has it that these bamboo sticks took root and grew into a bamboo grove, known as "Minister Bamboo," and the "Kou Gong Shrine" was built beside it. When the Ming Dynasty scholar Dai Jiayu passed by this place, he wrote the verse, "A loyal soul lingers forever at the sea's edge; withered bamboo once reached Leiyang," to honor the renowned prime minister Kou Zhun.