Cai Jing vs Han Yu

Cai Jing revived and expanded Wang Anshi's New Policies, including state monopolies on tea and salt, and the 'Green Sprouts' loan system. These measures increased revenue but caused widespread corruption and hardship.

Cai Jing was appointed Grand Councilor under Emperor Huizong, beginning a long tenure marked by centralization of power. He implemented policies that enriched the court but burdened the populace.

Cai Jing ordered the persecution of the Yuanyou faction, including Su Shi and other conservatives. He erected the 'Stele of Factionalists' listing 309 officials as traitors, leading to executions and exiles.

As Jurchen Jin forces approached Kaifeng, Cai Jing fled the capital with his family, abandoning his post. He was later captured and died in exile, widely reviled as a traitor who weakened the Song.

Han Yu led the Ancient Prose Movement (guwen yundong), advocating a return to classical prose styles free from ornate parallel prose. His essays and prefaces became models for later writers, influencing Chinese literature for centuries.

Han Yu was exiled to Yangshan (modern Guangdong) for criticizing the emperor's lavish Buddhist ceremonies. This exile deepened his opposition to Buddhism and strengthened his commitment to Confucian orthodoxy.

Han Yu was appointed as a censor, a position that allowed him to remonstrate with the emperor. He used this role to criticize government policies, including the handling of military campaigns, which led to further conflicts with the court.

Han Yu submitted a memorial to Emperor Xianzong condemning the veneration of a relic of the Buddha's finger bone as superstitious and harmful to state finances. The emperor was angered, and Han Yu was nearly executed but instead exiled to Chaozhou.