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Pepsi Max. Hello and welcome to the history of China. Episode 148, a campaign of dunces.

Last time we concluded our in-depth look into the new policies of Wong An Shur and their immediate ramifications

across the Song Empire, which may be best described as extremely lucrative, but at extreme,

albeit unintended, costs.

Today then, we'll be looking at the back how albeit unintended costs.

Today then we'll be looking at the back half of Emperor Shunzong's reign over the song, the post-Wang fallout of the new policies,

and most especially how the richest man in the world could just so

catastrophically fail militarily against a state consisting of semi-nomadic step

riders. The main focus of today's episode is going to be the ill-advised and

ill-carried out war between Song China and its neighbor to the

northwest Western Shah, aka Shishah.

First, though, we've got a few major internal policy changes to cover within the Imperial Court at Kaifung.

Don't worry though, we're not going to be having another mini-series on political machinations

just yet.

With Wong-Anshia's Auster, conservatives within the court ministry, had every right to believe that their time was finally at hand to roll back the erstwhile minister's novel economic innovations.

Chief among these was of course the long-time enemy of the new policies, none other than Simma Guang,

...