First, abandon the dark for the bright, and assist the king of Qin.
In the 13th year of Yang Di's great cause, Li Yuan, who stayed in Taiyuan, rose up against Sui, led 30,000 troops and marched into Guanzhong. After Tang gaozu's army crossed the Yellow River, the soldiers were divided into two ways. Make Elvis Lee to save all the way. Along the way, Li Shimin marched westward, occupied Weibei and approached Chang 'an. Sending troops, Tang Gaozu and his son, opposed Sui, won the support of the people, and they were unstoppable all the way, and many people surrendered along the way.
Fang, who had a political vision, saw that the general trend of the Sui Dynasty had gone, and decided to go to his father and son. He came to visit Li Shimin in Weibei Military Gate, which coincided with Li Shimin's recruiting talents and being handsome in the world. It hit it off immediately, and immediately worshipped Fang as the marching secretary of Weibei Road, joined the army and became the main counselor under his account. In November of that year, Tang Jun captured Chang 'an, the capital of Sui Dynasty. In May of the following year, Tang gaozu destroyed Sui, proclaimed himself emperor, and changed Wude to Tang Gaozu. In June of the first year of Wude (6 18), Li Jian was the Crown Prince, Li Shimin was the King of Qin, and Li Yuanji was the King of Qi. Worship is the secretary of Qin Wangfu, and he is named Linzi Hou. After Li Yuan established the Tang regime in Chang 'an, he took Guanzhong as his base and launched a war to unify the whole country.
Tang Gaozu appointed Li Shimin to direct the fight against separatist forces and peasant rebels in various places. Fang Sui moved to the north and south, strategizing and winning one victory after another. In November of the sixth year of Wude, Xue, a separatist force in Longxi, was first eliminated; In the third year of Wude (620), Liu Wuzhou was defeated in the northwest. After the occupation of Shaanxi, continue eastward, attack the king and occupy Luoyang. The king was besieged and hurried to Dou Jiande, a peasant rebel in Hebei Province, for help. Dou Jiande was advancing more than 100,000 troops to Luoyang, which was unstoppable. Li Shimin let Li Yuanji surround Luoyang, and himself was advancing three thousand chosen men to intercept Dou Jiande.
In the battle of Surabaya, Tang Jun won a great victory, and Dou Jiande was injured and captured. Seeing that the tide was gone, the king had to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. In the fifth year of Wude (622), Li Shimin continued to suppress Liu Heikuo, the remnants of Dou Jiande. So in just four or five years, Li Shimin conquered all kinds of anti-Tang forces and made great contributions to the unification of the Tang Dynasty. Fang led the army to war, wholeheartedly assisted the king of Qin, and made great contributions.
In the unified war of the Tang Dynasty, every time Tang Jun conquered a city, the generals often fixed their eyes on the precious treasures in the national treasury. Only Fang did not do so. Wherever he went, he first sought out talents, attracted the shogunate, made friends, and tried every means to recruit them to Qin Gong. These people later helped Li Shimin and greatly strengthened the strength of Qin Gong; These people can do their best to help Li Shimin win the throne. Li Shimin said: "Han Guangwu got Deng Yu, and his followers benefited his relatives. I am old now, I am still young. " During various expeditions, Fang, as the archives of the Qin Palace, wrote a large number of military books and forms. His article "Wen Yue Shan Li" was fast and good, and was appreciated by Gao Zu Li Yuan.
After the war of reunifying the whole country in the Tang Dynasty, a new war appeared inside.
Second, the Xuanmen won.
In the last years of Wude, Prince Li and the King of Qin fought fiercely for the storage space, which quickly developed from an infighting to an open struggle. During the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin made great contributions. Whether Taiyuan rose up, marched into Chang 'an, or made expeditions to the east and the west, it was an outstanding achievement. Sima Guang said: "Gaozu won the world because of Taizong." It is also an indisputable fact that Li Shimin has outstanding talents. Fang once said that he: "The arrow pierces seven letters, the bow pierces six jun, and pities the grave code, which is a competition. The pen is full of bells and the words are poor. " His father Li Yuan also appreciated Li Shimin's talent. When he started fighting in Taiyuan, he once said to Li Shimin, "If this happens, the whole world is caused by you. You should be a prince." Prince Li did not have such brilliant exploits, but he fought in Taiyuan, defended Daoguan, entered Chang 'an in the south and Luoyang in the east, and also made some exploits. In addition, he is in the East Palace, united with his younger brother Li Yuanji, and the natural conditions for getting the throne are quite superior.
With a keen political eye, Fang saw the development of the situation between the Li Shimin brothers. He was very anxious in his heart, so he privately said to Sun Chang Wuji: "Now the bad blood has become. Once the disaster is stolen, it is really the worry of the country; Mo Ruo advised the King of Qi to do things for the Duke of Zhou to stabilize the country. The chance of survival is not allowed, today! " (Zi Zhi Tong Jian, Volume 19 1) Sun Chang Wuji has the same feelings and worries. He told Fang what he said.
Deeply worried, I asked Fang to hold the agenda. Both Fang and Du Ruhui advised to start work as soon as possible to kill Li and Li Yuanji, but they still hesitated. In order to get rid of them, Li and Li Yuanji first got rid of the people around them. He first tried to win over Qin's advisers by buying and wooing them, but failed. Then he slandered and provoked Tang Gaozu. Li is most jealous of Fang and Du Ruhui. So, partial faith, ordered Fang, Du Ruhui expelled from the qin dynasty. In the summer of the ninth year of Wude (626), Turkish soldiers invaded the border. Traditionally, most of them were overseers, but at this time, Li proposed that Li Yuanji and Li Yi go through the customs to prevent the military power from being mastered. At the same time, Li Yuanji also recruited Qin. When finished, they decided to murder Li Shimin again.
Immediately called his brother-in-law Wuji, uncle Gao Shilian and Hou to discuss the matter. Wei Chijingde advised: "Wang Jin is suspicious and unwise; When you are in trouble, you are not brave. " Secretly recalled Fang and Du Ruhui, made them wear Taoist costumes to sneak in, and * * * joined.
Fang said, "Your Majesty has made great contributions to heaven and earth. Today's worries are amazing. May the king not doubt. " After careful planning, Wude secretly ambushed in Xuanwu Gate on June 4th, and shot Li and Li Yuanji, thus achieving the success of "Xuanwu Gate Change".
After the "Xuanwumen Change", Tang Gaozu handed over military affairs to Li Shimin and made Li Shimin the Prince. Then, worship is the illegitimate child of the son of heaven. Soon, he promoted Fang to the position of secretary of the Central Committee and became prime minister.
Third, the post of prime minister is to choose the best and appoint the best.
In August, Tang Gaozu passed the throne to Li Shimin, and Li Shimin became the emperor, changing his title to Zhenguan.
After Emperor Taizong acceded to the throne, he took equal measures, ranking first with Fang and Du Ruhui. Li Shimin's uncle, Li Shentong, the king of Huai 'an, said discontentedly, "My minister, Kansai, was the first to take the banner of righteousness. Now Fang, Du Ruhui and others specialize in knives and pens, but I am not satisfied. " Emperor Taizong said, "Although my uncle Sang transferred his troops first, he helped himself out. It was Dou Jiande who swallowed Shandong, and his uncle was wiped out. Liu Heita was reunited with the embers, and his uncle hoped for defeat. Ling Xuan and others planned to sit down safely and reward him with merits, so he lived better than his uncle. " It is said that Li Shentong argued and was ashamed and speechless. In February of the third year of Zhenguan (629), he was appointed as the left servant to shoot Shang Shufang. The left and right servants in the early Tang Dynasty were all prime ministers. Fang is an outstanding doer. With his efforts, some outstanding senior officials were recommended to the court. After he became prime minister, he first cut a lot of redundant staff.
Emperor Taizong once said, "Officials have people, but not many people." "If you get benefits, although less is enough; Those who are not good are also ridiculous. " According to the imperial edict of Emperor Taizong, Fang laid off a large number of on-the-job officials in the early years of Zhenguan. According to the geographical division, there are ten departments and more than 300 volumes in China. This was a major administrative reform in the early years of Zhenguan. Fang not only decisively laid off a large number of redundant staff, but also appointed and selected talents according to their abilities. Emperor Taizong attached great importance to selecting talents and appointing people. He believes that "the skill of governance lies in getting moral people." He decided that the prime minister's first duty was to visit talented people. He once said to Fang and Du Ruhui, "The public is a public servant, seeking talents and appointing people. This post of prime minister is also. " Emperor Taizong also ordered the specific government affairs undertaken by the Prime Minister to be handed over to Zuo Cheng.
The Prime Minister concentrated on handling major events and selecting talents, which created excellent conditions for the selection of talents. As early as in Qin Gong, Fang discovered that Du Ruhui was intelligent and knowledgeable, which contributed to Wang's talent cultivation. He recommended to Li Shimin, the king of Qin: "If you want to run Sifang, you must be this person." Li Shimin said, "I didn't say anything, but I lost this person." From then on, Li Shimin began to reuse Du Ruhui. It was later confirmed that Du Ruhui assisted Taizong with outstanding achievements.
Party selects talents, attaches importance to talents, and also attaches importance to morality. Li Daliang, whom he recommended, is not only all-rounder, but also excellent in moral character. Fang himself is an honest official, lives frugally and devotes himself to public service. "Whenever he stays at night, he sleeps all night," Fang said. Li Daliang "has a tomb and a talent of frequency, and can be a big official." Emperor Taizong made Li Daliang the left-back of the general and the right-back of the prince, and was also the minister of the Ministry of Industry. He held three positions and was highly valued. Xue Shou is a scholar with outstanding literary talent and has been recommended by Fang. Emperor Taizong lamented to Fang: "If Xue Shou were here, I should take Chinese books as my place." Fang chooses talents instead of "preparing for others". Sean is a poor man, "plain and cold, taking agriculture as his career", while Sean lacks courage and talent as a general, but Fang only uses his strengths instead of "preparing for others". Fang thinks it is not appropriate to use the person appointed by Emperor Taizong. In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan (647), Emperor Taizong wanted to worship Li Jue as the branch secretary and listen to his opinions. Fang said, "Only Li Jue has nothing to say." Emperor Taizong understood Fang's meaning and changed his mind. Li Jue was appointed as the secretariat of Luozhou, which shows how important the opinions of the party at that time were! During the Zhenguan period, there were a lot of talents, and the bureaucracy was clear and complicated, which undoubtedly had important practical significance for the consolidation and development of the political economy in the Tang Dynasty.
Fang's practice of streamlining officials, for the early Tang Dynasty, which experienced the chaos at the end of Sui Dynasty and the sharp decline of population, not only eliminated redundant officials and abused their posts, but also helped to improve the efficiency of government departments, save national financial expenditure and reduce the burden on the people. So that the people can recuperate, develop production and prosper the economy. This truth is clear to both Tang Taizong and Fang Fang. Emperor Taizong and Fang learned a lesson from the demise of the Sui Dynasty. They know: "In Liang Shi, France is peaceful and politics is successful; If it is broken, the king will relax and be defeated. " They are well aware of the truth that "the official gets the man, and the people go to sigh." "People lament", class contradictions will ease, and the country will have long-term stability, which is an important reason for the rule of chastity. In order to further strengthen and consolidate the rule of the dynasty, after Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he ordered Wuji and Fang, together with the bachelor and judges, to discuss and amend the law again.
In view of the memory of Emperor Yang Di, the lesson that "the statutes are particularly heavy, and the people are in trouble, so they will die" was "lenient" to Li Yuan and his son when they started the war in Taiyuan. After entering Chang 'an, in order to win the hearts of the people, Article 12 of the Covenant reads: "Only those who kill, rob, sell troops and rebel will be killed, and the rest will be removed." After Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor, he made a "martial law" and "tried his best to reduce the troublesome methods used in the great cause".
Emperor Taizong advocated simple punishment and cautious laws and regulations. He said to the courtiers in the first year of Zhenguan: "Death cannot be reborn, and the law is used for leniency." He also said, "national laws and regulations should be simple, and we can't do several things for one crime." Because there are many formats, the official can't remember them all, which is treacherous. If he wants to commit a crime, he will quote lightly. If he wants to commit a crime, he will quote a heavy article. It is unreasonable to include reformists. It is wise to review carefully instead of writing it in the text. "("Zhenguan politician? The Law of Zhenguan was revised by Fang and others according to the will of Emperor Taizong, and it consists of four parts: law, order, style and form. "Not convicted by justice" is a criminal code. The laws of the Tang dynasty cover a wide range, from the political system of the country to the household registration of the people, weddings and funerals, and the norms are extremely detailed. Among them, there are 500 laws, which are divided into 12 volumes: one is the famous case, the other is the forbidden guard, the third is the official system, the fourth is the family marriage, the fifth is the stable warehouse, the sixth is the rich, the seventh is the thief, the eighth is the lawsuit, the ninth is the fraud, the tenth is the miscellaneous law, the eleventh is the arrest of death, and the twelfth is the breaking of prison. There are chains, sticks, actions, streams and death. Five lashes, ranging from ten to fifty; There are five staffs, ranging from sixty-five to one hundred staffs. Five prison terms, from one year, then six months to three years; Exile punishment is three or two thousand Li, five hundred Li to three thousand Li; There are two kinds of death penalty, strangulation and beheading. Generally speaking, there are twenty levels. "("New Tang Book "? Criminal Law Annals ")" The order is equal to the number of high and low, and the system of the country is also. " Order is the stipulation of various systems, such as household registration order is the stipulation of household registration and marriage system; "Tian Ling" is the stipulation of the land system. The order only stipulates what to do and what not to do, but does not include criminal sanctions after violating the order. Emperor Taizong's "Imperial edict" has 1,590 articles, with 30 volumes. It was awarded in the first month of the eleventh year of Zhenguan. "("New Tang Book "? Criminal Law Annals) "Those who are qualified are all things that officials often do. "Ge is the emperor's pardon, and the scope of duties of officials. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Fang et al. stipulated that Wude had 700 Zhenguan Pavilion, with a total of 18 volumes, which was promulgated in the world. ("Zi Jian? Tang Ji x) "Style is the law that people will always abide by". The style is various administrative regulations, the articles of association and regulations of state organs, and the Zhenguan law formulated by the party. There are lenient aspects in sentencing and conviction. Compared with the Sui law alone, the Zhenguan law reduced 92 cases of large-scale monarch (death penalty) and 7 1 case of exile. If you break the law in an official position, you just take off your official name, or you are of the same sex. Because the old law didn't focus, Fang said that "hanging belongs to 50, all of them are free from death, and their right toes are broken." However, Emperor Taizong mourned his broken limb, which made Fang and others reconsider. Xiao Yu and others believe that the death penalty has been relaxed and saved lives, while Fang advocates further relaxation. He thinks: "Left one has five punishments, and it is only one of them. Corporal punishment has been abolished. Today's five punishments are slap, stick, disciple, flow, death, and amputation, which are also six punishments. " ("New Tang Book"? Criminal law) so I decided to change my broken toe to three thousand miles of hard labor and live for two years.
Fang Lingxuan also changed the old law that brothers sit together because of the crime of rebellion, stipulating that "conspirators, grandparents and grandchildren sit together and deserve nothing." Those who break the law with evil words are just brothers. "("New Tang Book "? Compared with ancient times, the death penalty was almost abolished by more than half. As for cutting the troubles and removing the cysts, turning the heavy into the light is even more unforgettable.
Later, Sun Chang Wuji made a concrete explanation of the Tang Law, and compiled a book "On the Tang Law". This book is a relatively complete code in China's autocratic centralized feudal country.
Law and propriety are two aspects of the ruler's maintenance of rule, which is the reason why the so-called "morality is the mainstay and punishment is the supplement". During the Zhenguan period, we not only attached importance to the revision of laws, but also attached importance to restraining people's thoughts and behaviors with ethical norms of etiquette, and restraining various social relations with etiquette. In addition, the law and etiquette have been supplemented by etiquette. "It is forbidden to be rude in the criminal law." Those who are unfaithful are guilty and those who are unfilial will be punished. Use the coercive force of law to promote the ethical norms of etiquette, and in turn use the ethics of etiquette to assist the implementation of the law. At the beginning of Emperor Taizong's accession to the throne, he ordered Fang and other etiquette officials and bachelors to revise Sui Li, and finally completed Zhen Guan Xin Li 138, which was the basic work of the etiquette system in the Tang Dynasty.
Fourth, persuade the Lord to appease foreigners.
In the early Tang Dynasty, in the face of extremely complicated ethnic relations, Fang showed thoughtful diplomatic skills in ethnic policies, and advocated establishing good ethnic relations and reducing ethnic contradictions. In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan (624), Xueyantuo in East Turkistan was powerful, and Emperor Taizong once named Yinan, its leader, as a true pearl Khan. However, Xue Yantuo was willful and reneged. After Emperor Taizong sent troops to unite with a Turkic Ministry to give a fatal blow, Zhenzhu Khan sent someone to propose to Tang. Although Emperor Taizong was not at ease with Xue Yantuo, he still couldn't make up his mind whether to destroy by force or marry. Fang weighed the pros and cons. Think intimacy is the best policy. The reason is that after the chaos, the country's vitality has yet to be restored, and the use of troops is not conducive to the country. Emperor Taizong accepted Fang's suggestion and promised to marry a new princess with his first 15 daughter, but demanded "generous acceptance" and personally went to Lingchuan to marry the bride. Zhenzhu Khan was in high spirits when he heard this. "In his country, there is a saying,' I am a handsome boy, and the son of heaven made me Khan. Now I can remarry my princess. ""New Tang Book "? The Northern Emperor (Volume 199) made Xue Yantuo submit to the Tang Dynasty, thus avoiding a war and improving ethnic relations. Later, Zhenzhu Khan could not receive the dowry for a while, which delayed the wedding date. China was looked down upon by Emperor Taizong and his marriage was forbidden by imperial edict.
In the early Tang Dynasty, there were three countries on the Korean peninsula. It is called Baekje in the west, Silla in the middle and Koryo in the north. Among them, North Korea is the most powerful, occupying the Hanjiang River Basin and Liaodong Plain. In the eighteenth year of Emperor Wendi, he sent 300,000 troops to attack Korea on a large scale and failed. Yang Di also made three expeditions to Korea, but they all ended in failure, which led to peasant uprising and the road to extinction. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, all three countries sent envoys to communicate with the Tang Dynasty. In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan, there was civil strife in North Korea, and the minister Gai Suwen killed the king and monopolized the state affairs. Emperor Taizong wanted to send troops to intervene by force, but he thought it impossible. He said to Emperor Taizong: "I think all countries in ancient times were bullying the weak and being violent. Your Majesty raised Shu Ren today, and his soldiers are brave and sharp, so he is willing to take it. The so-called' stop fighting for martial arts' is also. " Taking history as a mirror, he advised Emperor Taizong: "In the past, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty repeatedly attacked the Xiongnu, and the Sui Dynasty levied Liao Zuo three times, and the people were in dire straits, and the defeat was like a mountain. That's why you investigated carefully. " ("Zhenguan politician? Emperor Taizong accepted the advice and suspended the action. Later, North Korea and Baekje attacked Silla, and Silla asked Tang for help. Emperor Taizong sent someone to persuade Han, but Han refused to listen. Emperor Taizong decided to levy Han himself. He ordered Fang to prepare grain, grass and ordnance, and said, "Since Xiao He is in office, he has no worries about looking to the west. "("Old Tang Book "? Fang Chuan) He repeatedly said that he reminded Emperor Taizong not to underestimate his enemy. Although Fang did not strongly discourage the crusade of Emperor Taizong, he was always uneasy. Emperor Taizong's personal expedition to Korea this time, although he won some victories temporarily and captured some cities, met with stubborn resistance and had to station troops on the east side of Guang 'an. At this time, it is winter, the grass is dry and frozen, it is difficult for the stone horse to stay long, and the food is running out. Therefore, Emperor Taizong decided to move troops back to Beijing.
Emperor Taizong was deeply worried about the failure of this expedition to North Korea. He is unwilling to go on an expedition to adjust his troops. At this time, Fang was old and ill, but he was worried about his country. The Prime Minister resolutely wrote a letter to admonish the responsibility of Emperor Taizong. He said: "There is a feeling of early withdrawal and the possibility of death. There's a reason for mourning. The old minister is so cherished by your majesty. " He quoted Laozi's words: "Knowing enough is not humiliating, knowing it is not dangerous" to convince Emperor Taizong. He also said: "fame and merit are enough; I hope that Emperor Taizong will give up the dream of "Tiankhan" and stop "driving innocent soldiers to the blade". Fang believes that the civil strife in North Korea is their internal affair, and they have not offended China. The invasion of the Tang dynasty "reported to the previous generation at home and Silla abroad, so the rescue was small and the suffering was large and wide" (Zi Jian 199). Emperor Taizong was deeply moved by Fang's sincere words.
Fifth, try your best.
When Fang assisted Emperor Taizong, he advised him not to levy Korea, not to use mediocrity, to reduce ethnic conflicts and improve ethnic relations. Later, his opinion was proved to be correct and achieved good results. Fang's suggestion embodies his characteristics of being good at thinking and considering the effect.
After the death of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, Emperor Taizong wanted to build a mausoleum for his father according to the scale of Emperor Gaozu's mausoleum. The length from east to west was 120 steps and the height was 13 feet, which was a huge project. The secretary advised Taizong to carry out a thin burial in view of Shinan. He believes that thin burial is not unfilial, and heavy burial is the burden of relatives. He suggested that the tombs and artifacts in the tomb should be as simple as possible. Yu Shinan's suggestion benefited the country and the people, but considering that Emperor Taizong would not accept Yu Shinan's suggestion, he proposed to build it according to the specifications of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Taizong readily accepted this proposal. Fang is the prime minister, proficient in politics, good at planning, conscientious and not afraid of making mistakes. Chu Suiliang said, "With the help of people and ministers, Ling Xuan is the most important." Wang Xuan praised: "Being diligent in serving the country and knowing everything." Party governance, impartial. He always believes that "the key to governing the country lies in fairness and integrity." Besides, his style is loyalty and humility, generosity to others and strictness to himself. In his later years, he was weak and sick, and several requests for the removal of his servants were rejected by Emperor Taizong. In the 16th year of Zhenguan (642), Emperor Taizong was promoted to Fang Sikong. Sikong is one of the three fairs with high quality. Fang resigned again, but Taizong still refused, saying, "The country has been an envoy for a long time. Once you lose your good looks, if you lose your hands, you won't have to let go." It can be seen that Taizong cannot do without him.
Sixth, summarize the history and write a book.
Fang is a famous politician and an excellent historian. In the early years of Emperor Taizong, in order to improve politics and achieve great harmony in the world, he attached great importance to historical experience. There is a famous saying: "Take history as a mirror, and you can learn to rise and fall." On the premise of summing up historical experience, Emperor Taizong appointed Fang as the editor-in-chief of history books, which was the first formal revision of history books. So a history museum was set up. Under Fang's organization and leadership, the formal revision of history books is unprecedented. During the Zhenguan period, a * * * compiled eight kinds of history books, namely Zhou Shu edited by Gu and Cen Wenben, Beiqi Book edited by Li Bai, Harmony edited by Yao and Sui Shu edited by him. In the twenty-four history of China, it accounts for one third and has made remarkable contributions. According to the proposal of Emperor Taizong, the party also established a new system of revising history. The Tang Dynasty was the first dynasty to compile a record of its emperors. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643), the Records of Emperor Taizong's Great Ancestor was compiled, and Emperor Taizong made great contributions to the compilation of Fang's history, "writing books to praise customs and giving things 1,500 paragraphs". In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan (648), Fang was seriously ill. Emperor Taizong sent famous doctors to treat him, provided imperial meals every day and visited him personally. He was deeply saddened when he shook hands and said goodbye. In July, he died at the age of seventy. Emperor Taizong celebrated his mourning for three days, presented Bingzhou Taishou Qiu, and was buried with Zhaoling.