As Emperor Taizong was born during the reign of Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty, he witnessed the luxury of the prosperous times and experienced the turmoil at the end of Sui Dynasty and the subversion of Sui Dynasty. He realized the greatness of people's power from the magnificent peasant war. As Wei Zhi said, the Sui Dynasty was originally a unified empire that "unified the whole country, was strong and sharp, and prevailed in Wan Li for more than 30 years". When Yang Di succeeded to the throne, it was still "rich at home". However, why did it fall apart after more than ten years and the second one died? This is due to "driving the world to indulge in lust, exhausting everything and serving itself" and "no time for slavery, no war." Having learned this lesson, he attached great importance to the lives of ordinary people. He emphasized people-oriented and often said, "Jun, boat also; People, water also; Water can carry a boat or overturn it. " Therefore, at the beginning of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to his courtiers: "To be a monarch, you must first save the people. If you harm the people to serve them, you will cut off your shares and die with a full stomach. " If we are safe in the world, we must first straighten out our bodies. If we don't straighten our bodies, we will make mistakes. If we treat those who screw up from above, every time we think of those who hurt our bodies, it will be because of lust. Indulge in taste, covet pleasure, want more, and suffer more, which not only prevents political affairs, but also disturbs the people. And in return for an unreasonable statement, the people disintegrated, hated blasphemy and rebelled. Every time I think about it, I dare not escape. "It can be seen that Emperor Taizong has a profound understanding of the relationship between the monarch and the people. His view that "the way to be a monarch must be people-oriented" is not only a policy or political proposition, but also a philosophical proposition. Then, why did he use such an extreme metaphor as cutting stocks and vomiting, and eating to death? Because the history of Yang Di's downfall and the change of Xuanwu Gate gave him too heavy a lesson, it can be said that he had too much pain in the survival of Jundao! In the fourth year of Wude (62 1), Li Shimin conquered Luoyang. " Looking at the sui palace, he sighed:' luxury means poverty, and expensive means death!' "Therefore, after he succeeded to the throne, his awareness of learning from the Sui Dynasty became increasingly strong. In the ninth year of Wude (626), Emperor Taizong, who had just succeeded to the throne, discussed with his ministers and stressed that theft was prohibited by law. Emperor Taizong said: "People are thieves because officials are insatiable, so they don't care about shame. "I should go to extravagance and thrift, neglect thin taxes, choose honest officials, and make the people have enough food and clothing, so I don't want to be a thief, I use heavy laws and bad laws!"
Through summing up historical experience, Emperor Taizong came to a regular conclusion: the expropriation and development of a country is bound to be limited by the people's affordability, and normal production and maintaining simple reproduction and living conditions are the bottom line of this limitation. So he won't levy corvee easily. He also ordered the merger of counties and counties, abolishing the disadvantages of "fewer people and more officials", which was conducive to reducing the burden on the people. In order not to lose the first place in Taiping, "so I work hard at night, but I want to be quiet and let the world have nothing to do." Emperor Taizong once made it clear: "Cute is not a gentleman, and awesome is not a person. The son of heaven, if there is a way, people will push it, but if there is no way, people will abandon it. Great. " This is a kind of reverence for people with true feelings, and it is also the fundamental premise for Tang Taizong to maintain his admonition thought for a long time.
To sum up, it can be seen that Tang Taizong's important contribution to political thought is to combine the reality of governing the country and put forward such strategies as "the way of monarch" and "the way of harmony". Although there were many thinkers who emphasized "people-oriented" in ancient China, like Emperor Taizong, he raised this issue to such a high level from the perspective of the supreme ruler and persisted in implementing it in his own administrative practice. The social, political and economic situation improved rapidly, showing a remarkable style of governing the country. In the fourth year of Zhenguan (630), "The world is big, and the exiles are salty and return to their hometown, but the rice bucket is only three or four dollars. At the end of the year, only 29 people were sentenced to death. It faces the sea in the east and the five ridges in the Antarctic. It is not closed outside the home, and there is no food. Take it from the road. " This is rare in history. It can be said that the people-oriented political practice has never been so successful.
Second, appoint people on their merits and be open-minded coachable.
In the great cause of founding the country and governing the country, rulers of past dynasties need to unite and use talents to form the collective wisdom of leading groups. During the Zhenguan period when Emperor Taizong was in power, such a relationship between monarch and minister was clearly presented.
Tang Taizong believed that "the key to politics is to get people, but it is difficult to treat them without their talents." Today's appointments must be based on virtue and knowledge. "... In his view, the first condition of being a political country lies in selecting the best people and appointing them according to their abilities; The selection of talents must be based on "morality" and "knowledge". He believes that only by selecting a large number of people with real talents and high morality can we realize the great governance of the world. He employs people on their merits, regardless of past historical background and personal relationship, and is pragmatic. He once wrote in the "Emperor Fan": "Therefore, the duty of the Lord is like a craftsman's wood. Straight people regard it as an axis, curved people regard it as a wheel, elderly people regard it as a pillar, and short people regard it as a chariot. There is no difference between good and bad, each has its own advantages. A wise man is still a wise man, a wise man takes his plan, a fool takes his strength, a brave man takes his strength, and a fearful man takes his prudence. No wisdom, no stupidity, no courage, no timidity. Therefore, a good craftsman does not abandon materials, and a wise man does not abandon scholars. "Wei Zhi and Wang Kui are advisers to the murdered prince, which is a typical example. Emperor Taizong's appointment of talents is also very distinctive. He can know people well and give full play to their strengths. Fang and Du Ruhui, famous in history, are a typical example. They are not good at solving crimes and handling chores, but good at planning and deciding state affairs, so they are used as prime ministers to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses. Dai Zhou, who knew nothing about history, was honest, so he was invited to Dali Temple to be a young official and be responsible for hearing cases. As a result, he was extremely capable and never had a backlog of cases, which won the appreciation of Emperor Taizong.
The emphasis on talents runs through the political life of Emperor Taizong. Although his understanding of the role of the minister's assistant government and the relationship between talents and chaos control did not escape the previous norms, during his more than 20 years in power, he always put the talent issue in an important position, expounded it from time to time, and tried his best to put it into practice, which was very valuable for Tang Taizong's governance.
The reason why Emperor Taizong was respected in the history of China is directly related to his extraordinary coachable bearing. He once said to Wang Kui: "Since ancient times, people always want to live forever in their own country, but they can't change their ways just because they haven't heard of it. Now that I've lost something, you can tell me frankly that I can change it after listening to it again. Why worry about the uneasiness of the country? " He also said: "I have opened the road of frankly benefiting the country. Compared with many traitors who came to seal the national seal, I am still guilty." In Taizong's view, all of them are "the wise master thinks short and good, and the dark master protects short and is always stupid." Emperor Taizong always kept in mind Wei Zhi's saying that "listening to others is bright, while listening to others is dark". With good guiding ideology, easy education has a good foundation and premise. In order to be fully educated, Emperor Taizong carried out some reforms. He ordered officials with more than five grades to be on duty in Zhongshu Province (the office for drafting imperial edicts for the emperor), summoned at any time, and discussed major issues in time. He handed over the important military and political affairs of the country and the appointment and dismissal of officials above five categories to the Prime Minister's meeting, fully listened to the opinions of all people, brainstormed and appointed the most suitable candidate. For general government affairs, he asked Zhongshu Province, which is responsible for drafting the imperial edict, and Xiamen Province, which is responsible for reviewing the imperial edict, to perform their duties, do things seriously and not perfunctory. This not only effectively prevents the confusion of the arbitrary power of a few ministers, but also gives full play to everyone's collective wisdom. Only with mutually restrictive systems and measures can the correct principles and policies be produced smoothly. In order to remonstrate better, Emperor Taizong also took some concrete and effective measures, such as remonstrating officials and historians who attended military and political meetings, rewarding ministers who dared to remonstrate directly, and encouraging others to remonstrate later.
Because Emperor Taizong's attitude towards remonstrance was positive and remonstrable, at that time, there were people who dared to speak and remonstrate, from the prime minister's suggestion to county officials, petty officials, new employees and even imperial concubines. During his more than 20 years in office, Minister Wei Zhi raised more than 200 protests. This enlightened political situation and Wang Jian-chen's brilliant leadership art were rare in China feudal society.
Third, co-governance in the relationship between monarch and minister.
Emperor Taizong fully absorbed the thoughts of Confucius, Mencius and Xun, and handled the relationship between monarch and minister artistically, which is a model. He has some political thoughts that his predecessors didn't know or didn't know. He transferred the dominant aspect of the relationship between monarch and minister to the monarch, that is to say, the dominant aspect of the contradiction between monarch and minister is the monarch, rather than being a bad vassal all the time. In Tang Taizong's view, "world security" has a very close relationship with people and ministers. I am your "eyes and ears". The country should be stable, the political power should be stable, and the monarch and ministers should "be one" and "work together". In order to establish this new relationship between monarch and minister, Emperor Taizong repeatedly stressed that "the strengths of evil ministers cannot be justified, nor can the ministers of evil masters be justified. When the monarch and the minister meet, the fish and water are happy, and the sea is full of rivers. " He also said: "The monarch and the minister were originally responsible for chaos and common security. If the Lord accepts loyal advice, I will speak frankly, so it has always been important to make peace between the monarch and the minister. If you are wise, I am not self-righteous, and I want to avoid danger and gain nothing. Those who have lost their country cannot be immune. " On this basis, we can see that the interests of both the monarch and the minister are completely consistent. Only when the monarch and the minister fit together and heaven and justice are integrated can we create a new dynasty full of vitality and vigor. And his genius is that he put forward the idea of "co-governance".
So, how can the monarch and his subjects "govern together"? First, he asked his liegeman to be honest with him, and he also asked his liegeman to distinguish right from wrong, otherwise there would be no rules between him and his subjects, and Fiona Fang would not be achieved. Second, in the sixteenth year of Zhenguan (642), Emperor Taizong said, "If there is chaos, I will be there; Or if I'm confused, I'm in charge. If the two meet, what is it? " In other words, there is a division of labor between the monarch and the minister, but both sides have the responsibility to govern the country. Because of this idea that both sides are responsible for governing the country, both the monarch and the minister are investigated on the same level, whenever the country is not well governed, the reasons must always be found from both sides, which is a constraint for the monarch and the minister. This kind of thought has also changed the bad habits of emperors in previous dynasties, which is conducive to political clarity and progress. It can also be seen from this thought that Emperor Taizong was one of the few enlightened monarchs in history.
Four, lenient punishment and simple law to alleviate social contradictions.
Emperor Taizong attached great importance to the rule of law. He knows that the most basic thing to govern a country is to establish certain principles and implement the rule of law. He believes that the law of the country is not the law of the emperor, but the law that the whole world should abide by together, and everything should obey the law. Emperor Taizong believed that the legal system should be simple and prudent. Emperor Taizong said: "The national laws and regulations should be simple, but we should not commit a few crimes." He believes that the guiding ideology of legislation should be from heavy to light, from complex to simple. After the promulgation of the law, Emperor Taizong set an example and took the lead in abiding by the law, thus maintaining the unity and stability of the law. During the Zhenguan period, the prince really broke the law and was guilty of the same crime as the people. When enforcing the law, he is selfless, but he thinks repeatedly and is cautious when sentencing. He said, "The dead can't be reborn, and they should be treated leniently with legal affairs." . Therefore, special care should be taken. He removed many kinds of torture from the law, especially the death penalty, which was reduced by almost half. Thanks to the painstaking efforts of Emperor Taizong, the rule of law was very good during the Zhenguan period, and fewer people were sentenced to death for breaking the law. In the third year of Zhenguan (629), only 29 people in China were sentenced to death, which almost reached the highest standard of feudal society-"criminal measures", that is, criminal law could not be used.
Although the law is a tool of the dictatorship of the ruling class, since it appears to be above the whole society, it is necessary to impose some legal restrictions on the privileged. However, the insatiable class nature made feudal rulers unable to meet the provisions of legal rights, and often seized more wealth and privileges outside the law, leading to judicial ills of disobeying the law and knowing the law to break the law, which was particularly prominent in the Sui Dynasty. In view of these drawbacks of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Taizong emphasized law-abiding and opposed favoritism. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (642), Zhao Jie, the son of Princess Changguang, the sister of Emperor Taizong, took part in the Chenggan rebellion and died according to law. When he went to his sister's mansion, his sister pleaded with him, but he didn't forgive him, explaining, "reward him for not avoiding enemies and punish his relatives." This is the most open way in the world, so he is guilty of his sister. " It can be seen that he handled the contradiction of human intervention in the law well.
Emperor Taizong also paid attention to the perfection of laws and regulations. The Law of the Tang Dynasty, promulgated in the 11th year of Zhenguan (637), formulated some criminal laws to curb the arrogance of power according to the will of Emperor Taizong, and became the earliest and complete feudal code in China, which is a valuable legal heritage. As far as its legislative standards are concerned, it has a perfect performance that was rare in the past. Although it was essentially to consolidate feudal rule and protect the interests of the exploiting classes, Emperor Taizong attached importance to legislation and emphasized the simplicity and stability of the law, which has important reference significance for our current legal system construction.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) An open national policy.
The Tang Dynasty was a country with an unprecedented vast territory. As the founder of this unified multi-ethnic country, Emperor Taizong was deeply loved by the people of all ethnic groups, and people respectfully called him "Tai Shang Huang" and "Tian Khan". Become co-owners of people of all ethnic groups. Emperor Taizong believed that as the co-owner of Fengtian Transportation, he should rule the world and establish a unified world order at home and abroad. His high prestige among ethnic minorities is inseparable from his open ethnic policy. Thanks to his efforts, the Han nationality and ethnic minorities lived in harmony in the Tang Dynasty, and a golden age of harmonious ethnic relations and harmonious coexistence among all ethnic groups appeared in history.
In the 18th year of Zhenguan (644), the East Turkic asked the Tang Dynasty to live in Shengli and Zhou Xia, but many ministers opposed it. However, Emperor Taizong said: "The land is also popular, and its feelings are different from midsummer. People don't have to doubt different people when they encounter moral problems. Gede is just right, then the four barbarians can make it like a family; Doubt, flesh and blood are inevitably enemies. " [25] In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan (647), Emperor Taizong added: "Since ancient times, China has always been valued, while barbarians and Germany have always loved each other, so their species has always been based on me." [26] Hua Yi's thoughts are mainly manifested in the following aspects: redemption, giving food, restoring the working people captured by Han and Yi; Reward and punish Han Chinese and foreign generals equally; Treat Chinese and foreign generals equally; Treat Chinese and foreign wounded generals equally. [27] It is precisely because of Emperor Taizong's guiding ideology of "love as one family" for ethnic minorities that the Yuehu family has never existed since ancient times. [28] greatly improved the prestige of the Tang government.
In a word, Emperor Taizong's thought of governing the country is a valuable cultural heritage. Although his thought of governing the country changed after the tenth year of Zhenguan (636), there was a deviation in his understanding of the relationship between the people and the monarch. However, we should realize that after all, Emperor Taizong was a politician in feudal times and a representative of feudal landlord class, and his thoughts on governing the country also had the limitations of his class and times. So we can't ask the ancients by today's standards. Under the guidance of Marxist historical materialism, it is studied in depth, "to get rid of its feudal dross and take its democratic essence" [29]. Summing up useful experiences and lessons from it, we can find that Tang Taizong's thought of governing the country still has its important existence value and significance.