Xuanwumen Incident

The Xuanwumen Incident occurred in the ninth year of Wude (626), Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty. In 617, Li Yuan, with the support of Li Shimin, raised troops in Taiyuan to rebel against the Sui Dynasty and soon occupied Chang'an. In 618, Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty and made his son Li Jiancheng the crown prince. It is said that it was Li Shimin's plan to raise troops in Taiyuan, and Li Yuan promised him to make him the crown prince after the incident was completed. But after the world was peaceful and Li Shimin became more and more famous, Li Yuan was hesitant. Li Jiancheng immediately united with his fourth brother, King Qi Li Yuanji, to exclude Li Shimin. Li Yuan's indecisiveness also caused conflicts between the political orders of the DPRK and the Central Government, and accelerated the war between the princes. In that year, Li Jiancheng suggested to Li Yuan that Li Yuanji should be the commander-in-chief to attack the Turks, so as to seize the troops of the King of Qin and prevent Li Shimin from usurping the throne of the crown prince. At the critical moment, Li Shimin decided to fight to the death and strike preemptively. Taking the lead in killing his eldest brother Li Jiancheng and his fourth brother Li Yuanji, this was the famous Xuanwu Gate Incident in history. Just three days after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin was appointed crown prince, taking over the actual supreme power of the Tang Dynasty from his father. On the ninth day of August, Tang Gaozu was forced to abdicate, and Li Shimin became the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

The Road of Tian Khan

The Tang Dynasty was the most high-spirited era in Chinese history. In this dynasty, which was "very barbaric", the frequency of border wars and the number of victories were among the highest. Many, very rare in ancient Chinese history. Therefore, only the Tang Dynasty could give birth to a specialized school of frontier poetry, with poems like "The bones of the battles are buried in the wilderness every year." As for "The banners of the Han family are all over the Yinshan Mountains, and they don't send horses to return them. If you want to grow up and serve the country, why should you be born in Yumen Pass?" "I have been reported to capture Tuyuhun alive", "The snow-capped mountains are covered by long clouds in Qinghai, and the isolated city looks into the Yumen Pass. The golden armor will be worn in a hundred battles, and the Loulan will not be returned until it is broken." "How many people have fought in ancient times?" This kind of heroic statement has even become the last example of the Chinese people's martial spirit in ancient history due to the trend of practicing martial arts in later dynasties. Especially during the Zhenguan period, the Tang Dynasty attacked from all sides, with a strong force and an iron horse, swallowing thousands of miles like a tiger.

Controversial evaluation

We all know that Li Shimin is also a human being. No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. In the late Zhenguan period, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty began to undergo some changes, which were first reflected in his acceptance of remonstrances. In the tenth year of Zhenguan (636), Wei Zheng discovered that he was "increasingly outspoken", which was the beginning of some mistakes for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The first is to conquer Goguryeo. This move is considered by some people to be a wrong move. However, judging from the situation at that time, this expedition is necessary and necessary. First, the responsibility for launching the war lies with Goguryeo. Goguryeo brazenly attacked Silla, a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, and provoked a war. In order to maintain its authority, the Tang Dynasty needed to launch a war to protect the interests of its vassal states. Second, during the war, the Tang army was just and humane. This was also an external condition that ensured that the Tang army suffered very little losses. All the cities captured by the Tang army supported the Tang army. However, in order to maintain justice and humanity, it led to a preference for stability, which lengthened the war period. Third, the Tang army's retreat and subsequent war fully demonstrated Li Shimin's ambition and superb strategic thinking. The Tang army wiped out hundreds of thousands of people in Goguryeo with a loss of 2,000 people, which was rare throughout the ages. It is rare for an enemy general to kneel down and worship at the city wall when retreating. The military harassment and political blockade by the Tang army in the later period made Goguryeo's strength worse and worse, and finally Gaozong destroyed Goguryeo. There is also a marked increase in luxury. In the 16th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict stating that other institutions should not restrict the things used by the prince. As a result, the prince was wasted seriously. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also began to build palaces. In the 11th year of Zhenguan, he built Feishan Palace in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and in the 21st year of Zhenguan, he built Cuiwei Palace. These made Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty less diligent and thrifty in the early period. Another big mistake was to participate in the daily notes written by historians. This book is dedicated to the emperor's daily life and political remarks. The emperor has no right to interfere. This is a long-standing tradition. Emperors in the past have not read it and respect the authority and status of the historian. The historian was also fair and straightforward, never hiding anything, and never afraid of the emperor's retaliation. However, the famous emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty made a big historical mistake, which affected the fairness of the historian.

Of course, there is no complete evidence that Taizong massively distorted history. At the same time, it is not just Taizong. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, there have been hundreds of historians. Dong Hu wrote straight, Chen Shou asked for bribes, Taishi was imprisoned, not to mention the literary prison of the Qing Dynasty. In addition, Xu Jingzong did not have a good impression of Li Shimin. This shows that, The history of the early Tang Dynasty should be credible. In the early days of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ignored the dissuasion of his ministers Wei Zheng and Li Daliang and demanded land and materials from the surrendered northern nomadic tribes. As a result, these tribes had an increasing appetite after enjoying enough of the Tang Dynasty's favor, and they simply rebelled. . Later, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also reflected on himself: "The Chinese people are the foundation of the world, and the people of the four barbarians are all on the same branches and leaves. To disturb the roots and thicken the branches and leaves, in order to seek long-term peace, it is not possible. At first, Wei Zheng's words were not accepted, so he felt tired. The cost is too high, and the way to long-term peace is almost lost." In the 20th year of Zhenguan (646), when he returned from the Liaodong campaign, Tang Taizong fell ill. He has been recovering since then and began to take gold and stone elixirs refined by alchemists. Previously, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty had ridiculed Emperor Qin and Han Wu for being obsessed with alchemy and seeking elixirs, but now he could not help but fall into it. In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan (647), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty suffered from "wind disease" again. He was irritable and afraid of heat, so he had someone build a Cuiwei Palace on the top of Mount Li. , the condition continues to worsen. He died in Hanfeng Hall on May 26th (July 10th) in the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649) at the age of fifty-two.

Famous Quotes:

Using copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; using ancient times as a mirror, you can understand the ups and downs; using people as a mirror, you can understand gains and losses.

The king is a boat; the common man is water. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. (Originally from "Xunzi Duke Ai", but

Taizong of the Tang Dynasty used it a lot and later it became what he said)

Take your fair share of wealth and abstain from nameless wine. Always have a heart of self-restraint, but keep your mouth shut about right and wrong. If you can follow what I say, you will be rich and famous for a long time.