Chapter 43 third chapter

Li Shimin launched a coup on June 4, the ninth year of Wude (AD 626) to seize power from his father and brother, and changed it to Yuan Zhenguan in the second year. This year name was used for 23 years until the end of his life.Therefore, the great achievements made by Li Shimin during the reign of Zhenguan were called "the rule of Zhenguan" by later historians. At the beginning of Zhenguan, Li Shimin carried out vigorous reforms in political institutions, legal systems, economic measures, military systems, etc., and created many systems and measures that would affect later generations: he expanded the number of prime ministers, dispersed and weakened the power of prime ministers, State affairs are discussed collectively in advance, and then the emperor decides to make a decision. In this way, the arbitrariness and dictatorship are overcome accordingly, and the disadvantages such as blindness and subjectivity are naturally reduced; he believes that the imperial examination system can ensure the quality of official selection. The first system, "Open Election", proposed to states and counties to expand the number of candidates for tribute, improve the political status of the landlords of the common people, and make the world's talents as good as possible; In the "Great Consolidation of Provinces" local prefectures and counties, three-quarters of redundant internal officials were cut, reducing the number from 2,581 in the Sui Dynasty to 640, and the local officials were also streamlined to a certain extent...Through a A series of government construction and official selection measures from the central to local governments greatly improved the administrative efficiency of the Tang Dynasty, laying an indispensable political foundation for Li Shimin's rule to surpass the previous dynasties.

The recovery and development of the economy is the main feature of the rule of Zhenguan.Li Shimin once said: "The country is based on the people, and food is the life of the people. If the grains and millets are not listed, the land is not owned by the state." Due to its prominent position, a series of policies were formulated to restore the development of agriculture: implement the land equalization system and the rent adjustment method, and pay attention to sacrificing labor and not taking away farming time; building water conservancy to resist natural disasters; setting up free warehouses to store grain for shortages; Stabilize prices and prevent low grain prices from hurting farmers...Through these measures, the vast rural areas soon saw a scene of "smooth weather, a prosperous year, no floods and droughts for the people, and no famine for the country".

In terms of economic management, under the influence of traditional philosophical thoughts - holistic thinking, image thinking, and fuzzy thinking, ancient Chinese feudal society seldom used advanced and scientific digital management, and it is difficult to see relevant accurate statistics.What we see before our eyes is that the prosperity of the world is always "living and working in peace and contentment, the country is rich and the people are prosperous";We can only perceive how clear the society under the rule of Zhenguan and how prosperous the economy is from similar vague vocabulary.There are some records about the scene of Shengping during the Zhenguan period. We might as well transcribe it as follows for readers' reference:

In a short period of time, Li Shimin made the society that had gone through wars and declines present a great situation of "smooth weather and a prosperous year", and has been repeatedly mentioned and praised by later generations.The prosperity of national power should be based on the development of productivity and economy. The Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous period of ancient Chinese feudal society, and the Zhenguan period was a typical prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty. Based on this, we can regard the productivity and economy of the Zhenguan period as a The most prosperous and prosperous period in ancient society.

Being good at employing people and accepting advice is an important part of the rule of Zhenguan.Among the talents Li Shimin valued, there are heroes Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji who have been following the left and right since the Taiyuan uprising, generals Cheng Yaojin and Qin Shubao who participated in the peasant uprising, and old officials of the Sui Dynasty Feng Deyi, Yuwen Shiji, Yu Shinan, etc., there are Li Jing, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, etc. who were recruited when they marched into Guanzhong and built the Tang Dynasty, and there were captives Yuchi Jingde, Chu Liang, and Li Baiyao who were incorporated in the Unification War. Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji's opponents Wei Zheng, Xue Wanche, Feng Li, etc... as long as they are really useful talents, they are all collected by Li Shimin's side, so that they can make the best use of their talents and people.

Li Shimin's humility to accept advice is mainly manifested in the fact that he uses the admonisher Wei Zheng as a mirror, constantly observing and correcting what he hears.In this regard, he once said in a general way: "With copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; with ancient times as a mirror, you can know the ups and downs; with people as a mirror, you can understand gains and losses." Under the guidance of Li Shimin's initiative to seek advice and enlightened policies At that time, courtiers could express their opinions directly, and there was a rare situation in Chinese feudal society where monarchs and ministers "discussed with each other" in political affairs.In this way, the government decrees of the Zhenguan period were more in line with reality and exceeded the general standard of the tradition of rule by man in the feudal dynasties of the past dynasties.

The outstanding achievements of the Zhenguan regime are also reflected in the management of the frontier and the development of relations with the surrounding ethnic minorities.During the initial period of the Tang Dynasty, it had to compromise and surrender to the Turkic tribes.As soon as Li Shimin seized power, he was attacked fiercely by the Eastern Turks, and even the capital Chang'an was threatened, so he had to "spend the treasury for peace".In order to avenge his shame, after three years of hard work and preparations, Li Shimin sent a six-way army to counterattack and wiped out the East Turks in one fell swoop; vast area.The East Turks once dominated the Northwest, and their power was very strong. After the Tang Dynasty wiped them out, the "Siyi Monarchs" frightened by their prestige, played together and asked Li Shimin to be honored as "Tian Khan" and become the common leader recognized by all ethnic groups in ancient China. A multi-ethnic country with "9,500 miles from east to west and 16,918 miles from north to south".Faced with Li Shimin's achievements, even the Supreme Emperor Li Yuan, who had been depressed since his abdication, had to admit that his son surpassed himself: "Han Gaozu was poor and could not repay him; now my son can destroy the Turks, and I have entrusted them to others. Worrying?" At the celebration banquet, he couldn't help "playing the pipa" and "dancing", and said from the bottom of his heart: "The Hu Yue family has never existed since ancient times!"

After that, Li Shimin managed the Western Regions, controlled Tuyuhun, brought Gaochang into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and made peace with Tubo.The difference between the marriage of the Tang Dynasty and the marriage of the Han Dynasty is that in the Tang Dynasty, after the strong forces defeated the Tubo attack, at the request of Songtsen Gampo's envoys, they turned hostility into jade and married Princess Wencheng to Tibet; while the Han Dynasty's marriage was a military force. It was a forced "bribery" of using women as "treasures" when it was not as good as the Huns.It is quite interesting that when the feudal society in ancient China was strong, it was often able to accept and adopt peace policies; once it was weak, it became extremely fragile and weird, closing itself, confining itself in a narrow space and narrow consciousness.

The greatness of Li Shimin and the grandeur and prosperity of the Tang Dynasty largely depended on being able to welcome winds from all directions with an open attitude and a broad mind, to absorb all heterogeneous civilizations, and to embrace everything.During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, there were more than 100 ethnic minority officials with grade five or above, accounting for almost half of all government officials.During the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an not only accommodated various ethnic minorities in China, but also moved into tens of thousands of "Hu people", and also lived in people from Persia, Tianzhu, Dashi, Java, Iran and other countries. They accepted and tolerated almost all advanced civilizations at that time. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a world metropolis.Before the Tang Dynasty, foreign cultures were only melted bit by bit through the Silk Road, while the Tang Dynasty adopted a "total acceptance" attitude, from food to clothing, entertainment, curios, customs, etc., and imported them on a large scale. Works for me.From top to bottom, there is a strong "Hu Feng Hu Qi".There was no period in ancient Chinese history that incorporated such a huge culture like the Tang Dynasty. Schaefer, a world-renowned sinologist and American scholar, classified the "imported products" that flooded into the Tang Dynasty in his book "Foreign Civilizations in the Tang Dynasty". A "list" was made, with hundreds of kinds.What is important is not the objects themselves, but their influence on people's ideas and behaviors, that is, their profound effect on the society and culture of the Tang Dynasty.Li Shimin was born in the historical period when the Hu and Han ethnic groups assimilated each other. His ancestors were "suspected" of mixed blood. "Hu Feng" has a certain connection.Zhu Xi once said: "The origin of the Tang Dynasty came from the barbarians, so it is not unusual for the impoliteness of the boudoir." Therefore, the prosperity of the society and the outstanding culture of the Tang Dynasty are the crystallization of the collision and "hybridization" of different bloodlines and civilizations. .