Chapter 12 Fourth, prosperity and decline

Relying on both soft and hard methods, as well as kindness and power, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty unified the political power, finance, armed forces, and thought.Thus, he developed the centralized imperial system to its first peak.Under his rule, the empire's civil and martial arts reached its heyday.The territory was vast and the culture was prosperous. The Silk Road stretched thousands of miles to the continent of Europe. The Chinese civilization spread far and wide, and the Han Empire became the most powerful country in the world at that time. However, in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the crisis of the empire had also been revealed inadvertently.As mentioned earlier, empire is the mature and typical form of power society, and its characteristic is centralization.Although centralization is not necessarily autocratic, and autocracy is not necessarily autocratic, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is mostly autocratic and autocratic.Moreover, it was precisely because of his tyranny and dictatorship that not only the court ministers and local county guards often committed suicide as relief, but even the prince Liu Zheng and the queen Wei Zifu finally committed suicide.As a result, when the Duke died, only an eight-year-old child (that is, Emperor Zhao Liu Fuling) succeeded him.The supreme power of the empire, including the power to abolish and establish the emperor, has since fallen into the hands of foreign relatives—first by the great general Huo Guang, and then by the great Sima Wang Mang.They either regard the abolition of legislation as a child's play, or regard the emperor as a doll.In 74 BC, the 20-year-old Emperor Zhao died. Huo Guang first succeeded Liu He, the king of Changyi, and 27 days later, he declared that the emperor was "faint" and established another 18-year-old great-grandson of Emperor Wu, Liu Xun (that is, Emperor Xuan) ) ascension.This is treating abolition as child's play.In 1 AD, Emperor Ai died, and Wang Mang welcomed the nine-year-old son of King Zhongshan, Liu? ? ? (that is, Emperor Ping) succeeded to the throne, and five years later, a two-year-old child was born to succeed Emperor Ping, who was said to have been poisoned to death by him.This is treating the emperor as a doll.Three years later, Wang Mang simply didn't even want this doll, and became emperor himself, and the Han Dynasty was cut into two parts, the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty.This is the legacy of Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Although the Han Dynasty was brought back to life by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu's "Zhongxing", the whole empire has been difficult to improve, but it is barely maintained.The history of the two hundred years of the later Han Dynasty is almost lacklustre. The first three emperors who made a difference, namely Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, Emperor Ming Liu Zhuang and Emperor Zhang Liu? ? ? .Aren't those other emperors weak Guanjian? ? ? , that is, they were pulled to make up the number in their infancy, and four of the emperors didn't even have time to celebrate their ten-year-old birthday.The supreme power of the empire is either controlled by relatives, stolen by eunuchs, or disturbed by the heroine.When the ambitious warlord Dong Zhuo led the so-called "King Qin" into Beijing to kill the eunuchs, he killed the Han Empire as well.According to "History of the Later Han Dynasty Xiandi Ji", in July of the first year of Jian'an (196 AD), when the hijacked Emperor Xiandi of Han returned to Luoyang, he was "a hundred officials overcoming thorns and thorns" and "starved to death between the walls".Where is the magnificent atmosphere of Emperor Wu's time now?But I saw, "The afterglow of the west wind, the tomb of the Han Dynasty".

Perhaps, this is called "boom and bust"? Such a process was repeated in the Tang Empire, but it happened faster and more dramatically.This is a history that is constantly mentioned, compiled and interpreted, and reviewed in various forms (writings, essays, novels, poems, dramas, movies), so it is particularly worthy of reflection. Tang, is the second peak in the history of the empire.Its brilliance is called "Han and Tang weather" together with the Han Dynasty.However, the great achievements of the Han Dynasty were basically local and local, while the achievements of the Tang Dynasty were multi-ethnic and international.In other words, compared with the Han Dynasty who opened up the "Silk Road", Tang's achievements are more multi-ethnic and international.Please see the list.During the Sui and Tang dynasties, countries in the Western Regions were conquered: Gaochang (Turpan, Xinjiang), Qiuci (Kucha, Xinjiang), Dangxiang (western Gansu), and Tuyuhun (Qinghai).Those who maintain friendly commercial relations are: Yanqi (Yanqi, Xinjiang), Shule (Kashgar, Xinjiang), Khotan (Hotian, Xinjiang), Tianzhu (India), ? ? ?Bin (Kashmir), Kang (Central Asia), Persia (Iran), Dashi (Arabian Peninsula), Gantang (South of the Caspian Sea), Zhujupo (North of Congling), Nibala (Nepal), Stone China (Northern Central Asia), Daqin (Eastern Roman Empire).This is just the countries of the Western Regions.Others include Koryo (northeast of the Korean Peninsula), Baekje (southwest of the Korean Peninsula), Bohai (in the provinces of Liaoning and Jilin), Khitan (northeast of Hebei and part of Liaoning), Tubo (Tibet), Turkic (Chinese North), Huihe (Northern China), Nanzhao (Yunnan), and so on.They were conquered, paid tribute, or traded.The Tang Empire opened its doors wide, and welcomed them without discrimination, and also learned from each other without discrimination.

This is the world's superpower.As a result, Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Empire, became an out-and-out international metropolis, filled with "starchasers" who came from all over the world with strange appearances and bizarre costumes.The politics, military affairs, and culture of the Tang Empire were all objects of their fanatical admiration and imitation.Among the most enthusiastic are the Japanese.The "envoys sent to Tang Dynasty" they sent were three to five hundred people at first, and then two to three thousand people each time.In addition to the principal and deputy envoys, there are also a large number of overseas students and monks of learning.Some come and never go back, and some copy immediately after returning.Kyoto and Nara were modeled after Chang'an, but the scale and scope were far smaller.

Isn't Datang a prosperous age? Tang became the golden age of the empire for many reasons.The turmoil of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties for more than 300 years was one reason (we will talk about this later), and the unification of China by the Sui Dynasty was also a reason.Without the vitality injected in the 369 years of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and without the foundation of Sui's entrepreneurship, there would be no great Tang dynasty.In this sense, Tang Taizong's so-called "Zhenguan Reign" was just picking a peach.Of course, being able to pick peaches instead of throwing them away like Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty should be attributed to Li Shimin's great talent and reform and opening up.

Li Shimin's very effective measures are to uphold, develop and improve the two systems established by the Sui Dynasty-the imperial examination system and the official system. The "Election Records" of "New Book of Tang" said at the beginning: "Tang System: Most of the divisions for selecting scholars are from Sui and old." One of the important regulations is that "scholars all have records (genealogies) listed in the prefectures and counties. ", that is, to freely sign up for public examinations with household registration or birth certificates, and to become candidates for national civil servants based on the results of the examinations.This is the imperial examination system.The imperial examination system is a talent selection system, which was called the "election system" in ancient China (selection means selection, and selection means promotion).Such a system is far more reasonable and beneficial to the country than the Chaju (chaju levy) of the Qin and Han Dynasties and the recommendation (Jiupin Zhongzheng) of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.Its meaning, we will talk about it later (Chapter Three of this book).What I want to say here is that precisely because the imperial examination system is conducive to the selection of talents and the centralization of power, it was inherited by later dynasties, and it was regarded as the top priority related to the fate of the dynasty, and it continued until 1905 AD .

Simultaneously with this, since the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, county bureaucrats (deputies) were no longer self-appointed (selected) by the chief official (principal). "Officials, big and small, are appointed by the Ministry of Officials", that is, all officials are appointed by the central government.This is undoubtedly to strengthen the centralization of power.Another important system also established by the Sui Dynasty is the "three provinces and six ministries system", that is, the central government is divided into three provinces: Shangshu, Zhongshu, and Menxia.The Zhongshu Province is responsible for handling the downstream documents, the Menxia Province is responsible for reviewing the upward official affairs, and the Shangshu Province is in charge of the six departments and is responsible for all administrative work.From this point of view, the Zhongshu Province is a bit like the legislative department, the Menxia Province is a bit like the supervisory department, and the Shangshu Province is a bit like the administrative department.The three provinces are divided into powers and are both prime ministers.But this kind of "decentralization" (actual division of labor) is only for the emperor to better centralize power, and even for better office work (the Zhongshu and the two provinces under the door are actually just the emperor's secretarial team), which is different from the Western "three powers". "Separate" are two completely different things.

However, the significance of the "system of three provinces and six ministries" cannot be underestimated.We know that any unified dynasty in Chinese history is a giant empire.Any emperor, whether wise or foolish, must and can only rely on the bureaucratic group to manage the country.The number of this bureaucratic group has varied throughout the dynasties, but even with a streamlined army and a simplified administration, it is still too large for the "lonely man".If there is no minimum check and balance of power and corresponding institutional arrangements, the exercise of power will be uncontrollable.Therefore, at the beginning of the establishment of the imperial system, there was a "separation of powers" among the administrative, military, and supervisory departments; in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was a "separation of powers" between Shangshu, Zhongshu, and sectarians.This is because, although the administrative, military, and supervisory powers have been separated, the administrative power (the prime minister's power) is still considered too heavy, and there is a risk of deterring the monarchy.This will be divided again, that is, to reduce the relative power.After the founding of the Song Dynasty, in view of the political chaos in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the internal power was domineering and the feudal towns were restless, so he took all the power of the local government to the central government and restored the power of the central government to the monarch. The "two-government system" of the Zhongshu Province and the Privy Council further used the Privy Council to restrict the Zhongshu Province (the Zhongshu Province in the Song Dynasty actually included the Shangshu, Zhongshu, and Menxia provinces in the Tang Dynasty).In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang simply abolished the prime minister, and the emperor was the head of the state and concurrently the head of the government, which was even more centralized.Of course, this is something later (see the next section for details).In short, the imperial examination system selects officials, and the three-province system restricts power. With such a foundation, the Tang Empire can implement its comprehensive opening-up policy.

There may be racial reasons for this.The founders of the Sui and Tang empires all had ethnic minorities.Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, was of Xianbei blood, and Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was of Hu people's blood from northern Shanxi. Therefore, both Hu and Han were treated equally, and both Chinese and foreign were able to embrace everything.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once said to the people around him: "Since ancient times, Huaxia has been valued, and barbarians and Didi have been valued. They have united and loved each other as one, so they are all dependent on each other like their parents." They even supported various religions without hindrance.Because the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was surnamed Li, he originally advocated Taoism, but when Xuanzang returned from India, Emperor Taizong personally met him and sponsored him to translate Buddhist scriptures.Others, such as Nestorianism (Christian Nestorians), Jackoism (Zoroastrianism), and Manichaeism (an ancient Persian religion), all had monasteries in Chang'an, and the elders of their religions were taught by the government without distinction. Official position and rank.Syrians, Arabs, Persians, Tatars, Tibetans, Koreans, Japanese, and Annanites all coexist peacefully and help each other here (please refer to Huang Renyu's "Talking about Chinese History by the Hudson River").With such an open mind, how can you not return to your heart?

However, Tang prospered because of the mixed-blood emperor and declined because of the mixed-blood generals.In 755 A.D., Fan Yang Jiedu envoy An Lushan, known as "Yingzhou Turkic Hybrid Hu", rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. He went south from Yuyang with 150,000 people to capture Luoyang and Chang'an the next year.Yuyang cockroaches came to the ground with agitation, and the neon clothes and feathers were frightened.Having created the heyday of Kaiyuan and Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty, who is now more than a few years old, fled in a hurry. After executing his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan and Prime Minister Yang Guozhong in Maweipo, he fled to Sichuan.This is a watershed in the Tang Empire from prosperity to decline.Its time is 135 years from Li Tang Dynasty to Sui Dynasty in 618 AD, and 152 years from Zhu Wen's destruction of Tang Dynasty in 907 AD, which is almost exactly the same.

It is said that An Lushan was forced to rebel by Yang Guozhong, because Yang Guozhong always said in front of the emperor that An Lushan was going to rebel, but An Lushan had to rebel if he didn't.Only after this rebellion did they discover that the great Tang Empire was a paper tiger with a strong outside but a weak inside, and it would be destroyed at the first stab.The so-called "elite troops of the empire" are nothing but a guard of honor in the palace; the "Kaiyuan heyday" that is repeatedly recalled by later generations is nothing but a sickly prosperity. "When a concubine rides the world of mortals and laughs, no one knows that it is litchi." The convenient transportation and rich products are not used by the people of the country.In fact, whether it is centralization or enlightened autocracy, in the final analysis, they are all for the purpose of consolidating the imperial power, or even for the extravagance of a very few people.What sustains this dominance is actually very fragile.Therefore, once Wang Gang released the knot, he would be vulnerable.In the end, the emperor of the Ninth Five-Year Plan couldn't even keep his beloved woman, so he could only "look back at the scene of blood and tears".Of course, what he lost at the same time was the throne. The rebellion was finally quelled with the help of the Hu people (Huihe), but the Tang Dynasty has never recovered from it.Although it has been maintained for nearly a century and a half since then, it has lost the grandeur and vigor of the past.As long as you read the poems of the middle and late Tang Dynasty, you will know that their bearing is not the same as that of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.What is "the sun rises at the beginning of the cloud, the sun sinks the pavilion, and the rain is about to come and the wind fills the building" (Xu Hun), what is "the businesswoman does not know the hatred of subjugation, but she still sings flowers in the backyard across the river" (Du Mu), that is almost an elegy. The golden age of empire is gone forever.