Chapter 18 Reign of Zhenguan

The early Tang Dynasty in the 7th century AD can be regarded as an exciting period in Chinese history. In 630, Li Jing defeated the Turks, and Tang Taizong Li Shimin was promoted as "Tian Khan" by the princes of Siyi.On that day, Gaozu Li Yuan had abdicated as the Supreme Emperor, and he was still celebrating in Lingyan Pavilion.The emperor played the pipa himself, and the emperor danced in public. This kind of scene is unique in Chinese history.Later, the Tang army captured the countries in the Western Regions, making China's power reach to the west of Congling, and made contact with Persia and India.At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, only Goryeo was able to make a strong resistance to China, but the Gaozong Dynasty finally conquered Pyongyang and established the Andong Governor's Mansion.

In addition to martial arts in the Tang Dynasty, Wenzhi was followed.The capital Chang'an is 6 miles from east to west and 5 miles from north to south.The city edge of modern Xi'an is only 1/8 of its area.Moreover, the whole city was built according to the plan, the whole city was divided into 110 squares, and the north-south road was 500 feet wide, which undoubtedly broke various world records on that day. Due to the large number of tribute envoys from various countries and their various costumes, Yan Shigu, the Minister of Zhongshu, asked the painter to paint the "Wang Hui Tu" in the third year of Zhenguan (629 AD) to commemorate the grand occasion.At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Persia came to envoy ten times.Japan's "envoy to Tang Dynasty" is even more grand in scale.At first, only three to five hundred people were dispatched each time, and later two thousand people were sent each time. In addition to the chief and deputy envoys, there were also a large number of overseas students and "student monks".Some of them have lived in China for decades.After they returned to China, they imitated the legal system of the Tang Dynasty, which is still called "decree politics" in Japanese history.The land equalization system in the Tang Dynasty was called "bantian" in Japan.Nara and Heian (now Kyoto) were built according to Chang'an's design, but the scope is far inferior, and it has not been completed as planned.Chang'an has Suzakumen Street, Nara and Ping'an's north-south road, also known as "Suzaku Road".Deng Zhicheng analyzed the "ethnic groups" in contact with the Tang Dynasty based on the description lists in "New Tang Book" and "Old Tang Book", and there were a total of forty-eight "countries".The twenty-nine of "tributary" in the inner middle, the sixth of "nashi", the fifth of "submission", the fourth of "peace and war" and "abnormal attachment", the second of "engagement", "come to study abroad" One is the one, and one is the "marriage".This can also represent the grand event of the victory.

Therefore, the Tang Dynasty is the most "extroverted" in Chinese history.Moreover, in the early Tang Dynasty, the imperial court had strong confidence and was able to support all religions without hindrance.When Xuanzang went to India to learn Buddhist scriptures, Emperor Taizong personally issued an imperial edict and subsidized his translation work with the manpower and material resources of the government.Since then, no fewer than dozens of eminent monks from India and the Western Regions came to China to translate classics during the Tang Dynasty.Other Nestorianism, Jackoism, and Manichaeism also have monasteries in Chang'an, and the elders of their religions are also granted official positions by the government regardless of their domain. L. Carrington Goodrich's "A Brief History of the Chinese People" quotes the observation of a modern scholar: "Chang'an is not only a place of missionary work, but also a city with an international character, including Syrians, Arabs, Persians, and Dadanians. , Tibetans, Koreans, Japanese, Annanites and people of different races and beliefs can live together here in harmony, which is a clear contrast to the fierce disputes over race and religion in Europe today .”

It was the power of Taizong Li Shimin who opened up this situation.Perhaps because he is of ethnic minority origin, he treats Hu and Han equally.This style had a decisive influence on the Tang Dynasty.Li Shimin himself said to his courtiers: "Since ancient times, although the emperors have pacified the Central Plains, they have been able to subdue the Rong and Di. I can't catch the ancients, but I can surpass them if I succeed. Therefore, those who can reach this have always valued the Chinese and despised the Barbarians. I only love them. Therefore, they all depend on me like their parents." Because there were so many generals in the Tang Dynasty, it was also mentioned in Zhao Yi's "Xing Yu Cong Kao".

At the age of 18, Li Shimin encouraged his father Li Yuan to launch an attack. He had many "brain tanks" under him, and most of Tang Gaozu's career was planned by him.Moreover, he himself took the lead in combat, and when he was weak, he was already able to command troops of more than 100,000 people, and he was responsible for military and political work on his own.It would be an exaggeration to say that he has no mistakes, but from various sources, it can be seen that he is well-planned, and he often appears in the most dangerous places, such as riding in front of the battle to answer the enemy general, thus establishing his personal reputation. The prestige of his leadership is able to exert his leadership power to a high degree.

The early 7th century was the golden age for emperors and generals to establish their careers. The crude embryo of the "Second Empire", the Hu-Han mixed blood, has already established the basic category of self-cultivation and farming since childhood.Even if Yang Sui abused it, from a technical point of view, his high-pressure policy still had organizational effects in the long history.What's more, after the fighting in the last years of Emperor Yangdi and the early years of Emperor Gaozu of Tang Dynasty, people's hearts hoped for governance, as Wei Zheng said: "For example, the hungry are easy to eat, and the thirsty are easy to drink." Therefore, the opportunity was fully utilized to achieve the "Reign of Zhenguan" in history.It is said that "as far as the sea in the east, the five mountains of Antarctica are all open to the outside, and they don't get food for travel, but get it from roads", which is the most famous historian.Western sinologists have always criticized Chinese emperors a lot, but they almost unanimously praised Tang Taizong Li Shimin.In 628 A.D., Li Shimin sent out more than 3,000 court ladies, ordering them to "ask for a husband and wife". In 633, 390 of the dead were sent home, and they were ordered to die immediately after autumn, and they were all pardoned.Bai Juyi wrote a poem praising Taizong's virtue:

However, Li Shimin's compliments are not completely consistent. "Death Row" has long been accused by traditional historians of being unreasonable, and it seems to be deliberately arranged to create a reputation.Lu Simian, a close friend, even accused Taizong of "he is a martial artist, and his family background is gradually contaminated with northern customs, so the habit of arrogance and violence is inevitable." Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty was accused of being a faint emperor, but he called his officials : "Tang Taizong threatened his father to kill his brother, and his family law was not correct. How can he be the master?" So he was not allowed to speak during the Jingyan (a program in which the ministers of literature explain the history of the classics in front of the emperor and hold a banquet afterwards); Li Shimin's 22 years of Yuyu's deeds are all excluded from history.

From today's point of view, in the 7th century AD, Europe entered the Middle Ages, which was called the "Dark Age" not too far away, and Japan was just affected by mainland culture. its right.However, this kind of organization does not have a definite foundation of the rule of law, and it cannot last long. Its influence with the Tang Dynasty will be discussed in the following sections. Now, judging from Taizong's flaunting of moral achievements, we can get a glimpse of Li Shimin's true character; and this historical fact also allows us to see clearly that the Chinese political system, although early matured, has its own weaknesses, so it has survived for more than a thousand years. In the end, it was unable to maintain its leading position, and the West and Japan took the lead.

Li Shimin is the second son of Li Yuan. He, his eldest brother Jian Jian, third brother Yuanba, and fourth brother Yuan Ji were born to the first wife of Empress Taimu.Yuanba died early, and Jiancheng and Yuanji also participated in the war against the heroes in the early Tang Dynasty to conquer the Central Plains, but their merits and popularity were not as good as the people of the world.After Li Yuan became emperor, Li Jian became the crown prince, and Yuan Ji got close to him, which caused estrangement and suspicion between the two parties.The weakness of China's traditional oligarchy lies in the inaccuracy of statistics, and the fair handling of numerous civil disputes, especially beyond the technical capabilities of the administrative system.Therefore, the imperial power can only be extremized. In fact, it does not matter whether it is indiscriminate. As long as the power of the referee comes from the "imperial decree" and the "mandate of heaven" is the background, then the unfairness is also fair, and the unreasonable is also reasonable.This kind of power of life and death, and the frequent use of rewards and punishments in the name of the best and the worst made the emperor's throne a very dangerous position.When problems continue to arise, it becomes a source of chaos.This book has described many cases of father-son-uncle-nephew-in-law killing each other in person. Sometimes the parties involved are controlled by subordinate party members, even if they want to stay out of the matter, it is impossible.We can say that this is a tragedy that history repeats itself.

The rift between Li Shimin and his eldest brother Jiancheng and fourth brother Yuanji involves such a background.He made friends with court officials himself, and later accused his brother of murdering him by "being a villain on the outside, and being lucky on the inside". History. "New Book of Tang" was completed in the Song Dynasty, which is more objective).In fact, he and his staff set up an ambush at Xuanwu Gate and murdered Jiancheng and Yuanji.Jiancheng was shot to death by Shimin himself with a bow and arrow, while Yuanji died at the hands of his subordinates.But on the funeral day, "Taizong Yu Yiqiumen cried very sadly".Jiancheng and Yuanji each had 5 sons, and they also "sat side by side".Taizong himself was only 28 years old when this happened, and how his 10 nephews, probably still more or less children, were captured and executed by his uncle is not described in detail in the history books.Two months later, Li Yuan abdicated as the Supreme Emperor, and Li Shimin was located in the East Palace.

Interpreting this period of history with traditional moral concepts often feels uncertain.For example, when Sima Guang wrote, he accused Li Yuan of being wrong, Li Jiancheng was wrong, and Li Shimin was also wrong.It's not that his opinion is wrong, it's just that this kind of opinion is considered humble and insignificant in today's view, and there is no need for historians to write books to argue.Moreover, the "Xuanwu Gate Change" had already occurred, and Taizong Li Shimin himself hadn't completely covered up the facts. It is also unrealistic for Wanli to avoid the past of the Zhenguan Dynasty 1,000 years later.What's more, 400 years later, the status of Emperor Wanli in history cannot be compared with Tang Taizong. Modern psychoanalysts believe that a person's personality can be divided into three parts: the so-called ID can be called the "physiological self". Under this primitive condition, there is no restraint or taboo.It's just that the so-called "beast behavior" by the Chinese cannot be applied in the lives of the masses.The so-called SUPER-EGO can also be called the "social self".Ordinary people are brought up by their parents as children, conform to the habits of society, and impose various conscious and unconscious constraints on their own desires. This controlling power comes from the social self.The so-called EGO can be translated as the "psychological self", which is the result of the physical self being influenced by external contact. On the one hand, it still has some primitive desires, and on the other hand, it endows itself with a kind of social value.These complex procedures that constitute each person's personality, including suppression, change of goals, natural expression, character sublimation, etc., are often bizarre ways that the individual does not know himself through various mechanical effects, or is unwilling to change even though he knows it. All admitted. Tang Taizong and the reign of Zhenguan are most easily explained by this method of psychological analysis. Li Shimin is a person who is prone to impulsive temperament.He once asked Lu Zushang to be the governor of Jiaozhi, but Lu had agreed to take up the post, but turned down to the emperor. Li Shimin invited him again and again, but Lu Jian refused.Shimin said in a rage, "I still can't drive you, how can I control the world?" At that time, I killed Lu in the court.Therefore, Lu Simian said that he "has the habit of arrogance and violence, and death is inevitable", which is not unfounded.However, since he killed his brother and threatened his father, and he has read sage books, he cannot be ashamed of it, and he has been condemned by his conscience, so it is all the more self-defense to commend his various actions.As for going to this extreme between him and his brothers, it is his general military law, "the only task is to caress and recruit talented people."Since he is the honor of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, it is even more necessary to commend him for being involved in the vortex of tragedy, just because he has the talent and ability to be the king of Yao and Shun.Therefore, the former prince Xima (secretary and consultant) of Wei Zheng's family is said to have planned to instigate Li Jiancheng and Tu Shimin, and he also took Wei Zheng over as a consultant, which shows that he has always been magnanimous.After that, Wei Zheng admonished the emperor for more than 200 things in Zhenguan, and often violated Taizong's will, but was honored instead.There is such a record: It can be seen that Taizong's remonstrance was not necessarily for the purpose of receiving remonstrance, but to praise himself for being an emperor with humility and insight.And Wei Zheng also said that Taizong "feared that people would not remonstrate at the beginning of Zhenguan, and often led him to speak", which is also related to this motive of chasing fame.Wei Zheng also knew the danger of the situation. He once said to Emperor Taizong: "May your majesty envoys be good ministers, not loyal ministers." Coexistence and common prosperity. Putting Tang Taizong Li Shimin on the couch of a neurologist is not the purpose of this book. The narrative is too trivial, especially contrary to the purpose of talking about "big history".As long as we have the analysis of these backgrounds, we can know that the establishment of the Shangshu, Zhongshu, and Menxia provinces in the Tang Dynasty still goes far away from the ideal of separation of powers.Taizong still monopolizes power.Moreover, the lower-level institutions cannot form electorate districts, and the imperial power is concentrated at the top, and there is no possibility of decentralization in China.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty met when he met. When the Second Empire was formed in the early 7th century, there were not only land equalization, rent adjustment, and military soldiers since the Northern Wei Dynasty, but also the North-South Canal and the examination system established by the Sui Dynasty. In addition, the emperor's actions were relatively free. When Taizong exercised his autocratic imperial power, he considered public opinion a little bit. Because his imperial power was more rational, it made a real contribution to maintaining the trend of continued opening and growth during the Tang and Song Dynasties.But his actions cannot be fixed institutionally. These stories also make us understand the dangers of governing by morality.This is not to say that morality itself is bad and can be avoided.Intermediary human beings have complex temperaments, and the truth behind the name of morality is elusive.When the warlords in the early years of the Republic of China sent electricity, they all took saving the country and the people as their duty, and their focus was on "I" as the savior. If you oppose "I", it is treason and disaster.It also means that Mrs. Roland left a testimony to history before she went to the guillotine during the French Revolution: Many crimes in the world are committed in the name of freedom.It also means that what was to be defeated during the May 4th Movement was not Confucius, but the "Confucian family shop".Western political thought frankly admits that nature is evil, but it can actually cause the "check and balance" of the political system, so that a modern country can be managed numerically, which is especially worthy of our reflection.