History is the memory of things that have been said and done. —Carl Baker
"The sage of Tang Taizong, since the Western Han Dynasty, is only one person", among the 422 emperors of China, Tang Taizong is a famous holy lord, he showed extraordinary command skills when he was not emperor, and after ascending the emperor, he created the rule of Zhenguan, which had a great impact on the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. So, why did such an ancient saint suddenly die at the age of 51?
In 626, Li Shimin launched the Xuanwumen Rebellion and ascended the throne a few months later as emperor, when he was only 28 years old. Because the last years of the Sui Dynasty had already caused casualties and displacement of the people, Li Shimin made great efforts to govern as soon as he ascended the throne, using the Sui Dynasty as a mirror to stabilize the situation and revitalize the national situation. In 649, Li Shimin suddenly fell ill, and after ineffective medical treatment, he finally died at the age of 51.
According to statistics, in addition to the decline of the late state and the early death of the Tang emperor for various reasons, Tang Taizong was the earliest emperor to die when the Tang Dynasty was prosperous, and his life expectancy was 19 years shorter than that of his father Li Yuan. People are very curious about the cause of his death, and scholars have given three theories.
The first theory, which is also the most widely circulated, is that he died after taking the elixir. The kings who have established great deeds since ancient times all want to live long, so in their old age they will seek the elixir of immortality, and Li Shimin will not look down on life and death, and cannot escape the worldly thoughts. The famous Tang Dynasty general Wang Xuance captured Alonashun's entire family and a cadre of followers, and one of the captives was a monk who claimed to be able to refine the elixir of immortality. Li Shimin had been looking for this technique, and when someone sent him to the door, he was naturally regarded as a guest.
A few months later, the monk refined the elixir, and Li Shimin ate it with excitement, and as a result, he became seriously ill and went to the Western Heavens not long after. As we all know, the elixir refined by the ancients is a heavy metal compound, which is extremely harmful to the human body, and in the Tang Dynasty, where medical technology was not advanced, this kind of thing could only poison people to death without the power to return to heaven. As for why the history books do not record, it may be that a generation of holy lords suddenly believed in the elixir of immortality, which damaged his wise image, in other words, he died too stupidly.
In addition, Li Shimin's family genetic disease is also one of the reasons for his violent death. Li Yuan became seriously ill in his later years and could not walk. Li Zhi suffered from wind disease in his middle age and let Wu Zetian take charge of the affairs of the dynasty. According to historical records, Tang Shunzong and Tang Wenzong also suffered from wind disease, so it is also expected that Li Shimin suffered from wind disease in his old age, which is also the most realistic statement.
The lifestyle of young people will also affect people's life expectancy. Li Shimin spent his life fighting on the battlefield, eating and sleeping in the wind, and sometimes it was too late to eat, so he could only march and fight with hunger. In addition, even if the wounds he suffered on the battlefield were cured, it would affect his future life, so the reason for his violent death was likely to be related to his early life, and the untimely death of a generation of famous generals Huo Fu was also due to frequent marching and fighting.
Of course, in order to worry about the affairs of the country and the family, Li Shimin slept at night, got up early in the morning, and had to worry about the lives of the people all day, and the interaction with other countries was also what he needed to worry about, and it was reasonable that his physical problems were reasonable. In addition, several inattentive sons also made him sad, and Li Shimin, as a model worker, may indeed die because of excessive worry.
Of course, although Li Shimin lived for 51 years is not long, he is not young in ancient times, after all, ancient medical technology is very backward, and some minor diseases can eventually endanger life, and the average age is very low. It's just that as a warrior, he should have a strong body, and the family members have lived a long time, and it is inconceivable that he died in his fifties. It is precisely because of the backwardness of ancient technology that the cause of his illness has not been diagnosed, which has led to a lot of discussion among posterity.
Unfortunately, a generation of Ming Jun only reigned for 28 years, if his reign had been extended, the teaching of Li Zhi would have been longer, and perhaps the Tang Dynasty's Guozuo might be far better than it is now.