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The Tang Dynasty was a relatively successful dynasty in Chinese history, and although the economic development of the Tang Dynasty did not reach the peak of the Song Dynasty, its comprehensive strength had developed to an enviable level, and it was beyond the reach of countless rulers.
In the 289 years of the Tang Dynasty's existence, there were two enviable prosperous and prosperous times, and the territory of the Tang Dynasty was also expanded as it should be.
The reason why the Tang Dynasty government achieved such a high degree of achievement also stemmed from the meritocracy of its rulers. It is worth noting that in the 289 years of the existence of the Tang Dynasty, it has been frequently harassed by different ethnic minorities, and among them, Nanzhao has become a major problem for the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, according to the geographical area, Nanzhao is a very small area, but its existence has confused the rulers of the Tang Dynasty, and even once became a major problem in the southwest of the Tang Dynasty!
Although the Tang rulers have been seeking various ways to resolve the contradictions between the two sides, it has not helped, and even its existence has threatened the stability of the Tang regime.
First, the contradiction between the Tang Dynasty and the Nanzhao
As we all know, the Li family, the ruler of the Tang Dynasty, has half Hu ancestry, so in the process of communicating with ethnic minorities, it always maintains an open, free and friendly attitude.
At the same time, the territory of the Tang Dynasty at that time had expanded to a certain extent, and this also caused certain troubles for the daily management of the Tang rulers, so for various reasons, the Tang rulers gradually lost the idea of expanding the territory of the country.
As for the ethnic minorities on the divided side, although the Tang rulers were so desireless and undesirable, they did not dare to harass the people on the border of the Tang Dynasty unscrupulously.
At that time, in order to be able to manage the ethnic minorities in the western region, the tang rulers set up a local capital, which to some extent was similar to China's management of Hong Kong. Ethnic minorities had a certain degree of autonomy, but still needed to obey a series of orders from the Tang Dynasty.
However, when Tang Xuanzong succeeded to the throne, such a friendly and intimate relationship between the two sides was broken, and a series of irreconcilable contradictions were gradually formed. At that time, the history of the Tang Dynasty's capital protectorate, which was stationed in the western region, produced a series of misconduct, which caused the rulers of Nanzhao to resent.
However, due to the improper handling of officials, the Tang Dynasty government did not receive the inner changes of the Nanzhao rulers in time, and the contradiction between the two gradually deepened.
After the death of Tang Xuanzong, emissaries of the Tang court went to Nanzhao to announce the death of the Tang emperor. At the same time, the ruler of Nanzhao had just died, but when the Tang Dynasty emissaries arrived in Nanzhao, they did not know that the ruler of Nanzhao had also died, so they did not go to pay tribute to the ruler of the Southern Dynasty.
This also makes the contradictions between the two sides more and more intense. Both parties know each other has misbehaved, but do not want to take the ultimate primary responsibility.
As a result, the newly appointed ruler of Nanzhao was angry and directly declared independence and proclaimed himself emperor, which led to a complete rupture in the relationship between the two countries.
2. Outbreak of war
After declaring independence, the rulers of Nanzhao sent troops to unscrupulously harass the people on the Tang borders, while at the same time co-opting other ethnic minorities, thus forming an alliance of interests in a vain attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the Tang Dynasty. The Rulers of the Tang Dynasty had no choice but to send Tang troops to resist.
However, the Nanzhao army did not want to win the war immediately, but returned to the country before the Tang army arrived. Under several and three battles, the Tang army did not get any benefits, but was instead turned around by the Nanzhao army.
The rulers of the Tang Dynasty had no choice but to be in a state of grief every day, so they sent emissaries to negotiate peace with Israel. The peace talks won the two sides a certain opportunity to alleviate, and in the next three years, no large-scale war broke out.
However, after three years, the tang emissaries actually killed the emissaries of Nanzhao for no reason under the control of emotions, and the contradictions between the two sides broke out again. This time, Nanzhao's army did not adopt a roundabout policy as in the past, but instead confronted the Tang army directly.
The Tang Dynasty army was also not good at conquest because it had been in a state of peace for a long time. Therefore, under several and three battles, the Tang Dynasty army was gradually defeated.
At this time in the Tang Dynasty, the ruler realized the seriousness of the problem and ordered his men to run on the battlefield, while confronting the Nanzhao army, while strengthening the protective measures of border defense, so that the Nanzhao government did not dare to invade the Tang Dynasty unscrupulously.
3. Peace talks between the two sides
Subsequently, the ruler of Nanzhao died, and the relationship between the two sides eased somewhat. The newly appointed ruler of Nanzhao sent emissaries to the border between the two sides to negotiate peace with the envoys of the Tang Dynasty, and offered to calm the war and take the initiative to seek peace.
At this time, the Tang Dynasty was already in turmoil, and successive conquests had already caused the Tang rulers to suffer. In the face of the nanzhao emissaries' request for peace, they were also overjoyed, and then the two sides reached a consensus.
However, this harmony was only a superficial submission, and after Nanzhao was able to recover his strength, he once again sent his men to invade the Tang Dynasty.
However, the two sides gradually lost themselves in such a confrontation and were seriously injured. And Nanzhao finally disappeared under the rolling wheels of history.
In ancient China, such a series of wars broke out because of interests were actually very common. After all, for both sides of the interest, they have the same mind and hope that more benefits can be obtained in the Central Plains.
The Tang government at that time also hoped to be respected by more people. So in this case, a war, resulting in a lose-lose outcome seems to be a matter of course.
Reference: Book of Tang