The Shenlong coup d'état that occurred in 705 AD was a major event in the history of the Tang Dynasty, and five ministers led by Zhang Kamzhi and many princes Wenwu launched a military coup to force Wu Zetian to abdicate by force and return to Li Tang, so that the Tang Dynasty, which had been interrupted for sixteen years, was restored.
(Dragon Coup)
Due to the significance of the coup, Zhang Kamzhi, Cui Xuanwei, Yuan Shuji, Huan Yanfan, and Jinghui were made kings by Emperor Zhongzong Li Danjin. Therefore, the Shenlong coup is also known as the "Five Kings Coup".
Although the five kings made great achievements, the end was tragic. Only a year later, in the second year of the Divine Dragon, the five kings suffered a terrible disaster. Zhang Kamzhi and Cui Xuanwei were fine and died of illness in exile, while Yuan Shuji and the other three were tortured to death in extremely cruel ways such as Ling Chi and poison. Why did such a tragedy occur? Are the five loyal or adulterous?
There are two theories circulating in history:
First, in his later years, Wu Zetian had already made Li Xian crown prince and made arrangements for returning li tang to the government. The coup d'état launched by the five kings was purely a merit of greed, and they wanted to use this as a political chip to achieve the purpose of dictatorship in the new imperial court. Therefore, they were regarded by Li Xian as the greatest political enemy and thus eliminated.
Second, the Five Kings were Li Tang's loyal vassals who had been dormant in the Wu Zetian Dynasty for many years. Wu Zetian favored the Erzhang brothers, making the political situation unstable, and it was likely that a situation unfavorable to Li Tang would arise. Therefore, they resolutely took measures to kill Erzhang and restore Li Tang, stabilizing the overall situation.
(Wu Zetian stills)
Both claims have their own truths, and they are also based on a lot of historical data. The relationship between emperors and heroes has been difficult for all dynasties to get along with. In particular, the Five Kings were able to successfully carry out the coup under the eyes of the Iron Fist Empress, and this boldness and ability itself made Li Xian very jealous, and it was easy to be hostile to them.
I prefer the latter in these two statements, analyzing a historical event in addition to phenomena and results, but also analyzing the inside of the thing, in order to clear the fog and see the true face of the event. Below I explain through the causes, experiences and personnel background:
First, the origin of the greedy argument
On the third day after the Shenlong coup, Wu Zetian was rumored to be located in Li Xian, and then the empress moved to Shangyang Palace, but was actually placed under house arrest. Wu Zetian is very good at dressing, although she is more than eighty years old, but her face cannot be seen, and after she moved to Shangyang Palace, she did not have the heart to dress up and immediately look old.
When Li Xian went to visit his mother, he found that her face was haggard, and it was like a changed person in just a few days, and his heart was very sad. Wu Zetian took the opportunity to say to Li Xian, "I took you back from Fangling, and I was already ready to pass it on to you, but I didn't expect that the five thieves would be greedy and would shock me like this!" ”
(Stills of Zhang Kam)
Li Xian was very guilty and wept unceasingly. Wu Zetian said this obviously to take revenge on the Five Kings and wanted to kill people with a knife.
In addition, Li Xian, who had been exiled in Fangling for fourteen years, had no opportunity to cultivate his own political power, and could not form an effective means of rule in the dprk, so he allowed Wei Hou to bow down to the government and reuse his pro-family martial arts to think twice, hoping to suppress dissidents and form his own forces.
Harem interference and foreign relatives taking power were two ills of the feudal imperial era, and Zhang Kamzhi and Huan Yanfan immediately consulted Li Xianjin when they saw such signs. Such a move made Li Xian, whose level was already very limited, even more jealous, and regarded them as dissidents and stumbling blocks on his way to power.
Therefore, Li Xian believed in his heart that the motivation of the Five Kings in launching the coup d'état was greed, believing that they were a political gang that wanted to control power.
Second, the composition of the coup d'état
Although Zhang Kamzhi and five other people were the leaders and organizers of the coup, they were not all, and the participants in the coup were very large and powerful.
First of all, the cause of the coup d'état was that erzhang's brothers were spoiled and power-wielding, and when Emperor Wu was seriously ill, no one could see her except Erzhang. Therefore, everyone was worried about the two false transmission of the Holy Will and what was unfavorable to Li Tang. Therefore, he put forward the slogan of "killing Erzhang and restoring Li Tang" and launched a coup d'état.
(Lee Hsien stills)
Secondly, in the process of the coup, the main role played by the five kings was to mobilize and communicate, and the people involved were:
Princess Taiping, who was the only one who could meet the Empress, was responsible for spying on the Empress's movements and contacting the Palace Maid as an inside line;
Li Dan, the Prince of Xiang, was in charge of the Forbidden Army of Nanya and was responsible for besieging the imperial palace, eliminating erzhang's henchmen, and maintaining public order in Chang'an; the crown prince Li Xian was embarrassed and wanted to confront his mother;
Li Xian's son-in-law Wang Tongjiao and Yang Shenjiao also played a role in the coup d'état; there were also some forbidden generals.
It can be said that the role of Li Tangzong in the whole coup d'état was very great, and they were afraid of wearing the big hat of filial piety, so they did not dare to rush to the front, which was also an important reason why Li Xian, who wanted to confront the empress, only promised to go forward.
Therefore, although the five kings rushed to the front in the coup, they had no control over the army and the korean situation, and with this credit, they were far from being able to control the government, and none of the clans of Li Dan and Princess Taiping were fuel-saving lamps.
Third, the five kings are men
Zhang Kamzhi debuted very early but could not be reused, he had the ambition of Kuangfu Li Tang very early, and was recommended by Di Renjie and Yao Chong, before being promoted to the central government by Wu Zetian, when he launched the coup, Zhang Kamzhi had just become the prime minister for half a year, and he did not have a deep foundation, and he was also eighty-one years old. An elderly old man, most of them have entered the loess soil, and what is the merit of supporting the establishment! Just for their own ambitions, before dying, they will fight for it again.
Cui Xuanwei was born in the Boling Cui clan, a large household in the high gate, and the superiority of the door made him high and widowed, and his popularity was very poor. When he was a servant of the bureaucracy, the management was very strict, and his men did not have any oil and water to fish. After he was transferred away, the officials of the bureaucracy happily set up a banquet to celebrate, and Wu Zetian praised him greatly after learning about it, and transferred him back to the official's department. Erzhang Langquan, Cui Xuanwei and his brother did not shy away from the magnates, suggested that Wu Zetian execute Zhang Changzong, and suggested that the crown prince and The King of Xiang enter the palace to serve the sick.
Huan Yanfan often spoke bluntly in front of the empress, criticizing the empress's negligence, lamenting Erzhang's crimes, and suggesting pardon for the officials who had been innocently convicted since the empress's arrival, which was quite similar to wei zheng in that year.
Jinghui and Yuan Shu were also very clear-sighted officials, and often received rewards and consolation from the empress.
All five were ministers with a heart for Li Tang, and all had a resolute struggle with Erzhang, and were completely radical in the coup d'état, while Li Tangzong was a conservative.
However, the execution of only two Zhang zhang and the failure to force the empress to abdicate could not be achieved in that situation. The Great Inner Forbidden Palace without going through the emperor to kill people is itself a great rebellion. If Wu Zetian is not ousted from power, in the future, she will settle accounts after the autumn, who can receive it!
Therefore, the Five Kings' launching of the Shenlong coup was correct and in line with the trend of history, and the slogans of killing Erzhang and Restoring Li Tang were deeply popular. All this contributed to the success of the coup d'état, and there is no such thing as greed.
Text: Bearfish laughs to themselves
(Wu Zetian)
Shallow and clumsy, just right in the Fang family.
References: Zizhi Tongjian, New Book of Tang, Old Book of Tang.