Wu Yuanheng
Wu Yuanheng (武元衡), courtesy name Bocang, was a native of the Luocheng [gōu] clan (present-day southeast of Yanshi, Henan), born in the first year of the Qianyuan Dynasty of the Tang Dynasty (758 AD), a famous chancellor and poet of the Tang Dynasty, from a family of officials and eunuchs, great-grandfather Wu Zaide was a cousin of Empress Wu Zetian, who served as an assassin in Huzhou, his grandfather Wu Zhen served as an examiner wailang, and his father Wu served as a palace attendant.
Wu Yuanheng has been intelligent and talented since childhood. In the fourth year of Jianzhong (783), the twenty-five-year-old Wu Yuanheng was examined as a jinshi, initially serving as the inspector of imperial history, and later changed to the order of Huayuan County, Tang Dezong greatly appreciated his talents, promoted to the rank of Bibu Member Wailang, and later successively served as the right shilang zhong, hubu shilang, menxia shilang Pingzhangshi, Yushi Zhongcheng, Jiannan Jiedushi and other official positions.
In the eighth year of Yuan He (813), Wu Yuanheng was assassinated by assassins when he was only forty-five years old, and he left his book "Linhuai Collection".
When Wu Yuanheng was serving as the commander of Huayuan County, he was shrewd and strong, and he had considerable political achievements, and he was summoned by Tang Dezong, fully affirming his ability, and then entrusted him with heavy responsibilities and many promotions.
In the twentieth year of Zhenyuan (804), Wu Yuanheng was promoted to the post of Yushi Zhongcheng (御史中丞), in charge of the law enforcement of the inspectorate and accepted impeachment reports.
Wu Yuanheng often discussed state affairs with the emperor at the Yanying Palace, and one day, after he left, Tang Dezong looked at his back and praised: This is the amount of the true prime minister!
Wu Yuanheng adhered to principles, integrity and integrity, and Tang Dezong treated him with courtesy and great trust.
In the second year of Yuan He (807), Zhejiang Jiedushi and Zongfu Li [qí] requested to enter the Hajj, and soon after also became ill, deliberately delaying the date of entering the dynasty.
Tang Xianzong, who had just taken office, asked the chancellor Zheng Qi [yīn] for advice, and Zheng Qi thought that Li Kun's request could be approved, but Wu Yuanheng resolutely disagreed, saying: "Li Kun himself asked for a visit, and soon said that the illness could not come, and if the imperial court agreed, it would be equivalent to saying whether Li Kun entered the dynasty or not, and he himself had the final say."
His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and everyone in the world is listening with their ears in a daze and watching with their eyes wide open, if there are traitors who take advantage of the opportunity to act recklessly, where is the majesty of the imperial court? Does the edict still work? ”
Tang Xianzong thought that Wu Yuanheng's advice was very reasonable, so he issued an edict urging Li Kun to enter the dynasty as soon as possible, and Li Kun's ruse was discovered, so he had to tear his face and openly rebel.
Li was later defeated and tortured at the same time as his son.
Tang Xianzong Li Chun stills
In December of the second year of Yuan He (807), Chengdu Yin and Jiannan Xichuan Jiedu made Gao Chongwen's term of office expired, and he was replaced by the assassin of Yingzhou, and when he left office, he relied on his merits in pacifying Shu and brought all the military weights, the treasury gold and silver cloth, as well as the singers and dancers and skilled craftsmen to Yingzhou.
The imperial court replaced Gao Chongwen with Wu Yuanheng as the envoy of Jiannan Xichuan Jiedushi, Gao Chongwen sacked the Shu land, Wu Yuanheng started from scratch in this ruin-like place, he appeased the people, strictly enforced the law, advocated frugality, and three years later, the people gradually became rich, and the barbarians in the territory longed to belong to the imperial court.
Takemoto heng has a stable personality and does not like interpersonal communication, but most of his subordinates in the shogunate are honest and talented people.
In the eighth year of Yuan He (813), Wu Yuanheng was recalled to the capital, and the chancellors Li Jifu and Li Dai disagreed, often arguing in front of the emperor, Wu Yuanheng never attached himself to either side of them, insisting on justice and justice, and Tang Xianzong praised him as a gentleman of high moral character.
After Li Jifu's death, Tang Xianzong appointed Wu Yuanheng to take over the administrative affairs of him.
Huaixi Jiedu caused Wu Yuanji to openly disobey the imperial court's edicts, and Wang Chengzong wrote to Ask for a pardon for Wu Yuanji, and his attitude was extremely arrogant and rude.
Wu Yuanheng rebuked the emissaries and drove them away, and Wang Chengzong was greatly annoyed and held a grudge against Wu Yuanheng.
Wang Chengzong repeatedly wrote to slander and frame Wu Yuanheng, but he did not succeed.
In the tenth year of Yuan He (815), Huaixi Jiedu caused Wu Yuanji to launch a rebellion, and Tang Xianzong ordered Wu Yuanheng to lead soldiers and horses to CaiZhou to quell the rebellion.
This provoked forces that colluded with Wu Yuanji—Chengde Jiedu made Wang Chengzong, Ziqing Jiedu made Li Shidao, and others fearful.
Wang Chengzong and Li Shidao decided to assassinate the ministers of the main war faction, thus saving Cai Prefecture.
Li Shidao believed that the reason why the emperor decided to conquer Cai Prefecture was because of the strong support of Wu Yuanheng and other ministers of the main war faction, and if Wu Yuanheng was removed, then no one else would dare to support the crusade against Cai Prefecture, and the emperor would be persuaded to strike.
In the early morning of the third day of June in the tenth year of Yuan He (815), when the sky was still dark, Wu Yuanheng rushed to the Ming Palace, and had just arrived at the east gate of Jing'an Fang, the lantern was shot by a dark arrow, and the Assassins took the opportunity to assassinate Wu Yuanheng, and at the same time, the deputy prime minister Pei Du was also assassinated and injured.
The patrolling officer shouted," "The prime minister has been assassinated!" All the way to the court, the hundred officials were greatly frightened, at that time they did not know which prime minister, until the horse ridden by Wu Yuanheng ran back alone, people knew that he had been killed.
Tang Xianzong was shocked and hurt, and did not eat two meals, summoned the chancellor to discuss, and posthumously presented Wu Yuanheng with the title of "Zhongcheng" and posthumously presented It to Situ.
Wu Yuanheng may have foreseen the disaster that he could not escape, and on the eve of his assassination, he left a desperate poem "Summer Night": "The night is long and quiet, and the pond is only bright." There is no reason to stay in Qingjing, and there are still accidents in the day. Unexpectedly, before dawn, Wu Yuanheng actually said a word.
In November of that year, at the strong suggestion of the chancellor Pei Du, the imperial court decided to recruit rebels, Pei Du sent the general Li Yuxue to raid at night, captured Wu Yuanji alive, quelled the rebellion in Caizhou, Wang Chengzong was forced to sacrifice land to apologize for his crime and was pardoned, Li Shidao was assassinated by his subordinates, and Pei Du severely punished the leaders of the rebels, which was considered to be a consolation to Wu Yuanheng's spirit in heaven.