1400 years ago, in today's Shaanxi, there was the largest city in the world at that time, which was dotted, strong, magnificent, and proud, condensing the epitome of an empire, and this shining city was Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Empire.
In the north of today's Xi'an City, this belt of imperial tomb ruins stretching for more than 150 kilometers from east to west with the Weibei Plain and south overlooking Zhongwoye in the south is the royal burial area of the Tang Empire. Eighteen majestic and magnificent imperial tombs, hidden among them, are known as the "Eighteen Tombs of Tang". More than a thousand years have passed, the wind and sand of the years have covered up their former glory, and only some ruins and stone walls scattered in the wilderness still silently witness the prosperity of that peak dynasty and ascend to the glory of the sea. Since the middle of the last century, archaeologists have successively entered the ruins of this devastated imperial tomb, gradually revealing to the world an underground kingdom that has been sleeping underground for thousands of years. In the fields west of Yonghe Village, Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province today, there is a grand overhead-type imperial mausoleum fiefdom, which has been silent here for more than 1,300 years, which is the imperial tomb of Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Empire, Tang Gaozu - the Xianling Tomb.
In the ninth year of Tang Zhenguan, in 635, Li Yuan, the founding monarch of the Tang Empire, died of illness. It was the height of summer and the weather was hot. However, Li Yuan's mausoleum has not yet been settled, and neither the mausoleum site nor any preparations have been made. However, in the face of a series of matters related to the location and construction of the imperial tomb, Li Shimin, the successor of the Tang Dynasty, remained uncertain and secretive. However, according to historical records, Li Yuan once left an edict before his death, requesting that a mausoleum be built for himself according to the system of the Qin and Han dynasties, and all funeral matters should be simple. So why was it that until Li Yuan's death, his mausoleum had not yet been settled, and he was not buried until October of that year. Why didn't he follow the example of the Qin and Han emperors and build their own imperial tombs at the beginning of their accession to the throne?
Since 220 AD, the Han Dynasty, which once dominated the world, collapsed in the midst of the deer chasing deer in the Three Kingdoms. The land of Shenzhou has ceased to be the great unified empire of the Qin and Han dynasties, and more than 30 large and small regimes have alternately risen and fallen, and continuous divisions and brutal separatist wars have left this ancient land fragmented and devastated. The people changed their sons and ate, and the land of China has become a purgatory on earth. In 617, the once prosperous and powerful Sui Empire was once again on the verge of collapse under frequent labor and military service. In this year, all the heroes of the world, who had long been unorthodox from the Sui Dynasty, supported the army and claimed the king as the emperor. At this time, the military group led by Li Yuan, who remained in Jinyang, marched west from the garrison of Taiyuan and captured the capital Chang'an in one fell swoop. In 618, Li Yuan ascended the throne as emperor in the Taiji Hall of Chang'an, established the Tang Dynasty, and changed Yuan Wude. At this time, the world was still raging and smoking, and the territory of the Tang Dynasty was limited to the Guanzhong region and parts of Hedong, but after only a few years of unification wars, a Tang Empire that rose to peace and came to the dynasty of all nations finally paid tribute to the distant Han Empire after spanning four hundred years of historical time and space. As the basic symbol of great unification, Li Yuan, the leader of the Tang Empire, should have restored the ritual system of the Qin and Han dynasties and began the site selection and construction of his imperial tomb. However, at this time, he did not have the heart to worry about these things, and what was in front of him was a more difficult problem than seizing the world.
After the founding of the Tang Empire, Li Jiancheng, as the crown prince, needed to sit in Jingshi more often to assist Li Yuan in handling government affairs. As the unification war progressed, most of the great merits of the unified army conquest were obtained by his second brother Li Shimin, and it was already revealed that the merit was high and shocking. In his Qin palace, a group of great talents known as the "Eighteen Bachelors" gathered, and they planned day and night to obtain the position of crown prince. In the face of Li Shimin's momentum, the crown prince Li Jiancheng was deeply disturbed, and plotted with Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, to frame him, wanting to cut off the aggressive Li Shimin clique. How to deal with the battle between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin greatly tested Li Yuan's political wisdom, so what is the political ability of this founding king of the Tang Empire?
According to the "Old Book of Tang", Li Yuan was a native of Longxi Chengji and came from an extremely noble background. His ancestor Li Wei was the founding king of Western Liang, his grandfather Li Hu and father Li Xiang were successively generals of the Pillar State of Western Wei and Northern Zhou, and his mother Dugu Shi was the daughter of Dugu Xin, who was also a general of the Pillar State, and was born in such a wealthy clan, and the young Li Yuan received a good education. In 572, his father Li Xiang died of illness, and Li Yuan, the fourth in the family, inherited his father's title of Duke of Tang. In that era when the eldest son was honored, although there is no detailed historical record, we can also speculate that Li Yuan's three brothers may have died prematurely at this time. The early records of Li Yuan in his early years all mention that Li Yuan is generous, benevolent, virtuous, and superior in martial arts. However, what is puzzling is that at the last moment of the great chaos in the world at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the rise of the tyrants, at this moment, Li Yuan, who was left behind in the Taiyuan of the Great Sui, was addicted to wine and greedy all day long, and compared with other feudal officials on one side, it seemed that he did not have the great ambition of winning the world and chasing the deer in the Central Plains. In the famous Jinyang uprising, it was also planned by Li Shimin to induce Li Yuan and the maids in the palace of the Sui Emperor Jinyang to get drunk and adulterous, and after committing the great crime of annihilation, he was forced to raise troops against Sui. Throughout the whole process, Li Yuan's performance really did not look like a founding king who could calm the Central Plains and reign in the world, but in another historical collection, the truth of the matter was not. According to historical records, after Li Yuan Taiyuan raised his army, Wen Daya, who joined the army in the office of the general at that time, specialized in managing Wenhan. The records of important events such as the Jinyang uprising in the "Notes on the Founding of the Great Tang Dynasty" compiled by him with the army are very different from the official history of later official cultivation. As a historical material compiled by those who witnessed the Jinyang uprising, its authenticity is obviously much higher than the official revision history after the founding of the Tang Dynasty. According to Wen Daya, in the first month of 617, Li Yuan was detained on the spot by the Sui Emperor for losing his horse during the suppression of the peasant uprising. Although he was reinstated by the official a few days later, under the crisis, Li Shimin, who was not deeply involved in the world, suggested that Li Yuan follow the example of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, and flee to Mangtang Mountain to see the changes in the situation. Faced with this rash suggestion, Li Yuan at this time had other thoughts, and everything had to start with Li Yuan's wife, Empress Taimu, the Dou family.
Empress Dou, the daughter of Dou Yi, the Duke of Shenwu County in Northern Zhou, has been outstanding since childhood, and there are many people who come to the door to ask for relatives, Dou Yi specially set up a ring for her daughter, competing in martial arts to recruit relatives, and Li Yuan, who was not as weak as the weak crown, tied the knot with the Dou clan because of his superior martial arts. Soon after Li Yuan's father died, his mother, who had been bedridden for many years, also died, and the appearance of Dou Shi illuminated Li Yuan's heart like a beacon. According to historical records, the Dou family gave birth to four sons and one daughter for Li Yuan, and the nearly extinct Li family prospered again, which may be the happiest time in Li Yuan's life. However, when Li Yuan became the defender of Jinyang in 617, Dou had died of illness for four years, and his third son, Li Xuanba, who was only sixteen years old, had unfortunately died early. At this time, Changzhi Li Jiancheng and his fourth son Li Yuanji were still in their hometown of Hedong, controlled by the Sui Empire, and had not yet gathered in Taiyuan. The continuous death of his loved ones made Li Yuan cherish his flesh and blood affection even more at this time, so when Li Shimin proposed to raise troops against Sui, Li Yuan refused. Obviously, Li Yuan had already made up his mind to start the army, and the reason why he did not move was that the time was not ripe, but Li Shimin did not know that there was another reason why Li Yuan refused to rashly raise troops.
Jinyang was the northern frontier of the Sui Empire and a military center for defending against the northern Turks, and if it wanted to advance west to Chang'an, it was necessary to remove the threat from the north. The Turks were a nomadic group that rose in northern Mobei in the mid-sixth century AD, and it was also another formidable force after the Xiongnu, Xianbei and Rouran that stood in the plateau and desert and straddled the east and west. At this time, the Turks had replaced the Sui Dynasty as the new overlord of East Asia, and most of the northern separatist forces in the Chinese land changed their Turkic wolf banners and made them vassals in the north. Although Li Yuan had the intention of hegemony, in order to reduce the resistance to westward advance, he could not be an enemy of the Turks, nor was he willing to openly rebel against Sui, claim to the Turks, and bear the stigma of a traitor. In order to stabilize the Turks, Li Yuan personally wrote a humble letter to the Turkic Shibi Khan. In his letter, Li Yuan expressed his willingness to form an alliance with the Turks and Qinhe to jointly enter the capital of the Sui Dynasty, as long as it did not disturb the people, all the gold, silver jewelry, silk and jade in Chang'an City belonged to the Turks. If you are unwilling to go south because of the long distance, you can also enjoy the rich wealth of Chang'an City. Later, Li Yuan used the words of a certain qi on the envelope to show humility. Perhaps feeling that this word "enlightenment" was too subservient, the messenger in charge of delivering the letter even suggested that Li Yuan adjust the content of the letter again. But this official would not have imagined that the fierce enemy who had suppressed the Central Plains for hundreds of years would be dissolved by Li Yuan's courtesy and expediency at this time and the exchange of letters. According to Wen Daya, the Turkic khan saw the humble words of the letter and did not lose the courtesy of the vassals, and his pride and excitement were already overflowing. Seeing that he could enjoy the benefits of fishermen without raising troops in a big way, he immediately wrote back to express his support, and readily promised to provide Li Yuan with soldiers and war horse support.
A month later, with the people, horses, banners, grain and grass basically ready, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji finally returned to Taiyuan, and Li Yuan, who had been dormant for many years, finally announced a set of impartial and left-right plans to raise troops at this time. First of all, he announced that the world respected Emperor Sui as Emperor Taishang, and supported Yang Guang's grandson, Yang You, who was only fourteen years old, as emperor. Not only did he put on the legal cloak of "supporting the society and stabilizing the world" for the uprising, but also coerced the Son of Heaven to order the princes, and also created a broad united front and surrendered to the people without fighting. Secondly, the Northern Union Turks came to the aid and added the white used by the Turks on the banner of the Sui Dynasty to show their alliance with the Turks, which not only relieved the worries of advancing west to Chang'an, but also strengthened their momentum with the help of Turkic soldiers and horses. At the same time, in the process of moving west to Chang'an, officials were wantonly sealed along the road, making wishes and buying people's hearts. According to historical records, within one day of the rebels entering Xihe County, Li Yuan had more than 1,000 official titles. After that, the rebels successively occupied Huoyi, Linfen and other counties, and everywhere they went, they did the same. Li Yuan, who has been in great undertakings for thirteen years, while constantly generosizing others, used his political and diplomatic wisdom to navigate between the Sui Dynasty, Turks and the hearts of the people of the world, and finally only half a year later, he sat on the orthodoxy of Guanzhong and lost no time in replacing the Sui Dynasty. It can be seen that Li Yuan is not only not an incompetent person, but also from the thirteenth year of Jinyang to the establishment of the Great Tang, Li Yuan has always been the highest decision-maker and overall commander-in-chief, and a well-deserved founding monarch. However, as one of the few emperors in Chinese history who was not forced to take the throne, Li Yuan must have made some mistakes, and since he himself is not incompetent, what will be the problem?
With the deepening of the unification of the empire, Li Shimin, the king of Qin, as the highest military commander of the empire, only relied on the battle of Tiger Pass to obtain almost half of the territory of the Great Tang Dynasty, and won the support of many Kwantung clan heroes. Among them, the emerging Guandong powerful group that was unwilling to succumb to the Guanlong aristocracy not only regarded Li Shimin as the only representative who could achieve his own fame and wealth, but also eagerly waited for the opportunity to support the new crown prince to compete with the Guanlong clique. Li Yuan has a clear enough understanding of the cruelty of political struggle. But the unfortunate experience of losing his father and son at an early age made Li Yuan cherish his family affection. In the face of the intensifying dispute for the throne between the crown prince and the king of Qin, Li Yuan, who thought that he had the same imperial art, was never able to wave the iron fist of life and death at his own flesh and blood, but painstakingly maintained the interests and balance of the two sides. Even after the Battle of Tiger Prison Pass, an unprecedented heavenly strategy general was specially created for Li Shimin, and Li Shimin was made the actual administrator of the eastern territory of the Tang Empire in one fell swoop. At this time, Li Yuan, who was over the age of Huajia, was no longer young, and how to prevent the human tragedy of fratricidal from repeating itself seemed to have become the only stumbling block in his lifetime after a hundred years. But he never dreamed that the brotherly feud that had been troubled for many years and had been difficult for a long time would end in an instant in the most barbaric way.
At dawn on the fourth day of June in the ninth year of Wude, Li Shimin led his henchmen of Tiance Mansion to set up an ambush outside Xuanwu Gate, the north gate of Taiji Palace, and shot Li Jiancheng, the crown prince who had gone to the early dynasty, and Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, which is the most famous palace gate bloody case in Chinese history - the change of Xuanwu Gate. The three princes of the Great Tang Emperor had two different heads in an instant. But before the old man had time to recover from the pain of losing his son, with eleven butcher knives rising and falling, eleven young imperial grandchildren had already landed on the ground. According to historical records, on the afternoon of the fourth day of June, all the heirs of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, even the infant babies, were all killed by Li Shimin and expelled from the imperial family. Overnight, it was like a world away, and there was no more pain in the world. Three days after the coup, Li Yuan officially installed Li Shimin as the crown prince, and issued an edict ordering all military affairs, regardless of size, to be executed by the crown prince, and two months later, Li Yuan officially became the emperor, and for the next eight years, Li Yuan lived in seclusion and did not care about political affairs. At this time, although Li Yuan had leisure time, he must have the heart to plan a mausoleum for himself.
In 635 AD, Li Yuan, who was seventy-one years old at the time, died quietly in loneliness, completely completing his indescribable life. Before his death, this once supreme founding king still cherished the dream of inheriting the Han and Wei dynasties and reviving Lile. In the posthumous photo, Li Yuan left his last wish: "After the funeral, the importance of his service should be followed, the Han system of the cemetery should be followed, the affairs should be frugal, and the Han and Wei rules should be considered." However, at this time, it was the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and the weather was hot, and how to bury the emperor became the most difficult problem for the Zhenguan courtiers. According to historical records, the construction of the tombs of the Qin and Han emperors began at the beginning of the emperor's accession to the throne, and it took more than ten years to complete, and some even took more than 50 years. At the time of Li Yuan's death, the early mausoleum had not yet been settled, and he had neither selected the site nor made any preparations for the construction of the imperial mausoleum. If the imperial tomb is downsized, Li Shimin is worried about carrying the reputation of unfilial piety, but it is obviously impossible to build decades in a matter of months, and it is obviously impossible to fulfill it. Considering the complicated relationship with his father, Li Shimin was really anxious about the site selection and construction of the imperial tomb. However, Fang Xuanling and other ministers soon made suggestions, arguing: "Also the founding emperor, Liu Bang Changling Gao Jiuzhang, the ancestor of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiuyuan, the Guangwu Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, is six zhang, and now Jiuzhang is too chong and Sancheng are too humble, please follow the system of the original tomb", Fang Xuanling's clever compromise finally solved the problem successfully. However, the ancient burials are all located north of the national capital, and the Xianyang Ancient Plain north of Weishui has been recognized as a treasure of feng shui since the Qin and Han dynasties, and the nine imperial tombs of the Western Han Dynasty are located here. However, the Hanling Mausoleum area was vast, and there was nowhere to relocate the mausoleum in Xianyang, so he could only look north for another auspicious soil, and finally Li Shimin set his sights on the loess plateau located in the northeast of today's Sanyuan County. This vast wilderness extends from the Beishan line to the southeast to the hinterland of the Jingwei Plain, spanning more than hundreds of miles from east to west, the terrain is high and condescending, almost parallel to the Nine Tombs of the Western Han Dynasty on the Xianyang Plain, which not only overshadows the previous dynasty in momentum, but also provides a broader mausoleum space for the descendants of the Tang Dynasty, which is of great significance.
Today, the long-suffering tomb has long lost its former glory, but combined with documentary records and archaeological surveys in recent years, its mausoleum system and specification layout can still be basically restored. The Xianling Mausoleum sits north facing south, and the mausoleum is sealed with a bucket-shaped rammed earth structure, surrounded by walls, one on each side, and a pair of stone tigers and gates outside the door; The northern part of the mausoleum is the mausoleum dormitory palace, which is the most important ceremonial building in the mausoleum, which is used for the worship of the hundred officials of the sect at four times; The Shinto outside the South Sima Gate extends to the south, about 400 meters long, according to the memories of folk elders, the original three stone figures on the east side of the Shinto Road are arranged, with their backs east and west, and both hands holding wats; According to the analysis of the layout law of the stone carvings of the imperial tombs of the Tang Dynasty, there should have been corresponding stone figures on the west side of Shinto, but unfortunately today's archaeological survey has not found any trace of stone people; On the south side of Shinto is lined with a pair of huge stone rhinos and a Chinese watch, facing east and west, solemn and majestic. Some scholars speculate that the structure of the underground palace of the Xianling Tomb is likely to be similar to that of the imperial tombs of the Han Dynasty, but due to the lack of relevant historical materials, the detailed structure of the underground palace of the Xianling Tomb has not yet been conclusive. In a limited time, Li Shimin finally fulfilled his father's last wish in accordance with the old system of Han and Wei. In October 625, Qunchen buried Li Yuan and Empress Dou of Taimu in the mausoleum, with the nickname "Emperor Taiwu" and the temple name "Gaozu".
Li Yuan, the ancestor of Tang Gaozu in Chinese history, was perhaps the most underestimated emperor, and in the chaotic era of chasing deer at the end of the Sui Dynasty, although Li Yuan was more than half a hundred years old, he was still a courageous leader with high morale and strong heart. He not only single-handedly promoted the reunification of the whole country and laid the political pattern of the early Tang Dynasty, but also vigorously built water conservancy and further improved the law, laying a solid foundation for the empire to reach its peak in the future.
On that magnificent world stage, the historical drama of the rise and fall of empires and the replacement of civilizations continues to play out. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the land of Europe in the seventh century AD was conquering each other due to religious and racial prejudices, and the once radiant ancient Greek civilization was also declining; On the Gangetic Plain in South Asia, the Jieyi Dynasty had unified northern India, and a monk Xuanzang who had traveled all the way from Chang'an had begun his vast path of seeking Buddha at this time; In the Arabian Peninsula, an Arab empire that was about to completely overthrow the Persian dynasty had just risen, and after more than a century of expansion, it would become another important force outside the Great Tang that influenced the course of world history; After Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, under the painstaking management of his successor Li Shimin, a solitary era of Tianke Khan has surged on the eastern horizon of the world like a gushing rising sun. As a physical witness of this golden age, the next imperial tomb of the Great Tang will also set off earth-shaking changes.