Preface
Li Shimin, the founder of the Tang Dynasty, who made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty, has a stark contrast to the decadent Tang Dynasty after old age and decay. We can't help but ask, why did this wise and martial emperor get lost in delusion and killing in his later years, and how did he change from a bright monarch to a mediocre and perverse faint monarch?
The screams, the bloody storms, were all from the hands of this Taizong who had made the world obedient. Today, I can't help but ask:
Why did Emperor Taizong, the longest emperor of the Tang Dynasty, change his style in his later years and move towards mediocrity and decadence?
Brothers' wall, the change of Xuanwu Gate
In 626 AD, a bloody dawn came to Chang'an City. Outside the Xuanwu Gate, Li Shimin led his subordinate troops into the palace, and for a time the clanging and sonorous soldiers were staggered, and the screams came and went. This is the beginning of an era of change.
How could brothers, who were originally in the same lineage, fall to the point of fighting each other? If we want to talk about this grievance, we have to start from an earlier time.
Li Shimin and his brother Li Jiancheng are siblings of the same mother. Li Jiancheng was the eldest son and was supposed to inherit the unification, and Li Shimin was one of the four heroes of the Tang family who made outstanding contributions. However, there is only one throne, and the brother wall has become the fuse of this bloody storm.
In Tang Gaozu Li Yuan's view, it doesn't matter where the two brothers go, the important thing is that they can firmly grasp the power. So he favored his eldest son Li Jiancheng and made him the son, and for a time Li Shimin's jealousy and hatred for his brother were secretly born.
Later, another traitor sowed discord between the two brothers, and Li Shimin knew that his life's achievements would be taken away by his brother, so he secretly formed a party for personal gain, and brewed a coup d'état.
On July 2, 626, Li Shimin hosted a banquet for Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. During the banquet, he left the table under the pretext of leading his subordinates back to the palace, occupied the Xuanwu Gate in one fell swoop, and controlled the entrance and exit of the palace. Soon, the brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, who returned to the palace, fell into the encirclement and suppression set up by Li Shimin, and the two were defeated and killed on the spot.
At this point, Li Shimin finally eradicated the trouble of his henchmen who threatened his throne. He then forced his father, Emperor Li Yuanchan, to concede, and he ascended to the throne of the Tang Emperor, who was not related by blood. He also gave himself a new imperial name - Taizong.
The rule of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty is extremely prosperous
Plotting to seize the throne, killing the monarch and killing his brother, Li Shimin's actions will undoubtedly leave a bloody imprint. However, after he ascended the throne, he began to change his previous domineering style and implement a series of statecraft strategies, so that the Tang Dynasty gradually reached its peak.
This period, from 627 to 649 AD, was called the "rule of Zhenguan" by later generations. In the past ten years, Li Shimin chose to reuse virtuous ministers, such as Xiao Yu, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, etc., to broaden his views and policy suggestions, so as to make the politics of the Tang Dynasty clear; He adopted the equalization system, which allowed agricultural productivity to increase; He set up the imperial examination method to make the selection of talents more fair; In addition, he pursued a series of military and border policies to make the country more stable and prosperous.
Under Li Shimin's wise governance, the Tang Dynasty gradually reached its first peak and became one of the most prosperous and powerful countries in the world at that time. Li Shimin was also praised as the "virtuous king" by later generations, creating the peak of the Tang Dynasty for more than 300 years. His exploits undoubtedly erased all kinds of mistakes when he seized power before, making him a generation of bright monarchs.
Greedy for lust, decadent in the evening
However, just when the Tang Dynasty was in full swing and everything seemed to be going well, Emperor Taizong's mentality was also quietly changing.
Perhaps because the power has been leaning towards the opposition for too long, he has gradually developed an arbitrary and domineering temperament; Or perhaps because of his success, he began to covet wine and get lost in the sound of dogs and horses. In this way, in the late reign of Taizong, his various actions began to make people see a downward trend that was difficult to return.
First, he began to become self-righteous in his later years. He no longer reuses his ministers as he used to, but thinks he is right and does not allow anyone to question it. After the death of Wei Zheng, the minister who supported him single-handedly, Li Shimin actually ordered the destruction of Wei Zheng's tombstone, which shows his dissatisfaction with Wei Zheng in his heart.
Secondly, he also began to rejoice in his achievements, immersed in the growing national strength of Datang and couldn't extricate himself. He repeatedly waged useless wars against Goguryeo, which not only consumed national strength, but also increased the suffering of the people. In addition, he also built a large number of magnificent palaces to show his status as emperor. All this has placed a heavy burden on the country and the people.
In the end, Taizong was still very obsessed with sex in his later years, and he was a concubine in a big pageant. Sometimes it is even necessary to select thousands of beauties to enter the palace at a time. This is undoubtedly also a huge drain on the treasury. All this eventually led to the late reign of Taizong, the country's politics became increasingly decaying, and the people were miserable.
Kill innocents and go to mediocrity
The Tang Dynasty is declining, and Taizong himself is becoming more and more mediocre in the process, and finally turns into a killing machine.
Perhaps it was the fear of aging, or perhaps the reluctance to give up power, Taizong became murderous in his later years. He believed slander and killed heroes on a large scale. Among them, the most representative is the case of Li Junxian, the founder of the country, who was given to death.
Li Junxian is an old minister, who followed Li Yuan as early as when he raised the army, and he can be described as loyal. However, in Taizong's later years, some traitorous ministers slandered Li Junxian's prophecy and harbored signs that were unfavorable to the monarch. When Taizong heard this, he was furious, and then gave Li Junxian to death and razed the three clans.
It can be seen that in his later years, Taizong had completely listened to slander and killed innocents. Gone is the former righteous and discerning monarch, replaced by an irritable, suspicious, cruel and murderous tyrant. This has undoubtedly become an important embodiment of Taizong's mediocrity in his later years.
In addition, Taizong was also very superstitious in his later years, obsessed with immortality. He collected local priests and procured medicinal materials to refine the elixir of life, in the vain hope of prolonging life through external forces. However, these drugs were not only ineffective, but also severely damaged his already old and frail health, which eventually led to his death at the age of less than 60.
All this highlights the fact that Taizong entered a mediocrity in his later years. The previous wise and martial Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is no longer there, and he has lost himself in his old age all his life.
epilogue
To sum up, Taizong Li Shimin, as the founder of the Tang Dynasty, undoubtedly made outstanding achievements and was praised as a virtuous monarch by later generations. However, in the latter part of his reign, he gradually became mediocre and arrogant, and eventually the country's politics declined. This also became an important turning point for him to fall from a bright monarch to a faint monarch.
Today's Chang'an, people are still coming and going outside the Xuanwu Gate. More than 900 years later, the scream still seems to echo in the air. We can't help but ask, why did the wise and martial Taizong collapse in his old age? This may be the inevitable outcome of many years of power.