Preface
The wheels of history are rolling forward, how can a once glorious empire stand forever? When the game of thrones is staged in the court, who can predict the final outcome?
Is the glory of the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty gone forever? And how did the prince Li Lan, who once had a heavy army and fought side by side with the poet immortal Li Bai, rise and fall in the whirlpool of power and finally went to ruin?
Kaiyuan Prosperous Era: The Golden Age of Xuanzong
Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty is like a bright pearl, shining brightly. Here, the wise Emperor Li Longji, better known as Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, was standing at the top of the palace, overlooking his empire.
Under Xuanzong's rule, the country entered an unprecedented golden age. The streets of Chang'an City are full of traffic, businessmen gather, and the faces of the people are filled with happy smiles. In the fields, the crops are swaying in the wind, and there is a scene of abundant harvest. This is the epitome of the prosperous era of Kaiyuan.
However, even in such a prosperous period, Xuanzong felt a faint sense of unease in his heart. He knows that the game of thrones never ends, and that if you are not careful, you can never recover.
Anshi Rebellion: The storm is coming
At this moment, the silence of the night was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps, and a messenger rushed into the palace sweating profusely, bringing news like a thunderbolt from the sky - An Lushan was reversed!
This news was like a hammer that shocked the entire imperial court. The tranquility of Chang'an City is gone, replaced by tension and panic. The storm of the Anshi Rebellion swept in, the Tang army was defeated and retreated, and the news of the loss of Luoyang followed.
Xuanzong and the crown prince Li Heng had to make a difficult choice, they had to leave the bustling capital and flee west to Chengdu. On the way to escape, Xuanzong's eyes were full of confusion and pain, and he did not understand why the empire he had carefully maintained had collapsed overnight.
Hour of Crisis: The Princes' Responsibilities and Challenges
In the midst of this turmoil, a young prince was standing on a high wall, looking into the distance. He is Li Lan, a prince who grew up under the protection of the palace since childhood, and is facing unprecedented challenges at this time.
Xuanzong's decision was like a double-edged sword, which not only gave Li Lan unprecedented power, but also made him shoulder a heavy responsibility. A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. He knew he had to step up and take on the responsibility.
As a result, Li Li began to actively recruit talents, hoping to use their strength to stabilize his power. The poet immortal Li Bai, a talented literati, was also invited by Li Lan to join his command with enthusiasm.
However, Li's ambitions and actions did not escape Su Zong's eyes. In Su Zong's view, Li Lan's growing power has become a potential threat. He began to deploy heavy troops in Huainan and other places, forming a containment trend against Li Lan.
The ministers of the court also began to doubt Li Lan's loyalty, and they talked in private, full of worries about Li Lan's future. At this critical moment, Li Lan's heart also began to waver. He realized that he had a lot of troops at his disposal, but the real challenge was just beginning.
Ambition is added, and the situation is incompatible: the contradiction between Li Ling and Li Heng intensifies
As time passed, Lee's ambitions gradually became apparent. No longer content with his role as a mere vassal town, he began to covet higher powers. He recruited soldiers and hoarded wealth in the Jiangnan region in preparation for a possible comeback.
Li Bai, although he was bent on assisting Li Lan, his poetic nature made him seem powerless in political struggles. He failed to realize Li Lan's true intentions, and still devoted himself wholeheartedly to Li Lan's career.
At the same time, Su Zong's vigilance against Li Lan became more and more serious. He began to speed up the establishment of feudal towns in Huainan in an attempt to suppress Li Luan's power by military means. The ministers of the court also took sides, and most chose to support Suzong, expressing doubts about Li Xuan's loyalty.
The conflict between Li Xuan and Li Heng gradually became public, and the relationship between the two became more and more strained. In this power struggle, Li Lan seems to have reached a dead end. His ambitions and actions not only aroused Suzong's vigilance, but also made the ministers of the court feel uneasy.
The reason for the failure: the imbalance between strength and people's hearts
The autumn wind is bleak, and the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River have lost their former tranquility, and the war clouds are thick. Li Lan stood in the military tent, and the battle map in his hand had been crumpled. His brow furrowed, and his heart was filled with anxiety.
Although he had a heavy army, the morale of these soldiers was not high. Their eyes reveal confusion and fear, and they are full of uncertainty about the future. Li Bai stood outside the tent, looking at the fallen leaves scattered in the sky, and his heart was mixed. He once had the dream of restoring the Tang Dynasty, but he didn't expect the reality to be so cruel.
When the horn of the Tang army sounded, Li Luan's soldiers scattered one after another, and their hearts had no will to fight, only the desire for life remained. Standing on top of the chaotic battlefield, Li Luan watched his army fall apart, his heart filled with despair.
He finally realized that without the support of the people's hearts, no matter how powerful the strength is, it is just a castle in the air. Li Lan's defeat was not only due to his lack of military talent, but also because he lost the hearts and minds of the people. His power came from Xuanzong's temporary appointment, not from the sincere support of soldiers and the common people. In this contest of strength and people's hearts, Li Lan lost completely.
Xuanzong's Remorse: The Fall of the Empire
In the deep palace of Chang'an City, Xuanzong sat alone on the dragon chair, and the jade seal in his hand looked extremely heavy. His eyes were hollow, as if he was recalling the glory of the past. Li Lan's defeat was like a heavy hammer, hitting him in the heart.
He once thought that by letting the princes control the heavy army, he could stabilize the foundation of the empire, but he did not expect that this would be the beginning of a disaster. Xuanzong's heart was full of remorse, he recalled that at the beginning of his ascension to the throne, he was vigilant and decisive against the princes, and how vigilant and decisive he was at that time.
However, the pressure of the Anshi Rebellion made him make the wrong choice, and he let the princes temporarily replace the feudal town, but he did not expect that this was the fuse that caused the empire to fall apart. Xuanzong's old age was spent in remorse, and he no longer had the heart to ask about politics. He watched his empire fall into decay, but could not do anything about it.
In the end, he ended his life in the deep palace, leaving behind an irreparable regret. The wheels of history are rolling forward, dynasties are changing, and the country is changing hands. Xuanzong's Kaiyuan prosperous era was like a dream, which eventually dissipated in the wind and rain. And Li Lan's story has also become a dusty history, leaving endless thinking for future generations.
epilogue
Game of Thrones has always been an endless war. When a person holds great power but cannot win the hearts and minds of the people, no matter how powerful the strength is, it is just a castle in the air.
Li Lan's story is undoubtedly a typical example. He had the heavy soldiers given by Xuanzong, and the poet immortal Li Bai as his military advisor, but in the end he sank in the whirlpool of power. This was not only because of his lack of military talent, but also because he had lost the support of the people.
And Xuanzong's remorse also shows us the price of power. He once thought that by letting the princes control the heavy army, he could stabilize the foundation of the empire, but he didn't expect that this would become the fuse for the empire to fall apart.
The wheels of history are rolling forward, and the once glorious empire will eventually be reduced to dust. But that doesn't mean we have to give up on the search for history. Instead, we should draw wisdom from it, warn ourselves of the temptations of power, and cherish the present prosperity. Only in this way can we find our own foothold in this rapidly changing world.