The biography of the cow monks and children
Niu Shengyu (779-848), whose name is Sidian, was a native of Quail Yao County, Anding County (now Lingtai County, Gansu Province). Prime Minister of the Late Tang Dynasty.
The leader of the Niu faction of the "Niu Li Party Dispute".
Niu Shengyu's distant ancestors had been high-ranking officials in the Sui Dynasty, and his grandfather and father had also been grass-roots officials. Niu Monk and his parents died when he was a child, and he lived on the land of his ancestors, but he loved to study and worked very hard.
At the age of twenty-six, Niu Monk and his son Li Zongmin were in the same department and entered the official career. Three years later, Tang Xianzong issued an edict to hold a system. Unlike the Jinshi Examination, which is held on a regular basis, the system is held by the emperor from time to time, and there is no restriction on the identity of the candidates.
Niu Shengru and Li Zongmin all participated in this examination, taking the opportunity to criticize the disadvantages of the times and accuse Prime Minister Li Jifu, and their results were among the best. Li Jifu cried to Xianzong and told him that it was his political opponent who instructed Niu Shengyu and Li Zongmin to attack him, so he repelled the two.
Subsequently, some ministers complained about them on their behalf, believing that Li Jifu took the opportunity to suppress candidates who dared to speak out, and Li Jifu was also dismissed. This incident is regarded as the cause of the "Niu Li Party Dispute".
Niu Shengyu was transferred to the grassroots magistrate, and it was not until after Li Jifu's death that he returned to the imperial court and served as a supervisory official. A corrupt official named Li Zhichen was sentenced to death, and he bribed the eunuch to intercede, but Niu Monk and his children sternly refused.
Tang Muzong said to Niu Monk and Child in person: "This person is very talented, and I plan to pardon him." Niu monks and children said: "Anyone who has no talent is just taking a fortune to please the monarch." The emperor set up laws to restrain traitors precisely for the sake of talented people. An Lushan and Zhu Jun disturbed the world because of their talents, and Li Zhichen only had small talents, so why bother to bend the law for him?" Tang Muzong felt justified and rewarded him heavily.
Later, Tang Muzong got an account book of an official bribing courtiers, and many ministers had a record of accepting bribes, only the name of Niu Monk and Child was written next to it: "On a certain day, a certain month, I sent 10 million money, but I did not accept it." Mu Zong said appreciatively, "I really didn't see the wrong person. Since then, he has attached great importance to Niu monks and children and appointed him as prime minister.
At that time, Li Jifu's son Li Deyu was very prestigious and also had the opportunity to become the prime minister. However, a prime minister had an old grudge against Li Jifu, and in order to retaliate, he expelled Li Deyu from the imperial court and vigorously supported Niu monks and children. As a result, the contradictions between Niu and Li have further deepened.
A year later, Tang Muzong died of illness, and his son Tang Jingzong ascended the throne. Niu monks and children were dissatisfied with the favor of villains and the dictatorship of eunuchs, so they resigned from the position of prime minister and took up a local post. Tang Jingzong reigned for only two years before he was killed by eunuchs, and his younger brother Tang Wenzong ascended the throne.
Later, Niu Shengyu's friend Li Zongmin became the prime minister in the same year, and Li Deyu, who was also the prime minister, was expelled from the imperial court and transferred to the present-day Sichuan region as the envoy of the festival, and recommended Niu Shengyu to re-ascend to the phase.
The following year, the Hebei warlord Yang Zhicheng rebelled, expelled his superiors, and seized military power. Tang Wenzong convened the prime minister to discuss countermeasures, and Niu Shengyu said: "Hebei no longer obeys the orders of the imperial court since the 'Anshi Rebellion', and the imperial court has spent a lot of money and grain to collect, but it is in vain. Therefore, the rebellion in Hebei should be pacified, as long as they can defend the country against the Khitans in the north, and it does not matter whether they rebel or submit. ”
Forced by reality, Tang Wenzong agreed to Niu Shengyu's suggestion and recognized Yang Zhicheng's status as legitimate.
Soon after, a Tibetan general defending Victoria (present-day Lixian County, Sichuan Province) surrendered to Li Deyu, who offered to take the opportunity to attack Tibet. Tang Wenzong hesitated and asked the minister for advice. Niu Shengyu said: "His suggestion is wrong. Tibet is a vast territory, and losing a Victorian state is nothing. Besides, we have just made peace with Tibet, and once we break our promise, we will leave excuses. If the Tibetan army attacked, it would be possible to reach Chang'an in three days. At that point, even if there are 100 Victorians, it won't help. ”
In view of the large number of feudal towns and the weakening of the national power at that time, Tang Wenzong agreed to Niu Monk's suggestion and ordered Li Deyu to return Victoria to Tibet, and the Tibetan generals who surrendered to the Tang Dynasty were also brutally murdered after being sent back. Li Deyu and his party have accused Niu monks and children for being afraid of Li Deyu's meritorious service, so they pretended to be public and private, and obstructed it, and Wenzong also regretted it. Niu monks and children were frightened and resigned to take up their posts in the local government.
After Tang Wuzong ascended the throne, he took a very tough attitude towards the outside world, and once again appointed Li Deyu as prime minister, and Niu Shengyu, Li Zongmin and his followers were all degraded.
Six years later, Wuzong died of illness, and his uncle Tang Xuanzong ascended the throne, and soon deposed Li Deyu and issued an order to recall Niu Shengyu and others. Soon after, Niu Monk and Child died at the age of seventy. The 40-year-long "Niu Li Party Dispute" came to an end.
The "Niu Li Party Struggle" deepened the ruling crisis of the late Tang Dynasty, and together with the dictatorship of eunuchs and the division of feudal towns, the Tang Dynasty went to an end.
Biography of Lee Tak-yu
Li Deyu (787-850), the character Wenrao, the small character Tailang, was a native of Zanhuang County, Zhao County (now Zanhuang County, Hebei Province). Prime Minister of the late Tang Dynasty, an outstanding politician.
The leader of the pit party and the famous face of the late Tang Dynasty
Li Deyu was born in a family of eunuchs, and his father Li Jifu served as prime minister. Li Deyu has been ambitious since childhood, studied hard, and was especially proficient in the "Book of Han" and "The Biography of the Zuo Family in the Spring and Autumn Period", and gradually achieved success in his studies.
Li Deyu did not like to take the imperial examination, and through his father's favor, he became a low-level civil official. Later, in order to avoid suspicion, he served as a staff member in various feudal towns, and did not return to the court until after his father's death, and his official position was gradually promoted.
After Tang Muzong ascended the throne, he appreciated Li Deyu's talent and appointed him as a scholar of Hanlin and put him in charge of drafting the edict. At that time, there were many imperial relatives and eunuchs and powerful ministers colluded with each other, Li Deyu was very disgusted, and Shangshu said: "According to the precedent of this dynasty, the horse is a close relative of the Son of Heaven and should not associate with important members of the imperial court. Your Majesty is requested to prohibit it. Muzon took his advice.
As Lee De-yu's popularity in the court grew, many people thought he could be prime minister. However, at that time, there was a prime minister who had an old grudge with Li Jifu, so he demoted Li Deyu to a magistrate, and recommended Niu Shengyu, a minister who had conflicts with Li's father and son, to be the prime minister.
Many years ago, Niu Shengyu criticized the then Prime Minister Li Jifu in the science examination, and was belittled, which led to a grudge, which was the cause of the "Niu Li Party Dispute". This phase struggle has deepened the contradictions between the two parties.
After Tang Wenzong ascended the throne, the famous minister Pei Du recommended Li Deyu as the prime minister. However, Li Zongmin, the number two figure of the "Niu Party", became the prime minister with the support of the eunuchs, and helped his friend Niu Seng and Ru to ascend to the throne in the same year, while Li Deyu was excluded from present-day Sichuan to serve as the envoy of the festival, and other members of the "Li Party" were suppressed.
In 831, a Tibetan general who was guarding Victoria (present-day Lixian County, Sichuan Province) surrendered to Li Deyu. Li Deyu immediately sent someone to take over Victoria, and Shangshu said: "The minister plans to send 3,000 soldiers and horses to attack the hinterland of Tibet, and wash away the shame of being abused by them for many years!"
Wenzong asked the ministers to discuss, and most of them agreed with Li Deyu's suggestion, only Niu Shengyu strongly objected, believing that the strength of Tibet was too strong for the Tang Dynasty to resist. So Wenzong ordered Li Deyu to return Victoria and the surrenderers to Tibet, but Victoria was lost and lost, and all the surrenderers were taken to the border by the Tibetans and brutally killed, and Li Deyu became a laughing stock.
This was the first time that Niu and Li had confronted each other, and Li Deyu was very angry about this, and the members of the Li Party thought that this was Niu Monk and his revenge, and they protested one after another, and Niu Monk and Child resigned.
After the death of Tang Wenzong, his younger brother Tang Wuzong ascended the throne. Wu Zong worked hard to govern the country, and was very tough on the feudal towns and foreign enemies, and recalled Li Deyu to the imperial court as the prime minister, giving him full trust.
In 840, the Hui Khan was defeated by other tribes, and his tribes were scattered, and he defected to the Tang Dynasty with the remnants of the defeated army, asking for troops and food. Some generals proposed to take the opportunity to attack Hui Hui, Li Deyu said: "In the past, there was civil strife on the mainland, and Hui Hui sent troops to help quell the rebellion, and repeatedly performed miraculous feats. Now that he has returned to the country and died, he has come to defect, not to invade the mainland, and he cannot be requisitioned. It is better to lend them some money and food and wait and see what happens. Wu Zong gladly accepted. Later, there was a civil strife in the Hui and invaded the Tang Dynasty, and the imperial court sent troops to defeat them.
At that time, the imperial family was in decline, and many feudal towns were succeeded by their fathers and sons, and they did not accept the selection of the imperial court. In 843, Zelu (present-day southeastern Shanxi Province and southwestern Hebei Province) Jiedu made Liu Congji fall ill and die, and because his son was young, he chose his nephew Liu Zhi as his heir.
Li Deyu said: "Zelu is located in the hinterland of the country, and unlike Hebei, which guards the border areas, if there is no conquest, how can it order the Quartet? If other feudal towns follow suit, the imperial court will be swept away!" Tang Wuzong asked: "Are you sure of victory?" Li Deyu analyzed that the reason why Liu Zhi dared to argue with the imperial court was that he relied on the three towns of Hebei to support him behind his back. They could be promised that the imperial army would never cross the Taihang Mountains (at the junction of present-day Shanxi and Hebei provinces), that they would not be in danger of losing their teeth and teeth, and that Zelu's two prefectures east of the Taihang Mountains would also be given to them to attack as a sign of trust. In this way, Zelu was isolated, and the imperial court, with the help of the three towns of Hebei, became even stronger and would definitely win. And said: "If you can't win the battle, the minister is willing to accept the guilt." Later, it was as Li Deyu said.
In 846, Tang Wuzong died and his uncle Tang Xuanzong ascended the throne. Xuanzong had always hated Li Deyu, and as soon as the enthronement ceremony was over, he asked the eunuch: "Is the person who was by my side just now Li Deyu?" Xuanzong immediately deposed Li Deyu and drove all the Li Party out of the court, and the Niu Party was reused.
Subsequently, Li Deyu was degraded again and again, and died of misery in Yazhou (present-day Haikou City, Hainan Province) in 850 at the age of 64. Whether Li Deyu served in a local position or as a prime minister, he was known for his outstanding political achievements, and later generations spoke highly of him.
This article is excerpted from "Twenty-four Histories Read Now, Language and History Are Progressing" - the eighth volume of "Old Tang Book", which is officially authorized to be published, welcome to continue to pay attention.