Li Shimin's ability to create the rule of Zhenguan and lay a solid foundation for the Tang Dynasty is truly admirable. However, the data shows that compared with the opening of the Sui Dynasty, the rule of Zhenguan was more difficult. What are the reasons for this? How did Li Shimin overcome many difficulties and gradually move towards prosperity? Let's find out.
Difficulties: The grim situation faced by the post-Tang Dynasty at the beginning of its establishment
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the national strength withered and the people were struggling to make a living. Under the shadow of war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, there were lives and devastation everywhere. Looking around the land, there are only more than 2 million people left in the household register, which is more than 80% lower than the heyday of the Sui Dynasty. Once upon a time, the descendants of Yan and Huang were all over the mountains and rivers, fertile fields for thousands of miles, but now only the remnants of these idleness are gone.
Taizong Li Shimin is a first-hand witness to all this. He was displaced when he was a child, his home fell, and the pain of life and death was unforgettable. Later, he ascended the throne and became the emperor, and he visited the territory, the autumn wind swept away the red, and the bloody soil stained the robe, evoking thousands of wounds in the past. Poor mountains and bad waters, cattle and sheep do not exist; Money and food are gone, and the old and weak are withering. After years of war, the people were displaced, starved and cold, fled in all directions, and millions of people were captured by the Turks, Dangxiang, Xue Yantuo and others.
In addition, at the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there were still countless stubborn diseases that needed to be treated. Many eunuchs, relatives and large and small wealthy families left over from the Sui Dynasty have carved up the country's great rivers and mountains, and the Tang clan relatives are also complacent. These people have been trapped in power and money for a long time, and they are extravagant and promiscuous, and the people are unbearable, which is really the root cause of the disaster to the country and the people.
What's more, small countries such as Gaochang and Tubo in the north and the Western Regions are eyeing each other, ready to take advantage of the chaos at any time. Nomadic tribes such as Turkic and Dangxiang sometimes harass the border, endangering the security of the border.
In the face of such difficulties, what kind of determination and wisdom should Li Shimin have to make the world peaceful and the country and the people safe? Let's wait and see.
Laying the foundations of the country: Steps taken by Li Shimin during his reign to stabilize the situation
In the difficult situation, Li Shimin soberly realized that in order to truly embark on the road of rejuvenation of the country, it is necessary to start from the root and start to solve the major problem of the people's livelihood and the people's livelihood, which has a bearing on the national economy and the people's livelihood.
First of all, he fully implemented the system of equalizing farmland, and strictly restricted the encroachment of farmland by large families. The system stipulated that each peasant family could own a certain amount of tenant land, but the wealthy families were not allowed to monopolize the land. To this end, Li Shimin personally supervised the work, on the one hand, he ordered that all the royal palace land and garden land be included in the land equalization plan, and on the other hand, the officials thoroughly investigated the illegal occupation of land in various places, confiscated it and distributed it to the landless peasants.
At the same time, in order to encourage peasants to reclaim more land, he also made a gap in the newly revised Tang Law, allowing peasants to occupy more land in "kuanxiang" (sparsely populated and land-rich land) without punishment. At the same time, it is stipulated that all peasants who move to a certain distance away can be exempted from tax for a certain number of years. Officials who violate the rules will be severely punished.
Second, Li Shimin focused on reducing the burden of servitude on the peasants. During the era of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, due to excessive conscription, a large number of peasants were displaced and the countryside was barren, which undoubtedly exacerbated the suffering of war. Therefore, he promulgated the "Camp Order", which strictly limited the scale of project conscription, and more than a certain number must be reported to Shangshu Province for approval.
At the same time, he also set an example himself, deliberately canceling some palace and pavilion projects that were originally scheduled to be built, so as to avoid consuming too much people's resources. Every year, during the agricultural season, he strictly forbade the holding of large-scale court ceremonies, so as not to affect agricultural affairs.
In order to improve the peasants' enthusiasm for production, Zhenguan held a "ploughing ceremony" in the field for three years, and set an example by himself and ploughed with his own hands. He also demanded that local officials must go down to the grassroots level, understand the people's feelings, and strive to solve problems for the peasants.
In addition, Li Shimin paid attention to population recovery and development, which is the foundation of a stable country. He rescued a large number of Han Chinese who had been taken captive and returned to the Central Plains through ransom and other means. At the same time, edicts were issued to encourage early marriage and childbearing, and even to provide dowry for the poor party, in order to increase the birth rate.
Responding to natural disasters: Li Shimin's efforts to cope with floods and droughts
In the early Tang Dynasty, the national strength was weak, coupled with years of war, which made water conservancy facilities all over the country deserted and withered. In the event of a drought or flood, it will inevitably lead to a huge disaster. Li Shimin was well aware of this principle, so while consolidating the foundation of the country, he also set out to solve the problem of water conservancy.
To this end, he first set up a special water conservancy agency in the imperial court, the Water Conservancy Supervisor, which was responsible for the smooth drainage of rivers across the country. Subsequently, water conservancy officials such as water conservancy envoys and water conservancy officials were also set up in various localities to be responsible for local water conservancy projects and flood control work.
Then, Li Shimin personally deployed a number of large-scale water conservancy projects. In the Guanzhong area, he ordered the repair of the large and small dredunges of the Wei River and the Luoyu Canal in Lintong, alleviating the scourge of the flooding of the Wei River. In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, he encouraged grassroots officials to take the lead in building embankments, which became the prototype of the later "River Dividing Project" and also contributed to the fight against floods.
In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the water conservancy project, in the 16th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin specially issued an edict ordering all peasants whose places of residence on both sides of the river were to obey the forced labor and carry out various tasks such as dredging the canals and reinforcing the embankments. It is also strictly stipulated that any official who disobeys orders and embezzles and accepts bribes will be severely punished, up to the border of the army.
In order to reduce the burden of forced labor on the peasants, he also included water conservancy affairs in the management of the "Ten Yong Laws," and the number of forced laborers for each project should not exceed 200. In case of special circumstances, it must be reported to the central government in advance, and the excess can only be expropriated after approval.
In addition, he promulgated a series of laws and regulations to protect agricultural production and ensure state revenue. In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, he ordered the tax system of the whole country to be standardized, and the annual tax collection time was set after the autumn, "so as to facilitate the farmers' time to work".
At the same time, he enacted strict regulations to punish official malfeasance. None of those who engage in favoritism or irregularities in water conservancy projects will be spared, and all of them will be sentenced to prison according to the degree of their crimes, and they will even be confiscated to the frontiers. Even officials who are practical and promising will be punished if they take bribes and abuse the people.
Through the vigorous implementation of the above-mentioned series of policies and regulations, great progress was made in water conservancy during the Zhenguan period, the dredging of rivers and the repair of embankments across the country, and the replenishment of national grain depots. This has not only created good conditions for agricultural production, but also laid a solid foundation for future prosperity.
Mediating regional contradictions: Li Shimin's attempt to resolve the contradiction between "narrow townships" and "wide townships".
Although the system of land equalization established the right of peasants to own land, it encountered a huge obstacle in the process of implementation - a serious imbalance in the distribution of the population across the country.
The so-called "narrow townships" refer to areas with overly dense populations and shortage of land resources, mainly concentrated in Guanzhong, a province with a large traditional population. On the other hand, due to the displacement of people and the migration of people from some remote areas due to war, a pattern of "wide townships" has been formed, and although land resources are abundant, there is a shortage of manpower.
This has undoubtedly aggravated the contradictions and antagonism between regions. Farmers in the "narrow townships" have limited access to land and are struggling to make ends meet. However, it is difficult for the land in the "wide township" to be fully reclaimed and utilized, and the two form a sharp opposition.
In order to resolve this contradiction, Li Shimin had to come up with a series of immigration policies. He first ordered that peasants should be allowed to choose to immigrate to the "Kuanxiang" area, and that certain immigration preferences should be granted, such as exemption from taxes for a certain number of years and payment of road tolls.
At the same time, various localities have also introduced corresponding preferential measures according to the situation. For example, the "Sichuan immigrants" in the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi Province stipulate that peasant households who have migrated to Sichuan can not only be exempted from taxes for 10 years, but also receive a certain amount of grain subsidies and loan support.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of the resettlement work, Li Shimin also sent envoys to various places on several occasions to supervise the work of local officials. In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, he deliberately promulgated special immigration regulations to regulate the migration of immigrants across the country.
The core content of the regulation is to divide the country into four regions, and clarify the targets and destinations of immigrants in each region. Among them, Shaanxi, Hebei, Henan and other densely populated areas in Guanzhong and the Central Plains are listed as emigration areas; The northwest, northeast and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are key destinations for migrants.
At the same time, local officials have also been strictly evaluated, and whether officials at all levels are promoted effectively and whether they are deposed will directly depend on the actual performance of local resettlement work. In the 20 years of Zhenguan, Liu Hong, who was in charge of immigration affairs, was even removed from his post for ineffective work.
As a result of these efforts, the scale of immigration during the Tang Dynasty reached unprecedented heights. According to statistics, during the Zhenguan period alone, nearly one million people moved from overpopulated areas to "Kuanxiang". This not only alleviates the contradictions between regions, but also promotes the rational distribution of population and land resources across the country, and lays a solid foundation for the consolidation and development of Shengshi Foundation.
Rules for the construction of the capital: Li Shimin governed Chang'an City to demonstrate the prestige of the empire
As the capital of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City has been known as the "Eight Verticals of Chang'an" since ancient times. However, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the war spread throughout the Central Plains, and the city of Chang'an was inevitably severely damaged. Faced with the unrecognizable scene of this former imperial capital, Li Shimin was undoubtedly deeply touched in his heart.
Therefore, at the beginning of his ascension, he personally planned the project to rebuild Chang'an. In the second year of Zhenguan, he ordered to clean up the ruins in the city, clean the streets, and restore Chang'an City to its former neat and orderly. Later, he issued an edict to increase the height of the city wall and put a stone monument to show the inviolability of the city.
At the same time, he also greatly promoted the construction of the palace, first started to repair the previously destroyed gate que, Taixie, que road and other palace buildings. These buildings are not only exquisitely crafted, but also contain rich cultural connotations of imperial court ceremonies. For example, the building called "Dragon Garden" was specially designed for the emperor to receive guests; The Que Road on the Qiming Hall is a place dedicated to the court.
Although this series of projects was huge, in order to lighten the burden on the peasants, Li Shimin specially instructed Pei Ju, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, to "do not serve the people." In other words, it is necessary to mobilize the civil forces to participate spontaneously, and they must not be forcibly conscripted. In the end, tens of thousands of craftsmen and people were mobilized, and it took more than two years to complete the project.
In addition to the palace, Li Shimin also built some gardens and mountains and forests in Chang'an City. Among them, there are "Changle Palace" garden, Yongji Garden, Yuhua Palace mountain forest, etc., like a fairyland on earth. Most of these gardens are built by the mountains and rivers, decorated with ponds and marshes, pavilions, and have a unique cave.
Especially on the famous Zhongnan Mountain, there are several garden buildings, coupled with the strange peaks and strange stones on the mountain, it seems that the mountain gardens complement each other. Li Shimin will come to Nanshan in person every festival, climb high and look at the Wenchen people, taste tea and appreciate it, which can be described as happy and forgetful.
In addition, Li Shimin vigorously built the imperial mausoleum and cemetery buildings. According to records, during the 10th to 15th years of Zhenguan, there were four cemeteries and seven stone chambers were completed. Later, he sent the Ministry of Engineering to supervise the repair of more than 30 stone rooms, and the pavilions and pavilions were decorated, as if they had become the works of the imperial mausoleum garden.
Most of these cemeteries are located in the area of Yongning and Xianyang, which are treasures of feng shui and vast and eternal. Li Shimin's decree was clear, in case of leakage or disrepair, it must be repaired in time. For the most essential buildings, he even sent officials to guard them in person, showing the dignity of the king.
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Through this series of actions, Li Shimin is undoubtedly building Chang'an into a capital in line with royal prestige in a planned and step-by-step manner, demonstrating the spirit and will of the imperial overlord. The reconstruction of Chang'an also marked that the Tang Dynasty had truly embarked on the road to prosperity.