Biography of relatives
"New Tang Dynasty Book: Biography of Foreign Relatives" is a total of one volume, recording more than a dozen foreign relatives, and this book selects Wu Sansi and Yang Guozhong as representatives.
Wu Sansi, who is good at greeting
Wu Sansi (?) —707), a native of Wenshui County (now Wenshui County, Shanxi Province). Empress Wu Zetian's nephew, official to prime minister.
Wu Sansi was exiled to a distant place because of his father's crime, and it was not until his aunt Wu Zetian took charge of power that he was recalled to the capital and was reused. Wu Sansi's qualifications were mediocre, but under the protection of Wu Zetian, he rose all the way to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites.
In 690, Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor and began to crown the Wu clan as king, and Wu Sansi was named the king of Liang and served as the prime minister. Wu Zetian liked and trusted him very much, and went to his house many times in person to give him rich rewards.
Wu Sansi is good at greeting. At that time, Wu Zetian favored Xue Huaiyi, Zhang Yizhi, Zhang Changzong and others, these people were deeply ashamed of the courtiers, but Wu Sansi was able to condescend to flatter them. Every time Xue Huaiyi rode out of the palace, Wu Sansi, as the prime minister, did not shy away from the eyes of others, helping him to hold the saddle for a while, helping him hold the reins for a while, and not forgetting to advise: "Master Xue be more careful!" "Whoever doesn't know the inside story will mistake him for a slave.
Wu Sansi also flattered Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong brothers in every way, not only praising Zhang Changzong for his immortal demeanor and bearing, but even guiding courtiers to write poems to praise his extraordinary posture. If the Zhang brothers were riding horses, Wu Sansi would follow the horses closely; If the Zhang brothers were in a car, Wu Sansi would personally drive the horse and shout with a whip.
In the early years, Wu Zetian married Princess Anle, the daughter of the crown prince Li Xian, to Wu Chongxun, the son of Wu Sansi. In 705, Prime Minister Zhang Cambodia supported Li Xian to launch a mutiny in Ziwei City in Luoyang (now Luoyang City, Henan Province), forcing Wu Zetian to abdicate, and Li Xian succeeded him as Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Zhongzong regarded Wu Sansi as a confidant and confidant, and trusted him very much, and Wu Sansi was even more favored. Zhongzong was a mediocre person who lacked the emperor's decision, and his wife, Empress Wei, actively participated in court politics. Wu Sansi flattered Empress Wei, and the two forces became powerful political forces in the court, controlling the government and wantonly brutalizing loyal ministers.
Empress Wei was ambitious, and Wu Sansi had evil intentions, and the two tried to join forces to depose the crown prince Li Chongjun. Wu Sansi asked his son to instigate Princess An Le and asked Zhongzong to canonize her as the crown princess so that she could inherit the throne in the future. In 707, Li Chongjun mobilized the Yulin army, gathered officials who were dissatisfied with Wu Sansi, and falsely passed on the holy decree, broke into Wu Sansi's mansion, and killed Wu Sansi and Wu Chongxun.
After Wu Sansi died, Zhongzong mourned for him, and even abolished the dynasty for five days. After Tang Zhongzong's younger brother Tang Ruizong succeeded to the throne, he thought that Wu Sansi was a treacherous minister, split his coffin, and razed his cemetery. Wu Sanside was not worthy of the position, and finally dug his own grave.
Yang Guozhong, who caused chaos in the dynasty
Yang Guozhong (?) —756), whose real name was Yang Zhao, was a native of Yongle County, Hezhong Prefecture (now Yongji City, Shanxi Province). The nephew of Wu Zetian's favorite minister Zhang Yizhi, the cousin of Yang Guifei, and the official to the prime minister.
When he was young, Yang Guozhong was uneducated, addicted to alcohol and gambling, and his relatives and friends despised him. Later, he joined the army in anger, performed well, and was able to serve as a petty officer. Cousin Yang Yuhuan got the favor of Tang Xuanzong and was canonized as a concubine, Yang Guifei's three sisters gained power, and Yang Guozhong also began to soar. Because he was promoted too quickly and behaved casually, the ministers of the DPRK and China all sneered at him.
After Yang Guozhong gained a foothold in the capital Chang'an, with the advantage of the favor of the Yang sisters, he guessed the holy will and did what he liked, and gradually won the trust of Tang Xuanzong. Xuanzong would accompany Yang Guifei to Huaqingchi every October, and Yang Guozhong and the three sisters' mansions were connected, and the five families often lined up to travel together, and Yang Guozhong led the way in front of him, showing off his might. Xuanzong also often visited these houses, and Yang Guozhong arranged a banquet, singing and dancing, and delicacies and jewelry, which made Xuanzong, who was greedy for enjoyment in his later years, very satisfied.
After gaining the favor of the emperor, Yang Guozhong began to do everything possible to curry favor with the powerful minister Li Linfu. Because Li Linfu had no credit in the canonization of Li Heng as the crown prince, he was afraid that there would be hidden dangers in the future, so he began to plan to get rid of the prince. Under the hint of Li Linfu, Yang Guozhong first framed the crown princess's brother for colluding with the border commander to make the prince emperor, and then framed the prince's concubines and family members, resulting in hundreds of families being killed. Yang Guozhong took advantage of Li Linfu's relationship to wantonly indulge and do evil.
In 751, Emperor Xuanzong ordered an attack on Nanzhao (most of present-day Yunnan Province), and Yang Guozhong took the opportunity to recommend the main general, which led to the annihilation of the entire army. Yang Guozhong, who was greedy for military exploits, instead of reporting to the imperial court truthfully, falsified his military exploits. The following year, Li Linfu died of illness, and Yang Guozhong succeeded him as the chief prime minister and began to monopolize power.
Two years later, Yang Guozhong sent tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to attack Nanzhao, but the main general was lured by the enemy, died on the battlefield, and was defeated again. Yang Guozhong repeated his old skills and made good news to the court. attacked Nanzhao twice, suffered heavy losses, but Yang Guozhong ignored it, and no one in the court dared to talk about this matter.
One year, Tang Xuanzong arranged for Yang Guozhong to select officials, and Yang Guozhong launched a series of processes such as registration, registration, and appointment in his private residence. Yang Guifei's three elder sisters sat behind the beaded curtain and laughed at the officials who came and went by name, making such a major matter as the selection of officials without seriousness at all.
Afterwards, those who flattered Yang Guozhong actually erected a monument to him in the south of Shangshu Province to praise his ability to select talents. As a result, Yang Guozhong grasped the power of electing officials, and other departments could not intervene.
Later, Hu General An Lushan became Xuanzong's trusted favorite, and he was quite dissatisfied with Yang Guozhong, so Yang Guozhong often complained to Xuanzong, pointing out that An Lushan had the intention of rebellion. Xuanzong only regarded this as a discord and did not take it to heart. Since then, Yang Guozhong and An Lushan have begun to face Mai Mang and compete secretly.
After Yang Guozhong became prime minister, political corruption led to boiling public resentment. An Lushan launched a rebellion in the name of crusading against Yang Guozhong. In 756, the rebels captured Tongguan (in present-day Tongguan County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province), and Chang'an was in danger, and Xuanzong fled to Shu (present-day Sichuan Province) for refuge.
When the march reached Maweiyi (in present-day Xingping City, Shaanxi Province), the hungry and exhausted soldiers refused to advance under the scorching heat, and the crown prince Li Heng took the opportunity to incite the soldiers to claim that Yang Guozhong was the main culprit of the rebellion. At this time, several Tibetan envoys begged Yang Guozhong for food, and the enraged soldiers immediately surrounded them and shouted: "Yang Guozhong has rebelled against Tibet!" "Hack Yang Guozhong to death with a knife.
Yang Guozhong took advantage of Yang Guifei's relationship to prosper in official fortune and rise to prosper, but in the end, he was infamous for being greedy and arbitrary.
This article is excerpted from "Twenty-four Histories Read Now, Language and History Are Progressing" - the ninth volume of "New Tang Dynasty Book", which is officially authorized to be released, welcome to continue to pay attention.