The angry Yuan Shao arrested Tian Feng, who was outspoken.

After the news of the defeat in the war reached Jizhou, Tian Feng's friends excitedly said to him, Yuan Shao did not follow your advice and returned defeated!

Tian Feng didn't have a smile on his face, because he knew that if Yuan Shao could triumphantly rejoice, he might still have a glimmer of life, but now that Yuan Shao had returned, his death was not far away.

Wang Zhongsi may have had a similar experience with Tian Feng.

It is difficult to determine exactly when An Lushan began to rebel, but one of his actions is enough to prove that his already restless heart began to be restless, that is, he let his henchman Liu Luogu stay in Beijing for a long time to spy on all kinds of information about the imperial court.

If An Lushan only had restless thoughts at this time, he was still entangled in the difficult choice of betrayal and loyalty, but the next series of events made him go further and further on the road of rebellion, until he could not turn back.

The ten years of Tianbao are undoubtedly the most critical year in An Lushan's life. From this year onwards, rebellion was no longer an idea of An Lushan, and it had begun to be put into action in a low-key manner. The reason why An Lushan is low-key is because the person he fears the most, Li Linfu, is still alive!

An Lushan, the envoy of Hedong Jiedu, did not concurrently serve as Taiyuan Yin as usual. Although at this time, it was not as inevitable as after the Anshi Rebellion to serve as the governor of the state, but this became an unwritten unspoken rule.

Previously, An Lushan served as the envoy of the Pinglu Jiedu and concurrently served as the Taishou of Liucheng, and when he served as the envoy of the Fanyang Jiedu, he also served as the governor of Fanyang (the governor of Fanyang was led by the prince Yao, and the long history was the actual governor of the Metropolitan Governor's Office), while An Lushan only served as the Taishou of Yunzhong County (now Datong City, Shanxi) when he served as the envoy of Hedong Jiedu this time. The far-reaching political and military implications of this will be felt in the future.

This fall. An Lushan, the new envoy of Hedong Jiedu, decided to use a military victory to establish his position in the hearts of the soldiers of Hedong Town, but it backfired. An Lushan's expedition this time was a painful defeat, but An Lushan, who had lost his troops, saw an opportunity to expand his strength that ordinary people could not imagine.

The second year. In order to be ashamed, An Lushan decided to lead an army of 200,000 to conquer the Khitan, but in fact, this crusade was not the intention of the drunkard!

An Lushan played Li Longji hoped that Shuofang Jiedu's deputy envoy Absi would lead the army to cooperate with this expedition. Absi was originally the leader of the nine surnamed Hu people, and later led his troops to join the Tang Dynasty. The burly and resourceful Arbus was deeply favored by Li Longji. Absi's favor naturally aroused An Lushan's jealousy and dissatisfaction.

An Lushan had previously moved Abs and his men to his territory. The matter was abandoned because of Arbus's objections. An Lushan wanted to take advantage of this joint conquest of the Khitan to take the opportunity to kill Absi, not only to eliminate a strong opponent, but also to subdue his subordinates to strengthen himself.

At this time, Mobei has become the world of the increasingly powerful Hui. Under the blow of the Hui, the desperated Abs finally defected to the Qarluq.

Under the military deterrence of Cheng Qianli, the Qarluqs escorted Absi, his wife, and thousands of his subordinates to the Beiting Metropolitan Protectorate. Absi's life ended in tragedy, and Cheng Qianli was promoted to the rank of General of the Right Jin Wuwei. In charge of public security in the capital.

An Lushan has undoubtedly become the biggest beneficiary. During the defeat of Absi, An Lushan continued to collect the scattered troops of Absi under his command. "Lushan has won (A) Bu Si people, then the soldiers are strong in the world, and the more arrogant they are." (New Tang Dynasty Book)

Many historians blame the Anshi Rebellion on Li Linfu's policy of "replacing Han with Fan" for his own selfish interests. This policy did provide a rare opportunity for the promotion of a large number of Hu generals, including An Lushan, but the reasons why An Lushan finally embarked on the road of rebellion were extremely complex, one of the reasons was the death of Li Linfu.

An Lushan gradually transformed into a powerful time bomb buried within the Tang Empire. It was because of the touch of one person that the bomb entered the countdown to explosion.

This person is Yang Guozhong, whose name was Yang Zhao in his early years. Yang Zhao's grandfather Yang Youliang and Yang Yuhuan's nominal grandfather Yang Zhiqian are brothers, so he is just a distant relative of Yang Yuhuan.

Where is Jiannan? Jiannan refers to the vast area south of the Sword Pavilion. It roughly included most of present-day Sichuan and northeastern Yunnan.

Later, when Suzong Li Heng was in power, he thought that the jurisdiction of Jiannan Jiedu was too vast, so it was split into Jiannan Xichuan Jiedu and Dongchuan Jiedu Envoy. Daizong Li Yu merged the Jiannan Xichuan Jiedu Envoy, the Dongchuan Jiedu Envoy and the Shannan Dongdao Jiedu Envoy to establish the "Sanchuan Jiedu Envoy". In the Tang Dynasty, there was no concept of "Sichuan", only the concept of "Sanchuan".

Many people think that Sichuan got its name because of the four large rivers within its borders. Actually, this is a misunderstanding. This "river" does not mean a big river, but a plain or a field. The government of the Northern Song Dynasty divided the "Three Rivers" of the Tang Dynasty into Chengdu Fu Road, Zizhou Road, Kuizhou Road and Lizhou Road, and synthesized the Sichuan-Shaanxi Four Roads, referred to as "Sichuan". However, this Sichuan is larger than the current Sichuan Province.

Characteristics of the prime minister system in the Tang Dynasty

In people's impression, the prime minister is often an official residence, but this is not the case with the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. The first-class ministry is a marginalized office. Such as the three divisions (Taishi, Taifu, Taibao), the three dukes (Taiwei, Situ, Sikong) and the three divisions of the prince (Taizi Taishi, Taizi Taifu, and Taizi Taibao). Since the revocation of the Shangshu Order, there has been no official in the second grade. Until the Tang Dynasty period, the rank of Shizhong and Zhongshu Ling was promoted from the third grade to the second grade. However, at this time, Shizhong and Zhongshu Ling gradually became honorary titles that did not manage the affairs of the province. From the second-rank ministry officials were basically reduced to honorary titles, the power of the metropolitan governor was usurped by Changshi, the power of the government pastor was usurped by the government Yin, the power of the left and right servants of the Shangshu was usurped by the left and right servants of the Shangshu, and the majority of the capital protectors lost their power with the existence of the capital protection mansion in name only, as for the prince and the young master, the prince and the prince and the general and the unified army have basically no real power since the beginning of their establishment. The prime minister of the Tang Dynasty was generally a third-rank official or even lower. The lower-ranking of the prime minister system was the result of the centralization of the emperor's power. High-level officials are relatively difficult to control and easily threaten the imperial power, so high-level officials have high positions and little power, while middle-level officials have low positions and weight. This political pattern can enhance the emperor's ability to control the political situation.

The Tang Dynasty followed the three-province six-ministry system created by the Sui Dynasty. The three provinces check and balance each other. Cooperation. In order to strengthen the coordination and communication between the three provinces and improve work efficiency, the imperial court set up a political hall in Menxia Province. The official who has gained the power to participate in the government affairs hall is called the prime minister. Tang Gaozu period. The prime minister is the governor of the three provinces, Shangshu Ling, Zhongshu Ling, and Shizhong. During the period of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, in order to maintain the balance of power. Officials other than the governors of the three provinces can also participate in the highest decision-making and become "appointed prime ministers" after being conferred the titles of "Senator of the Imperial Government", "Pingzhang National Planning", "Special Dictionary Secret", or "Senate and Political Affairs". The "appointed prime minister" must be granted the corresponding title by the emperor in order to perform the duties of prime minister, and once the governor of the three provinces holds this official position, he will naturally become the prime minister, that is, the "ex-officio prime minister", and the status of "appointed prime minister" is inferior to that of "ex-officio prime minister". In the early Tang Dynasty, the title of "appointed prime minister" was not uniform.

After Tang Taizong ascended the throne, Shangshuling gradually withdrew from the historical stage, and many experts and scholars believe that Tang Taizong had been abolished because of his reappointment, but in fact, Li Shimin's enthronement was once the Zhongshu Order. The vacancy of the Shangshu Order was closely linked to the weakening of the power of Shangshu Province. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, although the three-province system was established, the power of the three provinces was uneven. The Governor of Shangshu Province not only participates in the highest decision-making but is also responsible for administrative execution. The status of Shangshu Province is significantly higher than that of Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province. Shang Shuling's grade is the second grade. The grade of Zhongshu Ling and Shizhong is the third grade, which is only equivalent to the grade of the six Shangshu under the jurisdiction of Shangshu Province. Before the promulgation of the "Kaiyuan Order", the ranking of the Zhongshu Order and the Shizhong was even after the official book.

After Shang Shuling withdrew from the stage of history, Shang Shu's left and right servants (from the second rank) became the supreme governor of Shangshu Province and became the new ex-officio prime minister. In the twenty-third year of Zhenguan (649 AD), Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, appointed Li Tao as the left servant of Shangshu, and the third grade of the same Zhongshu door. This appointment is undoubtedly of epoch-making significance. From then on, Shangshu's left and right servants withdrew from the ranks of the ex-officio prime minister. If the title of Sanpin under the Tongzhongshu Sect is not awarded, the left and right servants of Shangshu will no longer be a member of the highest decision-making level. It became a common practice for the left and right servants of the Hou Shangshu not to serve as prime ministers. The left and right servants of Shangshu, who were excluded from the core of power, only managed the daily affairs of Shangshu Province, but the authority of Shangshu's left and right servants to manage the affairs of Shangshu Province was gradually encroached upon by Shangshu Left and Right Cheng. Although Shangshu Zuo, Youcheng, Liubu Shangshu and Liubu Shilang are still important ways to become prime ministers, once they become prime ministers, they often change or concurrently hold the positions of Zhongshu Province or Menxia Province.

The number of prime ministers in Zhongshu and Menxia provinces is much higher than that of Shangshu Province. At the same time as the status of Shangshu Province declined, the status of Menxia Province continued to improve. The right of refusal of Menxia Province was guaranteed by the system during the reign of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The government hall is located in Menxia Province, so Menxia Province has the advantage in the game of the three provinces. The dominant position of the province was soon lost. In the last years of Zhenguan, the Chinese book made the eldest grandson Wuji know the three provincial affairs. This undoubtedly kicked off the prelude to the rise of the status of Zhongshu Province.

Because the province of Menxia has the power to refute the emperor's edict. Wu Zetian deliberately suppressed Menxia Province. The first year of Hongdao (683 AD). After Pei Yan was promoted to Zhongshu Ling, he moved the political hall to Zhongshu Province. The promotion of the servant to the rank of secretary became an important promotion path for the prime minister. At the same time, a large number of envoys usurped the administrative powers that had belonged to Shangshu Province. The general use of the report to the post. Therefore, the pleadings replace the recitals and occupy the dominant position in the upper documents. As a result, the right of rebuttal in the province of Menxia has been greatly weakened. Zhongshu Province has become the new core of the three provinces.

In the eleventh year of Kaiyuan (723), Zhongshu ordered Zhang Shuo to change the political hall to Zhongshu. "There are five rooms after it: one is the officer's room, the second is the cardinal's room, the third is the soldier's room, the fourth is the household room, and the fifth is the torture room. It's not just a name change. Zhongshu has transformed from a simple deliberative body to a central processing body for government decision-making and central processing. At the same time, Zhongshu became the prime minister's institution that transcended the three provinces. As a result, the functions and roles of the three provinces have undergone major and profound changes. The three-province system established in the early Tang Dynasty gradually collapsed.

Because Shangshu Province was excluded from the core of power under the Zhongshu sect, its status plummeted. "Taizheng Xinxiu Tripitaka No. 2156 Tang Zhenyuan Continuation Kaiyuan Interpretation Record" includes the record of the edict of the second year of Jianzhong: "The ancestral hall of the Anguo Temple is the law of the temple. "Not an empty table set? Table 1: On the birthday of the first birthday, please spend a song on the Seven Monks' Ancestral Hall", which records: "The Ancestral Department of the Chinese Book Gate". This shows that many edicts and edicts were issued directly to the department and no longer to the province. The downward documents of the book-making category are generally signed and forwarded by the Shangshu Province, but the right to sign the left and right servants of the Shangshu is omitted, see "Li Shen Shou Zhongshu Shilang Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhang Shi" contained in the "Southern Song Dynasty Pavilion Continuation". The Shangshu left and right servants gradually separated from the province of Shangshu, and gradually became a transitional or honorary position for the prime minister of Shimono, an important minister in the court, or a general of the feudal town. Shangshu Province became the signatory and forwarding authority with the left and right Cheng as the governors and under the leadership of the Zhongshu sect. The power of Shangshu Province was undoubtedly gradually elevated.

Although Zhongshu Shilang and Menxia Shilang are still the nominal governors of Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province, they have changed in the direction of Zhongshu Menxia Chief.

The province gradually became the secretarial body for drafting edicts under the leadership of the Zhongshu sect, with the Zhongshu Sheren as the actual governor. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the prime minister was generally served by Zhongshu Shilang and actually presided over the work of Zhongshumen, so the status of Zhongshu Province and the fate of Zhongshu were closely linked, but Zhongshu Province and Zhongshu Menxia showed a separate trend.

At the same time as the power of the Zhongshu Sect expanded, there was fierce friction and conflict between the Men Province and the Zhongshu Sect. Although the squire was the nominal governor of the province, the province changed from the main exercise of the right of refutation to the main exercise of the right of restitution. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, there were few records of the upward documents of the menxia province in the historical books, and the records of the downward documents of the sealed and returned documents surged.

"Information Governance? Volume 245? Tang Ji Sixty-one" recorded: "Looking for Zhongyan as the assistant teacher of the four doors, and returning the edict to Zheng Su and Han Cifeng in the matter." Deyu will publish a book in the middle of the book, saying that he said: 'And I like to seal the edict in the matter!' Ya immediately summoned Su and said: 'Li Gongshi left a message, so that the second pavilion elder does not need to be sealed. The two of them will go down immediately, and tomorrow, with Bai Deyu, Deyu exclaimed: "Deyu does not want to be sealed, and he hears it in person, so why make people rumore!" And there is a division to refute it, dare to return to the prime minister's evil intentions! The two of them went away in hatred. The imperial court appointed Li Zhongyan as an assistant teacher in the four sects, and Zheng Su and Han Ci were given back in the matter, and Zheng Ya, who was a servant of his disciples, had to pretend that Li Deyu did not agree to make the edict promulgated. This shows that the control of Menxia Province has been greatly weakened compared with the early Tang Dynasty, and he has become the de facto governor of Menxia Province in the matter.

The process of functional evolution of Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province is long and complex. (To be continued......)