Great day Khan

The ∑ Dynasty was undoubtedly one of the most high-spirited eras in Chinese history, and the number of victories in frontier wars during this period was very rare in ancient Chinese history.

There was even a school of poetry that specialized in describing the scenery and war scenes of the borderlands. This situation can only occur in the Tang Dynasty. In the early Tang Dynasty, the state was strong, and many emperors formulated relatively enlightened national policies, focusing on peace and only occasionally teaching provocateurs, and thus enjoyed great prestige in the hearts of the people of all ethnic groups.

After ← destroyed the Eastern Turks and captured the steppe overlord Khan, the prestige of Li Shimin and the Tang Dynasty led by Li Shimin increased unprecedentedly. Its prestige and influence among the fraternal ethnic groups in the frontier and even in the neighboring countries far exceeded those of all periods since the Han and Wei dynasties.

The various ethnic groups in the frontier represented by the ethnic minorities in the northwest were intimidated by the Tianwei of the Tang Dynasty, and also wanted to find a strong backer for themselves, and even more wanted to learn the advanced Central Plains culture, so they rushed to ask for strengthening ties with the Tang Dynasty.

The leaders of all ethnic groups = no = wrong = strongly expressed their willingness to be under the jurisdiction of the central government of the Tang Dynasty headed by Emperor Li Shimin. Moreover, he was honored as "Heavenly Khan" for Li Shimin. This is a sacred title, and it has almost become Li Shimin's exclusive title.

Although, since then, several descendants of Li Shimin have also been called "Tian Khan", such as Tang Gaozong Li Zhi, Tang Suzong Li Heng, etc. However, only Li Shimin's outstanding ability and great contributions are worthy of the name and deserve the lofty honor of "the co-master of the world"!

⌒ Ethnic discrimination in ancient China is fundamentally different from other periods and countries. Ancient Chinese rulers discriminated against neighboring countries and nationalities, mainly in terms of cultural superiority, focusing on "education" and "enlightenment". Although it has its narrowness. But without losing grace. Objectively, it is conducive to the progress of the nation and the country that interacted with the Central Plains Dynasty of China.

° Like Nazi Germany, discrimination and persecution of Jews, mainly for economic reasons. The Jews were intelligent and capable, and the Germanic Germans felt the pressure to survive; In the past, countries such as the United States and South Africa discriminated against blacks or Indians simply because of their race and color. There is no progress at all.

☆ Shimin once proudly said: "Rulers throughout the ages have always valued the Han nationality and despised the ethnic minorities, but I have treated them equally." Having said that, in fact, Li Shimin still has a sense of superiority and condescending superiority in his heart.

≮Before the concept of the modern nation-state was formed, China or the whole world had a vague concept of nation and state. From the perspective of civilization and enlightenment, words such as "Yi", "Di" and "Hu" sometimes refer to ethnic minorities in China, and sometimes to other foreign ethnic groups. Because in the eyes of the ancient Chinese rulers, there was no political unit in the world equal to the rank of China, and they were all vassals of China. Territory. It doesn't matter, it's all Chinese.

Therefore, it is very difficult to accurately calculate the territory of which dynasty in history was large. You are like Emperor Kangxi. At the end of the 17th century, in 1689, in the Sino-Russian Treaty of Nebuchu, a large area was set aside as a "pending area", which was finally occupied by Russia.

Now, everyone knows the importance of national territory, so territorial disputes over the main shipping lanes, continental shelves, exclusive economic zones, etc., are not uncommon.

Some scholars have even analyzed. Li Shimin's appearance is somewhat similar to Hu Ren. This is actually not a novel statement, we have already explained that Li Shimin's grandmother, mother, and wife are all from the Xianbei tribe." Some people believe that the so-called "**" that violated the traditional Confucian guidelines occurred many times in the court of the Tang Dynasty. It is also related to the ethnic minority blood of the royal family and the lively and open national character. Even Zhu Xi, a master of science in the Southern Song Dynasty, said: "The Tang Dynasty originated from ethnic minorities, so it is not surprising that there were rude incidents one after another." ”…

The benevolent see the benevolent. The wise see the wise. No matter what everyone says, in short, Li Shimin attaches importance to friendly exchanges with ethnic minorities and reuses the Hu people. It is a real thing that ministers of ethnic minorities are very fond of them.

Li Shimin practiced the principle and line of "Hu and Han are one family" and appointed upper-level figures of all ethnic groups as civil and military officials. He set up many feudal state capitals in the border areas. The head of the department is appointed as a local governor. A certain amount of autonomy will be given to ethnic minorities, so that ethnic contradictions will be eased somewhat.

"Bondage" is a very interesting word, and the Tang Dynasty is like a horse halter and a reins that pull and control these ethnic areas. These ethnic regions had much more rights than today's ethnic autonomous regions, and they had almost no sovereignty. They were mainly in a special way - tribute, and maintained a delicate relationship with the Tang Dynasty not far away.

These areas belonged to the sphere of influence and radiation of the Tang government, but they were generally not included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty and could not be counted in the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

For example, the Tang Dynasty set up many feudal prefectures in places that originally belonged to the Eastern Turks. The Eastern Turkic nobles were appointed as local military governors (governors), and according to their custom, the positions could be hereditary.

These state capitals were nominally subject to the canonization of the Tang Empire and paid regular tribute to the central government. However, he did not pay taxes to the Tang and still maintained the customs and habits of his own people. On top of these state capitals, there is a capital protectorate, whose officials are directly appointed and dismissed by the central government, and exercise sovereignty on behalf of the central government, manage border defense and handle inter-ethnic affairs. As a result, an unprecedented situation of stability has emerged in the northern border of our country.

In other ethnic minority areas, Li Shimin also adopted the method of setting up a state capital. The surroundings of Datang are bathed in the grace of Emperor Li Shimin, everyone gets along harmoniously and cooperates for a win-win situation.

Li Shimin's ethnic policy was praised by the Old Tang Dynasty Book as "befriending all people with benevolence and kindness, and appeasing ethnic minorities with honesty and righteousness (benevolence and kindness, faith and righteousness to raise Rongyi)".

Those who were defeated and surrendered by foreign invasions, or those who were admired and attached by distant states, Li Shimin made them kings in their own territory according to their wishes, as a barrier to the Tang Dynasty.

Some were worshiped as generals, granted military powers, and reused; Some were knighted and served as senior military attachés such as lieutenant generals in the imperial court; and if there is a marriage proposal, he will marry them a princess or a princess. Those who are willing to move into the hinterland are sometimes as many as 400,000 to 500,000 people. Li Shimin allocated land for them to resettle. They were also given land and taught them how to weave and farm. Schools were opened to teach them to read and write.

All ethnic groups want to rely on their parents and rely on Li Shimin as much as they do. Therefore, they sincerely believe that Li Shimin is their common leader and their beloved Khan. And revered it as "Heavenly Khan!" Decades later, the people of all ethnic groups who were closely connected with the Tang Dynasty were imperceptibly contributing to the development and growth of the Chinese nation in the edification and baptism of Chinese culture.

Many outstanding talents of ethnic minorities are extremely loyal and courageous, and they are more respectful than their hearts, and Li Shimin's magnanimity and generosity have also won the sincere support of the majority of minority people. He was able to treat ethnic minority generals on an equal footing with Han generals, and won the respect of ethnic minority generals.

In Li Shimin's war to consolidate the frontiers, the generals and chieftains of ethnic minorities played a great role. For example, Ashina Sheer, the son of the famous Turkic general and Chuluo Khan, who was known for his wisdom and bravery, led his men to join the queen. He was named the commander of the Third Army of the Forbidden Army (General Zuo Xiaowei).

Later, he made meritorious contributions in the battle to pacify Gaochang, and Li Shimin also gave him a treasure knife and silk fabrics, and named him Bi Guogong. After the Tiele Department's Qibi He Li led the troops to annex, Li Shimin made him a senior military attache (the general of the left leading army), and after that, he made many military exploits. …

Once he was stabbed by the enemy when he went out with Li Shimin, Li Shimin personally dressed him. At that time, the Turkic Xue Yantuo tribe was very strong, and Qi Bi He Li's mother and younger brother went to Xue Yantuo. The tribesmen are also ready to go. Seeing this, he was very frightened and said that he would be loyal to the Tang Dynasty and would not want to follow them.

His men took him and went to see the Khan of the True Pearl of Xue Yantuo. In front of Zhenzhu Khan, he pulled out his knife and cut off his left ear and swore an oath: "How can any martyr of the Tang Dynasty be subjugated by you. May heaven, earth, the sun and the moon know my faithfulness! However, the Tang Dynasty mistakenly thought that Qi Bi He Li had taken refuge in Xue Yantuo.

The ministers all said to Li Shimin: "When he arrives at Xue Yantuo, he is like a fish in water." Li Shimin said: "The situation must not be what you say. He is as strong as a stone, and he will not betray me. Later, Xue Yantuo's envoy came to Chang'an. talked about the situation of He Li, and Li Shimin was moved to tears.

Hurriedly sent someone to Xue Yantuo. He promised to marry the 15th princess Xinxing to Zhenzhu Khan in exchange for the return of Qibi He Li, so he was able to return to the Tang Dynasty. It can be seen how high is the status of Qi Qi He Li in Li Shimin's heart? The treatment of Zhenzhu Khan suddenly surpassed that of Songtsen Gampo!

In Li Shimin's later years, various departments in the Mobei region were attached one after another. Hui and other tribes wrote to Li Shimin: "We respect you very much and want to come to worship you, but the road is not easy. As a result, Li Shimin quickly responded to their application and instructed his subordinates to build the "Towering Khan Avenue".

There are 68 post stations along this road that runs through the north and south of the desert, and there are horses and food supplies to and from messengers. This is an ancient high-grade highway that has brought the frontier closer to the interior. Of course, in one fell swoop, it "satisfied" the strong desire of the ethnic minorities in the border areas to make a "pilgrimage".

Vanity belongs to vanity, and after all, this belongs to infrastructure construction, and accidentally did a great thing for the people in the border areas. The construction of this avenue made it convenient for the leaders of ethnic minorities to report the local situation to the Tang Emperor. It made the centralization of power in the Tang Dynasty more stable, and at the same time facilitated business and travel exchanges, promoted exchanges between various ethnic groups, and promoted the development of a unified multi-ethnic country.

When Li Shimin died, people from ethnic minorities who were officials in the court and envoys from various countries who came to China to pay tribute all beat their chests and wept bitterly when they heard the news. some cut hair and cut faces; Some cut off their ears and cut their abdomen, and blood flowed all over the ground; Some asked for a burial and followed him until the Yellow Springs. These people, whom feudal historians call "waiyi", feel the kindness of Li Shimin and have reached the point of forgetting themselves. Li Shimin's Zhaoling has several mausoleums of ethnic minority generals, such as the Turkic Ashina Sheer, Qibi He Li, and Zhi Zhi Sili, all of whom were buried here after their deaths. This phenomenon was rare in the past, and it can also be said to be a silhouette of Li Shimin's national policy.

At that time, there were tens of thousands of foreign students studying in China. The leaders of various ethnic groups and countries often rushed to send envoys to pay tribute, and the envoys from all sides who came to congratulate each other in the first month of each year often numbered in the thousands. When Li Shimin met with these envoys, he said to his courtiers: "Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has been reckless in military force for more than 30 years, which has exhausted the people of the Central Plains, and he has gained very little. Now, I am only appeasing them with benevolence and virtue, that is, even the people in extremely remote and remote places have become the people of the Tang Dynasty. ”

Throughout Li Shimin's reign, the Tang Dynasty had a geopolitical relationship with neighboring countries and regions. He successfully handled a variety of bilateral and even multilateral relations with the Tang Dynasty's political, economic, diplomatic, and military interests. For example, relations with the Turks, Tibet, Gaochang and the Western Regions, Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje and other countries.

It is in this process of dealing with these intricacies that his geostrategic thinking continues to mature. His geostrategic thinking has distinctive characteristics of the times. It also has his own unique characteristics, and the two are skillfully blended together. Throughout his geostrategic thinking. …

Like a master of political art, Li Shimin successfully dealt with many thorny problems and became the leader of the international alliance in the Oriental world at that time. After that, he will also apply this superb political wisdom to the reform and adjustment of his power structure.

"Li Shimin", this name is good! "Helping the world and the people", when Li Yuan named his second son, he seemed to have given him the sacred duty of governing the country through the state and protecting the territory and the people. ** said: "Being prepared for danger in times of peace is the expression of a nation's maturity." ”

As the emperor, Li Shimin has realized: "Qin Shi Huang's unification of China, and the prosperity and strength of the country in the Yang Guang era were all destroyed because of arrogance and lasciviousness." How can I still be complacent. "He also knows it deeply." The crimes committed by the last deceased kings in history were all similar, most of which were due to extravagance and corruption, and expropriation. Therefore, he proposed, "To quell turmoil, we must use force, and in times of peace and prosperity, we must use civilized measures."

It is not surprising that Li Shimin has this understanding. This is because he is good at learning from the tragic cases of the tyranny of the Sui Dynasty, and at the same time is deeply influenced by Confucian people-oriented thought.

He followed his father on the battlefield since he was a teenager. In the land of charging into battle and bleeding, he truly saw the suffering of the people of the Sui Dynasty who were displaced and starved all over the wilderness under the rule of Yang Guang, and also experienced the miserable situation of depression and misery of the people. Wait until the world is settled. Cities and towns are in shambles, with closed houses and untidy doors and windows, and there are less than 2 million households in the country, less than one-third of the Sui Dynasty.

Large tracts of fertile land are barren. The city is sparsely populated and the shops are unfrequented. He saw and remembered the tragic situation of the people in the world in his eyes and in his heart, for the prosperity of the country and the strength of the people, the consolidation of the political power, and the stability of the world. began to think about how to improve people's lives and open up the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty. So. Li Shimin attaches great importance to the lives of the common people and emphasizes "people-oriented".

The state should be people-oriented (the state should be people-oriented) is a reflection of the ancient Confucian people-oriented thought. The governance of the country should pay attention to the role of the common people. It is fundamental to take the people to live and work in peace and contentment and win the hearts of the people.

This concept is relative to the monarch and the official base, and its original meaning refers to a concept of rule put forward by the ancient Chinese Ming monarchs and virtuous ministers to maintain their rule. "The king's boat is also, the water is also the water, the water is carrying the boat, and the water is overturned."

Abbreviated as "Junzhou Minshui", since Xunzi spoke during the Warring States Period, it has been widely quoted and vigorously promoted by Emperor Li Shimin on many occasions. Xunzi's era was a troubled era, and what he mentioned could only be a luxury fantasy, and no monarch would really take what he said seriously. Because if you really be a monarch as Xunzi said, you will be too tired and exhausted.

And Li Shimin is conscientiously and step by step turning Mr. Xunzi's political ideals into reality, constantly practicing and unswervingly. Later, the rulers of the past generations put this sentence on their lips whether they liked it or not. This is an extremely simple and great idea, and its basic ideas are mainly expressed in:

First, value the people and noble people.

Valuing the people and believing that the people are the most precious. For example, ancient precepts such as "respecting heaven and protecting the people", "the people are only the country", "the people are noble and the king is light", and "the king is for the people" all show the importance of the people. "Zuo Chuan" expounded the importance of the people from the height of the rise and fall of the country, which said: "The country will rise, listen to the people; The kingdom is about to die, and listen to God. ”

Second, love the people and be benevolent.

Cherish the people and be benevolent to the people. Confucius said: Only those who love love others (benevolent people love others).

Third, to protect the people.

At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, Li Shimin ordered the reduction of taxes and forced labor, so that the common people could recuperate and take a good breath. He cherished the people's power and never took it lightly. Therefore, during his reign of more than 20 years, every qiē speech was based on what the people wanted, and every qiē action was based on the needs of the people. He once said: "Every time I discuss major national affairs in the court, I always think twice before acting, for fear of hurting the interests of the common people." ”…

In February 626, he decreed that among the people of the country, "if a man is 20 years old and a woman is over 15 years old, and has not yet been married, the state and county governments shall give them a dowry according to etiquette; For those who are unable to solve the problem on their own because of poverty, the wealthy or relatives of the same township are funded by the rich people of the same village to help settle the dowry or dowry; Widowers over 60 years of age, widows over 50 years of age, and those with children who adhere to the discipline cannot be forced. ”

This is for the needs of multiplying the population, and it is also a practical measure to help young people of school age solve their personal problems. The measures are effective and implemented in different situations, which makes people feel very warm. It is rare in history to be able to worry about such detail.

In the Li Yuan era, he wanted to consolidate his rule by dividing the royal clan, so dozens of children in the royal family were crowned kings. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he said: "I am now the emperor, and I want to implement moral government to make the people recuperate."

How can we let the common people feed our own clan in vain! Therefore, he ordered that all the titles of the clan be downgraded by one level, and only a few meritorious people remained, which lightened the burden of the people a lot. His eldest grandson, the Empress, even raised silkworms himself (to be continued......

Chapter 246 [Heavenly Khan].

Chapter 246 [Heavenly Khan], :