"Considering that the centralization of power in the Tang Dynasty was weaker than that of the Han Dynasty, and the division of feudal towns in the later period of the Anshi Rebellion was serious, but in the later period of the Han Dynasty, there were many disasters such as the Yellow Turban Uprising and the party's rebellion, and the Han Dynasty won more than 400 years on the side of the national fortune and 300 years in the Tang Dynasty.

"How Li Shimin became the emperor, I made it very clear before, the "Xuanwumen Change" is inevitable. ”

Tang Taizong Li Shimin ascended to the throne through the bloody means of the "Xuanwumen Change", and Tang Gaozu Li Yuan was also the only founding emperor of the great unified dynasty that was overthrown in history. ”

"In fact, after the Tang Dynasty unified the world, some people proposed that Li Yuan should be passed on to Li Shimin."

In addition to the identity of etiquette, the crown prince Li Jiancheng is almost inferior to Li Shimin, the king of Qin, especially Li Shimin has the support of the military merit group, the Kwantung scholars and the Shu landlords, which can be described as "two out of three in the world". ”

In fact, according to the father-son relationship between Li Yuan and Li Shimin at that time, many people in later generations misunderstood the essence of the "Xuanwumen Change" and believed that the "Xuanwumen Change" was just a dispute between princes and princes that had occurred many times in history. ”

However, the "Xuanwumen Change" is fundamentally different from the other princes' succession disputes. ”

"In the general struggle for succession, the power of the prince comes from the power of the father, and the emperor is in the position of the supreme referee in the struggle."

"Except for a few faint monarchs who have escaped from play, the battle for the prince's succession is basically within the control of the emperor, and the prince will not point the spearhead of the struggle at the emperor."

"But the power of Li Shimin, the king of Qin, came from the exploits of the nine deaths, the support of the scholar group and the distribution of resources for the defeated after the war, and it had little to do with Li Yuan."

"Li Shimin's power is not a postponement of imperial power but a representative of the power of his subjects, and Li Shimin's biggest political enemy in the battle for the succession of martial arts is Li Yuan."

"Because of this, Li Yuan's passing on the throne to Li Shimin is tantamount to recognizing that the imperial power can be replaced when the vassal power reaches a certain scale, which is unacceptable to any emperor in his right mind."

It can be said that when Li Shimin's vassal power developed enough to replace Li Yuan, the "Xuanwumen Change" was inevitable. ”

"Li Shimin is a good emperor, the Tang Dynasty is prosperous under his leadership, and who doesn't know the rule of Zhenguan"? ”

"The rule of Zhenguan is a people-oriented idea."

"The wide-ranging way of speech, the open-mindedness of accepting advice, the criterion of meritocracy, the selflessness of the iron face, and the bearing of doing things according to the law constitute the basic characteristics of the rule of Zhenguan and become the best example of feudal governance."

"Compared with Western countries at that time, the Tang Dynasty was at the forefront of the world in politics, economy, and culture."

"Although the real prosperity was during the reign of Li Longji, a heavenly khan who accepted the coming of all countries, this period was also very open and prosperous."

"In troubled times, the rule of the Sui Dynasty was severe, the people were suffering, and the people were scattered."

"Heroes from all over the world have risen one after another, vying to compete for their own side of the world in turmoil."

"However, in the midst of this long and troubled world, there is a figure who has come to the fore, his name is Li Yuan, and his glory comes from his son, Li Shimin."

"Li Shimin's childhood was full of great changes in the society of the Sui Dynasty, and he witnessed the suffering of the people, so he vowed to become a savior."

"However, his success was not only due to ambition, but also because he possessed the qualities needed to change the course of history."

"In the early days of Li Shimin's reign, the situation he faced was not optimistic."

"Although he had succeeded in establishing the Tang Dynasty, the chaos left by the Sui Dynasty did not improve."

"The people are still suffering from displacement, so Li Shimin knows that improving the livelihood of rural people and promoting common progress is a top priority."

"His first goal was to improve the living environment in the countryside and to encourage people to make progress in agriculture and culture in order to break free from the constraints of the past."

"This concept is not only Li Shimin's idea, but also has won the approval of important officials around him."

"They realized that one of the main reasons for the fall of the Sui Dynasty was that the government was too harsh on the people, making it impossible for them to make a basic livelihood and not be able to afford heavy taxes."

Against this backdrop, the slogan of "live and work in peace" became a joke, and the people were recognized as both the key to the prosperity of the nation and the root cause of its decline and demise. ”

"Therefore, they agreed that in order to build a strong country, the first task is to win the hearts and minds of the people."

In order to give the people more time to engage in agricultural production, Li Shimin decided to allow the people to pay a certain amount of cloth or silk mats in lieu of forced forced labor.

"This policy aims to free up farmers and give them more time to engage in agriculture to ensure that agricultural time is not disturbed."

"This decision demonstrates his determination to put the people first."

"In the process, Li Shimin has shown firm determination."

"When the crown prince's coronation ceremony clashed with the agricultural season, he did not compromise on his identity, but postponed the ceremony until the winter when it would not interfere with agricultural affairs."

"He has even resorted to legal means to ensure the implementation of this policy, and to hold officials accountable for failing to do so."

"These initiatives made the people feel that he was an emperor who really wanted to improve their lives."

"These are Li Shimin's benevolent policies, which is probably related to the fact that he once fought the world."

"When he was still the king of Qin, he fought everywhere every year, and he knew more about the sufferings of the people in society."

"So from that time on, Li Shimin secretly made up his mind that he must let the people live and work in peace and contentment."

"He also did it, through the development of the economy, the development of culture, and the customization of the legal system, so that the Tang Dynasty gradually came out of the smoke of war, and the society was peaceful and ambitious."

"In a certain year of Zhenguan, Datang attracted a bumper harvest that is rare in hundreds of years, and it snowed again during the New Year."

"Li Shimin, who was standing on the tower of the city, celebrated the New Year with all the concubines and princes, but suddenly he was worried about a special group in his heart, that is, hundreds of death row prisoners imprisoned in the capital."

"Li Shimin came to the prison to visit the condemned prisoners and talked to them one by one."

"The death row inmates can reflect on their own mistakes, and Li Shimin saw that the nature of this group of people had not been extinguished, so he made an agreement for them."

"Let them go home for the New Year now, and the big guys will come back here next autumn."

"If you behave well outside, then the capital crime will be pardoned."

"Everyone was very happy after hearing this, and they all went home for the New Year with a smile on their faces."

"In the autumn of the following year, hundreds of prisoners returned, and Li Shimin fulfilled his promise to pardon them."

(End of chapter)