Emperor Taizong's achievements in his life are mainly manifested in two aspects: one is the martial arts in the process of establishing the Tang Dynasty and unifying the whole country, and the other is the literary rule in the Zhenguan period. This paper mainly discusses the latter.
The emergence of Zhenguan rule and the reason why Emperor Taizong became an outstanding and progressive historical figure is by no means accidental, but has its profound historical background.
First of all, Emperor Taizong followed the trend of historical development and learned the lessons of the demise of the Sui Dynasty. At the end of Sui Dynasty, there was a peasant uprising against Yang Di's tyranny. The people opposed exorbitant taxes and demanded that taxes be reduced. The people oppose life and death, demanding good and good, and evil and evil; The people opposed the belligerence of the war and demanded that Yan Wu cultivate literature and recuperate. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, saw these problems and made unremitting efforts around them. He always remembers the old adage that "water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it", and he is prepared for danger in times of peace and dare not slack off. His efforts conform to the historical trend, which is an important factor in the rule of Zhenguan.
Second, Emperor Taizong had a harmonious relationship with officials and formed a good political atmosphere. At the beginning of Zhenguan. With a strong sense of mission and responsibility, the subjects of Emperor Taizong faced up to the problems existing in society and formed a whole of sharing weal and woe. The monarch's advice is like a stream; My lieutenants speak frankly and admonish each other, and you choose your talents and do your duty; The monarch strictly enforced the law, and so did his deputies. Everyone tried to see Siqi. This good political atmosphere and relaxed political environment greatly mobilized the enthusiasm of officials at all levels and fully demonstrated the vitality of the orderly operation of the state machine, thus providing a guarantee for the emergence of the country.
Thirdly, Emperor Taizong himself gave full play to his intelligence. When formulating various policies, Emperor Taizong was able to assess the situation, gain insight into the overall situation and try to avoid policy mistakes. In the appointment of talents, Emperor Taizong knew the virtues, talents and even personality characteristics of his subordinates like the back of his hand, so he was able to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses. Tang Taizong can absorb and inherit the successes, failures, gains and losses and lessons in ancient and modern history. When dealing with military affairs, he often quoted classics and used them freely. It can also correct the shortcomings and omissions in its own and national policies in time. All these decide that no one can replace the position and role of Emperor Taizong in Zhenguan Group. His superior thoughts and opinions are indispensable nutrients for Zhenguan to govern the world.
But Emperor Taizong was not perfect. Although he is clever, he also has a fatuous side. His life is full of bright spots and dark spots. Especially in the late period of Zhenguan, he became proud. He was immersed in the joy of celebrating success and singing praises. He changed from accepting advice to not listening to different opinions, from generosity to paranoia, and his brilliant light was gradually replaced by fatuity. A generation of monarchs became old and lifeless. The reasons and lessons of this change are profound.
On the one hand, the feudal system itself was a hotbed of the fall of Emperor Taizong. Under the feudal system of absolute monarchy, imperial power is exclusive and supreme. Although Emperor Taizong was a wise monarch, he was not a god, and he had his own shortcomings in one way or another. Under the autocratic monarchy, this deficiency can not be completely corrected, but will increase day by day, and eventually become an obstacle to the orderly operation of the state machine. On the other hand, complacency was the catalyst for the fall of Emperor Taizong. In the early period of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong was modest and prudent. With the improvement of the national situation and the consolidation of political power, in the middle of Zhenguan, there was a complacent factor in his thought, which became more and more serious and became a catalyst for his fall. On the other hand, the blow of the Prince incident seriously affected the mood of Emperor Taizong, making him more and more suspicious and paranoid.
From the above analysis, we can see that there are obvious differences in Tang Taizong's politics before and after the reform, but we can't say that the early stage is absolutely good and the late stage is absolutely bad. As a feudal emperor, his words and deeds are various and sometimes contradictory. Although he made some mistakes in his later years, he was still an outstanding feudal emperor in the history of China and one of the great figures of our Chinese nation. The Zhenguan period in which he was in power was a prosperous period of feudal society in China, and it was also a brilliant page in the history of our country and even the world.