The first emperor of the Chinese Empire was the second monarch of the Tang Dynasty, the second son of gaozu Li Yuan. Born in martial arts, when he was four years old, he had physiognomy to predict that this son would save the world and the people in the future because he thought it was very famous. In the 11th year of Yang Di the Great, Emperor Yang Di was besieged by the Turkish Khan army at Yanmen. Li Shimin, who was only 16 years old, became famous by recruiting him. In the 13th year of the Great Cause, Tang gaozu was appointed to stay in Taiyuan, and Li Shimin accompanied him to Jinyang.
At this time, the Sui government had declined and the world was in chaos. Li Shimin made friends with heroes, actively recruited and prepared to send troops to crusade against Sui and seize the world. His close friend, Liu Wenjing, the magistrate of Jinyang County, was arrested and imprisoned for being implicated by Li Mi, the leader of Wagang Army.
In the name of visiting prison, Li Shimin drew up a plan with him to recruit soldiers, enter the customs in the west and set up imperial industry in prison, and told Tang gaozu about this plan through Pei Ji, deputy supervisor of Sui Jinyang Palace. After Tang Gaozu set out for Jinyang, Li Shimin and his brother Li Jian organized the left and right armies to fight side by side, and conquered Chang 'an in November of the 13th year of Daye. After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin was made a high official and a right general, and became the king of Qin. Li Shimin was the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
In March of the first year of Wude, Xue Ju and Xue Ling, who were entrenched in Jincheng, invaded Guanzhong and were ordered to lead the army to conquer. Go away. Xue was executed after surrendering.
In October of the second year of Wude, Liu Wuzhou, a Mai, rebelled, led his troops south, defeated Li Yuanji, Peiji and other Tang generals in succession, occupied almost the whole territory of Hedong, and the Guanzhong area shook. Tang Gaozu is ready to give up Hedong and stay in the west of Tongguan. Li Shimin volunteered to cross the Yellow River with 30,000 troops, defeated the elite troops of Song Jingang and Liu Wuzhou, and surrendered veteran Wei Chijingde and Xunping. Then, Li Shimin went north again, and finally wiped out Liu Wuzhou in April of the third year of Wude, and recovered the whole territory of Hedong.
In July of the same year, he led his troops across the Central Plains, successively recovered most counties in Henan, and besieged the remnant king of the Sui Dynasty in Luoyang, a lonely city. Then, he decisively adopted the strategy of siege and Dayuan, captured Dou Jiande alive, and landed in Wang, successively pacifying the two most powerful leaders since the end of Sui Dynasty.
Li Shimin showed his outstanding talent when he put down the leader in the late rebellion, which made Gaozu worry about the heir to the throne. At the same time, in the course of the war, Li Shimin got a group of talented people who are good at fighting and have extraordinary strategies, such as Chi Jing Jingde, Li Jing and Fang. This greatly strengthened the ability of Qin Wang and Prince Li to compete for the throne, and finally made the battle for the throne between them enter a white-hot stage.
On June 4th, Wude 9, Li Shimin led Sun Chang Wuji and Wei Chijingde, aides of the Qin government, to assassinate Prince Li and his fourth brother, King Li Yuanji, at Xuanwu Gate in the north of Miyagi. This is the change of Xuanwu Gate. Two days later, Tang Gaozu made Li Shimin a prince. In August, Tang Gaozu became the emperor's father in Zen, and Li Shimin acceded to the throne for Emperor Taizong. At the beginning of the second year, Emperor Taizong changed the Yuan Dynasty to Zhenguan.
Shortly after the change of Xuanwu Gate, Li Jie Khan, a Turk, took advantage of the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty to invade on a large scale. Emperor Taizong sent Wei Chijingde to fight and defeated the Turks. A few days later, Jie Li invaded again, arrived at the Weishui Bridge, and sent a special envoy to Chang 'an to demonstrate. Emperor Taizong rode six times to Weishui, crossed the river, met Jie Li, and broke an agreement with several Jie Li. At this time, the troops of the Tang Dynasty also arrived one after another. Seeing that Tang Jun's military strength was in full swing, Jie Li thought that there was no gap to take, so he made peace with Emperor Taizong and then returned to the north, which was the temporary bridge alliance.
In the first year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong ranked the contributions of counselor Fang and Du Ruhui as the first, and appointed him as the prime minister in charge of state affairs, which aroused the dissatisfaction of his uncle Li Shentong, King of Huai 'an, and the Great Xia. They boasted of outstanding military exploits and held high positions. They complained bitterly, disrupted the celebration order, and even punched and kicked Li Daozong, the king of Rencheng who came to surrender. So the generals will strive for merit and make a scene. In this regard, Emperor Taizong said to Li Shentong with an expression on his face: Although my uncle took the initiative at the beginning of playing the banner of righteousness, he was completely annihilated in two battles with Dou Jiande and Liu Heita, and once ran away. Ling Xuan, if able to strategize, stabilize the country and reward merit, should be the first. Although you are my uncle and the wealth of my country, you can never repay me with your personal kindness and meritorious service! Then, he said to Wei Chijingde: When I was reading Hanshu, I saw that when Emperor Gaozu was in power, few active generals saved their lives, and they were often dissatisfied with Gaozu, so I wanted to learn from it. I wanted to protect heroes and not cut off their descendants. But you often take the credit for yourself and break the law. Today, I learned that it was not the fault of Emperor Gaozu that Han Xin and Peng Yue, the generals in the early Han Dynasty, were killed and their families were ruined. There are only two kinds of rewards and punishments in national affairs. You can't have it both ways. You should cherish yourself and love yourself, lest you regret it later.
After hearing this warning, Li Shentong and Jingde immediately expressed their repentance and turned over a new leaf, and the dispute over merit quickly subsided. Then, Emperor Taizong pardoned the officials of the former prince and entrusted him with the important task of managing state affairs.
Soon, Prime Minister Feng Deyi suggested to Emperor Taizong that middle-aged men under the age of joining the army should simply be enlisted in the army, in view of the lack of soldiers in some respects. Emperor Taizong immediately agreed and ordered Zhongshu Province to draft letters, which were submitted to Xiamen Province for deliberation, and then handed over to Shangshu Province for implementation. However, when this imperial edict was sent to Menxia, Wei Zhi, an official in charge of signing and sealing, refused to sign it. Although the negotiations were repeated many times, they were all unsuccessful. Finally, Feng Deyi had to report to Emperor Taizong truthfully. Emperor Taizong was furious after hearing this, and immediately sent for Wei Zhi. I have agreed to make it easy for healthy China men to join the army, he said with an expression. What does this matter have to do with you? I really don't know what you mean by refusing to agree so stubbornly. Wei Zhi replied solemnly: I heard that it's not that you can't catch fish, but that there will be no fish next year; It's not that you can't catch animals if you burn the forest, but that there will be no animals next year. If China male skaters are drafted into the army, what will these people take from their original rent and taxes? And there are not many soldiers, the key is how to train. If people are brave with proper training, then why make up numbers? Then, I listed two or three things that Emperor Taizong had broken his promise to the people since he ascended the throne. Finally, it is also severely pointed out that if this continues, how to win the trust of people! After hearing this, Emperor Taizong pondered for a long time, and finally said sincerely: I didn't think it over, so I made such a big mistake. In the long run, can we still achieve harmony in the world? Then, he immediately ordered to stop the simple point of male, and gave Wei Zhi a golden urn.
In March of the fourth year of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty defeated Li Jing and Li Ji, captured their Li Jie Khan, and the East Turkistan perished. The territory of the Tang Dynasty extended to the north of Lake Baikal today. Some originally belonged to Turkic tribes, attached to Xue Yantuo in the north, and some went west to the Western Regions. The remaining 100,000 people surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. How to deal with more than 100,000 Turks, Emperor Taizong called courtiers to discuss. Most courtiers believe that the nomadic people in the north have been a serious border problem in the Central Plains since ancient times. Today, they are fortunate to be extinct. They should all be moved to the inland south of the Yellow River, disrupting their original tribal organization and structure, and scattered in various counties to guide them to grow textiles. In this way, the original unruly nomadic people can be turned into mainland residents who are easy to subdue, and the land in Saibei will always be empty. It has also been suggested that ethnic minorities should surrender if they are weak, or rebel if they are strong. It has always been like this. We should drive them to the vast grasslands and not stay in the mainland to avoid heart trouble. Only Wen Yanbo, the head of the Chinese secretariat, advocated that the Turks should be moved to the Hetao area with abundant water and grass, and that the original tribes should be preserved and the living customs should be observed, which would not only enrich the empty land, but also strengthen the northern border defense forces. Finally, it is pointed out that the son of heaven should be like an overwhelming load, without omission. Today the Turks surrendered to me when they were down and out. Can they be rejected and not accepted? Emperor Taizong was very much in favor of Wen Yanbo's suggestion, and added: Since ancient times, China has always been pro-China, but I love them as always! Therefore, he set up two viceroy offices in Dingxiang and Yunzhong in Hetao area to lead the Turks to surrender. Chiefs at all levels who are willing to join the army are worshipped as generals, corps commanders and imperial courts. There are more than 100 minority officials with more than five grades, accounting for almost half of all courtiers, and nearly 10,000 people have moved to Chang 'an one after another. This policy of Emperor Taizong soon won the support and love of many ethnic groups around him. They all respected Emperor Taizong as Tiankhan and God.
Li Shimin's imperial clan is a descendant of ethnic minorities. Li Shimin's grandmother, Dugu, was a Xianbei, and the ancestor of the Queen was Tuoba of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Later, her eldest grandson gave birth to Prince Li Zhi of Tang Gaozong. Because of this, coupled with Li Shimin's great mind, the early Tang Dynasty did not discriminate against ethnic minorities excessively.
After pacifying the Turks, Emperor Taizong continued to manage the western regions and used troops many times. In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong set up another Tuyuhun king, and Tuyuhun allowed Khan to flee to the desert the following year. In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong and King Gaochang bowed to the Western Regions and ordered Hou to attack Gaochang. The following year, King Gaochang died of illness, and his son Zhisheng succeeded to the throne and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong then set up Anxi Duhu in Jiaohe City, Gaochang capital, and all countries in the western regions paid tribute to Chang 'an.
In the first month of the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong promised to marry Princess Wencheng, the daughter of his family, at the repeated request of Tubo Zan Zeng Song Zan Gambu, and sent Shangshu, the minister of rites, and Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia, to escort the princess into Tibet. Songzan Gambu was overjoyed to hear the news. He personally came to Heyuan from Beijing and met Li Daozong as a son-in-law. When he saw China's gorgeous clothes and spectacular manners, he was envious. From then on, Tubo and Tang Dynasty became nephews and uncles, learning from each other and getting along well.
In April of the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, Prince Li Chenggan was deposed for treason, so Emperor Taizong appointed his ninth son, King Li Zhi of Jin, as the Prince and strictly supervised him. When eating, he pointed to the food and said to Li Zhi: It takes hard work to plant the land and reap the harvest in spring. Only by cherishing the people's resources and not robbing the farming season can we have food forever; Seeing him riding a horse, he said: Horses can walk instead of walking and save physical strength. If you use it properly and don't do your best, you can often ride a horse; Seeing him in a boat, he said: the boat is stronger than people, and the water is stronger than people. The knife cuts bread and fingers. You will become a monarch in the future. Think about the relationship between water and boats. Can you not be afraid? Seeing it resting in the shade, he said: although the trunk of this tree is bent, it can be sawn into a straight board by measuring it with a carpenter's rope. Although the monarch can't help it, he can become a wise son of heaven as long as he is good at taking advice.
He also taught several other sons that it is human nature for a father to love his son, and you don't need to teach everyone. It is best for a son to be loyal and filial. If you don't listen to instruction and keep etiquette, you will be killed. Although your father loves you, he is helpless. Before the death of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, and Liu Dan, the prince of Yan, was arrogant and disobedient. Huo Guang only issued an imperial edict and died. As courtiers, we should learn from this incident, be careful and never imitate Liu Dan.
It is said that from now on, these children and grandchildren are law-abiding, and few people do anything wrong.
In February of the 19th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong led six armies to attack North Korea from Luoyang on the grounds that Su Wen abused the people in the spring when North Korea was in power. However, after crossing the Liao River eastward, Tang Jun could not attack Ancheng for a long time because of the tenacious resistance of North Korea. In addition, the climate turned cold, the grass was dry and frozen, and it was difficult for the military and horses to stay long. He had to send a letter to transfer troops.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he made outstanding achievements in politics and military affairs, and made great progress in society, culture and education. In the social aspect, Emperor Taizong ordered Gao Shilian to select the genealogy of the gentry and re-evaluate the gentry with the standards of meritorious service, moral integrity and attention, so as to stabilize the family status and provide more talents for the country. On the other hand, it inherited the imperial examination system of Sui Dynasty to attract talents.
In order to provide a good educational environment, Emperor Taizong established the Shi Jing School headed by imperial academy. Including the establishment of Guo Zi School, imperial academy and four schools in Gaozu, the establishment of law school and calligraphy school in Taizong, and the construction of additional school buildings with a capacity of 2,000 students. Hong Wen Pavilion is built for the children of royalty and senior officials. At that time, culture and education were developed, and Siyi sent their children to Chang 'an to study.
At the same time, Emperor Taizong paid attention to compiling books and history. He ordered to look for the suicide note of the dead scholar among the people. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, all the books of Luoyang Sui Dynasty were in the Yellow River on the way to Chang 'an, with only 1.4 million copies, about 90,000 copies, but the Hong Wen Pavilion was established in Taizong, with more than 200,000 copies. Tang Taizong also believed that the Confucian classics in the Southern and Northern Dynasties were divided into two schools, namely, the North and the South, and Confucius sorted them out and awarded them as the final edition of the Five Classics, which provided a basis for the imperial examination. In historiography, Emperor Taizong established the National History Museum to compile the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty, on the one hand to show the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty, and on the other hand to learn from it.
In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, in the first month, Emperor Taizong dedicated twelve articles of Emperor Fan written by himself to Prince Li Zhi, warning him that you should learn from ancient sages and wise kings. Like me, you can never imitate them. Because from the top, you can only get it, and from the middle, you can only get it. Since I reached the top, I have made many mistakes: the brilliant pearls and emeralds are endless, palaces and pavilions are always busy, dogs, horses, eagles and falcons are far away, and I travel everywhere to give me trouble. These are the biggest mistakes I have made. Don't learn from me.
On May 26th, the 23rd year of Zhenguan, Taizong died in the Hanfeng Hall of Cuiwei Palace. In August of the same year, he was buried in Zhaoling.
Emperor Taizong was able to appoint talents, take good advice and change as soon as he heard it. Treat people like children, regardless of China people and foreigners. Create the law of chastity. He is a good emperor praised by the people of China for thousands of years.