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The rule of Zhenguan is the political clear, economic recovery, and cultural prosperity that appeared during the reign of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin in the early Tang Dynasty.Because it was named "Zhenguan" at that time, it was called "the rule of Zhenguan" in history.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty appointed people with honesty and ability, and knew people to make good use of them;

He speaks widely, respects life, restrains himself, accepts advice with an open mind; and takes agriculture as the foundation, practices strict economy, and recuperates.

He revived culture and education, perfected the imperial examination system and other policies, resulting in a stable situation in society; he also vigorously quelled foreign aggression, respected the customs of the border tribes, stabilized the frontier, and finally achieved the ideal situation of great rule in the world.

It can be said that the rule of Zhenguan laid an important foundation for the later heyday of Kaiyuan, and pushed the traditional Chinese agricultural society to its heyday.

If we look back in history, we can see.

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, due to the chaos caused by Emperor Sui Yang, the Sui Dynasty left a situation of serious damage and poor livelihood.

The Northern Zhou Dynasty "left" 690 million households to the Sui Dynasty, and there were no major wars. However, Emperor Sui Yang caused chaos in the world and the population dropped sharply. The Sui Dynasty "left" more than 200 million households to the Tang Dynasty.

As well as many powerful enemies inside and outside, the mess of unprecedented destruction.Li Yuan and Li Shimin unified the Central Plains and the South, creating conditions for the rule of Zhenguan.

After Tang Taizong ascended the throne, he witnessed the rise and fall of the Great Sui Dynasty and the process of peasant wars disintegrating the Sui Dynasty, and realized the importance of the peasant class to the stability of the autocratic monarchy. Therefore, he often used Emperor Sui Yang as a negative example to warn himself and his subordinates.

Learn lessons from the end of the Sui Dynasty, correct the shortcomings of the previous dynasty, adjust the ruling policy, practice strict economy in the country, and let the people recuperate, so as to ease class conflicts, stabilize social order, and restore the economy.

Tang Taizong paid attention to the administration of officials, selected talents and appointed talents, and followed advice like a stream.He only promotes talent, regardless of background, and does not care about grievances.Among civil servants and military generals, Wei Zheng was a Taoist priest, a former minister of the prince Li Jiancheng, who once proposed to murder Taizong; Yu Chigong was a blacksmith and a general, but they were all reused.

Taizong encouraged his ministers to remonstrate directly. There were more than [-] remonstrances before and after Wei Zheng.After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong said sadly: "Using copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; using ancient times as a mirror, you can know the ups and downs; using people as a mirror, you can understand gains and losses. When Wei Zheng passed away, I lost a mirror."
Because Emperor Taizong of Tang made great efforts to govern, he strengthened the jurisdiction over the Western Regions and other regions politically, strengthened friendly exchanges with Asian countries diplomatically, actively pacified the Siyi militarily, and treated ethnic minorities with "love as one" in ethnic relations. , The territory of the Tang Dynasty was unprecedentedly vast, surpassing the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, and reached its peak in the first year of Longshuo (661), Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the territory was bordered by the sea in the east, Congling Mountain in the west, Mobei in the north, and South China Sea in the south.

The central government organization in China's autocratic monarchy implemented the "system of three provinces and six ministries", but the division of powers of the three provinces in the Zhenguan Dynasty initially reflected the modern political feature-the principle of separation of powers.

The Zhongshu Province issued an order, the Menxia Province reviewed the order, and the Shangshu Province carried out the order.To form a decree, the prime ministers first held a meeting in the political affairs hall located in the Zhongshu Province, and after a resolution was made, it was reported to the emperor for approval, and then the Zhongshu Province issued an edict in the name of the emperor.

Before the edict is issued, it must be sent to the lower province for review, and if the lower province thinks it is inappropriate, it can refuse to "counter-sign".If the edict lacks a countersignature, it cannot be promulgated according to law.

Only the edicts issued by the Menxia Province after being "subscribed" became official national laws and were handed over to the Shangshu Province for execution (the virtuous official Wei Zheng worked in the Menxia Province at that time).

This political operation method is somewhat similar to the "separation of powers" system in modern democratic countries. The theory of separation of powers that emerged in the West in the seventeenth century was applied to China's political system by Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty more than 1000 years ago, which further illustrates Zhenguan How high is the civilization of the dynasty.

The most commendable thing is that Tang Taizong stipulated that his own imperial edict must also be "counter-signed" by the Menxia Province before it can take effect, thus effectively preventing him from making careless decisions that would damage his reputation when he was in a whim or in a bad mood.

There have been 850 three emperors in Chinese history, and only Tang Taizong has such outstanding wisdom and mind.

Taizong paid great attention to the selection of talents and strictly followed the principle of having both ability and political integrity.Taizong believed that only by selecting a large number of people with real talents and real learning can the world be governed. Therefore, he was eager to seek talents. He issued edicts for seeking talents five times, increased the subjects of the imperial examinations, and expanded the scope and number of candidates.

In order to make more talents come out.

Because Tang Taizong attached great importance to talents, a large number of outstanding talents emerged during the Zhenguan period, which can be described as "a wealth of talents, both civil and military".It is these talents who have made great contributions to the formation of "Zhenguan Zhizhi" with their ingenuity.

Emperor Taizong took Yangdi's refusal to admonish and subdue the country as a precept, and tried his best to ask for advice after he ascended the throne. He expanded the power of admonishing officials and encouraged his ministers to admonish directly.In the court, Wei Zheng is the most capable of offending Yan Zhijian.

Taizong was self-restraining and tolerant, and Wang Gui, Ma Zhou, Sun Fujia, and Chu Suiliang were all well-known for their extreme admonitions.During the 23 years of Tang Taizong's reign, there were no less than 35 officials who advised him. Among them, Wei Zheng advised more than 200 things before and after, with hundreds of thousands of words, all of which hit the current situation and were very helpful to improve the government.

Tang Taizong was able to listen to the opinions of the public and pay attention to accepting advice.His subordinates dared to offend Yan Yan and remonstrate directly, forming a good political atmosphere that is rarely seen in Chinese autocratic monarchy society.

Tang Taizong was good at employing people and accepting advice, which was not only one of the reasons for the emergence of Zhenguan rule, but also one of the important manifestations of Zhenguan rule.

The Zhenguan period was a historical period in which there was basically no corruption in Chinese history. This may be the most commendable achievement of Tang Taizong.

In China under the rule of Tang Taizong, the emperor took the lead in setting an example, the officials were dedicated to the public, and the officials were responsible for their duties. Abuse of power, corruption and dereliction of duty dropped to the lowest point in history.

What is valuable is that Tang Taizong did not use cruel punishments to prosecute corruption, but mainly prevented corruption by setting an example and formulating a political system as scientific as possible.

In the face of a shrewd and self-disciplined ruler, officials have little incentive to commit corruption, and it is not easy for corrupt officials to find a place to hide.The prevention of corruption mainly depends on a scientifically sound political system. Relying on subsequent crackdowns can only achieve temporary results, and cannot root out the social soil on which corruption thrives.

During the Zhenguan period, it was true that the prince committed the same crime as the people when he broke the law.

He was stern and selfless when enforcing the law, but Taizong thought over and over again when sentencing, and was cautious.He said: "When a person dies, he cannot live again. Law enforcement must be lenient and simple."
Due to Taizong's painstaking efforts, the legal system was very good during the Zhenguan period, with fewer people breaking the law and fewer people being sentenced to death.According to historical records, in the third year of Zhenguan, only 29 people were sentenced to death in the whole country, almost reaching the highest standard of the legal system in a centralized society - "criminal measures", that is, no penalty.

"Officials are mostly honest and conscientious. Controlling the families of princes and concubines, the powerful and cunning team are all afraid of power and traces, and no one dares to invade and bully the small people. The business travels in the wild, there are no more thieves, the prison is always empty, horses and cattle are in the wild, The outdoors are not closed.

He also frequently sent Fengren, three or four coins for rice buckets, traveling from the capital to Lingbiao, from Shandong to the sea, without food, and got it from the road.When entering a village in Shandong, travelers who pass by will be generously treated, or given a gift.All of this has never existed before. "
While emphasizing the rule of law, Tang Taizong asked his officials to revise the law according to the principle of lenient and simple, and formulated the "Zhenguan Law".The punishment was reduced, the law was revised, and the law of chastity was formulated.

During the Zhenguan period, the social order was stable, and at the least, only 29 prisoners were sentenced to death nationwide.In the sixth year of Zhenguan, the number of death row prisoners increased to 290.At the end of the year, Emperor Taizong of Tang allowed them to go home to handle funeral affairs, and they would die when they came back in the autumn of the following year (in ancient times, they were executed in autumn).

In September of the following year, all 290 prisoners were returned, and none escaped.At that time, China's politics were clear, officials performed their duties, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, there were very few injustices, and there was not much resentment in the hearts of the Chinese people.People who have enough food and clothing will not take risks in order to survive; people with a peaceful mind are not easy to go to extremes, so the probability of crime is very small.

On June 628, 6 (Renyin Day, April 3, the second year of Zhenguan), Liang Luoren, a native of Shuofang, killed Liang Shidu, the leader of the Xiazhou separatist forces, and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, which unified the country.

In 630 (the fourth year of Zhenguan), Li Shimin ordered Li Jing to go to the northern part of the Great Wall to challenge the supremacy of the Eastern Turks in East Asia.Under the dispatch of Li Jing, the Tang army attacked the Eastern Turkic Khanate, and Li Shimin was respected as "Heavenly Khan" by the countries of the Western Regions.

After the Turks were pacified, Emperor Taizong continued to manage the Western Regions and used troops many times.In the eighth year of Zhenguan (634), when Tuyuhun invaded the border, Tang Taizong sent Li Jing, Hou Junji, Li Daozong, Li Daliang, Qibi Heli and others to attack Tuyuhun.

On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month of the following year, Li Daozong defeated the Tuyuhun army in Kushan (now southeast of Qinghai Lake).The Tang army divided into two groups. Li Jing, Li Daliang, and Xue Wanjun led their troops to the north, leaving Tuyuhun on the right, while Hou Junji and Li Daozong led their troops south, leaving Tuyuhun on the left.Li Jing's subordinate Sagu Wuren fought in Mandu Mountain.

Behead the famous king Tuyuhun.The generals of the Tang Dynasty defeated Tuyuhun at Niuxindui and Chishuiyuan, captured Tuyuhun Fuyun's heart and soul minister Murong Xiaojun, and seized tens of thousands of miscellaneous animals.

Hou Junji and Li Daozong defeated Tuyuhun in Wuhai and captured the famous king Liang Qucong.Li Jing defeated the three tribes of Tuyuhun Tianzhu in Chihai, and collected 20 miscellaneous animals; Li Daliang captured 20 famous Tuyuhun kings and [-] miscellaneous animals, and reached the western border of Qiemo.Tuyuhun Fuyun fled, Xue Wanjun commanded cavalry to pursue and defeated the remnants of Tuyuhun's party.

Soldiers lack water, stab horses drink blood.

Hou Junji and Li Daozong led the army to march two thousand miles in the wilderness, where there would be frost in midsummer, lack of water and grass, Shimi ice, horse moxue, passing Xingsu River, and reached the Bohai Sea.

Desperate to break the weight of the Tuyuhun car.Fu Shun, the son of Fu Yun, the king of Tuyuhun, led the whole country to surrender to the Tang army. Fu Yun hanged himself and died, and Tuyuhun belonged to the Tang Dynasty.Fushun was named Khan and King of Xiping County, and Tuyuhun became a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.

In the 12th year of Zhenguan (638), Tubo Songtsan Gampo led his army to defeat Dangxiang, Bailanqiang, and Tuyuhun, and attacked Songzhou.Han Wei led a few people to scout the Tubo army and was defeated.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty sent Hou Junji as the general manager of the march, with Shi Sili, Niu Jinda, and Liu Lan as his deputy, leading the army to fight against Tubo.Before Hou Junji, the main force of the Tang army, could make a move, Niu Jinda, the vanguard of the Tang army, had already defeated the Tubo army.

He sent his minister Lu Dongzan to donate 5000 taels of gold and hundreds of treasures to the Tang Dynasty, and once again asked for a marriage.In the 15th year of Zhenguan (AD 641), Tang Taizong married Princess Wencheng to Songtsen Gampo.

Songtsan Gampo personally went to Bohai to welcome the bride. Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia County, sent off Princess Wencheng with a ceremony. Songtsan Gampo was very respectful as a son-in-law.After returning to Tubo, Songtsan Gampo built a city for Princess Wencheng and built a palace for Princess Wencheng to live in.

After Tang Taizong conquered Goguryeo and returned, Tubo Songtsan Gampo wrote a letter proclaiming himself a vassal to the Tang Dynasty, saying, "Your Majesty has pacified the four directions, under the light of the sun and the moon, and I will rule them... Husband geese are like geese, and I would like to smelt gold for geese to offer." Songtsan Gampo also accepted the canonization of the Tang Dynasty as the Prince Consort Captain and King of Xihai County.

In the 13th year of Zhenguan (639), Taizong sent Gaochang King Qu Wentai as a tribute to the Western Regions, and ordered Hou Junji, Xue Wanche and others to lead troops to attack Gaochang.Qu Wentai did not expect the Tang army to arrive, and was frightened to death. His son Qu Zhisheng succeeded to the throne and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Taizong set up Anxi Dufu in Jiaohe City, the capital of Gaochang, and all countries in the Western Regions paid tribute to Chang'an.

In the 15th year of Zhenguan (641), the Xueyantuo Khanate sent 20 troops southward, and Tang Taizong sent tens of thousands of Tang troops to fight.Before the tens of thousands of Tang troops arrived, the 3000 Tang troops led by Li Ji and the 3000 Turkic soldiers under the Tang Dynasty had already fought against Xue Yantuo's army.

3000 Turkic soldiers fought with Xue Yantuo's army, but they were invincible, and the Turkic soldiers withdrew.Xue Yantuo's army fought with 3000 Tang troops and shot and wounded the Tang army's horses. Li Ji commanded the Tang army's commander to attack Xue Yantuo's army. .

The Tang army defeated Xue Yantuo and captured more than 5 people. Xue Yantuo's armored equipment was also captured by the Tang army. The remaining Xue Yantuo lost their luggage and could hardly resist the heavy snow.

Tang Taizong said to Xue Yantuo's envoy, "Li Ji led only a few thousand cavalry from the Tang army, which has made you so embarrassed. Go back and tell the Khan, you can choose the right one for any action." Tang Taizong said: "In our case A thousand bare soldiers can strike tens of thousands of Hu cavalry."
In February of the 19th year of Zhenguan (645), Tang Taizong led an army of 10 to conquer Goguryeo.Zhang Jian, the governor of Yingzhou, defeated the Goguryeo army and beheaded thousands of people.Li Ji and others captured Gaimu City, and obtained more than [-] mouths and more than [-] stones of grain.

Zhang Liang captured Beisha City and captured 4 men and women.Li Ji and Li Daozong defeated Goguryeo with 1 cavalry and beheaded more than a thousand ranks.Driving across the Liaoshui River, Tang Jun Li Ji broke through the city of Liaodong, killed more than [-] Goguryeo soldiers, more than [-] victorious soldiers, [-] men and women, and called his city Liaozhou.Tang Jun Qibi Heli defeated the Goguryeo army and beheaded more than a thousand ranks.

In the north of Goryeo, Sa Yanshou and Huizhen led Goguryeo and Mohe soldiers with 15 soldiers to rescue Anshi, and fought against the Tang army.The Tang army defeated Goguryeo and Mohe soldiers and beheaded more than [-] soldiers.Yanshou and other generals led the rest of the army to defend themselves against the mountains, and the Tang army surrounded them.Yanshou and Huizhen led the crowd to surrender to the Tang army.

The Tang army seized 7 horses, 4 cattle, 2000 armored collars, and a large number of other weapons.The whole country of Goguryeo was horrified, and the Huangcheng and Yincheng fled by themselves, and there was no human habitation for hundreds of miles.The Tang army captured Xuantu, Hengshan, Gaimu, Momi, Liaodong, Baiyan, Beisha, Maigu, Yinshan, and Houhuangshicheng, and [-] people moved to Liao, Gai, and Yanzhou to enter China.In the three battles of Xincheng, Jian'an, and Zhubi, Tang Jun beheaded more than [-] Goguryeo troops, and Tang Jun killed nearly [-] people.

When the Tang army attacked Anshi City, because "the left of Liao is cold early, the grass is dry and the water is frozen, it is difficult for soldiers and horses to stay for a long time, and the food is about to run out", so Tang Taizong ordered the troops to return.Tang Jun Yaobing was under the city of Anshi, and there was no trace in the city. The city lord went to the city to pay his respects.Later, Tang Taizong sent Li Ji, Niu Jinda, and Li Hai'an to attack Goguryeo, and they all won.

In the 19th year of Zhenguan (645), Domi Khan Bazhuo, the leader of Xue Yantuo, began to fight against the army of the Tang Dynasty.

In 646 AD (the 20th year of Zhenguan), after the Tang army counterattacked and defeated Bazhuo, Xue Yantuo's vassal Huihe sent troops to kill him.Bazhuo's cousin Yitewushu Khan Domozhi surrendered to the Tang army, and Xue Yantuo perished.

In the 20th year of Zhenguan (646), the Tang Dynasty established Anbei Duhufu in Mobei, Shanyu Duhufu in Monan, and established Luofu Prefecture in the south (now Hejing, Vietnam) and Xuanque Prefecture in the north (later It was renamed Yuwu Prefecture (now the Angara River area), west of Anxi Prefecture (now Uzbekistan Bukhara), and east of the vast territory of Gewu Prefecture (now Jilin Tonghua).

In the 22nd year of Zhenguan (646), Wang Xuance went to India as an envoy of the Tang Dynasty.The minister of Zhongtianzhu, Nafudi Alonashun, usurped the throne and hijacked the envoy of Tang Dynasty.