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The military power of the Tang Dynasty was at its peak when it reached Emperor Gaozong, and sometimes it declined when it reached Emperor Gaozong.” During the Kaiyuan and Tianbao years, the Great Tang faced arduous defense tasks in almost every direction, which was a heavy burden on the prosperous empire. To solve such problems, the far-reaching reform of the military system was formally started. However, the reform was proceeding with difficulty, and the emperor actually gave up halfway and went to Wangnianlian.

Objectively speaking, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was not a militaristic monarch who "had no intention of opening the border". During the Kaiyuan Tianbao period, Xuanzong focused more on the power struggle between the court and the national economy and people's livelihood, and rarely provoked large-scale frontiers. foreign war.

However, the territory of the empire inherited from the ancestors is already vast enough, from Liao, East, West, Cong, Lingnan to Jiaozhi, North to the vast sea.Just like Wang Xifeng's famous saying "There are great difficulties", of course, such a rich heritage cannot be discarded casually, and only an active defense policy can be adopted.

At the beginning of Kaiyuan, when Yao worshiped the Prime Minister, he put forward "Ten Things to Say", which contained an important principle of "do not seek side merit", and Xuanzong also had this deep intention.

Even so, it is not an easy task to defend the frontier of thousands of miles.When it came to Zhang Shuowei, he once pointed out that the number of frontier soldiers in the entire empire reached as many as 60 at that time. It cannot but be said that the frontier situation is already one of the most important state affairs of the empire.

Contrary to the large-scale agricultural environment in the Central Plains, the various powerful forces surrounding the Central Plains are usually nomadic in nature. These tribes covet the Central Plains seldom for the strategic purpose of occupying land and establishing direct political power, but mainly for plunder and sneak attacks. This makes the Central Plains army, which has an absolute advantage in numbers, unable to exert its advantage at all.

Send out troops to wipe out small groups of sneak attacking forces. Even if you succeed, when your army retreats, the mobile and flexible nomadic cavalry will soon make a comeback, and the efficiency of the war is extremely low.In order to truly establish an effective defense mechanism, it is still necessary to station a sufficient number of fixed troops in the border areas for a long time.And in this way, it will involve huge problems such as military system, military supply, logistics supply, etc., which is really not an easy task.

At the time of Kaiyuan Tianbao, the border affairs of the Tang Dynasty mainly focused on the Western Regions, Tubo and Northeast China.In the Western Regions, since the early Tang Dynasty, a defense system based on the four towns of Anxi and later the Protectorate of Anxi and Beiting has been established, with about 5 troops stationed.

On Tianshan North Road, which is the jurisdiction of Beiting Duhufu, the main enemies Tang Jun faced were the rebellious Western Turks and the later Tuqishi tribe. Tianshan South Road, which was the jurisdiction of Anxi Duhufu, faced The Tubo forces entered the area from the west of Congling.

Because of the obstruction of the huge Kunlun Mountains, the Tubo army generally chooses two directions to rush out of the plateau. One is to go out of the Hehuang Valley in the northeast corner of the plateau and directly threaten the Guanlong area; the other is to go out to the northwest of the plateau and circle Congling From the west, it enters the Tarim Basin to control trade routes, so the big and small Bolu Kingdoms located in this direction have become a focus of competition between Tang and Tubo.

The battle of Lianyunbao in the sixth year of Tianbao (747) was the most brilliant victory of the Tang army in this direction.In April of that year, Gao Xianzhi, the deputy envoy of the Anxi Governor General, led more than [-] soldiers of the Tang Dynasty from Qiuci (now Kuqa, Xinjiang), arrived at Diaohua City (now Aksu) after [-] days, and then arrived at Wosed (now Aksu) on [-] days. Ba Chu).

Ten days later, we arrived at Shule (now Kashgar), and then marched southward to cross the majestic Congling natural barrier (now the Pamirs). At the northern foot of the mountain, it reached Bomishui (near Wakhan, Afghanistan today), and reached Telmanchuan (now Wakhan River) in more than 7000 days.

Here, Gao Xianzhi ordered the troops to divide into three groups, and agreed to join forces in Lianyunbao, an important town in Tubo (now Langar, the source of the Panchi River in Afghanistan) on July 3000.The three armies overcame the difficulties and came as promised. On the same day, they attacked the unsuspecting Lianyunbao City and killed more than 4688 prisoners.Gao Xianzhi made persistent efforts and ordered his deputy Ling Cheng to lead [-] old, weak and disabled people to stay behind in Lianyun Fort, while he led the rest of the troops on a three-day trek to visit the [-]-meter Tanju Ridge (now Guode Ridge in northern Kashmir), and captured Anu in a surprise attack. Crossing the city, and at the critical moment before the Tubo reinforcements arrived, cut off the vine bridge on the Suyi River (upstream tributary of the Indus River), the only channel connecting Xiaobolu and Tubo, and let the Tubo reinforcements from the other side be helpless. .

The First Battle of Lianyunbao fully demonstrated Gao Xianzhi's superb military command art, and also made the Tang army take the initiative in this direction against Tubo.But at this time, the more powerful Arab forces in the west of Congling Ridge have begun to enter the river area, and a more complicated military game situation is also being brewed in full swing.

In order to better maintain the empire's superiority in the Western Regions, it means that at the same time, it is necessary to firmly control the northwest supply route via the Hexi Corridor in Gansu at all costs.Here, the most powerful and aggressive enemies the Tang Dynasty faced were the Tubo people.

As Tubo eliminated Tuyuhun and later occupied the Hequ Grassland during Gaozong's reign, Tubo once took the initiative, but it was also weakened by civil strife in Tubo, so Tang and Tibet were once able to achieve a certain balance of power.

In the fourth year of Jinglong, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Dynasty (710), he married Princess Jincheng to Tubo.Throughout the Kaiyuan period until the Anshi Rebellion, the wars between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo centered on the competition for the Hexi and Longyou regions.Geographically, the Longyou area is close to Guanzhong, so it became the top priority of border defense in the Tang Dynasty. During the long years of war, a group of famous generals such as Wang Zhongsi and Ge Shuhan emerged.

On the northeast frontier, since Emperor Gaozong, the Khitan tribe in the Liaohe River Basin replaced Goryeo and became the most important military threat.In the second year of Kaiyuan (714), Xuanzong ordered Xue Zhina, the governor, to lead an army of [-] to crusade against Khitan. Two years later, the Eastern Turkic Khan died, and the Khitan leader Li Kehuo lost his powerful allies and had to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. , was named the King of Songmo County, and Yingzhou (now Chaoyang, Liaoning), an important town in the northeast, was reintroduced into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

But not long after Li Dahuo died, the Khitan rebelled again, which kicked off the long-term fierce battle between Tang and Khitan in the northeast, and the Khitan became Tang's major border threat in the northeast.

In the remaining border areas, with the weakening of the Turkic power in the north, the once most powerful foreign enemy no longer poses a major threat.In the fourth year of Tianbao (745), the emerging Huihe tribe on the grassland killed Baimei Khan, the last Turkic dynasty, and the Khan's widow defected to the Tang Dynasty, and the Turkic Empire finally perished.

Guli Pei Luo of Huihe became the new ruler of the grassland. In 746, Emperor Xuanzong conferred Guli Pei Luo as Huairen Khan. In 747, Huairen Khan’s son, Moyanchu Khan, established the capital Halabala on the grassland. Hasun City, this is the first time that the northern grassland regime has a fixed capital, and Huihe has gradually accepted settlement and farming, which has become a new production model on the grassland. Generally speaking, Huihe has always maintained a relatively friendly bilateral relationship with the Tang Dynasty.

At the same time, from the 21st year (733) to the 26th year (738) of Kaiyuan, a new local regime also rose in the southwest frontier. Later, the other five nearby imperial edicts were gradually unified, and the six edicts were combined into one, collectively called Nanzhao.

Tang Xuanzong canonized Piluo Pavilion as the king of Yunnan, named Nanzhao as the country, and moved the capital to Taihe City (now Dali, Yunnan). In its heyday, it ruled the whole territory of Yunnan and parts of Sichuan and Guizhou.At first the relationship between Tang and Nanzhao was fairly friendly, but after the death of Piluoge, around the ninth year of Tianbao, the relationship between the two sides broke down and they fought each other.In the southwestern frontier, the frequent complex game pattern among Tang, Nanzhao and Tubo appeared again.

In Kaiyuan and Tianbao years, with all kinds of efforts, the border situation of the empire can be said to have maintained a stable state and reached a certain extreme balance. Above all, the central government has to spend a lot of energy and material resources to maintain the balance.

In the mid-Kaiyuan period, Prime Minister Zhang Shuo, who had experience in the frontier army, tried to carry out in-depth reforms in frontier defense affairs. One of the major moves was to gradually replace the previous government military system with the recruitment system.

We have analyzed earlier that the government military system is obviously not suitable for the new frontier garrison situation.Under the Fubing system, the army is in the nature of reserve soldiers. It is usually used as soldiers in agricultural wars. This is only suitable for short-term and adjacent battles.The frontier is so far away now.

After going there for several years, the government soldiers who are always concerned about the agricultural production at home must not be qualified for the garrison task.Faced with such a situation, the best solution can only be that the state spends its fiscal revenue to recruit soldiers, and serving as a soldier becomes a profession, and the state pays the army, so that there is no problem of returning home to farm, and how long do you need to stay in the frontier Just stay there for as long as you want.

By the mid-Kaiyuan period, the recruitment system had been fully implemented. Except for a small number of professional soldiers who stayed in the capital, most of these recruited professional soldiers were arranged to garrison the frontier, and they were there for a long time.

In the early years of Tianbao, a total of ten large military regions were formed on the frontiers of the country. The chiefs of the military regions were called Jiedushi: Pinglu (Yingzhou, defending Khitan and Xi), Fanyang (Youzhou, defending Khitan, Xi and Turks), Hedong (Taiyuan, against Turks, Khitan and Xi), Shuofang (Lingwu, against Turks), Longyou (Shanzhou, against Tubo), Hexi (Liangzhou, against Tubo, Turks), Jiannan (Chengdu, against Tubo), Beiting ( Tingzhou, defending Turkic, Xiajiasi and Tuqishi), Anxi (Kuicha, defending Turkic and Tubo) and Lingnan Jinglue.

The troops of these ten frontier military regions accounted for the majority of the entire military strength of the Tang Dynasty, and gradually formed a pattern of "emphasis on the outside and light on the inside" in the distribution of troops.More critically, the power of the military commander Jiedushi also gradually expanded with the intensification of frontier affairs.The soldiers are all professional soldiers who have been stationed on the frontier for a long time, and it is easy to form a personal relationship with the Jiedushi, but they may not necessarily obey the central government.

However, Jiedushi, who originally only had military command power, must consider issues such as his own army's logistics supplies and security in the defense area in the daily process of running the army. In this way, Jiedushi began to slowly erode civil affairs officials in his jurisdiction administrative powers.In the end, many civil affairs chiefs in the frontier areas——(Tao) observation envoys were also held by the Jiedu envoys in the area. In the frontier, Jiedu envoys gathered military power, political power, and financial power in one person.

This "emphasis on the outside and light on the inside" system is already too dangerous, and any monarch who is a little vigilant will try to make some adjustments, but Tang Xuanzong, who was once extremely wise, seems to have lost some judgment at this time. Instead of taking cautious countermeasures, he took a dangerous move to further win over and curry favor with the frontier generals. An Lushan in the Northeast was able to serve as three Jiedu envoys in one person.

Later generations read history so far and exclaimed that the catastrophe was imminent, but at that time "the king never came to court early".

It was a long, twists and turns and full of chances and coincidences that Tang Xuanzong entered the political stage of history.

First of all, let’s talk about the length: How long was it from Tang Xuanzong’s formal appearance on the political and historical stage to his enthronement and proclaiming himself emperor?From when Wu Zetian was demoted as King of Linzi in the second year of her longevity to when she took over the throne from her father in the first year of Xiantian, there were a total of 19 years.

Some people may say that being an emperor in 19 years is not uncommon in Chinese history, and the time is quite short compared with some emperors, such as Xuanzong's prince, and later Tang Suzong Li Heng who became emperor.

Only when he was old enough to know his destiny did he eagerly ascend to the throne.But we have to see that this generally considered "long" process was spent in the peaceful and stable period created by the old emperor at that time.And Tang Xuanzong spent these 19 years in bloody political struggles and court coups.

We often look at the difficulties and obstacles in history in a comfortable and comfortable life, and have never experienced the difficulties and sufferings that seem to be expressed in words in books but are paved with blood on the way forward.In the eyes of our people today, the 19 years are short-lived by looking at them horizontally, but they are quite long in the historical background of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty.

Secondly, let’s talk about twists and turns: It is said that he has twists and turns because he repeatedly went up and down on the road to the throne. This ups and downs are not only reflected in his ups and downs in the hearts of the highest ruling class when he was the king of Linzi, but also in his help in launching the Shenlong coup. And during the congenital coup, its weight in the heart of his father Li Dan went up and down repeatedly.

Again, his ascension to the throne is full of chances and coincidences because he should not be the emperor but he can only be the emperor.From Wu Zetian's abdication to the establishment of Zhongzong Li Xian as emperor and then to the establishment of Ruizong Li Dan as emperor, this is a series of coincidences, but the coincidences are full of inevitability.

Although his father Li Dan became the emperor, Li Longji still shouldn't be the emperor.According to the Chinese patriarchal system's principle of establishing a descendant and establishing an elder, Li Longji, the son of five sons and three sons, has nothing to do with the throne.But history sometimes does not play its cards according to the laws of history. His outstanding political talent and outstanding political performance pushed him to the forefront of history.

It can be said that before Tang Xuanzong ascended the throne, it was the so-called "Heaven will send a great task to the people, and they must first suffer from their will, work their muscles and bones, starve their bodies, empty their bodies, and disturb their actions." Although Tang Xuanzong's experience is not so exaggerated, it is roughly equivalent to the spirit of keeping a low profile in the bloody life that starts today and ends tomorrow.

The bloody storm of 19 years shaped Tang Xuanzong's discerning, prudent, and wise ideological character, thus indirectly laying the foundation for the coming of Kaiyuan's prosperous age.

The emergence of a prosperous age has its inevitability and historical factors and necessary conditions.In a unified centralized dynasty, the most important thing for the emergence of a prosperous age is that the supreme ruler must have outstanding political talents and good personal cultivation.

As the saying goes: "First there are brothers and then there are great horses." It is impossible for Tang Xuanzong alone to have a prosperous Kaiyuan.

However, it is precisely because of him that we see Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Jiazhen, Zhang Jiuling and others in the booklet of virtuous ministers today.It was precisely because of Tang Taizong's appreciation and tolerance that Wei Zheng's integrity was born.Therefore, without the basis of Tang Xuanzong's personal factors, there would not be a large number of virtuous ministers gathered.It can be said that Tang Xuanzong created the Kaiyuan prosperity.

In the early years of Kaiyuan, Tang Xuanzong, who had just ascended the throne, was full of vigor and hard work. After 30 years of court trials and hardships, the Tang Dynasty urgently needed a ruler with absolute will, absolute authority, and absolute ability to command and run.It can be seen that during the Kaiyuan period, this command art under absolute authority was fully displayed in Tang Xuanzong.

In the early years of the Kaiyuan period, when the Tang Dynasty needed a thorough internal and external governance, he used Yao Chong, who had a keen mind and a unique method, as his prime minister.When all the systems have been basically established and someone needs to be firmly maintained and implemented, he appointed Song Jing, who is upright and upright, as his prime minister.

When the peaceful and prosperous age developed to a certain stage, it was necessary to vigorously develop the humanistic spirit and establish the rule of people in the prosperous age, he appointed the talented Zhang Shuo as his prime minister. It can be said that he changed with the times and grasped the characteristics of each prime minister very well. But at the same time, it is perfectly controlled with its own charm and absolute power.

Throughout the Kaiyuan period, we can generally regard Tang Xuanzong as a Mingjun.This kind of wisdom is not only reflected in his knowledge of people and good use of them, and his concern for the common people, but also in his professionalism and diligence, and his hard work.It is precisely because of this that we hear the historical stories of the two phases today.It can be said that the entire history of Kaiyuan is a history of Tang Xuanzong's diligent administration all night long.

The annual rings of history are always round, and this law is reflected through historical figures.

There are always two dark aspects of human nature. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was aggressive and repentant in his later years; Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was bloody and violent before he ascended the throne and he was gentle and compassionate after he ascended the throne;

Emperor Qianlong's personal activities in the first half of his life and his extravagance in his later years, etc.Emperors are not so-called sages, Mingjun also has some faults, Tang Xuanzong is no exception.With the rise of age, the peace of the prosperous age made Tang Xuanzong's benevolent and prosperous age begin to fade.

This is the objective law of historical development, which is the so-called "climbing to the top and declining the world".If we locate this "pole", then this "pole" is Zhang Jiuling, the last shining virtuous figure in Xuanzong's dynasty.

Zhang Jiuling was a wise and upright minister, daring to remonstrate, and implemented a series of national security policies. His coming to power played an important role in maintaining the centralization of power and the prosperity of Kaiyuan.And his appearance and resignation are the invisible manifestation of Xuanzong's change in the state of mind of the government.

On the surface, Zhang Jiuling stepped down because of Li Linfu's framing.But the change of phase is a major event related to the stability of the country and the safety of the country.The prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty were not just the emperor's staff and secretary like the prime ministers of the Song Dynasty, but the real head of the government.This kind of transposition event linking ups and downs would not have been possible without Xuanzong's approval.Therefore, it was Li Linfu who figured out Xuanzong's mind with his villainous mind and attacked Zhang Jiuling and then ascended to the phase.

Regardless of Li Linfu or Yang Guozhong later, they were all under the protection and connivance of Xuanzong, they manipulated the government, controlled the appointment of officials, eliminated dissidents, and welcomed and made offerings to Xuanzong's greed for pleasure, which made Li Tang's government a mess, and the country was in decline.

Don't Tang Xuanzong know?Absolutely not. From the subsequent struggle for imperial power with Prince Li Heng, we can see that Xuanzong still maintained a keen insight in politics, and had an overall view of judging the time and taking the time.So it's not because of Xuanzong's senility, but because of his psychological inertia.

"Born in sorrow and died in peace." Here we have to admire the superior wisdom of the ancestors, and made a high-level summary of the ruling experience of more than 1000 years before his death.

Xuanzong was born in sorrow but lost in peace.Although he regarded himself as the emperor in his later years, he was imprisoned in the deep palace of iron chains, and in the end he died alone and fell down, which is also the same as dying in peace.An Lushan should have been beheaded by Zhang Jiuling, but Xuanzong left his head under the knife.

An Lushan was afraid of Li Linfu, and Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong were at odds. Yang Guozhong squeezed out Li Linfu and An Lushan to compete for vested interests, and finally forced An Lushan to rebel.This chain of events finally caused the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, and the prosperous Tang Dynasty no longer survived.

And the instigator of all this was precisely Tang Xuanzong, who single-handedly created the prosperity of Kaiyuan, and with his acquiescence, he wiped away the achievements of Kaiyuan.After all, this wheel is going to leave a deep grinding mark in the long river of history down-to-earth, which makes it interesting for people to comment today.