Chinas Greatest Empire- The Rise of the Tang Dynasty - Hidden History Adventurer

Li Jiancheng and another brother, Li Yuanji, began preparing a private army to stage a coup and assassinate Li Shimin. Yuanji supported Li Jiancheng as he wanted to be crown prince once Li Jiancheng became emperor. Unfortunately for the pair, word got out fairly quickly. Li Shimin received word from his soldiers and Li Jiancheng's plan was foiled. He was put under house arrest by his father, prompting an associate of Li Jiancheng to formally rebel. Li Shimin was commanded to go out and kill the rebel leader, and was promised the title of crown prince upon his return to Chang'an. It didn't take much of an effort on Li Shimin's part to kill Li Jiancheng's associate. His own band of rebels killed him at the sight of the imperial army. Meanwhile, the weak-willed Li Yuan was caving in and easing up on his son back in the capital. Li Jiancheng was very close with his father's concubines, who would often do his bidding and At Li Jiancheng's request, the women successfully convinced the emperor to go easy on his son, likely stressing the importance of family in such trying times. When Li Shimin returned, he was shocked to learn that Li Jiancheng would be keeping his title of crown prince. But there was little time to process his father's ridiculous leniency and the forgiveness of his young brother. The Turks had moved just outside of Chang'an. Li Shimin had taken charge and organized a treaty involving regular payments to the imposing forces just two years prior in 622 AD. Though the threat was becoming more and more dangerous as they pushed closer to the capital, Li Shimin approached the Khagan, the leader of the Turks, outside of the city, and declared that if they had become dissatisfied with their previous agreement, then he and the Khagan should duel to the death. The Khagan was uncertain of what tricks Li Shimin had up his sleeve, and withdrew his armies back to their camp. Li Shimin and his army remained incredibly close by, and after a night of rainfall, sent a message detailing the Tang army's advantageous position, as well as his analysis of how the Turks' bows would likely be deteriorated by now. The people of the Eurasian steppes used composite bows made of wood and animal horns, which did not fare well during rainy seasons. Outsmarted by the witty Li Shimin, the Khagan agreed once again to the Tang's proposed peace treaty, and retreated without a drop of bloodshed on either side. Upon Li Shimin's return, it was all the more clear that he would be the next great leader of the Tang dynasty. This made Li Jiancheng all the more desperate to kill his brother and secure power. Li Jiancheng hosted a banquet in his residence for his brothers, Li Shimin and Li Wanzhi. He had poisoned Li Shimin's wine. Li Shimin was in such a horrible state that he needed to be carried home, and barely survived the ordeal after vomiting blood all night. Li Yuan couldn't bear to witness the rivalry of his sons, and informed Li Shimin that he would be dividing the empire into two halves to avoid further conflict. Li Shimin was promised the rule of the eastern half, which he protested, but it was no use. His stubborn father had already made up his mind. The division failed to quell the rivalry. In the west, Li Jiancheng and Li Wanzhi continued plotting the murder of Li Shimin. In the east, Li Shimin was continuously encouraged by his cabinet to strike first and kill his brothers. Though, despite everything, he was still hesitant to plot an attack on his own family. When the Turks attacked once again in the summer of 626, the two conniving brothers saw the disorder as a chance to kill Li Shimin once and for all. Backed by Li Jiancheng, Li Wanzhi approached his father and asked to command the army against the invading Turks. Though the emperor was a bit hesitant, as he initially intended on sending the decorated Li Shimin to resist them, he agreed. Much to Li Jiancheng's delight, Li Wanzhi was able to turn many of Li Shimin's associates against him while organizing his army. Those who had once sided with Li Shimin and encouraged him to attack his brothers had given up on trying to convince him, and were now looking after their own lives instead. Because of this victory, the eldest brother promised Li Wanzhi the title of crown prince once he became emperor, which would be any day now, should their plan work. The pair decided that after they killed Li Shimin, they would finally gain power by forcing their father to give up the throne. Shortly after, however, Li Jiancheng and Li Wanzhi were summoned to their father's court. Li Shimin had submitted a message to his father claiming that both Li Jiancheng and Li Wanzhi had been sleeping with many of the emperor's concubines. When the two brothers conferred on what to do, Li Wanzhi argued that they should fake illnesses and not go, but Li Jiancheng pulled rank and decided that they should both go to try and smooth out the situation to the best of their abilities. What ensued is what is now known as the Shanwu Gate incident. Upon their arrival at the Shanwu Gate, which served as an entrance to the palace city in a coup d'etat and immediately tried to retreat, but by then, it was far too late. Li Shimin bound through the gates on horseback and called them over, which prompted Li Wanzhi to draw his bow, but he was far too slow compared to the quick Li Shimin. Li Shimin quickly drew his own weapon and fired an arrow straight into Li Jiancheng, killing him instantly. A chase ensued, with Li Wanzhi trying to escape the scene before Li Shimin could kill him too. In the chaos, however, Li Shimin's horse became overwhelmed, throwing the middle brother off its back. Li Wanzhi pounced on this opportunity and tried to strangle the fallen Li Shimin to death with his own bowstring. Just in the nick of time, Yuqi Jingde, an associate of Li Shimin, arrived and shouted at Li Wanzhi. Li Wanzhi tried to flee on foot, but was promptly killed by Yuqi's arrows. Overwhelmed by the situation, Li Yuan agreed that power would be handed over to the surviving son, Li Shimin, and that the opposing forces should submit to his rule. The male heirs of both Li Jiancheng and Li Wanzhi were promptly executed to prevent further destabilization. The two power-hungry brothers had started a battle that they could not finish, and it ultimately came at the cost of their families' lives. Li Yuan retired to a more ceremonious role, while Li Shimin was declared emperor. Though there was little time to celebrate his new role, the Turks had not stopped their advances to allow the House of Li to play out their family dramas. They had already reached the edges of Chang'an. Li Shimin opted for a non-violent confrontation once again, as he thought that Khagan's selfish and cruel treatment of his inferiors would eventually break apart the Turkic Khaganate and provide an easier opportunity to attack sometime in the future. The Tang Dynasty was too vulnerable to face them head-on right now, so Li Shimin simply renegotiated their peace treaty and agreed to pay tribute for the time being. In the meantime, the new emperor focused on building a basis of trust and free speech within his cabinet. He picked members based on their talent and intellect, and even allowed those who had served as advisors to his treacherous brothers to join his ranks if he thought it was what was best for the empire. Li Shimin encouraged his officials to speak honestly and critique his rule, and so together they worked on improving the domestic conditions of the empire before launching any attack on the Turks. China entered a very prosperous age with Li Shimin, now known as Emperor Taizong of Tang, at the helm of the empire. He is recognized today as the absolute greatest of the hundreds of emperors who came and went throughout Chinese history, and an argument could be made that China was the wealthiest and most powerful state in the world during this second golden age. But why exactly was that the case? Relations between the Turks and the Tang remained stable as Emperor Taizong worked on the living conditions of his subjects, but an opportunity to capitalize on the inner turmoil of the Khaganate rose quicker than the emperor thought it would. Political discord was caused by the Khagan's poor treatment of the fell under his command, and a handful of them broke away from him which made the ruler furiously persecute them with all his might. War broke out between the various tribes, and in 628, a lesser Khagan by the name of Ashina Shibobi requested Emperor Taizong's help in defeating the selfish ruler. He obliged, and they successfully defeated the eastern Khaganate leader by the year 630. The members of the Turkic tribes that fought against the Khagan nominated Emperor Taizong to rule over them, marking him the first emperor to hold the title of both Chinese Emperor and the Khan of Heaven. Even after Taizong's death in the year 649, the Tang dynasty steadily expanded, while becoming more and more cosmopolitan in the cities such as Chong'an. The capital was the world's most populated city at the time, with approximately two million inhabitants. Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism all flourished under Tang rule, with monasteries and temples popping up all around the major cities. Many famous paintings, poetry, and pottery were created as art, became more of a staple of Chinese culture. Military efforts were made back into Korea and Vietnam, and the empire took control of many western lands as well, which connected them more strongly to other major civilizations in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. They quickly swelled and became the most powerful state in Southeast Asia as a whole, precisely because of the emphasis on improving the domestic state as opposed to spending all of the empire's resources. When an empire is stable within, it is far easier to expand outward. The Golden Age reached its peak early into the later Emperor Xuanzang's reign, which began in 712, though the latter half of his time in power saw the decline of the Tang. In 736, historian, musician, and politician Li Linfu was named the Tang chief minister, and began increasing his power as Emperor Xuanzang became less and less interested in fulfilling his role as emperor. Li Linfu had many of his court enemies executed, and began introducing a series of policies that were very damaging to the empire. One major policy that would come back to bite the Tang was that the military governors must not be Chinese. The de facto ruler Li Linfu believed that there would be less trivial politics involved in the governmental process, and that none of his rivals would be able to take power. One of the generals selected was a Turk by the name of An Lushan, who commanded an army with over 150,000 soldiers in the northeast. He was viewed very favorably by both the emperor and Li Linfu, and rose the ranks very quickly, even being named a prince. However, after Li Linfu's death in 753, An Lushan was steadily being edged out of his position by political rivals in China. Recognizing that he had very little to lose, he launched a rebellion against the dynasty to try and claim power over the empire. What followed was known as the An Lushan Rebellion, one of the deadliest wars in human history. In 755, An Lushan attacked the eastern capital of Luyang and declared himself to be the emperor of the New Yan Dynasty after his victory. He then set his sights on the capture of the Tang Dynasty's western capital of Chang'an. Despite their initial successes and rapidly growing army, An Lushan's next major battle, the Siege of Yongqiu, was a definitive victory for the Tang. The Yanqi was very militarily important and was a big stepping stone for An Lushan's push further south into China. The Tang recognized this and 2,000 men were sent to besiege it and killed 20,000 Yan troops in the process. The Yan men were now unable to advance because of the Tang troops' defensive positions along the Tang Pass, but the tides turned due to inner turmoil with the Tang Dynasty as well as completely inept military judgment. Orders were made for the Tang to attack An Lushan's Yan army on open ground and they suffered a very bitter defeat. The path to the capital of Chang'an was now clear for the Yan. Catching wind of the impending threat, Emperor Xuanzong decided to flee the capital, an attempt to regroup in the province of Sichuan. However, this was not realized so easily. The Emperor had brought much of his household, court and bodyguards with him, and chaos ensued as hunger-induced anger and madness along the difficult terrains of China's mountainous regions resulted in the executions of members of the convoy. Fearing a mutiny, the Emperor was required to go along with the demands of his soldiers, even when they desired the deaths of his family members. While the Emperor was forced to watch the strangulations of his relatives in desolate mountain ranges, a different kind of chaos was occurring in the capital of Chang'an. Thousands fled at the sight of the rebels, who slashed their way through the city and looted like there was no tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands were killed in the bloody siege. In August, Emperor Xuanzong had finally reached Sichuan, where he abdicated and gave his son the throne. The new Emperor recruited mercenaries to oppose An Lushan and they prevented him from expanding further south. However, the internal turmoil of the self-proclaimed Yan Dynasty helped the Tang more than anything else. Fearing his constant state of violent paranoia, An Lushan was murdered by his own son, An Xingxu, on January 29th, 757. The ruler had grown increasingly cruel to his subjects and flogged them whenever he pleased, which caused his subordinates to turn on him, especially when the obese tyrant's health took a turn for the worse. It is said that a horse was once crushed under the unfathomable weight of An Lushan. With his death, An Xingxu took over as leader of the Yan and launched a lengthy siege on the city of Suiyang, resulting in one of the most disturbing battles in Chinese history. It could be said that both sides lost. On the Tang side, mass cannibalism ensued as the inhabitants of the besieged city resorted to eating the elderly, women and children after running out of provisions. There remained only 400 Tang defenders of the city, less than 1% of its initial population. While the Yan did indeed eventually capture the city after approximately 8 months of battle, they had suffered over 100,000 casualties and wasted plenty of time and resources. The Tang were able to the capitals of Chang'an and Luyang because of this disarray, and the Yan dynasty began to burst at the seams because of political turmoil. The rebellion was put down in 763, and the Tang emerged victorious. However, the imperial government was far weaker than they had been before this mess had begun, and the golden age of the Tang was undeniably over. 20% of the empire's population had died as a result of the An Lushan Rebellion, and the Tang never fully recovered from its effects. Over the course of the 9th century, the struggling dynasty lost much of its northern and western territory to Turks, and the Tibetan Empire who took advantage of their vulnerable state. The Tang were ruled by a line of poor emperors during this time. Massive groups of bandits became increasingly common, ransacking cities and smuggling illicit goods across the empire, until full-scale rebellions reared their heads once again. In 875, a disgruntled former salt smuggler named Huang Chao started a peasant rebellion with tens of thousands of soldiers and citizens. His forces steadily pushed into the south of China, massacring thousands of people along the way, particularly merchants who they saw as sympathetic to the Tang reign. By 881, the capital of Chong'an had been captured, and Huang Chao declared himself Emperor of the Daqi Dynasty. Angry with the selfish and inept rich and ruling class of China, many of his reforms were focused on confiscating their wealth, but it did not take long for Huang Chao to prove that he was no better at running an empire. Unfortunately for the self-proclaimed empire, he was unable to arrange a food supply to the conquered capital. The Tang dynasty struck back with a series of counterattacks under the command of General Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen had been a general in none other than Huang Chao's rebellion, but defected to the Tang dynasty in 882. With the help of Zhu Wen's strong leadership, the government utilized alliances with a group of Turkish tribes to drive Huang Chao and his de facto dynasty out of the capital. Huang Chao was killed in 884, and his legacy today is one of controversy. Some see him as a violent traitor who committed many atrocities during his military campaign, though others see him as a hero of the peasant rebellion who was committed to ridding China of corruption and wealth hoarding. Whatever the true nature of Huang Chao may have been, the damage he inflicted on the already weakened Tang empire was certainly irreparable. The central government had lost much of its power, and no longer had a solidified army. As a side note, while the 9th century was indeed disastrous for the Tang dynasty, an important invention that would shape modern history was created in 850 A.D. within the empire's borders, gunpowder. An unknown monk and alchemist was trying to invent a substance that would heal ailments and prolong one's lifespan. In doing so, he mixed the following proportions, 75% saltpeter, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur. The result was plenty of scorched skin within the group of monks who were present, and the house they resided in was burnt to the ground. Gunpowder is considered one of the four great inventions of China, alongside papermaking, printing, and the compass. Although the invention would be utilized more efficiently in coming years, particularly with the rise of the Song dynasty in the 10th century, history shows that it was Chinese monks under the Tang who discovered the substance. No matter what other dynasties or western empires may claim. Without a widespread military application, though, the newfound substance did not make a difference in the fate of the declining Tang. An era known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was on its way, and would be marked by various warlords and regimes staking claims for power across China. The period is notoriously difficult to follow because of how messy and unstable the region was, with constant assassinations, new and shattered alliances, and factions breaking apart. The situation was constantly changing, just like it had during the Warring States period. This name, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, came to be as five regimes successfully ruled over the northern region of China, while ten independent states were established in southern and western China. Though these states were relatively stable during their existence, they were not as significant as the five major dynasties. The first of these five dynasties' rulers was the warlord Zhu Wen. Though he had helped the Huangqiao rebellion, and then the Tang government, Zhu Wen was now looking to help himself. In 904, he executed the Emperor of Tang, and made the dead ruler's 13-year-old boy serve as a puppet emperor. Only three years later, in 907, he usurped the throne and named himself Emperor of the Liang, the first of the five dynasties that ruled in this era. However, many other warlords did not accept his rule, and established their own countries. One of these men was Li Keyong, a rival of Zhu Wen. Prior to the establishment of the Liang dynasty, Zhu Wen had attempted to assassinate Li Keyong, so he understandably had no interest in serving the new emperor. Li Keyong established the minor kingdom of Jin, which would play a large role in future power struggles. But rivals such as Li Keyong were not the only ones who hated the emperor. Zhu Wen often summoned his son's wives to the palace to have sex with them. He was a notorious sexual predator, who repeatedly assaulted his officers' wives, as well as his own daughters-in-law. As a result of his horrendous conduct, as well as familial turmoil over which son would succeed the crazed ruler, Zhu Wen was murdered in his palace by his third son, Zhu Yougui. Zhu Yougui would last just one year in power, being murdered soon thereafter by his younger brother, Zhu Youzhen, in a coup for the throne. He would rule from 913 onward, with his reign lasting about a decade. It was during that time that a boiling point was reached between the Liang and the kingdoms of Jin. After many clashes with Emperor Zhu Youzhen's troops over contested regions, the Jin kingdom had become quite powerful, and contested the Liang dynasty in 923. They established what is known as the Later Tang Dynasty. They kept the name as Tang because they desired a restored empire. Li Sunshu, who was Li Keyong's son, became the first emperor of the Later Tang. While they showed flashes of brilliance and potential promise in unifying China, they failed to control the regions they initially conquered due to more declarations of independence within their territory. The state was thrown into chaos due to Li Sunshu's poor leadership, as the emperor and his consort, Empress Lu, hoarded wealth, and did not reward his soldiers for their efforts in battle. In the spring of 926, he was finally murdered in a mutiny. The next dynasty was formed by a veteran general named Xi Jinping. His claiming of the throne marked the third of the five dynasties, and was labeled the Later Jin, or Xi Jin. During this time, Xi Jinping's army was not powerful enough to control the incredibly dynamic wartime landscape of China, and in 936, he asked for the help of the Khitan in the north. The Khitan were a nomadic people who dominated much of Northeast Asia, including modern-day Mongolia, as well as chunks of China and Russia's Far East. A term of the agreement was that the sixteen prefectures of Yayun, a region along the Great Wall which contained the strategic positions of modern-day Beijing and Tianjin. The Khitan emperor, Yilu Delong, was also given superiority over Xi Jinping. This was the cause of a conflict, as the Later Jin eventually decided that they did not want to live under the rule of the Khitan emperor. They tried to distance themselves from Yilu Delong's reign, which enraged the ruler, who had so recently greatly helped in the establishment of their dynasty. A war broke out, and Khitan conquered the Later Jin. They sacked the Qing prefecture, modern-day Anyang, and massacred most of the population. The Khitan state was renamed the Liao Dynasty, and Yilu Delong declared himself emperor of all of China. However, this era did not last very long. The ruler was universally hated by the Chinese, and after constant pushback, he died while journeying in an attempt to return north.