Li Deyu
PoliticsAfter Xuanzong came to the throne, he was demoted one after another, and was finally demoted to the position of Sihu of Yazhou, where he died.
Dynasties of ChinaTang dynastyTang dynasty lineage
XuanzongLi Chen
Dazhong · Reign 846—859
After many years of forbearance, he ascended the throne as the emperor's uncle. He worked diligently and wisely and regained Hehuang. He was known as "Little Taizong".
IBiography
- Reign
- 13 years
- Reign era
- Dazhong
- Order of accession
- Ruler #18 · Tang dynasty lineage
- Life dates
- 810—859
- Titles
- Temple name Xuanzong · Posthumous title Shengwu Xianwen Xiao Emperor · Buried in Zhenling Mausoleum · Known as Little Taizong
Li Chen's original name was Li Yi, and he was the thirteenth son of Xianzong. His biological mother, Zheng, was originally a concubine of Li Qi, the military governor of Zhenhai. Li Qi was banished to the palace after his defeat. In 821, he was granted the title of King of Light. He was usually taciturn and was regarded as dull by the palace. Wenzong and Wuzong often made fun of him at banquets. In 846, Wuzong was critically ill. The eunuch Ma Yuanzhi and others thought that he was easy to control and made him the emperor's uncle. After Wuzong died, he ascended the throne.
After taking the throne, he changed from his normal behavior and acted decisively. He first dismissed Li Deyu, who had been in power for a while. The Niu Party gained power and the 40-year Niu-Li party struggle ended. He was diligent in political affairs, read "Zhenguan Politicians" thoroughly, strictly evaluated officials, cherished their titles with care, and restored Buddhism which had been abolished during the Huichang period. Externally, he took advantage of the civil strife in Tubo to regain the three states and seven passes of Hehuang. Zhang Yichao of Shazhou raised troops to expel the Tubo, and the rebel army returned to the Tang Dynasty, and Hexi returned to its territory.
Xuanzong also took elixirs in his later years, but he still refused to establish himself as Crown Prince. In August 859, he died of malignant sores on his back due to poisoning with elixirs. The eunuch Wang Zongshi and others issued an imperial edict to support his eldest son, King Yun Li Wen. He reigned for thirteen years, which was known as the "Government of Dazhong" in history and "Little Taizong" in later generations. However, the long-standing disadvantages of vassal towns and eunuchs were not eradicated, and local military chaos began to emerge.
Xuanzong was clear-minded and decisive, selfless in his actions, frugal and caring for the people. He was the most diligent among the emperors of the late Tang Dynasty. During the Dazhong period, his politics were relatively clear. He regained Hehuang and ushered in the rebel army. He was known as "Little Taizong" by later generations. However, he relied too much on power and petty police, and was unable to touch on fundamental issues such as eunuchs and vassal towns. His denigration of Li Deyu also contained personal resentment. After all, the rule of Dazhong was only a short-term boost on the way to the decline of Tang dynasty.
IITimeline
Before accession
PeopleKing of Light Taohui
He was granted the title of King of Light and was usually very taciturn. He was considered unwise in the palace. When Wenzong and Wuzong gathered the kings for a banquet in the Sixteenth Mansion, they often deliberately made him talk for fun, calling him "Uncle Guang", but he always remained calm.
During the reign · 846—859
PoliticsEmperor Taishu ascends the throne
In March, Wuzong was critically ill. The eunuch Ma Yuanzhi and others thought that King Guang was easy to control, so they made an imperial edict and appointed him as the emperor's uncle. Wuzong ascended the throne after his death. When he received the officials, he was sad and calm, and he made decisions about government affairs quickly. Only then did the people realize that his city was extremely deep.
PoliticsDepose Li Deyu
On the day he ascended the throne, Li Deyu was honored with the title of inscription. Xuanzong later told his officials that every time the Taiwei looked at him, he was terrified. In April, he gave up his position and went out to Jingnan to take Bai Minzhong and other powerful figures as his prime minister.
Culturerestore buddhism
In May, he ordered eight more temples to be built on the left and right streets of Chang'an. Since then, temples in various places have been gradually restored, monks and nuns have been able to receive religious orders again, Huichang's policy of exterminating Buddhism was abolished, and Taoist Zhao Guizhen and others who had advised Wuzong to exclude Buddhism were executed.
PeopleBai Juyi passed away
In August, Bai Juyi died in Luoyang at the age of seventy-five. Xuanzong wrote a poem to commemorate his death, including the line "A boy interprets and chants the song of Everlasting Sorrow, and a Hu'er can sing the pipa piece", which shows the wide spread of his poems.
Lasting legacyThe tomb of Bai Juyi is located on the Pipa Peak of Longmen East Mountain in Luoyang, known as the "White Garden", and is now part of the Longmen Grottoes Scenic Area.
CultureXiao Li Du
Li Shangyin and Du Mu are both called "Little Li Du", and Wen Tingyun is regarded as the originator of the Huajian Ci School. Li Shangyin's poem "Untitled" is lingering and subtle, while Du Mu's "Poetry at Qinhuai" and "Jiangnan Spring" use the past to satirize the present, representing the peak of late Tang poetry.
Politicsdiligent police officer
Xuanzong loved to read "Zhenguan Zhengjia" and once wrote it on the screen himself. He attached great importance to the administration of local officials and required the new governor to go to Beijing to see him before taking office to check his ability; he also cherished his official title and strictly prohibited relatives and eunuchs from asking for help.
MilitaryZhang Yichao's uprising
Zhang Yichao, a native of Shazhou (now Dunhuang, Gansu Province), took advantage of the civil strife in Tubo and led the local Han people and people of other ethnic groups to raise armies, expel the Tibetan garrison and recover Shazhou, and then successively recovered Guazhou, Yizhou, Xizhou and other places.
MilitaryRecover three states and seven passes
Civil strife broke out in Tubo, and the Tubo generals from Yuanzhou, Qinzhou, Anle, and Shimen successively surrendered. The Tang Dynasty recovered part of the Hehuang hometown that had been lost after the An Lushan Rebellion. More than a thousand Helong elders came to Chang'an to greet them with cheers.
PoliticsReturn to the rebel army
Zhang Yichao sent his brother Zhang Yitan to join the dynasty with the map of eleven states including Shazhou, Gua, Yi, and west. Xuanzong set up a rebel army in Shazhou, with Zhang Yichao as the governor, and the Hexi Corridor returned to the territory of Tang dynasty.
Lasting legacyThe mural "Zhang Yichao's Army Travel" in Cave 156 of the Mogao Grottoes has been preserved to this day, reproducing the majesty of the Guiyi Army; the Mogao Grottoes were listed as a World Heritage in 1987.
DiplomacyYuanzhen entered the Tang Dynasty
Yuan Zhen, a Japanese monk from the Tiantai Sect, came to China on the Tang dynasty merchant ship and sought Dharma in Tiantai Mountain, Chang'an and other places. In 858, he returned to China with scriptures and later became the master of Tiantai. The official pass he received when he entered the Tang Dynasty has been preserved to this day.
Lasting legacyThe Tang dynasty brought back by Yuan Zhen is now in the Tokyo National Museum. It is designated as a national treasure of Japan and is a precious object for studying traffic management in the Tang Dynasty.
Politics"Dazhong Criminal Law System"
Zhang Xu, the minister of the Ministry of Punishment, compiled the laws, orders, patterns, styles and previous edicts according to the classification of criminal laws into the "Dazhong Criminal Law System", which was promulgated throughout the world. This style of using laws as the outline and appended with edicts was followed by the "Song Xingtong" of the Song Dynasty.
CultureRebuilding Fo Guang Temple
The East Hall of Foguang Temple in Mount Wutai, which was destroyed during the extermination of Buddhism in Huichang, was funded by female disciple Ning Gongyu and others. The statues, murals and inscriptions of the Tang Dynasty are preserved in the hall.
Lasting legacyIn 1937, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin discovered a Tang Dynasty inscription under the beam, confirming that it was a Tang Dynasty wooden building; Mount Wutai was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2009.
SocietyWar in the South
Military chaos broke out one after another in Lingnan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Xuanzhou and other places. The soldiers expelled the observers, and Xuanzong sent troops to quell them one by one. These military disturbances showed that the corruption of local officials had aroused widespread dissatisfaction.
PoliticsDie after taking elixir
In his later years, Xuanzong was superstitious about immortality. He took elixirs prescribed by medical officer Li Xuanbo and Taoist priests, and developed malignant sores on his back. He died of illness in August. He did not establish a Crown Prince during his lifetime, but the eunuch Wang Zongshi and others made a pretentious edict to support his eldest son, King Yun Li Wen, to the throne.
IIIPeople of this reign
Bai Minzhong
PoliticsBai Juyi's younger brother, Xuanzong, became the prime minister after he came to the throne, presided over the denigration of Li Deyu, and later left the town of Xingning to appease Dangxiang.
Zhang Yichao
MilitaryPeople from Shazhou raised troops to expel Tibet in 848 and recovered the Hexi states, and Liangzhou in 861. He entered Chang'an in 867 and died in Chang'an in 872.
Ma Yuanzhi
PoliticsLieutenant of the Zuo Shence Army, he was the mastermind behind Xuanzong when Wuzong was critically ill, so he was deeply favored.
Du Mu
LiteratureThe grandson of chief minister Du You, he has brilliant poetry and prose. Together with Li Shangyin, he is known as "Little Li Du". His famous lines such as "Stop and sit in the maple forest to love the evening" and "Thousands of miles of orioles singing green are reflected in red" are still recited to this day.
Li Shangyin
LiteratureIn his early years, he was promoted by Hu Chu, the leader of the Niu Party, and later married the daughter of Wang Maoyuan of the Li Party. He was regarded as a betrayal and was trapped in party strife throughout his life. The poems are elegant and profound, and "Untitled" and "Jinse" have far-reaching influence.