The establishment of the Sui Dynasty ended hundreds of years of division in China and unified China regionally. However, the unification of the Sui Dynasty was not solid. Before pacifying Jiangnan, China experienced nearly 400 years of division, and the great development of local aristocratic forces led to the weakening of central power. Several aristocratic families and clans united to change dynasties. In the early years of the Sui Dynasty, local forces still threatened imperial power. Within a year after the establishment of the Great Sui Dynasty, four major rebellions had occurred, mostly in newly unified areas. How to eliminate the hidden danger of division and achieve long-term unity of the dynasty. This difficult problem that has been unsolved for hundreds of years requires the rulers of the Sui Dynasty to solve it with the wisdom of advanced people.
In the early years of the Kaihuang reign, an official named Liang Yanguang was appointed as the Governor of Xiangzhou. If he had been approaching his appointment before, it would have been his busiest time because he needed to select and appoint his own subordinates to help him handle various matters. But from the third year of Emperor Kaihuang’s reign, he no longer needed to do so, because Emperor Wen of Sui abolished the system of appointing local officials on the spot. His subordinates can only be appointed and dismissed by the Central Department of Personnel in the future.
Researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Huang Zhengjian: Since the Wei, Jin, and Southern Dynasties, local officials have mainly been appointed by the local officials themselves, which has caused a problem. This has led to the formation of small groups or separatist regimes in a region, which is very detrimental to centralization and unified leadership of the central government. So, Yang Jian saw this kind of flaw, so after he became emperor, he made a reform, which was to return all human rights and appointment rights to the central government.
More than 2000 administrative officials from counties and above across the country, regardless of the method of selection, are ultimately appointed directly by the central government. Therefore, when the officials in the Ministry of Personnel are busy, it seems much easier for local officials to take office. In Xiangzhou, Liang Yanguang could only work for three years. After three years, the court would transfer him to another city based on his work situation. Since the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen had stipulated that county and prefectural officials would be replaced every three years, and subordinate officials would be replaced every four years, and could not be re elected. This was because officials who served in a place for a long time could easily be recruited and colluded with local powers, which would affect the implementation of central government orders. Through these measures, the central government not only firmly controls the appointment and appointment of local officials, but also prevents collusion between local officials and local elites, further strengthening the central government’s control over the local areas. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, dynastic changes were very frequent, and local forces were acting independently. The establishment of the three levels of political districts at the state, county, and county levels was very chaotic. Yang Jian changed the three-level system of prefectures and counties since the Eastern Han Dynasty to a two-level system of prefectures and counties, abolished more than 500 counties, and reduced a large number of officials.
Professor Wu Zongguo from Peking University: In this way, the central government’s control over local areas will be greatly strengthened, so various reform measures can be carried out smoothly.
Due to frequent dynastic changes, each country had different official positions and titles. After the unification of China by Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, in order to change this chaotic situation, he made significant reforms to the system. On the basis of the development of the bureaucratic system in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, a central bureaucratic system with three provinces and six ministries as the main body was established. The Shangshu Province is the highest administrative institution, with six departments including the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Works. Under these six departments, there are four departments each responsible for specific administrative affairs. With the gradual improvement of later generations, the three provinces and six departments system eventually became a very advanced political system.
Professor Wu Zongguo from Peking University: The three provinces and six ministries system has at least one characteristic of separating decision-making from administration. In the middle of this, it is through a procedural division of labor, rather than mutual constraints. This is a very advanced political concept and a political measure. Before the unification of the Sui Dynasty, years of wars produced a large number of refugees and barren land, and local powers directly controlled the local population. This not only reduced the national fiscal revenue and the objects of corv é e and military service collection, but also posed hidden dangers to national stability. In addition, the tax system and corv é e system at that time were unreasonable, and many farmers concealed their household registration, which led to a significant reduction in the government controlled household registration.
Professor Wu Zongguo from Peking University: There are many ways for farmers to conceal their household registration. A young man in his twenties claims to be only six years old, while a strong man in his 45s claims to be 70 years old. So, through a series of measures, including reducing taxes, corv é e labor, and punishment, the common people feel that applying for a household registration is under government control and less burdensome than accepting the control and protection of this powerful figure. Therefore, they are willing to apply for a household registration with the government.
Through the rectification of registered residence, the Sui Dynasty government cleared 1.64 million hidden population, and a large number of fugitive farmers became the state’s household residents again by applying for household registration. The state controlled a large number of self-employed farmers and collected taxes on this basis.
Hanjiacang Site, Luoyang City, Henan Province
This is a Sui Dynasty granary excavated in Luoyang in 1969. The Hanjia granary was still in use until the Tang Dynasty. This granary can store up to 500000 kilograms of grain. Today, a large amount of charred millet can be found in some granaries. The Hanjia granary covers an area of over 450000 square meters and has about 400 granaries, which is only a small part of the Sui Dynasty’s grain storage. After the Sui Dynasty entered a stable stage of development, its national strength rapidly increased and its treasury was filled. In 589 AD, the number of households controlled by the state was about 7 million. By the end of Emperor Wen’s reign in 604 AD, the household registration had exceeded 8.9 million, an increase of nearly 2 million households in just 15 years, which was undoubtedly an astonishing achievement. A great monarch, in addition to making the country strong, must also choose an ideal heir for the empire. Yang Jian, who has always been almost omnipotent, has made a mistake on this issue because Crown Prince Yang Yong is too disappointing.
Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Lei Wen: He lives a luxurious life, which is very different from Yang Jian, who has always advocated frugality. Yang Jian and Emperor Dugu had a total of five sons. The third son, Yang Junfeng, was appointed as the King of Qin and assisted in the battle in Luoyang. The fourth son, Yang Xiufeng, was appointed as the King of Shu and left for Yizhou. The youngest son, Prince Han Yang Liang, stayed in Chang’an. And at this moment, what is Yang Guang, Yang Jian’s second son, doing? On November 23, 591 AD, the main hall of the Yangzhou Governor’s Office was shrouded in smoke, and a grand ordination ceremony was taking place here. This ritual is extremely unusual because presiding over the ordination ceremony is one of the most important sects in the history of Chinese Buddhism, and the founder of the Tiantai sect, Master Zhiyi. It was the highest official of the Sui Dynasty in Jiangnan, Prince Jin Yang Guang, who received the Bodhisattva. That year, at the age of 21, Yang Guang became the prince of the Sui Dynasty. Why did he abdicate and interact with monks? Just two years ago, the Battle of Pingchen achieved political reunification in China, but the south was not peaceful. In the second year, large-scale anti Sui rebellions broke out in various parts of Jiangnan. Yang Guang was once again ordered to leave Yangzhou. Although the rebellion was quickly quelled, how to quickly eliminate the hostility of the people in Jiangnan towards the emerging dynasty is undoubtedly an urgent issue. So Yang Guang turned his attention to the highly influential Buddhism in the local area. For hundreds of years, Jiangnan society has been shrouded in a strong Buddhist atmosphere, and Zhiyi was the most famous Buddhist leader in Jiangnan at that time, having a wide influence on various sectors of Buddhism and the secular world.
Lei Wen, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: For Yang Guanglai, following such a renowned monk would help expand his influence and gain the reputation of Jiangnan. It has been proven that Yang Guanglai’s interaction with Zhiyi has achieved great results, greatly reversing the image of a conqueror like the Sui Dynasty since the Pingchen War.
On a day in November of the 20th year of Emperor Kaihuang’s reign, the atmosphere in the Grand Sui Palace suddenly became tense. An event that affected the fate of the Grand Sui Dynasty occurred. After a long period of consideration, Yang Jian finally made up his mind. He replaced the heir to the throne, and Crown Prince Yang Yong was deposed and replaced by Yang Guang. In June of 604 AD, a secret news spread that the thick gates of Renshou Palace quickly spread throughout the Sui Empire. Emperor Yang Jian, who was 64 years old, fell ill. One month later, Yang Jian, who had made great contributions to the reconstruction of a unified multi-ethnic country, passed away. Yang Jian left a rich family fortune for Crown Prince Yang Guang. After Yang Guang ascended the throne, the following year he changed his career and ascended to the throne. Can Yang Guang achieve great success like his father Yang Jian? Faced with this ancient and young empire, the new monarch is about to embark on a magnificent yet controversial life. 1000 beautiful women pulled dragon boats and slowly moved forward, each holding carved oars with gold carving. This is recorded in the Tang Dynasty’s Yan Shigu’s “Da Ye Shi Yi Ji”. Emperor Yang of Sui’s trip to Jiangnan was described in more detail in the Ming Dynasty novel “The Romance of Emperor Yang of Sui”. In addition to 1000 beautiful women, there are also 1000 sheep added.
Researcher Lei Wen from the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: So we can imagine that from Popeye Sailor to these beautiful women and tender sheep, the story becomes more and more enchanting. However, in the process of enchantment, the story of Emperor Yang of Sui going to Jiangnan is also demonized.
In fact, Yang Guang was an emperor with a broad and ambitious mind, and he used the words “great cause” as his reign title. According to the Annals of Emperor Yang in the Book of Sui, he regarded the achievements of Emperor Qin and Han’s martial arts as his life goals throughout the scale of the Upper Qin and Han dynasties. In order to achieve his great ideals in his lifetime and become another eternal emperor in history, he must make a difference. Yang Guang first inherited and improved the talent selection system established by his father Yang Jian. As early as the seventh year of the Kaihuang reign, Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict to pay tribute to three people in each prefecture. At that time, there were mainly two subjects, Ming Jing and Xiucai, which were called tribute examinations. This officially established the so-called imperial examination system in later generations. In the early years of the Daye era, Yang Guang established the Jinshi examination, which was actually a literary subject, forming a regular tribute system with Xiucai, Ming Jing, and Jinshi, all three subjects tied together, reflecting the country’s requirements for talents at different levels. Although there were not many people in the Sui Dynasty’s Jinshi examination system, including Fang Xuanling, Hou Junji, and Sun Fujia, later became famous officials in the early Tang Dynasty. Yang Guang once lived in the south for a long time, and he deeply realized that the cultural integration between the Chen Dynasty homeland in Jiangnan and the north had not yet been truly achieved. The Shandong region was also unstable, and the unified situation of the country was not solid. In addition, as the capital city of Chang’an has a large population and insufficient supply of goods in Guanzhong, he was determined to change this situation. Yang Guang needed to choose a city located in the center of China with dangerous terrain and good transportation and economic and trade conditions as the capital, in order to strengthen his rule over the East and Jiangnan, maintain national unity, and ultimately focus his attention on Luoyang, which has been known as the center of the world since ancient times.
Professor Liu Houbin from Renmin University: The political regimes in Hebei and Shandong in the east are against you. After your hearts are united, they have a strong rebound, and the same goes for the south. After Yang Guangping City was founded in the 9th year of the Kaihuang era, the Chen Dynasty’s old territory was completely rebelled in the 10th year of the Kaihuang era. Therefore, consolidating unity was a very realistic and severe task for Yang Guang. If you stop in Guanzhong or Chang’an, it would be inconvenient to command. However, Luoyang, he believed, was relatively advantageous in controlling this part of the world. In the end, Yang Guang and his ministers focused their attention on Luoyang, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has a dangerous and abundant drinking water source. Moreover, it is close to grain producing areas such as Shandong, Hebei, and Jiangnan. The most important thing is that Luoyang is located in the center of the country. The transportation and economic center of the Sui Dynasty. The capital city of a dynasty represents the image and temperament of a country. Who can take on the responsibility of designing and constructing the city of Luoyang? This heavy responsibility ultimately falls on the prime minister Yang Su, Yang Da, and the general in charge of engineering, Yu Wenkai. Upon receiving the emperor’s decree to build the eastern capital, several ministers immediately started. In November of the fourth year of Renshou, it seemed like overnight. The largest construction site since the founding of Emperor Sui suddenly appeared on the banks of the Luo River, with millions of migrant workers being recruited to Luoyang. The new capital of the Sui Dynasty is about to rise. Yang Su and others did not disappoint Yang Guang. In just 14 months, a towering capital city rose from the ground. The circumference of Luoyang, the eastern capital, is 27.5 kilometers. Even in today’s technologically advanced world, it is difficult to build a city of this scale within such a short construction period. People can’t help but wonder how such a miracle was achieved under the construction conditions at that time.
Huang Zhengjian, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: It was the suffering of these migrant workers that created the glory of the Eastern Capital. At that time, it was recorded that when migrant workers were conscripted, there were about several million people who came to repair the Eastern Capital. Almost every day, there were vehicles transporting corpses, which were used by migrant workers. From Chenggao, now Rongyang, to Heyang, the vehicles transporting corpses were constantly on the road. It was these who sacrificed a large number of migrant workers and built the glorious city of the Eastern Capital on these corpses. Mr. Wang’s family lived in Luoyang during his time, and the craftsmanship of making palace lanterns has been passed down from ancestors. I have been making palace lanterns here since I was young, and in the past, this lantern was not called a palace lantern, but a lantern. The history of palace lanterns in Luoyang is very long, and everyone who buys lanterns in the country has to come to Luoyang. When the eastern capital of Luoyang was just built, more than 3000 people in Hebei Province will be relocated by the government to settle in Luoyang. At the same time, Yang Guang also relocated tens of thousands of merchants from all over the country to Luoyang, laying the foundation for its prosperity. Since then, Luoyang has once again become the new political, economic, and cultural center of ancient China, as well as a hub for material exchange between the north and south. The eastern capital city of Luoyang plays an important role in the urban construction and development of China, and has also had a significant impact on the urban construction of other countries. Not long after the construction of the Eastern Capital, Yang Guang made a new decision to excavate the Grand Canal. While millions of people were needed to build the Eastern Capital, a large amount of manpower was also needed to excavate the Grand Canal. What was Yang Guang’s purpose?
Researcher Lou Jin from the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The economic development level in Jiangnan has reached an unprecedented level, while the population and land in the north cannot produce enough wealth to support a large population and the court. At this time, strengthening the water transportation between the north and south should make it convenient, and the low cost of water transportation has become an urgent matter. The deployment of supplies to the military requires smooth transportation. So, what was the best mode of transportation at that time? Of course it’s a waterway.
In March of the first year of Daye, 605 AD, Yang Guangzheng sent over a million people to open the Jiqu Canal to connect the Yellow River and the Huai River. At the same time, more than 100000 people in Huainan were sent to excavate the Hangou Canal to connect the Yangtze River and the Huai River. In 608 AD, more than a million men and women were ordered to open the Yongji Canal. In 610 AD, Emperor Yang of Sui ordered the opening of the Jiangnan River to connect the water transportation between the Yangtze River and the Qiantang River. In just 6 years, the Grand Canal composed of Yongji Canal, Tongji Canal, Hangou, and Jiangnan River was completed, and the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal, which has been flowing for over 1400 years, is still bustling today. Since its birth, it has become a part of the life of canal people. They have been thriving here for generations, and to this day, the shipowner, Lao Li, has been helping his father transport goods on the canal since he was 17 years old. His family has been living on the canal since his grandfather’s generation. One year, the wooden boats on the canal have been replaced by steel boats, and the grandfather in charge of the steering has been replaced by Lao Li. The only thing that remains unchanged is the life of the canal people, and he will continue to do so for generations. The Grand Canal, centered in Luoyang, has a total length of about 2000 kilometers, nearly 10 times longer than the Suez Canal and 20 times longer than the Panama Canal. To this day, it is still the longest artificial canal in the world. The Grand Canal connects the civilizations of the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, connecting the political center of the north with the economic center of the south, providing convenient conditions for economic and cultural exchanges between the north and south. It still benefits the descendants of the Yan and Huang dynasties, promoting the great integration of the Chinese nation and welcoming the brilliant civilization of Tang and Song unification. The spirit of the Grand Canal is the great spirit of the Chinese nation’s self-improvement and continuous exploration and progress.
This is an ancient Silk Road in the west, and even with advanced transportation, it would be very difficult to move forward again. However, more than 1400 years ago, Yang Guanglie spared no effort. In such a harsh environment, we will tour Zhangye to the west.
Professor Liu Houbin from Renmin University: Emperor Yang of Sui himself had the ambition to compare his achievements with Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Qin Shi Huang. So the concept of an empire established by the Sui Dynasty in the Han Dynasty needs to have a sense of global presence, to exert influence on a larger scale, and to interact with people. He has his own efforts to open up channels of communication between China, Central Asia, and even Europe.
Since the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians, due to continuous wars and frequent changes in political power in various regions, the Silk Road opened up by Zhang Qian in the Han Dynasty has been cut off by smoke and dust, and the former prosperity has long been lost. In the fifth year of the Daye era, Yang Guangxi patrolled the right side of the river, mainly to solve the military threat posed by Tuyuhun to the Hexi Corridor and maintain border security. Just a year ago, Tuyuhun’s army repeatedly invaded border towns such as Zhangye. Yang Guang led the six armies to personally conquer Tuyuhun and achieved complete victory. The Silk Road was reopened, and the Sui Dynasty established prefectures and towns in Tuyuhun’s homeland. Shushi implemented the county system for management, which was a place where no formal administrative region had ever been established in previous dynasties. The Qilian Mountains are nearly 4000 meters above sea level, and Yang Guangzeng led his army through here. He was the first and only emperor in Chinese history to have traveled to the west. According to historical records, Emperor Yang of Sui once held a grand banquet at Yanzhi Mountain to entertain King Qu Wentai of Gaochang and ministers and envoys from 27 countries in the Western Regions who came to court. Many ladies and civilians from Wuwei, Zhangye and other places also dressed up to attend. Merchants from various countries gathered in Zhangye for trade, and the Silk Road prospered again. Emperor Yang of Sui reigned for 14 years, once patrolling the Turks to the north of Yangzhou, the right side of the river to the west, and pacifying the Ryukyu Islands. He truly lived in Chang’an for less than two years, and in the eastern capital of Luoyang for less than four years. He spent the rest of his time touring various places, from east to west, and from south to north, in order to establish a vast empire and achieve his dream of becoming a great nation, he established a great undertaking that could rival that of Emperor Qin and Han Wu. Emperor Yang of Sui never stopped running, but this also brought a heavy burden to his people, laying the foundation for his rapid demise.
This is the area east of the Liao River in Northeast China. Over 1400 years ago, some Goguryeo people lived here and occasionally invaded the Western Liao region. In the 18th year of the Kaihuang reign, Emperor Wen of Sui sent Han King Yang Liang with a 300000 strong army to counterattack the continuous invasion of Goryeo and Mohe against Liaoxi. In 611 AD, Emperor Yang of Sui was determined to completely solve the Liaodong problem. In February of that year, Yang Guang issued an edict to suppress Goryeo. Why did he want to achieve national unity by attacking Goryeo? In fact, he wanted to fight Liaodong. At that time, both the court and the public intended Liaodong, and why did he want to heal it? Liaodong was originally a four prefecture of the Han Dynasty and a part of the unified dynasty of China. If Liaodong is not unified, the unification of the country will not be completed. So, from Emperor Wen of Sui to Emperor Gaozong of Tang, every emperor has been fighting against mobility. Why is fighting to achieve national unity? As a local and national goal, this is a very important one for him. In 611 AD, in order to compete for Liaodong, armies, sailors, and even food and supplies from all over the country gathered in Zhuo County. Everyone believed that the strength of your great Sui Dynasty today, Pinggaoli, would be as smooth as the Pingchen War, and even easier than Pingchen. Yang Guang is more confident in the outcome of the war. However, at this time, Emperor Yang of Sui did not realize that the decision to conquer Goryeo to the east ultimately marked the beginning of an unprecedented crisis for the Sui Dynasty, and of course, it was also the beginning of his personal tragedy.
Professor Liu Houbin from Renmin University: He ignored the special geographical environment of the Liaodong Peninsula and the Korean Peninsula. As a military force of the Sui Dynasty, you did not have much advantage in going to sea as a station. You were not good at water warfare. Although the water army had been coming to Shanghai all along, they were basically completely destroyed in the end. The Sui army was ultimately defeated. After the war, 300000 Sui soldiers crossed the Liaohe River were counted, and only 2700 people returned to the west of the Liaohe River. Sui Yang Emperor, who suffered heavy losses, quickly organized a second Eastern Expedition and surrendered to the city of Goryeo. When it was almost successful, someone hurriedly arrived from the rear and reported a shocking news to Yang Guang. Yang Xuangan A rebellion broke out, and Yang Xuangan served as the Minister of Rites, responsible for overseeing the transportation of grain and forage in Henan. He seized the military supplies that were about to be on the front line and rebelled, causing many new nobles and sons of Guanlong to respond. At one point, tens of thousands of troops were ordered to lead the rebellion and head straight to Dongdu to kill them. Upon hearing the news, Yang Guang immediately ordered the withdrawal of troops from Goryeo.
Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Huang Zhengjian: Yang Xuangan is the son of Yang Su. Why did he rebel? The most direct reason is that Yang Guang, also known as Emperor Yang of Sui, had suspicions about Yang Su after he ascended the throne, saying that if Yang Su did not die, I would also destroy him. So, as Yang Su’s son. Yang Xuangan naturally felt very scared in his heart, afraid that one day Emperor Yang of Sui would take action against him. When various important officials of the Sui Empire learned that Yang Xuangan had rebelled, they were afraid of endangering the power of the powerful. Without waiting for Yang Guang’s order, they all rose up in rebellion. Although Yang Xuangan attracted nearly 100000 peasant armies from various routes to join him, the combat effectiveness of these peasant armies was really poor, but they were eliminated within a month. Yang Xuangan committed suicide and his second expedition to Liaodong was interrupted by the rebellion.
Lei Wen, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: At that time, there was also a large number of members from the core family of the Guanlong Group, such as Li Mi and Li Zixiong, who followed Yang Xuangan’s uprising. This phenomenon was like a sign that the ruling class of the Sui Dynasty had already undergone serious division. On the other hand, Yang Xuangan’s uprising led to the failure of the Second Liao Expedition. In this way, the ruling foundation of the Sui Dynasty was shaken, allowing for more development space for the subsequent peasant wars.
In 614 AD, Yang Guang launched three expeditions to Goryeo. At this time, Goryeo had gone through three years of war and its national strength was no longer sufficient. It had to admit its mistake to Emperor Yang of Sui and plead for peace. This time, the Eastern Expedition to the Great Sui achieved nominal victory, but the Sui Dynasty was already filled with complaints and turmoil throughout the country. According to historians, the amount of military and corv é e labor involved in the attack on Goryeo exceeded the sum of several major projects in the Sui Dynasty, reaching a level of almost nationwide service.
Huang Zhengjian, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: How many people are needed to provide food, shelter, and some military weapons for the 1.3 million troops in Goryeo? We need to recruit more people to serve them, let’s take shipbuilding as an example. At that time, several shipyards were established in coastal areas, such as Southeast, and many people were recruited day and night to build warships for him. So these migrant workers stood in the water, building ships for him every day. As a result, maggots grew from the waist down, and about half of the deceased died. Large scale escapes began to emerge in the army of the Liao Dynasty, and more and more people fled to the deep mountains and rivers of Shandong and Hebei. Soon, the whole country formed three peasant army groups: the Wagang Army led by Li Mi and Zhai Rang, the Jianghuai Uprising Army led by Du Fuwei, and the Hebei Qi Volunteer Army led by Dou Jiande. When the people waved their flags and shouted, internal conflicts within the ruling class also erupted. In the 13th year of the Daye era, Tang Duke Li Yuan, Wu Wei tycoon Li Gui, and Jiang Du formed three peasant army groups. The high-ranking ministers, including Wang Shichong, who held great power, all rose up in unison and divided their territories, with numerous soldiers joining in. In 616 AD, Yang Guang, in despair, took Empress Xiao on a dragon boat for the third time through the Grand Canal to Jiangdu. Unlike the previous two times, this time he was evasive, and he never returned to his hometown in Guanzhong. Yang Guang also brought the precious copper mirror that had been placed on his desk since Chang’an to the south. Sometimes, he would still hold the mirror and take photos of himself. Facing his reflection in the mirror, he sighed and felt that such a good head would be cut off by someone in the future. On March 14, 2014, a fully armed rebel army broke into Yang Guang’s dormitory, and in the end, Yang Guang died in Jiangdu. Losing the sunshine of the country, I have long thought that I would lose my life and that future generations will criticize me. However, it cannot predict that future generations will often associate Emperor Yang of Sui with words such as cruelty and extravagance, and in the end, he will lose his reputation. The tragedy of Yang Guang is not only due to the destruction of his country, but also due to the deliberate depreciation of his image by future generations.
In fact. He implemented many policies that were in line with the requirements of China’s historical development, but in the context of that time, he implemented them a bit hastily and a bit early. After all, after hundreds of years of this separatist war, what the people needed was actually stability. They basically demand a stable and prosperous life.
The construction of the Eastern Capital, the excavation of the Grand Canal, the opening of the Silk Road, the western tour of Zhangye, the development of the Western Regions, and even the attack on Liaodong are all aimed at consolidating and developing a unified multi-ethnic country. Yang Guang further promoted political system reform, improved the system of three provinces and the imperial examination system, which was an ancient Chinese political system that entered a new stage. As a hardworking emperor, Yang Guang left valuable material wealth and institutional achievements for future generations. Daye, as a symbol of Yang Guang’s ambitious efforts to create a grand cause, only reached the 14th year of Daye. In 618 AD, the Tang Dynasty inherited the material and institutional achievements of the Sui Dynasty and further improved the history of the Chinese nation, which is about to enter another era of prosperity.
90 Seconds of History: The Wind of Zhenguan
In the 17th year of the Zhenguan reign, on the 17th day of the first lunar month, a famous minister named Wei Zheng passed away, which was a very heavy blow to Emperor Taizong of Tang. On the day of his funeral, Emperor Taizong ascended to the west tower of the Imperial Palace. Looking at the sunset, the funeral procession gradually fades away, filled with grief. Li Shimin wirelessly expressed his gratitude to Wei Zheng. Later, he told his courtiers that using copper as a mirror, one can correct their attire and crown, use history as a mirror, know the rise and fall, use people as a mirror, and see gains and losses. Li Shimin once used Wei Zheng as a mirror to check his own right and wrong. Now, Emperor Taizong of Tang has become an indelible mirror for later generations, from the highest emperor to ordinary officials. The style of Zhenguan has been praised to this day, and China during the Zhenguan period is one of the few harmonious societies in history. Emperor Taizong of Tang and his era will always be engraved in the deepest collective memory of the Chinese people.
