Who knows the general situation and figures of the economic development of Zhenguan and Qingkanggan in Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties?

There have been many "prosperous times" during the dynasty changes in ancient China. People say that prosperity generally means that the country has moved from chaos to governance and maintained political stability and social prosperity for a long time. Signs of prosperity include political enlightenment, economic development, people's livelihood recovery, strong national strength and cultural prosperity. [1] The most representative ancient prosperous times are the rule of Wenjing in the Western Han Dynasty, the rule of Zhenguan Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty and the prosperous times of Kang Yong in the Qing Dynasty, which are of great significance in the development of ancient China society. In order to reflect their political achievements, rulers of all ages yearned for prosperity; In order to live a stable life, ordinary people also look forward to the prosperous times. The idiom "eat snacks and make great efforts to govern" is the motto of emperors and generals; The folk song "Better be a peaceful dog than make trouble" is a folk voice. They are highly consistent in their pursuit of prosperity. Understanding the formation and decline of ancient prosperity can give us a lot of historical enlightenment.

First, from the rule of Wenjing to Zhao Xuanzhongxing.

The governance of Wenjing in the Western Han Dynasty began in 180 BC when Wendi ascended the throne and ended in14 BC when Jingdi died. However, after the Wenjing, the prosperous times did not end. Although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty changed the policy of Wenjing period after he ascended the throne, it pushed the prosperity of the Western Han Dynasty to the peak. Although there were many mistakes in the later period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the country's vitality was not hurt. After the adjustment of Zhao and Zhao, that is, "Zhao Xuanzhongxing" maintained the continuation of the prosperous times. When Yuan Di ascended the throne, the registered permanent residence of the Western Han Dynasty reached the highest point of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the end of the heyday of the Western Han Dynasty, with the time of Xuanyuan (48 BC) as the boundary, lasted for more than 130 years.

The rule of Wenjing was named after Wendi and Jingdi. The emergence of the rule of Wenjing needs to start from the situation in the early Han Dynasty.

Qin's cruel law of exorbitant taxes and levies caused chaos in the world. After the death of Qin, Chu and Han fought for political power and fought for years, leaving the people in a miserable situation of being displaced and in a ravine. When the Western Han Dynasty was founded, the imperial court was extremely embarrassed. "History of Food in Han Dynasty" contains: "After the disadvantages of Han Dynasty and Qin Dynasty, the governors rose together, and the people lost their lessons, so they were hungry and cold. Five thousand stones per meter, people eat each other, and more than half of the dead. " "The world, the people die and hide. You can't drink alcohol during the day, but you have to take an ox cart. " The emperor couldn't even sit in four carriages of the same color, so the generals had to sit in ox carts instead. It is this situation that forces the rulers to try to stabilize society, resume production and bring the country into a normal state.

From the day Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang entered Xianyang, he announced the basic strategy of stabilizing the society under the planning of Sean, a counselor. This is the famous "Three Chapters of Contract Law" in history: "The murderer dies, and the injured person commits the crime of stealing. I know that the Qin law must be eliminated." (Biography of Emperor Gaozu in Historical Records) After the war, Liu Bang took a series of measures, such as "forbidding laws, relaxing land rent and paying taxes on five days." Stabilize the political situation and restore order. After the death of Emperor Gaozu, during the reign of Emperor Huidi and Lv Hou, the policy of recuperation continued, and the social situation gradually improved.

Liu Heng (reigned from 180 BC to 157 BC) was the son of high-impedance Liu Bang and the half-brother of Liu Ying, Hui Di. Originally, he was not an emperor. When Gaozu was alive, Liu Heng, who was seven years old, was made acting king, ruling the present northern Shanxi, and spent 17 years with his mother Ji Bo in Zhongdu, the capital of the acting country (near Pingyao, Shanxi). However, after his death, he came to power, and the court almost became Lu's world, which caused the dissatisfaction of the founding fathers of the Western Han Dynasty. When he died, Qiu, the prime minister in charge of national politics and the army, wiped out the power of Lu and welcomed the succession to the throne in other places. This background has a great influence on Wendy's policy. As a captaincy who has been away for many years, he has no prestige or confidant in the court. A large number of heroes who followed Gaozu to conquer the world are still on the stage, and they may not be convinced of this young emperor. He must be careful to keep his position.

When Emperor Wendi ascended the throne, the central political situation remained turbulent after the Zhu Luzhi rebellion. The local vassal power is very strong, and the social economy has not fully recovered from the war trauma. The country is poor and white, the treasure is empty, the people's livelihood is difficult, the industry and commerce are in decline, and the Xiongnu tribes in the north continue to invade and plunder the south, threatening the Guanzhong area of Gyeonggi for many times. In this regard, Wendi calmly responded, stabilized the political situation, adhered to the national policy of sharing interest with the people, pursued the technique of Huang Lao, gradually restored the economy, increased financial resources, and began to enrich the national treasury, which opened the voice of Wendi's rule.

After Liu Qi (reigned before 157 BC, 14 1 year BC) succeeded to the throne, he completely inherited the policies of the Wendi period. At that time, with the recovery and development of social economy and the stability of domestic situation, it was urgent to adjust the relationship between the central and local governments. In the Han dynasty, the local system of parallel counties and countries was implemented, and it has become a major trend that vassal countries occupy a vast area, connecting counties across the state, casting money by mountains and cooking salt in the sea, being rich in the world and arrogant. Jingdi adopted Chao Cuo's suggestion and took measures to separate the vassals, which led to the rebellion of seven vassal states, led by the prince of Wu and Liu Bi. They "please punish Chao Cuo in order to clear the monarch's side", but when Chao Cuo was killed, there was still rebellion, which was called "the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms" in history. It took General Zhou Yafu three months for Jingdi to quell the rebellion. From then on, "the princes can no longer govern the country, and the emperor is the official", which weakened the separatist forces and ensured the stability of the Western Han Dynasty and the sustainable development of governing the world.

The rule of Wenjing is first manifested in the recovery and development of the economy. At that time, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty knew the importance of agriculture. In the second year of his succession, he wrote: "Agriculture is the foundation of the world and the people depend on it for survival." And ordinary people may not do things in the end, so life is not successful. I was worried, so I personally led a group of ministers and farmers to convince them that they gave half of the world's land rent this year. "(Hanshu Moon Hee) has issued imperial edicts many times since then to persuade farmers and encourage the development of production. Moreover, I personally participated in the breeding for many times, and let the queen personally raise silkworms to demonstrate. In order to reduce the burden on the people, Emperor Wendi changed the land rent from fifteen to thirty taxes in the twelfth year (BC 168), and simply exempted it in the second year. It was not until Emperor Jingdi succeeded to the throne that the standard of thirty taxes and one tax was restored. Wendi reduced the calculation tax (poll tax) from 120 yuan per person per year to 40 yuan, and changed the original corvee of Ding Zhuang from 1 month to 1 month for three years. In addition, he also relaxed the closure of mountains and water, helped the widowed and the poor, thus making the social economy fully recover. Jingdi inherited Wendi's economic policy, which made the economy further developed, the national finance was fundamentally improved, the national treasury accumulated surplus, and the people's living standards were significantly improved, so it was called "home to the people".

On the other hand, the rule of Wenjing is a relatively clear politics. After Emperor Wendi ascended the throne, in order to select talents, he created a checkpoint system. Chao Cuo, a famous young politician, was recommended by "a person who can be outspoken and give advice". Wendi also encouraged ministers to discuss politics. Tingwei Zhang Shizhi contradicted the emperor several times according to the law, but he didn't mind. On the contrary, he was always able to entrust important tasks to Zhang Shizhi, showing the tolerant demeanor of an enlightened monarch.

Wendi also made major reforms to the law. He learned the lesson of Qin's death and abolished the "blasphemy law" in which words were used instead of punishment and the "sitting together law" in which one person committed a crime and implicated the whole family. Chunyu Kun was sentenced to corporal punishment, and his daughter was invited to take her place. Emperor Wen was greatly moved, so he abolished the corporal punishment system that mutilated limbs. The leniency and simplicity of criminal law in this period are rare in history.

Various historical books have summarized and introduced the social effects of Wenjing rule. "History of Eating Goods in Han Dynasty" said: "At the beginning of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, during the seventy years, the country died (nothing), unless there was a flood and drought, the people gave their homes. Everything is full, and the state treasury is more than enough. There is too much money in the capital to teach. The millet in Taicang, agarwood, is exposed, corrupt and inedible. There are horses in the streets and alleys, and there are groups between buildings; Those people riding lemonade won't meet. Those who keep the room eat the meat of the beam, those who are officials are descendants, and those who live in the official think that the surname is the number. " "Han Wen Di Ji" said: "All rivers run into the sea, courtesy and righteousness flourish, hundreds of prisons have been broken, and the crimes have been repeated several times." "Historical Records of Han Jing" said: "Han Xing, apart from trouble, shares the same interest with the people. As for filial piety, plus courtesy and filial piety, between 50 and 60 years, as for changing customs, the people are mellow. "

It was the accumulation of Wenjing period that created conditions for Emperor Wudi to push the prosperity of the Western Han Dynasty to the peak. Emperor Liu Che (reigned in14 BC187 BC) was a brilliant emperor (Figure 6). Shortly after he ascended the throne, he began to change his policies since Wenjing, from inaction to promising, from persistence to enterprising, from advocating Huang Lao to exclusive respect for Confucianism, creating unprecedented historical glory.

In the period of Emperor Wu, the centralization of power was further strengthened, and the theory of "the connection between heaven and man" gave the emperor a new theoretical basis for his supreme authority, and the power of the prime minister was weakened. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also divided the whole country into thirteen states, and sent a secretariat to supervise the counties and countries with "six articles", which strengthened the control over the localities. Financially, the right to cast money (issue currency) belongs to the central government, salt and iron are operated by the government, a large number of immigrants have settled in the northwest frontier, and the Central Plains has vigorously built water conservancy projects. Especially in the frontier development, with the change of foreign policy, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and other generals to attack the Xiongnu in an all-round way and achieved great victory. Six counties, namely Shuofang, Wuyuan, Wuwei, Jiuquan, Zhangye and Dunhuang, were set up in Hetao and Hexi areas to control the countries in the western regions, open up the Silk Road, send the Tang Dynasty to the southwest and send troops to Dongou, and develop the Western Han Dynasty into a vast multi-ethnic country. In Chang 'an and other places, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty built many buildings, and palaces and castles rose from the ground, which was amazing. These achievements in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty benefited from the bedding of Wenjing rule.

However, in the Wenjing period, there was a shadow of crisis behind the rule of the world. During the Wendi period, the first beneficiaries were big bureaucrats, big landlords and big businessmen. For example, the yellow-headed wolf, loved by Emperor Wen, not only got numerous rewards, but also occupied the bronze mountain casting money in Yandao, Shu County (now Ya 'an West, Sichuan Province), and was as rich as an enemy, known as "Deng Qian, half a day". Jia Yi pointed out in "Public Security Policy" that there were political, ethnic and social problems in the Han Dynasty at that time, such as the kingdom was too strong, the Huns invaded and insulted, the people were extravagant, and the people were hungry and cold. These problems all concealed signs of troubled times. "People who say that they rule safely, people who are not stupid, are not people who are sensible." After highly affirming the rule of Wenjing, Hanshu Shihuozhi said: "Therefore, the people are rich and serve the arrogant, or both; Those who are loyal to the Party are arbitrary in country songs. The imperial clan has land, and the doctors below compete for luxury, and the houses, cars and clothes are arrogantly limited. When things flourish, they will decline, so they will change. " The change of the ruling policy in Liang Wudi period made the hidden dangers of Wenjing begin to appear. Using foreign troops to invade, extravagance and waste, spending money like water, extravagance and waste, quickly spent the accumulation of Wenjing period. "Even the soldiers don't understand, the world * * * has worked hard, and it is only a matter of seizing the day. Travelers give it to them, family members give it to them, Chinese and foreign people harass each other, and people use clever methods to waste money." (History of Food in Hanshu) Especially the political mistakes of Emperor Wu in his later years led to the disaster of witchcraft, [2] which almost caused the crisis of succession. However, the prosperity laid by Wenjing has not been completely destroyed. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhao maintained the stability of the Western Han Dynasty by adjusting the ruling policy, which was called "Zhao Xuanzong" in history. Yan Bozan believes: "The half century from Zhao Xuan to Yuan Di is the era of social and economic development in the Western Han Dynasty." 〔3〕

Liu Fuling (reigned from 87 BC to 74 BC) was only 8 years old when he succeeded to the throne, and the actual ruler was General Huo Guang. To a certain extent, Huo Guang adjusted its national policy, neglected to pay taxes, shared weal and woe with the people, reduced taxes many times, stopped using troops abroad, and restored social stability. Shun Liu, formerly known as Liu Bingyi, was the grandson of the vicious prince of Emperor Wu Xuan Di. He was deprived of imperial clan rights because of the "witchcraft disaster", lived a civilian life, and understood the sufferings of the lower classes better. Therefore, after he proclaimed himself emperor (reigned in 49 years before 74 BC), he was relatively clear and famous for knowing people and being good at their duties. His famous ministers, such as Bingji, Wei Xiang and Ba Huang, have made great achievements. In addition, Xuan Di pays more attention to system construction, emphasizing people-oriented, and rewards must be punished. According to history, during this period, "the official said that the people were at their posts." He has a famous saying: "The Han family has its own system, based on hegemony." (History of Yuan Di) This period was neither a simple "inaction" nor a simple "exultation", but a mixture of Wang Ba's ways, which finally finalized the strategy of governing the country in the Western Han Dynasty.

The prosperous period of the Western Han Dynasty, starting from the rule of Wenjing, was pushed to a climax by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Zhao and Emperor Wu maintained a long aftertaste. Because the Western Han Dynasty was in the rising period of feudal society in China, this prosperous period not only lasted for a long time, but also left an example worthy of emulation for future rulers.

Second, from the rule of Zhenguan to the prosperity of Kaiyuan

The heyday of the Tang Dynasty began in the Zhenguan period (627-650). After the transition of Emperor Gaozong, Wuhou, Zhongzong and Zong Rui, it flourished again in the Kaiyuan period of Xuanzong (7 13-742). During the Tianbao period (742-756), various social contradictions began to intensify. By the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, the prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty, which lasted for more than one hundred years, came to an end. Different from the prosperous times of the Western Han Dynasty, the prosperous times of the Tang Dynasty had obvious ups and downs, including two peaks of Zhenguan and Kaiyuan, and there was a downturn for decades.

The Sui Dynasty ended the separatist regime in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and unified China. Although Emperor Wendi was headstrong, he managed the country well. However, after Yang Di succeeded to the throne, he imposed exorbitant taxes, lived in luxury and abused people's power, resulting in a situation of "land to the tiller, heartless and unjust". In particular, the failure of three expeditions to North Korea quickly intensified social contradictions and led to chaos in the world. The Tang Dynasty gained political power on the basis of chaos at the end of Sui Dynasty, and set things right, which created another prosperous time in ancient China.

After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li, the eldest son of Gao Zu Li Yuan, was established as a prince, and Li Shimin, the second son, was named King of Qin. Li Shimin, with his meritorious service and influence, launched the change of Xuanwu Gate, killed Li and his younger brother Li Yuanji, and won the title of throne and Zhenguan. During the Zhenguan period, Li Shimin (Figure 7), Emperor Taizong, learned lessons from the demise of the Sui Dynasty and adopted a series of measures to alleviate social contradictions, thus creating a new situation of political clarity and social stability, which is known as Zhenguan rule in history.

Tang Gaozu and Emperor Taizong were both politically enlightened. After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, they paid attention to historical experience and lessons, and they could learn from the Sui Dynasty everywhere. The personal experience of the anti-Sui struggle made Li Yuan and his son have a clearer understanding of governing the country. As early as the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Gaozu said to Pei Ji: "At the end of the Sui Dynasty, there was no way, and the upper and lower sides covered each other. The Lord is arrogant, and the minister is only flattering. It is unheard of in the world, and it is not loyal, so that the country is in danger and dies. I set things right, and I am determined to calm people down. I'll be a military minister and a civil servant, and I'll be able to show my talents so that they can't catch me. " In the hands of Emperor Taizong, he further realized the power of the people. In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong warned Prince Li Zhi: "The boat is better than the king, and the water is better than it. This knife cuts bread and fingers. You are the master, don't be afraid! " ("Zhenguan dignitaries teach princes") This metaphor of "carrying a boat and overturning it" is very rare among rulers. It is precisely because of this understanding of Emperor Taizong that the ministers in Zhenguan period took the death of Sui as an example. For example, in the second year of Zhenguan, Wang Si said to Emperor Taizong: "In the past, the Qin Dynasty was martial, extremely poor outside, extremely extravagant inside, exhausted and disastrous." Don't you want to be safe? This is also a way to stay safe when you get lost. Yin Jian is not far from the demise of the Sui Dynasty. Your majesty has personally inherited its disadvantages, so it is easy to know. "It is required to learn from the lessons of the Qin, Han and Sui Dynasties, change course and adjust policies (Zhenguan dignitaries). The rule of Zhenguan was formed under this background.

Politically, Emperor Taizong was outstanding in two aspects: first, employing people, and second, being able to be a minister. These two aspects played a great role in the formation of Zhenguan rule. Yuan Zhen once summed it up like this: "Fang, Du, Wang and Wei disciples can discuss whether they can be ahead;" People in all corners of the world gain and lose from their words. It's not four or three years, the world is Dali, how can Wendi be superior to the world? Gaiyiqun does its best to promote the prosperity of the world. " (Yuan Zhen, Volume 32)

In employing people, Emperor Taizong knew that "it is important to be in politics, but it is difficult to get people, and it is difficult to treat them without talents", and he sought talents many times. He also criticized the Prime Minister and Du Ruhui, asking them not to get involved in complicated affairs, but to widen their eyes and ears and seek to visit Tessa. He is able to appoint people on their merits and not shy away from relatives and friends. The famous minister of Zhenguan was a subordinate of Li, the enemy of Emperor Taizong. He once proposed to Li Jian to get rid of Emperor Taizong. After the change of Xuanwu Gate, Emperor Taizong set out from the overall situation, put aside personal grievances, and reused Wei Zhi as an assistant to govern the country. He also pays attention to selecting talents from the lower classes. After three years of Zhenguan, the corps commander often wrote letters and told the truth about state affairs. Based on his own understanding of Changhe, Taizong decided that the memorial was done very well. Under questioning, Changhe admitted that it was drafted by one of his disciples, Ma Zhou. Emperor Taizong immediately summoned Ma Zhou for reuse, and gave Changhe 300 silks as encouragement and recommended sages. Taizong advocated "using people as tools, each taking his own strengths" and not burying talents with his own opinions. In his later years, he summed up his way of employing people: "The way of employing people is especially difficult. The so-called own virtue is not necessarily perfect; The so-called extermination of the public is not necessarily all evil. " Emphasis should be placed on learning from others' strengths, comprehensive understanding, learning from each other's strengths and giving full play to their talents. Emperor Taizong also paid more attention to local bureaucrats. In order to inspect the local governor, he wrote down the name of the secretary of the local governor on the screen and recorded their merits and demerits as the basis of their enthusiasm. In order to make better use of people, Emperor Taizong also paid special attention to the adjustment of the relationship between monarch and minister. He learned the lesson of Emperor Wen's suspicion of ministers and stressed: "It is really a great harm to the country to doubt the monarch and the ministers and not prepare the liver diaphragm." "The director is an evil minister and can't manage it; It is impossible to be a minister and do evil to the Lord. When the monarch and the minister meet, the fish and water will be happy, and the sea will be safe. " ("Zhenguan politician asks for advice") Therefore, he pays special attention to "controlling talents and pushing people's hearts to treat scholars".

On the issue of coachable, Emperor Taizong attached great importance to listening to different opinions. He said, "If people are afraid of silence, they should be guided to protest.". In the second year of Zhenguan, he discussed the monarch's light and shade with Wei Zhi. Wei Zhi replied: "You are smart because you listen to both;" Everything so black is biased. " He especially appreciated this sentence and encouraged ministers to give directions everywhere. Wei Zhi, the most famous remonstrator in Zhenguan period, remonstrated with Emperor Taizong hundreds of times. He not only spoke frankly, but also dared to argue in person. In order to encourage the minister to remonstrate, Emperor Taizong said, "It doesn't suit my heart, I don't care." If you are cautious, you may be afraid of war. Would you like to say more? "("Zhenguan politician asks for advice ") Although he sometimes doesn't hear straightforward advice, he can generally restrain himself. For example, in the fourth year of Zhenguan, Zhang admonished to stop repairing Luoyang Gan Yuan Temple, and his words were fierce. He thinks that Emperor Taizong is inferior to Yang Di. Taizong asked, "Your Majesty is not as good as Emperor Yang. Why are you so unruly?" Zhang didn't give in and replied, "If this temple doesn't exist, the so-called chaos will follow." Emperor Taizong finally restrained his anger and said, "I didn't think it over, so I ended up like this." Give two hundred silks to encourage "Zhenguan dignitaries coachable"). Once, Wei Zhi made him angry. Emperor Taizong said to his eldest grandson, "You must kill this Tian She Weng." Empress Grandson gently advised, "I heard that the king was clear and straightforward, and now Kevin·Z is straightforward, because of your understanding." (History as a Mirror, volume 194, March 6, Zhenguan) made him give up the idea of killing Wei Zhi. When Wei Zhi died, Emperor Taizong said to the courtiers, "My husband can dress himself up with bronze as a mirror; Taking history as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall; Take people as a mirror, you can know the gains and losses. I have kept these three mirrors in case I pass by. Now that Wei Zhi is dead, he died in a mirror. " ("Zhenguan politician asks for advice")

During the Zhenguan period, Emperor Taizong paid great attention to social stability and economic development. He said, "A monarch must save the people first." (Zhenguan politician Jundao) Starting from "preserving the people", Zhenguan government affairs are "simple and quiet". Specific measures include four aspects: first, put an end to extravagance and waste and save money; Second, ignoring thin taxes; Third, choose honest officials; Fourth, make people have enough food and clothes. In order to restore and develop production, during the period from Wude to Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, the land equalization system was implemented, and 100 mu of land was distributed to adult men, of which 20 mu was Yongye field and 80 mu was Kubanden. Although the land equalization system was not thorough enough, it played a positive role in restoring the agricultural economy at that time. Combined with the land equalization system, the rent adjustment method is implemented. Farmers pay two stones a year, two zhangs silk, 20 days, or three feet silk a day. The implementation of the rent adjustment law has reduced the burden on the people to a certain extent, and also ensured the stability of the national financial source. In particular, Nayong's substitute service is in obvious contrast with the excessive corvee in the Sui Dynasty, which is conducive to social stability. These policies have achieved remarkable results. After three years of Zhenguan, Guanzhong's economy recovered. In the eighth year of Zhenguan, the whole country was rectified. "Travel era, no thief, often empty, horses and cattle, outsiders don't accept. There are frequent harvests, and rice fights for three or four dollars. Traveling from Beijing to the mountains and from Shandong to the seaside, we don't buy food and take it with us. " ("Zhenguan Politicians, Political Power")

In the judicial aspect, the Zhenguan period emphasized benevolence as the basis and punishment as the purpose. Emperor Taizong said, "The deceased can't be regenerated, and the ritual is lenient." (Zhenguan politician criminal law) During Zhenguan period, the system of three repetitions of death penalty was also established, that is, if a criminal wants to execute the death penalty, he must repeat it to the emperor three times before using the penalty. In the fourth year of Zhenguan, the state order returned to normal, and the society initially appeared a situation of living and working in peace and contentment. "Already 29 years old, the death penalty, several punishment measures. It faces the sea in the east and the mountains in the south. The doors are not closed and there is no food for travel. " ("Old Tang Book Taizong Ji")

Equally noteworthy is the national policy of Emperor Taizong. In the early Tang Dynasty, Turks became the main force threatening the Central Plains. Shortly after Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, Valerie Khan led troops to fight outside Chang 'an, forcing Emperor Taizong and Valerie to form a temporary bridge alliance. In the third year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong Li Jing and others led the army to comprehensively counterattack East Turkistan and won a great victory. Later, he defeated Tuguhun, conquered Gaochang, repelled Xue Yantuo, and set up an Anxi capital protection office in Qiuci to control the western regions. The Silk Road, starting from Chang 'an, entered its heyday. However, Tang Taizong did not blindly conquer the border minorities, but paid attention to peaceful exchanges. Pro-ethnic policies are often adopted for ethnic minority leaders. Princess Wencheng hid Songzan Gambu, who married Tubo, which is a prominent example. In his later years, Emperor Taizong summed up his ethnic policy and said, "Since ancient times, China has always been the most important, and I love it as one." (Zi Zhi Tong Jian, Volume 198, Zhenguan, May 21st) Since Emperor Taizong, Jimifuzhou has been generally established in minority areas belonging to the Tang Dynasty. [4] The so-called Jimizhou is to establish a state under the jurisdiction of the central government. However, these counties and counties follow the original ruling style and life customs of local ethnic groups, are not included in the "household establishment", do not bear taxes, and have a high degree of autonomy. These policies made him win the support of people of all ethnic groups and enjoy the reputation of "Tiankhan".

Of course, the law of chastity is not without defects. In his later years, Emperor Taizong was not as good at employing people and training as before, but became more and more arrogant and extravagant. He knows something about it himself. Before he died, he warned the prince: "My position has come, and I am not good enough." The resplendent pearls and jade are inexhaustible, the palaces and pavilions are always busy, and the dogs, horses and eagles are far away, traveling all over the world to find troubles. This is too profound for me, so I don't think it's right. Take care of me and benefit my whole life; Make this area a great achievement in summer. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, so the old friend does not complain; The merits are greater than the excesses, so the industry will not fall; However, it is more beautiful and better than itself. "(Zi Tongzhi Jian (Volume 198, Twenty-two years of Zhenguan) is precisely this sober understanding of Taizong himself, which laid the foundation for the continuation of Zhenguan's rule.

After the death of Emperor Taizong, Li Zhi ascended the throne (reigned from 649 to 683). Although he was weak, he was basically able to pursue the enlightened policy during the Zhenguan period, correct the mistakes made by Emperor Taizong in his later years, make the economy continue to develop, increase his household registration, and inherit Zhenguan rule. "The politics of Yonghui (the first year of Emperor Gaozong) is safe for the people and has a legacy of Zhenguan." ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian" Volume 199, the first month of Yonghui's first year) Soon, major policies fell into the hands of Wu Zetian. After the Emperor Gaozong, Li Xian (reigned twice in 683-684,705-710) and Li Dan (reigned twice in 684,7/KLOC-0-712) were only nominal emperors, and Wu Zetian was in charge of state affairs as the empress dowager. By 690 AD, Wu Zetian simply proclaimed himself emperor and changed the name of Zhou, which was called "Wu Zhou Revolution" in the old history books.

The "Wu Zhou Revolution" is only a transfer of power within the dynasty, which has a great influence on the upper-level officials and little influence on the lower levels. During the reign of Wu Zetian; Li's fall from power and influence caused the corresponding court struggle and rebellion of some members of the royal family, but it did not cause great social unrest. In order to consolidate her rule, attack elders and nobles, Wu Zetian paid attention to introducing lower-level talents from civilians, advocated the system of informers, reused cruel officials such as Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen, and strengthened the control over the ranks of officials. Xue Huaiyi, Zhang Yizhi, Zhang Changzong and others are in favor, and the official atmosphere is corrupt. Renovating palaces, building halls and giving preferential treatment to monks have increased the social burden. However, she also attached importance to the development of agriculture and took many measures to persuade agriculture and mulberry, which improved the economic situation and made the society more stable. Historically, Wu Zetian was said to be "ruled from above and ruled from below". At the beginning of Emperor Gaozong's accession to the throne, there were * * * 3.8 million households in China, and by the end of Military Week, it had increased to 6 1.5 million households.

The Kaiyuan period of Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, was the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. After the restoration of Zhongzong (in 705, Zhang Jianzhi and others supported the restoration of Zhongzong and the restoration of the Tang Dynasty, which was also called the Five Kings Coup or Zhongzong anyway), Wei Hou rebelled (in 7 10, Zhongzong died suddenly, conspired with Princess Anle to take power, and established a young emperor Li Zhongmao. Princess Taiping staged a coup and succeeded to the throne after Wei's death), Princess Taiping rebelled (during her reign, Princess Taiping clashed with the prince, who was transferred to Xuanzong. In 7 13, Princess Taiping plotted a coup and was put down by Xuanzong. After a series of coups, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty adjusted officials, reorganized the imperial army and restored political stability, and entered the Kaiyuan period.

During the Kaiyuan period, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty made great efforts to promote the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty to a climax. During the Kaiyuan period, both monarch and minister yearned for the rule of Zhenguan, taking Zhenguan as a model everywhere. The far-reaching book Zhenguan dignitaries as their agents was written by historian Jason Wu during this period and dedicated to Xuanzong as a model of governing the country. However, due to the changes of the times, the rule of Kaiyuan and Zhenguan is different.

Xuanzong's first measure was to select assistant ministers, respect them and achieve the stability of the prime minister team. Since the Emperor Gaozong, with the change of political situation, there have been problems in the collective prime minister system in the Tang Dynasty, with too many candidates and too frequent changes, which have had a negative impact on government affairs. During Xuanzong period, the number of prime ministers was stabilized to one or three, and it was clear that one person was mainly responsible, so that the power was relatively concentrated and the emperor did not interfere excessively, which was conducive to the implementation of government affairs. This move gave full play to the role of the Prime Minister. Yao Chong and Song Jing, the heroes of the prosperous new century, are famous for this move. Sima Guang said: "Yao and Song came one after another, worshipping goodness should be successful, and obeying the law should be upright;" These two people have different wishes and practices, but they help each other, making taxes lenient, punishments clear and people rich. Tang Shixian Xiang, formerly known as Yao Song, is unmatched by others. " (History as a Mirror, Volume 2 1 1, December of Kaiyuan four years) However, it was the reduction and stability of prime ministers that laid the groundwork for Li and Yang's autocratic power.

Xuanzong knew the truth that "governing the people must first govern the officials". After he took office, he immediately abolished a large number of "oblique officials" since Zhongzong. The so-called oblique official refers to an official appointed by informal official documents through special relations without going through normal procedures, which is similar to today's "back door". In the second year of Kaiyuan, foreign officials, examiners and proofreaders appointed by Emperor Zhongzong of the Wu Dynasty were removed on a large scale. These officials are appointed outside the official establishment and enjoy treatment. Xuanzong made great efforts to rectify this and corrected the officialdom atmosphere to some extent. In order to correct the habit of valuing Beijing officials over foreign officials since the early Tang Dynasty, Xuanzong emphasized the communication between local officials and Beijing officials, and attached importance to the selection of county magistrate. In the fourth year of Kaiyuan, he personally inspected the newly appointed county magistrate, "greeted the people and jointly formulated policies", sent 45 poor people home, and denounced Lu Congyuan, Li and others who presided over the election of county magistrate. In the 13th year of Kaiyuan, he personally selected a group of prestigious central ministers as local secretariat and gave a banquet to send off poems. The history book says: "Xuanzong made great efforts in politics at the beginning of his accession to the throne. He often chooses his own satrap and county magistrate to warn him, while the good officials in Buzhou County make the people happy. " ("New Tang Law Record")

During the Kaiyuan period, Xuanzong issued a large number of imperial edicts to persuade farmers to teach mulberry, relieve famine and attract immigrants, and generally set up standing armies in the states north of Jianghuai. In the eighth year of Kaiyuan, there was a situation of "bumper crops, a well-off society, and nothing for the people" in the economy. Water conservancy construction in various places has also been widely carried out, and more than 30 water conservancy projects have been completed.

The construction of various systems in the Kaiyuan period reached the highest achievement in the Tang Dynasty. Under the auspices of Xuanzong, the formats of various decrees, regulations and laws in the Tang Dynasty were either newly formulated or revised, forming a grand system. Including Kai, Kai, Kai Yuan Ling, Tang Six Classics, Kai and so on.

In the late Kaiyuan period, the Tang Dynasty reached its peak. "The Book of the New Tang Dynasty" contains: "The sea is vast at the right time, and the price of rice is thirteen. San Qian can only fight between Qing and Qi. A silk, two hundred dollars. The roads are lined with wine and food for pedestrians. There are donkeys in the shop, and it is feasible to travel thousands of miles without holding a ruler. " In the Tang Dynasty, Kaitian Chuanxin said: "The rivers and seas are gloomy and the things are vulgar. Anxi country and Xiping is a county. Open the door from the Western Heaven, take Wan Li Road and enter Hehuang Tax. There are many treasures left and right, which cannot be compared. The four sides are rich, and the people are rich, with more than 10 million households, with three or four articles per meter. Ding Zhuang's people don't understand weapons. The road does not pick up the remains, and the traveler does not pack food. " Western historians also believe: "This is an era of consolidation, an era of wise use of imperial power, an era of restraint, especially an era without wasting money and ambitious adventures." 〔5〕

However, the rule of Kaiyuan did not last long. During the Tianbao period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he began to be full of ambition. "For a long time, I have been content with pleasure, gradually moving away from literati and approaching villains." In the choice of prime minister, Li and Yang, two common people who repeatedly used "lip service but failed to deliver", trusted the vassal An Lushan and indulged in the love with Yang Guifei, making great political mistakes. In the early years of Kaiyuan, Xuanzong was able to listen to some suggestions, but during Tianbao, almost no different opinions were heard. The accumulation of national finance provided jubilant capital for the Tang Dynasty. During the Tianbao period, Xuanzong made great efforts to build Xingqing Palace and Huaqing officials, built Taoist temples all over the country, and shaped statues of Laozi and himself. Great efforts were made abroad, and Tubo and Nanzhao were launched many times.