The Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty were two dynasties that arose one after another, and they were similar in many ways. The royal families of the Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty were not only related by blood, but even had a common origin, all from the Guanlong group. It can be said that the change of Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty had a certain degree of chance, and if Emperor Yang of Sui could properly complete several key steps, the Sui Dynasty would not necessarily perish. So, why do you say that?This is because Emperor Yang of Sui was in a hurry. First of all, the Sui Dynasty has always been very powerful. Secondly, the system of the Sui Dynasty was very perfect. In addition, the laws of the Sui Dynasty were also very sound. The people of the Yuan Dynasty once said in the "General Examination of Literature": In ancient and modern times, the rich people who called the national economy are as good as Sui. The meaning of this sentence is that throughout the ages, no one can compare to the Sui Dynasty in terms of wealth. The Sui Dynasty differed from the demise of other dynasties in Chinese history. Other dynasties often went through a process from prosperity to decline before their demise, and the decline to a certain extent led to official coercion and civil rebellion, and finally peasant uprisings. However, the Sui Dynasty was different, it suddenly perished when its national power reached its peak, and from this point of view, the Sui Dynasty was somewhat similar to the Qin Dynasty at that time. One of the most obvious reasons for the fall of the Sui Dynasty was the tyrannical rule of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, which led to the misery of the people and eventually led to the official coercion of the people.
This is well known and true. However, the tyrannical rule of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was only one of the reasons for the sudden demise of the Sui Dynasty, and things were far more complicated than everyone thought!The reason for the fall of the Sui Dynasty was the intricacy of internal contradictions, not only between the landlord class and the peasant class, but also within the ruling class. Therefore, we must clarify the question: why did a large-scale rebellion like Yang Xuangan break out at the same time as the great peasant uprising broke out at the end of the Sui Dynasty?To tell the truth, Emperor Yang Guang of Sui was actually a traitor to the Guanlong group, because unlike his father, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui belonged to the authentic Guanlong group, and all his actions were based on the interests of the Guanlong group. However, Emperor Yang of Sui was different, he had a higher vision, and he always wanted to expand the small Guanlong group into a large national group to adapt to a unified empire. Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was known for his excellent strategic vision and accurate foresight, but he hurt the interests of the Guanlong group by his overly impatient execution steps. So, what specific measures did he take against the Guanlong Group?First of all, he brought in a large number of people from Jiangnan and Kanto, which is equivalent to "mixing sand".
In the process of destroying Chen, Emperor Yang of Sui had in-depth contact with the customs of the south and left an excellent impression on the south, and his queen Empress Xiao was also a southerner. Subsequently, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty introduced a large number of people from Jiangnan and Kwantung, resulting in the late Sui Dynasty, two-fifths of the prime ministers came from Jiangnan. In addition, the Wufu Hu'er and Mai Tiecane, who were trusted by Emperor Yang of Sui, were also southerners. This move is equivalent to diluting the power of the Guanlong group. Second, he instituted a reform of titles and lordships. This reform was implemented shortly after Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne and began to be implemented in the second year of the Great Cause. Prior to this, the rank of the honorable officer was high, and many members of the Guanlong group were honored officers, who received the title through military merit, and enjoyed political and economic preferential treatment, and could even "shadow the descendants", so they attached great importance to the honorable officer. However, immediately after coming to power, Emperor Yang of Sui carried out a thorough reform of the lords and titles, essentially abolishing the lordship system. Although the rank still exists, it is only an honorary title, and it has lost many economic and political benefits, as well as the privilege of "shadow descendants". This move undoubtedly made the Guanlong Group deeply resentful. In addition, Emperor Yang of Sui also ordered the construction of a new Luoyang City, abandoning the previous Luoyang City of Han and Wei. This move of his was intended to be geographically isolated from the base camp of the Guanlong group, that is, Chang'an, Guanzhong.
Although there are many reasons for the construction of the new town, it is undoubtedly one of the most important factors. Topic: Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and the Counterattack of the Guanlong GroupDuring the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, he established the city of Luoyang and also built the famous Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. One of the main purposes of the Grand Canal, which straddles the great rivers of northern and southern China, was to secure Luoyang's food and wealth** in order to strengthen its political base. Although many of the actions of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty during the Tang Dynasty were criticized as "expropriation and construction on a large scale", a careful analysis will show that many of his actions actually had a very high strategic vision. The relocation of the capital to Luoyang and the construction of the Grand Canal were both aimed at adapting to the shift of China's economic center of gravity to the southeast. And measures such as Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty's tour of the south of the Yangtze River are not only entertainment activities, but also have many forward-looking strategic significance. The importance of the Grand Canal is self-evident, and the Sui and Tang Empires and subsequent dynasties could not escape the influence of the canal. Even when the Yuan Dynasty built the capital in Dadu, it did not forget to build the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It can be seen how important the layout of the canal was to the administration of a large empire.
A series of reforms by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty weakened the influence of the Guanlong group institutionally and geographically, triggering a strong ** of the group, such as the famous "Yang Xuangan Rebellion". As a member of the Guanlong group, Yang Xuangan opposed the leader of the Guanlong group, Emperor Sui Yang, believing that Emperor Sui Yang was a traitor to the Guanlong group and went against the interests of the group. Therefore, Yang Xuangan launched a counterattack against Emperor Yang of Sui on behalf of the entire Guanlong Group. Yang Xuangan stood on the stage to hold a pledge meeting when he rebelled, and the first thing he said to his subordinates was: "I am the ...... of Shangzhu State."This clearly shows that Emperor Yang of Sui's reform of the official system harmed the interests of the Guanlong group. Yang Xuangan emphasized his identity and evoked the resonance of his comrades-in-arms: We are all victims of Emperor Yang of Sui!Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty suppressed the Guanlong group in order to meet the needs of establishing a unified dynasty, so Yang Xuangan's rebellion was actually an unsuccessful counterattack by the Guanlong group. However, although Emperor Yang of Sui successfully quelled Yang Xuangan's rebellion, he failed to consolidate the rule of the Sui dynasty, which eventually led to the fall of the Sui dynasty. The most fatal flaw of Emperor Yang of Sui is the lack of execution. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty showed extraordinary ability in governing, however, his governing style appeared to be too strong and impatient, lacking a way to adjust.
For example, huge projects such as the construction of Luoyang City and the construction of the Grand Canal are good deeds for future generations, but the problem is that the cost of concentrating such a huge project is undoubtedly unbearable for anyone. At the height of the Sui Dynasty, the total population was estimated to be around 60 million. However, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty spent huge sums of money on these projects, but did not take the power of the people to heart. What's more serious is that the people used by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty were unpaid servitude, and they endured heavy labor and tight deadlines, and each project was accompanied by the death of many people, causing complaints from the people. In addition, Emperor Yang of Sui also had a problem: he was fond of luxury and lived a luxurious life. According to Empress Xiao, the empress of Emperor Sui Zhao, every Chinese New Year's Eve, Emperor Sui Zhao would order people to use agarwood to burn bonfires in the courtyard of the palace, and it was necessary to use up 200 carts of agarwood at a time. These actions of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty will undoubtedly lead to the Sui Dynasty falling into turmoil. And another Achilles heel of Emperor Yang of Sui is that he is easy to be decadent in addition to his great achievements. His personality is extreme, either impatient, aggressive, aggressive, or decadent.
Although Emperor Yang of Sui was a noble son since he was a child, and later became a prince and crown prince, coupled with his very high level of education, intelligence, and many meritorious achievements, however, once he encountered difficulties, the weaknesses in his character were immediately revealed. For example, in the late Sui period, when a great peasant uprising broke out, the measures taken by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty were very intriguing: at first, he did not allow others to report to him, until the situation became out of control, he adopted an ostrich policy, abandoned Chang'an and Luoyang, and went to Jiangdu (Yangzhou) with the Janissaries, where he lived a life of indulgence. With the mentality of waiting for death in Jiangdu, Emperor Yang of Sui was finally betrayed by the Praetorian Guards there, and finally died in Jiangdu. Generally speaking, the more difficult the moment, the more it reflects a person's ability, which of the heroes since ancient times was not born in difficulties?The root cause of the fall of the Sui Dynasty is precisely the fatal flaw in the character of Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. He missed a critical opportunity, and this mistake directly became the fuse for the fall of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, it can be said that the fall of the Sui Dynasty was not accidental, but the inevitable result of Emperor Yang of Sui's personal shortcomings.
Although the aristocratic clique had tried to correct Emperor Yang of Sui's mistakes, after his series of repressive policies, the Guanlong clique had suffered a severe weakening of its strength and was unable to effectively correct its mistakes. In the end, they chose to abandon Emperor Yang of Sui and look for a new leader representative. Therefore, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, a large number of members of the Guanlong clique participated in the rebellion against Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and joined the ranks of the peasant uprising, which made the situation even more complicated. Therefore, the turbulent situation at the end of the Sui Dynasty could not be fully explained by a simple "contradiction between peasants and landlords". Some people may ask: If Emperor Yang of Sui had not succeeded to the throne, would the Sui Dynasty have been able to avoid its fall?History, however, does not allow for assumptions. Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, is a figure that is difficult to comment, and his merits and demerits coexist. He was not only the first to realize the southward shift of the economic center of gravity and the limitations of the Guanlong group, but also established many systems that were inherited by later generations. He was the terminator of the old system and the pioneer of the new one. However, the biggest problem of Emperor Yang of Sui was that he implemented a series of radical measures at the same time, resulting in a heavy burden on the people, without estimating how much the people could bear. There is no doubt that the existence of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty brought about the brilliant achievements of the Sui Dynasty in the five years of the great cause;But without him, the Sui Dynasty might have been able to last much longer.