The Tang Dynasty was one of the most glorious dynasties in Chinese history, with a vast territory, prosperous culture, clear politics, and extensive foreign exchanges. However, the middle and late Tang Dynasty saw a series of crises, the most serious of which were the eunuch dictatorship and the division of feudal towns. The rise of these two forces weakened the authority of the emperor and plunged the government into chaos.
In this context, the Tang Dynasty's scholar group also became two major factions, the Niu Party headed by Niu Monk and the Li Party headed by Li Deyu, launched a fierce party struggle that lasted for nearly 40 years, known as the "Niu Li Party Dispute" in history. This party struggle not only affected the political, economic, military, cultural and other aspects of the Tang Dynasty, but also accelerated the process of the Tang Dynasty's decline.
The roots of the Niu Li party struggle can be traced back to Tang Xian Zongyuan and a Jinshi examination in the third year. At that time, the two people Niu Monk and Li Zongmin criticized the government in the examination paper and were recommended to the emperor by the examiner. However, Li Jifu, who was the prime minister at the time, was dissatisfied with them, believing that they were taking the opportunity to attack their political achievements, so he framed them in front of the emperor for having an affair with the examiner, resulting in their cancellation of admission and the demotion of the examiner.
This incident caused an uproar in the government and the opposition, and many ministers complained about Niu Shengyu and others, accusing Li Jifu of being jealous of his talents. Under the pressure of **, Tang Xianzong had no choice but to demote Li Jifu to the envoy of Huainan Festival and appoint another prime minister. Since then, there have been two factions among the courtiers, one faction supports Niu Shengyu and others, and the other supports Li Jifu and others, and Niu Shengyu and Li Zongmin have also become Li Jifu's political enemies.
The Niu-Li Party struggle began in the Tang Xianzong period, and lasted nearly 40 years through six dynasties, including Muzong, Jingzong, Wenzong, Wuzong, and Xuanzong, during which the leaders of the Niu Party and the Li Party also changed many times.
The main representatives of the Niu Party are Li Fengji, Li Zongmin, Niu Shengru, Yang Yuqing, Li Xun, Zheng Zhu, Bai Minzhong, and the main representatives of the Li Party are Li Jifu and Li Deyu. The struggle between these two factions is mainly manifested in the following aspects:
Compete for the position of prime minister. The leaders of the Niu Party and the Li Party were both important ministers of the Tang Dynasty, and they both aspired to become prime ministers and hold power in the court. They used various means, such as wooing the emperor, befriending eunuchs, framing opponents, and recommending fellow parties, to gain their own upward space and suppress the opponent's power at the same time. During the Six Dynasties, the leaders of the Niu Party and the Li Party served as prime ministers a total of eight times, and each change was accompanied by a political turmoil.
Fight for *** claims. The struggle between the Niu Party and the Li Party was not only a struggle for power, but also a difference of political opinion. The Niu Party advocated peace and peace talks with Tibet and compromise with the feudal towns in order to maintain the stability of the country. The Li Party advocated the respect of martial arts, and advocated war with Tibet and crusade against feudal towns in order to restore the prestige of the state.
The political ideas of the Niu Party and the Li Party reflected two different ways of dealing with the crisis in the late Tang Dynasty, and also influenced the Tang Dynasty's foreign and internal policies.
Compete for the right to speak culturally. The struggle between the Niu Party and the Li Party also involved the cultural field, and both tried to promote their ideas and attack each other's views through literature, historiography, philosophy, etc. The cultural figures of the Niu Dang and the Li Dang were both famous artists of the Tang Dynasty, and their works also reflect their political tendencies.
The result of the Niu-Li party struggle was deplorable, as it plunged the Tang court into chaos and was unable to effectively deal with the various crises of the country. The main consequences of the Niu Li party dispute are as follows:
undermined the authority of the emperor. The authority of the emperor was seriously weakened by the Niu and Li party disputes, and the emperor had to go between the Niu and Li parties, making it difficult for him to make his own decisions. Sometimes, the emperor was even controlled by the figures of the Niu Party or the Li Party, becoming their puppets. For example, Tang Wenzong was manipulated by Li Zongmin, Niu Shengyu and others, while Tang Wuzong was swayed by Li Deyu and others.
The eunuchs took advantage of the contradictions between the Niu Party and the Li Party to intervene in court politics, manipulate the emperor, interfere in personnel, and even launch coups, such as the Ganlu Change during the Tang Muzong period and the Wenzong Change during the Tang Jingzong period. The dictatorship of the eunuchs not only undermined the normal operation of the imperial court, but also triggered popular revolts, such as the Huangchao Rebellion during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
This led to the rise of the feudal town. The Niu Li Party Struggle left the imperial court with no time to take care of the frontier, which led to the division of the feudal towns.
The struggle between the Niu Party and the Li Party gave the feudal towns more autonomy, and some of them even participated in party struggles, supporting or opposing a certain faction, such as the Huichang Mutiny during the Tang Wenzong period, and the pacification of Huaixi during the Tang Wuzong period. The rise of feudal towns seriously threatened the unity and stability of the Tang Dynasty.
The impact of the Niu Li Party struggle was far-reaching, and it not only affected the politics of the Tang Dynasty, but also affected the culture and people's livelihood of the Tang Dynasty. The main effects of the Niu Li party struggle are as follows:
led to the decline of the culture. The Niu and Li Party struggles made the cultural atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty tense and depressing, and many literati and ink writers were subjected to the Niu Party or the Li Party, or were belittled, killed, or forced to remain silent. The Niu and Li party struggles also made the cultural creation of the Tang Dynasty monotonous and rigid, lacking innovation and vitality. The cultural influence of the Niu Li Party struggle can be seen in the poetry, prose, historiography, and philosophy of the Tang Dynasty.
It has led to difficulties in people's livelihood. The Niu and Li party struggles plunged the Tang Dynasty's economy and society into a crisis, and the lives of the common people became difficult and miserable. The economic and social impact of the Niu Li Party Struggle can be seen from the tax revenue, prices, disasters, and wars of the Tang Dynasty.
The Niu-Li Party Struggle was a political storm in the last years of the Tang Dynasty, which was a tragedy of history and a manifestation of human nature. The evaluation of the Niu Li party struggle can be viewed from the following perspectives:
From a historical point of view, the Niu-Li Party Struggle was one of the important reasons for the decline of the Tang Dynasty, which caused serious damage to the political, economic, military, cultural and other aspects of the Tang Dynasty, and also caused serious challenges to the national unity and national unity of the Tang Dynasty. The Niu-Li Party Struggle was a self-destructive war in the Tang Dynasty, which made the glory and glory of the Tang Dynasty become a historical memory.
From the perspective of human nature, the Niu Li party struggle is the manifestation of the good, evil and weakness of human nature, and it reflects the complexity and diversity of human nature. Some of the characters in the Niu Li Party struggle are for the interests and honor of the country, some for personal power and status, some for the belief and pursuit of ideals, and some for emotional friendship and grievances.
Some of the characters in the Niu Li Party struggle are loyal and brave, some are treacherous and cruel, some are wise and talented, and some are ignorant and incompetent. The Niu Li Party Struggle is a mirror of human nature, which makes the light and shadow of human nature revealed.
In short, the Niu-Li Party Struggle was a political storm in the last years of the Tang Dynasty, a tragedy of history, and a manifestation of human nature. The causes, processes, results, influences, and evaluations of the Niu Li Party Dispute are all worthy of our in-depth consideration and evaluation.