In the history of China, there are still many similarities between Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and Zhao Guangyi, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, both of whom are also the second emperors, and both are Taizong.
But it is worth pondering that the reputations of the two are completely different in later generations. And there is still a debate in later generations, that is, which of the two is more merciful.
It can be said that although the two are not the founding emperors, they have a lot of blood in their hands.
There are still many similarities between the two, and the most important thing is the succession of the two to the throne, which can be said to be unjustifiable. It is precisely for this reason that the two of them are stained in the eyes of future generations.
Of course, if the two are compared, Tang Taizong Li Shimin is more cruel than Zhao Guangyi.
When Li Yuan ascended the throne as the emperor, he established his eldest son Li Jian as the crown prince, and what has to be said here is this. This matter is understandable, because whether it is a successor or a chief, it should be Li Jiancheng.
Li Jiancheng is the eldest son of Li Yuan and Dou, and it can be said that the eldest son will receive more attention since ancient times. And according to the primogeniture inheritance system established in the Western Zhou Dynasty, Li Jiancheng is the unyielding prince.
For Li Yuan and even the Tang Dynasty at that time, as long as the crown prince Li Jiancheng did not do anything disobedient, it was Li Jiancheng who would be able to hold the position of the Ninth Five-Year Emperor after Li Yuan a hundred years later.
Since he was a child, Li Yuan had high hopes for his eldest son Li Jiancheng, and Li Jiancheng could help Li Yuan conquer the north and south during the uprising, and after Li Yuan ascended the throne, he handed over all matters in the court to Li Jiancheng to deal with.
It is directly to announce to the world, this is the future Son of Heaven. And in Li Yuan's opinion, this son of his is generous, polite, and a benevolent monarch. Some people may be upset with Li Shimin, the same is why Li Yuan can only see Li Jiancheng in his eyes, one is that Li Jiancheng is the eldest son, and the other is that in Li Yuan's opinion, the eldest son's personality is more suitable for being an emperor.
It can be said that most emperors want to leave a good reputation for themselves in their later years, and Li Yuan's reputation cannot be changedSo he wanted his next generation to be a benevolent monarch, so that the people's impression of Datang was no longer the previous killing.
Even today, it seems that Li Yuan's thinking is no different. But he ignored one person, that is, his second son Li Shimin.
Li Shimin has military power in his hands and has military merits, so it can be said that the military generals in the court and the court all respect Li Shimin as the crown prince more.
Half of the Tang Dynasty was defeated by Li Shimin, but Li Jiancheng was allowed to stay directly in the capital and enjoy his success. So the contradiction between the two arises. It's a pity that Li Yuan in his later years was also very indecisive, it can be said that he had discovered the discord between his two sons at the first time, but he didn't take action at the first time, which led to the tragedy later.
It was precisely because of Li Yuan's inaction that the contradictions between the two sons became more intense. At this time, Li Yuan finally made a differenceHe wanted Li Shimin to emulate Liu Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. As we all know, Liu Wu's fate was not good, and Li Yuan's idea, neither Li Shimin nor Li Jiancheng agreed.
At this time, in order to protect his next heir, Li Yuan could only turn a blind eye and connived at Li Jiancheng's attack on Li Shimin.
Finally, Li Shimin launched"The Change of Xuanwu Gate".As a result, Li Jiancheng was killed and he got the throne.
If it is said that Li Shimin's seizure of the throne is above board, then Zhao Guangyi is much more obscure, and even today there is no conclusive evidence to directly prove that he killed his own brother.
However, later scholars generally believe that he killed his own brother. After all, there has never been a history book to prove that Zhao Kuangyin had any physical discomfort, but he died suddenly the next morning after drinking with Zhao Guangyi.
According to the inheritance system, it may not be impossible for this brother to die, but Zhao Kuangyin was over half a hundred years old when he died, and it was not that he had no heirs, nor that his heirs had not yet reached adulthood. At the time of Zhao Kuangyin's death, his eldest son was already **.
Of course, later generations also said that when Zhao Kuangyin got into trouble, Zhao Guangyi gave a lot of help and had been fighting for his brother in the north and south, so he passed the throne to his younger brother after Zhao Kuangyin's death.
Speaking of this, you can think of Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu during the Ming Dynasty, even if Zhu Qiyu sat on the throne, he was helpless, but he still wanted to pass the throne to his own son.
In the succession to the throne, family affection is the least worth mentioning. This is also one of the reasons why later generations have so many claims that Zhao Guangyi is a usurper.
It can be said that in the Chinese feudal dynasty, why people would selectively forget the killing of an emperor was because of the merits he left behind.
The reason why Li Shimin was in the impression of a great emperor in later generations instead of him killing his brother and usurping the throne was precisely because he created the first prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty during his reignThe rule of Zhenguan
During Li Shimin's reign, large-scale reforms were implemented, and he was even more humble in accepting advice, and the story between him and Wei Zheng has always been a good story. The previous imperial court was also changed, changing to a system of three provinces and six ministries.
Militarily, Tang Taizong fought in the south and in the north, leaving a stable Tang Dynasty for future generations. It can be said that it is only because of Li Shimin's conquest during his reign that at least the stability of the Tang Dynasty was guaranteed for a hundred years.
Zhao Guangyi also had a huge influence on the entire Great Song Dynasty, but he was far less famous than Li Shimin, and it was also because part of his brilliance was overshadowed by his elder brother.
When Zhao Kuangyin was alive, he had not yet achieved great unificationIt can be said that one of Zhao Guangyi's great contributions is to realize the unification of the country, which is enough for him to leave a great achievement in history, and on the basis of the Tang Dynasty, he carried out reforms and strengthened the centralization of power.
But the methods of the two after they ascended the throne were also very cruel, which also shows that there is no family affection at all in the royal family.
As mentioned above, Li Shimin killed his elder brother and younger brother during the Xuanwumen Rebellion, and not only that, but also erased the names of both from their ancestral hometowns.
Of course, although his brother died, Li Shimin did not have a soft heart for his brother's children. It is not an exaggeration to describe it directly, compared to Li Shimin, Zhao Guangyi is much softer in this regard.
Although he was also uneasy about his nephew's existence, he did not kill the killer in the end. Of course, it is precisely because Zhao Guangyi did not kill the killer that the subsequent throne was inherited. Otherwise, there are so many peerless emperors in the Great Song Dynasty, and this throne can't even find an heir.
It can be said that the competition for the throne in the Tang Dynasty is the most fierce dynasty, and the Song Dynasty is much more stable than it, of course, this is also due to the fact that there are not many heirs in the Song Dynasty.
As the saying goes, the ruthless competition for the throne of the Tang Dynasty is also related to Li Shimin's improper seizure of the throne. Tang Taizong's later years were also very cruel, and it can be said that every emperor could not escape.
But compared to this, the Song Dynasty was much better for its ministers, and even made a policy not to kill scholars.
Conclusion
I have to say something here"History is always rewritten by the victors".Therefore, we are all in the past, and the views of our predecessors are all beautified or ugly.
Looking back at the events of that year, Zhao Guangyi's life may not be so unbearable, and Li Shimin is not as good as later generations said, and there is cruelty and ruthlessness in him.