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 In China there is an old saying "It is easy to establish a business but hard to sustain it".
The Tang Empire founded by the Li family achieved glory unprecedented in Chinese history. Politically, an effective centralized bureaucratic and communication system was implemented which ensured stability. Due to the successful military actions of Tang army, the frontiers were secured and boundaries expanded again. The social economy flourished and its capital, Chang'an became the richest and most populous city in the world.
However, the splendid appearance covered up the depravity. By the eighth century, during the later part of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, the Tang Empire was in decline. Of the many reasons that caused the ebb in the Empire's tide of fortune the main factors can be summarized as:
Tianbao Crisis
Rebellion of An and Shi
Separatist Reigns of Fanzhen
Monopolization of Power by Eunuchs and Dissension between Parties
Peasant Uprising
1. Tianbao Crisis
During the later years of his reign, a period referred to as Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong became more and more lordly and extravagant. He doted upon his Concubine Yang while neglecting state affairs. He foolishly appointed fraudulent and treacherous people such as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong as his ministers. This resulted in the political corruption, which became a potential crisis at his court.
Historically, Emperor Xuanzong was regarded as a wise emperor. At the beginning of his rule, he helped the Tang reach its peak, a period that never been exceeded by other dynasties. Society was stable and the nation strong. However, everything changed when he fell in love with his daughter-in-law, Yang Yuhuan, whom he forced to become one of his concubines.
The emperor was so infatuated with Yang that he spent all his time in search of pleasure and neglected his imperial duties. Lacking any firm leadership, the court deteriorated and political stability fell into decay. Tang thus walked on its road to destruction.
Emperor Xuanzong's downfall also due to the improper appointment of officials. Be infatuated with Concubine Yang, Emperor Xuanzong let the affairs of the government in the hands of some notorious officials. Xuanzong's appointment of Li Linfu as his prime minister proved disastrous. Li was a jealous and suspicious man and during his sixteen year long career he adopted the role of dictator. He would find ways to entrap and eliminate those who would oppose him, thereby securing his hold on affairs. Following Li Linfu's death, the Emperor appointed Yang Guozhong as his successor. A relative of the favored concubine, Yang was inept and his appointment meant that she was able to use her influence to stuff the administration with her family members. This enabled the Yang family to gain virtual control over the Empire.
2. Rebellion of An and Shi
While Emperor Xuanzong was still wallowing in his infatuation with Concubine Yang, the flames of war rose on the frontiers.
During the years of Jingyun (710-711AD), many fortresses, normally known as Fanzhen, were established to improve the frontier protections in some key areas along the border. Jie Du Shi, the official title given to the top leader of the fortresses, held military, civil administration and financial powers. With the passing of time and the decline of court, the influence of the fortress increased. Until the Rebellion of An and Shi, over 90 percent of the military army was under the control of Fanzhen. The central government gradually lost its control over regional administration and in particular, control of the military commands along the northwestern frontiers.
In 755AD, An Lushan, a trusted "Jie Du Shi", led a rebellion in Fanyang with a view to ending the corrupt rule by Yang Guozhong. The civil war lasted for eight years, and was very destructive. When the rebel army conquered Luoyang and Chang'an, the Emperor Xuanzong, together with this court, fled to Sichuan. On the way, the imperial army established a station in Ma Weipo and refused any further advance. The soldiers disposed of the notoriously corrupt Yang Guozhong. Later, members of the palace guard, blamed Concubine Yang for all the problems that had beset the dynasty, strangled her and threw her corpse in a ditch. The rebellion was called "The Rebellion of An and Shi".
Led by the General Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, the Tang army, with the help of Huihu troops, finally defeated the rebel army in 763 AD.
The revolt severely damaged the production in the northern areas, as the wasteland became larger. People were displaced from their homelands and many towns and cities were destroyed. This proved to be the turning point for the Tang Dynasty and brought it to the brink of its eventual downfall.
3. Separatist Reigns of Fanzhen
During and after the rebellions, the Tang Dynasty increased the total number of "Jie Du Shi". The Tang emperors were obliged to pay a high price for their loyalty: The Jie Du Shi were allowed to establish their own troops, to collect taxes. They were also able install their own sons as hereditary successors to their military positions. Many areas controlled by Jie Du Shi only nominally adhered to the Tang regime, as they established themselves as separatist regimes. These Fanzhens, relying on their military power and financial ability, attacked each other and even antagonized the government. Thus, the inter-Fanzhen conflict coupled with the fighting against the forces of the central government endured until the final destruction of the Tang regime.
The separatist reigns of Fanzhen severely weakened the ruling strength of the Tang during the closing years.
4. Monopolization of Power by Eunuchs and Dissension between Parties
Monopolization of Power by Eunuchs originated in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. During the late period of Emperor Xuanzong, the Eunuch Gao Lishi was favored by the emperor. When the Emperor Suzong was in power, Li Fuguo, one of the eunuchs was given an important position as advisor of the emperor. He also became the leader of the forbidden army (the imperial guards). Later on, more and more functions were assigned to the eunuchs, including policy making, nomination of officials and even the accession and deposition of the emperors.
Furthermore, dissension between parties also became serious. During the years from the reign of Emperor Xianzong (762-779) to the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, named Li Chen, (846-859), the court officials gradually divided into two parties, namely, the Li Party taking Li Deyu as its head and the Niu Party with Li Zongmin as its leader. These two factions were in conflict and each was motivated by self-interest. Later generation came to refer to this period as Peng Dang Zhi Zheng (Dissension between Parties).
This corruption of political influence undermined the strength of the Tang and accelerated its decline.
5. Peasant Uprising
The administrative system of the Tang was founded on a system of equal land allotment. People paid an annual tax to the government in the form of grain or cash. The Tang's military power derived from the periodic militia service. However, problems arose when the government realized that the great population growth had resulted in greatly reduced plots of land, but the same tax. Peasants fled their fields, thus slowing the economy down. The military could no longer protect its frontiers.
In the late period of the Tang regime, rulers were more greedy and corrupt, annexing land without limits and collecting taxes even when natural disasters took place. Additionally, the endless fights caused the death of a large number of farmers.
As in previous periods, once the peasant was put into the desperate situation, the dynasty was near its end. In 875 AD, a farmers' uprising, led by Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao, started in Henan and Shandong. After several years, Wang Xianzhi died on the battleground and Huang Chao succeeded. He led his troops within a large area, about half China's territory. Later on, the rebel army entered Chang'an City to found their own regime - Da Qi. Emperor Xizong (873-888) escaped to Chengdu.
However, the rebel army failed to beat the Tang army. Emperor Xizong gathered the remaining Tang troops and by combined them with Fanzhen army, fought against the rebels, forcing them to withdraw from Chang'an. In 884 AD, Huang Chao committed suicide after being defeated.
Although its main leaders had been sacrificed, the rebellion lasted for about ten years, sweeping through a dozen of provinces with more than one million soldiers involved. The rebellion effectively weakened the landlord class and the Tang power base, further hastening the disintegration of the Tang Empire. |
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