Do you know what killed Prince Yongwang Li Lin? Next, the History Encyclopedia editor will explain to you
In 755 AD, An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang, Hedong, and Lulong, rebelled under the pretext of fighting against rebellion. The rebel forces were unstoppable and advanced towards Chang’an. The builders of the prosperous era of the Kaiyuan era, however, made improper use of personnel at this time. They successively dismissed generals such as Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, and forced the veteran Ge Shuhan to go out of Tongguan to meet the enemy, resulting in a disastrous defeat and the complete annihilation of the army. Ge Shuhan was captured, and the rebels were killed in Chang’an. Under the protection of soldiers, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled westward. At Mawei Slope, soldiers mutinied and forced Yang Guifei to death. Later, Crown Prince Li Heng went north to Shuofang, and Emperor Xuanzong fled to Shu for refuge. Shortly after, Li Heng ascended to the throne in Shuofang, organized an army, and launched a counterattack against the rebels. During this period, a small incident occurred where Prince Yongwang Li Lin was appointed as Shannan by Emperor Xuanzong
Jiangxi
He served as a military governor in many regions such as Lingnan and Guizhou. Later, Li Lin rebelled and was subdued by Emperor Suzong of Tang. This rebellion may not have stirred up much of a wave during the An Lushan Rebellion, but behind it lies the struggle for the highest power of the Tang dynasty empire, namely the struggle between Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Suzong of Tang. 1、 The Ma Weipo Incident – The Beginning of Li Heng’s New Life in Tang Suzong
1. The Ma Weipo Incident, the downfall of Emperor Xuanzong
The Ma Weipo Incident was probably the first major turning point of disagreement between Emperor Xuanzong and Crown Prince Li Heng. From here on, Li Heng was no longer influenced by his father. The mutiny of the soldiers escorting Emperor Xuanzong and his concubines on Mount Mawei was not accidental. It was a planned mutiny, with planners including Li Heng, Chen Xuanli, and others. At this time, Li Heng had already had the idea of replacing them, but the opportunity was not yet ripe. Especially at that time, a part of the army escorting Emperor Xuanzong was controlled by Li Heng, while another part was in the hands of Chen Xuanli.
Therefore, although Li Heng had the idea of killing Emperor Xuanzong or imprisoning Emperor Xuanzong to replace him after killing Yang Guozhong and forcing Yang Guifei to die, he did not dare to take action due to the chaotic situation at that time and Chen Xuanli’s protection of Emperor Xuanzong. And most importantly, the situation was very chaotic at that time. Chen Xuanli’s number of soldiers was basically the same as Li Heng’s. Without Chen Xuanli’s support for Li Heng, it was impossible to succeed. Moreover, Emperor Xuanzong was already dissatisfied with forcing Yang Guifei to death, so it was impossible for Li Heng to go to Shu together. This was also an important reason why Li Heng chose to head north to Shuofang.
On the other hand, Emperor Xuanzong himself was mentally exhausted in the face of An Lushan’s rebellion and was already in a daze; Underneath the Mawei Slope, there was a heart wrenching sight of his beloved concubine being killed. Therefore, when faced with Li Heng’s thoughts, he was not immediately aware and was given the opportunity to flee north. By the time Emperor Xuanzong woke up, it was already too late. Faced with Li Heng’s arrival in Shuofang and the already established situation, Emperor Xuanzong was also powerless.
2. Shuofang gathered troops and Li Heng ascended to the throne
Under the escort of his subordinates, Li Heng finally arrived at Shuofang Lingwu City after a bumpy journey north. Due to the distance between Shuofang and the rebellion site of An Lushan, the military strength was relatively well preserved, and at that time, Emperor Xuanzong fled westward into Shu, which had already caused dissatisfaction among many generals. When they learned that Li Heng had arrived in Lingwu, many generals quickly gathered in Shuofang and responded to Li Heng’s call. In the Shu region, Emperor Xuanzong, faced with this situation, had no choice but to acquiesce to Li Heng’s power of commanding troops.
But what Emperor Xuanzong did not expect was that, with the tacit approval of Crown Prince Li Heng himself, he was elected as emperor by many generals of Shuofang. There are various reasons for Li Heng’s accession to the throne. Firstly, Li Heng had already had the idea of replacing him, but the timing was not ripe. When he arrived in Shuofang, Xuanzong’s influence declined, giving Li Heng the opportunity to ascend to the throne; On the other hand, Emperor Xuanzong’s act of fleeing to the west caused dissatisfaction among many generals, especially the dismissed generals such as Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, who became the biggest driving force for Li Heng’s accession to the throne.
Faced with Li Heng’s accession to the throne, Emperor Xuanzong, who was far away in Shu, must have mixed feelings in his heart, but he was powerless. At this time, Emperor Xuanzong had no actual army under his control, except for maintaining his position in fate. However, faced with the temptation of power, Emperor Xuanzong refused to easily lower his head. As a result, Emperor Xuanzong, who was far away in Shu, brought in Li Lin, who should not have been involved in this political struggle, ultimately making him a sacrifice in the power struggle between Emperor Xuanzong and Li Heng. 2、 Yongwang Li Lin – The End of the Road for the Enjoyable Noble Prince
1. The comfort under the life of the nobleman
Firstly, let’s take a look at Li Lin, the Prince of Xiaoyao. Li Lin was the sixteenth son of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. As Li Lin’s mother passed away when he was young, Emperor Xuanzong was very fond of this young son and personally raised him. At the age of four, he was enfeoffed as the Eternal King, which shows the love of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang for him. He also sent him to the fiefdom early on to keep him away from the dangerous political struggles in the imperial city. Moreover, Li Lin was enfeoffed to the prosperous Jiangnan region in order to become a stable prince and stay away from political struggles. However, the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion turned everything into nothingness.
The political power struggle between Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Suzong was ultimately borne by the inexperienced Prince Yongwang Li Lin. Why did Emperor Xuanzong choose Li Lin as a tool for his political struggle? First, let’s take a look at the relationship between Li Lin and Li Heng. Li Heng was Xuanzong’s third son, and although Xuanzong was taking care of Li Lin at that time, many times it was Li Heng who was taking care of Li Lin, so the two had a close relationship. Tang Xuanzong naturally believed that even if Li Lin failed in the end, Li Heng saw no danger to his life in the friendship between the two.
On the other hand, the Jiangnan region where Li Lin was located had a large population and a prosperous economy, and had not been affected by the war since the An Lushan Rebellion. Therefore, in terms of recruiting soldiers and military reserves, Li Lin had great advantages. Under the instruction of Emperor Xuanzong, he was not only the commander-in-chief of Jingzhou, but also served as the military governor of Shannan, Jiangxi, Lingnan, and Qianzhong. For Emperor Xuanzong, the success of Li Lin meant that the power of the empire had returned to his own hands; Failed, the person who took the blame is also Li Lin, and according to Xuanzong’s prediction, it will not pose too much threat to Li Lin.
2. Inflation from the inexplicable trust of the father
For a prince like Li Lin, who lacks ambition and is accustomed to a wealthy life, the sudden acquisition of power left him somewhat at a loss. Before Emperor Xuanzong appointed Li Lin as the commander-in-chief of Shannan, Jiangxi, Lingnan, and Qianzhong, he served as the governor of Jingzhou. Although this position had great power, it was of little use to Li Lin. Because he is only a nominal leader, the power is still not in his hands, he is just a prominent royal aristocrat.
But when Li Lin was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the four provinces of Shannan, Jiangxi, Lingnan, and Qianzhong, the situation changed. Power makes people expand, and this statement is absolutely correct. Li Lin, who suddenly gained military and political power in multiple areas, was momentarily blinded by the fanaticism of power. Li Lin had become arrogant enough to believe that he could compete with Li Heng, so he began recruiting soldiers, building an army, and even establishing his own government. As the direct promoter of Li Lin’s status, Tang Xuanzong should have stopped Li Lin’s rebellious behavior in a timely manner, but Xuanzong chose to tacitly approve.
At that time, when Li Heng saw this situation, he actually understood that the leader and promoter of all of this was not Li Lin, nor the group of mediocre talents around Li Lin, but Xuanzong who was far away in Shu. However, due to the stalemate in the war with An Lushan at that time, Li Heng had no time to pay attention to Li Lin’s small actions. He only sent people to warn Li Lin multiple times to return to his fiefdom. However, Li Lin did not listen to dissuasion and even sent troops to attack Li Xiyan in Wu County at that time, which truly angered Li Heng. 3、 The Death of Li Lin – The Cruelty of Power Struggle
1. Abandonment of life under ignorance
Faced with the Shuofang soldiers who had undergone hundreds of battles under Li Heng’s command, Li Lin’s group of soldiers recruited from the Jiangnan region were vulnerable; In addition, the generals responsible for pacifying Li Lin were all well-known generals for a long time, and Li Lin’s subordinates were mostly empty handed and useless, except for their eloquence. Faced with the fierce anti rebel army, they even fled without fighting. It is ridiculous that Li Lin, as the commander-in-chief of the four provinces of Shannan, Jiangxi, Lingnan, and Qianzhong, and the commander-in-chief, appeared in rebellion and was strangled in the cradle, resulting in his own death.
Li Lin’s death was not only the result of Emperor Xuanzong’s instigation, but also due to Li Lin’s lack of sensitivity to politics. Especially when faced with power, Li Lin’s irrational behavior shows a crazy, fanatical, and unreserved fanaticism towards the acquisition of power. These were all the reasons that led to his ultimate downfall. Long term non participation in political struggles made him believe that he could overthrow and control the Shuofang army on his own, and that Li Heng, who had already gained the support of the people across the country, could be overthrown.
On the other hand, Emperor Xuanzong had already seen the results, but did not intervene. Li Lin was like an abandoned baby at this time, and no one was willing to take over. It can be said that Li Lin’s death was fundamentally due to an incorrect estimation of his own strength and Li Heng’s attitude towards him in the power struggle.
Under the power struggle, there is no innocence
In the face of power, no one is innocent, whether it is Emperor Xuanzong, Li Heng, or Li Lin who was unfortunately involved in political power struggles. In the face of power, there is no such thing as family affection. Everyone is a pawn in the power struggle and a stumbling block in the eyes of others. Faced with power, Emperor Xuanzong was willing to let his sons kill each other in order to take a risk and regain control of power; In the face of power, Li Lin, who had lost his rationality, launched a military attack on Li Heng without hesitation, ultimately resulting in his own defeat and loss of life.
As mentioned earlier, Emperor Xuanzong chose Li Lin because of the close relationship between Li Heng and Li Lin. Xuanzong believed that even if he failed, Li Lin’s life would not be in danger. However, Emperor Xuanzong underestimated Li Heng’s determination. Although Li Lin was not ordered to be killed by Li Heng, he was killed by Huangfu Han. But this also shows Li Heng’s attitude towards Li Lin, where family ties appear fragile in the face of power.
But in the struggle for power, there are no innocent people. If you are not a pawn, you will become fish. Every transfer of power is accompanied by bloodshed. The throne of Emperor Xuanzong also came about in this way. With a rich political life, Xuanzong could not have anticipated such consequences, but he deeply knew that there was no kinship in the face of power. Although the death of Li Lin may cause grief for Emperor Xuanzong, it will not change his choice. Even if he does it again, there will be no change. The possible difference in the final outcome is that Li Lin succeeded and Li Heng was killed. summary
Overall, for a prince like Li Lin who is not familiar with the world, he was not at the center of the An Lushan Rebellion when it broke out, so it should have been difficult for him to get involved in this war; The character he developed was nothing more than some arrogance and domineering bestowed upon him by the prosperous land of Jiangnan. But with the power struggle between Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Suzong of Tang, Li Lin was also pushed to the forefront by Emperor Xuanzong as a tool for his own power struggle. With Li Lin’s political talent, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang knew that rebellion was impossible, and even with the help of many people around him, it would ultimately be difficult to achieve great success. Tang Xuanzong’s move was actually to test Tang Suzong’s attitude towards himself, that is, the issue of power ownership in the future, and Li Lin ultimately became a victim in this power test. The most ruthless imperial family, Li Lin’s death, fundamentally stems from the ownership of power. In the face of power, both Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Suzong of Tang have lost the minimum respect for family ties.
