Hi, it’s time to meet everyone again. Today, the History Encyclopedia editor has brought an article about Wu Yuanheng. I hope you like it.
One day, when Wu Yuanheng went to court as usual, he never expected that this would be the end of his life. Until the moment of his assassination, I wonder if Wu Yuanheng had thought about his fate. Perhaps there is, but this is the politics of ancient times. Political struggles are very cruel, and anyone who is caught in a political vortex, even if they are not careful, will end up in pieces.
At the time of Wu Yuanheng’s birth, it was during the An Lushan Rebellion, a turning point in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. For a short period of time afterwards, although the atmosphere of the dynasty was slightly decadent due to the presence of feudal lords and military governors, it was far from reaching the point where the Tang Dynasty was divided. He was lucky to have been born into a noble family and was also the great nephew and grandson of Empress Wu Zetian. Fortunately, Wu Yuanheng’s path to the imperial examination was very smooth.
Many famous poets of the Tang Dynasty, such as Li Bai and Du Fu, were recognized by the world for their poetry, but their careers were always bumpy. On the contrary, Wu Yuanheng’s poetic talent is not outstanding, and people recognize his political talent.
Wu Yuanheng passed the imperial examinations all the way, until he reached the top of the list of successful candidates. Now he is very famous. The emperor at that time greatly appreciated Wu Yuanheng’s talent. Also keep Wu Yuanheng in the central office. It’s good that other officials can be promoted one level in a few years, but Wu Yuanheng surprisingly achieved three consecutive jumps within a year, becoming a super political star with a smooth career path.
Perhaps this is because Emperor Dezong valued him. From another perspective, if Wu Yuanheng could not handle tasks without talent, then Emperor Dezong would not value him either.
According to the Old Book of Tang, in the 20th year of the Zhenyuan era, Wu Yuanheng, who was 46 years old, was promoted to the position of Imperial Censor and often discussed national affairs with Emperor Dezong. Emperor Dezong also learned about Wu Yuanheng’s talent from this and praised him for his ability as a prime minister. Why did Wu Yuanheng, who was knowledgeable and talented, die on the streets later? In fact, one can understand the situation in the court at that time.
Wu Yuanheng is a rare and excellent courtier. He is not only loyal to the country, but most importantly, he also has talent. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, Wu Yuanheng once ruled over the Shu region. At that time, after pacifying the rebellion in Shu, General Gao Chongwen took away all military supplies, property, gold, silk, skilled craftsmen, and other items from Shu. So when Wu Yuanheng arrived in Shu, everything was in ruins waiting to be revitalized.
In the following three years, under the diligent governance of Wu Yuanheng, the Shu region regained its previous prosperity. As a result, ethnic minorities in Shu surrendered to the court one after another. No matter how capable Wu Yuanheng is, he cannot change the overall trend of the Tang Dynasty. The rebellions of the fiefdoms continued, and the Shu region was subdued. Another military governor has the intention to cause chaos.
When Emperor Xianzong ordered Wu Yuanheng to lead the army to pacify the Huai Xi region, those who colluded with the Huai Xi military governors, such as Wang Chengzong of Chengde and Li Shidao of Ziqing, were very uneasy.
They are very afraid and deeply understand the principle of ‘lips die, teeth are cold’. If Wu Yuanheng fails, it’s okay. Once Wu Yuanheng successfully takes over the Huaixi Jiedushi Wu Yuanji, the next step is to deal with them. In order to survive and to slow down the pace of suppressing rebellion, Li Shidao and others decided to assassinate Wu Yuanheng. In their view, without Wu Yuanheng, the prime minister in charge of the war, the situation would definitely be more favorable to them.
On June 3rd, in the tenth year of Yuanhe, Wu Yuanheng was stabbed to death and died on the street.
Throughout the history of the Tang Dynasty, no prime minister has had such a tragic ending. Due to the tragic death of Wu Yuanheng, despite his exceptional talent, the first thing people think of when they think of him is his ultimate fate.
