Today, the History Encyclopedia editor brings you the abdication of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Interested readers can follow the editor to take a look together.
I want to work for another 500 years, how could I abdicate
The rebellion of the An Lushan Rebellion invaded Chang’an, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled in panic. A mutiny occurred at Mawei Post, and Yang Guifei was forced to commit suicide, sweeping away the dignity of a generation of “holy monarchs”.
Between love and power, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang chose the latter, which also indicates that he could not give up the throne. Faced with a devastated country, the aging emperor only thought of escaping to the Shu region.
Before leaving, the local people blocked the way and requested the emperor to stay and lead everyone to suppress the rebels.
However, the emperor has long lost the sharpness of his youth, and now he is longing to flee to Chengdu for refuge! In order to appease the people, the Crown Prince Li Heng had to step forward.
As soon as the Crown Prince came out, a large number of people gathered together. They stopped the Crown Prince’s horse and said, “Since Your Majesty refuses to stay, please let the Crown Prince stay. We are willing to follow the Crown Prince to suppress the rebels and recover Chang’an
The Crown Prince, who had been cowardly for many years, dared not make decisions and sent someone to report to Emperor Xuanzong. Emperor Xuanzong said, “This is the will of heaven.
So the father and son went their separate ways.
What Emperor Xuanzong did not expect was that the separation of father and son would push the political direction of the Tang Dynasty in another direction. Emperor Xuanzong lost the hearts of the people, and the Crown Prince gained great power.
Although Li Heng is not very brave, he has still formed factions in recent years with the assistance of a group of crown prince supporters. He did not foolishly go to Chang’an to confront the rebels head-on, but instead ran to the relatively stable Shuofang, where he prepared to raise the banner of suppressing the rebels and call on the loyalist army of the world.
This is actually equivalent to establishing a new central government.
Tang Xuanzong was confused. The moment he gave up binding the crown prince to himself, it was equivalent to losing the ability to restrain the crown prince. If the emperor was too far away, the crown prince would not be able to leap by the sea.
Perhaps in his opinion, the Crown Prince had been cowardly for so many years and dared not do anything out of the ordinary. Putting him in the forefront of suppressing rebellion would have two benefits for Emperor Xuanzong.
One reason is that the Tang court has lost its capital, the emperor has fled, and the authority of the court has seriously declined. At this time, it is necessary for a member of the royal family to stand up and become a banner for suppressing the rebels. As the first heir to the empire, the Crown Prince should shoulder the responsibility of reshaping the Li Tang dynasty.
Secondly, Emperor Xuanzong could spend his empty window period in Chengdu with peace of mind after the painful loss of his love, and he really had no intention of dealing with the mess he left behind.
Perhaps he can no longer call for action. The people he has promoted over the years are either traitors who have long died or traitors who demand execution in a mutiny. The army can now “advise” them, so what appeal does he have?
Tang Xuanzong was not a bald principal, and there was a group of strong and loyal students who were able to gather people’s hearts after military advice. He believed that the absolute loyalty of the Forbidden General Longwu, who relied on his fleeing military force to take on Chen Xuanli, could be relied upon to launch a rebellion at Mawei Post. Who else could he rely on?
He can no longer keep the Crown Prince, nor can he stop him from ascending to power.
Unexpectedly, things happened so quickly that he finally settled down in Chengdu, and Crown Prince Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu and honored himself as the Supreme Emperor.
The crown prince’s coronation work was done quite perfectly. Before ascending to the throne, a 150000 strong army of loyalists had already gathered in Lingwu, with military power in my hands. The few generals in the world who had not yet rebelled and supported the Tang court were all by his side.
He has already gained absolute support from the military. To put it bluntly, those who are loyal to Li Tang are now placing their hopes in Lingwu. As for Tang Xuanzong, in the eyes of the world, he has become the culprit behind all of this.
Who trusts the rebel leader An Lushan without any bottom line? Did it lead to him serving as the commander-in-chief of three regions and preparing for rebellion calmly for so many years without being discovered?
Who listened to and believed in the instigation of the treacherous minister Yang Guozhong, and stubbornly made Ge Shuhan give up defending Tongguan and take the initiative to attack? In the end, hundreds of thousands of troops were ambushed by the rebels outside Tongguan and completely annihilated?
Is it good for such an emperor not to actively force him to abdicate?
Now, in Lingwu’s support for the new emperor’s accession to the throne, without another round of palace pressure, is it considered a great honor for this emperor?
So, Tang Xuanzong did not give up the throne, but the situation was completely beyond his control. His series of tricks led to his loss of the throne.
