In 690 AD, Empress Wu Zetian officially ascended to the throne and became a high-ranking female emperor. In 705 AD, Zhang Jianzhi and others launched the “Divine Dragon Coup”, and Empress Wu Zetian gave way to Li Xian, ending her reign. During this period, Wu Zetian reigned for a total of 15 years. It is said that after 15 years, Wu Zetian’s position as emperor has been firmly established, and she holds great power. Why did she still lose to the Shenlong coup? Below, the history encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s take a look together!
In fact, this matter is directly related to Wu Zetian. Although she has performed well in her political achievements, her private life is not worthy of praise. Moreover, the emperor never had a private life, and her every move was related to the well-being of the world. In her later years, Wu Zetian favored the brothers Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, who intervened in court affairs. However, Wu Zetian turned a blind eye to them. Therefore, the outbreak of the Shenlong Coup was closely related to the actions of the two brothers.
1. Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi caused public outrage
The brothers Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yi not only intervened in court affairs, but also took bribes, abused the law, and framed loyal and righteous people, which can be said to have committed all kinds of evil deeds. Originally, everyone tried to eliminate the two brothers and eliminate the harm for the people. However, Wu Zetian not only turned a blind eye but also protected the two brothers. Therefore, everyone shifted their anger to Wu Zetian, believing that the actions of Zhang Changzong’s brothers were probably not instructed by Wu Zetian.
The more people Zhang Changzong’s brothers offended, the more people wanted to participate in the coup, thus planting a thunderbolt for the coup.
At that time, due to the protection of Empress Wu Zetian, everyone had no choice but to wait for the Zhang Changzong brothers. What were they waiting for? When Wu Zetian ascended to the throne, she was already 67 years old. Everyone was waiting for Wu Zetian to become older and powerless, so it would be very easy to seize power from her.
2. Zhang Jianzhi does a good job behind the scenes work
Although Wu Zetian is getting older day by day, we still cannot take her and the Zhang brothers lightly in order to deal with her, so we need the cooperation of many people.
As the initiator of the Shenlong coup, Zhang Jianzhi knew that in order to seize power, the support of the three major forces was necessary.
The first is the support of military officials, after all, what a coup requires most is military strength. For this reason, Zhang Jianzhi went to find General Li Duozuo, the leader of the Forbidden Army. Zhang Jianzhi asked Li Duozuo who promoted him to his current position, and Li Duozuo said it was thanks to the kindness of Emperor Gaozong. Upon hearing Li Duozuo’s words, Zhang Jianzhi knew there was hope for this matter. Sure enough, under the persuasion of Zhang Jianzhi, Li Duozuo expressed his willingness to support the coup.
The second is to win over the Li Tang royal family. Zhang Jianzhi was very clever. He found Wu Zetian’s children, Li Xian, Li Dan, and Princess Taiping. Although Li Xian and Li Dan agreed to participate, they were still afraid of their mother in their hearts, while Princess Taiping expressed strong support.
Because she had always wanted to emulate her mother, but Wu Zetian had no intention of passing on the throne to her. Later, with the Zhang brothers, Princess Taiping saw even less hope, so she very much hoped that her mother could lose power. It has to be said that Zhang Jianzhi’s attempt to win over Princess Taiping was extremely correct. After Princess Taiping agreed, she persuaded many palace maids and made significant contributions to the coup.
The third is to gain the support of civil servants, because with their presence, we can persuade more people to join the coup.
3. Favorable timing, location, and people
In 705 AD, the Shenlong Coup officially broke out. At this time, Wu Zetian was already in her early 80s, and even if she wanted to resist, she was already powerless. The Zhang brothers had no ability to protect her, so they could only allow Zhang Jianzhi and others to seize power. This is the cleverness of Zhang Jianzhi and others. When Wu Zetian was unable to resist and launched an attack, they obtained the “Heavenly Time”.
The Shenlong Coup broke out in the capital city of Ziwei, which is the Tang Dynasty palace. This is’ geographical advantage ‘, why do you say that? Because the military power at that time had already been controlled by Zhang Jianzhi and others, the generals who participated in the coup included General Jinghui of the Left Yulin, General Huan Yanfan of the Right Yulin, General Li Duozuo of the Right Yulin Guard, General Li Xingzong of the Left Yulin, and others.
Therefore, at that time, Ziwei City had already become the territory of the coup forces, and it was easy to succeed. Of course, the success of a coup can be easily achieved mainly through “harmony between people”.
The several generals mentioned above, along with officials such as Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanwei, as well as members of the Li Tang royal family such as Li Xian and Li Dan, have completely crushed the power around Wu Zetian. The small soldiers and crab generals below are unable to follow the coup.
At that time, Zhang Jianzhi led his team to Xuanwu Gate and was stopped by the guard. However, when the guard saw that even the prince was in the team, he had to let them go. Moreover, the palace had already been arranged by Princess Taiping, which is why this coup was easily successful.
In fact, this coup had no harm. Wu Zetian was already old, and even if she continued to hold power, she would not be able to hold it for many years. In this way, she can retire and enjoy her later years, and Li Tangjiangshan will return to the hands of the Li family. Most importantly, the two “cancerous tumors” of Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi can be cleared, which is a beautiful thing.
Wu Zetian’s achievements during her reign have always been recognized by later generations, but her early ruthlessness and strong protection of the Zhang brothers in her later years have also been criticized. The only way to salvage the situation at this point is through a coup.
1 Comment
Add Yours →adxuek