I admire Wu Zetian very much, because Wu Zetian is the only female emperor in China history and an outstanding female politician in feudal times. She inherited the Zhenguan and enlightened Yuan Dynasty, and managed a generation of dynasties as a world power. However, in the historical comments of 1000 years, some people called her a lascivious and fierce woman, while others praised her as a monarch who was observant and good at judging. Such contradictory evaluations, one focusing on women's "women's virtue" and the other focusing on the achievements of the empress dowager, have their own opinions and are inconclusive. /kloc-in the past 0/0 years, the national symposium on archival science with the theme of Wu Zetian has been held for five times, and experts have expressed their opinions. Since the May 4th Movement, there have been more than 500 papers and monographs on Wu Zetian, and this is the only emperor in the history of China who can enjoy such honor. Isn't such Wu Zetian great?
Next, I will introduce you to the history of Wu Zetian!
Wu Zetian is the eighth generation descendant of the Wu family in Wenshui County. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, Wu Qia, her ancestor, made five soldiers, Shang Shu and Jin Yanggong, who lived in Wenshui and gave them 50 hectares of land. This fief occupied about two villages from Nanxu to Beixu. Up to now, Zetian Temple, Wujiashan, Wujiakou, Bishui River, Shenfuquan, Wuyuan City and other historical sites related to the Wu family are still preserved in this land. His father Wu Shihuo was the founding hero of Tang Gaozu Tang Gaozu. He used to be the right-hand man of General Jing Yue and the minister of the Ministry of Industry, and was awarded the title of lord protector.
In the Tang Taizong dynasty, he served as the secretariat of Yuzhou, Lizhou and Jingzhou. In the ninth year of Zhenguan (635), he died in Jingzhou at the age of 59. His mother, Yang, was the daughter of the imperial clan prime minister of Sui Dynasty. She believed in Buddhism since she was a child, was ordained to serve the Buddha, and had a high cultural accomplishment. At the age of 42, she married Wu Shihuo as her second wife, and gave birth to three daughters, the second being Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian was born in such an official family.
Wu Zetian was the daughter of the Governor's House in her childhood, and later was the Emperor of the Holy Spirit. Many stories about her have been passed down as fairy tales, such as the legend of Yuan Tiangang's physiognomy. Today, there are still promising place names in Guangyuan, Sichuan. According to legend, during the Tang Dynasty, the pit of fire brought Yuan Tiangang back to Beijing. When I went to Chaotian Guanshan, I saw a royal spirit in the direction of Lizhou, so I went southwest 15, and arrived at Wangyunpu. When he saw the clouds over Illinois, he said, "The king is angry." Wu Tuyou heard that he was easy to find, so he invited him to your house. At that time, Wu Zetian was still in her arms, dressed as a boy. Yuan Tiangang said after reading it: "Dragon pupil is very rich." After careful consideration, he said, "If a woman is the son of heaven." Another example is the Riverbend Women's Tour on the 23rd day of the first month, which is an annual folk custom meeting in Guangyuan, Sichuan. According to legend, this day is Wu Zetian's birthday. There are also relics and legends such as Zetian Popo's dressing room and Zetian Dam.
In the 11th year of Zhenguan (637), 14-year-old Wu Zetian was called into the palace. When leaving, Yang's mother cried sadly, but Wu Zetian took it calmly and comforted her mother, saying, "Is it a blessing to see the son of heaven? What does the child mourn? " It can be seen from this little incident that Wu Zetian has seen extraordinary things since she was a child.
Wu Zetian was canonized as a gifted scholar when she entered the palace, but after 10 years, Wu Zetian had neither children nor promotion, which shows that her situation at that time was not very ideal. However, Wu Zetian is always looking for opportunities to show her talents and political ambitions. Once, Emperor Taizong got a fierce horse named "Lion Qi", and no one could tame it. Emperor Taizong sighed for it. At that time, Wu Zetian was waiting by. She bravely put forward the request to train a horse, saying, "I can handle it, but I need three things, a iron whip, two hammers and three daggers. If iron whip refuses to accept the blow, hammer his head with a hammer; If he refuses to accept it, he will cut his throat with a dagger. Horses are for people to ride. What's the use of it if it can't be tamed? " Emperor Taizong praised her courage. This is also a way to govern politics after Wu Zetian. Later, they became like-minded and had close ties with Prince Li Zhi. In the 23rd year of Zhenguan (649), Emperor Taizong died. According to the court practice at that time, Wu Zetian became a nun. Two years' life as a nun has made her comprehensively examine the wealth and risks of court life, and become more and more mature politically.
In the third year of Yonghui (652), Wu Zetian gave birth to her eldest son Li Hong, which brought her hope of promotion and added a layer of anxiety to the queen. It turns out that Wu Zetian and Tang Gaozong are like-minded, and the emperor's love for her is increasing day by day, which makes the queen greatly jealous.
In March of the 5th year of Yonghui (654), Wu Zetian was made Zhao Yi, ranking second only to the Queen and Ji Shu, and became the third person in the harem. At the same time, at the request of Wu Zetian, the emperor posthumously awarded 13 official titles, including Wu Zetian's father. This move greatly shocked the queen. At first, Wu Zetian was just a maid-in-waiting. Today, she suddenly became a Zhao Yi with a prince, born in a family of founding fathers. At this time, the queen deeply felt the threat from Wu Zetian, so she and Wu Zetian began to have conflicts in status and feelings.
Seeing this, you may think that Wu Zetian became emperor by her own beauty. However, before she became emperor, he was hindered in many ways. In the first year of Guangzhai (684), after Li and Li Dan abolished the emperor, Wu Zetian began to face the monarchy and changed to Guangzhai. At this point, she met three obstacles:
The first resistance was a warning from Prime Minister Liu, who warned about disaster and failure. Liu's advice represented the views of a large number of courtiers, and it was sincere advice, so Wu Zetian rewarded it with appreciation and comfort. She put up a sign that said, "The emperor dare not speak today, I'm sorry, mind your own business." At the same time, the letter praised Liu's loyalty.
The second rebellion was Yangzhou Uprising. After the grandson of the British official Xu Shiqi was demoted, he joined forces with his brother, Tang, Luo, Du and other frustrated bureaucrats who were demoted for crimes to form an army in Yangzhou in the name of rehabilitating King Luling. They found a man who looked like a waste prince Li Xian and lied to the soldiers, saying, "Li Xian didn't die, but he fled to Yangzhou, so we can form an army. We have been ordered by Prince Li Xian to restore Datang. " They established three governments: KuangFu, YingGong and Yangzhou. Claiming to be a "government general", he led the governor of Yangzhou, with Tang and Du as the left and right sides, Zong Chen and Xue as the left and right sides, Wei as the army division and Luo as the recorder. /kloc-Recruited more than 65438+ 10,000 soldiers in 0/0 day. So he reported it to all the counties, including Wu Zetian's guilt, and accused Wu Zetian of killing her husband and mother, with malicious intentions. Peeping at artifacts, making public the privacy of the harem, insulting personality, and scolding Wu Zetian to the teeth, rose up on September 29, the first year of Guangzhai (684). Wu Zetian relied on Dai Zi's orthodox position and many years' ruling experience to send Li Xiaoyi to attack Xu Jingye with 300,000 troops on the sixth day of October, and sent Hei Chi Chang to send troops as the general manager of Jiangnan Road on the fourth day of November. 1 1 month 18, Xu Jingye was defeated and fled to the border of Hailing. He tried to float into the sea and go to Dongyi, but he was blocked by the headwind. He cut off the contact between Wang and Wang, surrendered to Tang Jun, and Tang and Wei were arrested. The rebellion was completely quelled in more than 40 days. Pei Yan was beheaded inward, and Pei Yan's supporters were demoted, temporarily calming the internal and external situation.
The third resistance comes from royalty. Wu Zetian's coming to Korea itself is the most sensitive thing for Li's clan. Historically, when the imperial power was weak, it was common for the same room to fight. Wu Zetian is facing this problem. After Tang Gaozong's death, Wu Zetian stared at the royal princes, and if there were any opponents, she would kill them quickly. Similarly, the princes of the imperial clan also kept a close eye on Wu Zetian's every move. They contacted each other, made suggestions, and actively prepared to rise up and overthrow Wu Zetian. Finally, before Wu Zetian worshiped Luo, Li Zhen, the King of Yue, and Wang Lang, the Evil King, rebelled in Bozhou and Yuzhou successively. Wu Zetian sent General Sargingo Qiu Ji to crusade against Li Zhen at the end of August in the fourth year of hanging arch (688), and sent General Zuo Wei and Cen Changqian to crusade against with 654.38+ 10,000 troops on the first day of September. The evil king Li Chong first attacked Wushui County on August 17. The defenders and reinforcements of Wushui County held fast to the city. Li Chong ordered the soldiers to push the grass cart to block the south gate and attack with fire. As a result, the weather was not beautiful, and the fire rose back and burned himself. General Dong said: "The evil king is at war with the country, and the country is its enemy!" Dong was killed immediately, and all the soldiers were flustered and fled. Only a few children are with Li Chong. Li Chong had no choice but to go to Bozhou. On September 23, he went to the city gate and was killed by the defenders. This time, Li Chong started a seven-day battle and was defeated. When Qiu arrived in Bozhou, the rebellion had subsided. As a result, he killed the official for nothing, thinking that he had done something, and added a few ghosts for no reason. The rebels in Li Zhen are also a rabble. Soldiers have no fighting spirit and will have no ambition. When Li Zhen learned that Li Chong had failed, she was eager to defect, but she was helpless and had to commit suicide. The rebellion in Li Zhen was quelled in less than 20 days.
In the process of putting down the rebellion, Wu Zetian got to the bottom of it, and all the Li princes who participated in the planning were killed, and no one was spared. After some fighting, the kings of Li were destroyed, the internal affairs were rectified, and the people's hearts were stabilized. Wu Zetian's road to the throne of the emperor was swept away without any obstacles.
Finally, on the ninth day of September in the first year of Tianci (690), 67-year-old Wu Zetian ascended the throne with the support of 60,000 people and officials, and changed her surname to Zhou and Yuan Tianci, but she still took Li Dan as her successor. Historically, Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty was called Wu Zhou. After Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor, after two years of rectification, he wiped out his political enemies, killed most brutal officials, rectified his internal affairs and ordered a ban. After the death of Tang Gaozong, Wu Zetian was busy with the court struggle, and the west and the north spit kindness and Turks invaded and plundered, unable to fight, so the four towns of Anxi fell. After the reorganization, Wu Zetian immediately set out to restore the territory she had laid with Tang Gaozong. In September of the first year of Wanshou (692), Wang Xiaojie and Ashina were sent to lead troops to the northwest. 125, Wang Xiaojie made a big breakthrough in Tuen, and recovered the four towns of Qiuci, Shule, Khotan and broken leaf Anxi, and made Ding 'anxi the capital of Qiuci. In the case of unanimous opposition from ministers, Wu Zetian resolutely sent 30 thousand more troops to Anxi four towns. This measure made Anxi four towns stable from then on, and it was not repeated until the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Wu Zetian's frontier policy is to appease the losers, beg the rebels, and resolutely oppose ethnic intrusion. Inspired by Wu Zetian's ethnic policy, in February of the first year of longevity (692), more than 10,000 Tubo and Tangut tribes surrendered. On the fifth day of March, Tianzhu sent an envoy to pay tribute; In May, Sudi, the leader of Tubo, led the troops to surrender. In June, more than 8,000 Qiang people defected under the accusation of other chiefs. In April of the second year of the holy calendar (699), Tubo Zampa led more than a thousand people to surrender.
After the four towns of Anxi were recovered, the foreign wars of Wu Zhou were mainly aimed at the Khitan and Turks in the north. On May 12th, the first year of Long Live (696), Li Zhongxin and Sun Wanrong, the commander-in-chief of the Qidan in Yunzhou at the end of the Song Dynasty, transferred troops, took over the state secretariat, and rose up to revolt. 13 days later, Wu Zetian sent Yang Wei generals Cao, General Li Duozuo and General Li Duozuo to lead an army conquest. On August 28th, in Xiashi Valley, Tang Jun was defeated. Then the rebels set an ambush, and Tang Jun was wiped out. Wu Zetian once again sent troops to conquer. In September, under the attack of Tang Jun and Turkic soldiers, Li devoted himself to defeat and died. Sun Wanrong cleaned up the remains, and the military situation revived, invading the county many times. On April 18th, the first year of Shengong (697), Wu Zetian sent Wu and He Encryption to lead the army to conquer. On the eighth day of May, she sent Lou Deyi and Sha Yi to lead two hundred thousand troops to conquer Qidan and slay Sun Wanrong. In November of the first year of Chang 'an (70 1), Wu Zetian took Guo as the commander-in-chief of Liangzhou and the ambassador of Longyou. After Guo acceded to the throne, He Rencheng was established in the south of Qiaokou, and Baiting Army was established in the north of Qiaokou, which controlled its strategic location and expanded the national territory by 1500 Li. Turks dare not invade. Guo also ordered Ganzhou secretariat Li Hantong to open up wasteland. For five years, Xia was afraid of foreigners and banned them. There are cattle and sheep everywhere, and no one answers the road. The accumulated ration can last for decades. In the second year of Chang 'an (702), in December, the Northern Courtyard was established in Tingzhou, and the northern border was stable.
During the Wu-Zhou period, local small wars with neighboring countries rose and fell, with the victory of Wu-Zhou as the most important. During the reign of Wu Zetian 15 years, she basically maintained the unification of the empire, the vastness of the territory and the prosperity of the country.
The choice of prince is an important part of Wu Zetian's political career, and it is also a problem that has plagued her for many years. At the beginning of becoming emperor, the descendants of the Wu family and Wu Sansi sought audience with the Prince. In the second year (69 1) in September, at the behest of Wu Zetian's nephew Wang, Zhang Jiafu, the Scheeren of Fengge, ordered Wang Qingzhi to lead hundreds of people to the table, and asked Wu to be a prince. Wu Zetian refused, and Wang Qingzhi cried her eyes out. Wu Zetian gave Yinzhi a witness to let him go. Later, Wang Qingzhi asked for it many times. Wu Zetian was furious and ordered Li Zhaode, assistant minister of Fengge, to give him a staff. Li Zhaode led Wang Qingzhi out of the door, immediately stick to kill, figurehead dispersed. Later, Li Zhaode and Di Renjie advised Wu Zetian to let his parents be princes, and no one dared to beg Wu Chengsi and others.
On the ninth day of March in the first year of the holy calendar (the eighth year of autumn), Wu Zetian was ill in bed and sent a group of imperial secretaries to design a recall. On 28th, Li Xian returned to Luoyang, and no one knew the Manchu dynasty. On August 11th, Wu's wife pleaded with the king of Wu not to die of anxiety. On September 15, Wu Zetian agreed to be made a prince because she asked him to step aside. In the second year of the holy calendar (699), Wu Zetian was afraid that the prince would not get along with Wu Jiazi's grandson after his death, so she asked the prince, prime minister Li Dan, Princess Taiping, Wu and Wu Sansi to swear in the Mingcheng Hall and engrave them in the Tibet History Museum.
In December of the first year of Chang 'an (70 1), Wu Zetian erected a monument for her father in Wuling, Wenshui. The monument is 5 feet high, 9 feet wide and 3 feet thick, with an inscription of more than 6,700 words. This is the largest tombstone in the history of China. This is an inscription written by Li Jue, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, which records the origin of the Wu family and the life experience of his father. This is an important historical document. In June of the following year, Wu Zetian erected a monument in Shunling, Xianyang, which was also a huge tombstone for his mother, the Zhou Dynasty to filial piety. The inscription was written by Wu Sansi, the nephew of Wu Zetian, and recorded the life experience of his mother Yang.
In the first month of the second year of Chang 'an (702), Wu Zetian first set up a military exercise to select generals, which made many talented people reused. 1 1 month, Wu Zetian ordered Su (special word) to rehabilitate the old case set by the cruel officials, which rehabilitated many unjust cases and many unjust cases.
In August of the fourth year of Chang 'an (704), Wu Zetian was ill in bed. 1 1 month, Zhang Jianzhi was appointed assistant minister of Fengge.
On the 22nd day of the first month of the first year of Shenlong (705), Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuan (the merger of Japan and Wei) welcomed Prince Li Xian, killed Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, and forced Wu Zetian to give way to Li Xian. On 23rd, Wu Zetian ordered Prince Li Xian to supervise the country. On 24th, Wu Zetian wrote a letter to Prince Li Xian. On 25th, Prince Li Xian became the emperor. He was the emperor in the middle. On the 26th, Wu Zetian moved to Shang Yang Palace. On the 27th, Tang Zhongzong Li Xian led hundreds of officials to pay homage to Yangguan and named him "Great Sage Emperor". On the fourth day of February, Tang Zhongzong restored the title of the Tang Dynasty, thus ending the Wu and Zhou Dynasties of 15. On the same day, Tang Zhongzong resumed its eastern capital, and the northern capital resumed its annexation. 1 1 On 26th, Wu Zetian died in Xianju Hall of Shangyang Palace at the age of 82. Will: Emperor of the last dynasty, buried in Ganling. The Queen, Xiao Shufei and related personnel were pardoned. On May 18th, the second year of Shenlong (706), Wu Zetian was buried in Ganling, the "Great Sage Queen" of posthumous title. In the first year of Jing Yun (7 10), it was renamed "Tianhou" and later renamed "Tianhou of the Great Sage"; In the first year of Yanhe (7 12), it was renamed "Zetianhou"; In the eighth year of Tianbao (749), he was honored as "Tianhou".
Wu Zetian's life is a life of struggle, quite legendary. In the feudal era of 1000 years ago, because she violated the tradition of the whole family, she knocked down all her opponents and became a female emperor. She was accused by the rulers of past dynasties as a tyrant who was "vicious, lewd and murderous". But none of this can hide her brilliant achievements.