【All Nations Come to Korea】
During Li Siyuan's period, the southern vassals gradually distanced themselves from the central government, forming a situation of "five countries standing side by side". However, this was a problem left over from history and had long been the "accounts receivable" of the Central Plains dynasty, and Li Siyuan wisely Classify them as "bad debts" and remove them from the government's balance sheet. Only Comrade An Zhongjie, an angry young man, a stupid young man, a passionate young man, and a powerful official, desperately wanted to act as a debt collection agency and forcefully collect debts.
An Zhongjiao’s reckless and unrealistic approach brought serious adverse consequences to the country and himself, which we will discuss later. Let’s just talk about the head of the Later Tang Dynasty - Li Siyuan.
The diplomatic victory of the Later Tang Dynasty was inseparable from the support of comprehensive strength, let alone Li Siyuan's wise and pragmatic strategic guidance. Li Siyuan's diplomatic strategy can be summed up by the cross motto: "The big country shows its grace, and the small vassal shows its favor."
This is an extremely pragmatic diplomatic guide, which is in line with the saying that "a big country has no doctrine, and a small country has no credibility." The national self-confidence of "a great country in heaven" is deeply imprinted in the marrow of the Central Plains culture. "To rule all nations" is our national responsibility. "All nations come to Korea" is our national pride.
The reason why Li Siyuan created the "prosperous age of Mingzong" is inseparable from his pragmatic diplomatic strategy. He used both kindness and power to create a relatively peaceful external environment for the Central Plains dynasty.
Unlike Western powers with bandit genes, the Chinese nation has strong self-healing capabilities and perseverance and self-improvement genes. The development of Chinese civilization has never relied on plunder, but has fully mobilized the enthusiasm of the working people for production and labor. The so-called hard work and self-reliance , the Central Plains has a vast resource base, huge market demand, and strong self-evolution capabilities. Therefore, the Chinese have not needed to invade foreign countries since ancient times.
A relatively stable external environment is more in line with the self-interests of the Chinese nation.
Don’t think one-sidedly that the Central Plains dynasty went into seclusion because of this. On the contrary, the Chinese attach great importance to the development of their neighbors. Peace is not to be prayed for and avoided, but to be fought for with wisdom and strength.
The history books of past dynasties will carefully compile the history of our neighbors. Our understanding of many surrounding ethnic groups even exceeds their own. At that time, many surrounding ethnic groups did not have their own writing, and it was difficult to record the ins and outs of their own nation. However, the historians of the Central Plains Dynasty carefully visited and investigated, and recorded their history in our history books using our characters.
The so-called knowing yourself and the enemy means you can fight a hundred battles without danger.
What we are most proud of is the prosperous scene of "all nations coming to court" in the history books.
After experiencing the turmoil and disputes in the late Tang Dynasty, by the time of Li Siyuan, the Central Plains region experienced tranquility amid movement, and a new order was born amidst the chaos. Although the "five countries coexisted" in the south, the Chinese nation as a whole tended to be dynamically stable. So in "The Chronicles of Mingzong", the long-lost grand occasion finally appeared (excerpt 4 and a half years after Li Siyuan ascended the throne):
The first year of Tiancheng (926):
In April (the month when Li Siyuan proclaimed himself emperor), Bohai State sent envoys to pay tribute;
In July, both Khitan and Bohai Kingdom sent envoys to pay tribute;
In October, the great ghost master of the southern barbarians from Yunnan came to pay tribute;
The second year of Tiancheng (927):
In the first month, the Tuoluo branch of the Xi tribe is attached;
In February, Silla sent envoys to pay tribute;
In April, Silla sent envoys to pay tribute;
In August, the Nine Tribes of the Great Ghost Lord of Kunming and King Pulujing sent envoys from each of them, a total of 153 people came to the court (to purchase goods) to pay tribute;
Tiancheng three years (928):
In the first month of the first month, the Khitan sent envoys to pay tribute; 6 Tibetan people and 4 Uighur people were granted official positions and returned to the Uighurs;
In February, the Uighurs sent envoys to pay tribute;
In March, the Uighur Khan Renyu was conferred as the Khan of Hue;
In April, the Tatars sent envoys to pay tribute;
In August, Khitan sent envoys to contribute (requesting the release of prisoners of war);
In September, Tubo and Uighurs sent envoys to contribute;
In October, the Turkic leader Zhang Mu came in to pay tribute;
In November, Tubo sent envoys to pay tribute;
Tiancheng four years (929)
In April, the Khitan sent envoys to pay tribute (requesting to take back the remains of Khitan martyrs);
In August, Heishui Kingdom sent envoys to pay tribute; the leader of Tuyuhun came to pay tribute from Nian Gongshan; King Wang Jian of Goryeo sent envoys to pay tribute; the leaders of Dangxiang came to pay tribute; the Tatars came to pay tribute;
The first year of Changxing (930)
In February, Blackwater State sent envoys to pay tribute;
In May, the Uighurs sent envoys to pay tribute;
In August, there will be vomiting and vomiting;
In December, the Uighurs sent envoys to pay tribute.
What needs to be explained is: in November of the first year of Tiancheng (926), the Bohai Kingdom was destroyed by the Khitan, so from now on there is no record of "Bohai Kingdom paying tribute"; in April of the fourth year of Tiancheng (929), an edict was issued prohibiting party items The vassals that paid tribute to the capital were instead accepted by the border customs, so the record of international friends in the west was also greatly reduced; the important neighbor, the Khitan, suffered repeated defeats. When paying tribute, the most urgent demands were two: to open a port Commerce; return of prisoners of war (living and dead).
Also in the first year of Changxing (930), Hanlin scholar Liu Xu wrote an important memorial: requesting the abolition of "poems and poems" in the imperial examinations, and only testing hemp making, answering Tibetan scripts, and criticizing. It has been reduced from five major questions to three major questions. Reduce the burden on candidates.
It was this memorial that prevented "Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty" from being continued as "Five Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty" or "Three Hundred Poems of the Five Dynasties". As mentioned before, the reason why Tang poetry was so prosperous in quality and quantity was due to the imperial examinations at that time. "Poetry" and "Fu" held a considerable weight, as important as our "English", so all officials of the Tang Dynasty , both those who have been named on the gold list and those who have lost their names can all chant it.
Liu Xu's memorial made a small reform to the imperial examination. "Poetry" and "Fu" are no longer required subjects, so scholars no longer have to take the exam every day.
As a result, the weight of "Answers to Tibet" increased, and it also reflected that the diplomatic affairs of the Ming Dynasty became increasingly heavy. What the country really urgently needed was not talents who could recite poems and compose poems, but diplomatic talents.
Another thing to mention is that Comrade Liu Xu is the honorary editor of "Old Book of Tang".
In terms of diplomatic relations with Khitan, the Central Plains during Li Siyuan's period temporarily had the upper hand. Not only Lu Wenjin and Zhang Xichong abandoned the secrets and defected to the bright side, but also the eldest son of Taizu of Liao and the former crown prince Yelubei abandoned the country and came to join the army. This gave the Later Tang Dynasty a short-term opportunity and a long-term opportunity. . More importantly, this Yelvbei also became a "traitor" for a time.
This "Prisoner of Dongdan" received unprecedented courtesy (Emperor's Ceremony) from Li Siyuan. The excitement of the two heavens of ice and fire made Yelube lose his sense of proportion. In his excitement, he first presented three Daliao seals, and then presented Map of Khitan.
Presenting a seal is just a pragmatic expression of attitude and gesture, while presenting a map is a real betrayal of the country.
Yelvbeixian's map is clearly recorded in the "Benji of Mingzong", but there is no record in "History of Liao". Maybe the Khitan people were not aware of Yelvbei's treasonous behavior, or they deliberately avoided or beautified it, because after Yelu Deguang's death, Yelvbei's eldest son Yelu Ruan ascended the throne, known as Liao Shizong in history, and he must package his father to a certain extent.
Faced with the grand occasion of "the coming of king from all barbarians", Li Siyuan remained quite calm deep in his heart. The "small vassals" only asked for small favors, which was not the focus and difficulty of diplomatic work in the first place; the big vassal (Khitan) was temporarily at a disadvantage, but the imperialists were determined to destroy themselves. This was the focus and difficulty of diplomatic work in the later Tang Dynasty.
The biggest difficulty for Li Siyuan was within the imperial court - the powerful minister An Chongjie. This honest and passionate angry young man not only made the domestic feudal towns furious, but even dared to intervene in the most sensitive topic - the establishment of the crown prince.
An Zhongjie will pay a heavy price for his recklessness and ignorance.
