Tang Empire, as another unified empire after Han Empire in China history, created countless legends!
Politically, the system of three provinces and six departments established by the Tang Empire had a far-reaching impact on the development of China's political system. In terms of urban construction, Chang 'an City and Luoyang City in the Tang Dynasty have become international metropolises with a population of one million. In the international position, due to Tang Jun's brilliant record of "destroying one country in World War I", the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, including Li Shimin, became the "Tiankhan" revered by neighboring countries and nationalities, and various nationalities in the Tang Dynasty flocked to North Korea and all directions. Culturally, Tang poetry has always been an important part of China culture. It has been handed down together with Song Ci and Yuan Qu and has become an important symbol of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
More importantly, the Tang Dynasty also created an unprecedented territory in the unified dynasty of China. During the Longshuo period in Tang Gaozong, the territory of the Tang Empire reached Siberia in the north, Indo-China Peninsula in the south, Aral Sea in the west and Korean Peninsula in the east, covering an area of 654.38+0.2 million square kilometers.
Then, why did Li Zhi and Tang Gaozong, the "military genius" between Wu Zetian and Li Shimin, expand their territory in the prosperous Tang Dynasty?
First, the powerful military strength of the Tang Dynasty became an important prerequisite for the territory of the Tang Dynasty to reach the largest scale during the Tang Gaozong period.
We have to admit that without strong military strength, it is impossible for the Tang Dynasty to open up a vast territory of120,000 square kilometers during the Tang Gaozong period. In other words, the powerful military strength of the Tang Dynasty was an important prerequisite for the Tang Dynasty to open up a "big territory".
Why was the military power in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty so strong? There are two highlights worthy of attention: advanced weapons and powerful Tang Jun cavalry.
Tang Jun has many advanced weapons, which shows that weapons are unfamiliar. The ink knife developed from the horse-chopping knife of the Western Han Dynasty and absorbed the long knife technology of the Six Dynasties. The blade is extremely sharp and the chopping effect is excellent. In the battles between Tang Jun and East Turkistan, Xueyantuo and other countries, Modao played an extremely important role in Tang Jun's victory.
Besides strange knives, Tang Jun also has offensive weapons such as crossbows and spears, and defensive weapons such as bright armor. These advanced weapons and protective equipment helped Tang Jun win a brilliant foreign war.
Tang Jun's cavalry is another direct manifestation of the powerful military strength of the Tang Dynasty. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, China introduced good horses from Central Asia and cultivated them carefully, which laid a solid material foundation for the development of cavalry. Tang Jun's armor has a good protective effect and is more comfortable to wear than the armor of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
With excellent horse breeds, solid armor and special attack weapons for cavalry, cavalry became a "heavy tank" in Tang Jun's hands and was invincible. In the battle to wipe out the East Turkistan, Li Jing led more than 3,000 cavalry to go deep into Turkic Wang Ting alone, which showed the strong fighting capacity and field survival ability of Tang Jun cavalry in harsh environment.
Secondly, the governing policies of Li Shimin and Li Zhi conformed to the people's hearts, stabilized the internal situation of the Tang Dynasty, won the people's hearts, and became the core support for the Tang Dynasty's external expansion in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
In the later period of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Di frequently waged wars abroad, extorted huge sums of money at home and built large-scale projects. Just to build a Luoyang city, there are millions of concentrated laborers every month. The brutal rule of Emperor Yang Di soon aroused strong resistance from the people. Finally, the Sui Dynasty was destroyed in the bonfire of peasant uprising, and Yang Di's "hegemonic dream" became a dream.
In view of the lessons of the demise of the Sui Dynasty, Li Shimin cared about the sufferings of the people after he ascended the throne, and adopted the tenancy adjustment system and the land equalization system to develop agriculture, ignoring taxes, so the agriculture in the Tang Dynasty developed rapidly from the depression caused by the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty. Li Shimin also strongly supports business. Commercial cities, including Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Chang 'an and Luoyang, sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and prosperous businesses quickly filled the treasury income of the Tang Dynasty.
In 649 AD, after Tang Gaozong Li Zhi ascended the throne, he continued the policy of governing the country during the Zhenguan period. Compared with the Zhenguan period, the people's life has further improved and the population has increased significantly. The prosperity of the country, the prosperity of the people, the prosperity of the economy and the stability of the situation in the Tang Dynasty became an important support for Tang Jun's external expansion in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
Thirdly, the frequent foreign wars in the period of Emperor Taizong laid a solid foundation for the territorial expansion in the period of Tang Gaozong.
As an outstanding monarch in the history of China, the military glory of "Tiankhan" Li Shimin has always been talked about by Chinese people. In addition to the masterpiece of the Battle of Hulaoguan, in which 3,500 Xuanjia troops defeated Dou Jiande's 65,438+10,000 troops in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the foreign war of the Tang Dynasty was almost certain after Li Shimin ascended the throne.
In 630 AD, Tang Jun generals such as Li Jing led 65,438+10,000 troops to crusade against the East Turkic khanate in six ways. Excavate personally led 3000 elite into the Turkish Wang Ting. Under the constant attack of Tang Jun, the powerful East Turkic khanate was completely destroyed, and the large northern territory originally occupied by the East Turkic khanate became the land of the Tang Dynasty.
From 634 to 635, generals such as Hou, Li Jing and Li Daozong led Tang Jun to attack Tuguhun and won. From 639 to 640 AD, Hou and other generals commanded Tang Jun to defeat Gaochang, made Anxi its capital, and the Tang Empire recovered the Western Regions, which laid the foundation for Li Zhi's further expansion to the west.
From 645 to 646, Tang Jun defeated Xue Yantuo. The brilliant Li Shimin War laid a solid foundation for Li Zhi's further expansion. A great man spoke highly of Li Shimin, "Since ancient times, the army has never been separated from the rights of Li Shimin."
Fourthly, Li Zhi continued to fight abroad on the basis of Li Shimin, which made the Tang Dynasty have an unprecedented territory in the history of China.
In 657 AD, Tang Jun's famous soldier Su led an army to defeat the West Turkic khanate and captured Shaber Khan, which was welcomed by all countries in the western regions. Subsequently, 16 countries in the middle reaches of the river in Central Asia, such as Persia and Tuhuoluo, successively belonged to the Tang Dynasty, and all the middle reaches of the river in Central Asia were under the jurisdiction of Anxi Duhu, and the territory of the Tang Empire reached the peak of the westward expansion of the unified empire in previous dynasties.
In 663 AD, under Liu's command, Tang Jun wiped out the Japanese army in Baijiangkou, thus stabilizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula. In 668 AD, Tang Jun captured Pyongyang, completely wiped out Koguryo, and part of the Korean Peninsula was incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
In this way, the territory of the Tang Dynasty in Li Zhi period further expanded westward and eastward on the basis of Li Shimin's later period. In 669 AD, that is, in the second year of General Tang Gaozong's chapter, the territory of the Tang Dynasty expanded to the Aral Sea in the west, to parts of the Korean Peninsula in the east, to Siberia in the north and to Indochina Peninsula in the south, with a territory area of more than 6,543,802 square kilometers. The vast territory has become an important symbol of the prosperous Tang Dynasty!
Of course, strong military strength, stable internal environment and Li Shimin's efforts to develop the territory were the biggest premise, core support and foundation for the territory of the Tang Dynasty to reach its peak during the Li Zhi period.