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[The Tang Dynasty fell many times, why didn't it perish? A little knowledge about the history of the Tang Dynasty]

Throughout history, the capital has always been the lifeline of the dynasty. The capture of the capital was equivalent to the end of the dynasty. But for the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an was lost six times in just 289 years of history.

However, the Tang Dynasty escaped the "imperial curse" and rose from adversity again and again. So how did the Tang Dynasty do it? Let's take a look at the history of the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an, the capital.

December 755, 12 AD, was a day of great shock to the people of the Tang Dynasty. The reason was that An Lushan, who was regarded as a "magic weapon against the enemy", started a rebellion.

When the news of An Lushan's rebellion reached the palace, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang could not believe it. On the one hand, An Lushan's acting skills were so good that his image as a "loyal minister" was deeply rooted in people's hearts;

On the other hand, Emperor Xuanzong was deceived by An Lushan's sweet words and thought it was just a show of affection. Little did he know that An Lushan, his "godson", really wanted to "kill his father" and become emperor himself.

As a result, An Lushan defeated all the generals along the way, and his general Cui Qianyou defeated the Tang army in the Battle of Lingbao, causing heavy losses to the Tang army. An Lushan's road to "opening up wasteland and fighting monsters" was exceptionally smooth.

In 756 AD, he proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang and established the "Great Yan" regime. Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang could only invite Geshu Han, who had already retired, to come out of retirement to serve as the "firefighter".

As soon as Geshu Han arrived at the Tongguan battlefield, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang began to "lead the experts with an amateur". He asked Geshu Han to give up defending Tongguan and take the initiative to attack. Under the repeated "guidance" of the "big boss", Geshu Han fell into the enemy's ambush. After this battle, the 20 Tang troops were beaten to only 8000 people.

Faced with defeat, Yang Guifei's brother Yang Guozhong chose to flee. So Emperor Xuanzong of Tang first released a smokescreen of "leading the army in person" and then also packed up and fled.

He did not forget to take Yang Guifei with him on his way. This "poor" operation of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang made An Lushan determined to seize the Tang Dynasty. In 756 AD, An Lushan successfully captured the Tang Dynasty's capital Chang'an. The capital had fallen, and it was reasonable for the Tang Dynasty to prepare to "close the stall". But things were not that simple.

On July 756, 7, Crown Prince Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu and became Emperor Suzong of Tang. As soon as he ascended the throne, he brought two "killer weapons" Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi to "compete" with An Lushan.

Although the rebels were brutal, the people of the Tang Dynasty chose to support the Tang government without hesitation. In addition, in order to prevent outsiders from making comments, Zhang Xun, a famous Tang minister, fought hard in Suiyang City for 7000 consecutive months with only 10 troops, and withstood the repeated attacks of 12 rebels, he managed to defeat the rebels.

In 757 AD, the Tang Dynasty had accumulated enough strength. In order to recapture Chang'an, Emperor Suzong of Tang used a "strange man" - the Uighur Khan. The addition of the Uighur army boosted the morale of the Tang army.

Finally, with the efforts of Guo Ziyi and others, Chang'an was successfully recovered. A few years later, the An-Shi Rebellion ended with the complete victory of the Tang Dynasty. Although this great turmoil marked the beginning of the decline of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty successfully overcame the difficulties with its indomitable will and strong national strength.

Although the An-Shi Rebellion was declared over, the situation in the Tang Dynasty was not completely stable. In order to quell the rebellion, the court mobilized a large number of troops and transferred elite troops from the northwest to the Central Plains. Although this dispatch temporarily alleviated the crisis in the Central Plains, it also laid the hidden danger for the subsequent rebellion of the feudal lords.

In 763 AD, Tubo seized the opportunity to attack Dazhen Pass, but the border officials of the Tang Dynasty were so busy that they hid the news of the enemy. When Emperor Suzong of Tang heard the news, the Tubo army had already arrived at the gate of Chang'an.

Seeing this, Tang Suzong used Guo Ziyi, an old general who had been stripped of his military power and sidelined. However, before Guo Ziyi could finish his deployment, the Tubo army had already attacked Chang'an. What to do if you can't defeat them? Run away. Tang Suzong said goodbye to Chang'an at the speed of light and ran to Henan.

In 763 AD, the Tibetan army successfully captured Chang'an, but the veteran general Guo Ziyi still had some skills. Although he came online a little late, his ability to lead troops in battle was still strong.

After Chang'an fell, he led his troops to pretend to rest during the day and march with torches at night, creating the appearance of a mighty army. Guo Ziyi's "hiding the truth from the heavens and crossing the sea" tactic really worked.

The Tibetan army in Chang'an thought that the Tang Dynasty had sent troops to "encircle and destroy" them, so they quickly looted and then withdrew from Chang'an. In this way, in 763 AD, with the "god's assistance" of Guo Ziyi, Chang'an returned to the embrace of the Tang Dynasty.

After Emperor Suzong of Tang died, his son Li Shi succeeded him and became Emperor Dezong of Tang. Emperor Dezong had lofty ambitions and was determined to reduce the power of the feudal lords and restore the former glory of the Tang Dynasty. However, his reduction of power caused a "big fire".

In 781 AD, Li Baochen, the governor of Chengde, died, and his son Li Weiyue took over according to the old rules. However, Emperor Dezong of Tang rejected Li Weiyue's succession and directly led his teammates to "rebellion".

After the two sides went to war, the Tang Dynasty even had the upper hand for a time. But when Emperor Dezong of Tang mobilized troops from the capital to fight against the rebels, his brain suddenly short-circuited. He made a series of "stupid moves", first sending the Jingyuan Jiedushi, and then lavishly rewarding the troops from the capital when they passed through Chang'an, resulting in a shortage of military rations.

The soldiers from Jingyuan had to eat coarse food and simply joined the villains. They rowed their boats directly into Chang'an, which fell into the hands of the enemy again.

At this time, it was better for the Tang Dynasty to divide and disintegrate the rebels rather than confront them head-on. In 784 AD, Emperor Dezong of Tang issued an "amnesty order", taking the blame for the "chaos under heaven" on himself and pardoning the rebellious vassal states.

Some military governors received this "golden medal of immunity from death" and quickly surrendered. Later, Emperor Dezong of Tang changed his style of being suspicious of his generals and began to let them "work hard and fast".

The siege of Chang'an was soon resolved, and in 784 AD, the Tang army seized the opportunity and successfully recaptured Chang'an.

However, this was not the last time Chang'an suffered. On January 881, 1 AD, Chang'an was once again targeted by rebels, and this time it was Huang Chao who inherited the "mantle".

This rebel leader failed the imperial examinations many times, but he was very good at leading troops in battle. During the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao led a large army to attack Chang'an.

Should we fight or flee? The emperor needed to make a decision. But when the ministers went to ask Emperor Xizong to make the final decision, Emperor Xizong was at a loss. Chang'an soon achieved "peaceful evolution" and fell into the hands of Huang Chao.

Compared with the An-Shi Rebellion, Huang Chao's "dynasty popular support rate" for the Tang Dynasty was obviously higher. When he entered Chang'an, he not only did not encounter resistance, but also distributed "low-income gift packages" to the people.

On January 881, 1, Huang Chao proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an and established the "Da Qi" regime. How could the Tang Dynasty "close down" this time? However, Zhu Wen, a general under Huang Chao, defected to the Tang Dynasty.

Huang Chao's situation became even more serious when it rained. He led his army to withdraw from Chang'an. Emperor Xizong of Tang packed up his bags and returned to his hometown. His younger brother Emperor Zhaozong of Tang was also driven out of his home.

In 890 AD, Emperor Zhaozong of Tang decided to take action against the eunuchs, but he did not expect that the eunuch Yang Fugong not only did not want to hand over power, but also rebelled together with Yang Shouliang, the governor of Shannan West Road.

It was Fengxiang Jiedushi Li Maozhen and his "little friends" who cleaned up the mess for Emperor Zhaozong of Tang. After the judgment, they demanded to expand their territory. Emperor Zhaozong of Tang wanted to send troops to clean up the "gift", but he did not expect that Li Maozhen would "revolt" in anger.

In 890 AD, Li Maozhen rebelled because the court did not allow him to expand his territory. Emperor Zhaozong fled all the way from Chang'an, and was finally abducted by the governor of Huazhou and taken to Huazhou, where he began his three-year imprisonment.

However, during these three years, Li Maozhen and Zhu Wen began to "compete" again. In order to prevent the emperor from falling into the hands of Li Keyong and Han Jian, Zhu Wen briefly brought the "mascot" Tang Zhaozong back to Chang'an.

But Zhu Wen refused to give in, so Li Maozhen forced Emperor Zhaozong to move to Fengxiang. In 896 AD, Zhu Wen returned to Chang'an with his trophy, Emperor Zhaozong of Tang.

At this time, Chang'an was no longer the Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, but became Zhu Wen's "base camp". Zhu Wen "checked in" to his "base camp", and the Tang Dynasty also followed Chang'an City on the "downhill road".

To sum up, in the short history of 289 years of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an was lost six times, but each time it was able to rise from the difficulties, which was inseparable from the joint efforts of the Tang Dynasty's monarchs and ministers and the firm support of the Tang people.

[Understand the Ming Dynasty’s remaining ministers in one breath - History of the Ming Dynasty]

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, some people chose to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, but secretly funded the anti-Qing movement; some chose to live in seclusion in the mountains and write books; and some chose to be loyal to the Southern Ming, fighting for their ideals and never giving up until their death. In this video, let us take stock of the remaining ministers of the Ming Dynasty.

Gu Yanwu, a famous thinker in the late Ming Dynasty, was born in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. When he was young, he joined the Fushe Society, which was a kind of association group that appeared in the late Ming Dynasty. Most of its members were young scholars in Jiangnan, and it was known as the "Little Donglin".

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, these scholars from the south of the Yangtze River took the road of resisting the Qing Dynasty. Gu Yanwu received orthodox Confucian education since childhood, admired famous officials such as Yue Fei and Wen Tianxiang, advocated practical application of knowledge and opposed empty talk.

However, because he failed in the examinations many times in his early years, he temporarily gave up the imperial examinations, read through historical books and county chronicles of all dynasties, and determined to "read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles."

In 1643, Gu Yanwu entered the Imperial Academy in Beijing to study. The Ming Dynasty was already dying, but Nanjing, the capital, was still prosperous. No one expected that the country would fall.

After the Qing army invaded northern Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself. The Qing army entered the pass, and Prince Fu established the Hongguang regime in Nanjing. Gu Yanwu was recommended by Kunshan County Magistrate Yang Yongyan to serve as the director of the Military Affairs Department of the Southern Ming Hongguang regime.

Gu Yanwu gave advice to the Southern Ming court, but the Hongguang regime lasted less than a year before it collapsed after the Qing army captured Nanjing. Gu Yanwu joined the anti-Qing movement, but various places in Jiangnan fell one after another, and even Gu Yanwu's hometown of Kunshan fell in just a few days.

After learning that his hometown had fallen in a hotel in Kunshan, Gu Yanwu became more determined to resist the Qing Dynasty.

After King Tang established the Longwu regime, Gu Yanwu was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Censor-in-Chief, responsible for recovering Suzhou, Changzhou and other places.

Gu Yanwu and other famous scholars of the Fushe Society, including Chen Zilong, planned to rebel against the Qing Dynasty under the leadership of Wu Shengzhao, the governor of Songjiang in the Qing Dynasty. After the plot was exposed, Chen Zilong was arrested and committed suicide by drowning. Gu Yanwu went into exile and continued to resist the Qing Dynasty.

However, the Southern Ming Dynasty was defeated one after another under the attack of the Qing army, and restoring the Ming Dynasty's territory gradually became an unattainable dream.

In 1650, Gu Yanwu sold his family property and traveled around the country, covering 1670 to miles, fulfilling his long-cherished wish of "traveling thousands of miles". In , Emperor Kangxi recruited Ming Dynasty survivors, but Gu Yanwu refused to participate. Three years later, Gu Yanwu died in Quwo, Shanxi.

Zhang Huangyan, a native of Yin County, Zhejiang Province, was a general who fought against the Qing Dynasty in the late Ming Dynasty. When he was young, he was both civil and military, and he liked to discuss military tactics in his essays.

In 1642, Zhang Huangyan passed the imperial examination. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he wrote a letter to Zhu Yihai, the Prince of Lu, and traveled around with the Regent of Lu to organize anti-Qing forces.

However, although the Prince of Lu was the legal heir of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yihai still wanted to fight against the Longwu regime in the face of the enemy. He fled everywhere under the attack of the Qing army and defected to the Longwu regime. Zhang Huangyan stayed in the southeast coast and continued to fight against the Qing.

In 1653, Zhang Huangyan and Zhang Mingzhen surrounded Zhoushan with five or six hundred warships, but failed to capture it after eight months of siege. Afterwards, the two men went into the sea to fight many times and reached the mouth of the Yangtze River near Nanjing City, but returned empty-handed every time.

In 1658, Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong encountered a typhoon in Yangshan, suffered heavy losses, and were forced to retreat to Menxia. The following year, the two jointly launched a northern expedition again, but failed due to strategic differences.

Zheng Chenggong died suddenly in Taiwan shortly after recovering Taiwan, and Zhang Huangyan's situation became even more difficult. Zhu Yihai also moved to Taiwan in 1662 under the persuasion of his close ministers. Zhang Huangyan was isolated and helpless, and seeing no hope of restoring the Ming Dynasty, he disbanded his army in 1660 and lived in seclusion on an island.

He was arrested by the Qing army due to betrayal by a traitor. On the prison wall, he wrote a suicide poem: "The rest of my life is for China, and my death is for my great name." Zhang Huangyan was buried in Nanping Mountain in Hangzhou. He admired Yue Fei all his life, and after his death, he was also next to Yue Fei's West Lake.

Zheng Chenggong, a famous anti-Qing general in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, was born in Nan'an, Fujian in 1582. His father, Zheng Zhilong, was originally a pirate, and later became a maritime merchant and military general in the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng Chenggong grew up in Jiangnan and was a famous historian in the late Ming Dynasty. At the age of 28, he was appointed to the Hanlin Academy because of his excellent performance in the examination and ranked third in the first class.

However, during the most intense period of party struggle in the Ming Dynasty, as the leader of the Donglin Party, he was excluded by the eunuch party and dismissed from his post. After Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, he was reinstated, but because of his feud with Zhou Yanru, he not only lost his job but was also wanted for cheating in the imperial examination.

Zheng Chenggong felt deeply that the political world was dark. Eight years later, he ignored the secular gaze and shaved his head to surrender to the Qing Dynasty on the grounds of "great courtesy". He was appointed as the Duke of Haicheng by the Qing court. A few months later, Zheng Chenggong returned home on sick leave, but he did not let the Qing court go.

After he returned to Nanjing, the Qing government put him in prison, but he was rescued by someone. Zheng Chenggong regretted his surrender to the Qing government and secretly contacted the anti-Qing forces in the Southern Ming Dynasty. After learning that the Northern Expedition had failed, he became disheartened and died in 1664 at the age of 83.

Huang Zongxi, a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang, was known as "Mr. Lizhou". His father, Huang Zunsu, was a member of the Donglin Party and was persecuted to death by Wei Zhongxian. After Wei Zhongxian's fall, Huang Zongxi wrote a letter to liquidate the eunuch party and even attacked the eunuch party in court to avenge his father. He was called a loyal minister by Chongzhen.

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Zongxi sold his property and organized an anti-Qing movement. He was appointed by Zhu Yihai, the Prince of Lu, as a member of the Military Affairs Department. However, due to the disparity in strength between the enemy and us, they were quickly defeated. After returning from a failed mission to Japan, Huang Zongxi returned home and lived in seclusion, secretly contacting anti-Qing forces.

Huang Zongxi believed that the main culprit for the fall of the Ming Dynasty was the emperor's despotism, so he proposed the democratic idea of ​​"the world is the master and the emperor is the guest", advocated "people-oriented", opposed the single imperial examination system, and advocated "practical application" like Gu Yanwu.

He taught students in various places and wrote books such as "Waiting for the Mingyi" and "Ming Ruxue An". In his later years, Huang Zongxi refused the Qing court's call and died in 1690 at the age of 85.