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[Read all the historical facts about the leader who rebuilt the Tang Dynasty in one go: Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty]

In the classic Chinese studies "Longwen Bianying", it was mentioned: "The Han Dynasty had seven systems, and the Tang Dynasty had three emperors." The "three emperors" here refer to the three most outstanding emperors of the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Li Longji, and Emperor Xianzong of Tang Li Chun.

Speaking of Xianzong, he is obviously not as well-known as the previous two, but for the Tang Dynasty, Xianzong can be regarded as the backbone of the reconstruction of the Tang Dynasty.

With one move, Emperor Xianzong put down the rebellion between Zhu and Liu, and the battle of Caizhou decided the outcome. Under his governance, the three towns in Hebei also obeyed his orders. He single-handedly propped up the crumbling empire and opened a new chapter of the Yuanhe Restoration. In this video, let's talk about this emperor who revived the Tang Dynasty - Emperor Xianzong of Tang Li Chun.

In 778 AD, in the imperial palace of Chang'an City, with a loud cry, Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Li Chun, was born. As the eldest son of Emperor Shunzong and the favorite of Emperor Dezong, his status as the eldest grandson of the eldest son brought him a halo.

When Li Chun was six or seven years old, Emperor Dezong of Tang once held him on his lap and teased him: "Who are you? Why is my child in your arms?" Li Chun replied: "I am the third son of heaven." As the eldest grandson of the emperor at that time, he answered "the third son of heaven" in the order of grandfather, father, and son, which was both unheard of and practical.

This surprised Emperor Dezong of Tang, and he could not help but love his grandson in his arms even more. It can also be seen that Li Chun showed an extraordinary side at a young age.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is 805 AD, and the sky of the Tang Dynasty is changing. Emperor Dezong of Tang died, and Li Chun's father Li Song (Emperor Shunzong of Tang) succeeded to the throne. However, at this time, the Tang Dynasty was like an old locust tree in the sunset, with powerful enemies outside and borers inside, and the country was getting worse and worse. Emperor Shunzong of Tang was a caring emperor. As soon as he came to power, he eagerly pulled Wang Shuwen and others to carry out reforms, hoping to rectify those eunuchs who abused their power.

Unfortunately, reform is like cooking. If you don't control the heat well, you will burn the pot if you cook too fast. Those old stubborn people and eunuchs joined forces to oppose the emperor and drove Emperor Shunzong off the throne. They replaced him with Crown Prince Li Chun. The new emperor ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Yuanhe. The era of Emperor Xianzong of Tang officially began.

The leaders of the reform faction, such as Wang Shuwen, Wang Yi, Wei Zhiyi, Liu Yuxi, Liu Zongyuan, Han Tai and other talented scholars, were demoted to Sima and exiled to the frontier, and the reform cause was aborted. This incident was later called the "Yongzhen Reform" or the more down-to-earth "Two Kings and Eight Sima Incident".

Let's talk about Emperor Shunzong of Tang, who died mysteriously just a few days after taking office. There are many rumors about his death, some saying that he was plotted against, and some saying that he was seriously ill. In short, this has become a historical mystery, giving historians a headache.

However, the wheel of history rolls forward, and the new emperor, Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Li Chun, is finally going to stand center stage and show his prowess.

Li Chun witnessed the thrilling Jingyuan Rebellion when he was a child. The rebels poured into Chang'an like a tide, and Emperor Dezong fled overnight. Except for the closest people, few members of the Li Tang royal family were able to escape. It is said that 77 members of the royal family who did not have time to escape died at the hands of the rebels.

This also made Tang Dezong feel guilty for the rest of his life. He felt that he could not even protect his family and was too incompetent. The Fengtian disaster, which almost brought about the premature demise of the Tang Dynasty, became Li Chun's most profound childhood memory.

This experience was like a sharp chisel, which left a deep mark on his young mind and made him understand responsibility and accountability earlier than his peers.

Not long after Li Chun ascended the throne, the generals in Xichuan began to cause trouble.

After Wei Gao, the governor of Jiannan and Xichuan, died, his subordinate Liu Pi took the opportunity to rebel, proclaimed himself governor, and wanted the court to recognize him. Li Chun originally hated the separatist regimes of the Tang Dynasty, and this time he ran into the gun.

Li Chun first launched a gentle offensive and agreed to his request, so Liu Pi suddenly became the mayor of CD and the governor of Jiannan Xichuan, which dazzled many people.

But this guy got the advantage and was so proud of himself that he even raised his tail to the sky after getting a little profit. He even asked for a huge sum of money and wanted to unify the three rivers. In addition, he also planned to help his best friend Lu Wenruo to become the governor of Dongchuan, and stage a drama of "brothers united, their strength can break metal".

Hey, now it's good, the tiger doesn't show its power, and you still think I'm a sick cat! The new emperor's thunderous means are about to be staged, and a drama of suppressing the rebellion in Xichuan is quietly kicking off.

Li Chun was also clear in his mind. His father, Emperor Shunzong of Tang, had accumulated a good hand at that time - the Shen Ce Army, which was specially used to deal with all kinds of disobedience. In the New Year of the first year of Yuanhe (806 AD), Du Huangshang gave Li Chun a good idea: "Go ahead, brother!"

So Li Chun waved his hand, and two powerful generals of the Shence Army, Gao Chongwen and Li Yuanliang, led their elite troops, plus two capable assistants, Li Kang, the governor of Dongchuan, and Yan Li, the governor of Shannan West Road, and set out on the expedition in a mighty manner.

Li Chun wanted to give Liu Pi a chance, so he specially issued a gold medal for surrender and exemption from death. However, Liu Pi regarded it as a waste paper. As a result, Dongchuan fell and Chengdu was broken. Liu Pi was invited back to Chang'an by Li Chun in a special car. After interrogation, Liu Pi confessed his crime and was executed. His family also suffered, and peace returned to his territory.

Seeing the stability of this territory, the other vassal leaders were terrified and expressed their desire to go to the capital to show their loyalty.

In October of the second year of Yuanhe (807 AD), in the golden autumn season, Li Qi, the governor of western Zhejiang, also followed suit and said he would come to the court. Li Chun happily agreed and planned to give him a generous position.

But Li Qi played the game of "crying wolf". Not only did he not come, he also played the evil route, condoning the Shandong soldiers to rebel, killing several loyal ministers, and even wanted to establish himself as king and go against the court.

When Li Chun heard this, he was furious and dismissed him directly. He sent Huainan Jiedushi Li Jifu with three groups of troops to stage a "Fast and Furious" battle. That month, Li Ji was arrested and taken back to Chang'an for execution.

This battle not only brought the wealthy western Zhejiang back to the embrace of the imperial court, but also allowed everyone to see Li Chun's iron-fisted approach to the issue of vassal states.

In March of the fourth year of Yuanhe (809 AD), Wang Shizhen, the governor of Chengde, passed away. His son Wang Chengzong took over his father's post without saying a word and became the new governor.

On the surface, Li Chun gave Wang Chengzong the title of Jiedushi, but he had his own plans in mind, fearing that this boy would not be obedient.

So he came up with an idea and cut two pieces of meat from Chengde's territory - Dezhou and Dizhou, and decided to set up a new Jiedushi in Dezhou Special District. He also named Xue Changchao, the governor of Dezhou, as the founder.

The imperial court said that it wanted to optimize management, but in fact it was putting a tight ring around Wang Chengzong. When Wang Chengzong received the imperial edict, he thought, hey, isn't this obviously an attempt to seize my territory? Without saying a word, he staged a rebellion drama and took Xue Changchao for tea.

Li Chun saw that this was unacceptable, and immediately mobilized the elite troops of the Shen Ce Army and the surrounding vassal states, and marched towards Wang Chengzong's lair. However, Chengde, as an old vassal state, has always been strong in military and horses, and it should not be underestimated.

This battle was so frustrating. Li Dingjin, the general of the Zuo Shen Ce Army, wanted to have a good start, but he was sent off by Cheng De's army and became a ghost on the battlefield.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Chun had to suppress his anger and issued an imperial edict to pardon Wang Chengzong for his ignorance and acquiesce to his occupation of Dezhou and Dizhou. Li Chun said that since Chengde was a tough guy, he might as well change to a soft persimmon.

In the blink of an eye, it was August of the seventh year of Yuanhe (812 AD). As the autumn wind blew, Tian Jian, the governor of Weizhou, passed away quietly, leaving behind his 11-year-old son Tian Huaijian and a mess.

The retainer Jiang Shize took the opportunity to take over the military affairs. He replaced the generals many times, which made the soldiers complain.

In October, the soldiers finally lost their patience and collectively supported General Tian Hongzheng as the new leader. Tian Hongzheng was not ambiguous and led his soldiers to stage a coup version of "Fast and Furious" and successfully took over Wei Bo Town.

Tian Hongzheng was a man of great ability. He knew that going against the imperial court would lead to bad consequences, so he immediately submitted a letter of submission to Emperor Li Chun, expressing his willingness to turn over a new leaf. Li Chun saw that the letter was a gift package of loyalty, and without further ado, he conferred the title of Silver and Green Guanglu Doctor on Tian Hongzheng.

The former Minister of Industry and Commerce of Qianqiao also sent small gifts from time to time to consolidate the hard-earned fruits of peace.

The surrender of Weizhou Town was like a stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples. The vassal towns in Hebei, Shandong, Huaixi and other places all restrained their attacks and temporarily stopped fighting.

However, in the ninth year of Yuanhe, the situation became turbulent again. Huaixi Jiedushi Wu Shaoyang died suddenly, and his son Wu Yuanji took the opportunity to take over the throne. He also played the trick of "keeping the death a secret" and sent troops to make trouble everywhere, challenging the authority of the court. The envoys sent by Emperor Li Chun were directly rejected by Wu Yuanji.

Li Chun was furious! He was so majestic when he pacified Shu. How could he let you run wild here now? Prime Minister Li Jifu added fuel to the fire, saying that Huaixi was surrounded by loyal ministers and generals, unlike the three towns in Hebei who huddled together for warmth. Moreover, the court was strong and powerful now, and it was a good time to recover the lost territory. So, the campaign to conquer Huaixi started vigorously.

However, the initial stage of this battle was extremely difficult. Although the various vassal states had a large number of troops, their command was a mess and there was no order. The Huaixi Army had the help of the local militia in the south, and with the advantage of geographical location, they managed to drag this battle into a protracted war.

In May 815 AD, at noon, Jiedushi Li Guangyan staged a "Huaixi Army Adventure" on the battlefield.

He defeated his opponent, but the other dozen vassal troops seemed to be collectively sleepwalking, and the battlefield was in chaos. This battle also dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Huaixi Army. Wu Yuanji hurriedly sent a distress signal to Wang Chengzong of Chengde and Li Shidao of Ziqing.

These two big guys also understood the principle of "the lips and the teeth are cold", so they began to provide support secretly.

Among them, Li Shidao was even more ruthless, directly sending a group of assassins to sneak into Chang'an, intending to stage a "Chang'an Street Assassin Show", targeting the hawkish figures in the court who advocated the reduction of the feudal system. As a result, Prime Minister Wu Yuanheng was unfortunately assassinated, while the Chief Censor Pei Du became a lucky spectator and escaped.

Li Chun was shocked! How dare they carry out terrorist attacks under the emperor's feet? How could they take him seriously? So, Emperor Li Chun waved his hand and directly promoted the surviving Pei Du to be the hawkish prime minister, and announced: Fighting terrorism and reducing the power of the feudal lords, we will do it together!

Therefore, the Tang Dynasty's punitive army not only continued to besiege Huaixi, but also sent a "surprise gift package" to Wang Chengzong and Li Shidao, directly staging a one-on-three drama. The war lasted for a long time, and the court's purse was almost deflated. The people in Huaixi were also living in poverty and their morale was low.

Time jumps to 816 AD. Emperor Li Chun has a bright idea and decides to change a wave of fresh blood. He promotes Li Su, the consort of Princess Xianning, to be the captain of the Tang Dengsui Special Operations Team, specifically responsible for dealing with Huaixi. Speaking of Li Su, some people may not be familiar with him, but his father is Li Sheng, nicknamed "Ten Thousand Enemies" and known as "the first famous general in the hall". As the saying goes, "A tiger father will have a dog son."

In October 817, Captain Li Su staged a surprise attack and decapitation operation in Caizhou on a snowy night, pulling Wu Yuanji out of his bed. The Huaixi Rebellion was thus settled, and the whole country was jubilant, as if celebrating the New Year in advance.

When Wang Chengzong, the governor of Chengde, saw this situation, he felt like a soft persimmon and was so scared that he quickly handed in a letter of surrender. He returned Dezhou and Dizhou, which he had previously occupied, to the court and also sent his two sons to Chang'an for further study.

Emperor Li Chun struck while the iron was hot and immediately dealt with Li Shidao of Zibo and Qing. In July 818, Li Shidao was dismissed from all his posts by an imperial edict, and then the army marched on the border. Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Shidao's subordinate Liu Wu simply launched an "internal fight" and killed Li Shidao with a sword. He became the governor of Yicheng Army. The twelve states of Zibo and Qing also returned to the embrace of the court smoothly.

Now, the vassal leaders from all over the country followed suit and lined up to submit petitions to express their infinite loyalty and obedience to the court. Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Li Chun, the ruler who revived the Tang Dynasty after the An-Shi Rebellion, finally made the Tang Dynasty shine again on the stage of history. In the minds of the Tang people at that time, he was highly praised as "a god of military decisions, and no ruler of the revival since ancient times could match him."

However, the good times did not last long. After pacifying Huaixi, Li Chun became a little bit arrogant and gradually became obsessed with the path of cultivating immortality, thinking about immortality every day. As a result, he took too many elixirs, became weird, and his health was getting worse day by day. Finally, in the 15th year of Yuanhe, Li Chun could not escape the trick of fate. He was quietly sent to the west by a group of eunuchs, especially the mastermind named Chen Hongzhi, at the age of 43, in the prime of life. It was a pity!

As soon as Li Chun left, his two successors, Emperor Muzong of Tang and Emperor Jingzong of Tang, were simply "the two free and easy immortals", indulging in eating, drinking and having fun all day long and being indifferent to state affairs.

If they had half the attention to government affairs as Li Chun did, the sun would have risen from the west. Not to mention the social contradictions in the middle and late period of Li Chun's reign, which grew like weeds in spring.