Interesting discussion on the historical background of the establishment of the Sui and Tang dynasties

The Northern Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties was a period of great turning point in Chinese history and great integration into great prosperity. It has had a huge and far-reaching impact on the cultural and historical direction of our country. The establishment of the Sui and Tang Dynasties is also closely related to the special historical process of the Southern and Northern Dynasties period.

First of all, we need to start with the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Northern Wei dynasty was established by the nomadic Xianbei people in northern China, Tuoba Jue was proclaimed emperor in 398, the capital Pingcheng (Datong), known in history as Northern Wei, and by the time of The Northern Wei Emperor Tuoba Tao, the Northern Wei regime gradually unified northern China and formed a political pattern of confrontation with the north and south of The Liu Song Dynasty.

In 493, Emperor Xiaowen Tuobahong moved the capital to Luoyang under the pretext of a southern expedition, and began to sinicize on a large scale, and he also changed his surname to Yuan, and Emperor Xiaowen's sinicization policy greatly promoted ethnic integration. Learning from the advanced Central Plains culture, following the official system of the Southern Dynasty, reforming the land policy, and using a large number of Han officials ensured the steady development of the Northern Wei regime.

However, the Northern Wei regime did not march as vigorously as before to unify the world, but soon declined, for the following reasons: First, the Xianbei nobles were vested interest groups at that time, and the comprehensive Sinicization of the imperial court and the comprehensive cooperation of the Han scholar class, although it would stabilize the rule of the Central Plains, it also violently impacted the interests of the Xianbei old nobles. Among them was the rebellion of Prince Yuan Ke and was executed. Second, emperor Xiaowen died prematurely, and the Sinicization reform of Northern Wei actually began with Emperor Xiaowen's grandmother, Empress Feng, and Emperor Xiaowen's implementation of the Sinicization policy was stronger, more thorough, and more severe, and he was reasonable and powerful, and resolutely cracked down on opponents, but Emperor Xiaowen died six years after he moved the capital, and after his son took the throne, he was far from having the talent of Emperor Xiaowen, and in the rich Central Plains, the Northern Wei regime also began to gradually corrupt. The Three and Six Towns Uprising was a seed that led to the later Sui and Tang dynasties, and it was a very wise move to move the capital to Luoyang from the political landscape of the time. However, when the Northern Wei regime built the capital in Pingcheng, in order to prevent the invasion of the northern nomads (Rouran), six military towns were established, guarded by xianbei noble generals, before moving the capital, their military status and political status were very important, it can be said that they were in the core of the rule, but after the relocation of the capital, the status of the six towns was declining, the six towns as a bitter cold land became the outcasts of the dynasty, the old nobles of the six towns were also far away from the core of the Northern Wei rule, and their living customs still retained the old traditions, and finally the famous six towns uprising broke out. However, the military base of the Northern Wei Dynasty was still in the north, and in the end, in the turmoil and chaos of the six towns, the big waves swept out of the sand, and two tyrants came out: Yuwen Tai and Huaishuo Gao Huan of Wuchuan Town, splitting the Northern Wei Dynasty into Western Wei and Eastern Wei, and later Western Zhou and Northern Qi. The struggle for territory continued until their descendants, eventually ending with the northern Zhou dynasty destroying Northern Qi. (Of course, at this time, the south side was not idle, and Chen Qingzhi, a very famous general of the historical generation, had experienced forty-seven battles, leveled thirty-two cities, and beat Hou Jing of Eastern Wei to the point of blue nose and swollen face.) ）

A look at the brothers of Yuwen Tai, the leading elder brother of Western Wei, can know how the three dynasties of Western Zhou, Sui, and Tang came into being: The Eight Pillars of Western Wei: Yuwen Tai (leading elder brother) Yuanxin (imperial representative, honorary appearance) Li Hu (Li Yuan's grandfather) Li Bi (Li Mi's great-grandfather) Zhao Gui, Yu Jin, Du Guaxin (the most cattle old man in history: Yuwen Yu, Yang Jian's father-in-law, Li Yuan's maternal grandfather), Hou Mo Chen Chong

In addition to Yuwen Tai and Yuan Xin, the Six Pillars each led four generals, the more famous ones including Yuwen Dao (Yuwen Tai's nephew), Yu Wengui, Li Yuan, Yang Zhong (Yang Jian's father), He Lanxiang (Yuwen Tai's nephew), Wei Xiaokuan, and so on

This group was inextricably linked to each other in the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang dynasties, and was called by Mr. Chen Yinke: the Guanlong military aristocratic group, which spanned more than 200 years and produced four dynasties, (Li Yuan and Yang Guang were cousins, and their daughter-in-law was Dou and Yuwen Tai's granddaughter. With the death of Yuwen Tai and the establishment of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, this group was constantly suppressed and purged by the imperial power, but because of its inextricable ties within the group, it can be said that it continued to flourish in the change of dynasties, and it was not until the time of Wu Zetian that the Guanlong nobility gradually collapsed. This group is full of talents, and what it represents does not only refer to these families, but also the representatives of this group, such as the later Han Xiong Han Poultry Tiger Father and Son, Li Mu, Wei Chiyi, Yuwen Shu, Changsun Sheng, Yang Su, and so on.

And another group from Eastern Wei and Northern Qi to the early Tang Dynasty, the Shandong Clique (including parts of present-day Shandong, Hebei, Henan, and other regions), was another important force, and it was also a shining star and heroes, Li Yuan started within the Guanlong clique, while Li Shimin's team was quite a few Shandong cliques, including Wei Chigong, Fang Xuanling, Li Ji, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and later Wei Zheng, etc. This is related to Li Shimin's beginning of his career through Shandong, and Shandong's talents gradually fell under Li Shimin's account, and Li Jiancheng once attacked Li Shimin and said: Most of the People around the King of Qin were Easterners." This is mainly related to the background of the situation at that time, not simply understood as a regional check and balance, the so-called Guanlong group and the Shandong group is only a term summarized by later generations according to the situation at that time, but the concept of region still existed at that time, otherwise there would be no Li Jiancheng's attack on Li Shimin's sentence, the establishment of each dynasty will create a new number of nobles, the so-called situation creates heroes, and through marriage and so on, they have established inextricable ties with each other.