The Anshi Rebellion broke out, and in June of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (756), the general Ofe Shuhan of Zhenshou Tongguan was forced by Yang Guozhong to send troops to rebel, but the result was a great defeat, Tongguan fell, Chang'an was shaken, And Emperor Xuanzong fled to Chengdu with his crown prince and favored concubine Canghuang, passing through Ma Songyi (in present-day xingping County, Shaanxi), where the soldiers mutinied and killed Yang Guozhong and forced Emperor Xuanzong to kill Yang Guifei. The people of Ma Song blocked Xuanzong's request to stay, but Xuanzong did not comply. The crown prince Li Heng stayed, and immediately went to Lingwu (present-day southwest of Lingwu, Ningxia), where shuofang jiedu was located, and took the throne on the twelfth day of the seventh lunar month of the same year, honoring Emperor Xuanzong as emperor Taishang, changing yuan to de, at the age of forty-six, for Emperor Suzong. Before he ascended the throne, did Tang Xuanzong explicitly edict or directive, and how could he directly take the throne without the old emperor's death/explicit Zen edict? How do orthodox official history books give a reasonable explanation for this behavior?
In the later period of Tang Xuanzong's reign, the power of various methods of moderation was too great, not only had military power, but also gathered administrative, financial power, and human rights into one, becoming a divided force that could challenge the central government. Although there is no name for the division of seals, there is the reality of the division of seals. Among the many emissaries, especially An Lushan's power was the largest and strongest. In this context, the "Anshi Rebellion" broke out, and the ill-prepared Li Tang government was killed by the rebels Lian Kelianjie all the way to the capital Chang'an. When Tang Xuanzong Li Longji saw that the form was not good, he smeared oil on the soles of his feet and retreated first, and fled to Sichuan. pity! The life of exile was tragic, and when he reached Ma Songyi, the crown prince Li Heng joined forces with Chen Xuanli and others to launch the "Ma Song Revolution". Not only that, Tang Xuanzong was forced to issue the "Edict of Guilt" in front of Wenwu and all the soldiers, and confess all his crimes.
Although Lingwu's ascension to the throne was an illegal usurpation, it was of great significance to the Tang Dynasty. After An Lushan's rebellion, the government and the public were full of disappointment in Tang Xuanzong's fainting, and it was he who gradually promoted An Lushan's rebellion, and it was precisely because of his faintness that led to the fall of Chang'an. At this time, An Lushan was in full swing, the two capitals had already fallen, and if there were a few more feudal officials to surrender, Datang basically announced reimbursement. At the crucial time, Tang Xuanzong did not actively organize resistance, but fled to Sichuan at the first time, which undoubtedly made the situation worse and stabbed him hard. When Li Heng ascended the throne, he could just declare to the world that the dimwittedness of the Tang Dynasty had become history, and a new core force had been born, and this core force was on the front line, leading the people of the whole country to fight a decisive battle against the rebels with the conviction of victory. It is conceivable that Lingwu's ascension to the throne gave the wavering ministers a reassurance pill and also deeply hit the morale of the rebels. From this point of view, Li Heng took the throne in a coup and did a good job! Although the father-son relationship has been lost, it has completely fulfilled the great righteousness of the country!
Li Longji was not satisfied, so he deliberately issued an order to let the princes also lead the world. Isn't that decentralization? Isn't this to beware of Li Heng? It was his order that led to the later Yongwang incident, which led to infighting between Li Heng and Yongwang, and also affected Li Bai. Therefore, Li Longji was forced to accept it, and he also created trouble for Li Heng.