The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Gao Jiong, who was over 60 years old, was dismissed from his posts as Shang Zhuguo and Shangshu Zuo Pushe, which became an important turning point in the history of the Sui Dynasty.

After Gao Jiong retired to the residence of Duke of Qi, he was accused of various crimes and eventually killed. This series of blows also foreshadowed the coming of political turmoil in the Sui Dynasty.

"My father Gao Bin was an official in Northern Qi. He fled to Northern Zhou to avoid the slander of treacherous officials. Dugu Xin, the Grand Marshal of Northern Zhou, recruited him as an assistant and gave him the surname Dugu."

"After he held important posts in the Sui Dynasty, Gao Bin was posthumously awarded the titles of Minister of Rites and Duke of Bohai."

"Born in the third year of Xinghe in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, he was smart and agile when he was young, very generous and broad-minded, read some history books, and was particularly good at poetry."

"When I was a child, there was a willow tree in my home. It was more than a hundred feet tall and lush and upright, like a car hood."

"In the second year of Emperor Ming of Zhou, when Jiong was seventeen years old, he was appointed as a secretary by Prince Yuwen Xian of Qi."

"Soon after, he was promoted to the rank of Lower Official. Because of his contribution to the pacification of Qi, he was appointed as the Chief Minister."

"On May 11, the second year of Zhou Daxiang, Emperor Xuan of Zhou, Yuwen Yun, died of illness. The Jihu of Xizhou rebelled, and Yuwen Sheng, King of Yue, suppressed it."

"In the second year of the Daxiang reign, Yuchi Jiong rebelled and sent his son Yuchi Dun to lead 80,000 infantry and cavalry to station in Wuzhi."

"Yang Jian ordered Wei Xiaokuan to attack the rebels. When the government troops arrived in Heyang, the other armies did not dare to lead the battle."

"Yang Jian saw that the generals had no unified command, so he ordered Cui Zhongfang to supervise the army. Cui Zhongfang declined on the grounds that his father was in Shandong."

"At that time, seeing that Zheng Yi and Liu Fang had no intention of going to the front, he took the initiative to request to go, which was very much in line with Yang Jian's wishes, so Yang Jian sent Gao Jiong to go."

"When they arrived at the military center, they built a bridge over the Qin River. The rebels lowered small boats on fire upstream. They made earthen dogs in advance to resist the fire boats. After crossing the Qin River, they burned the bridge and fought a desperate battle with the rebels, defeating them severely."

"After the Northern Zhou army arrived at Yecheng, Yuchi Jiong gathered all his 13 troops and lined up in the south of the city, ready for a decisive battle."

"Wei Xiaokuan's army was frustrated in its attack and was forced to retreat. He and Yuwen Xin, Li Xun and others planned to shoot the spectators first to cause chaos, and then take advantage of the situation to attack."

"When the soldiers and civilians were shot, they fled in droves, their shouts shaking the heavens."

"Wei Xiaokuan's army regained its morale and took advantage of the chaos to attack and defeated Yuchi Jiong's army. Yuchi Jiong was forced to commit suicide."

"At this point, Yuchi Jiong's army failed after 68 days. The army withdrew and attended the banquet held in Yang Jian's inner room. Yang Jian actually took down the imperial tent to reward him."

"I was promoted to the rank of Pillar of the State, renamed Duke of Yining County, and promoted to Sima of the Prime Minister's Office. My position of trust and reliance has been further enhanced."

"In February of the first year of the Zhou Dynasty, Yang Jian, the prime minister who held all the power in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, abolished the Zhou Dynasty and established the Sui Dynasty, becoming Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty."

"He was appointed Shangshu Zuo Pushe and concurrently Nanyi, and was promoted to Duke of Bohai County. No other minister in the court could compare to him, so much so that Emperor Wen of Sui always called him Dugu instead of calling him by his name."

"I am very careful to avoid positions of power. I have submitted a petition to resign and asked Su Wei to take over."

"Yang Jian wanted to establish his reputation as a man who gave way to talented people, so he agreed to his dismissal from the post of Pushe."

"So he was ordered to be reinstated to his original position, and soon he was appointed General of the Left Guard, with his original title unchanged."

"He often sat under a locust tree to the north of the court to handle government affairs. The head of the court wanted to cut it down, but Yang Jian specifically instructed not to cut it down, and to use it as a warning to future generations. He was valued to such an extent."

"Soon after Emperor Wen of Sui ascended the throne, he was appointed General of the Left Guard, but his original position remained the same."

"My mother passed away, and I asked to leave my job to mourn."

"But only twenty days later, the court ordered him to return to his post to handle government affairs."

"He declined with tears, and Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict not to grant his permission."

"For nearly twenty years thereafter, he assisted Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, and made important contributions to the Sui Dynasty in politics, economy, and military."

Li Shimin: In the first year of Kaihuang, he was ordered to revise the criminal law with Zheng Yi, Yang Su and others. Most of them made deletions and additions based on the "Laws of Northern Qi" to formulate new laws and request their promulgation.

The new laws abolished beheading, crucifixion and flogging, reduced prison sentences, and cancelled some extremely cruel and brutal interrogation methods.

Such as using a big stick, a cane, a wheel spoke, a shoe sole, ankle pressure, etc. The old law was improved to a certain extent.

In the second year of Kaihuang, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, decided to build a new capital in Longshouyuan under the planning and discussion of Su Wei, Gao Jiong and others because the old city of Chang'an had been in ruins after repeated wars since the Han Dynasty.

Emperor Wen of Sui appointed Gao Jiong as the chief eunuch of Xindu to supervise the construction, and the new Chang'an was named Daxing.

The planning and construction of Daxing City were mostly done by him, laying the foundation for the prosperity of Chang'an City in the later Tang Dynasty.

Other administrative, official and other systems were also mostly established under the leadership of Gao Jiong, who considered the pros and cons and established new systems to consolidate the unified situation of the Sui Dynasty.

In the same year, Emperor Xuan of Chen, Chen Xu, passed away. Generals and ministers inside and outside the Sui court discussed taking the opportunity to march south to destroy Chen. However, as the Sui Dynasty had just been established and was not well prepared, it performed rituals but did not mourn.

On February 15, Yang Jian ordered his troops to return to the court. On June 11, Yang Jian sent envoys to the Chen Dynasty to express condolences.

At this time, the military pressure from the Turks in the north was very great, and the Sui Dynasty was unable to look south, so it suspended the use of troops against Chen on the grounds that it was not polite to attack during a mourning period.

In the seventh year of Kaihuang, when Xiao Yan rebelled, Emperor Wen of Sui issued an edict to appease the people in the Jiang and Han areas, and he was very popular there. In November, Yang Jian asked the generals and ministers for a strategy to pacify Chen.

Emperor Wen of Sui followed his advice, and the people of Chen became even poorer.

In the eighth year of Kaihuang, Emperor Wen of Sui established the Huainan Xingtai Province in Shouchun, and appointed Prince of Jin Yang Guang as the Xingtai Shangshu Ling, in charge of the matter of destroying Chen. He concentrated 51.8 naval and land forces and divided them into eight routes to attack Chen.

Gao Jiong was the chief secretary of Marshal Yang Guang, Prince of Jin at the time, and all matters concerning the three armies were decided by him.

In December, the Sui army reached the Yangtze River, and the Sui troops from all directions made rapid progress with unstoppable force.

On January 21st of the ninth year of Kaihuang, after the Sui army captured the Chen Jiankangtai City, Pei Ju and Gao Jiong were ordered to collect the Chen palace's calligraphy and paintings, and obtained more than 800 volumes.

When he entered Jiankang, he saw the secret report of emergency from the front line in Jingkou under Chen Shubao's bed, which had not been opened. Yang Guang, the Prince of Jin, sent an envoy to ask for the imperial concubine Zhang Lihua.

So he ordered the killing of Zhang Lihua in Qingxi, which made Yang Guang very unhappy.

In the ninth year of Kaihuang, after the army returned to the capital after pacifying Chen, he was awarded the title of Shangzhuguo for his merits, and was promoted to the title of Duke of Qi. He was rewarded with 9,000 pieces of cloth and his fief was set at 1,500 households in Qiancheng County.

In April of the tenth year of Kaihuang, Shangshu Dushi Jiang Ye and Chuzhou Xing Canjun Li Juncai both submitted memorials requesting his dethronement.

Both of them were offended and lost their jobs. Yang Jian treated them even better. Yang Jian toured Bingzhou and stayed in the capital.

When Yang Jian returned to the capital, he was rewarded with 5,000 pieces of silk and a temporary palace, which he allowed to use as his farmhouse.

His wife, Heba, was ill, and Emperor Wen of Sui sent people to visit her. At the same time, there was an endless stream of people who came to visit her.

Yang Jian also went to his mansion in person and rewarded him with one million coins, ten thousand pieces of cloth, and a thousand-mile horse.

In the twelfth year of Kaihuang, Su Wei, the right minister of the Shangshu, was dismissed from office due to factional disputes, and more than a hundred well-known people were offended.

Later, Emperor Wen of Sui appointed Yang Su, Duke of Yue, as Shangshu You Pushe, and he shared the government with Gao Jiong.

In March of the 15th year of Kaihuang, Renshou Palace was completed.

Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, first ordered an inspection and reported to the emperor that the Renshou Palace was too luxurious and that many people were lost during its construction.

"In February of the 18th year of Kaihuang, Goguryeo King Gao Yuan led more than 10,000 people to invade Liaoxi, but was defeated and fled by Yingzhou Governor Wei Chong." "When Emperor Wen of Sui heard about it, he was furious, so in the same month, he appointed Han Wang Yang Liang and Wang Shiji as marching marshals and sent 300,000 land and sea troops to attack Goguryeo."

"He also appointed Shangshu Zuo Pushe Gao Zuo as the chief secretary of the King of Han and Zhou Luohou as the chief of the navy to coordinate the operations."

"On September 21, both routes returned without success, with eight out of ten dead. The Sui army suffered heavy losses and was severely weakened."

"Gao Yuan was also afraid of the powerful state power of the Sui Dynasty, so he sent an envoy to apologize, and then Yang Jian withdrew his troops and treated Goryeo as before."

"In February of the 19th year of Kaihuang, Dulan Khan and Datou Khan formed an alliance and attacked Tuli Khan together. A fierce battle took place under the Great Wall. Tuli Khan was defeated and fled to the Sui Dynasty."

"On April 2, Tuli arrived in Chang'an, and Yang Jian treated him well."

"Tuli reported to Dulan Khan that he was making siege weapons and preparing to attack Datong City."

"Emperor Wen of Sui ordered Yang Liang, the Prince of Han, to be the marshal and march out of Shuozhou, Yang Su, the right servant of the Shangshu, to march out of Lingzhou, and Yan Rong, the Shangzhuguo, to march out of Youzhou, and they attacked the Turks from three directions."

"He ordered General Zhao Zhongqing to lead 3,000 soldiers as the vanguard to advance to Zuli Mountain, where they encountered the Turks. After seven days of continuous fighting, they were defeated.

"The Sui army continued to pursue the Turks until they reached Qifubo, where they again defeated the Turks, capturing more than a thousand people and tens of thousands of livestock."

"At this time, Dulan Khan personally led a large army to rush over and surrounded the Sui army."

"Zhao Zhongqing formed his troops into a square formation and resisted the attack from all sides. After holding out for five days, he led a large army to the Turkic stronghold and defeated them. Dulan Khan fled and was later killed by his own men."

"Lead the army to pursue across the Baidao, cross the Qinshan Mountains for more than 700 miles, and then return to the army."

"When preparing to chase across Baidao, he asked Yang Jian for reinforcements. Some ministers thought Gao Jiong was planning a rebellion, but Yang Jian did not respond. Soon he returned victorious."

"Yang Su also led the army to defeat the Turks. Datou Khan fled with serious injuries, and his people suffered countless casualties."

"At that time, Crown Prince Yang Yong fell out of favor with Emperor Wen of Sui, who privately intended to depose the crown prince."

"Empress Dugu knew that Zhi could not be taken away, so she wanted to get rid of him secretly."

"It just so happens that the court is discussing the attack on Liaodong, so I strongly advise against it."

"Emperor Wen of Sui refused to follow him and appointed him as the chief secretary of the Marshal. He followed the Prince of Han, Yang Liang, to conquer Liaodong. However, he encountered long rains and diseases and returned home unfavorably."

"Yang Jian handed over all military power to Gao Jiong because the King of Han was young."

"Because Yang Jian had high hopes for him, he was always concerned about state affairs and had no intention of doubting himself or avoiding suspicion."

"He did not accept most of what Han Wang Yang Liang said, so Han Wang hated him very much."

"Soon after, the Grand Secretary Wang Shiji was executed for his crimes. During the interrogation, Wang Shiji mentioned that he had heard about the affairs of the palace from Gao Jiong."

"Emperor Wen of Sui was shocked when he heard this and wanted to convict him."

"At that time, the Grand Secretary He Ruobi, the General Manager of Wuzhou Yuwenbi, the Minister of Punishment Xue Zhou, the Minister of Civil Affairs Hulu Xiaoqing, the Minister of War Liu Shu and others all proved their innocence."

"Emperor Wen of Sui became even more angry and handed those who had defended themselves over to law enforcement officials for punishment."

"From then on, no minister in the court dared to speak."

"He was dismissed from office and returned to his own palace as a duke. He was later dismissed again."

"In the fourth year of Renshou, Emperor Wen of Sui died. After Yang Guang ascended the throne, he was appointed as the Minister of Rites."

"At that time, an imperial decree was issued to gather the musicians of the Northern Zhou and Northern Qi dynasties and the scattered music of the whole country, and to report to the emperor to stop it."

"Yang Guang was unhappy. At that time, Yang Guang was very extravagant and extravagant, and he even initiated labor to build the Great Wall."

"In July of the third year of Daye, someone made a slanderous accusation to Emperor Yang of Sui. Yang Guang issued an edict to execute Gao Jiong, He Ruobi, Yuwen Bi and others for slandering the government. He died at the age of 66."

Su Shi: Gao Jiong's fall from power was not an accident, but the result of Emperor Wen of Sui's deep suspicion.

In his early years, Gao Jiong's political enemies repeatedly tried to push him into the abyss of sin by slandering him and spreading rumors.

However, Gao Jiong remained firmly in the position of prime minister thanks to his outstanding talents and upright character.

However, this time, the development of things was beyond the expectations of many people, and Emperor Wen of Sui finally began to distrust him.

One of the reasons was that Gao Jiong's actions in the war were maliciously interpreted as treason. When dealing with Wang Shiji's case of treason, Gao Jiong was implicated, making it difficult for him to escape the fate of being dismissed from his position as prime minister.

The political decline of the Sui Dynasty did not actually begin with the superficial dispute over the crown prince, but rather stemmed from a deep internal power game.

As a founding father, Gao Jiong's political stance, life and death, honor and disgrace were closely tied to the development of the Sui Dynasty.

His upright attitude undoubtedly made Yang Su, who was well versed in political schemes and insidious and cunning, feel uneasy.

In particular, the failure of Sui Crown Prince Yang Yong was closely related to Gao Jiong's dismissal, paving the way for Yang Guang to usurp the throne.

In the later period of Emperor Wen of Sui's reign, Crown Prince Yang Yong gradually fell out of favor. This was not entirely due to his personal problems, but rather to the increasingly intensified power struggle within the ruling group.

Empress Dugu played a crucial role in the process of deposing Yang Yong and enthroning Yang Guang.

The relationship between Gao Jiong and Yang Yong caused Emperor Wen of Sui and his wife to begin to doubt him.

Gao Jiong always adhered to the principle of governing the country with benevolence and righteousness, and was unwilling to favor any party for personal gain. Although this position demonstrated his fairness, it also became the fuse for his failure in the future.

Not only that, the relationship between Gao Jiong and Empress Dugu also became seriously strained due to some trivial details.

Once, Empress Dugu learned that Gao Jiong had rejected Emperor Wen of Sui's intention to remarry, but in fact it was because of Gao Jiong's favorite concubine. This behavior was regarded as disloyalty to the emperor, and a battle without gunpowder quietly escalated.

In addition, Gao Jiong also spoke frankly to Emperor Wen of Sui on strategic issues. Even during his mother's mourning, the court forced him to return to work to handle government affairs.

But as time went on, Emperor Wen of Sui became more suspicious and his trust in the important officials around him weakened.

Gao Jiong, who had made many outstanding military achievements, was eventually caught up in a political storm and dismissed because he could not gain the emperor's trust.

After its end, the Sui Dynasty quickly entered a period of decline.

After Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne, political corruption and public resentment arose, causing the entire dynasty to rapidly go to its doom at an exponential rate.

Faced with the change of the throne and political turmoil, Gao Jiong's dismissal was undoubtedly the key link that triggered this series of major changes.

However, Gao Jiong in history was undoubtedly a model of diligence and love for the people. His contributions to the early Sui Dynasty and his honest and upright qualities are still widely praised by people today.

Although the history of the Sui Dynasty was short and glorious, it was also filled with power struggles and political betrayal.

The dismissal of Gao Jiong not only revealed the suspicious side of Emperor Wen of Sui, but also revealed the inevitability of the Sui Dynasty's decline.

Gao Jiong did not change his original intention because of the turbulent situation in the court. He wrote a chapter of loyalty and integrity throughout his life. (End of this chapter)