Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 1 Foreword: The First Emperor of Eternity

Li Shimin can be called an emperor through the ages for his martial arts, martial arts, magnanimity, and great achievements.

At the age of 16, he tried his best to be a good king; then he assisted his father in defeating the heroes and won the throne;Because of that self-confidence, that experience, and that manly passion, he splashed blood on the Xuanwu Gate, killed his brother and brother, and then forced his father to abdicate; He worked hard to govern, was more diligent than any king, and knew how to love the people better than any king, but what made the kings ashamed the most was Li Shimin's wisdom of accepting advice and putting people first.

In this way, he finally opened up a vast territory beyond the previous dynasties, and created an unprecedented "Zhenguan Prosperity", making our oriental country the most powerful, most advanced, and most worshiped empire in the world at that time.

However, when we say that the emperor is great, it does not mean that what he did satisfies us today, that he complies with our moral standards, values, etc., etc.But just to say that in terms of the development of the country and the happiness of the people at that time, among those who could be emperor at that time, only he did the best, the best, and the most wise. , will not be as good as him!
The emergence of emperors is the result of the law of the jungle. The social attributes of human beings make human beings externally the spirits of all things, and internally produce an absurd holy spirit, which is the emperor. "Under the whole world, is it the king's land; on the shore of the land, is it the king's minister",
The biggest difference between the emperor and the people lies in his supreme power and unparalleled possession. The greatness and insignificance of the emperor lie in his attitude towards his own power and possession.A great emperor deserves praise precisely because he can distribute power and possessions to his subjects.Past history tells us: the less power and possessions the emperor himself leaves behind, the greater he is.The reverse is also true.

Man is a kind of animal. The reason why man is different from other animals is that man has his own characteristics, which is human nature.Since human beings with human nature are a kind of animals, human beings cannot get rid of their animal nature.The difference between human nature and animal nature lies in human civilization, which includes many meanings, the most fundamental of which is the recognition of "reason".Animals have no "reason" at all, and all problems are solved by force.Therefore, whether to believe in reason or force, this is the most fundamental difference between human nature and animal nature.

Believing in truth comes from broad-mindedness, and broad-mindedness is guided by broad vision.A person can only have a broad mind if he has a broad vision.Human vision is the result of human experience and knowledge, and is closely related to the political, economic, cultural, and technological development of human society.With this point of view, we will not be demanding, all kinds of ridiculous, even hateful things under the imperial power politics.We will see the greatness of Li Shimin, because under the unconstrained imperial politics, although he believes in force, he can also believe in truth as much as possible.This is where he deserves the admiration of future generations, and it is also where his value as an emperor through the ages lies.

Yang Xuewu

Beijing, January 2008, 2
(End of this chapter)