Li Kuo the Emperor Dezong of Tang — Monarch of Self-Contradiction

Li Kuo (742 — 805), Emperor Dezong of Tang, was born and raised during one of the most prosperous eras in Chinese history.

When Li Kuo was a teenager, the turning point of the Tang Dynasty occurred with the outburst of the destructive An-Shi Rebellion (755 — 763).

It took away over 35 million lives and largely declined the empire.

Li Kuo fought in the army and spent most of his life ambitiously trying to recover the great kingdom he had seen during his childhood; however, he failed.

After he realized that he could never make that dream come true, Li Kuo changed into a completely different person.

Golden Dragons (Zou Long) that used as Ritual Implements of Taoism Religion Ceremony in the Tang Dynasty — Shaanxi History Museum (Photo by Dongmaiying)

A Carefree Prince and the Devastating An-Shi Rebellion

Li Kuo was the first great-grandson of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the monarch who brought one of the most flourishing eras in Chinese history, the Great Reign of Kaiyuan.

As a legit heir to the empire, Li Kuo was well-educated, showed great talent in literature, poems, calligraphy, and medicine, and lived a wealthy, carefree life.

Unfortunately, when he was 13, the An-Shi Rebellion happened.

An-Shi refers to two generals, An Lushan and Shi Siming, who led independent troops totaling over 200,000 well-trained, professional warriors stationed on the borders of the Tang Empire.

The Draft to Memorize Heroically Sacrificed Yan Jiming (Ji Zhi Wen Gao) that Recorded Brave Soldiers of Tang and the Intense Fights in the An-Shi Rebellion, By Great General and Extraordinary Calligrapher Yan Zhenqing — Taipei Palace Museum

On the other side, most Tang people had lived in peace for generations and couldn't believe a massive war was about to come.

Many cities of Tang that the rebel army had attacked in the first round fell into the rebel army's control since their governors either surrendered or escaped.

Besides, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's series of wrong commands caused the Tang army to lose.

Afterward, Emperor Xuanzong took his favorite woman, Lady Yang, escaped from the capital city, and went to a safer place in southwest China.

Capital Chang An City of the Tang Dynasty

Restored Picture of Part of the Chang An City of the Tang Dynasty

Fierce Battles Against Rebellion Armies

Sadly, Li Kuo's beloved mother didn't make it to escape with other royals and was lost in that chaos.

His grandfather and father didn't follow Emperor Xuanzong; they decided to stay close to the battlefields and command Tang's army to fight back.

Li Kuo had participated on the battlefield with his father and later was nominated as the chief commander of the Tang's army.

With the assistance of intelligent, brave, and loyal generals, soldiers, and courageous civilians of Tang, his father finally led Tang's army to defeat the rebellion troops after eight years of arduous wars.

However, he never found his mother; no one knew how and where she ended up, though Li Kuo spent his whole life trying to find her.

Silver Hairpin (Chai) of the Tang Dynasty — Shaanxi History Museum (Photo by Dongmaiying)

Efforts to Recover Prosperity of the Tang Empire

A decade later, Li Kuo ascended to the throne after his grandfather and father passed away.

In the first 13 years of his life, as the heir of the Tang Empire, he had a complete image of what a great, prosperous empire should look like.

Hence, he did his best, trying to recover the glorious kingdom that lives in his memory.

He was diligent and frugal and respected General Guo Ziyi as the most honorable minister.

Seeing what his father’s eunuchs had done to Guo Ziyi and other loyal people before, Li Kuo tried his best to limit the eunuch’s power and nominated many talented officials.

Under his governance, taxes were simplified and lowered, and the economy and agriculture were encouraged and gradually recovered.

Unearthed Food (Dumplings and Desserts) and Utensils from the Tang Dynasty — National Museum of China (Photo by Kanjianji)

Half-Independent Military Forces that Were Hard to Control

However, the consequences of the An-Shi Rebellion were still severe.

Besides the dramatic decline of population and economy, many nearby nomadic regimes also found it an excellent opportunity to attack and take advantage of the Tang Empire.

Moreover, during that war, many loyal generals expanded their armies and contributed a lot to defeat the rebel troops. At the same time, however, they also occupied plenty of independent power when the central government was weak.

After the war, they were still loyal to the royal family and the Tang Empire; but those newly empowered warlords didn’t want to lose authority either.

Those former counties of Tang now became half-independent, local military forces, which posed a severe problem for the later emperors of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Kuo’s father, Emperor Daizong of Tang, was the chief commander who led Tang’s army to fight for a long time; most generals and warlords were very loyal to him; meanwhile, he kept those generals’ powers and privileges in return.

After his father and those contributive generals passed away, Li Kuo refused hereditary within those local forces and planned to take back control over the military, like things used to be before the An-Shi Rebellion.

Therefore, the conflict between Emperor Li Kuo and those powerful warlords or their descendants became severe and obvious.

Remarkable and loyal generals like Guo Ziyi were not common. Most people were still ordinary and simple; they would fight for their country, but they also sought more power and privileges based on their contributions.

As long as one had tasted power, it was tough to let go.

Unearthed Gilding Silver Wine Cup (Yu Shang) of the Tang Dynasty

Gilding Silver Wine Cup (Yu Shang) of the Tang Dynasty — Shaanxi History Museum (Photo by Dongmaiying)

Emperor's Effort, Struggle, and Failure

During the first few years, after Emperor Li Kuo disagreed with the succession system within those local military forces, he commanded loyal generals to attack those who disobeyed.

In the meantime, he also needed to protect his kingdom from nearby nomadic regimes.

For a while, he almost succeeded.

However, years later, an army initiated a coup because they were treated unfairly; then, a sly opportunist made it expand into a big rebel war against the emperor.

Li Kuo then escaped from the capital city in a hurry.

It lasted for months until Li Kuo published a famous self-criticism article saying that he was wrong and was responsible for all the wars and chaos in his empire, and he claimed that surrendered people would be pardoned.

Painted Pottery Horse of the Tang Dynasty — Luoyang Museum (Photo by Dongmaiying)

Afterward, most rebel armies stopped fighting and surrendered, and those invasive nomadic troops were successfully defeated.

An important reason was that Tang's former emperors brought people stable and wealthy lives for a long time; therefore, most civilians and soldiers strongly believed in Tang.

Moreover, at that time, those warlords only wanted more power, not the title of a traitor, nor to overthrow Tang's reign.

A few months later, after the only rebel army that resisted surrender was defeated, Li Kuo was welcomed back to the capital city.

The Tang Empire finally stabilized with a central government surrounded by powerful warlords and local military forces.

Tri-coloured Glazed Pottery Plate (Tang San Cai) of the Tang Dynasty — Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (Photo by Dongmaiying)

Significant Changes and Self-Contradictory Policies

After that significant rebellion, Emperor Li Kuo underwent significant changes and implemented a series of self-contradictory policies.

Initially, he tried his best to suppress eunuchs and those independent warlords.

But afterward, he became suspicious of officials in his government and started to trust eunuchs close to him, especially those who risked their lives to protect him during his escaping journeys in wars.

Afterward, Li Kuo assigned eunuchs as the chief commanders of his imperial guards and officially awarded the eunuch group with military power until the end of the Tang Dynasty.

He also allowed the existence and legality of more power to those warlords he tried to weaken before.

Legacy and Hope Left by Li Kuo to His Grandson

When everything was stable, the Tang army defeated the big invasion of some nomadic regimes' alliance, severely weakening the Tibetan Empire (Tubo), which pursued peace with the Tang for good.

Li Kuo also implemented another widely criticized policy in his late years, in which he tried everything possible to collect money for the exchequer.

Maybe after long-term fights and frustrations, only close eunuchs and assets could give him some sense of security.

Maybe he secretly prepared a strong asset for his beloved grandson Li Chun: plenty of money and a substantial troop that only listens to the emperor.

Surprisingly, though Li Kuo had been occupied his entire life, he was an excellent calligrapher and poet who left many outstanding masterpieces.

Moreover, he even wrote a medical book introducing hundreds of prescriptions, which was quite impressive for a hectic emperor.

Unearthed Jade Cup Carved with Lonicera Japonica Pattern

Jade Cup Carved with Lonicera Japonica Pattern of the Tang Dynasty — Shaanxi History Museum (Photo by Dongmaiying)

Ambition and Controversy of Emperor Li Kuo

His choices were not difficult to understand based on Li Kuo's personal experiences and the cruel but realistic conditions.

After witnessing the destructive war and the profound decline of his empire, and losing his mother during his teenage years, Li Kuo dedicated much of his life to battling and attempting to restore the prosperous Tang Empire from his memories.

However, in the end, he found himself compelled to negotiate and apologize to rebel generals, making compromises he had been reluctant to accept.

However, the devastation wrought by the An-Shi Rebellion on the empire was profoundly influential, serving as the primary cause of Li Kuo's sadness and contradictions throughout his life.

Therefore, in the end, he had to give up on his ambitious dream since childhood.

Inscriptions on Mount Tai, Written by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang

Inscriptions on Mount Tai, Written by Li Kuo's Great-grandfather Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to Memorize the Grand Fengshan (the most significant and honorable sacrificial rite in ancient Chinese history) Ceremony (the Gold Characters on the Right) and his Great Reign.

Next Story: Successful Eliminator of Warlords & Emperor With No Queen — Li Chun