Observing the fall of the typical prodigal Emperor Yang of Sui from the perspective of Laozi’s imperial studies 从老子帝王学看败家典型隋炀帝的覆灭
Laozi’s Tao Te Ching teaches “the art of ruling by the monarch”, setting a benchmark for the wise rulers and foolish rulers of later generations.
Yang Guang, the famous Emperor Yang of Sui in Chinese history, regarded ignorance as his personality and sang the opposite tune of Laozi’s imperial studies.
He relied on the power of the country and wanted to be the greatest emperor in the history. He did perverse things, and as a result, he died and his country was destroyed in just a dozen years, becoming a rare foolish ruler in the history.
I am not afraid of the stupid son of the landlord eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, but I am afraid that he wants to start a business to prove himself.
At the beginning of Yang Guang’s reign, he inherited an extremely rich and powerful empire from his father, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian.
If Yang Guang could be self-disciplined, or mediocre, and not make major mistakes, it is possible to maintain the powerful empire left by his father, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian.
But Yang Guang had great ambitions, outstanding talents, and a high self-esteem. He was eager to establish immortal achievements. Although he did have some extraordinary achievements, he set a negative example in a higher dimension.
So, it became what the historian Ma Duanlin said in "Wenxian Tongkao": "The wealth of the country in ancient and modern times is better than that of the Sui Dynasty. However, the wealth of the Sui Dynasty also made the people exhausted and squandered the national wealth, causing chaos in the country."
Laozi said: "Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish." He also emphasized that the monarch should not do anything to let the people develop independently, and democracy should be quiet to let the people walk on the right path, that is, not toss around, let the people rest, reduce administrative intervention, and let the people toss around.
But Yang Guang was just the opposite. He kept tossing around, setting one big goal after another, abusing the people's power, and rushing forward to realize his arrogant ambitions.
The capital Daxing was not long built by his father, and he went to build the eastern capital Luoyang again, and he was eager to build the Grand Canal on a large scale, which made the people miserable.
Some migrant workers were forced to work non-stop even when their waists were rotting and maggots were growing on their bodies. This was one of the direct triggers for the rebellion of the people.
Laozi said: "The saint has no permanent heart, but takes the heart of the people as his own", and criticized the rulers for living a luxurious life while the people's livelihood was difficult.
Obviously, Yang Guang did not care about the people's opinions and the suffering of the people's livelihood at all. He regarded the people of the world as fuel for heating him.
Under the rule of his father Yang Jian, the Sui Dynasty had heavy taxes, and the country was rich but the people were poor. Yang Guang made it worse, further increasing taxes and carrying out corvée.
During Yang Guang's tenure, various large-scale projects were launched intensively, and the construction period was frequently rushed. The people were conscripted to do hard labor without compensation, and wars were frequently launched, resulting in the suffering of the people.
Even though there were starving people everywhere and the people had reached the point of cannibalism, the official granaries of the Sui Dynasty were under strict orders and would not be opened to release grain.
Later, a very small number of officials disobeyed the order and opened the granaries to release grain to the people, but Yang Guang killed the people who received the grain to survive.
These grain reserves were extremely huge, and it was not until many years after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty that they were slowly eaten up by people.
Lao Tzu said: "Avoid the extreme, avoid extravagance, and avoid excess", and opposed flashy things, emphasizing simplicity and practicality, advocating "for the stomach rather than the eyes", and abandoning external vanity and extravagance.
Yang Guang was very proud of his reputation, so he made a lot of foreign aid, and was willing to spend billions of gold to squander the people's blood and sweat on foreign races.
In order to create a prosperous scene of submission and tribute from all nations, and to satisfy his vanity as a "world leader", he even had to wrap the trees on the street with silk, and all kinds of grand ceremonies were carried out one after another regardless of cost.
Foreign visitors were shocked by the extreme wealth and extravagance of the Sui Dynasty, and at the same time found that some of the people of the Sui Dynasty were even poor and had no clothes to cover their bodies, and saw through Yang Guang's inferiority complex deep in his heart.
Laozi said: "Weapons are ominous tools, not tools for gentlemen, and should only be used when necessary." He also said that when there is "Tao" in the world, war horses are used for farming and economic production, and when there is no "Tao", even pregnant mares go to the battlefield, which has a strong anti-war ideology.
Yang Guang was ambitious and wanted to be the boss in the international arena. He also ignored the fact that "there is no greater disaster than underestimating the enemy" and rashly raised troops and frequently launched foreign wars.
He went on expeditions everywhere, especially in just three years, when the Sui Dynasty conquered Goguryeo three times. Yang Guang, who was defeated again and again, was angry and insisted on recruiting more manpower and financial resources to the front line despite the frequent civil unrest in the country.
He was like a gambler who had lost a lot of money and kept taking out his family's wealth from the bottom of the box and pushing it to the gambling table regardless of everything until it collapsed completely.
Laozi said: "Be simple and honest, be less selfish and have fewer desires", but Yang Guang lived a luxurious life, pursued sensory and material enjoyment without restraint, and at the same time over-expanded and consumed national strength.
He built a large number of palaces and mansions all over the country, just for him to stay when he passed by.
He toured Jiangnan many times, and built a large fleet with a huge team, like a moving city.
Every time they traveled, they spent money like water and were very grand. Wherever they went, local officials would receive them with the utmost luxury. For the people, it was like a locust passing through.
Lao Tzu said: "The noble is based on the humble, and the high is based on the low." He also said: "The reason why the river and the sea can be the king of all valleys is that they are good at being humble, so they can be the king of all valleys. Therefore, if the saint wants to be above the people, he must speak humbly; if he wants to be ahead of the people, he must follow behind."
Many leaders do the opposite. They think that if they are in a high position, they must put on airs and be high above, so that they can look like a boss.
Yang Guang is like this, and he is extreme. He is stubborn and arbitrary, and he kills virtuous ministers and loyal attendants at will.
When his ministers made reasonable suggestions for his policies, he not only did not adopt them, but instead considered them a challenge to his authority. He not only executed the highly respected prime minister Gao Jiong, but also killed Xue Daoheng, who wrote better poems than him, out of jealousy.
When he was in trouble, he promised his subordinates that he would be rewarded if they got out of trouble. When his subordinates risked their lives to help him out, he did not fulfill his promise, until he was deserted by his relatives and friends, lost the support of the people, died, and his country was destroyed, and was despised by the world.
……
The story of Yang Guang has been a vivid negative example for more than a thousand years.
The Tang Dynasty succeeded the Sui Dynasty. Like Yang Guang, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was the second oldest among his brothers. They both used abnormal means to seize the throne from their father and brother, and were burdened with heavy moral shackles.
In the historical book "Zhenguan Zhengyao", it is recorded that Li Shimin was very cautious and took Yang Guang's previous experience as a warning to himself.
Li Shimin advocated the Taoist Huang-Lao school of thought, ruled by inaction, gave the people a rest, opened the way for people to express their opinions, and was good at accepting advice... He thus set a benchmark for ancient governance and became a model emperor throughout history, and the Tang Dynasty also became a peak in Chinese history.
Starting a business is difficult, and maintaining a business is even more difficult. It is better to choose the right path than the right person.
老子《道德经》讲授“君人南面之术”，为后世的英主和昏君树立了标尺。
中国历史上著名的隋炀帝杨广，就是把无知当个性，和老子帝王学唱反调。
他仗着国强权重，妄想做千古一帝，倒行逆施，结果仅十余年就身死国灭，成了千古罕见的无道昏君。
不怕地主家的傻儿子吃喝嫖赌，就怕他想创业证明自己。
杨广即位之初，从他父亲隋文帝杨坚手里，继承了一个极为富强的帝国。
如果杨广能自我戒慎，或平平庸庸，不胡作非为，未必不能将他父亲隋文帝杨坚留下的强大帝国维持下去。
但杨广抱负远大，才华出众，自视极高，渴望建立一番不朽的丰功伟绩，虽然确有一些非凡之功，却在更高的维度上树立了一个反面典型。
于是，就成了史学家马端临在《文献通考》中所说：“古今称国计之富者莫如隋，然隋之富，亦以劳民伤财而致乱。”
老子说：“治大国，若烹小鲜”，还强调要无为自化、清静自正，即不瞎折腾、与民休息，减少行政干预，放手让百姓自己去折腾。
但杨广恰恰相反，他不断地在瞎折腾，设立一个又一个大目标，要滥用民力、狂飙突进，去实现他的狂妄野心。
京城大兴还是他父亲新建不久的，他就又营建东都洛阳，而急于求成地大规模修建大运河，民不聊生。
一些民工长期泡在水中施工，甚至腰以下腐烂长蛆，仍被逼劳作不休，则是逼反百姓的直接导火索之一。
老子说：“圣人无常心，以百姓心为心”，并痛批统治者生活奢侈而民生艰难。
显然，杨广根本不在乎民意、民生疾苦，他把天下人当成了为他取暖用的燃料。
在他父亲杨坚治理下，隋朝就赋税很重，国富民穷，而杨广则变本加厉，进一步加重赋税，大兴徭役。
在杨广任内，各种大型工程密集上马，频赶工期，征发百姓无偿从事苦役，还频繁发动战争，导致生灵涂炭。
即使饿殍遍野，民间已经到了人吃人的地步，隋朝的官方粮仓却在严令之下，就是不开仓放粮。
在极个别官员抗旨，向民众开仓放粮后，杨广却将领取粮食求生的百姓诛杀。
这些粮食储量之巨，直到后来的唐朝建立多年，才慢慢全部吃完。
老子说：“去甚、去奢、去泰”，并反对华而不实的东西，讲究淳朴、踏实，主张“为腹而不为目”，摒弃外在的虚荣和浮华。
而杨广非常好面子，为此大搞对外援助，不惜一掷亿金，将民脂民膏挥霍给异族外邦。
为了塑造一个四夷臣服、万国来朝的盛世景象，满足自己是“世界之君”的虚荣，他连街上的树木都要用丝绸包起来，各种大排场不计成本地连番而上。
外邦来人震惊于隋的极度富裕和铺张浪费，同时也发现隋百姓甚至有的穷得衣不遮体，看破了杨广打肿脸来充胖子的自卑。
老子说：“兵者不祥之器，非君子之器，不得已而用之”，还说天下有道时，战马用于耕田、经济生产，天下无道时，连怀孕的母马都上了战场，具有强烈的反战思想。
杨广好大喜功，既要在国际上充老大，又不顾“祸莫大于轻敌”，轻率兴兵，频繁发动对外战争。
他四处征伐，尤其是在短短的三年间，隋三次征讨高句丽，一败再败的杨广恼羞成怒，不顾国内民变频发，仍执意征发更多的民力和财力投入前线。
他就像一个赌徒，已经输红了眼，不断地把压箱底的家底掏出来，不顾一切地推上赌桌，直到彻底崩盘。
老子说：“见素抱朴，少私寡欲”，而杨广生活奢侈，无节制地追求感官、物质享受，同时过度扩张和消耗国力。
他在全国各地建造海量的离宫别馆，只供他一时路过所居。
他多次巡游江南，要建造大规模的船队，带着庞大的班子，如同一座移动的城市。
他们每次出行都挥金如土、浩浩荡荡。所到之处，地方官员都要极尽奢华地接待，对百姓来说，就像蝗虫过境一样。
老子说：“贵以贱为本，高以下为基”，又说：“江海之所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。是以圣人欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。”
很多领导者是反着来的，他们觉得身在上位，就要摆架子，要高高在上，这样才像个老大的样子。
杨广就是这样，而且极端化。他刚愎自用，独断专行，对贤良大臣和忠直近侍，动辄诛戮。
当大臣们对他的政策提出合理建议时，他不但不采纳，反而认为是对自己权威的挑战。他不但处死了德高望重的宰相高颎，还因嫉妒而杀死诗写得比他好的薛道衡。
在他遇困时，对部属许诺一旦脱困，必予重赏。当部属冒险为他解围，他却不兑现诺言，直至众叛亲离，失尽人心，身死国灭，为天下所唾弃。
……
杨广的故事，已是千年来一部生动的反面教材。
唐朝继隋而起。唐太宗李世民和杨广一样，也是在兄弟之中排行老二，都以非正常手段，从其父、兄那里夺位，背负着沉重的道德枷锁。
在史籍《贞观政要》中，记载了李世民深自戒慎，把杨广的前车之鉴作为自己警钟的言行。
李世民推崇道家黄老之术，无为而治、与民休息，广开言路、善于纳谏……遂有了“贞观之治”，成为古往今来的模范皇帝，而唐朝也成了中国历史的一大巅峰。
创业难，守业更难。选对人，不如选对路。
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