Peace Prevails When The Virtuous Govern, Chaos Follows When The Unethical Rule (2 of 2)
 
Li Linfu was jealous of capable and wise officials. After he took power, he banded together with clandestine groups to cast aside dissidents, and framed good people. Although he was good at flattery, deep down, he was deceitful and malicious. This is the origin of the Chinese proverb "mouth full of honey, a sword hidden in the belly." He stifled criticism and suggestions. One time, he threatened the officials and said, "You've all seen the horses that we use for ceremonies and rites. As long as you just do as you're told, then you will be fed and paid adequately. Those who complain will be eliminated immediately. By then it would be too late to regret."
 
Yang Guozhong took power after Li Linfu died from illness, and the socio-political environment became even darker. Tang Xuanzong favored concubine Yang Yuhuan. He was reluctant to attend state affairs. Instead, he enjoyed a luxurious and decadent lifestyle. Yang Guozhong was Yang Yuhuan's brother. His power and influence was unrivaled. Other than being the prime minister, he held forty-some other positions. The Yang family’s status and fortunes rapidly advanced.
 
Yang Guozhong singlehandedly deceived the public and created chaos in the royal court. One time, a rainstorm caused a lot of damage. When Xuanzong inquired about the situation, Yang Guozhong brought a big crop seedling and showed it to Xuanzong, and said that the powerful rainstorm did not cause any damage to the harvest. Some lower ranking officials reported the damage situation and asked for help. Yang Guozhong became extremely angry, dismissed them from their jobs, and severely punished them. Later on, no one dared to speak the truth. He formed cliques, was very corrupt, and took bribes. He did all kinds of villainous acts.
 
As the social unrest intensified, warlord An Lushan and Shi Siming started the "An Shi Rebellion" and dispatched troops to rise up against the Tang Dynasty in 755 AD. Because many of the Tang generals were overbearing and domineering, the troops had very low morale. They did not fight much and ran away. The rebel army quickly swept over a large region and was forging toward the Big East Gate of the capital until it reached Tongguan (a strategic point, the gateway between Northwest and Central China). There was no one in the royal court that could defend the capital. Xuanzhong had to summon a retired old general, Ge Shuhan, who was loyal and upright. At the very last minute, he put together a troop of 200,000 soldiers to guard Tongguan.
 
Ge Shuhan reported to the Emperor: "An Lushan is not well-liked by the people. As long as we persevere in guarding the city wall and moat, there will eventually be conflicts amongst themselves. We should wait until their strength is weakened, then dispatch our troops to attack them. This will assure our victory. If we dispatch our troops now, we will be ambushed." At the same time, generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, from as far as Hebei Province, also reported to the Emperor: "Tongguan is a strategic point, we must guard it with perseverance. Do not attack now and wait for the reinforcements to arrive. Then we will win once we strike." However, Yang Guozhong was jealous of the power Ge Shuhan had, and was afraid that he might be a threat to him in the future. Therefore, Yang Guozhong kept urging Tang Xuanzhong to dispatch Ge Shuhan's troops. Tang Xuanzhong believed Yang Guozhong's words and ordered Ge Shuhan several times to dispatch the troops. Ge Shuhan had no choice but to lead the army beyond the wall to attack the enemy. Sure enough, the Tang army was ambushed and lost the battle. Ge Shuhan was captured. He refused to surrender and was killed by An Lushan. Tongguan fell into the hands of the enemy.
 
In a panic, Tang Xuanzong escaped to Sichuan Province. On the way to Sichuan, the imperial guards began a mutiny and requested Tang Xuanzong to immediately execute Yang Guozhong and Yang Yuhuan as an apology to the country. Tang Xuanzong, reluctantly, ordered the execution of the Yang siblings in 756 AD. By that time, the Tang Dynasty was in decline and there was constant war and chaos. Therefore, people could not live in peace.
 
Looking at the historical relationship between the use of virtuous officials and stability to a nation, we can conclude that regardless of the political situation, when the Emperor relies on officials who lack virtue and act recklessly, when he associates with fiends and alienates himself from the wise, what awaits him is self-destruction. Those who do not have virtue will bring tribulations upon themselves. One should learn from history and others that only when one cultivates oneself can one be clear-headed, know right from wrong, and do good deeds. Furthermore, one should not collaborate with corrupt forces, and give villains an opportunity to do whatever they wish. This way, the nation's political system will not be obstructed, people will have peace and live in prosperity, and the nation's leader will be praised by future generations.
 

得贤则安　失贤则乱 (下)
 
李林甫掌权之后，嫉贤妒能，广结私党，排斥异己，陷害好人。他嘴里说的话很好听，但心里却阴险毒辣，成语「口蜜腹剑」即源于此。他堵塞言路，一次，他恐吓众官说：「你们见过平时作仪仗用的马匹吧？只要乖乖按令行事，可以吃到三品料食，待遇够高吧，一旦有嘶鸣的，马上就被淘汰，到时后悔就来不及了。」
 
李林甫病死后，又是杨国忠掌权，致使社会政治更加黑暗。唐玄宗宠幸贵妃杨玉环，倦怠朝政，过著奢侈腐化的生活。杨国忠是杨贵妃之兄，他权势无人能比，当了宰相并兼四十余职务，杨氏一族开始飞黄腾达。
 
杨国忠一手遮天，朝政混乱。在暴雨造成灾害时，玄宗询问灾情，杨国忠却找了一个大个的禾苗给玄宗看，说雨大但没有影响收成。下边有的官员报告灾情，请求救助，他大发雷霆，免其官职，令对其严惩，后来没人再敢说真话。他拉帮结派，贪污纳贿，坏事做绝。
 
随着各种社会矛盾的激化，军阀安禄山和史思明发动了「安史之乱」，起兵反唐。因唐军很多将领骄横跋扈，军队毫无士气，不战而逃，叛军很快席卷了大片地区，直逼京城「东大门」──潼关。朝中无人迎敌，玄宗只好起用已告老还乡的正直忠勇的老将军哥舒翰，统领临时拼凑的二十万大军去前线镇守潼关。
 
哥舒翰上奏皇帝说：「安禄山不得人心，只要我们坚守城池，他们内部就会发生矛盾争斗，等他们力量减弱，我们再出兵征讨，定能获胜。现在出兵定中埋伏。」当时远在河北的郭子仪、李光弼也上书给皇帝：「潼关天险，足以坚守，不可出击，待援军到达，一举可破。」可是杨国忠妒嫉哥舒翰权重，怕其将来对自己不利，一再撺掇唐玄宗让哥舒翰出兵，唐玄宗听信杨国忠，接二连三下旨令哥舒翰出兵。哥舒翰只得率军出关迎敌，果然中了埋伏，唐军大败。哥舒翰被抓，因誓死不降叛军，被安禄山杀害，潼关失守。
 
唐玄宗仓惶逃往四川，途中禁卫军将士发动兵变，要求唐玄宗立即将杨国忠、杨玉环正法，以向天下谢罪，唐玄宗无奈，只得杀了杨氏兄妹。而这时唐朝已经衰落，战乱不断，民不聊生了。
 
纵观贤才得失与国家安危的历史，不管任何时局，只要他以才自恃，缺德妄行，亲小人而远贤人，等待他们的只会是自取灭亡，因为无德乃人之大患。以史为鉴，以人为鉴，只有注重修身，才能保持清醒的头脑，明辨是非，择善而从，不与恶势力同流合污，不给坏人任何市场，才能政通民和、为民造福，为后世称颂。