The Greatest Emperor of China
Who is the greatest emperor of China. One of them seems to be Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty.
Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty (598 – 649), personal name Li Shimin (Ri Seimin in Japanese), was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. As he encouraged his father, Li Yuan (later Emperor Gaozu) to rise against Sui Dynasty rule at Taiyuan in 617 and subsequently defeated several of his most important rivals, he was ceremonially regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty along with Emperor Gaozu.[10]According to a Chinese history book on the era of Tang, during his reign Chinese households did not lock the door of their houses as there were no thieves and Chinese travelers did not carry foods because they were provided meals for for free on their way to destinations.
He is typically considered as one of the (if not the) greatest emperors in Chinese history. Throughout the rest of Chinese history, Emperor Taizong's reign was regarded as the exemplary model against which all other emperors were measured, and his "Reign of Zhenguan" (Jyogan-no-ji in Japanese) was considered a golden age of Chinese history and required study for future crown princes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Taizong_of_Tang
It is said that Emperor Taizong listened to his subjects very carefully and intently.
Especially he recruited a politician who had advised Taizong's older brother to kill Taizong, who was then called Li Shimin, due to a dangerous ambition of Li Shimin. At the time Li Shimin's older brother was the crown princess, but he was not well qualified for a future emperor and was afraid that his younger brother Li Shimin would take his position sooner or later. So, following the advice from the politician the crown princess and his youngest brother planed to kill Li Shimin. But Li Shimin acted more quickly to kill his older brother and younger brother and succeed in inheriting the throne. But, after Li Shimin became emperor Taizong, he promoted the politician to a higher position. And the Emperor asked this man, who had been once an enemy, to frankly criticize his governance and make remarks on his administration. No matter how severely Emperor Taizon was offerred criticism to, he never got angry.
Later scholars compiled a book about questions and answers or dialogues between Emperor Taizon and his subjects. The book is called "Zhenguan zheng yao (Joganseiyo in Japanese)."
In this book, an episode the Emperor told is introduced.
Emperor Taizon loved to practice art of archery. One day he got scores of nice bows. So, the Emperor showed them to an artisan of bows. But the artisan said to the Emperor, "These bows are all not good; all the cores of the woods used for the bows are not straight. And their veins are at random." Then the Emperor Taizon realized that he did not yet understand the secrets of art of archery, though he had been engaged in war using many vows by himself. Since he did not have an enough insight into familiar bows, he did not grasp key points of politics and governance. Accordingly the Emperor asked high-ranking officials of his court to be on night duty, so that the Emperor could consult them and ask them for advice at any time or even at night.
"Zhenguan zheng yao" was introduced into Japan in the eighth or ninth century. Since then, notable Japanese rulers and politicians read this book regularly or occasionally. For example, those Japanese leaders include Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the last samurai regime of Japan which began in 1603, and the Emperor Meiji who took over power from the Tokugawa shogun in 1868.
However, Emperor Taizon had to kill his two brothers to ascend the throne. Though this incident made the Emperor feel pain afterwards, the background power struggle in past Chinese dynasties in general looked always so cruel. But the great achievement of Emperor Taizon and the glory of Tang Dynasty might justify such an bloody act, since China has never been a domain of Christendom.
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Luk 4:23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
Luk 4:24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
Luk 4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luk 4:26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Luk 4:27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Luk 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Luk 4:29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.