Eunuchs have been monopolizing power for thousands of years. Why were eunuchs the most serious disaster in the Tang Dynasty?

Because the late Tang Dynasty broke many restrictions on eunuchs.

To talk about the disasters caused by eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty, we must first talk about the control of eunuchs in the early Tang Dynasty. At that time, the most important reason why eunuchs could not make any big waves was because of their control over eunuchs. The control is very strict. But in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, starting from Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, eunuchs could hold very important positions, such as the most famous Gao Lishi. You can even become a hussar general. It was from this that eunuchs began to interfere in government affairs. It was not until after the Anshi Rebellion that the power of the central government was very dispersed, which led to the rise of eunuchs.

Although eunuchs interfered with politics in all dynasties, it was most serious in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. This was also determined by the social form at that time. As mentioned just now, after the Anshi Rebellion, the vassal kings separated their regimes, so the court could feel that the military was disorganized. The soldiers were all working for their own masters, and the officials just wanted to protect themselves wisely. At this time, the eunuch who seemed to be the weakest and most unreliable could actually gain the trust of the emperors. After Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the status of eunuchs became higher and higher for this reason. To put it bluntly, eunuchs themselves have no qualifications to participate in political affairs, but as the people closest to the emperor, their words and deeds do have the ability to influence the emperor's decisions.

The change of soldiers in Jingyuan during the Tang Dezong period is a good proof of why the emperor trusted the eunuchs so much. After all, no soldiers were willing to rescue him at that time, and only hundreds of eunuchs came forward. Between life and death, the actions of the soldiers and eunuchs also foreshadowed the later rulers' trust in the eunuchs. So later, military power was in the hands of the eunuchs. With military power, you have a greater say. Therefore, the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty were the most serious disaster. None of the eunuchs in the past dynasties could hold military power like the eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty. And with such great power, it would naturally begin to threaten the imperial power.