The Imperial Envoys and Local Supervision in the Tang Dynasty

The imperial envoys were an important part of the envoy system in the Tang dynasty.In the early part of the dynasty it was not so formal,though the counsellors dispatched could play the role in local supervision.After the rebellion of An Lushan and Shi Siming the envoys dispatched were given special orders to supervise.The reason is that the counsellors,usually the emperor's confidants,had the special authority and the central government had the need to strenthen the centralization of state power.It is uncertain how much the imperial envoys had played their part in supervision.However the formal inclusion of imperial envoys in local supervision is an important change in supervision system in ancient China.