Tang Taizong Li Shimin was a very rational, restrained and cautious emperor. We can easily feel this in history. He is also good at connecting small things in daily life with political governance, exploring patterns, looking for commonalities, constantly reminding himself, and al

Tang TaizongLi Shimin was a very rational, restrained and cautious emperor. We can easily feel this in history. He is also good at connecting small things in daily life with political governance, exploring patterns, looking for commonalities, constantly reminding himself, and always maintaining a cautious state in terms of governance.

The king is the boat, the people are the water, and the water can carry the boat and also capsize it. If you use copper as a mirror, you can straighten your clothes; if you use ancient times as a mirror, you can know the ups and downs; if you use people as a mirror, you can know clearly. These are well-known sayings of wisdom. Li Shimin is a rationalist and a model of a saint at home and a king at the outside. His internal self-cultivation and external governance ability are both first-class.

This article uses the small things that happened to Li Shimin in historical records and the relevant remarks he made as material to get closer to this man and appreciate his great personality.

Once, Li Shimin said to the prince's teacher Xiao Yu: "I have loved bows and arrows since I was a child. I have collected more than a dozen excellent bows and arrows. I always think that what I have collected are the best bows and arrows. Recently, I have collected my bows and arrows." I showed the good bows I collected to the bowsmith. After looking at them, the bowsmith said that the bows were good, but the materials were not good. I asked why, and the bowsmith said that the wood core was not straight, which would cause the veins to be skewed. , although the bow is powerful, it is easy to go astray when shooting. After hearing this, I suddenly realized that my original inspection was not expert and precise enough. Imagine that I use bows and arrows to fight in all directions. I think I am so familiar with it, but I still cannot be perfect in my knowledge. , There are some deficiencies, so the world is so big, and I govern the country, and there are so many things, how can I know everything? If I know everything, there must be some gaps. "

So, Li Shimin immediately ordered that the officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital should take turns to come. Zhongshu was on duty when he was in charge of internal affairs. He often met with them and personally investigated and listened to the sufferings of the grassroots people and the gains and losses of grassroots political governance.

What is it about this story that shocks us? The heart has something to think about, and everything can be connected with the thing that one pays attention to, thinks about, and is obsessed with. From the identification of a bow, Li Shimin thought that in order to govern an empire, one must be cautious, diligent, knowledgeable, multi-faceted, listen to advice with an open mind, and listen carefully to what is said. Only in this way can this country dare to say that there are no major loopholes in governance.

Li Shimin often said to his officials: "If you want to see your own appearance, you can look in the mirror. If you want to know your faults, you must rely on loyal ministers. If the king thinks he is brave and powerful, and is willful and does not listen to opinions, then his subordinates will In the middle, there will naturally be more people who flatter the horse. If that happens, the king will lose his country, and his subjects will naturally be unable to protect themselves. Neither the king nor his subjects will have good results. Therefore, you should learn from yourself, criticize without hesitation, and see that the government is doing something wrong. Please point it out promptly. "

What can we read here? Follow the instructions well, encourage your ministers, be good at criticizing, and criticize a lot. The implication is that, needless to say, the king himself will only accept advice with an open mind and follow what is good.

Another time, Li Shimin said to the officials: "People say that the emperor is the supreme, and there is no one to be afraid of. In fact, it is not the case. The world is afraid of the inspection of the gods above, and the gaze of the officials below. It handles political affairs carefully every day. , I am afraid that it will not be in line with God's will and let down the people." After hearing this, Wei Zheng said: "What your Majesty said is an important program for governing the country. I hope that your Majesty can be cautious, consistent, and consistent, so that it can be perfect." Li Shimin did it. When it arrived, it was even better than Wei Zheng imagined.

It can be said that Li Shimin has created a miracle by being able to maintain such "human sobriety" in his supreme position. As an emperor, he is great, but as an ordinary person, from a human perspective, he is equally great.