Li Shimin was young and joined the army. He rescued the then emperor Emperor Yang of Sui at Yanmen Pass . His father Li Yuan was the prefect of Jinyang (now Taiyuan). He followed his father to fight against Turkic many times. In 617 AD, the Sui Dynasty was about to destruction, and there were constant uprisings and rebellions in various places. Li Shimin encouraged his father to raise an army to rebel against the Sui Dynasty. Li Yuan appointed Li Shimin as the commander of the Right Army and led his army to attack Chang'an, and was named Duke of Qin.
In 618 AD, Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor and changed the country's name to Tang. Li Shimin was promoted to King of Qin. At that time, China was not completely unified, and there were still many separatist forces. Li Shimin led his army to fight many times, including Wang Shichong , Dou Jiande , Xue Ju , etc. During this process, Li Shimin was extremely famous in the army, and his reputation for benevolence and righteousness continued to spread, winning over a large group of military generals and strategists. It is undeniable that Li Shimin made great contributions to the unification of in the Tang Dynasty, and his military talents are indeed extraordinary. In comparison, Li Jiancheng is not useless. Before the reprimanding, he was responsible for recruiting talents from all over the place. During the reprimanding process, Li Jiancheng was the commander of the left army. He cooperated with Li Shimin to conquer the Guanzhong area. His military talent was still there, but in the subsequent unification process, Li Jiancheng's contribution was not as great as Li Shimin.
Because of this, Li Shimin's talent and contributions were jealous of Prince Li Jiancheng, and I think Li Shimin himself also had political ambitions. In this way, the two forces of the prince and the King of Qin began a political struggle. Li Jiancheng and King of Qi Li Yuanji united to exclude Li Shimin, and Li Yuan's indecision also intensified their open and secret struggles. Li Yuan knew Li Shimin's talent, but favored Li Jiancheng. Therefore, Li Jiancheng became more and more serious and began to frame and murder Li Shimin, which were all resolved by Li Shimin and his subordinates one by one. At that time, Li Shimin had the power of military and political affairs, which was his greatest capital and the point that the prince was most afraid of.
In 626 AD, the Turks invaded the border, and Li Jiancheng advised that the King of Qi Li Yuanji would send troops to fight, with the purpose of controlling Li Shimin's army. Li Yuan followed the prince's advice. Seeing that his fight with the prince was gradually at a disadvantage, Li Shimin decided to fight the prince and finally set up an ambush in Xuanwumen to kill Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Their family was also killed by Li Shimin. In this way, Li Shimin became the crown prince. Not long after, Li Yuan abdicated and Li Shimin officially became the emperor. On the fourth day of the sixth month of the 9th year of Wude, Li Shimin shot and killed the crown prince Li Jiancheng and the King of Qi Li Yuanji near the Xuanwu Gate in the imperial capital Chang'an City. It was called " Xuanwu Gate Change ". Afterwards, Li Shimin killed the sons of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and removed them from their clan origins. Li Yuan gave up military and political power and gave it to King Li Shimin of Qin. Three days later, Li Shimin was made the crown prince and issued an edict saying: "From now on, military and national affairs, all large and small, will be appointed to be executed, and then reported to the emperor." On the ninth day of the 9th year of Wude, Li Yuan abdicated and called the "Grand Emperor". He abdicated in Li Shimin. Li Shimin ascended the throne and became emperor, and the following year changed the reign of Zhenguan.
Tang Taizong How did Li Shimin ascend to the throne of the emperor through the "Xuanwu Gate Incident"?
Li Shimin played a major role in supporting his father Li Yuan raised an army to fight against Sui . Li Shimin made outstanding military achievements after his father raised his army to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was established. After Li Yuan ascended the throne, he enthroned Li Jian as the crown prince of the East Palace and stationed in the palace to assist Li Yuan in handling government affairs. He was the head of civil servants. Li Shimin was canonized as King of Qin, commanded the three armies outside and continued to fight in all directions.
Because of his outstanding military achievements, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji excluded Li Shimin. Although Prince Li Jiancheng could assist Li Yuan in handling affairs in the capital, due to Li Shimin's great contribution, he was deeply favored by Li Yuan. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji often make mistakes but are not favored. Li Jiancheng knew that his military achievements and prestige could not be compared with Li Shimin. He was afraid of Li Shimin's threat to him, so he joined forces with his younger brother, Li Yuanji, King of Qi, to deal with Li Shimin. Li Jiancheng promised Li Yuanji that he would be crowned the crown prince after he ascended the throne, so the two of them formed a group and began to exclude Li Shimin.
Li Shimin is also a rude master. When he learned that the two brothers united to deal with him, he was also very angry. Even though he was angry, he was still ready to compete with these two brothers. Thanks to his outstanding military talent, Li Shimin was successively named Situ (one of the three ministers), Shangshu Ling (prime minister level), Zhongshu Ling (prime minister level), and finally was named General Tiance by Li Yuan, with status above all the kings, second only to Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng.
The game between the forces of the East Palace and the King of Qin gradually heated up
The struggle between the forces of the East Palace and the King of Qin has become increasingly fierce as time goes by. Although the two sides win and lose each other, the situation gradually develops to have an advantage over the forces of the East Palace led by Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Li Jiancheng took advantage of his advantages in the court and his bribes to the concubines in the harem, allowing Li Yuan to dispel the idea of making Li Shimin the crown prince.
On the first day of June of the ninth year of Wude (June 29, 626 AD), Turkic Yushe led tens of thousands of cavalry to station in the south of the Yellow River and surrounded Wucheng. Li Shimin immediately asked to report to resist the enemy, but the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng recommended Li Yuanji to replace Li Shimin to command various troops in the north to fight against the Turkic invasion. Li Yuan followed Li Jiancheng's advice.
Li Yuanji took the opportunity to ask Li Yuan for the capable generals of Qin King Li Shimin Qin Shubao , Yuchi Gong , Cheng Zhijie , Duan Zhixuan and others to come to his tent to serve with him. He also selected elite soldiers under Li Shimin's tent to supplement them to his army to enhance the strength of his own army. Li Yuanji's ability to draw Li Shimin's elite soldiers was a clever move, which not only weakened Li Shimin's power, but also enhanced his own strength.
Li Shimin reported overnight that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji
Li Shimin's eyeliner in the East Palace brought Li Shimin a very urgent bad news. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were preparing to have the warriors kill the King of Qin in the tent during the farewell ceremony of Kunming Pool . The report said that the King of Qin died of illness, and then killed all the generals under the King of Qin. Li Shimin quickly summoned Changsun Wuji and other close friends to discuss countermeasures. It turned out that Li Shimin was still hesitant after being persuaded by everyone. Everyone threatened to leave and no longer help each other, which made Li Shimin make up his mind to make the ultimate attempt.
Jiwei on the third day of the June 1st (July 1, 626), Taishi Ling Fu Yi once again observed that Taibai Jinxing appeared in the Wu position just south of the sky. He secretly replied: "Vincent appears in the division of Qin land . This is a sign that the King of Qin should have the world." Li Yuan showed Fu Yi's secret report to Li Shimin, and Li Shimin took the opportunity to inform Li Yuan of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji and the concubines in the harem. And said that the two of them wanted to kill themselves and would leave their father forever. Li Yuan was very surprised when he heard Li Shimin's statement and asked him why he didn't come early and said that he would ask about this matter clearly tomorrow morning.
Zhang Jieyu secretly discovered the general content of Li Shimin's secret memorial and hurriedly informed Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng summoned Li Yuanji to discuss the matter overnight. Li Yuanji had a ghost in his heart. He had no intention of going to court the next morning, but Li Jiancheng believed that the palace was all their manpower, so they went to the palace to force his father to express his opinion the next morning. But they did not expect that the land was the chief guard of the Xuanwu Gate at the north gate of the palace city. He was originally a confidant of the prince but had been turned against by Li Shimin.
brothers turned against each other and became enemies. In the end, Li Shimin won the Gengshen day on the fourth day of June 19, the ninth year of Wude (July 2, 626), Li Shimin led his subordinates to the court in advance and set up an ambush at Xuanwu Gate. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji did not know that the situation had changed, and they followed Li Shimin into the court. When he arrived at Linhu Palace, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji found that the situation was not right, so they turned around and prepared to return to the East Palace and the Qi Prince's Mansion.
Li Shimin called them from behind, and Li Yuanji was guilty of being a thief. He first took off his bow and shot the arrow at Li Shimin. The busy Li Yuanji did not shoot three arrows in a row. Li Shimin simply did everything and shot Li Jiancheng to death with one arrow.The cavalry led by Yuchi Gong also arrived one after another. They shot Li Yuanji down with arrows. At this moment, Li Shimin's horse was frightened and ran into the woods next to him, and Li Shimin was also overturned to the ground.
said that Shichi was soon, and Li Yuanji quickly arrived and grabbed the bow and arrow to strangle Li Shimin to death. When Yuchi Gong saw that it was so great, he quickly rode his horse and ran over. Under Yuchi Gong's power, Li Yuanji quickly ran towards Wude Hall, hoping to seek the protection of his father Li Yuan. At this time, Yuchi Gong shouted loudly and shot Li Yuanji three arrows in a row. A small episode happened in the entire Xuanwu Gate Incident. East Palace and the subordinates of the King of Qi gathered more than 2,000 people to avenge the prince, but were killed by Yuchi Gong and others.
After Yuchi Gong calmed down outside, he led his subordinates into the palace and told them all about the whole story like a bamboo tube pouring beans, which showed that Li Shimin was forced to come up with this bad plan. Although Li Yuan was also very sad, he also understood that the situation in front of him was no longer under his control and agreed to all the conditions put forward by Yuchi Gong. He immediately ordered that his only son, Li Shimin, be the crown prince. Soon after, Li Yuan announced his abdication and allowed Li Shimin to ascend the throne. On July 2, 626 AD, Li Shimin launched a coup in Xuanwumen, besieging his father Li Yuan to kill his elder brother and younger brother, occupy his sister-in-law, and then drove away more than a dozen children of the Li family, ascended the position himself, and firmly settled in the country.
But the problem is that only 800 people were suppressed at that time, and Li Jiancheng had 3,000 people, let alone Li Yuan's escort. Why did Li Shimin dare to rebel directly, and how did he escape from the coup? Today, let’s explore the secrets of the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
In 618, Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor and appointed his eldest son Li Jian as the crown prince. His second son Li Shimin was the king of Qin. According to the traditional system of inheritance of the eldest son, this arrangement was perfect. Li Jiancheng can be both literary and military, and he can afford this prince. But the problem is that Li Shimin took the emperor's script, the fate of the Ziwei Star falling from the sky, and it was impossible for him to surrender. Just look at his resume.
Li Shimin broke through Yanmen Pass alone at the age of sixteen, saved Emperor Yang of Sui, and led 40,000 troops at the age of twenty, and turned defeat into victory against the enemy 200,000, destroying the separatist forces, and establishing the battle of the founding of the Tang Dynasty. By the time he led 3,000 light cavalry to conquer Dou Jiande's 100,000 army, he was already so powerful and famous. Even the people in the city knew the power of King Li Shimin of Qin. Such brilliant achievements made most of the Li family.
His father Li Yuan couldn't stop laughing, but his elder brother Li Jiancheng couldn't laugh. Li Shimin has already served as the Minister of State and the Military Commander-in-Chief, holding military and political power, and has huge power. No one can touch him except Li Yuan. Li Jiancheng is becoming more and more afraid of Li Shimin. If he wanted to break this situation, he could only take the initiative first. So Li Jiancheng won over Li Yuanji and dealt with Li Shimin together. His father Li Yuan also noticed the struggle between his brothers and stood on the side of Prince Li Jiancheng.
In October 19621, Li Yuanfeng and Li Shimin were also appointed as General Tiance, and Li Yuanji was also appointed as Sikong. At the same time, he supported Li Jiancheng and his two men to seize Li Shimin's military power and weaken Li Shimin's power. There are also many suppression of the strategists within Li Shimin's group. Li Yuan often said that you scholars have brought my son apart. Li Shimin's outstanding achievements and his reputation grew, which not only made Li Jiancheng afraid, but also made Li Yuan afraid. The conflict between the two sides became more and more expanding like a balloon. Finally it was destroyed in 626. In early June of this year, Taibai's celestial phenomena appeared twice in a row. This celestial phenomena meant that the emperor had to replace people and the country had to change its ownership. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the biggest threat to his status is Li Shimin. Li Jiancheng immediately instigated Li Shimin's aides, but failed to instigate him. He turned to Li Yuan to complain and persuaded Li Yuan to kill Li Shimin. Li Yuan himself was also very dissatisfied with Li Shimin and stepped up his suppression of his power.
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were expelled from the Qin Palace to the Turks. Li Yuan took this opportunity to transition Li Shimin's military power to Li Yuanji, and asked generals such as Yuchi Gong, Qin Shubao, Duan Zhixuan and other generals to accompany him. They did this to undermine Li Shimin and make him have no soldiers, no one, no right to become a fish on the chopping board.Li Shimin could not sit still and wait for death. His military power had been lost, and Li Yuan missed his intention to kill and had to prepare. He was forced to enter the palace to respond to Li Yuan's doubts and reported to Li Jiancheng with his backhand. The two of them and the concubines in the palace were promiscuous in the harem. When Li Yuan heard that he had been green, he quickly announced that the three of them would attack and confront each other the next day. The building Li Shimin sued not only diverted its attention, but also bought time for the coup. On the other hand, Li Shimin secretly made arrangements, quietly won the support of all parties, and laid a very important pawn.
Chenghe was originally a general of Li Shimin, and later transferred to the position of the chief of Xuanwu Sect. This position is very important, so Wei Zheng suggested that Li Jiancheng take over the long river as soon as possible, but he did not know that Chenghe was Li Shimin's double-faced spy. On the surface, he was Li Jiancheng's person, but in fact he was Li Shimin's person. It was precisely because of Chenghe that on July 2, 1966, Li Jiancheng entered the palace from Xuanwu Gate in a swagger, and Li Shimin led more than 70 subordinates to ambush the throat of the North Yai with Chenghe's acquiescence. On this day, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji passed by Xuanwu Gate and arrived at Linhudian. Suddenly, they found that the atmosphere was not right, so they immediately turned around and ran away. Li Shimin brought ambush troops to chase after him from behind. In desperation, Li Yuanji shot three arrows at Li Shimin in a row, but none of them shot. Obviously, this is Chenghe's credit. As Li Jiancheng's confidant, Chenghe could easily tamper with Li Yuanji's bow and arrow. The fight was extremely fierce, and Li Shimin shot Li Jiancheng with one arrow.
At this time, Yuchi Jingde led the cavalry to arrive. The horse that shot Li Yuanji, Li Yuanji fell off his horse. Li Shimin's horse was also frightened and threw himself into the woods and arrived from his hometown. He tangled and beat Li Shimin together. Yuchi Jingde then came and shot Li Yuanji to death with an arrow. At this point, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were both dead, and reinforcements from the East Palace and the King of Qi arrived and attacked Xuanwu Gate. Yuchi Jingde carried the heads of Li Jiancheng and his men. Seeing that their master had been killed, they immediately dispersed. Afterwards, Yuchi Jingde led his troops to defend Li Yuan. At this time, Yuchi Jingde surrounded Li Yuan with murderous intent, saying that it was protection, but in fact it was control. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Li Yuan was dead and was forced to abdicate and wanted to grant military power to the King of Qin. Li Shimin admitted the legitimacy of the coup.
After the end of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin launched a bloody massacre. Li Jiancheng's five sons Li Chengdao , Li Chengde , Li Chengxun , Li Chengxun , etc. Li Yuanji's five sons, Li Chengye, Li Chengluan, etc., were all brutally killed. All the female relatives of Yuan Dong Palace and the Qi Palace were collected into the palace and became Li Shimin's harem. The more famous of them was that Li Yuanji's wife Yang was taken as a concubine. Li Shimin also planned to kill more than 100 relatives of Li Jiancheng and his two others. Yuchi Jingde advised Li Shimin to be dead and not to increase his murder. Only then did Li Shimin put down his butcher knife. Li Shimin's road to achieving hegemony was trampled on the blood of countless people on the way. He was cruel, clear-headed, and ruthless in his work.
Fortunately, he is not a reckless man who only knows how to kill. After ascending the throne, Li Shimin worked hard to rule and started the Zhenguan governance. He knew people and used them well, and humbly accepted advice, which pushed the traditional Chinese agricultural society to its heyday. If you can write a pen and keep the world safe, you can use your martial arts to make sure the world is determined. So who would be the emperor Li Shimin if he was not good at it? After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he was Emperor Taizong of Tang. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he humbly accepted advice, valued wise ministers, implemented tax reforms internally, reduced the burden on the people, and implemented strategies of rest and recuperation; he expanded the territory outside, made the neighbors surrender, and achieved great integration of all ethnic groups. The Zhenguan rule was created and a solid foundation for the Tang Dynasty to move towards glory.
