can bend and stretch, retract and release, so that it can advance and retreat. At all times and in all countries, those who achieve great things have the quality of patience. Patience is the mentality of the strong. It is a kind of tenacity that will not give up until the goal is achieved. It requires a person to have a long-term and thorough view. Only in this way can his decision-making and behavioral abilities be improved to a level beyond that of ordinary people. And being good at being patient and waiting for action is exactly the application of the art of 捭阘.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the tyranny of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty triggered peasant uprisings in various places. The world fell into chaos. Heroes from all walks of life rose up one after another. The Turks in the north also took advantage of the situation and went south to plunder. Li Yuan As an official of the Sui Dynasty, he guarded Taiyuan and exterminated thieves under the orders of the court. At this time, the Turks used tens of thousands of cavalry to attack Taiyuan. Li Yuan sent his generals to lead the army to fight, and almost the entire army was wiped out. Later, he used a trick to force the Turks to retreat. However, when Li Yuan had no skills, the bandits Liu Wuzhou seized the Fenyang Palace Fenyang Palace of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty that he was guarding, took away the beautiful women's jewelry and presented them to the Turkic Khan. The Turkic Khan was overjoyed and named Liu Wuzhou Dingyang Khan. When other powerful thieves saw that they could gain the support of the Turks, they started to raise troops to cause trouble, leaving Li Yuan defenseless and vulnerable to enemies from both sides. He was in danger of being punished by Emperor Sui Yang at any time.
At this time, his subordinates advised Li Yuan to fight to the death with the Turks, but Li Yuan did not agree. After careful consideration, he knew that the world was in chaos and the Sui Dynasty had lost people's hearts. He also had the idea of invading the Central Plains to replace the Sui Dynasty. If you want to raise troops, although Taiyuan is an important military town, it is located in a corner after all and is not an ideal base area. Therefore, you should go west into Guanzhong . However, Taiyuan is an important military town after all and must not be lost. Considering that he had few soldiers and had to guard against thieves and deal with Turks, it was impossible to defend Taiyuan. He believed that only by finding a way to stabilize the Turks could he ensure the stability of Taiyuan and lay a solid foundation for his westward advancement.
Therefore, Li Yuan decided to temporarily adopt a low-key attitude towards the Turks. He proclaimed himself a vassal to the Turks, took the initiative to propose a marriage to the Turks, and presented a large number of beauties and jewels to the Turks Khan. He also agreed with him that after conquering the Central Plains in the future, he would only want land, and all the beauties and jewels would belong to the Turks Khan. When he corresponded with the Turkic Khan in letters, he used the word "qi" for his status as a minister instead of the "book" for his equal status. He even paid homage to the ordinary envoys sent by the Turkic Khan without any concerns about face, and completely showed his status as a minister.
The profit-seeking Turkic Khan was very happy. As expected, he reconciled with Li Yuan. This cut off Liu Wuzhou's help and allowed Li Yuan to only leave his third son Li Yuanji to lead a small number of troops during the most difficult period of his westward march to Chang'an . Defending Taiyuan without having to worry about Turks invading allowed Li Yuanji to provide sufficient logistical support for the front line. Not only that, because the Turkic Khan provided him with a large number of cavalry and food, Li Yuan was able to form a powerful cavalry unit for the Western Expedition. The stronger Li Yuan quickly captured a lot of territory. Although Liu Wuzhou later captured Taiyuan, Li Yuan's foundation in Chang'an was already solid, and he no longer had the worries he had when he first launched his army.
Li Yuan's power became stronger. At this time, some people advised him to end the humiliating alliance with the Turks, but Li Yuan did not agree. He knew that although his strength had improved, he had not yet completed unification. It was too early to break with the Turks, so he still had good relations with the Turks and had always ensured the peace of the north.
Later, Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty . In the Tang Dynasty, the national power continued to grow. When his son Li Shimin became emperor, he finally captured the Turkic Jieli Khan alive, washing away the shame of the year.
If Li Yuan had fought to the death with the Turks when he was defeated, with his weak military strength, he would definitely be defeated, and he might not even be able to save his life and property.If he was eager to raise troops to avenge the Turks as soon as he became strong, then the northern region of would definitely be caught in the flames of war, and his own strength would decline in the constant fighting, and he would be unable to send troops to pacify the south. The unification of the Tang Dynasty would take many years. If he had abolished the treaty with the Turks when the country was initially stable, the society that had finally stabilized would have been involved in the chaos of war, and the subsequent prosperity of the Tang Dynasty would have been impossible. It was Li Yuan who deeply understood the importance of keeping a low profile and chose to surrender when his strength was insufficient. He did not care about temporary fame and fortune, so that he could achieve the long-term imperial legacy of the Tang Dynasty, and enable the Tang Dynasty, which later became stronger and stronger, to wash away the humiliation of surrendering to the Turks in one fell swoop. Therefore, being able to bend and stretch is a real dragon, and being able to bend and stretch is a strategy and an important means of the art of fighting.
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