When it comes to the famous generals of the Tang Dynasty, the first thing that comes to people's minds is probably Li Shimin, Tang Taizong.
In addition to his political achievements, the story of Li Shimin's bravery when he was young and his friends fighting on the battlefield is widely known, and this period of pride and ambition has contributed greatly to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty. However, Li Shimin, a monarch who was quite a noble emperor at the time, died at the age of 51, which is also very regrettable.
However, there are few historical records of Li Shimin's death, which has led some people to speculate, but a closer look at the historical materials also shows some clues, in which the double blow of physical and mental life was the key reason for his death.
The Son of Heaven is usually not immune to illness, and for monarchs who hold power, once they stand at the pinnacle of power, there is nothing to pursue anymore, only a limited lifespan is essential to them.
Immortality, however, was illusory to them, but it still didn't stop them from pursuing it. Some people were convinced of Qin Shi Huang's plan of immortality, which led to the eventual fall of the Qin Dynasty.
Li Shimin disdained this when he was young, but in his later years, he unbelievably stepped into this misunderstanding.
The conquest of his youth and the hard work of the logistics and politics of his accession to the throne made the noble emperor physically and mentally exhausted, causing the occurrence of some hereditary diseases to become more and more frequent. In addition, as he grew older, his body gradually became unbearable, and even his successor failed to live up to his expectations.
Therefore, he can only persevere and look forward to the growth of his sons.
In addition, although the Tang Dynasty gradually reached its peak, there were still many hostile forces around, which made him bent on personally conquering Goguryeo in his later years, hoping to leave a prosperous Tang Dynasty. However, the elderly Li Shimin is no longer young and powerful, his performance is not good, and he was even hit by a poisoned arrow.
The injury left him on the brink of death, his fear growing with age, and his deep concern for the instability of the world and the incompetence of his sons. So, he had to try the alchemy technique that he once despised.
The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty led to the attachment of many ethnic groups, so Li Shimin ordered people to find the elixir of life.
A Tianzhu monk volunteered to appear and boast to Li Shimin that he was hundreds of years old and had relied on alchemy to live a long life. Li Shimin was moved, so he asked the monk to be responsible for managing the "elixir". For us, this monk is just a **, but for Li Shimin, who is full of fear of death, he has no other choice but to seize this last hope.
After obtaining the emperor's permission, the monk began to make alchemy. At the beginning, the "elixir" did not work, but with the increase in the amount of take, Li Shimin did feel a hundred times more energetic, and even his libido was more vigorous.
But as smart as he is, he doesn't realize that this is just a "return to the light". When the consequences of taking the "elixir" were exposed, he was soon unable to leave the bed until 649 AD, when Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, drove west.
However, Li Shimin's death is not as simple as it seems.
In addition to the ** of the "elixir", another problem is Li Shimin's inner pain, which is also the biggest stain in Li Shimin's life, the "change of Xuanwumen".
Li Yuan once made Li Jiancheng the crown prince for Li Shimin, but the establishment of the Tang Dynasty was inseparable from Li Shimin's contributions. Therefore, Li Yuan hesitated, not knowing who to appoint as the prince.
But Li Shimin was very dissatisfied after knowing his father's intention to oppose Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng and other brothers framed Li Shimin, in order to protect himself, Li Shimin relied on his followers to successfully force the palace, not only shot the eldest brother, but also forced Li Yuan to make himself the crown prince. However, his path to the throne was also unjustifiable, and his brother-killing hat made the choice of the prince more and more cautious for him, and he did not want his sons to fall into fratricide again.
Therefore, when Empress Changsun gave birth to her eldest son, he was immediately named the crown prince and named Li Chengqian. It can be seen that Li Shimin is full of expectations for this child, but Li Chengqian deviates from the emperor's expectations.
Not only did he indulge his male pets, but he also secretly associated with some Turkic people in his actions, which was a capital offense at the time. But Li Shimin chose to endure. As time went by, Li Chengqian's behavior deviated more from his father's expectations, and even openly plotted to murder his younger brother, which made Li Shimin feel very sad and incomprehensible.
After the unpopularity of his eldest son Li Chengqian, Li Tai became Li Shimin's most favored son, but Li Tai's ruthlessness made Li Shimin feel that he deposed Li Tai first to avoid repeating Li Chengqian's mistakes.
In 643 AD, Li Zhi was made crown prince because Li Shimin believed that he was kind-hearted and able to manage the relationship between his siblings after his accession to the throne.
However, this also laid the groundwork for what followed.
In short, Li Shimin was wise and martial all his life, but in the end he could not escape the arrival of death. As a high-ranking person, his monarchy and fatherly responsibilities are constantly testing his body and mind, which also leads to the complexity of the reasons for his death.