When it comes to famous generals in the early Tang Dynasty, most people only know Li Jing, Qin Shubao, Wei Chigong and Cheng Yanjin. The reason for this is the interpretation of vernacular texts such as "Speaking of the Tang Dynasty" and "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" in the folk. In fact, the fierce generals under Li Shimin's command are not limited to these people, and Duan Zhixuan is one of the best.
Unlike Wei Chigong, who aspired to be a general since he was a child, Duan Zhixuan had no big ambitions when he was young. If you want to ask him what he wants to do when he grows up, you might as well ask him how many chickens he wants to steal when he grows up. He often took his fox friends and dogs to walk the streets and alleys, either stealing chickens and dogs, or bullying the weak, and even setting fire to other people's houses. Do something that violates the law and discipline.
Fortunately, there was no major accident, and his father wiped his buttocks, but he was not arrested by the government. His father, Duan Yanqi, was the Taiyuan judicial secretary, who was in charge of Taiyuan's litigation cases, prisons, and the arrest of criminals. Can a father arrest his son and go to trial and imprisonment?
But Duan Zhixuan's "good days" didn't take long to end. In the eighth year of the Great Cause (612), Emperor Yang of Sui personally conquered Goguryeo for the second time. Men who had reached the age of 14 (which shows how reckless Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty) were ordered to be called into the army. Duan Zhixuan just met the regulations, so he became a soldier and participated in the second great war of Sui against Goguryeo.
However, due to Yang Xuangan's rebellion, the battle ended in nothing. When Emperor Yang of Sui returned to the south, he was also stolen by Goguryeo, and the Sui army suffered heavy losses. It was in this battle that Duan Zhixuan appreciated the charm of the army. So he returned to Taiyuan, and then worked hard to learn the art of war and practice martial arts diligently.
In the thirteenth year of the Great Cause, Li Yuan joined Taiyuan, and Duan Zhixuan and his father Duan Yanshi resolutely followed Li Yuan's footsteps to participate in the uprising.
Duan Zhixuan recruited more than 1,000 soldiers as the capital to invest in Li Yuan in the early days. Li Yuan therefore made him the head of the army of the right leader of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion. Soon, Duan Zhixuan led his troops to capture Huoyi (now Huozhou City, Linfen, Shanxi), Jiangjun (now Xinjiang County, Shanxi), and Yongfengcang (the big granary of the Sui Dynasty).
With the merit of the dragon and this merit, Duan Zhixuan was promoted to Doctor Zuo Guanglu again.
But what made Duan Zhixuan famous was the battle with Liu Wenjing and Tongguan.
Qu Tutong was a famous general of the Sui Dynasty, who once quelled Yang Xuangan's rebellion with Yuwenshu, was named the general of Zuo Xiaowei, and was ordered to garrison Hedong.
Li Yuan marched to Chang'an, and Qu Tutong came from Hedong to support. Liu Wenjing attacked Tongguan for a month, but was never able to break through Qu Tutong's defense.
Later, Qu Tutong's subordinates surrounded Liu Wenjing, and the Tang army was about to be defeated. At this critical moment, Duan Zhixuan personally led dozens of cavalry to attack and kill, and killed more than a dozen Sui troops alone.
Unexpectedly, a stream of enemy arrows pierced his thigh. Duan Zhixuan didn't say a word, endured the pain and killed back and forth, and killed dozens of people, the Sui army was frightened and didn't dare to resist. There were even signs of escape. Encouraged by Duan Zhixuan, the Tang army regrouped and the Sui army.
Qu Tutong led the army to defeat and left, and Duan Zhixuan led a few more people to capture Qu Tutong.
As a result, Duan Zhixuan's fame soared, and Li Yuan praised him as a true hero, and added him to the rank of general of Leyoufu.
After that, Duan Zhixuan followed Li Shimin to conquer Wang Shichong, and this time made his prestige far and wide among the Tang army.
In this battle, Duan Zhixuan took the lead and came and went freely. This caused his horse to fall overwhelmed and fall over.
Seeing this, Wang Shichong's two cavalrymen grabbed Duan Zhixuan's hair and dragged him forward. When crossing the Luo River, Duan Zhixuan endured severe pain, kicked his legs, jumped up, and kicked the two off the horse. snatched the opponent's weapons and stabbed them to death.
Then he grabbed the war horse and ran back to his own camp, and hundreds of people on the other side watched and did not dare to make any moves. Duan Zhixuan was even more loved in the Tang Army.
defeated Wang Shichong, Duan Zhixuan followed Li Shimin to defeat Dou Jiande and recover Luoyang. He also entered Li Shimin's shogunate and became the second right protector of the Qin Palace. Since the Xuanwu Gate incident, Duan Zhixuan stood in line with Li Shimin, and was awarded the title of General Zuo Xiaowei and Fan Guogong for his merits, and he was actually sealed for 900 households.
Duan Zhixuan not only fought bravely, but also managed the army quite rigorously. Empress Changsun died, and Duan Zhixuan and Yu Wenshi were ordered to guard Zhangwumen. In the evening, Li Shimin sent an envoy to summon the two, and Yu Wenshi hurriedly recruited the envoy into his right camp. However, Duan Zhixuan refused the envoy on the grounds that it was forbidden to open the military gate at night. The envoy went back to Li Shimin to get the message, but Duan Zhixuan refused the envoy on the grounds that he could not be identified at night.
The messenger had no choice but to run back to the palace and cry to Li Shimin.
After Li Shimin listened to the envoy's complaints, not only did he not blame Duan Zhixuan, but praised him for being as strict as Zhou Yafu's army, saying that he was a "true general"!
In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan (642), Duan Zhixuan died of illness, Tang Taizong cried very much, posthumously presented the general of the auxiliary state, the governor of Yangzhou, and buried Zhaoling, nicknamed "loyal and strong".
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