Xu Maogong was a man of great affection and righteousness, and even when his comrade-in-arms and good brother were executed by the emperor, he still took risks to take care of his wife and children. However, this benevolence eventually brought hidden dangers to Datang.
In the last years of the Sui Dynasty, Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji joined the Wagang Rebel Army, and they were eager to show their skills in the troubled times.
The two brothers are both wise and brave people, assisting Zhai Rang. With their assistance, Zhai Rang successfully captured the two counties of Xingyang and Liangjun, which greatly increased the prestige and strength of the Wagang army.
Li Mi, who was defeated in the Sui Dynasty's rebellion, joined the Wagang Army and became its leader. Li Mi proclaimed himself the Duke of Wei and Zhai Rang as Situ, while Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji became Li Mi's left and right generals respectively.
In a battle with Wang Shichong, Zhai Rang faced danger, but fortunately Li Mi and Shan Xiongxin rescued him and won the victory. However, Li Mi learned that some of Zhai Rang's subordinates intended to overthrow him, and planned to get rid of him in order to prevent future troubles.
After Li Mi's careful planning, Zhai Rang at the banquet was killed by Li Mi's subordinates while looking at a bow. And Xu Shiji was also cut by Li Mi's subordinates when he was the savior, and Shan Xiongxin could only kneel helplessly and beg for mercy.
Li Mi's cronies learned of Shan Xiongxin's easy submission and believed that he was not a loyal man and that it would be a disaster to stay by his side, so they persuaded Li Mi to kill Shan Xiongxin. Li Mi's situation is not stable, he is recruiting talents, if he easily kills the old ministers, he will cause dissatisfaction with the army led by Zhai Rang and lose the hearts of the people.
However, Li Mi was reluctant to kill Shan Xiongxin because of his heroism and invincibility.
Li Mi showed outstanding military talent in the war, so he was deeply admired by Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji. Under Li Mi's leadership, they played brilliantly and assisted Li Mi to achieve many victories with sophisticated tactics and strategies.
However, in the first year of Tang Dewu, Li Mi lost the battle with Wang Shichong, and Shan Xiongxin and others were forced to surrender to Wang Shichong, while Xu Shiji and Li Mi chose to follow Li Tang and became their subordinates instead.
Although they were once comrades-in-arms, they are now hostile subordinates, which is undoubtedly a regrettable situation.
Wang Shichong understood Shan Xiongxin's talent, and back then, it was precisely because of Shan Xiongxin's bravery and good fighting that Li Mi did not listen to others' sowing discord and let him go. Shan Xiongxin's strength is known to everyone, his marksmanship is unique in the world, and having such an outstanding general is like a tiger with wings, even better.
History has proved that the monarch Li Shimin, who Xu Shiji took refuge in, is not only a person with courage and strategy, but also a politician with outstanding political skills. And Shan Xiongxin's good brother Xu Shiji, loyal to Li Shimin, soon won the city and gained a firm foothold.
In contrast, Wang Shichong's army was simply unable to compete with Li Shimin's army, and it was about to collapse at the first touch, and soon fell into a desperate situation.
Shan Xiongxin's ambition and heroic talent were not fully displayed because he was on the wrong team. Wang Shichong chose to surrender when the army was defeated, but Shan Xiongxin would rather die than give in.
This is not because of Shan Xiongxin's lack of loyalty and righteousness, but because he has changed hands three times, which is really difficult for a big husband. His bravery and loyalty are all the more valuable.
In addition, there is another important reason why Shan Xiongxin would rather die than surrender, that is, his bitter hatred for killing his father. Back then, his father was killed by Li Yuan while guarding the city.
This deep hatred made Shan Xiongxin resolutely unwilling to lose himself on the road of surrender.
In the midst of the war, his father's sacrifice was undoubtedly a symbol of loyalty, but Li Yuan then mistakenly killed Shan Xiongxin's brother Shan Dao, and the seeds of hatred were planted. The ancients often said that the hatred of killing his father is not shared, as a seven-foot man, how could Li Tang let go of the grudge in his heart and "recognize the thief as his father" after the defeat.
Shan Xiongxin's loyalty and bravery are admirable, but his sincerity and bravery will also make him a sharp sword hanging over his head.
Li Shimin is soberly aware of Shan Xiongxin's threat, and if he is not eliminated in time, he may leave trouble. Therefore, he beheaded Shan Xiongxin, although his good brother Xu Shiji begged Li Shimin to spare his life.
Xu Shiji, known as Xu Maogong, and Shan Xiongxin are good friends. After Shan Xiongxin was killed, Xu Shiji secretly took care of his wife and children, which laid the root of the curse. Although Shan Xiongxin chose a different lord, he did nothing wrong in the troubled times.
Li Shimin did not completely kill Shan Xiongxin, otherwise Xu Maogong would not be able to help his wife and children. If it continues, Li Shimin will definitely be able to detect and completely eradicate him.
It's just that Li Shimin and Xu Maogong may never have foreseen that their momentary benevolence would become a hidden danger, and eventually pose a threat to the rule of the Tang Dynasty three hundred years later.
The rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty lasted about 300 years. In its glorious period, there was a prosperous scene of national peace and security such as the rule of Zhenguan and the prosperous era of Kaiyuan. However, after the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty began to decline.
By the end of the Tang Dynasty, due to the corruption of officials, frequent wars, the rise of separatist forces, and drought in many places, the crops failed, and the people lived in hardship.
Under the impact of war and natural disasters, the people everywhere finally couldn't bear it anymore and rose up to resist the brutal rule of the Tang Dynasty. Among them, the Huangchao Uprising led by the salt merchant Wang Xianzhi was huge, and it was responded to and supported by a wide range of people.
The Huangchao rebel army is like a strong wind across the country, unstoppable. Among the generals of the Huangchao Rebellion were the descendants of Shan Xiongxin, who marched forward bravely and determined to overthrow the rule of the Tang Dynasty.
It can be said that the outbreak of the Huangchao Uprising was largely due to the contribution of Shan Xiongxin's descendants, and without Xu Maogong's assistance and Li Shimin's leniency, Shan Xiongxin's descendants would not have been able to set off this magnificent movement.
Although Shan Xiongxin's descendants cannot simply be called ungrateful, their uprisings were not only out of consideration for seeking a safe place for the people of the world, but also to avenge their ancestors.
The fall of the Tang Dynasty was certainly related to objective factors such as political corruption, frequent wars, and heavy taxation in the later period, but Shan Xiongxin's descendants joined the Huangchao Rebellion and became the key force in overthrowing the rule of the Tang Dynasty, which also directly led to the fall of the Tang Dynasty.