Li Shimin's last words This person is difficult to control, and it is advisable to kill
Since ancient times, emperors not only need to work hard for the present, but also need to prepare for major events after death. It is not easy to start a business, and it is even more difficult to keep a business, so the emperor's entrepreneurship and the choice of orphans are related to the rise and fall of the country.
Once the person who entrusts the orphan is not human, it may lead to the change of ownership of the country, and even the lives of children and grandchildren are worried. Even the Tang Dynasty was strong, and Li Shimin created the rule of Zhenguan, but he was also worried about this.
Li Shimin joined the army as a young man, shrewd and capable, and gathered many talented people around him. Among them, many of them followed him to fight and establish meritorious deeds when he was still the king of Qin. At first, Li Shimin selected the founding general Li Tao as the minister of the orphans, but in the end, the orphans were the eldest grandson Wuji and Chu Suiliang.
Even before Li Shimin died, he warned his son Li Zhi, saying that Li Zhi was too strong and wanted Li Zhi to kill him. Why did Li Shimin act like this?
In the historical Tuogu incident, Liu Bei's Tuogu in the White Emperor City is a well-known story, in which Zhuge Liang, as the minister of Tuogu, was praised by later generations. The reason why Liu Bei carried out the orphanage was because his heir Liu Chan was only 16 years old, so he could be mediocre and needed to rely on the support of the minister.
When Li Shimin died, his son Li Zhi was already 21 years old, but Li Shimin was still worried about Li Zhi's cowardice and was afraid that he would be unable to control the complicated court situation, so he chose to be orphaned.
When Li Shimin entrusted orphans for the second time, he chose two of his most trusted ministers: the eldest grandson Wuji and Chu Suiliang. The eldest grandson, Wuji, is the person he thinks is the most staunch supporter of Li Zhi, and he is also Li Zhi's uncle.
Although Li Shimin believed in the eldest grandson Wuji, he was still worried that the villain would sow discord, so he chose Chu Suiliang, hoping that he could mediate the contradiction between Li Zhi and the eldest grandson Wuji at a critical moment.
In fact, Li Shimin had already planned to establish the prestige of the eldest grandson Wuji, and at the beginning of the 22nd year of Zhenguan, he let the eldest grandson Wuji hold the power of the three provinces and tilt the power towards the government and the opposition.
Although the prestige of the eldest grandson Wuji can help Li Zhi ascend to the throne, it may also pose a threat to Li Zhi. Therefore, adding Chu Suiliang when supporting Gu is on the one hand, hoping that he can reconcile the contradiction between Li Zhi and the eldest grandson Wuji when the villain sow discord, and on the other hand, he also hopes that he can contain the eldest grandson Wuji and reduce his threat to Li Zhi.
In the second entrustment, the role of the two ministers is already clear. So, why did Li Shimin choose Li Tao when he first took care of the orphan? What kind of person is Li Tao?
What role did he play in the history of the Tang Dynasty? Let's ** the answers to these questions together.
Li Tao: From a battlefield hero to a model for ministers Li Tao, a man of the hour in the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, won the emperor's surname with his military talent and loyalty. But what really makes him outstanding is that he was able to protect himself in the court struggle and survived three dynasties without falling.
Whether it is the dispute between Zhai Rang and Li Mi, or the change of Xuanwu Gate, or even Taizong Tuogu and Liwu Zetian, he can deal with it with a cautious attitude, even if he is in a high position as prime minister, he does not forget to be humble and cautious.
This way of being a minister made him play an important role in the peasant war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the ethnic relations in the early Tang Dynasty, and the internal struggles in the court. The story of Li Tao, a legendary figure who is both a talented and a military talent, and a general, tells us that a true hero must not only be brave and good at fighting on the battlefield, but also remain sober and humble in the complex political struggle.
Li Tao, one of the twenty-four heroes of Tang Taizong's establishment of Lingyan Pavilion, was loyal to his master. In the second year of Wude, Wang Shichong defeated Li Mi, Li Mi returned to the Tang Dynasty, and Li Tao took over the management of Li Mi's original territory.
He did not ask the imperial court for merit for these territories, but informed Li Mi, who had already returned to obedience, of the detailed information of these prefectures and counties, and asked Li Mi to ask for merit directly from the imperial court. Tang Gaozu was very puzzled by his behavior, why did Li Tao not return to obedience in person, but instead sent an envoy to convey a message to Li Mi?
Li Tao's pure character is admirable, he can appreciate the kindness of his master even in difficult times, and does not compete for credit. Li Shimin took a fancy to his loyalty, and chose him for the first time.
However, considering that Li Zhi was young and had no favor for Li Tao, Li Shimin was worried that he would not be loyal because of this, so he first ordered him to be deposed. In "Zizhi Tongjian", Li Shimin's deathbed words actually expressed this worry.
Li Shimin warned Li Zhi that if Li Tao left immediately after receiving the dethronement order, he could recall Li Tao in the future, which would be counted as a favor to him. But if he hesitates, Li Zhi should get rid of him immediately.
After receiving the edict, Li Tao did not hesitate, and even embarked on the road of debasement without even returning home, and his loyalty was commendable. Such devotion to duty can be called a model for courtiers.
Li Tao, a lifelong career as a horseman, joined the army at the age of seventeen, followed Zhai Rang to fight on the battlefield, and died of illness at the age of seventy-six. His life was almost filled with things related to the military, and he participated in pacifying the Quartet.
After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, in the third year of Wude, Li Shimin attacked Song Jingang, and Li Tao went all out and finally defeated Song Jingang. After that, he followed Li Shimin to crusade against Wang Shichong and took over Guanzhou under Li Shimin's command.
When Wang Shichong's crown prince tried to retake Guanzhou, Li Tao successfully repelled him. In addition, he also tried to persuade Zheng Guorong to surrender to the assassination of Zhou, and then recovered Yangcheng and Bianzhou.
After that, Li Tao continued to fight. In the fourth year of Wude, he took advantage of the cover of night to receive the Zhengzhou soldiers who surrendered to Zheng Guo, and surrendered Wang Shichong in July. After returning to the dynasty, Li Yuan rewarded Li Shimin and others for their exploits.
Li Tao was a highly successful general, who not only quelled the war at home, but also made great contributions to resisting the Turkic invasion and expanding the territory. Among them, in the Battle of Luoshui, he successfully defeated Liu Heimin's general Gao Yaxian; In July of the same year, he followed Li Shimin to quell the rebellion of Xu Yuanlang, the king of Lu, and captured more than ten cities.
In the eighth year of Wude, Li Tao accepted the appointment of the imperial court as the governor of the marching army, and successfully met and expelled the Eastern Turk attack in Taigu. After that, he, together with the assassins of other states, accepted the command of Li Jing and continued to fight against the Turks.
In the end, he captured more than 50,000 Turks, and the class returned to the dynasty and made brilliant military achievements.
In the eighteenth year of Jeongguan, Li Shimin had the ambition to conquer Goryeo, but this decision was strongly opposed by the counselor Chu Suiliang. However, Li Tao firmly supported Li Shimin's decision, believing that Li Shimin had given up attacking Xue Yantuo because of Wei Zheng's opposition, which had caused Xue Yantuo to become a long-term disaster, so he should attack this time.
Li Shimin followed Li Tao's advice and personally led his troops to Goryeo in the 19th year of Jeongguan. Li Tao also led the army to Youzhou to join the Tang army from all walks of life, and then adopted the tactics of attacking the east and the west, secretly sending troops north to attack Goryeo, and then defeated the Goryeo army.
In the twentieth year of Zhenguan, he heard that there was a dispute within Xue Yantuo, and Li Shimin sent troops to attack Xue Yantuo. After Li Tao arrived at Yu Du Jun Mountain, the leader of the Xue Yantuo tribe led his troops to surrender.
Li Tao fought all his life and rarely lost, and his bravery and wisdom were really beyond the reach of people.
Li Tao's life wisdom: stay away from right and wrong, keep evergreen Li Tao in Li Shimin's stills is far-sighted and filial piety coexists. In the struggle of the various factions in the imperial court, he always adhered to neutrality and impartiality, and did not intervene in any faction.
Whether it was the struggle between the two factions of the crown prince Li Jiancheng and the king of Qin Li Shimin in the early Tang Dynasty, or the struggle between the two factions of the crown prince Li Chengqian and Li Tai of Wei in the Zhenguan period, or the dispute between the queen and Wu Zetian in the Yonghui period, he could stick to his position and stay away from right and wrong.
Li Tao's farsightedness of staying away from right and wrong is an important reason why he can maintain his evergreen in the court. He is well aware that once he intervenes on either side, he may let himself fall into it, and it will be difficult to extricate himself.
Therefore, he chose to remain neutral at all times, away from right and wrong. Before Li Tao died, he also deliberately explained to his younger brother Li Bi, asking him not to let his family "break the house" like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui's son.
This is because Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui's sons were both involved in the contradictions within the royal family, and finally broke the family. Li Tao's remarks fully demonstrated his foresight and wisdom.
In general, Li Tao's wisdom in life is to stay away from right and wrong and remain neutral. He knew very well that only in this way could he remain evergreen in the court situation and avoid being drawn into the struggle.
In Wu Zetian's stills, before his death, he used Li Tao as an example to warn his family, reflecting his deep sense of distress. Li Tao not only showed noble character among his courtiers, but also was full of filial piety and righteousness for his family and friends.
Although he is the minister of a country, he personally cooks porridge for his seriously ill sister, and even burns his beard by fire in the process. This fully demonstrates his deep love for his family.
In his later years, he still took care of his sister himself, which shows the depth of his affection for his family. Comrades or colleagues who fought side by side on the battlefield, he always put righteousness first, which fully reflected his righteousness.
Li Tao and Shan Xiongxin lived and died together when they were in the Wagang Army, but when Li Tao defected to the Tang Dynasty, Shan Xiongxin followed Wang Shichong. Despite the disagreement, when Wang Shichong was defeated and Shan Xiongxin **, Li Tao bravely stood up, pleaded for him and expressed his willingness to atone for him.
Although Li Yuan did not agree in the end, Li Yuan still adopted Shan Xiongxin's son, this kind of behavior of sticking to the bottom line while being full of affection for his old friend is really admirable.
Li Tao was a highly praised general, he was talented, both literate and martial, and could be called a gentleman. Although some people think that he is sleek and sophisticated, wise and wise, and even changed hands many times in his life, this does not affect his great contribution to the historical process of the Tang Dynasty, whether it is to Gaozu Li Yuan, or Taizong Li Shimin, or Gaozong Li Zhi, he has made great efforts.
References[1]Dong Shaowei, Jing Xiaoyan. The Political Considerations of the Historical Origin: The Reasons for Li Tao's Demotion to the Governor of Diezhou[J].Journal of Northwest University for Nationalities (Philosophy and Social Science), 2013(05):77-82[2] Du Haijun. Li Tao commented on [J].Popular Literature and Art,2011(07):162-163[3] Mu Xingping. Li Tao's "Theory of Royal Family Affairs" and Its Influence[J].Qianling Cultural Studies,2010(00):66-70