As the saying goes, reading history books can make people wise. As one of the few ancient civilizations in the world, China has passed down a thousand years of civilization history and created generations of popular figures. Since Qin Shi Huang founded the feudal society, the feudal system has continued in China for more than 2,000 years. In the past 2,000 years, dynasties have changed, rose and fell, and achieved many legends.
No matter which dynasty, the degree of desire of the children of the royal family for imperial power and the throne has only increased. When the emperor ascended the throne, in addition to the succession to the throne and the designation of the previous emperor's will, seizing power and ascending to the throne was also a means of competing for the imperial throne. Li Shimin and Zhu Di, the two Taizongs, who successfully ascended the throne by defeating other royal sons by virtue of the Xuanwumen Mutiny and Feng Tianjing's difficulties, so who of these two had the greater merits?
According to historical records, Li Yuan had twenty-two sons in his lifetime. But the only people who can talk about it in later generations are Li Shimin and the then crown prince Li Jiancheng. These two brothers, who were compatriots of the same mother, were Li Yuanjianye's right and left arms when he ascended the throne, Li Jiancheng was brave and good at war, and Li Shimin was both literate and resourceful.
Even though both brothers were dragons and phoenixes among men, from all indications, Li Shimin was superior to his brother. However, the ancients valued the status and bloodline of concubines, so when Li Yuan established Li Jiancheng as the crown prince. A few years later, Li Yuan never dreamed of it, because his decision made the brothers fraternal and blood stain xuanwumen.
As two powerful rivals in the struggle for the throne, Li Shimin's prestige and voice among the officials of the imperial court were high. Li Shimin, who was so popular, made Li Jiancheng's heart ring. In order to make his succession smooth, he suggested to Li Yuan that Li Yuanji lead an army to attack the Turks, thereby seizing Li Shimin's military power.
Although Li Shimin has been fighting outside for many years, he already has a lot of eyeliner in Chang'an City. Knowing the eldest brother's thoughts, Li Shimin decided to preemptively attack and kill Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji on their way into the palace, but things changed.
In front of the Xuanwu Gate, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji wanted to escape, and Li Shimin naturally would not let them go. Li Jiancheng was then shot, and Li Yuanji also died under The Arrow of Wei Chigong. When Li Yuan learned that Li Shimin's blood had stained the Xuanwu Gate, he was very angry. But he also knew that the general situation had been decided, and he made Li Shimin the crown prince. Two months later, Li Shimin succeeded to the throne.
Zhu Yuanzhang counterattacked step by step from a temple monk to the founding emperor, and it is reasonable to say that he was a person with a deep city government. However, like Li Yuan, he was confused on the issue of establishing a prince. According to common sense, the crown prince established by Zhu Yuanzhang was either Zhu Di or Zhu Biao, but he did not expect that Zhu Yuanzhang actually directly established zhu Yunjiao, the eldest grandson, as the crown prince.
After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, Zhu Yunjiao ascended to the throne. At that time, there were many ming dynasty feudal towns, and after Zhu Yunjiao ascended the throne, he set his sights on the kings of the clans. Zhu Yunjiao used various reasons to gradually weaken the strength of the kings of the clans. However, the strength of Zhu Di, the King of Yan, was too strong, and Zhu Yunjiao could not find a suitable reason to attack for a while, which gave Zhu Di the opportunity to seize power.
Zhu Di staged a mutiny in the name of "Qing Jun's side" and wanted to sit in the supreme seat. The battle for power ended four years later with Zhu Di's rebels capturing Nanjing. After four years of the Battle of Jingnan, the degree of death and injury of soldiers and civilians can be imagined.
At the moment of capturing the city of Nanjing, Zhu Yunjiao disappeared. Faced with the vacancy of the imperial throne, Zhu Di naturally became emperor, but Zhu Yunjiao became a piece of his heart disease. In order to cut the grass and remove the roots, Zhu Di wantonly slaughtered the civil and military officials who were loyal to Zhu Yunjiao, in order to avoid the trouble.
After these two emperors seized the throne, perhaps in order to make future generations less critical of them, both created a prosperous country during their reigns. Whether it is Li Shimin or Zhu Di, during their reign, they have worked diligently and constantly developed the country.
In addition, Zhu Di also attaches great importance to foreign exchanges. Zheng He was sent to the West seven times, spreading the national culture and bringing foreign culture back to China. Whether it is the rule of Zhenguan or the prosperity of Yongle, it is the performance of Guotai Min'an.
The merits of these two emperors are also recognized by later generations. The exploits of Li Shimin and Zhu Di cannot be compared, because they live in different dynasties, have different historical developments, and have different social situations. But it is undeniable that they have created brilliant achievements in their own dynasties.
These two emperors, who came to power by seizing power, did not rule the country corruptly and incompetently. On the contrary, the governance of the country will be orderly, and the people will live and work in peace and contentment. Although the means by which they ascended the throne were not glorious, their exploits could not be erased.
For more stories about historical facts, The Twenty-Four Histories are the best book choice. It dates from the Yellow Emperor period to the Ming Dynasty Chongzhen. Astronomical geography and human gossip can be described as all-encompassing. As a pertinent evaluation of history, it can help people look at history objectively and think rationally.
The Twenty-Four Histories restore the authenticity of history through easy-to-understand language and attract people to read. Everyone should take history as a mirror, fully understand themselves, and find their own life position. This book is a collection of ancient Chinese history, and if you read it carefully, you will definitely appreciate the charm of Chinese culture.